July Wine Time

Just a few wines to talk about

2014 Las Colinas Del Ebro, Terra Alta, Spain

Purity. It’s a desirable quality. People will pay much money for water transported in from an unadulterated Greenlandic cloud and such like, but Las Colinas del Ebro offers something much tastier: fruit purity.

Made solely from the ‘free-run juice’, this wine has fewer tannins and fresh, vibrant blueberry and blackberry fruit. Like cloud-sourced Greenlandic water, ‘tis best enjoyed when young and, possibly unlike cloud-sourced Greenlandic water, has some keen spices and would be a fabulous match for a Catalan lamb stew.

Matthew Jukes in The Daily Mail Christmas Special, 10/12/14: "Goodness me, look what happens in Spain when you combine the Cotes du Rhone grapes garnacha (grenache), syrah and carignan! This is a zany, unhinged, medium-bodied red, which you can drink with turkey and all the trimmings. It will duck and dive beautifully as it negotiates this incredibly diverse palette of flavors."

Las Colinas del Ebro 2014 Syrah Garnacha D.O. Terra Alta
 Grapes: 60% Syrah 20% Garnacha 20% Carinena

 “Aromas of raspberry, blackberry and violet, plus a hint of black pepper. Racy and focused on the palate…with smooth tannins that build slowly and harmoniously with the wine’s fruit”

Got this on close-out – around $10 – a very drinkable and enjoyable wine. Not a traditional Spanish wine, but one worth picking up at a good price, maybe several bottles. The blend was an easy match food wise – not too heavy but with nice red fruits and hints of pepper and spice.

2015 Cicada by Chante Cigale Méditerranée, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France

A blend of 80 percent Grenache and 20 percent Carignan from a family-run winery in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

A wine with lots of cassis, kirsch, pepper, and even an intriguing floral note, the wine is medium to full-bodied , silky smooth, and a truly delicious, hedonistic and intellectually satisfying wine that is a remarkable bargain.

The first bottle of this smelled and tasted like rubber cleaning gloves .Just awful. The second bottle was much better, some tar on the back end but a good food wine. In the $10 – 12 price range, worth a gamble. I’ve had wines with off-putting smells before and sometimes, they blow off. Just didn’t happen with the first bottle.

2016 Sleight of Hand 2016 Magician's Assistant Blackrock Vineyard Rosé of Cabernet Franc (Yakima Valley)

This 100% Cabernet Franc Rosé hails from Blackrock Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. It has a gorgeous, pale salmon-pink color, with aromas and flavors of white flowers, juicy strawberries, red cherries, and wet stones. The minerality and fresh acidity keep this rosé light and bright. It is the perfect pairing for many foods, and will provide year-round enjoyment. 

Sleight of Hand 2016 Magician's Assistant Blackrock Vineyard Rosé of Cabernet Franc (Yakima Valley)

89Points WE       A rare single-vineyard rosé, this wine is rose gold in color. It offers aromas of fresh herb, citrus peel and strawberry. The palate is dry, bright and focused with lively citrus flavors that extend on the finish.

This is a very pleasant and unique rose from our friend(Trey Busch)  in Washington. Lively on the palate, dry with a nice finish. Good with food, as well as by itself. Average retail around $18, buy it if you get it for $15 – well worth it.

2016 La Galatin Rose Bandol, Provence, France

The Domaine Le Galantin Rose is a classic Provencal rose with delightful fresh berry fruit flavors and a crisp finish. It is composed of 50% Cinsault, 25% Mourvedre and 25% Grenache. After the grapes are hand-harvested from their organic vineyards, they cool down the bunches to 50 degress for a two day cold soak in order to extract fruit, color and aromatics. The juice is then racked off and the grapes are pressed to stainless steel tanks. 10% of the wine is Saignee, the rest come from grapes treated as for making white wine.

Vinous: 90 Points

Extremely pale orange-pink. Assertive aromas of orange pith, red berries, jasmine and garrigue show very good clarity and a dusty mineral element. Juicy and sharply focused, offering energetic strawberry and tangerine flavors that spread out nicely with air. Silky and dry on the incisive, very persistent finish, which strongly repeats the floral and mineral notes. I find this wine quite graceful and accessible as young pink Bandols go.-JR

A typical Bandol rose – nice by itself and a great match with lighter summer fare. Average price around $18, I found the flavors crisp, the wine dry and enticing. Good summer wine.

NV Codorniu Cava Anna Blanc de Blanc, DO Cava, Spain

Tasting Notes

• Brilliant yellow color with green reflections. Fine, persistent bubbles forming continuous beads.

• On the nose, it displays citrusy and tropical fruit notes along with more complex ageing aromas (toast, brioche) that enrich the range of aromas.

 • On the palate, it is creamy, wide and long-lasting. These characteristics make it highly versatile and pairable with a great variety of food

Varietals

Chardonnay 70% Parellada 15% Xarel·lo, Macabeo 15%

The Chardonnay really makes this Spanish Cava have a pleasing and heady flavor. Not something that will compare to Vintage Champagne, but a $10 sparkler that will do very nicely. Good small bubbles, nice flavors of citrus and brioche – not a long finish, but a very nice package.

Well, that is it for this month.  Keep popping those corks and I'll meet you out behind the grapevines.