The wines of November & December 2020

The end of November and early December was a hard time for me, for physical reasons. As a result, I decided to just double up the months. Here are some wines I enjoyed through the end of 2020. Hope every one is looking forward to a great 2021.

2016 Amicone Rosso Veneto, Ora Italy

Amicone is made from predominantly Corvina grapes (same grapes that go into Amarone) but are dried for a shorter period and on the vine not on mats like Amarone. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and then aged in French oak tonneaux for 8 months. The result is an easy drinking full-bodied red that has lots of rich soft, smooth texture.

The healthiest and most developed grapes are chosen during harvest to undergo a further drying process in controlled temperatures which guarantees the superb quality of this wine. These laborious steps produce a full-bodied yet soft wine with aromas of fresh raspberry and black cherry.

Slow maturation in oak barrels gives notes of sweet spices and chocolate. An ideal accompaniment to grilled or barbecued meats with friends or simply on its own during the winter evenings around the chimney, this wine evokes unexpected emotions.

This was a decent little Italian wine – nose was slight, but the flavors were expressive of red fruits and berries. Pretty good for an under $15 bottle. Worth getting as a school-night wine.

2019 Chateau Fontaubert Bordeaux France

Category              Red Wine

Varietals              Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Region  France, Bordeaux

Not a lot written about this cheap Bordeaux bottle, cost is in the $10 range. Modest nose, decent fruit, some black and red berry notes. Not an age-worthy bottle, OK for every day drinking.

2018 Fog Mountain Red Blend, California

The Field Blend brings together seven distinct varietals, delivering exquisite aromas of raspberry and bing cherry. Soft and supple on the mouth, strawberry notes intermingle with hints of cedar and culminate in a subtle tobacco finish.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Sirah, Syrah, Zinfandel

Sourced from a patchwork of sustainably farmed, California old vine vineyards and pioneering mountainsides, Fog Mountain strikes perfect harmony with seven distinct varieties. Pre-dating the famous Meritage of Napa Valley, the field blend relies on the old grape varieties which gave birth to the California wine industry. Fog Mountain seeks to be a steward to the land, to pass it on, with its traditions intact, to the next generation.

A combination of subtle strawberry, brambly blackberry, boysenberry, and bing cherry. Cedar and tobacco are found on the soft and supple finish.

A decent every night wine, decent body and fruit. Not much aftertaste, but goes with week night meals. Priced under $10.

2007 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, OR

Cellar Selection

A very elegant and refined Evenstad Reserve, with grace notes of sandalwood and a lovely cherry core. The fruit is immaculate, the concentration focused and lengthy, and the flavors are so artfully blended that the wine is seamless and perfectly balanced. Although it is drinking like a mature wine, there is every reason to cellar wines such as this—it can develop like a fine Burgundy, over decades.

VINTAGE NOTES

At Domaine Serene, we've always maintained that great wines begin with great vineyards. This was particularly true of the 2007 vintage, where a myriad of weather conditions and temperature changes made for a very challenging harvest. Yes, it rained, but as fastidious as Pinot Noir may be, a little rain is not a bad thing, especially in dry-farmed vineyards. Most importantly is to have strong, proactive vineyard practices and a sound, diligent winemaking team that maintains a level head and does not panic and pick early. 2007 was a cool, wet vintage and will answer all requests for lower alcohols. The wines are beautifully integrated and drinking much softer at an earlier age – that is to say these are balanced and nuanced wines that are enjoyable now but will reward proper cellaring.

An excellent Oregon Pinot, with a good nose of red fruits. The mouthfeel was very balanced, with ripe berry and cherry notes with herbaceous notes. Long finish, moderate tannins but good acid balance. Not sure of the price, but you can’t go wrong with a bottle of this. (Price estimate around $60).

2018 Annick Bachelet Morgon, Beaujolais, France

This smells pretty great, hinting at the layers of flavor that develop with each taste. There’s a mineral essence underneath notes of green and black olives, all of it highlighted by bright red cherry and boysenberry fruit. Succulent and grand, it’s a ripe Morgon that lives up to the charm of its name. The fruit of 50-year-old vines at a south-facing vineyard, this is a wine to cellar to get the full benefits of its beauty.  — 92 Points Wine & Spirits, Apr 2020

Forget that Nouveau stuff, this is a legit wine from the same region. Modest nose, but red berry and fruit on the mouth – limited tannins but good acid balance.  An excellent food wine available around $20.

 2018 Giant Steps Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Australia

#42 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2019

All the 2018 Giant Steps Pinots have lovely perfume, color and very generous mouthfeels. This wine expresses an intricate blend of delicious parcels from Giant Steps’ Tarraford, Applejack, Lusatia Park, Primavera and Sexton vineyards. Powerful, lifted aromas of cherries, blue and red fruits are complemented by underlying savory, gamey characters.

WS94Wine Spectator

Elegant and distinctive, offering fresh raspberry, sage and white pepper notes that are precise, supple and juicy, with a thread of fresh loam and forest floor, supported by polished tannins. A touch of matcha green tea lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2033.

This wine offered a nose of red fruits and followed with smooth flavors of cherry and raspberry. Well structured Pinot, with notes of earth and tea. Tannins are well integrated and the acid balance is very good. Very good Pinot from Down Under – priced from $30-35.

