Tres Ojos Garnacha Calatayud 2017
Tres Ojos Rosado Calatayud is fresh, crisp and juicy Rose made of 50% Garnacha and 50% Tempranillo displaying beautiful strawberry and raspberry fruits. Enjoy with salads, chicken or simply with a glass. Serve chilled.
Ayni Vino de Parcella Gravas is 100% Malbec
Ayni Gravas was created show the diversity of wine profiles that can be derived from Paraje Altamira’s terroir. The goal with this particular wine is to show a markedly calcareous profile that derives in a more intense black fruit flavor profile and a chalky tannin structure with great age potential, as opposed to the more feminine and elegant style which is typical from Paraje Altamira wines.
Chakana plans to further develop this wine, increasing its accents through vineyard selection and oak aging. Over time, production can potentially increase to 10,000 bottles (maximum).
Ayni Gravas is produced from smaller plots of a 20 hectare vineyard in Paraje Altamira, Valle de Uco, Mendoza. Paraje Altamira is a Geographical Indication (IG) located on the alluvial cone of the Tunuyan River. The Ayni vineyard has been planted on virgin soils on the upper (south western) side of the cone. The vineyard is crossed by numerous smaller river beds that once formed the river delta, and these create a pattern of different soil depths and gravel formations, imparting very different characteristics on the wine. Ayni Gravas is produced only with the sections of the vineyard where the calcium carbonated gravels come to the surface and the vines grow amongst them with no soil. Only a smaller percentage of the vineyard (approximately 20%) features these conditions.
Pairs well with grilled meats and stews.
Review:
"Dark medium ruby. Enticing violet lift to the aromas of boysenberry, blackberry and licorice; wild but not excessively so. Juicy and fine-grained, with penetrating chalky minerality enlivening the flavors of crushed blackberry, flowers and spices. In a very savory, almost salty style, finishing dry and firm, with fresh, fine-grained tannins and lovely energy and length. (just 12.5% alcohol; from the same vineyard as the Ayni Vineyard Paraje Altamira but from a selection of soils) - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (June 2019), 91 pts
"There is a new 2017 Ayni Parcela Gravas, a selection of Malbec from their Ayni vineyard in Paraje Altamira from very shallow plots with a high content of limestone. The nature of the soils might have resulted in some stress in a warm and dry year like 2017, and the wine felt a bit ripe and with harsher tannins than the regular Ayni. For the rest, the production and élevage remained more or less the same. I look forward to seeing the results in a cooler year. For now, the tannins need a little bit of time in bottle. 3,000 bottles were filled in March 2019. - Luis Gutiérrez"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #245, October 2019), 91 pts
Importer Sale!
This wine is our tribute to the flagship grape variety of Rioja Baja. Garnacha has been grown in Alfaro for many
centuries in perfect balance with the local soils and climate which result in our intensely fruity wines,
full-bodied and with velvety soft tannins. Deep and brilliant cherry color; red wild berries, violet and subtle
spice on the nose; the taste sensation is rich, long, and very smooth.
Excellent when combined with red meat, pasta dishes and even chocolate desserts.
Review:
"Ripe wild raspberry and cassis fruits that are really brambly and expressive. The palate is all raspberry with smooth tannins and gently tangy appeal. Drink now."
- James Suckling (November 2017), 90 pts
GOLD MEDAL - Vinalies International Competition 2017
Figaro Tinto Calatayud 2013 is 100% Garnacha, made from a selection of the best grapes grown in the oldest vineyards. While not truly an "oaked wine", a short stay in oak barrels provides a nice spicy flavor boost.
Tasting notes: Bright violet. Dark berry and cherry aromas show a jammy aspect. Supple and gently sweet, with good lift to its black raspberry and boysenberry flavors. Smooth and broad on the finish, leaving behind a hint of spiciness. Extremely easy to drink and an excellent value.
Figaro Tinto Calatayud is 100% Garnacha, made from a selection of the best grapes grown in the oldest vineyards. While not truly an "oaked wine", a short stay in oak barrels provides a nice spicy flavor boost.
Tasting notes: Bright violet. Dark berry and cherry aromas show a jammy aspect. Supple and gently sweet, with good lift to its black raspberry and boysenberry flavors. Smooth and broad on the finish, leaving behind a hint of spiciness. Extremely easy to drink and an excellent value.
Review:
"The 100% Garnacha 2016 Figaro Tinto Calatayud is a smoking value and is another red brought in by Kysela that knocks it out of the park on the value scale. Bright berry fruits, dried herbs, earth, and a touch of spice all flow to a medium-bodied, rounded, fleshy red that has loads of upfront charm and accessibility. It’s not going to make old bones, but as a house red to enjoy over the coming couple of years, it’s hard to beat."
