Wolfberger Alsace Grand Cru Riesling Rangen de Thann is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Mineral, spicy, minty with some eucalyptus notes, tropical fruits, grapefruit. Balanced and exotic in the finish, with long lasting flavors.
The Rangen Grand Cru is located in Thann, deep in the south of Alsace. Its particular soil is made of volcano-clastic rocks that drink up the heat of the day and send it back out again at night. The composition of the soil allows the roots of the vines to drink deeply from the mineral-rich sub-soil. Its southern exposure has the advantage of refreshing, drying winds in case of dampness. The high slopes are quite steep, reaching 68% in some places, requiring that the harvest be done by abseiling or roping down. Perfect for aging, these wines will reveal even more qualities after several years in the cellar.
Pair with Serve with fish, seafood, sushi, sashimi, goat cheese, vegetarian food.
Wolfberger Alsace Pinot Gris is made from 100 percent Pinot Gris.
Powerful and well structured wine. Round, rich, offering fruity aromas, toasty and spicy notes.
Excellent as an aperitif, it also pairs well with poultry, game and numerous cheeses.
Wolfberger Alsace Riesling is 100 percent Riesling.
Riesling is the most popular grape variety in Alsace. Racy yet slightly fruity, Wolfberger Riesling is a subtle fine wine of citrus and mineral aromas, good acidity and freshness. It has been known for being the perfect "food wine" - great with traditional Alsatian dishes such as sauerkraut, but also, thanks to their vivacity, with fish and shellfish.
A very slow-growing variety, Riesling ripens with chilly nights. The leaves are round and thick with sharp teeth.
The berries – small, green or yellow, with thick skin – grow on a short-stemmed, cylindrical, compact cluster.
The Reisling grows best in soil that isn’t too rich, with a preference for light terroirs with lots of sunshine.
After the harvest, the grapes are put into horizontal pneumatic presses where the juice is slowly extracted. After crushing the grapes, the juice (actually the must, which includes the skins, stems and seeds) is stored in different vats, then it is carefully clarified.
Fermenting in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for 3-4 weeks.
Racking. Fining (3-4 months). Filtration and stabilization, then aging in the bottle.
Excellent with grilled fish or cooked in a sauce, and shellfish.
Wolfberger Auxerrois is made from 100% Auxerrois
Auxerrois blanc is thought to have originated in Lorraine, rather than near Auxerre in the Yonne. Recent DNA fingerprinting suggests that it is a cross between Gouais blanc and Pinot noir, the same ancestry as Chardonnay. The name Auxerrois blanc has actually been used as a synonym for Chardonnay in the Moselle region in France, which explains why there is also a longer name (Auxerrois Blanc de Laquenexy) for the grape variety.
This pale yellow Auxerrois Pinot Blanc shows an intense nose of fresh white fruits, rhubarb and spring flowers. Easy to drink and fresh on the palate, this wine ends on a fruity and crunchiness tast.
Alcoholic fermentation at 16°C followed by a short fermentation at 18°C allowing to keep some crispiness to the wine.
Then the wine was aged on the fine lees for 6-7 months. No Oak.
No Malo-Lactic fermentation.
Right before bottling, the wine was filtered using a tangentiel filtration system.
Quiche, grilled fish, rhubarb pie, mixed salad, and also fresh sheep milk cheese.
Wolfberger Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann is made from 100 percent Pinot Gris
Honey, ripe fruits and sweet spices.
Long and ripe fruit flavors, with apricot and badian hints.
The Rangen Grand Cru is located in Thann, deep in the south of Alsace. Its particular soil is made of volcano-clastic rocks that drink up the heat of the day and send it back out again at night. The composition of the soil allows the roots of the vines to drink deeply from the mineral-rich sub-soil. Its southern exposure has the advantage of refreshing, drying winds in case of dampness. The high slopes are quite steep, reaching 68% in some places, requiring that the harvest be done by abseiling or roping down. Perfect for aging, these wines will reveal even more qualities after several years in the cellar.
