Red Wine Aurelio Settimo Barolo 2016. Decant for 2 hours Intense garnet with purple flashes, this vintage drinks great now and has a very long life ahead of it still. The palate offers a full bodied, well balanced wine with fine tannin and great acidity. The fruit is ripe with the cherries, plum and raspberries all intense and a more subtle spice and vanilla note coming through. There are also hints of chocolate, mocha, and the buttery effect of the oak maturation. The finish is long and ends with the cinnamon and vanilla notes coming through. A truly great wine that is perfect with steak, game, venison, paté and strong cheese. At Aurelio Settimo only the very best wines are produced and carry the DOC and DOCG status for red wines. Vinification follows traditional methods with long fermentations on the skins (15-20 days) which draws maximum colour and tannin into the wine. This is then matured in large oak casts that typically hold between 2,500 and 3,500 litres for two years prior to bottling.
2016
Red Wine Aurelio Settimo Barolo 2016
Red Wine Benjamin de Rothschild – Vega Sicilia Macan 2016. It is recommended to decant it an hour before serving. Macán Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia was born in 2004 from the collaboration between the Tempos Vega Sicilia Group, owned by the Álvarez family, and the Compañía Vinícola Barón Edmond de Rothschild with the aim of making wines of great elegance in Rioja. The winery is based in Samaniego, a small town about 350 km north of Madrid. After a long period of study and research on the most suitable land located in the area, in 2009, the Macán company produced the first vintage of its wines: Macán Clásico and Macán, presented on the market in 2013. The bodega’s total vineyard area now extends to 92 hectares located on the slopes of the Sierra Cantabria north of the Ebro. The river plays a strategic role because its presence mitigates the temperatures of the area. The Tempranillo grapes for the wines are selected from small plots of vineyards, arranged on terraces, made up of clayey-limestone soils. The Benjamin de Rothschild – Vega Sicilia Macan is an elegant and racy red wine showing a cherry color in the glass. On the nose, there is a beautiful intensity of forest fruits, sweet spices, and cocoa. On the palate, it is powerful and intense, complex and round. Have it with Pata Negra, pork tenderloin, meat stews or roast lamb.
2016
Red Wine Bessa Valley Enira Reserva 2016. Bulgaria’s Bessa Valley is set in the hills between the Rhodope Mountains and the Maritsa River which help to create excellent conditions for winemaking. The cooling influence of the mountains and the excellent clay limestone soils captured the attention of Count Stephan von Neipperg who owns several important Bordeaux estates like Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere and La Mondotte, inspiring him to found his own winery here. The estate’s 140 hectares of vines planted with Bordeaux varietals like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot help create well-structured, elegant wines like this Reserva. The cuvee is predominantly composed of Merlot and Syrah along with a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. To harmonise and fully integrate all of the components, the young wine is aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. Sure to please lovers of big, bold reds, this wine is bursting with succulent cassis, blackberry and dark cherry notes with undertones of dried herbs, leather and dark chocolate. On the palate there’s a solid full body, firm tannins, and a bright core of ripe dark fruit which lingers on the palate. Great to drink alongside charcuterie, roast lamb, or tomato-based pasta dishes.
2016