- Jeb Dunnuck (March 2019), 90 pts
Kershaw Chardonnay GPS Series Lower Dulvenhoks is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
During the year, I have the opportunity to visit a number of areas outside of Elgin. Occasionally, I come across something so fascinating that it deserves a closer look.
In 2016, I discovered a small parcel of Chardonnay grapes growing on limestone soils – a rarity in the Western Cape. With limestone often touted as beneficial for Chardonnay grapes, it made sense to grasp this opportunity with both hands. The GPS Series is testament to these special places and celebrates them.
Restraint, minerality, freshness of fruit and a chiselled edge reflect limestone’s soil properties. This 2017 vintage reveals clean, bright aromas of lemon blossom, wet chalk and powdered stones. Penetrating intensity, animated acidity with a rich mid palate weight, this wine has purity of fruit (orange peel, yellow cling peaches and grapefruit peel) lemon cream biscuits and crème fraiche textures with a long finish.
Winemaking:
Grapes were hand-picked in the early morning, placed into small lug baskets and tipped directly into a press before being gently whole-bunch pressed up to a maximum of 0.6 bar or until a low juice recovery of 590 litres per ton was
obtained. The juice gravity-flowed directly to barrel (no pumps were used at all) without settling. The unclarified juice had no enzymes or yeast added to it and therefore underwent spontaneous fermentation until dry, with malolactic discouraged. The wine rested in barrel for 4 months prior to judicious sulphuring and a further 7 months’ maturation in barrel before racking, blending and bottling.
Review:
"Delicate, precise nose with hints of lemon and flint. A finely sculpted wine that evokes oyster shells, savory sage. Mandarin pith and lemon zest notes persist on the extended finish. Made entirely from Dijon clone CY95. Part of the GPS Series, the vineyard lies east of Agulhas and 5 km from the sea on an escarpment of clay over limestone. Sees about 40% new 228L oak."
- International Wine Review (Richard Kershaw Lifts Elgin To New Heights, February 2019), 93 pts
Tres Ojos Garnacha Calatayud is made from 100 percent 85% Old Vine Garnacha (40-50 year old vines) and 15% Tempranillo.
The wine has a brick red color with a bouquet of red raspberries, spice and white pepper. The palate is incredibly concentrated and rich. The modern styles of Garnacha in Spain are continuously being perceived worldwide as wines of extraordinarily good quality. This wine is fruity, juicy and shows a great depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness.
The wine ferments for 7 days at 30ºC, followed by 14 days maceration on the skins. Aged 12 months in large stainless steel vats. Cold stabilized and lightly filtered before bottling
Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses etc.
The Tres Ojos Estate
Tres Ojos is made at the Bodega San Gregorio, a cave co-op founded in 1965 that counts 160 members. The president is Gregorio Abad Gil and the vice president is Jose Maria Hernandez.
They sell wine to nine different countries.
The winery is located in the Ribota River Valley, some 15 kilometers north of the city of Calatayud. Tres Ojos hails from the D.O. Calatayud, located in Aragon, a province unparalleled in Spain by its variety of landscapes (lush river valleys, mountainsides and semi-desert areas.) The name Calatayud derives from a Moorish governor named Ayud who built a castle (qalat) at the confluence of the Jalon and Jiloca rivers (qalat Ayud.) There has been thriving population here as far back as Roman times when the old city of Bilbilis was used as an important staging-post for the Roman legions on their way north to Gaul.
The Tres Ojos Vineyards
The coop cultivates 820 hectares (2,025.40 acres) of primarily Garnacha (62%), Tempranillo (22%), 7% white Macabeo and 9% Cabernet, Syrah & Merlot (a mix). Most of the vines are at least 40 years old and some are 50+. The vines, planted “en vaso”(head-trained) are not irrigated, offering very low production levels. Local soils are rich in limestone, marl and slate, providing plenty of opportunities to make good wine on a regular basis of which Tres Ojos is a perfect example.
Sunset Hills Viognier is made from 100 percent Viognier.
Tropical notes of pineapple and apricot on the nose. Crisp lemon lime, pear, and white flower wash over the palate.
Explosive tropical fruit flavors: Pineapple and peach with hints of grapefruit. Powerful, yet feminine.
Sweet and ripe on the palate with peach, apricot, pineapple, and mango notes. Long and flavorful finish.
With its maritime influence, California's Monterey region has an extended growing season that yields wines with full flavor development and great acid balance.
