Vitas Traminer Aromatico 2014
| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Friuli |
| Grape Type: | Traminer Aromatico |
| Winery: | Vitas |
Straw yellow color with greenish overtones, intense and warm aromas of citrus, pineapple and peach., Full-bodied palate sustained by a acidic grip and a hint of mineral presence. Well-balanced and velvety on the finish.
The grapes are hand-harvested towards the end of August and beginning of September and gently whole-cluster pressed. The free-run juice is kept separate from the press fraction and allowed to cold settle prior to alcoholic fermentation at 18°C. The young wine remains in tank on its lees, with periodical stirring until bottling.
Pairs with lean hors-d'oeuvres and entrees, delicate soups, fish and cream cheese.
Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso: This grape was well-known in antiquity under the name of Puccinum and it was praised by the Roman writer Pliny The Elder who, in his his encyclopedia Naturalis Historia, describes its northern Adriatic origins.
Intense ruby colour with lively violet reflexes, rich and full bouquet offering a wide variety of sensations like berries and sweet spices. Full taste and great structure, marked freshness and tannic strenght.
20% of the wine is aged 12 months in small Oak barrels, the other 80% are stainless steel.
The grapes are harvested between the end of September and the beginning of October and, after destemming and crushing, fermented on their skins for some weeks at controlled temperature of 22°C. After pressing, the wine undergoes spontaneous malolactic fermentation and is then transferred to a combination of small oak barrels (20%) and stainless steel tanks (80%). After spending several months on lees, the lots are blended, the wine is bottled and laid down for some months before release.
Pairs with game, poultry, sausages, ham.
Vitas Pinot Grigio Friuli is 100% Pinot Grigio
Straw yellow color with elegant copper-gold overtones.
Elegant and intense bouquet with hints of acacia flowers, dry hay, walnut kernel, yellow peach and golden apple, intertwined with fresh and mineral notes. The palate is well-structured, mineral and flavorful. The alcoholic and fresh note gives the wine a pleasant consistency on the finish.
This variety has French origins, but it has been cultivated in Friuli since the second half of the 18th century where it has found an ideal habitat to reach excellent results. Manual harvest, gentle pressing of the grapes, alcoholic fermentation at controlled temperature (18°C) to enhance the typical flavors of the variety. Aged in stainless steel tanks with a daily pumping over of the must to prevent the clarification. The wine stays on the lees until bottling, then ages in the bottle for an addition 3 months.
Bonny Doon Gravitas White Blend 61% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Gewürztraminer
The nose has the haunting perfume of magnolia flowers and scent of white peaches, with suggestions of ripe Bosc Pear, sweet green grass, exotic saffron and a touch of lavender honey. But wait, there’s more: A bit of bergamot orange blossom, jasmine, and key lime custard, quince and Madagascar vanilla. These aromas are echoed on the palate adding a light, deft, fresh acidity; a savory wine, perfect with all manner of seafood and lighter entrées.
Pairs with oysters, cassoulet, grilled veggies. Staff favorites include blackened fish tacos - or if you're feeling fancy, lobster tacos!
This one-hundred-percent Merlot has really nice, bright red fruit, rose petals, and a richness on the nose. Flavors of plum, mountain strawberry and mocha come together with a balanced mouth feel and a long finish. Though it was a cooler vintage, I feel we have still captured the powerfully elegant style for which we are known.
Review:
"The 2014 Columbia Valley Merlot (100% Merlot) is a ripe, black fruit, plum, leafy herbs and mineral-scented effort that has medium to full-bodied richness, moderate mid-palate depth and tons of upfront charm. It's going to drink nicely through 2024."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 90 pts
"The aromas bring notes of dried herb, vanilla bean, wood spice and black cherry. The flavors are rich and luscious, supported by plump ripe tannins. The finish lingers."
- Wine Enthusiast (June 2017), 91 pts
Avennia Valery Red Blend is made from 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc
Valery is named for the patron saint of wine in the St. Emilion region that inspired it.
