February 2020

For the wine snob
2018 was a brilliant year for Zinfandel across California, and this wine reflects it. The 2018 is a blend of 85% Zinfandel filled out with other Many vineyards contribute to this wine including Bedrock, Teldeschi, Esola, Pagani, Papera, Evangelho and Pato filled in with lots from other old vineyards throughout the state.

For the rest of us:
This wine aims to reflect the perfume, freshness, and spice that makes Zinfandel so utterly delicious. Plump and zesty, with lively raspberry and smoked pepper flavors that speed toward lively tannins.

For the wine snob
Grapes are manually harvested. Whole clusters are gently pressed in order to extract only the first and cleanest part of the must, which is immediately pumped to a stainless steel vat where most solids and heavy parts decant overnight. In the morning, the upper part is racked off the bottom to another stainless steel tank. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with native yeast. The San Pietro Friulano matures on its fine lees for 6 months to avoid reductive effects and to gain the stabilization and anti-oxidative benefits that these natural components bring. The wine is bottled with a light filtration, meant only to eliminate the cloudiness brought by the floating lees.

For the rest of us:
100% Fruliano Certified Organic, The San Pietro Friulano expresses wildflowers and fine herbs. Hints of almond show on the finish, which leans on the persistent mineral tide.

For the wine snob
100% Sangiovese grapes mature for 6-7 months in Allier oak barrels of 54 hectoliters. The wine is bottled and aged for 3 months before release. It is not filtered.  2017 was a warm vintage. The Mastrojanni Rosso di Montalcino shows ripe fruit with a savory, herbal component (not dried herbs). It is polished, as are all of Mastrojanni’s wines, but not as powerful or bold as the 2016 vintage.

For the rest of us:
A round, fruity style, boasting cherry, strawberry, floral and earth notes. Matched to a firm structure, with lively acidity, lending balance and length.

For the wine snob
The fruit from the MacDonald Home Vineyard came from the Seaside Blocks which are compositionally higher in sand and shingle and have less organic matter. These blocks tend to give passionfruit and tropical flavours with nice bright acids. The naturally low vigour, low yielding Redwood Hills vineyard in the Awatere Valley produces wines with strong textural and mineral elements. This cooler site results in wines which exhibit concentration, fresh acidity and great length.

For the rest of us:
This wine delivers aromatics of citrus, stone fruit, florals and nettles. The palate is concentrated and vibrant, with gooseberry, tarragon, black current and nectarine flavours.

For the wine snob
100% Viognier grapes are sourced from various parcels of old vines that immediately adjoin Condrieu. The broken down granite soils, similar to those of Condrieu. “The (mostly) bottled 2017s come across as more tannic and muscular than the 2016s, a difference Rostaing attributes to yields that were about 15% to 20% lower than the preceding vintage. The top wines should easily last for two decades. Finally, don’t neglect the IGP and Languedoc offerings being made by Rostaing.

For the rest of us:
Rich and elegant scents of white blossom, peach and apricot. It is richly exotic with mouth-filling white peach and a long honeysuckle finish. Pair with summer salads, vegetable stir fry and fusion cuisine that combines seafood with fruits and exotic herbs and spices.

For the wine snob
The grapes 70% merlot and 30% cabernet sauvignon ferment in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature (28/30°C) for 10 days before racking. After malolactic fermentation occurs, the wine is racked to oak barriques where is matures for 3 years. Once bottled, the wine matures for an additional 1.5 years.

For the rest of us:
Ripe cherry with hints of forest fruits and spice show on the nose. The flavors are harmonious on the palate; this is an extremely smooth and velvety red wine. Tannins are structured but not grippy. Good acidity delivers a long, consistent finish. Calice del Conte is an excellent choice with grilled, roasted, and braised meat.

For the wine snob
The Domaine du Gour de Chaulé, situated in the heart of the village of Gigondas, was founded in 1900 by Eugene Bonfils, the great-grandfather of the current proprietor, Stephanie Fumoso. All the wine produced at the estate was sold in bulk to negociants until 1970 when Madame Rolande Beaumet, Eugene’s daughter and the grandmother of Stéphanie, began to bottle a small percentage of the estate’s wine for sale to private clients. Madame Beaumet’s daughter, Aline Bonfils, ascended to the head of the domaine in the early 1980s and it was under the direction of Aline that the tradition of estate bottling expanded significantly.

For the rest of us:
This 100% Grenache is more structured than the fruit-driven 2016, the 2017 Gigondas Cuvee Tradition is still successful, boasting aromas of cranberries and citrus yet turning darker and richer on the palate. It’s full-bodied and tannic, with crisp acids, but finishes on a silky note.