Castello Tricerchi
100% Sangiovese. Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy 2018
Rosso di Montalcino. One of our all time favorite expressions of Sangiovese (don't tell our friends in Chianti!). Brunello di Montalcino is considered one of the top wines in all of Italy, and the price for a quality bottle very much reflects it. So here enters it's baby brother: Rosso di Montalcino! The difference between the two can vary significantly. This all comes down to how the producer chooses what Sangiovese makes it in the Brunello blend and which goes into the Rosso blend. The three major practices are: barrel by barrel selection (the best ones go Brunello), vineyard selection (again: best ones going Brunello) or vine age. What makes Tricerchi so special, aside from being planted around their 1441 AD castle, is the vine age selection: Brunello is 25 years + whereas the Rosso is trailing shortly behind at a youthful 20! This makes for a wine of serious quality and depth, and something we're wild about. Just on popping the cork you're welcomed with the most aromatic bouquet of roses that leads way to a nose of bright cherry and nuances of a redwood forest. On first sip this all unfolds, and envelopes the palate, introducing layers of pomegranate with hibiscus undertones that are accentuated by playful notes of sage and thyme. The finish is long and elegant with lasting memories of fresh briar groves and velvety blackberry teas. Simply divine.
Rustenberg "John X Merriman"
56% Cabernet sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 3% Cabernet franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Stellenbosch, South Africa 2014
South African only recently has seen a resurgence in the wine world due mostly to the apartheid laws being abolished in 1994, thus opening the doors for world export. This makes South Africa only a recent discovery in wine circles, but their industry is quite well established - dating back to 1652! Back in those days the Dutch East India company needed a way station to provide it's ships with fresh food and, of course, wine! The Dutch planted Chenin blanc and Pinotage (a hybrid varietal) and it served its purpose. It wasn't until the Napoleonic wars that Britain took over this outpost, and vineyards. Thing is: the British quite like their French wine, but obviously weren't going to be getting it from France at that time. This love of Bordeaux in particular led them to discover that, thanks to the warmth much more similar to our Santa Barbara but the extreme cooling nights from both Atlantic and Indian ocean trade winds, we have the perfect site for growing quality bordeaux-esq wines! Rustenberg's wines epitomize this shift, and their Cabernet sauvignon blend is the crown jewel. It really delivers on all things Bordeaux: elegance and subtleties on the nose showing classy frasier raspberries with tart red currants lifting it up, all with undertones of berries dusted in chocolate and fine mochas with just a touch of herbaceousness. Perfect for spare ribs or truffle risotto. A classy wine, at an everyday price.
Massican "Gemina"
74% Pinot Bianco, 26% Greco. Sonoma & Napa Valleys, CA 2019
Massican is a rare treat in California. The winery is named after the Monte Massico coastal mountain range in Italy, and the wine is very much fashioned after high elevation white Italian wines. It's easy for a Californian winery to say they make Pinots like Burgundy, or Cab blends like Bordeaux, but for someone to come out of nowhere and set a mission to make Californian wines in a Mediterranean Italian wine fashion is so rare that we only really see the one winery specializing in it. Winemaker Dan Petroski found some unique varietals in the hills of Northern California that perfectly replicate his favorite terroir. This newer expression for his winery is a great example of the freedom in California. Never in Italy would you see a Campania grape, Greco, blended with a Northern Alto Adige grape, Pinot Bianco. The combination works, too. Like: really works. In a blind tasting it is unmistakably Italian! The wine is incredibly fresh and floral with citrus tones that are just so addictingly vibrant with this salinity on the finish that makes it oh-so-refreshing leaving you with this long finish of pears with orange sweethearts. Great on it's own, for any occasion, or with a seaside dinner!
Massican "Annia"
53% Tocai Friulano, 39% Ribolla Gialla, 8% Chardonnay. Napa Valley, CA 2019
We're doing a twofer! The first time we've ever done two wines from the same winery in the same month!! This is what makes Massican so cool: both wines are equally cool, but incredibly different. The Annia is Massican's flagship, and first wine that they produced back in 2009, and it epitomizes the vision of an Italian wine made in California. I can already hear the questions: Italian wine, with Chardonnay? Impossible! Well: in Alto Adige many producers adamantly swear Chardonnay is indigenous there, as well as being a commonplace in many blends. What the Chardonnay brings to the equation is marvelous too. Only at 8% it adds a gorgeous lemon pot-de-creme essence to the wine, much like a fine champagne. In addition we see the other two varietals singing with voluptuous meyer lemons and lifted kaffir lime notes all with this line of peach puree that carries to the finish. Great with pork dishes, or really fun with spicy curries! Two white wines that couldn't be more different, and are equally amazing!
Domaine Philippe Gilbert
100% Pinot Noir. Menetou-Salon, Loire, France 2018
Another rarity that we get to share with the wine club! We've featured Sancerre (red, white, and roses) in the past, and the Pinot noirs from there get us especially excited since they are hardly seen. well. Menetou-Salon is Sancerre on steroids! It's a tiny subregion of the Loire valley on a hill overlooking Sancerre. This means it benefits from the same limestone/mineral driven soil, but is much colder due to the high winds and elevated altitude. The Sauvignon blancs from here are even drier and more austere due to this, and reds are rarely seen here. Well Domaine Gilbert has managed a small parcel of Pinot noir that struggles, but still produces, amazing fruit. The wine evokes an opulent tapestry of craisins and desiccated roses with this drying, salted strawberry, finish. A one of a kind expression of Pinot noir that is oh-so-addicting!
Albahra "Envinate"
100% Grenache. Vinos Mediterraneos, Spain 2019
We have quickly become more and more of fans of this new school take on Spanish grenache. Wines that balance both the ripe fruit with finesse and balance of acid that lifts and elevates the wine. That's when we were allocated a tiny parcel of Albahra we had to jump on it, and we are delighted in the opportunity to share it with our wine club! The wine has depth and character from the big, purple, fruit with layers of blackberry essence drizzled with a violet glaze all leading to a mouth filling palate of blueberry preserves, black cherries, and creme de mure leading to a perfumed, endless, finish of black raspberry candies and lavender. Simply sublime.