Red Wine Girard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017. This sumptuous Napa Cabernet opens with seductive notes of coffee, leather, and crushed wild blackberries. The first sip reveals a generous full body, firm tannins, and rich dark cherry, plum, dark chocolate and baking spice flavours which linger long on the tongue. The intense flavour profile makes this an ideal partner for hearty red meat dishes like beef bourguignon or a fine steak as well as barbecued meats. The fruit of a father and son’s dream to make authentic Napa wines, Girard was founded in 1975 and has quickly established itself as a benchmark for reasonably-priced, good quality wine in the valley. Over the decades the winery has forged excellent relationships with its partner growers which allows them to source top quality fruit every vintage from Napa’s finest appellations. This Cabernet is the fruit of Girard’s close partnerships with their growers and is crafted with grapes from prime plots in St Helena, Rutherford, Atlas Peak, Yountville and Diamond Mountain. The winery adds a small amount of Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc to the Cabernet to add extra complexity, a softness of texture and savoury undertones to the finished wine.
2017
Red Wine Girard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Red Wine Giusti Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2017. Although the Giusti winery was founded just over 20 years ago, the namesake family have been making wine here in Treviso since the 1600s. The origins of the modern estate date back to 2004 when Ermenegildo Giusti bought 2 hectares of the prized Dal Col vineyard which was planted in 1945. Today the property has around 100 hectares of land split between 10 different estates which includes around 14% of the total land in Italy’s Prosecco appellation. This magnificent Amarone is proof that the family are just as adept at making powerful complex red wines as they are at exuberant sparkling wines. Fruit is sourced from prime vineyards in the Valpolicella Classico region which sit at an altitude of 150 to 200 metres on excellent calcareous soils. In early October the fruit is harvested by hand with only the best bunches selected and placed in small crates where they’re left to dry out over winter. This helps concentrate the flavours and sugars when the fruit is later vinified. The final stage is to age the young wine in 500 litre barrels for 24-28 months followed by another 12 months in the bottle. This helps integrate all the components and smooth out the firm tannins and punchy flavours. The result is a powerful Amarone that’s ideal for further cellaring or enjoying now alongside hearty red meat and game dishes.
2017
Red Wine El Enemigo Gran Enemigo 2017. Decant 1 hour before serving. Founded by a winemaker and a historian, El Enemigo is an exciting venture which seeks to break the rules and create new expressions of the world’s top grape varieties with a characteristic Argentinian soul. In 2009 Catena Zapata’s chief winemaker Alejandro Vigil and historian Adrianna Catena, who is also Nicolas Catena’s youngest daughter, decided to make a wine together that would celebrate their shared love for literature, philosophy and tradition. For the Gran Enemigo Alejandro combines time-honoured Mendoza winemaking techniques with his own experience. The grapes are sourced from high altitude vineyards in Tupungato which sit at up to 1470 metres above sea level. Following the harvest the grapes are fermented in French oak barriques and then matured for 18 months in special 3000 litre barrels which Alejandro has modelled on those used in Mendoza a century ago. To recreate these historic barrels he imported Alsatian barrels and then carefully reassembled them in Mendoza. The result is a very special Bordeaux style blend with a distinctive Argentinian twist. The nose is remarkably complex with hints of bitter cocoa, licorice and rich dark berries while the first sip displays a generous full body, smooth tannins and very long finish with hints of sweet spice from the oak ageing. A great wine to drink now with hearty red meat dishes or to add to the cellar for another decade or so.
2017