Mandolin Chardonnay has a lush tropical fruit core, balanced by crisp acidity and nicely integrated oak.
The grapes for this Chardonnay were sourced from vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA of Monterey County, where high winds, dry days, and bay fogs create a cool, but very long, growing season. These growing conditions are ideal for cool-climate grapes such as Chardonnay, and lead to full, forward fruit flavors and ideal acidity. Grapes were harvested at an ideal balance of sugar and acid, and the wine was fermented in 1-2 year-old French oak barrels. This wine did not undergo malo-lactic fermentation, thus preserving its bright acidity. Total Acidity: 0.70 pH: 3.45 Residual Sugar: 0.51 g/liter
Vinsacro (Valsacro)( Rioja is predominately 70yr old 55% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 10% Mazuelo, 10% Graciano and 5% Monastrell aged in American oak.
Dark cherry color. Intense and elegant sweet spices, chocolate and ripe fruit with suggestive toasty aromas that tell us about the aging in good oak. Tasty, powerful, meaty and structured and at the same time easy to drink, very round.
The slogan of our winemaker "Wine is to enjoy". Vinsacro red wine is a wine to be stored, so that positive developments are expected for at least 15 years.
"(raised for 16 months in new and used American oak barrels) Deep, bright-rimmed ruby. Expressive, mineral-accented aromas of ripe dark berries, incense and smoky minerals, with vanilla and licorice undertones. Sweet, spicy and focused in the mouth, offering juicy blueberry and cherry liqueur flavors that are enlivened by a peppery spice accent. Smoothly combines richness and vivacity and finishes with impressive focus, lingering sweetness and supple tannins that build slowly and add gentle grip. - Josh Raynolds"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (February 2019), 92 pts
CLOSEOUT!
Les Pieds dans les Galets Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge Vieilles Vignes is made from 60% Grenache Noir, 30% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah.
Fruity : on the red and fresh fruits (strawberries, raspberries, cherries...) - Spicy (pepper) – Intense and rich flavours, as to the nose as to the mouth, on the red fruits. Real beautiful balance and freshness. Excellent tannic structure which provides a wine with a particularly good ageing potential.
Made from 80 years old vines (the oldest vines are 100 years old).
They are using temperature controlled tanks in order to keep the must at 30°C during fermentation.
The winemaking process lasts about 20-25 days before starting the Ageing Process in oak kegs.
100% of the wine goes through Malolactic Fermentation.
The wine is bottled without filtration.
Pairs wines:
- red meats (lamb, beef, ...)
- game (duck, rabbit, ...)
- cheese
– traditional cooking, as a meal made of seasonal vegetables, a beautiful piece of meat and a creamy or spicy sauce with some mushrooms.
Review:The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Pieds dans les Galets Vieilles Vignes delivers raspberry and garrigue notes, a medium to full-bodied palate and supple, velvety tannins. It's really drinkable, a far cry from super ripe and highly extracted examples of the appellation, but it's still delicious and a pure joy to drink, now and for the next decade. - Joe Czerwinski Wine Advocate 92 Points
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Sometimes, the best things come from tough experiences. Our Black Label Reserve Portteus Syrah embodies this ideal. In one of the tougher growing seasons in recent memory, I was not sure what would come of the vintage. Within 6 months after harvest, I knew I had something special with this wine. Month after month, it evolved highlighting what these almost 20 year old Syrah vines could produce. The color is an incredibly deep and glass coating purple, the nose erupts with aromas of bacon fat and a subtle bouquet of wisteria \. lilac. Viscous and dense, you will get mouth-filling notes of swiss chocolate and white pepper. Sit back and savor each velvety sip with a coffee-cocoa spiced rack of lamb and chocolate cheesecake. Decant for at least an hour to release its aromatics and enjoy this Syrah easily through the next decade.
Review:
Another stunning effort is the 2012 Portteus Vineyard, which is located in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA. Exhibiting layers of smoked plums, liquid smoke and serious minerality, this full-bodied, layered and rich Syrah has notable underlying structure and tannin, with a firm, compact and focused feel. Fermented with 33% whole cluster and aged 16 months in 50% new French oak barrels, it comes from the second oldest Syrah vines planted in the state. Give it 2-3 years in the cellar and enjoy bottles through 2025. This Walla Walla estate is owned and run by Justin Wylie. He excelled with his 2011 and 2012s. -Wine Advocate Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
Hallet Sauternes is made from 100% Sémillon.
With delicate aromas of honey, citrus, crystallized fruit and acacia, it makes a good match not only for desserts, but also for foie gras, roasted meats and blue cheeses.
It makes a delicious aperitif when served chilled.
