Agricola Querciabella Mongrana 2011 Querciabella, founded in 1974 by Giuseppe Castiglioni, an avid collector of French wines, including the largest collection of Louis Roederer Cristal in Italy. The property is now managed and owned by Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni. The wine takes its name from that of the noble family of knights depicted by the Italian Renaissance poet Ludovico Ariosto in his epic masterpiece Orlando Furioso (“Mad Orlando”). Mongrana is the quintessential expression of the colors, sights and sounds of the Maremma region. The wine takes its name, and its character, from that of the noble family of knights depicted by the Italian Renaissance poet Ludovico Ariosto in his epic masterpiece…
-
-
Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau 2016 On November 17, 2016 wine aficionados across the U.S. celebrated the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau. Since this French wine first came to the U.S. in 1982, Beaujolais Nouveau Day has been an annual celebration to honor the end of harvest and offer the first taste of the new vintage. Released at 12:01 a.m. on the third Thursday in November per French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is a bright, flavorful red wine made from the Gamay grape. As with most wine aficionados, I too am always anxious to join in on the celebration and try the new harvest upon release, I think it’s fun to participate in this…
-
Inama 2014 Soave Classico In the 1960s, Giuseppe Inama, the estate’s founder, began using his savings to purchase small plots of vineyards in the heart of the Soave Classico region. At that time few understood the area’s potential but Giuseppe believed that he could make a wine capable of restoring Soave’s reputation by working with only top quality vineyards of old-vine Garganega (Soave’s original grape). Today, Inama (pronounced “eeh-NAM-mah”) comprises 70 acres of vineyards in the heart of the Soave Classico and Giuseppe’s son Stefano, who assumed control of the winemaking in 1992 and has cutting-edge outlook, is considered a dynamic visionary of the region. Inama also grows traditional Bordeaux…
-
La Val Rías Baixas Albariño 2014 Bodegas La Val was established in 1985 and was one of the first wineries in Rias Baixas. Unusual for the area, La Val only uses its own estate grown grapes rather than buying them from local growers. They own 150 acres of Albariño most of which are located in the Condado do Tea sub-region. The particular micro-climate of their main holding in Condado do Tea allows them to be the first winery to open the harvest, which is typically in the first half of September. Jose Maria Ureta is the current winemaker and he is extremely well respected in the D.O. and considered to…
-
Willm 2013 Riesling Reserve Founded in 1896 by the Willm Family, Alsace Willm was the first Alsace producer to export wines to the United States after Prohibition. Alsace Willm is located about 20 miles south of Strasbourg in Barr on the Route du Vin d’Alsace, which is the “Wine Road of Alsace”. Alsace Willm produces a selection of outstanding Alsace wines, both still and sparkling, as well as some Grand Crus. The 2013 Reserve Riesling is 100% Riesling that is aged for about 3 months on its lees, with bottling occurring about 10 months after the harvest. Note: “Lees” refers to deposits of dead yeast or residual yeast and other…
-
Matanzas Creek Winery 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Naturally defined by the three mountain peaks that envelop it, Bennett Valley existed for many years in quiet obscurity – bountifully sustaining an agricultural community that had all but forgotten the valley’s pre-prohibition vinicultural roots. It wasn’t until 1977 with the founding of Matanzas Creek Winery that the area’s winemaking potential was once again unearthed. But Matanzas Creek didn’t just breathe new life into the area, it helped revolutionize the entire industry and, in the process, put Bennett Valley back on the map. And now, over thirty years after the release of its first vintage, Matanzas Creek stands at the forefront of California viticulture.…
-
B.R. Cohn 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Silver Label Founded by Bruce Cohn in 1984, B.R. Cohn Winery is located in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Bruce Cohn bought the land now known as Olive Hill Estate Vineyards in 1974. The small family operated winery is surrounded by the 90-acre Olive Hill Estate Vineyards, where soils warmed by underground natural hot springs and gentle ocean breezes create a unique microclimate resulting in ideal growing conditions for outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon. This Silver Label offering from founder Bruce Cohn, who (for us older rockers) managed the Doobie Brothers, one of my favorite groups of the 70’s. Mr. Cohn, when not managing the Doobie Brothers,…
-
Georges Duboeuf 2015 Beaujolais Nouveau On November 19, 2015 wine aficionados across the U.S. celebrated the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau. Since this French wine first came to the U.S. in 1982, Beaujolais Nouveau Day has been an annual celebration to honor the end of harvest and offer the first taste of the new vintage. Released at 12:01 a.m. on the third Thursday in November per French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is a bright, flavorful red wine made from the Gamay grape. Each year, Georges Duboeuf unveils a new wine label. The 2015 label depicts the lush Beaujolais vineyards and bright, celebratory colors of the harvest. Georges Duboeuf is a producer of…
-
Michele Chiarlo 2011 Barbera D’Asti Le Orme The Chiarlo style has always that of producing greatly elegant and complex wines with a tendency to excellent longevity and at the same time, featuring all the characteristics of the vineyards and soil from which they claim their origin. In the cellar, winemakers Stefano Chiarlo and Gianni Meleni pursue the goal of being faithful to the Chiarlo style: a moderate and careful use of wood for their red wines so that the varietal and the soil characteristics remain evident. Among the red wines, the winemakers attended to the importance of the Barbera d’Asti wine that they transformed, from the 1970s, by being the…
-
Herdade da Malhadinha 2014 Monte Da Peceguina Rosé Malhadinha Nova is a typical Alentejo family estate situated in Albernoa, a small village ln the heart of ‘Baixo’ Alentejo. Since 1998, the family’s passion and commitment have transformed a long-abandoned land into fields that give life to genuine, high-quality Alentejo produce. The perfect weather conditions of the Alentejo, the schist-based soils, the well-drained slopes of the property as well as the carefully selected grape varieties – Touriga Nacional, Aragonês, Alicante Bouschet, Tinta Miuda, Baga, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (varieties of red grapes) and Arinto, Roupeiro, Antão Vaz, Alvarinho, Verdelho, Viognier and Petit Manseng (varieties of white grapes) – make up…