2014 Terre Rouge Syrah, Côtes de l'Ouest  Amador County, CA

Our popular Syrah for every day pleasure is also a big hit in wine bars and restaurants across the US, Canada and England.  This syrah, from the "western slopes of the Sierra" is a wine that everyone can afford to drink and enjoy. We blend about 60% of grapes from our lowest elevations with 40% from our highest vineyards to create a lovely, balanced syrah.

This 2014 vintage has beautiful color with rich, silky, wild raspberry fruit flavors laced with pepper, sage, tar, and olive/herb tones. Aromas are raspberry, smoky, wild gamey, peppery, and cinnamon. The wine has a clean purity of Syrah fruit that is reminiscent of many St. Joseph’s and other Northern Rhone's. It has forward fruit flavors and great acid balance. It is very smooth and savory in the mouth.

In Northern Rhône style, the Syrah was co-ferment the Syrah with a bit of Viognier in each fermentor to finesse the wine. The grapes were lightly crushed and fermented in our larger tanks and irrigated to minimize tannin extraction and aged 17 months in 20% new and 80% used French oak barrels. The finished wine is 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier.

This is not an Aussie style Syrah – this is very much a Rhone style wine.  The wine tastes large in the mouth, red fruits with tannins and hints of spiciness. Not overpowering however, delicate enough to compliment many meals. A real winner – available from $20-25.

2018 Decoy Limited Red Blend, Napa Valley, CA

Wine Review: This red blend from Decoy opens with a black cherry and black currant bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied and balanced. The flavor profile was initially quite tight, but it opened up with some aeration. The flavor profile is a mild mineral influenced red plum with notes of gentle oak and hints of black currant and black licorice. The finish is dry and its flavors and fine tannins fade away nicely. While this wine is not overly complex, it is quite friendly and versatile once it develops. I would pair it with your favorite juicy burger off the grill.

Grape blend: 43% Merlot, 25% Zinfandel, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon & 8% Tempranillo

This is a big red blend – nose was modest but the fruits hit your mouth – blackberry and cassis, with baking spices and lingering tannins. Long finish, a wine deserving cellar time and a chunk of red meat to go with it. Priced from $25 – 32.

2009 Hafner Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, CA

This red wine was produced by fermenting the juice with the skins to extract their color and flavor. CO2  gas (a by-product of fermentation) bubbled up through the skins causing them to float to the top and form the "cap". To ensure thorough color and flavor extraction, we pumped juice from the bottom of the tank and sprinkled it over the cap throughout the fermentation.

Following the Bordeaux tradition of extended maceration, the wine stayed on the skins for another two weeks to soften the young tannins. We then moved the Cabernet into our caves where it was aged in French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels. During its first Winter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation which lowered its acidity and added richness. In its second year, this Cabernet was aged in both oak barrels and oak tanks. After many blending trials, we added 2% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec to this Cabernet to increase the wine's depth and richness. We bottled it in August 2011.

At our Annual Vertical Tasting in May 2020, we tasted the 2009 and here are our notes: Cassis, briars, bersaola, cinnamon, fresh mint, Niçoise olives, dark chocolate, vanilla bean, earthy, burnt toast. Round, chewy, rich. Long finish.

This wine is inky in the glass. Flavors of cassis, black raspberry linger with earth tones and herb overtones. Tannins are integrated and the wine is nicely balanced. Still retains a medium length finish. Very nice bottle from a small Sonoma family producer. (Price estimate $40)

2017 Domaine Thevenot-le Brun Bourgogne, Haut Cotes de Nuits, FR

The nose is complex with a mix of fruity, spicy and floral notes. In mouth the first feeling is on the roundness and then the tanins appear to end on a very nice length.

Red: its middle-of-the-road temperament, neither too stiff with tannins nor too fleshy, means that it goes well with such meats as rabbit, lamb or duck. It can stand salted or mildly spiced dishes (duck à l’orange, tajines…). An adaptable wine which, thanks to its attractive balance, commends itself to a wide range of dishes. Cheeses: mature Soumaintrain, Nuits d’Or, Reblochon fermier, Morbier. Serving temperature: 14 to 16°C.

A very French Pinot Noir – moderate color but nice balance on red fruit flavors. Could be overpowered, but good with a holiday meal that isn’t big red meat.  Priced around $20-25.

2013 Terre Rouge Garrigue, Sierra Foothills, CA

Reserved fruit and spice flavors, and a soothing, gripping texture will make this medium-bodied blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon a great dinner guest. Plenty of tannins give a fine sandpaper feel on the tongue, and the wine will counterbalance the richness of meat, fowl and game dishes.

Domaine de la Terre Rouge specializes in wines made from Rhône Valley varietals. For this wine we were inspired the wines that originate a bit further South along the coastal Mediterranean were vineyards grown along side the garrigue or the local chaparral in places like Baux de Provence with the unique producer Domaine Trévallon. Our vines grow in a similar environment, surrounded by manzanita, pine, toyon, yerba santa, and chamise. This is a blend of twothird’s Syrah and one-third Cabernet Sauvignon that is complex and savory, while still being accessible now. It is modestly-priced and eminently quaffable.

Another wine from Amador County from Bill Easton. Bill doesn’t like to release his wines too early – he wants them drinkable on release. This blend is a great mix of Syrah and Cabernet – unusual but done very well. Not an overpowering wine, but on that will meld into a meal seamlessly – the red fruits come together and the wine goes down like silk. A really good wine that retails for about $20, way to good to pass up at that price.

Another couple months have flown by. Stay safe and keep popping those corks - I'll meet you out behind the grapevines.