Ancien Pinot Noir Russian River Jouissance is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Jouissance is sourced from the single vineyard established and farmed by Mark Lingenfelder at his home estate. Mark’s decades of experience as a vineyard manager and consulting viticulturalist have provided him the depth of experience to reach the pinnacle at his own property. Having worked with storied wineries over the years, we are grateful our paths have crossed enabling us to work with him for our Russian River designate. He tends the vines himself while relying on neighbor Lee Martinelli to provide additional help at the peak times. We work with a mix of Pommard and Dijon 667 vines from his oldest and youngest blocks – aged wisdom combines with youthful vigor!
The 2021 growing season was a welcome success after a more varied and challenging 2020. The vines came on with aplomb, demonstrating the rich fruit concentration we expect – even if the crop was meager. The ongoing drought in California served to further accentuate the character and concentration of the fruit. While warmer conditions have prevailed in other areas, the coastal areas of California continue to benefit from the maritime influence and moderating influence that it brings.
We fermented in our one ton, open-top tanks after filling by gravity. A warm fermentation with a combination of native and isolated Burgundian yeasts produced excellent and focused flavor extraction, complemented with traditional punch-downs by hand. The wine was aged entirely in Francois Freres cooperage, 40% new, and racked once, gently, prior to bottling. Grapes, must, and wines were moved using gravity through to the barrel and using inert gas through racking and bottling. 151 cases produced.
Bright fruit notes dominate the aromas with bright cherry, plum, and boysenberry underlaid by allspice and clove. On the palate the wine is liquid velvet, it’s silkiness segueing into a burst of fruit and spice that rides high on the palate while gradually opening to deeper berry, tea, and baking spices. It is a refreshing and lively Pinot Noir in its youth that will continue to fill out in depth and complexity over the next 2-5 years.
Andrew Will Winery Sorella 2019 is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petite Verdot.
Sorella means sister in Italian and was named after Chris Camarda late sister Jane Camarda. This first vintage was from 1994. This wine is made from 100% Champoux Vineyard fruit and represents the nature of the vineyard by highlighting the Cabernet Sauvignon, which is considered some of the best in Washington State. The picture on the label is a portrait of Annie Camarda (Chris’s late wife).
Review:
Flirting with triple digits, and perhaps the best Sorella yet, the 2019 Sorella explodes from the glass with a fantastic mineral essence that sways between dark red fruit tones, oak essence and freshly opened flowers. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is impeccably balanced with a silky-smooth mid-palate that bestows a stunningly beautiful wine with gobs of complexity and a ripe frame of glossy black raspberry and blackberry fruit tones. Unwinding across the finish, the wine unpacks gorgeous layers that seduce me for a second, third and fourth sip and finally begs me to finish the glass. Buy this ASAP!
-Wine Advocate 99 Points
Antica Vigna Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva is made from 65% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 10% Corvinone, 5% Merlot.
Amarone DOCG has maintained unchanged its typicality, so that “the essence of the territory” of Valle di Mezzane and Cazzano di Tramigna powerfully emerges. Rich in color, firmly structured but with fresh notes.
WINEMAKING AND AGING:
Manual harvest early October with selection of the best bunches.
Drying: natural drying in fruit cellar for 3/4 months with a sharp drop in weight of around 30%.
Vinification: soft crushing of destemmed grapes in the months of January and February.
Fermentation: at a controlled temperature of 18/21°C. Fermentation time: about 30 days
Aging:· 80% in oak barrels for 30 months of which 2/3 in American and French barriques, half of which are used for the second and third time, 1/3 in large
THE TERRITORY:
Geographical location: Tenuta di Mezzane, Tenuta di Cazzano di Tramigna
Height: 350/400 meters asl
Exposure: south
Soil type: limestone
Vineyard training system: guyot and pergola
Vine planting year: from 1972 to 2009
Vine density: 4,000 to 5,400 vines per hectare Vineyard management: sustainable agriculture and great attention to natural
cycles
Pairs well with grilled and roasted meats, as well as cheese.
Timeless Notes:
Dark cherry in color, firm on the palate with a vibrant acidity underbelly. Thought lush on the palate the flavors are complex and elegant from entry to mid-palate with hints of currant and wild berries. The finish brings in a touch of tobacco and leather notes ,classic examples of this region, with more ripe fruit flavors that linger on long strain tannin finish. Complex with depth and elegance on the palate. This one is drinking now, but can handle more time in the cellar with ease. An excellent value in the Riserva category.
