Last Holiday Wine & Cheese Tasting before Christmas
December 22nd
Thursday 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Quinta da Murta Bucelas 2009
Origin: Bucelas, Lisbon, Portugal
Varietal: 95% Arinto de Bucelas and 5% Esgana Cao. Quinta da Murta have 14 hectares of South-facing vineyards, dominated by the indigenous Arinto white grape. The estate makes fewer than 4,000 cases of classic Bucelas, without the use of oak or any international grape types.
Tasting Notes: This wine is exuberant and fresh on the nose with notes of tropical fruit and a floral mineral background. Boca balanced with notes of green apple. The body is balanced with a creamy. long and persistent finish. Quinta da Murta, Lisbon Noble white wines were popularized by the English long ago. The Duke of Wellington and Shakespeare were amongst its advocates. Quinta da Murta is often considered the “prince” of Portuguese white wines and is believed to have been the “cup of charneco” offered in Shakespeare's “Henry IV”, written in 1594.
Food Pairing: This wine should pair well with white fish,
shellfish, Calamari, white meats and soft cheeses.
Hayman & Hill Pinot Noir 2008
Origin: Santa Lucia Highlands, California. Santa Lucia Highlands is the talk of the town for the quality of its pinot noir. Some say it's the moderate temperatures and cool fogs that cloak the hillsides. Others swear by the sandy, well draining soils.
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes: Lifted strawberry and sweet ripe raspberry characters attack you on the nose and palate. Subtle dusty overtones with a sweet smokiness help to make this a powerful yet elegant Pinot with plenty of class.
Food Pairing: Perfect
with just about any game birds or lighter meats such as veal, turkey or pork.
Try it with seared duck breast with exotic mushrooms.
Bodegas Don Sancho Londono Calma Rioja 2008
Origin: Rioja, Spain. Calma is an estate-bottled wine made by Bodegas Don Sancho Londoño in the Rioja Alta subzone of the Rioja DOCa. Calma' means Calm, Peace, and Tranquility.
Varietal: 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano
Tasting Notes: Calma reveals Bright violet, black cherry scents and a kick of cracked pepper. Tightly wound at first, then opens to offer chewy dark fruit flavors and a touch of mocha. Dusty tannins add grip to the finish, which leaves cassis and bitter cherry notes behind. Calma has an inky, ruby color and exhibits deep brooding aromas of cherry compote, cassis, fresh blood and leather. Chewy, youthfully backward dark fruit flavors slowly unfold, picking up more sweetness and an exotic floral quality. The wine is aged for 12-14 months in oak barrels, 90% French and 10% American.
Food
Pairing: With so
much spicy, peppery, red fruit character, this wine is a natural for olive
bread and charcuterie, especially fattier meats like speck, prosciutto, black
forest ham, and at the top of the list, jamon iberico. Tapenade, chumus, aged
hard cheeses and sausage with fennel and similar casual bites will pair well
with Calma, and the wine also has all the structure and “cut” you’d want for a
more weighty main course, like roasted prime rib or boeuf bourgignon.
Antonio Sasa Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2008
Origin: Valpolicella Classico , Veneto Region, Italy
Varietal: 40% Corvinone, 30% Corvina, 30% Rondinella
Tasting Notes: Ripassois a remarkably enjoyable blend, rewarding the casual drinker and connoisseur alike. Ripe cherry, blackberry jam, violet, raisin, and cinnamon are buoyed by soft notes of cedar and supple tannin. A wine that is easy to drink and easy to get lost in. A blend of three ancient grapes, Corvinone, Corvina, and Rondinella, Ripasso is sometimes called “baby Amarone” as it evokes the deep rich dried fruit expressed in the style of its grown-up regional cousin. 70% of the pressing is aged in Slavonian oak for 3 years; 30% is held in barriques. 14.5% alcohol by volume.
Food Pairing: Excellent on its own or with a meal
of sweet and sour beef, pork roast and lamb shank.
Arabella Shiraz 2009/2010
Origin: Robertson Valley, South Africa
Varietal: 100% Shiraz
Tasting Notes: Deep burgundy red in color with inviting aromas of vanilla and mocha. The palate rewards with lingering flavors of liquorice and ripe black cherries, supported by soft spicy tannins. Aged in French Oak for about 8-10 months to add softness and complexity. Wine Magazine 2011 - Best Value; Old Mutual Trophy 2010 - Bronze Award; Selected for British Airways Club & Traveler Cabins.
Food Pairing: Spicy Mexican food,
steaks, grilled lamb chops, barbecued
ribs any meat you cook up on the grill.
It will also pair well with Cheddar and Gruyere cheeses.
Cline Cashmere Red 2010
Varietal: Cashmere is a silky and wonderful blend of 41% Mourvèdre, 41% Syrah and 18% Grenache.
Tasting Notes: Cashmere is a very flavorful, smooth wine offering big cherry, raspberry and chocolate notes with hints of cracked black pepper and plum. Aged in 25% new French oak with a dark toast level for nine months. Cline Cellars proudly supports Living Beyond Breast Cancer and over the years has contributed more than $200,000 to breast cancer foundations.
Food Pairing: One of the most versatile reds we have found, try Cashmere as an accompaniment to grilled salmon, Turkey with gravy, pork roast or duck.
Porque No Tres Sabores 2008
Origin: Rutherford, Napa Valley, California.
Varietal: A blend of 52% Zinfandel, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petite Syrah & 1% Petit Verdot.
Tasting Notes: Out-front fruit-filled aromatics: blackberry, boysenberry, black cherry. These characters reflect the Zinfandel element in the wine, especially since the use of ‘previously inspired’ barrels serves to buoy the fruit rather than mask it. A nice middle mouth feel, with substance and texture from the Cabernet. The Petite Syrah gives an earthiness, robustness and a dash of pepper that complements the natural spiciness of Zinfandel. The Petit Verdot adds a bit of sparkle with a fresh carbonic note, not to mention its contribution to the deep purple color. 1200 cases produced.
Food Pairing:
Foods to pair with this blend include sausage, beef,
lamb, pork and venison, either braised, grilled or roasted. The lower tannin in
this wine can accommodate some heat from chiles, so ribs with a spicy barbecue
sauce are considered almost a classic match. Cheese choices include aged
Parmesan and Jack and Manchego. Other ingredients that pair well with this
blend are tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms and olives.
Osborne Tawny Port
Origin: Oporto, Douro, Portugal
Varietal: Touriga Franca; Touriga Nacional; Tinta Barroca; Tinta Roriz.
Tasting Notes: A classic port wine, initially red
in color, then aged in oak vats for 4 years.
Its ageing and consequent oxidation in oak makes its color turn from red
to orangey/brown (tawny) resulting in the fresh fruit tones gaining nutty dry
fruit nuances.
Food Pairing: An excellent dessert wine for pastry or cakes, dried fruit or on its own; drunk as an aperitif and with cheese. It also pairs well with Milk Chocolate.