Rinaldi Celle Monferrato Rosso 2017

Made from 100% Barbera.

Vineyards: The vineyard are located in the village of Novello ; WEST exposure with medium slope.

Average density of vines: 5500 vines per hectare

Method of cultivation: classical Guyot method with medium-short pruning; the vineyard are three, two with west exposure and one south with medium slope. Green harvest in two different times with reduction of grapes with a production per hectare around 5500 kg .

Winemaking: The grapes are harvested very ripe with a meticulous selection; the fermentation took place in stainless steel vats with temperature controlled. The fermentation is around 30°C with 8-10 days of maceration ; malolattic fermentation took place spontaneously in stainless steel vats.

Refinement: After malolattic fermentation the wine stay for 18 month in new French barriques; then the wine is bottled and refined for 12 month.

Bottle production: 3000 circa

Tasting Notes: This Barbera offers ripe dark fruit, spice and earthy sensations, as well as hints of black pepper and anisette. Heavy and brooding on the palate, but refreshing acidity will make this very food friendly. It would work well with pasta topped with porcini mushrooms or grilled meats.

Dark ruby color. Aromas of cherry, currant, vanilla bean and hint of tar. Full-bodied, with flavors of cherries, cocoa powder and oak. A touch of sweetness on entry with a little bit of air with soft tannins that are starting to integrate well.

The latest step in the project is Vinsacro (formerly Valsacro) Dioro. The earlier Valsacros were made from a field selection of the older vineyards. Now, thanks to the new facility Amador has been able to build an upmarket version of Vinsacro (formerly Valsacro) with a four-stage selection process that includes an initial field selection of the fruit followed by a second table selection as the grapes come into the winery. After fermentation wine from selected tanks is transferred to new French oak barrels for 12-14 months of barrel age. Finally, the best barrels are set aside for Dioro and the remainder used to "upgrade" the normal Vinsacro.

Vinsacro Dioro is a blend of grapes from 100+ year old "vidau" vineyards where many varieties were planted together in the same plot.

Today the grapes are harvested and vinified separately. The final blend depends on the vintage but typically it's Tempranillo (50%), Garnacha (20%) and remaining 30% is a mix of mainly Graciano (10%) & Mazuelo (10%) with a little of Monastrell (5%) & Bobal (5%).

Review:

"The top of the range is the 2015 Vinsacro Dioro, a wine that is only produced in excellent vintages. It's a blend of 40% Vidau (the old field blend) plus 45% Tempranillo and 15% Mazuelo, from a slope in the south of the Monte Yerga called Cuesta la Reina, from a big, 120-hectare plot that has been with the Escudero family for generations. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel with a long maceration. It matured in new French (70%) and American oak barrels for 18 months. It's still very young and a little shy, with a reticent nose where the lactic and spicy aromas are intermixed with earthy and dark fruit aromas. The palate is full-bodied but perfectly balanced, compact, powerful and serious, with abundant tannins, extract and clout. This should develop nicely in bottle, given its stuffing and balance. An excellent, modern version of a classical Rioja. 20,000 bottles were filled in June 2017. - Luis Gutierrez"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #235, February 2018), 92 pts

SALE!

Cazaux Gigondas Tour Sarrasine is made from 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. 45 year old vines on average.

Intense, persistent red and dark fruit aromas. Raspberry,  pepper and spice flavors. Silky tannins.
Enjoy with game meat or strong cheeses.

Review:

"From a bottle in US and showing even better from bottle than barrel, the 2016 Gigondas Tour Sarrasine (70% Grenache and 15% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre brought up in tank) offers a spicy, pine forest, pepper, and earthy red and black fruit-driven profile. Medium to full-bodied, rounded, and incredibly sexy and opulent on the palate, it has a wealth of fruit, beautiful purity, and a great finish. It has the relatively approachable style of the vintage yet given its depth and density, it’s going to evolve nicely for 10-12 years."

- Jeb Dunnuck (September 2018), 93 pts

Alain Jaume Cairanne Les Travees is made from 65% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre.

Our selected vines for this cuvée are on slopes facing south.
Considered as one of the most famous name under the "villages" category, this part of the RHONE may ask to be up-graded CRU level soon.

The wine delivers an intensive nose, with loads of black fruits.
Starting full and concentrated, with silky tannins, the mouth reveals blackcurrant and a cherry fruit typicity.
It finishes with typical notes of pepper and earth.
Enjoy with roasted lamb or braised or BBQed pork. gpoes also very well with mild cheese, such as brie or camenbert.

Cazaux Vacqueyras Cuvee des Templiers 2013  is a  blend of 50% Syrah, 50% Grenache.
Deep color. Intense and persistent red fruits, spice and violet aromas. Intense black cherry, blackberry, blueberry and cherry flavors. Explosive fruit tannins give the sweet, creamy flavors structure and focus, bright and uplifting on the finish.

Enjoy this wine when young with grilled beef and bearnaise sauce, lamb and thyme. After 7-10 years excellent with game meats.

Color: Ruby red with garnet reflections.
Bouquet: Ethereal, vinous bouquet with hints of violets intertwined with vanilla and spice.
Taste: Elegant and round The flavor is full of ripe cherry and warm wood with leather and spice. The finish is persistent with hints of irises and violets.

Grapes: 90% Sangiovese 5% Cilegiolo 5% Pugnatello
Vineyards: The castle is surrounded by 32 hectares of vineyards, 7 of which are in Chianti Classico. The vineyards are protected by a thick woods of live oaks and the high altitude provides an enviable and well-ventilated exposition. The stony-calcareous soil is rich in fossils and minerals which give the wines an admirable structure. The warm days and cools nights enhance an already seductive bouquet. The vineyards lie at 350 meters. Vines are an average of 25 years old.
Harvest: October– by hand.
Yield per hectare: 75 Quintals per hectare
Vinification: Fermentation in stainless steel at controlled temperatures with maceration on the skins for 15 to 20 days during which time the juice is pumped daily over the skins.
Aging: 12 months in French oak Allier barriques.
Acidity: 5.6

Roasted or grilled red and white meats. Pastas with wild boar or hare sugo, lasagne, polenta and wild game.