“Destined to become Nalys’s new flagship (unless the white version steals the show), the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Grand Vin is a blend of 59% Grenache, 32% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 3% Counoise and 1% Vaccarèse. It’s full-bodied and velvety, offering hints of vanilla and sandalwood, but there also are layers of dark cherry fruit. Subtle notes of cinnamon, clove and allspice add interest to the long, silky finish. It’s an auspicious debut for the Guigal team.”

Cleveland.com wine columnist Marc Bona has published his monthly wine picks for the publication, “14 Summer Wines for $20 and less.” He highlights a selection of wines across 5 vintages and 6 countries, all of which are affordable and readily available to purchase in the greater Cleveland area. One of the great values he recommends is the E. Guigal 2015 Côtes du Rhône Rouge. He elaborates by noting “a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, our tasting panel loved this one, with its notes of blackberry and some spiciness. We detected Syrah in this smooth-tasting wine with nominal tannins. Good stand-alone sipper and not too heavy.” Read his full list of recommendations HERE

Business Insider writer Owen Burke had the opportunity to taste through the Bollinger range with Deputy Cellar Master Denis Bunner while he was in New York this fall.  Denis provided a detailed overview of the Bollinger House and style of winemaker, before elaborating on the 40 year relationship as the official Champagne of James Bond. Owen notes that the 007 Limited Edition, Vintage 2011 packaging is worthy of Roger Moore himself (or Daniel Craig, we should add). This is a great story to read if you don’t know the whole backstory behind the partnership between Bollinger and Bond as it offers great context, and then also elaborates on what makes this expression stand out: “It was a crisp, bright, clean, Granny Smith-apple tartness, which, while I’m no sommelier, I could pick out in a blind taste test of 20 offerings. It’s also something that would pair nicely with just about everything, or maybe better yet, nothing at all.” In addition to the liquid in the bottle, Burke explains how the gift box opens with Bond-approved style mechanisms. Read the full story HERE

Here is a little recipe created by Capucine Matton, of the Matton family that owns Minuty.  She’s an accomplished Chef and runs a cooking school at the winery!  We hope you enjoy this gazpacho (or, as she writes it, gaspacho). 

Click here to download

VinePair columnist Ed Deitch features the Gary Farrell Russian River Valley Selection Pinot Noir 2017 in his latest column. The winery produces several single vineyard Pinot Noirs, while this blend is an expression that best captures the style of the estate and a true expression of the region. After acknowledging that this can be seen as the invitation level Pinot from the winery, Deitch adds, “but what an entry-level wine it is. This is a bottle to splurge on for a special day, or just to celebrate the end of another long week. It’s become one of my favorite California Pinot Noirs — consistently excellent”

He offers background on its aging and fermentation before delving into the tasting notes. Among the highlights: “It frames a delicious mix of red and dark fruit tastes — black cherry, pomegranate, blueberry, a touch of raspberry — and there’s a hint of clove and a mineral touch, all adding up to a balanced, medium-bodied wine with refreshing underlying acidity, and a moderate 13.7 percent ABV. As for food pairings with Gary Farrell’s 2017 Russian River Selection Pinot Noir, I wouldn’t get too aggressive — it would work nicely with grilled salmon and roasted chicken and turkey.”

Read the full story HERE

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/wine-tariffs-take-effect

Fond of Bordeaux? Big fan of Côtes du Rhône? You might want to stock up. New tariffs announced on New Year’s Eve by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are likely to drive up prices for many of your favorite French wines.

The new round of tariffs take effect today, January 12. An earlier round of 25% tariffs announced in October 2019, part of an ongoing dispute about government subsidies for airplane manufacturers, affected wines under 14% alcohol from France, Spain and Germany. The new round extends those 25% tariffs to wines from France and Germany that are over 14% alcohol (Spain dodged the bullet this time), as well as those in packaging larger than two liters.

Alex Michas at Vintus Wines says, “We’ve worked with our producers to mitigate the earlier increases, but that means we make less money selling these wines. And that just compounds the issues that everyone is facing this year—we lost 40 percent of our restaurant business in 2020, and that was actually better than I expected.”

For an example of how regular wine buyers might be affected by the new round of tariffs, he points to Guigal Crozes-Hermitage, a Rhône red that is one of the more popular wines in the Vintus portfolio. “Before the tariffs, that wine would be about $25. Now, it’s $33 to $34.”

TAKE ACTION NOW! IT’S EASIER THEN EVER TO WRITE YOUR CONGRESSPERSON AND STOP THIS FIASCO!

>>> stoprestauranttariffs.org <<<

https://winejournal.robertparker.com/reviewer-favorites-2021-erin-brooks-oregon-california-central-coast-sonoma

The Press Democrat selected Iron Horse Vineyards 2017 Green Valley Winter Cuvée as its wine of the week, describing it as extraordinary. The wine is featured in two distinctive articles, with Michele Anna Jordan saying “I cannot imagine a better wine to take us through the end of this challenging year. Think of it as our reward for surviving.”

Continuing, she adds, “The wine is everything a sparkling wine should be: Tiny bubbles tickle your nose as you lift the glass to your lips. The first sip is pure delight, with a subtle hint of yeast, bright acidity and a swirl of delicate flavors that you don’t need to parse if you don’t want to. Just enjoy this beauty.” You can read the rest of her story HERE

Writer Peg Melnik adds, “It’s a gorgeous sparkler with a melding of flavors — green apple, brioche, peach and a hint of almond. The Iron Horse has complexity, an intriguing intensity, balance and a nice mousse. It snagged the top spot in our list of sparkling wines $29 and up because of its caliber at this price point.” You can read the rest of her review HERE