We started with old vine Merlot from a stony block in the heart of the Yakima Valley and added complex, aromatic Cabernet Franc from the Horse Heaven Hills. The result is a balanced, complex wine with the elegance and ethereal perfume that this blend of two of Washington’s best varietals are known for.
The nose on this wine is very perfumed, almost exotic with notes of fresh violets, red plum, winter mint, fresh herbs and crushed limestone qualities. The palate is poised and balanced, with red fruits and mocha powder encapsulated in limestone. The finish lingers delicately, with the Cabernet Franc asserting a light tobacco and herb note, giving depth. A compelling wine that will continue to unwind for 7-10 years in the cellar.
Review:
Tasted out of barrel and a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Valery offers lots of leafy herbs, tobacco leaf, black cherries and a touch of dark chocolate in an elegant, focused, fresh style. The estate's Right Bank-styled release, it too should drink nicely in its youth, yet also evolve for 10-15 years. - Wine Advocate 91-93 Points
Intense and persistent bouquet, delicate and aromatic with a pleasant background note of sweet spices. Dry and aromatic palate, tasty and fragrant with a velvety consistency.
Hand harvesting during the cool morning hours to maximize aroma preservation. Whole-cluster pressing to avoid juice oxidation and separation of juice fractions according to different pressure gradients, followed by a 36-48 hours cold settling at 12°C. The juice is inoculated with selected yeast strains and fermented at 18°C. The wine remains for several months in tank on its lees, which are periodically stirred.
Pairs with fish, shellfish, asparagus and pumpkin dishes, fresh cheese.
The Vitas Estate
The winery has been in the family since 1935, for four generations. It is located in the wine-producing area of DOC Friuli Aquileia, on a clayey-marly and sandy-calcareous soil (the so-called Magredi), one of the ingredients which, together with the influence of the sea, a friendly sun, an average temperature of 14° and the absence of night frosts, create a perfect microclimate for vine-growing.
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Begude Bandol Blanc is made from 80% Clairette, 10% Rolle and 10% Ugni Blanc
Pale yellow color with bright highlights.
Expressive aromas of citrus fruits. Juicy, fresh, fleshy and opulent on the palate, it is precise and elegant with ample texture, good acidity and great balance fruit /alcohol.
Organic Agriculture
Yields: 20hl/ha
Average age of the vines: 30 years
Manual harvest in small crates.
Double sorting, total destemming.
Molding and pressing of the grapes prior to alcoholic fermentation.
Vinification in vats and aging in oak barrels (one-year old) for 6 months.
Pairs well with white meats, grilled fish, shellfish, vegetables, tapenades. Exotic and Mediterranean cuisine.
Jean-Claude et Nicolas Fayolle Hermitage Rouge Donnieres is made from 100% Syrah.
Made from 40-year-old vines planted on granitic and rocky soils in the Lieu dit "Les Donnieres" at the bottom of the Hermitage's hill.
Intense inky ruby red color.
The wine has plenty to offer with red and black fruit aromas, as well as a good minerality.
The finish is very long, clean and juicy and offers a great spicy mouthfeel.
Soil is clay, silica and round pebbles.
Hand harvested in small crates. The grapes are then pumped into tanks (full cluster, not destemmed).
It will stay in this tank for 15 days for the skin contact maceration and the Alcoholic fermentation.
Tey will also use the "rack and return" technique (delestage).
Then the wine is transfered into neutral French Oak barrels where the wine will complete the Malo-Lactic fermentation.
Delicious with grilled red meat such as venison or lamb and most cheeses.
Review:
"If the prebottling sample of the Fayolles' 2017 Hermitage Les Dionnieres is truly representative, purchasers will be in for a treat. It's inky dark in color, with a cassis-laden nose that's marked by hints of crushed stone. It's full-bodied and concentrated, tannic without being hard or overdone, and despite ample ripeness, there's structure and freshness. It looks to be the complete package and potentially in the same ballpark (quality-wise) as the impressive 2015. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue #239, October 31th 2018), 94-96 pts
