The Wines of December 2021

Special wines - from the Ferragamo family - Il Borro in Italy, Thanks to Darrel Gibson for coming to Wichita to tell us about the wines and the winery. 

2019 4 Gatos Locos Malbec, Uco Valley, Argentina

Miau Four Gatos Locos Malbec is made from 100 percent Malbec.

Miau is the typical cry a cat makes when willing to attract attention. Made by four mad cats - Mariana, Facundo, Gabriel and Juan - from their vineyard high in Alto Gualtallary, where the sun, slopes and limestone create the best wines in Valle de Uco.

The wine boasts a very deep color, red fruit aromas, spice and herbal perfume with an intense profound mineral palate. Juicy and round tannins.

"This is the entry-level wine of Cuatro Gatos Locos and it's 100% malbec from the Gualtallary zone, a high-altitude location more than 1,300 meters above sea level in the Uco Valley. It has the succulence and voluptuousness of a Gualtallary malbec, with the exuberant flavors of red fruits and violets in a pleasing body with round and juicy tannins. A wine for grilled meat—the perfect match."

4 Crazy cats – a pretty tasty little wine. Some tannins, nice fruits, red and blackberry flavors with a moderate finish. Priced around $15-20, well worth the price.

2016 Passalacqua Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma, CA

All of the grapes for our coveted Cabernets come from the TR Passalacqua Vineyard. These prized 19 year old vines are located on the western slope of Dry Creek Valley at a 400-foot elevation. The quality of the fruit comes not only from the exceptional terrain of the vineyard but also from meticulous farming practices. We grow balanced vines, using bunch thinning, leaf pulling, and limited irrigation to ensure the highest quality fruit. We drop fruit at various points in the growing season to promote even ripening, and concentration of flavors. The TR Passalacqua Cabernet is a testament to our belief that truly great wine is made in the vineyard.

This is a Boutique producer in Sonoma, making some very good wines. Mostly available from the mailing list and a few restaurants in that area. This still had a nice tannic backbone with red and black fruits giving a full mouthfeel. Lasting finish – a real nice bottle – price estimate is $60.

2014 Domaine La Tour Vielle Banyul Remage, France

Fresh red berries: strawberry, black currant and raspberry with a hint of spice. Mouth is dynamic and round. Goes well with desserts or on its own.

The ancient art of Banyuls is disappearing at a frightening pace. One of its great champions and longest-standing practitioners is the wonderful, charismatic Vincent Cantié. He is the spirit of Catalan culture personified, and he makes the best Banyuls money can buy. Made from ripe Grenache picked from steep, stony hillsides above the Mediterranean on the Spanish border, Banyuls is muted with neutral alcohol to stop fermentation and preserve some residual sugar to produce a glorious after-dinner drink. Its best friend is probably a walnut tart or a flourless chocolate cake. Thomas Jefferson loved Banyuls and so can you. "

Got this on a close out a few years ago and forgot to bring it out until now. This is a nice dessert wine – good body and sweet without being cloying. Not too much raisin, but still good red fruit flavor. I think I paid under $20 – but any banyuls is good.

2016 Stags’ Leap Winery Petite Syrah, Napa, CA

The 2016 Petite Sirah is made up of 79% Petite Sirah, 8% mixed Rhone varieties, 7% Grenache and 6% Syrah, aged for 12 months in 25% new American oak. Very deep purple-black in color, it opens with notes of freshly crushed black cherries and black berries with touches of plum preserves, baking spices and tar. The palate is medium to full-bodied, very firm and grainy with a lively line to lift the peppery black fruit to a long finish.

The 2016 Petite Sirah is deep and saturated with a core of blackberry, blueberry and black plum, alongside more savory notes of cocoa powder, black pepper spice and Old Bay seasoning. On the palate, the generous blackberry and peppery plum flavors continue but elements of fresher Bing cherry and creamy cassis notes also come through, as well as delicate anise seed, clove and cedar spice notes from the oak ageing. This wine is smooth and silky with velvety tannins and a generous lengthy finish, encouraging you to enjoy it now, but has the depth and complexity to age for many years to come.

A powerful Petite Sirah from Napa – this bad boy will stain your teeth and keep you coming back for more. Full flavored with black fruits and nuances of spice. Lengthy finish with just a touch of tannins remaining.  Priced around $35 – worth every penny.

