Wines for the month of February 2021

Wow - a short but cold month went by. Hope everyone was warm enough - here are the wines to review.

2014 Passalacqua Cabernet Sauvignon TR Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, CA

The story of the Passalacqua family in the United States starts in 1865, when Francesco Passalacqua emigrated from Genoa, landing in San Francisco and settling in Healdsburg, where he immediately planted grapes. In 1895 he opened Fitch Mountain Cellars. The original house and one half acre of grapes still stand on Fitch Street in downtown Healdsburg. In 1930, Francesco’s widow Rachel purchased the Oliveto Wine Company in downtown Healdsburg, and in 1933 her daughter Edith opened Sonoma County Cellars in the building. Edith was one of the first women to make wine and to own and operate a winery in California after prohibition. She finally retired in 1958. Aunt Edith’s original label design graces each bottle of our Passalacqua Estate Zinfandel.

In 1979, third generation Tom Passalacqua and his wife Sandi purchased a 300-acre ranch off Mill Creek Road, at the southern tip of Dry Creek Valley. They planted almost 110 acres of it to Cabernet Sauvignon in 1996. In 2000, their son Jason, inspired by the Cabernet acreage and the families’ history, began making wine. The current winery property on Lambert Bridge Road opened as Passalacqua Winery in 2004, showcasing Zinfandel from select vineyards in Dry Creek Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon from the families’ TR Passalacqua Vineyard.

The aromatics completely show the barrel fermentation. It smells like mashed blackberries, cherries, and plums that have been soaking in a cedar bowl. You can get a sense of the oak, but it’s so integrated with the fruit, it’s hard to tease them apart. The palate shows some of that fruit, but turns more to dusty tannin and there is a dried leafy character in the background mixed with a touch of brown spices. The finish is mostly cedar and tannin that will continue to soften over the years.

This wine is drinking wonderfully right now. There are dark red fruits with a remaining touch of tannins.  Very good wine for a heavier meal, good drinking. Gift so I don’t know a price.

2015 Graziano Old Vine Carignane, Mendocino, Ca

Editors' Choice

Excellent concentration helps this medium-bodied, uncomplicated and gorgeously ripe wine stand out. It blends red and black fruits for a sense of focus and pure enjoyment in the flavors, while light tannins and good acidity balance it out nicely.

This is an interesting wine, much like a less spicy, refined Zindfandel than the usual Carignane.  Nice acidity to balance with a meal – red fruits but not overpowering with an herbaceous tone. Very nice – got on close-out for about $12. Get some if you can find it).

2018 Frescobaldi Remole Toscana, Tuscany, Italy

Remole Rosso 2018 boasts a bright and intense violet-red color. Fruity aromas, such as blackcurrant, raspberry and black cherry slowly give way to extremely delicate spicy notes. On the palate, the warm note is balanced out wonderfully by a fresh vivacity. It is a pleasant wine that marries elegance and balance with great softness.

Villa di Remole, in the heart of Tuscany, is the cradle of the 700 years of history and tradition of the Frescobaldi family. Remole is an intense, soft and fruity wine that will captivate and delight you. Particularly suited for full-flavoured first courses, charcuterie and red meat.

Not a bad little wine, lacking in comparison to other wines of this ilk. Goes well with Italian food, a little soft in mid-palate. No real tannin feel, drink reasonably soon.  Priced around $10 – 12.

2016 La Nerthe “Les Cassagnes” Cotes-du-Rhone Villages, Vaucluse, France

Archives affirm Chateau La Nerthe’s existence as early as 1560, while suggesting an even more distant past dating to the dawn of the region’s wine culture in the 12th century making it one of Chateauneuf’s oldest estates. Located in the heart of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC region of southern France not far from Avignon, the 225 acres of Chateau La Nerthe vineyards are located in a single block around the Chateau and have been certified Organic since 1998. The terroir is very typical for the region: vineyards runs along a slope, at the top of which the vines dig their roots into soils of sandy-clay, on the surface there is a layer of the famous galettes, large, round, well-worn stones that originated in the Alps, having been carried down to the Rhône by the glaciers of previous ice ages. The further down the slope of the vineyard you travel, the more these stones dominate. All 14 of the permitted primary varietals are planted-Grenache dominates 62% of vineyards and the vines average over 40 years old. Chateau La Nerthe is the prime expression of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

GRAPES: 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre

Winemaker Notes

Deep red color with a purple border. On the nose, intense red fruits with some black cherry notes. A beautiful freshness on the palate, with roundness. The finish is long, with notes of candied red fruit highlighted by sweet spices. Fresh, silky texture on the finish.