Pair with duck honey and balsamic vinegar, foie gras, cheese like vacherin, comte 18 months, pork aigre douce (sweet and sour), dessert with apricot.
Review:
"Smoky hints of both ripe and dried pear have a honeyed edge. The palate comes in with that same honeyed sweetness on a rather concentrated powerful palate. Both lemon notes and lovely phenolic grip give structure. The finish is medium sweet and long. - ANNE KREBIEHL MW."
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine (December 1st 2018), 93 pts
Zaccagnini Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 100% Verdicchio.
Verdicchio is an historic wine that has been made since the 1400’s. There is an ancient bond between the Verdicchio vine and the region of Le Marche, a seaside province on the Adriatic sea, which stems from a cherished relationship with the Benedictine, and later the Camaldolese, Monks. The monks helped spread Verdicchio vines – which had been present for centuries – as well as viticultural-oenological techniques throughout the Marche region. The efforts of the monks, along with improvements in the quality of the vines & vinification methods, have allowed Verdicchio to thrive for centuries. At one time, Verdicchio measured 65,000 hectares (158,080 acres) of grapes throughout Italy.
Verdicchio means “little green one”, in reference to the grape and the color of the resulting wine. The Verdicchio grape – which also goes by Giallo and Turbiana (Lake Garda) – is grown across Italy, and it is closely related to Trebbiano and Greco. The grape is subject to mutations.
The wine is refreshing, exhibiting lemon citrus flavors, aromas of flowers and apples, with herbaceous qualities.
Enemigo El Enemigo Gran Enemigo is made from 100% Cabernet Franc.
In the spectrum of people who pay attention to detail, winemakers are often incredibly detail-oriented. This can sometimes spill over to become an internal battled, and, as Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena state, "We are our own worst enemy." El Enemigo pays homage to this internal struggle.
The nose presents sweet aromas of black ripen fruits with hints of vanilla and chocolate, which appear after the oak ageing. The mouthfeel is sweet with structured, persistent tannins due to the natural acidity of this wine, leading into an excellent long finish.
Review:
The nose of the 2018 Gran Enemigo El Cepillo Single Vineyard, from a low-yielding and drier year, is full of curry, a note that was a constant across the three vintages I tasted together, but it tends to be stronger in low-yielding and dry years like this. It's also floral and comes through as aromatic and a little exotic, in a good way, with elegance, persistence and very pure flavors. It has fine-grained tannins, great acidity and balance. 7,200 bottles. All these single-vineyard bottlings mature in ancient 4,000-liter oak foudres for some 15 months.
-Wine Advocate 97 Points"Pretty and inviting on the nose with gorgeous aromas of floral violet, cassis and completed with a lifted, delicate liquorice note. The palate is graced with deep herb, pepper, crunchy red fruit and graceful, silky tannins."
-Decanter 97 Points
In 1992 the Hill-Smith family counted themselves amongst those fortunate enough to own a vineyard upon the famous Coonawarra terra rossa soil over limestone. Experimentation, innovation, minimalist intervention and small batch winemaking has resulted in The Menzies’ reputation as a wine of longevity, elegance and structure.
Deep crimson with a plum hue. Aromas of fresh blackcurrants, mulberry, ozone, violets and exotic spices. Take a sip and you will feel the poise and tension for which great Cabernet is renowned. A wine of great complexity with flavors of blackcurrant jubes, bitter chocolate and mulberries, wrapped in divine tannins and a lovely sweet, dark fruit finish. With decanting in its youth it is enjoyable as an elegant full-bodied red wine.
Wonderful with a chargrilled rib eye on the bone or porcini mushroom, thyme and quinoa risotto.
Review:
Prune plums and blackcurrants. Violets, lavender leaf and black cherry. Olive tapenade, rosemary and crushed black peppercorn. The wine is held together by a fine mesh of grape and subtle oak tannins, intertwined with pure Coonawarra cabernet fruit. It’s chiselled in its dimension, and you might miss it, as it has such great drinking pleasure. Fruit purity, lovingly handled equals total seduction.
- Australian Wine Companion 95 Points