This month we have some real gems for you. When we think of February we think of how cold it is outside and how we just want some home-cooked foods. That's what these wines are all about.
Daily Red Wine Club $39 per month
2013 Felline Alberello Salento Rosso - Lovely naturally sweet ripe fruit makes this a versatile everyday wine. Would be a good match for tomato-based dishes which some wines cannot cope with. A mix of local primitivo and bush-trained negroamaro. Just a flat-out great little daily drinker.
2014 Leydier et Fils Vin de Pays de Vaucluse - With a blend of 55% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Merlot, 10% Marselan and only around 8 acres to work from, this is a pretty small production wine made specifically for Kermit Lynch. Try this with some meatloaf. No need for A1 sauce here people...this is all the meat and potatoes you'll need.
2015 Villa Chigi Chianti - This is what I'd call your garden variety Chianti. 95% Sangiovese with 5% being other local grapes. All stainless steel and about 10 days on the skins to give it that little touch of tannin that all Chianti's need. This is the pasta in a meat sauce kinda wine. If you buy this wine during the month you'll be able to get the bottle price down to $11.05 per bottle. Day two is better than day one.
Red Wine Club $75 per month
2014 Ettore Germano Barbera d'Alba $20 - Sergio's graceful Barbera is from younger-vine fruit in the Vigna della Madre, the Balau, east of Cerretta, and the Lorenzino sites. Stainless-steel vinification preserves the excellent acid found here and accentuates the natural raspberry and spice flavors. An earthy, mushroom pungency, typical of Serralunga, underscores the brightness, balancing the wine beautifully. Excellent wine for braised veal or chicken, agnolotti and risotti.
2014 Giacomo Borgogno Barbera d'Alba $25 - Pretty complex wine for only $25! Full-bodied, rich with some firm tannins. This is a dry wine that needs to be decanted for about an hour. Pull some hanger steak out and do a quick grill. This isn't the spendy stuff you eat on date night. This is daily man food. Trust me...you'll love it.
2013 G.D. Vajra Barbera d'Alba Superiore $35 - A phenominal effort and easilly one of Peidmont's finest Barberas. Made mostly from old vines from the family's top Barolo cru "Bricco delle Viole", the depth and purity is stellar. Crushed wild berries and dark cherry flavors with beautiful aromas of sweet earth and raspberries flow on a full and luscious palate, finishing succulent. Cellar worthy just like good Barolo. So I'm going to go out on a limb here but you really need to try this wine with wild boar. I know...where might one find boar? Try any decent butcher!
Daily White Wine Club $39 per month
2015 Sportoletti Assisi Grechetto - This white wine is so easy to drink you'll need to be careful. Goes great with grilled chicken and veggies or just have it by itself. Notes of ripe pear with great balance and acidity.
2015 Felline Salento Vementino - The green apple comes off this wine like a mad man. You'll want some sharp cheese and crackers or just a nice turkey pot pie. Not sure why it goes so well with it..but it does. Not a fancy pie, something you pull out of the freezer will do.
2013 Domini Veneti Soave Classico - Wine attracts a soft texture, harmonious acidity and a wonderfully balanced, fresh, delicate flavor with a slightly bitter finish their notes of almond, typical of the grape Garganega. Wine is an excellent aperitif, it perfectly blends with appetizers, salads, pasta with vegetables and fish. Very nice.
White Wine Club $50 per month
Champagne Moutard Brut Grande Cuvée NV $30 - The NV Brut Grande Cuvee comes across as a bit understated in this vintage. Pears, hazelnuts and spices are some of the notes that take shape in the glass in this fresh, vibrant Champagne.
2015 Cantina di Mogoro ‘Anastasia’ Semidano di Mogoro $20 - Light straw and bright yellow. Its a fine, elegant and delicate wine. It expresses olfactory notes of aromatic herbs such as thyme, rosemary, chamomile and liquorice. The savory taste is characteristic, combined with delicate acidity and a long finish. Its a special wine that improves with aging.
