July 2019 Wines

Wines of July 2019

2017 La Croisade Reserve Cabernet/Syrah, Vin de Pays, France

This is an Old World wine with a new world taste from France. Full bodied, with plums and wild raspberries on the nose. Toffee, strawberries, a touch of oak, black tea and tart cherries make this so drinkable! Serve this with baked chicken cutlets in a marinara sauce, pork schnitzel or back on wrapped figs

This wine is always very tasty. Nothing to cellar, but a tasty school night wine that ever one can enjoy.  Good fruit, decent acidity for food, a nice buy under $10.

2011 Chilcas Syrah Reserve, Maule, Chile

Cherry notes are less juicy and succulent than Carignan, but still make for a simple and pleasant afternoon sipper.

This was a decent syrah – a little long in the tooth, but not quite over the hill. Pleasant red fruits, tannin gone but a little acidity to make it pleasurable as a school night wine. Buy a newer vintage (under $10).

2015 Natale Verga Governo Rosso Toscano, Tuscany, Italy

Super Tuscan wines always have a degree of complexity to them. This wine manages to balance the rustic and robust nature of Italian wines with the friendly welcoming flavours of the new world. Initially we taste tart cherries, raspberries and some red currants. There is a tea influence here, reflective of the herbal and leafy flavours. The tannins are present but gentle. This wine is young, so decanting always helps to coax out the flavours.

"A blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. "Governo all'uso Toscano" dates back to the most ancient traditions of Tuscan farmers. Part of the grapes planted before harvest are added to wine during fermentation, so as to give it more softness and to enhance its bouquet. Intense red color, fruity notes and round aromas are the distinctive characteristics of this wine. It is fresh, harmonic and savory on the palate." Winemaker's Notes

A less expensive “Super-Tuscan” this wine started with a little green olive in the middle palate, but smoothed out with being open for a while. Not bad for the price (around$11), can’t say it would age more than a year or two. Another School night wine.

2015-17 Ruggeri Guistino B. Prosecco, Valdobbiane, Italy

The Prosecco Giustino B is a Prosecco just perfect, from all points of view. If you do not like Giustino B, you do not like the Prosecco. A thought shared by us and that is reflected in the maximum guide national and international wines. They are, in fact, the greatest guide of Italy and has not decant the praises of this Prosecco perfect and refined: the Gambero Rosso guide defines it as the "Prosecco reference"; in the Slow Wine guide you recognize able to "express the characteristics of the type at the highest levels of quality and intensity"; the leadership of the Touring Club Good Wines of Italy, where Justin B. won the Crown, the highest recognition of the guide, calls it "a masterpiece, which represents the pure pleasure of drinking in keeping with the typical"; Finally, the magazine Wine Enthusiast defines it as the "Prosecco qualitative reference in the panorama of Italian sparkling wine." In short, only judgments more than positive for this Prosecco, which owes its name to Giustino Bisol, founder of the winery in 1950.

Colour   Bright golden yellow

Scent     Notes of white flowers and lavender, with fruity hints of peach, apple and pear

Taste     Fresh and lively, clean and very pleasant

Although this is a blend of years and made in the Charmat method – this is one of the best Proseccos I have had. Wonderful flavors – peach and exotic fruits. Soft in the mouth but finishing with a nice acidic balance. Really good prosecco – priced around $30.

NV Chapillon Secret Reserva Brut Nature, Cava, Spain

Dusty, briny citrus and apple aromas lead to a palate that's calm and only mildly bubbly and active. Lightly pickled lime and tangerine flavors finish dry, slightly bitter and briny, with a coarse but crisp feel of seltzer. 88 Points Wine Enthusiast

A blend of 75 percent chardonnay and 25 percent macabeo aged 16 months in the bottle, this is classic Cava, from the nutty scent to the almond flavor. It feels broad and rich yet clean, defined by its crisp acidity.

A very nice cava that is as dry as a bone. No added sugar (Brut Nature) assures you this is a tingling, dry bubbly that has broad flavor but very crisp acidity. Would be great with seafood – only around $20. Worth a try…

2016 El Jamon Garnacha Carinena, Spain

Medium-bodied. Fine, soft tannins. Well-balanced acidity. Violets in the opening aromas with concentration of ripe cherries. Fruit flavors of blackberries and candied cherries are abundant. Lovely spice nuance leads to the velvety and lingering finish.

Always a nice, pleasant fruity wine with little tannins but dark fruit flavors and a decent acidity to match various foods. A wine around $9, worth the price…

Another month and so little time for wine. Keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.