Ancient Vineyard Rested Veneto Red
bright ruby color. The nose evolves bright cherry, wildberries, and a touch of spice. The palate is deep and rich, with a long-lasting finish.
Antica Vigna Valpolicella Ripasso DOC Superiore is made from 50% Corvina, 45% Rondinella and 5% Merlot.
Ripasso Superiore DOC is an elegant and refined wine, showing a beautiful and intense ruby color. Spicy, with cherry hints and wild berries notes, it features great personality and complexity. In the palate it is rich, very fruity, elegant and still young but already very well-orchestrated, with the typical notes of wild berries that blend well with the complexity of the wine.
20% in steel· 80% in wood for 6 months of which 2/3 in American and French barriques, half of which are used for the second and third time 1/3 in large barrels
Aging:
Fermentation time: about 7/10 days the first and 15 days the second.
Fermentation: at a controlled temperature of 18/20° and second fermentation on the skins of Amarone at 18/20°C.
Vinification: soft crushing of destemmed grapes to obtain Valpolicella.
Drying: the grapes are not dried but vinified fresh.
Harvest: mid-September with manual harvesting of the grapes.
VINIFICATION AND AGENG:
Vineyard management: sustainable agriculture and great attention to natural cycles
Vine density: 4,000 to 5,400 vines per hectare
Vine planting year: from 1972 to 2009
Vineyard training system: guyot and pergola
Soil type: limestone
Exposure: south
Height: 350/400 meters asl
Geographical location: Tenuta di Mezzane, Tenuta di Cazzano di Tramigna
THE TERRITORY:
Pairs well with grilled and roasted meats, as well as cheese.
Appasionata Andante Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Roland Champion Champagne Non Vintage Brut Rose Carat (magnum) is made from 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Meunier and 33% Pinot Noir
The Champagne rose shows an orange salmon color coming from the red wine base. The pinot meunier brings red fruit aromas of strawberry and raspberry with hints of spices. The palate is juicy and harmonious with good depth and minerality. A delicate balance between Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.
It is a blend of 93% White juice (made from 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Meunier and 33% Pinot Noir) and 7% Pinot Noir red wine. The grapes used to produce the Coteaux Champenois red wine are coming from their vineyards near the Village of Verneuil.
Review:
"Eye of the partridge color. With a bouquet that evokes leesy hints of red cherry and berry with a touch of stone fruit, this is a finely sculpted wine, beautifully balanced with rich flavors of cherry, shortbread,and a hint of honeyed apricot. A rosé Champagne that’s complex and dry with good palate depth and length. A blend of 20% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 40% Pinot Meunier; 7-85% of the juice is red wine (Pinot Noir) from 2013 vintage of Coteaux Champenois Rouge from the village of Verneuil. 3+ years on the lees." - I-WineReview (Champagne: Diversity and Change, January 2020), 92 pts
"A delicate, subtle Champagne, delivering aromatic notes of mulling spices and yeast that accent the flavors of kirsch, bread dough, candied lemon zest and rose petal. This is finely tuned, with lively acidity and a minerally finish. 330 cases made. –AN"
- Wine Spectator , 91 pts
"Bright orange. Aromas of blood orange, dried rose, allspice and minerals, with a subtle note of anise. Juicy and precise, with very good depth to its spicy red berry and citrus pith flavors. Finishes smooth and long, with excellent clarity and lingering spiciness."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar , 91 pts
"Champion is a small grower in Chouilly, in the Cotes des Blancs, an area known for fantastic chardonnay. This rosé — of which he makes only about 330 cases — includes 10 percent red wines (pinot noir, pinot meunier) to give it a pale, salmonlike color and a beguiling palate of cranberries, strawberries and currants. Wow. And yum."
- Washington Post, ***
Mortet Bourgogne Passetoutgrain is mae from 60% Gamay and 40% Pinot Noir
Aged 11 months in Neutral French oak barrels.
12% ABV
Malolactic fermentation in barrel.
Slight filtration before bottling.
Bourgogne Passetoutgrains is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for wine from the region of Burgundy.
Most Bourgogne Passetoutgrains is red, although rosé wine may also be produced. Unlike other Burgundy wines, which are
primarily produced from a single grape variety, Bourgogne Passetoutgrains is essentially a cuvée of Gamay and Pinot noir.
This is a quintessential bistro wine. Fresh and fruity, displaying red and black fruit flavors. Well balanced, good structure and silky finish with excellent length. Serve slightly chilled.
Oeufs en Meurette (poached eggs served in a red wine sauce with onions and lardons).
Boeuf Bourguignon (beef cooked in red wine with carrots and patatoes).
Pizza and pasta.