Daily Drinking White Wine Club $39 per month
2012 Bruno Cormerais Chambaudiere Muscadet Serve et Maine $13 - Rich, this offers both bright crisp citrus fruits and ripe peach and pear flavors. It is still young, still textured and tight, needing to broaden to bring out more of the attractive fruitiness.
2015 Due Torri Pinot Grigio $13 - DueTorri Pinot Grigio is an exquisite dry white, fragrant on the nose bursting with citrus fruit aromas. It is fresh on the palate with an excellent balance of acidity and minerality. Vinified entirely in stainless steel, enjoy this wine in its youth for maximum fruit expression.
2014 Vina Mein Ribeiro Blanc $13 - Light yellow. Fragrant scents of poached pear, melon and orange zest, with a chalky mineral overtone. Fresh orchard fruit and honeydew flavors are enlivened by zesty citrus peel and ginger qualities and pick up a hint of quinine with air. This focused, clean wine finishes with excellent cut and length.
Daily Drinking Red Wine Club $39 per month
2014 Les Jamelles Cabernet Sauvignon Pays d’Oc $13 - Has aromas of red fruits (blackcurrants, strawberries) together with a light fresh vegetal note (green peppers), spicy scents (cinnamon, mint, honey) and subtle woody notes on the finish (cedar, oak, walnuts). This is an elegant and complex wine, long and velvety on the palate, with well-balanced tannins.
2014 Les Jamelles Syrah Pays d’Oc $13 - One of the finest wines Jamelles. Mythical grape variety that is perfectly expressed in the Pays d'Oc. Wine combines the rich and powerful aromas of red fruits, a touch of mint, with a fresh finish undergrowth in summer, Syrah "The Jamelles" has been the subject of numerous citations and awards in the world press.
2014 Oraison Cotes du Rhone Rouge $13 - his is a gorgeous, highly typical Côtes-du-Rhône with perfectly balanced structure and roundness. Beautiful garnet red in color with berry and cherry on the nose underscored by lovely notes of licorice and pepper. Nice structure on the palate with fine, silky tannins.
Red Wine Club $75 per month
2014 Vignale di Cecilia Covolo $18 - Vino rosso da uve Merlot e Cabernet Sauvignon. La vinificazione e l'affinamento in cemento vetrificato preservano il frutto di questo vino, che rappresenta al massimo la filosofia interpretativa del titolare: vino di terroir, semplice ma allo stesso tempo ricco di emozioni, che i Colli Euganei sanno regalare.
2013 Barone Ricasoli Casalferro $57 - Intense ruby red in color. The nose is powerful with balsamic eucalyptus tones and ripe red fruit aromas. The wine is elegant and sharp with soft tannins. Excellent persistence smell taste. A cru of merlot that reflects the terroir of Brolio. 100% Merlot!
Bodegas Vega Sicilia is easily the most iconic winery in Spain. Located in the Ribera del Duero, the winery was found in 1864 by Non Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, who planted Bordeaux varietals alongside the tradition Spanish grapes. Since 1982, the same year Ribera del Duero was granted Denominación de Origen status, the winery has been owned by the Álvarez family, who are members of the Primum Familiae Vini. In comparing the wines of Spain to the First Growth wines of Bordeaux, wine expert Hugh Johnson noted that "Vega Sicilia is the Latour”.
There were only 3 of these gift sets brought into the state and sources tell me...only 50 made world wide!
