Red Wine Flashcards
Merry Edwards, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018
$132/bottle
14.3% ABV. Ripe plum, strawberry, red and dark cherry, dried herbs, clove and black tea. Very structured.
Very good vintage (warm without heat spikes, long growing season). 10 months in French oak
Merry Edwards was one of California’s first woman winemakers. Terroir focused, site specific, clonal selection are key aspects of her winemaking philosophy.
Oszkar Maurer, “Crazy Lud” Blaüfrankish Blend
$58/Bottle
Syrmia, Serbia
90% Blaufrankish/10% Cab. Eight months in oak.
Light bodied, round texture. Juicy blackberry, baking spices and black pepper. 12% ABV. Best served with a slight chill.
4th generation winemakers. Moved from Salzburg to Southern Hungary during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. They farm 16 acres directly south of the Hungary-Serbia border (6 in the Szabadka region, and 10 in the Fruška Gora mountain district in Syrmia, Serbia, just south of the Danube River).
Aléofane, Crozes Hermitage 2019
$74 per bottle
Winemaker is Natasha Chave (Cousin of J.L. Chave and daughter of Yann Chave). Founded in 2004.
Biodynamic farming, old vines. Protects vines from odium with a treatment made from fenugreek (which, coincidentally, is in the lamb’s yogurt marinade).
Warm, concentrated, and spicy dark red fruit, black plum. Spices and herbs behind dark fruit. Soft and approachable. Would go well with the lamb.
“Aléofane” means gem of truth in John MacMillan Brown’s book, “Riallaro, the Archipelago of Exiles”
Deterts, Reserve Merlot 2017
$96
Aged for 18 months in 50% new French oak. From Williams Gap Vineyard, about two miles west of the Middleburg AVA. 600 feet in altitude. All free run (no pressed wine). No fining or filtration.
Dark red fruit with notes of spice. Ripe tannins, with finesse on the mid-palate.
Rocky Detert started this project in 2017.
Leah Jørgensen, 2016 Malbec
$78/Bottle
Ripe blueberry and black cherry. White pepper, black peppercorn, tobacco and chamomile tea. Soft tannin
Crater View Vineyard, Rogue Valley. The soils have ancient marine fossils and shellfish from 250 million years ago. Biodynamic farming.
Leah Jørgensen is known for Loire valley varietals, and is one of the premier natural winemakers in southern Oregon.
Cascina Delle Rose, “Rio Sordo” Barbaresco, 2017
$150/bottle
Clay soils. Rio Sordo “cru”. Steep hillsides. Destemmed, natural yeast, 20 months in large format Slovenian oak.
Dried cherries, rose petals, wet leaves and licorice.
Giovanna Rizziolo was one of only a few women to be running a winery in the early 1990’s. The winery has been family run since 1948, but she changed the label in 1992. Small winery. Roses can be found all around the vineyards (hence the name, cascina delle rose).
97 points in wine enthusiast.
Begali, Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2017
$125
Veneto, Italy
Fruity cherry in brandy, plum, licorice, coffee. Soft and warm flavor.
Has 5 years on it, so it should be starting to develop some more complexity with bottle age.
Family owned and operated since the early 20th century
Artesana, “TMZ” Tannat Blend 2017
$62/bottle
Canalones, Uruguay
Tannat-Merlot-Zinfandel.
Ripe black fruit and blueberries, floral notes, dark chocolate and spice from toasted oak.
Full bodied, should be medium+ to high in tannin. Would pair with the lamb or beef cheek. Good suggestion for someone who wants a fuller bodied red wine (like a rioja, or california red blend), but wants to be adventurous or doesn’t have a huge budget.
