March 2018 Wines

Another Windy Month!

And time for just a few wines....

2016 Dry Creek Chenin Blanc , Clarksburg, Ca

I opened last month with a story of a long ago Chenin Blanc - I open this month with a current favorite...

HISTORY Our family winery is proud to have produced Dry Chenin Blanc each and every year of our 45-year history. For nearly 30 years our Chenin Blanc has come from the Clarksburg appellation in the Sacramento Delta. This vineyard has provided us with delicious fruit that expresses our Loire Valley-inspired roots. It is the perfect apéritif wine, extremely versatile and food friendly, making it one of our most beloved wines.      

WINEMAKER COMMENTS This beautiful wine is wonderfully consistent vintage after vintage. At first swirl, aromatics of white pear, pineapple and banana spring forward from the glass. On the palate, the wine is refreshing with flavors of mandarin, melon and white pear. The mouthfeel is lively and refreshing, and has a subtle creaminess. 100% stainless steel fermentation guarantees the fresh fruit character that fans of this wine have come to appreciate over the years. This classic, Loire Valley-style wine is excellent when paired with fresh oysters, seafood, or just about anything!

91 Points Wine Enthusiast

Orange-marmalade aromas set the stage for a rather full-bodied, dry and flavorful wine. Floral and fruity elements are counter-balanced by a tangy texture and subtle mineral accents. A classic of the type, it has a lot of personality, a great presence on the palate and a lingering finish.

A classic dry Chenin - great with food thanks to the acidity, yet charming to sip by itself.  Price is around $10 - can't go wrong with it...

I added this book that was from an Estate sale. A little outdated, but it was very good at listing the wine regions, their topography, history and the leading wineries at the time (around 2000). Then there were beautiful watercolor paintings of the area. This is why I read wine books - wish it would be updated for 2018!

2013 Tintoralba Garnacha Tintorera, Almansa, Spain

 Red Juice

No matter what color their skins, the great majority of wine grapes have clear juice. Although they may appear red on the outside, their insides remain clear and pure. Garnacha Tintorera, or Alicante Bouschet, is one of the few grapes with a brilliant, red-pigmented, free-run juice. It’s also a highly-productive blending grape, sometimes used – discreetly of course – with other grapes to add color, depth and roundness. In Spanish, we call these types of grapes, Tintoreras, literally “dyers”. All of our wines owe their greatness to this very special red-juice grape, not only because of its red pulp, but also because of its productivity, able to yield 12 tons per acre.

You can also find Garnacha Tintorera planted in France, Portugal, Corsica, Tuscany, Calabria in southern Italy, former Yugoslavia, Israel, North Africa and California.

Characteristics

Grape -Dark, inky purple-skinned grape with thick, durable skin and a vibrant red interior

Wine – Dark ruby in color with notes of black pepper, rich black olive, dark chocolate with an undercurrent of red fruit. Spicy in the mouth with herbal notes, bright acidity and nice chocolate/charcoal flavors. It’s an overall fruit-driven wine showing layers upon layers of varying red fruit.

This wine had a couple of bad bottles - they were like dull port; the good bottles were a nice spicy wine with nice appeal with good fruit and numerous undertones. Decent acidity made it go well with our meal at the wine dinner. Price is around $15 - not bad, but it ain't Garnarcha!

2014 Melee Grenache, California

The 2014 vintage Melée Grenache showcases how great Grenache can come from California. Sourced from two unique steep hillside vineyards, one in the central coast and one in Mendocino, this wine offers a kaleidoscope of aromas emerging from the glass. Hints of baked summer fruits, white pepper, lavender, underbrush and dry aged meats lead to an incredibly focused, yet elegant, balanced and graceful mid-palate. The finish is a blockbuster that exudes both power and finesse. This is truly a wine for the ages.

Technical Notes:

Winemaker: Tuck Beckstoffer / Shawn Johnson

Appellation: California

Blend: 100% Grenache

This is a big boy Grenache - lots of fruit, nuances of herbs and a lot of power in the finish. Not tannic, but carrying itself to a long finish. Overpowers most Grenache and maybe food you would normally serve. Very nice except for one thing. The price is $35 - I'd rather have 2 bottles of old vine Spanish then just one of these.

2014 Domaine LaFage Nicholas Cuvee, Grenache Noir, Languedoc Roussillon, France

Rated 92 by Robert Parker

Aged in 25% demi-muids, the 2014 Cotes Catalanes Nicolas comes all from the rolling hills and gravel soils in the Aspres region and is made from 100% Grenache. What should represent an incredible value, it boasts fabulous notes of black raspberry, licorice and crushed violets to go with medium+-bodied richness, fine tannin and a supple, pretty profile on the palate. This is far from an over-the-top fruit bomb and it has real class and elegance. Buy it by the case and drink it over the coming 2-3 years.

I have commented on this before - no doubt one of my favorite French Grenache. Flavorful, without overpowering, this is refined and tasty. Matches many foods with nice acidity, a wine around $10- 12 that tastes like it costs $25. Agree with Parker -buy it by the case.

2014 Fernandez Gomez Crianza, Rioja, Spain

Tasting Notes

By nature a thinner skinned grape, this Tempranillo is characterized by a crimson red color and masculine, savory aromas and flavors. Light sage and cigar smoke balanced by ripe red fruits and medium plus tannins.

This is a crianza that has a lot of the temperment of longer aged Rioja's, but checks in at around $11. Nice fruit with herbs and a hint of leather ending with modest tannins. Real nice wine, especially at the price. Rioja on the bargain!

2009 Carmine Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain

Critical Acclaim          RP        90

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2009 Carmine Monastrell (100%) spent 6 months in new oak. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it sports a nose of smoke, mocha, brier, underbrush, blueberry, and blackberry. Sweetly-fruited, ripe, and well-balanced, this lengthy effort will offer optimum drinking through 2019.

Monastrell, also known as Mouvedre, is a dark grape that usually adds complexity and dark fruit to blends. This little bottle packs the punch of the berry with a nice acid balance and a modest finish. Very nice with meats - and the price is around $11. Buy several and pull them out anytime, especially when you are going to grill something.


Well, another month has blown by. Hope all is well - remember to keep popping those corks and I'll meet you out behind the grape vines!