This Week's Wine
2019 Dr. Hermann Riesling Qba Mosel "Dr. H"
Drink this with that szechuan take-out that you were going to get this week. This is 100% riesling and it's usually what I push on people who think they don't like riesling. Really great with food but also on its own- think: end of the day is here but there are like 3 more emails you have to write, this wine will help you through. Fresh, fruity, acidic, aromatic.
2019 Flor de Verano: Albarino
This wine is made with Albariño grapes from low terrain near the sea in Rias Baixas, Spain, which gives it a touch of pleasant salinity. It has good acidity, fresh and a slight fruit expression. This is a destination on my personal travel bucket list. When you get a sec- pour yourself a glass of this and google Rias Baixas, Spain. See you there.
2018 Solar De Randez: Rioja Blanca
Lets scoot north from our Rias Baixas Albarino to the Rioja region of Spain for this nice dry complex white wine, it's 100% viura (aka macabeo)- The winery dates back to the year 1900 in the medieval town of Laguardia (probably nicer then the airport), where the family wines were made in their traditional cellar underneath the town until the construction of their new bodega happened just outside the town walls in 1999. Ancient traditions meeting modern contemporary wine making combine for a well rounded and thoughtful wine.
NV Montsarra: Cava Brut
And moving along on our Spanish vacation we head to Eastern Catalonia, up about 250 meters, to Montsarra. Made with a blend of three native grape varieties - Macabeo, Xarello and Parellada, this cava is lovely with creamy mouth feel and appley-vanilla notes. All cava, by law has to be made in the exact same way Champagne is made, "method champenoise".
2019 Mayu: Pedro-Ximinez
Vina Mayu produces wines in a very inhospitable region- the Elqui Valley of Chile. This producer has spent decades setting a higher bar for grape quality in this region. This triumph is tasted in the complexities found in their wines. I have featured both their Pedro-Ximenex and Carmenere this week so you can get the whole picture. They named the vinyard Mayu after the incan term for the idea of a galaxy. They did this because it is said that this region of Chile has the clearest atmosphere for viewing the stars, hence the observation tower and starry sky on their label.
2015 Mayu: Carmenere-Syrah
Vina Mayu produces wines in a very inhospitable region- the Elqui Valley of Chile. This producer has spent decades setting a higher bar for grape quality in this region. This triumph is tasted in the complexities found in their wines. I have featured both their Pedro-Ximenex and Carmenere this week so you can get the whole picture. They named the vinyard Mayu after the incan term for the idea of a galaxy. They did this because it is said that this region of Chile has the clearest atmosphere for viewing the stars, hence the observation tower and starry sky on their label.
NV Illahe: Capitol Fizz Sparkling Rosé
Oh baby, yum! I know I keep featuring this producer but I just love 'em. Solar powered, horse powered, small family operation in Willamette Valley, OR. In their words, "Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Grüner Veltliner, tinged pink with the addition of Pinot Noir. Aromas of pear and apple, with a strawberry note. Capitol Fizz is a dry, pink bubbly bottle of refreshment for workers, picnickers, fishers, makers, singers and watchers of the sunset. Picked early at harvest, it has lively acid and a pretty aroma enhanced by its sparkle. This is a sparkling wine that you can drink like a beer. Just pop the crown cap. No pontification required."
2018 Risky Grapes: La Traca Bobal
Wow I am really on a Spanish wine kick this week- this beauty is from the Valencia region (East coast) It is lighter, medium-bodied, dry. Fruity, juicy, and fresh with snappy cherries and earth. Unfined and lightly filtered. The fruit is fermented with native yeasts in cement and aged in cement/steel with a small portion going into old casks. Biodynamic, organic, no added sulfites, and sustainable.
2019 Broadbent: Douro Red
This everyday red wine is made from a blend of grapes I can barely pronounce, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. Dark purple in color with an electric pink rim. Aromas of fresh blackberry, dark cherry, black plum and blueberry, with secondary notes of violets, purple lilacs, cracked pepper and dried herbs. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied with pleasant acidity, fresh dark fruit, medium tannins, and a fruit driven finish. The perfect everyday red.
Francoise Ducrot: Saint So
Saint-So is a collaboration project between T Edwards importers with François Ducrot, the winemaker and “magician of vinification” from Domaine Enclos de La Croix.
100% Cinsault, a rare varietal by itself- the skin is very thin and the berries are large compared to Grenache, Syrah, or Mourvèdre. It produces a lot of juice and makes for very light, energetic reds. This is how their collaboration started: Focusing on a grape that is mostly used for rosé or added to a blend, bringing the alcohol levels down and acidity of the wine up, and producing a suave, aromatic, and crisp red from a super-hot region that would satisfy an exact craving.
Throw a slight chill on it and enjoy!
100% Cinsault, a rare varietal by itself- the skin is very thin and the berries are large compared to Grenache, Syrah, or Mourvèdre. It produces a lot of juice and makes for very light, energetic reds. This is how their collaboration started: Focusing on a grape that is mostly used for rosé or added to a blend, bringing the alcohol levels down and acidity of the wine up, and producing a suave, aromatic, and crisp red from a super-hot region that would satisfy an exact craving.
Throw a slight chill on it and enjoy!
2017 Tenuta Migliavacca: Vino Rosso
The Migliavacca Rosso is the bottling of the farms “Sfuso” (Bulk) that has been sold to locals for generations. It’s the same wine that has been poured out of barrels and into neighbors jug, or delivered to Turin door steps in demijohns since before we were born. It’s an early picked Barbera boosted with small amounts of Freisa and Grignolino.
2016 Brumont: Petit Torus Madiran
Big, spicy, and with lively tannins, firm and chewy in the mouth, a delight with meaty fare. Tannat is the primary grape here, making up 60% of this blend with equal parts of the 2 Cabs- Franc and Sauv. Begs to be your dinner wine tonight.