2011 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero
The Wine Advocate - "The 2011 Valbuena was fermented plot by plot, something they started after a deep soil study in the 2010 vintage. 2011 was a very warm and ripe vintage in the zone, and the challenge was to keep the freshness. There are more black fruit aromas, subtle spices and hints of complexity, as well as tertiary aromas that are quite classic and turn more balsamic with time in the glass. Again, this is very different form the 2012 Alión, rounder, riper, richer, more polished, mellow, soft, quite exuberant and hedonistic." RP94
Wine Spectator - "Flavors of black cherry, kirsch and orange peel mingle with anise, graphite and balsamic notes in this focused red. Firm, yet harmonious and energetic, in the traditional style. Drink now through 2026." WS92
2010 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero
Since the 2010 harvest, they ferment plot by plot, and it shows. This Valbuena has almost 100 components in it, smaller lots, all of them corresponding to a plot of vines. It has all the signs of being one of the best vintages ever for this second wine from Vega Sicilia, mostly Tempranillo but with 5% Merlot that matured five months in 20,000-liter oak vats, 18 months in new barriques (equal parts French and American oak), three months in used barrels and then five months in the vats again before being bottled in May 2013. 2010 seems to have the exuberance of the 2011 and the seriousness and elegance of 2009. It has the Burgundian philosophy of terroir, with all plots fermented and aged separately, giving each vineyard what it needs in terms of vinification and elevage resulting in something like 40 separate lots to blend. This wine has gained in precision and sharpness, and is very pure with delineated aromas and flavors. It is a world-class wine, possibly the best Valbuena ever. RP96
Jancis Robinson
Succulent and earthy, with lots of common ground with Burgundy in its fungal, earthy aroma. Long, plush fruit on the palate. Comprehensive structure – gets all of the elements in charming, co-flattering balance. Sophisticated, open, truly delicious. 18/20 points.
2009 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero
The Wine Advocate - "The 2009 Valbuena was harvested early, the result of a warm summer. It’s mostly Tempranillo complemented with 5% Merlot. The wine matured for five months in 20,000-liter oak vats, 16 months in new barriques (equal parts French and American oak), four months in used barrels and then four more months in the vats before being bottled in May 2011. 180,000 bottles produced. It has some reductive notes and would benefit from some time in a decanter, where you’d start appreciating its background of cherries which feels very classical and serious. The palate is well-built, with polished tannins, very good acidity and freshness with elegance and fine tannins. Mature and with good typicity." RP94
International Wine Cellar - "Opaque ruby. Spice- and mineral-accented aromas of dark berries, cherry pit and potpourri, with a toasty topnote. Minerally, incisive and sweet on the palate, offering smoky cherry and blackcurrant flavors complicated by vanilla, mocha and licorice. Shows impressive power and vivacity on the youthfully tannic finish, with the smoke and spice notes strongly repeating." ST94
2008 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero
The 2008 Valbuena is produced with Tempranillo and 7% Merlot and Malbec from a cold, rainy season and late harvest. It reminds me of the Riberas of yesteryear, sharper with a slight rusticity, long and sharp. Once fermented, the wine matured for seven months in 20,000-liter oak vats, 12 months in new barriques (equal parts French and American oak), three months in used barrels and then six months in the vats again before being bottled in May 2011. The aromas are subtle, there is fruit, but there is soil and above all there is harmony. The palate is long rather than round, with some blood orange notes, sharp and austere, a serious wine that should age very well. The average production of Valbuena is around 180,000 bottles and 2008 was no exception. Drink now-2022. RP94
Vega Sicilia’s 2008 Tinto Valbuena 5 Anos is compelling. A young, intense wine, the 2008 is going to need significant time to fully come together, but it boasts superb depth, persistence and a total sense of harmony. Hints of cedar, tobacco and sweet spices wrap around an intense core of dark fruit. 94 points VinousOpaque ruby. Sexy, oak-spicy aromas of dark berry preserves, pipe tobacco, licorice and vanilla, with a smoky overtone. Plush, expansive blueberry and cherry-vanilla flavors show superb depth and pick up Indian spice and bitter chocolate nuances with air. Finishes sweet and seamless, with slow-building tannins and a whiplash of sweet blue fruit. 93 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Made from the younger vines at Vega Sicilia--80 percent tinto fino, the balance cabernet and merlot--this is one of the best vintages of Valbuena in recent memory: a fountain of red fruit, intense in flavor, yet with more lively freshness than typical for Ribera del Duero. The acidity forms a steel rail that projects the flavors and nuanced aromas off into the distance. It’s surprisingly easy to drink, especially for a wine of this price. 93 points Wine & Spirits