Enjoy with grilled, roasted or stewed pork, beef, duck, veal and lamb. This wine is perfect with pizza or your favorite Asian dishes. Also a great pairing with both soft and hard cheeses.

This is a very good CDR, good fruits, sort of almond cherry flavor with some stones thrown in. Moderate finish, a good wine to sip or to match a meal. Just a wonderful wine – priced around $20, well worth every penny.

2016 Fattoria le Pupille Morellino di Scansano Riserva, Grosseto, Italy

 

93+ Points! The 2016 Morellino di Scansano Riserva has made a great leap forward in recent vintages. The blend is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wine is aged in old Saffredi barrique along with larger botte. The wine shows a stunning crispness and a sharp focus in this vintage. It opens to black cherry notes and generous red fruit, with very lightly toasted almond and spice at the back. The mouthfeel is full, and while the bouquet starts off a bit closed, the finish grows steadily in volume and girth. It would be a nice accompaniment to grilled portobello mushrooms... This wine offers excellent value from coastal Tuscany. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

An excellent Italian blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet – a nice nose followed by a big mouth filling flavors of sharp red fruits. Some tannins, followed by a long finish – hints of spice and nuts on the back end. Very good with food – would stand up to big grilled meats, as well as pasta dishes. Well priced around $22 – 25; a good value at this price.

2016 Casa Santos Lima ‘Colossal’ Reserva, Lisboa, Portugal

 

With an intense ruby color, this wine presents itself with a great concentration in the nose. Extremely rich aroma with predominance of red ripe frutis and some floral notes, well integrated with notes of spices coming from the ageing in French and American aok barrels. In the mouth it shows great complexity with notes of plums and blackberries. The finish is rich and elegant.

Critical Acclaim  WS90Wine Spectator

Plum and boysenberry notes weave together with dried herb and smoky mineral accents in this sleek red. Savory spice details chime in on the finish. Offers moderate, grippy tannins. Drink now through 2020.

Grapes:  30% Syrah, 30% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tinta Roriz, 10% Alicante Bouschet

This wine has balanced red fruits – think strawberry and raspberry, with a touch of stone and some herbs (mint?). Good mouthfeel, tannins are subdued and the finish is moderate. Drink in the next year – price is great, find it for under $15 and drink it up.

2019 Alvaro Palacios ‘Camins’ del Priorat, Priorat, Spain

Blend: 40% Garnacha, 30% Cinsault, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah

JS94James Suckling

Gorgeous, bright fruit with raspberries, black cherries and lavender with some schist. It’s medium-bodied with very polished and integrated tannins that go on and on. Drink or hold.

RP91Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The regional blend 2019 Camins del Priorat is a blend of 35% Garnacha, 24% Syrah, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cariñena, 10% Merlot and 3% other varieties. The grapes were destemmed, lightly crushed and then fermented with the natural yeasts in a combination of stainless steel, oak and concrete vats. After fermentation, it matured in barrel and oak vats for four months.

I found this to be an intriguing wine. The red fruits seemed a little closed in at the beginning, but opened as the wine sat longer. Dark fruits dominate with hints of anise and balsamic overtones.  Give it another few monts and it should drink well – wine is powerful with integrated tannins and a moderate finish. Classic example of a modern wine made from rustic grapes and area. Priced around $22 – 25, a good wine to hang onto for a bit then enjoy.

Another month – it seemed short, except for the freezing weather. Hope you are well and staying safe. Get the vaccination when you can. Until next time, keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.