Red Wines BTG Flashcards
Tua Rita, Sangiovese Blend (2023)
A bright, focused red, offering cherry, raspberry, floral earth flavors. Light coating of tannins and tangy finish. Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah.
Failla Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Offers aromas of rose, sandalwood, pomegranate ad tart cherry. The palate is lush, reflecting the red fruits found in the bouquet with soft tannins and acidity needed for an exceptionally balanced wine. One of the best expressions of Sonoma Pinot Noir.
Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel Blend ‘Three Valleys’, Sonoma County
Wine Information
65% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane, 14% Petite Sirah, 5% Mataro
94 Points – Clive Pursehouse, Decanter
93 Points – Zinfandel Chronicles
91 Points – Wine Enthusiast
Vintage
2021
Château d’Issan, Cabernet Sauvignon, ‘Haut Médoc d’Issan’, Bordeaux
2018
Tasting Notes
“This is a vibrant ruby colour, with floral aromatics that are even more evident on the nose here than with the second wine, Blason. This is not always the case during En Primeur tastings, when it’s the second wines that tend to be a little more open, but it’s a feature of the 2018 vintage. This is a brilliant Issan with richness and poise joined by a delicate acidity that pulls the fruit along. The tannins are deceptive, as they are supple and appealing, but the density and power builds over the palate and clearly indicates long ageing. A wine that feels like it’s rooted in its appellation. 50% new oak. 40hl/ha yield, with 53% of production going into this wine, higher than in both 2017 and 2016. Eric Boissenot consults.” - Jane Anson, (04/01/2019), Ratings: 96, Drink: 2027 - 2042
“The 2018 D’Issan is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, aging in 50% new and 50% second year barrels for an estimated 18 months. With 13.97% alcohol and a deep garnet-purple color, it features baked berries, warm cherries and cassis with spice box and fragrant earth plus tea hints. Medium to full-bodied, it has a great core of muscular fruit with firm, fine-grained tannins, with nice freshness, finishing layered with mineral notions.” - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, (04/23/2019, Bordeaux 2018 Issue), Ratings: 94-96
“The top wine, the 2018 Château D’Issan is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that spent 18 months in 50% new French oak. It offers a beautiful, singular bouquet of blackcurrants, new leather, smoked tobacco, scorched earth, and camphor. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, seamless Margaux with wonderful tannins, beautifully integrated acidity, and just a flawlessly balanced, elegant, layered style that’s going to evolve for 20-25 years. It’s one classy 2018 that has loads to love.” - Jeb Dunnuck, 2018 Bordeaux From The Bottle, (03/11/2021), Ratings: 95
The historic grounds of Château d’Issan are unquestionably some of the most resplendent and breathtaking in the Médoc. With its gothic towers and moats, visiting Château d’Issan is a bit like traveling back in time. Château d’Issan is one of the oldest châteaux in Bordeaux, and its history is as rich and powerful as its wines. Though the wines were forgettable in the 1980s, they have skyrocketed in terms of quality in recent years. Robert Parker Jr, the famed wine critic has stated when Château d’Issan produces good vintages, their wines are undoubtedly some of the greatest in all of Bordeaux. It is no surprise that the motto of this estate engraved above the château door is, “Regum Mensis Aris Que Deorum“ which means - “for the tables of kings and altars of the gods.”
Records of Château d’Issan date as far back to 1152, when the wine was served at the wedding of Elenore of Aquitaine to King Henry II. At the time, the estate was known as Château Lamothe Cantenac. Starting in the year 1575, Château d’Issan was acquired by the Essenault family who named it Château d’Issan – a contraction of their surname. Stories of Château d’Issan and its legendary wines were told around the world and eventually Thomas Jefferson toured the estate and sang its praises during his trip to Bordeaux. The Château was ranked as a Third Growth during Napoleon’s 1855 Classification, and a little over ten years later it was acquired by Gustave Roy. Gustave Roy had the first gravity fed cellars built and began the tremendous undertaking of replanting the vineyards that had been ravaged by phylloxera. Eventually the estate was taken over by the Cruse family, who still supervise the Château d’Issan today.
When Emmanuel Issan took over the estate in the 1990s, the quality of these wines began to gradually improve. The estate introduced a Second Wine called Blason d’Issan in 1995, to improve the quality of the grand vin. The alluvial and gravel soils in the vineyards are planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot. Weather is fairly mild here, due to the moderating influence of the Gironde Estuary, and this serves to the vines’ advantage. The 1999 and 2000 vintages were astounding. The vineyard is 59 hectares total – with 44 hectares in the Margaux appellation, 5 hectares in Haut Médoc and 10 hectares that are considered Bordeaux Supérieur. The grapes are harvested by hand every autumn by acquaintances, neighbors, family and friends. Château d’Issan also has a partnership with a school in Denmark, where several students come to work the harvest. The grapes are then sorted onto a vibrating table and then off they go into their gravity fed wine making facilities.
There is a specific freshness that is associated with the wines of Château d’Issan and the gorgeous, femininely floral traits synonymous with a Margaux. Their wines are elegant, and a bit more restrained with medium body and not too heavy tannins. Many critics often laud the wines of Château d’Issan for delivering great quality for value.
Pride Mountain Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain, Sonoma-Napa (2021)
Blackberry, currant and plum lead to seductive flavors of cedar box and summer savory. The tannins are mouthfilling and luxurious in the way that only mountain fruit can achieve. The balance is precise, offering enough tension to intrigue the senses and welcoming you to another sip. The acid that so elegantly frames the richness of this wine will allow it to age gracefully and completely. Drink early and often but be sure to lay down enough to appreciate its progression for the next 10 – 25 years.
APPELLATION: 52% Sonoma / 48% Napa
VINTAGE: 2021
HARVEST: October 2021
FERMENTATION: Stainless Steel
COOPERAGE: French Oak
BLEND: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon
7.5% Merlot
5% Petit Verdot
1.5% Cabernet Franc
ALCOHOL: 14.6%
BOTTLING: July 2023
PRODUCTION: 5628 cases
RELEASE DATE: October 2023
RELEASE PRICE: $82.00
REVIEWS
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Wine Enthusiast: 7/1/2024 - Rating: 95
Deep, opaque ruby in the glass, this powerfully structured Cabernet displays aromas of baked earth, black plum and dry cocoa on the nose. The palate is plush and richly tannic, with flavors of dried cranberry, dusty black cherry, pencil shavings and caramel. This should round into form nicely with a few years in the cellar. — Tom Capo
Nathalie Richez, Pinot Noir, ‘Les Regains’, Maranges, Burgundy
2022
Maranges is the southernmost wine-producing commune of the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy. The Maranges appellation produces medium-bodied red wines from Pinot Noir. White wines made from Chardonnay are permitted under the appellation laws, but are produced only in very small quantities.
The zone is formed from three communes; Cheilly-lès-Maranges, Dezize-lès-Maranges and Sampigny-lès-Maranges. Until May 1989, the Maranges villages produced wines under the Côte de Beaune-Villages appellation. They were then collectively granted their own title for their 170 hectares (420 acres) of vineyards.
While not the most highly regarded of Burgundy’s communes, Maranges has a handful of Premier Cru vineyards clustered together between the villages, which run contiguously with those of neighboring Santenay, to the east. The soils here are still reminiscent of those further up the Côte d’Or escarpment, containing a relatively high level of limestone and clay.
Technically speaking, Maranges is just inside the Saône et Loire administrative district, rather than the Côte d’Or district, but the local geology and wine style here mean that it continues to be considered a part of the Côte de Beaune, and therefore the Côte d’Or wine region.