2007 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero
International Wine Cellar - "Ruby-red. Aromas of dried cherry, raspberry, vanilla, mocha and Cuban tobacco, with smoke and potpourri accents. Supple and expansive, offering sweet, spice-accented red and dark berry and floral pastille flavors that stain the palate. Dusty tannins add shape and grip to the very long, smooth, penetrating finish. I find this wine quite approachable now but it has the balance to age. Not the weightiest Valbuena but very impressive for the vintage." ST93
The Wine Advocate - "The 2007 Valbuena is rounded and warmer than the 2006 with lush dark berry fruits interlaced with scents of espresso and bay leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, crisp acidity with a composed, focused finish of black cherries, raspberry, cedar and mocha. The 2007 has great precision and focus. It is more feminine and assured than the 2006, but one senses that it is holding something back to charm consumers in five or six year's time. This is very impressive. Drink 2017-2030." RP92
2006 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero
Deep ruby. Heady, exotic bouquet evokes candied cherry, cassis, sassafras, vanilla and potpourri, plus a smoky overtone. Sappy and expansive but energetic, offering sweet cherry and floral pastille flavors lifted by spice and mineral notes. Gains sweetness with air and finishes with superb clarity and spicy persistence. This benefits enormously from aeration but really should be stashed away for at least another five years. (9/2011) 94 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
The 2006 Valbuena is a blend of 80% Tempranillo with 20% Merlot and Malbec. It has great volume and intensity on the nose, yet it is never overbearing. Fragrant aromas of maraschino, dark plum and orange peel are extremely pure and upon further examination, there is an attractive seam of minerality. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple, citrus-fresh entry. Crisp delineation, edgy dark cherry and cassis flavors intermingled with sour lemon that leads to a very assertive, angular finish. (NM) (8/2012) 91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All of this for only $1100.00
Trust me folks...when it comes to Spanish wines you are looking at either a badass tasting for a bunch of friends or one killer investment that will give you an ROI of over 50% in less than 5 years! How do I know? I do wine for a living. It's what I know and love. I also dabble in baby drool and recently...quality to
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Sorry it's taken so long to get the wines up. Being a new daddy is a bit more work than the handout they gave me at the hospital said it was going to be. Here's what everyone will be picking up this month. Since there is only one person in the Daily White Wine Club and one person in the White Wine Club...I'll just sit down with you and talk about the wines.
Daily Drinking Red Wine Club $39 per month
2014 Chevalier du Moulin Bordeaux - Mostly Merlot and mostly awesome! Easy drinker that smells and taste like it was made in a time when wines were made to be consumed...not aged. Meatloaf, beef stew or just a nice roast will make this wine something really special. Trust me...you'll be back for more.
2015 Chateau La Croix du Duc Bordeaux - An unbelievably affordable, everyday Bordeaux! Comprised primarily of Merlot, blended with trace amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, it is a full-bodied and smooth wine displaying earthy aromas of black fruit, and dark flavors leading to a long finish.
2012 Enate Red Somontano Wine - So this little guy from Spain came out of nowhere! I had all the wines picked out then all of a sudden this guy snuck into the mix. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This is not your normal red blend. This is a full-belly sit down kinda wine. If it wasn't for the price...I might put this wine in the Red Wine Club.
Red Wine Club $75 per month
2009 Malvira Roero (Nebbiolo) - Intense ruby red. On the nose, notes of violets, strawberries, raspberries, and black currants. Persistent with approachable tannins and intense fruit with hints of vanilla. I won't lie...I had never heard of this producer until about 3 months. Pretty serious red wine that will lay down for several years. ($30)
2010 Malvira Trinita Riserva Roero - Another Nebbiolo that begs for your attention and really needs some serious red meat or pasta with a nice meat sauce. Think truffles and some good cheese. Spoil yourself and go find some dry-aged beef. Wine will need to be decanted for several hours and will lay down for 15 years or more. Can you wait though? ($45)
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