2020 Il Borro ‘La Melle Chardonnay, Tuscany, Italy

The wine is named "Lamelle" after the Italian word / description for the grooves (precisely "lamelle") of a shell which is beautifully depicted on the label. The shell was used because the area where the grapes are grown is rich in sea fossils which are very similar to these shells. These fossils go back to the end of the Pliocene period where there was a deep lake that existed about 3 million years ago.

It is straw-yellow colored and its bouquet discloses the typical aromas of the grape variety. On the nose, it is fresh with hints of yellow pulp fruits and floral scents. The taste is pleasantly fresh and fruity with a marked mineral note deriving from a well-balanced acidity and a good sapidity.

(Sapidity: refers to the presence of mineral salts in wine. The flavor contributes to the softness of the wine.)

It is ideal with fish dishes, light first course dishes, or fresh soft cheese. Also to be served as an aperitif.

Italian Chardonnays seem to really shine. Using less oak makes for fresher and brighter wine. This went well with our salad course and was good as a sipping wine. The fruit flavors have that minerality that comes through in the mouth, with a pleasant aftertaste.  Priced around $25 – very good buy.

2018 Il Borro Borrigiano Rosso, Valdarno di Sopra, Italy

RP92Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This is the first wine from Il Borro to be made under the Valdarno di Sopra appellation designation (the first vintage made was 2015), and the wine's name Borrigiano means "inhabitants of the Il Borro hamlet." The 2018 Valdarno di Sopra Borrigiano is a blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah that sees a brief period of cold maceration followed by ten months of aging in large oak casks. The aim here is to keep the freshness of the fruit intact, and this goal has been readily achieved. The bouquet opens to forest berry aromas with raw plum and fresh prune. This is a terrific wine with a confident, pure and easy-drinking appeal that is nothing short of charming.

Easy drinking blend that goes well with food. Red fruits dominate the mouthfeel, with a hint of earthiness. Nice wine – well priced around $20.

2018 Il Borro ‘Pian di Nova’, Tuscany, Italy

A touch of conviviality, a friend with whom to share memorable moments. This is the natural place of Pian di Nova, a full-bodied wine marked by subtlety and softness. Generous on the palette from the first taste to the last, this is a wine that will amuse.

Tasting Notes Pian di Nova has an intense ruby red color. The bouquet is floral and intensely fruity with scents of fresh black cherry, concentrated raspberry coulis, dried cranberry and fresh blackberry with hints of Cardamom and spice. The taste is smooth and full bodied with a pleasant freshness that echoes the same profile that was found in the initial aromas. The finish is persistent and well-balanced, framed with velvety tannins.

75% Syrah and 25% Sangiovese

This blend was a very tasty wine – the red and black fruits came through with some spices. Moderate aftertaste that left you wanting more. Good acidity to go with food – a real good wine at a modest price around $20. I really enjoyed this one a bunch!

2017 Il Borro ‘Il Borro’ Toscano , Tuscany, Italy

"Il Borro" has an intense ruby color, with purplish reflections. The bouquet is full and intense, concentrated, with notes of underbrush and with spicy scents. The taste is dry, with a good body and soft tannins, a good consistency, well integrated and persistent.

Ideal with all Tuscan dishes cooked with meat, Tuscan croutons, aged cheeses, cured meats, first and main courses with game (wild boar, chianina meat and salami). Il Borro wine also pairs perfectly with hamburgers.

This is the estate's flagship wine and is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Petit Verdot once played a small supporting role in the blend, but that grape has since been removed because it left too strong a signature. The 2016 Il Borro is a seamless, full-bodied red wine that presents an A-list aromatic presentation with dark fruit and plum followed by savory spice, leather and tobacco. The quality of the fruit is sweet and bright, but there is also a distinct mineral note to the wine that contrasts the sweetness with saltiness. The tannins are well integrated and there is enough acidity to lift the entire flavor profile of this beautiful wine. Some 32,000 bottles were made.

This was a big, broad-shouldered wine.  A great nose followed by a mothfeel of  dark fruits with spices and tobacco. This just feels like a heavy weight wine. Very nice – tannic backbone and sufficient acidity to match food. This could cellar for 10 years and be excellent. Priced between $65 -75, good price for a wine of this quality.

Another year has flown by us - hope you all have a wonderful 2022. Stay safe and keep popping those corks and I'll meet you out behind the grapevines.