Red Wine B. R. Cohn Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2017. This big, bold Sonoma Cabernet opens with seductive cassis, black cherry, and crushed blackberry notes along with hints of fresh mint, dried violets and bitter chocolate. The first sip reveals soft tannins, a full body and ripe dark berry, burnt caramel and baking spice flavours. The intense character of this wine make it a great partner for hearty red meat dishes like slow-cooked ribs, beef bourguignon, or a prime steak served with fries. Tucked in between the Mayacamas Mountains and Sonoma Mountain, B.R. Cohn winery has been producing exceptional small-batch wines since 1984. The property was purchased in 1974 by Bruce Cohn who was for 45 years the manager of rock-n-roll superstars the Doobie Brothers. Cohn bought the estate while looking for a home for his family away from the spotlight. Before long Cohn took an interest in the property’s existing vineyard and began to be mentored by Charlie Wagner of Caymus. After enjoying success selling grapes to nearby wineries, in 1984 Cohn decided to start bottling his own wines and since that time his winery has picked up a slew of international wine awards and accolades.
2017
Red Wine B. R. Cohn Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Red Wine Breca 2017. The Bodegas Breca Old Vine Garnacha is crafted from 100% Garnacha (or Grenache), take from vines planted between 1900 and 1940. A beautiful and true expression of the grape, this deep ruby colored wine is intensely aromatic, smelling of candied blackberry, cherry-cola, and violet, with a mineral tinged background. The palate offers tastes of dark berries, confected violets, and Asian spices such as star anise. The long finish furthers the complexity of the Breca, with vanilla and black pepper notes ending what is a medium-bodied, fully ripe, and extremely delicious wine. The Breca Old Vine Garnacha is a lively, full flavored, and complex wine, and needs the same from a food pairing to work well. Paella’s, pork stews, or strongly herbed and spiced chicken or turkey dishes would do well paired with it. Bodegas Breca is a project started by Jorge Ordonez in 2005, in the Catalayud and Aragon DO’s. Consisting entirely of Garnacha, Bodegas Breca owns 265 hectares of dry farmed old vines, some over 100 years in age. The altitude, 950-1000m, and dry heat of the region lead to incredibly rich, powerful wines, with a depth and complexity that can only be attained with vines of this age. The Breca is hand harvested and sorted, and fermented in open stainless steel tanks. It is then aged for 18-21 months in a combination of small French oak barriques, and 500-600 liter large oak barrels, all of which are at least 3 vintages old.
2017
Red Wine Brunelli Campo del Maestro 2017. Decant 1 hour before serving. The Brunelli family has been linked with the village of San Pietro in the heart of the Valpolicella wine region since the 18th century. At first they worked on the estate, but over time the family was able to gradually purchase parts of the site until they were able to start making their own wine here in 1936. Today the winery is in the capable hands of young winemaker Alberto Brunelli who runs the estate alongside his parents, Luigi and Luciana. The family’s Campo del Maestro is a single vineyard wine which is named after the maestro” or master” who used to carefully tend to the vines in the past. Since in times gone by different grape varieties would be planted side by side on the same site, this field blend includes eight traditional local varieties like Corvina Veronese, Oseleta and Rondinella as well as a small amount of Cabernet Franc. The Brunelli family take special care to only harvest each variety when it reaches optimal maturity. Following traditional Valpolicella winemaking practices, the grapes are then left to dry until January so their flavours become incredibly concentrated and rich. The grapes then undergo vinification and the resulting wine is matured in oak barriques for 24 months. The result is a characterful wine full of rich, jammy red berry aromas and hints of nutmeg, coffee beans and dried fruit. In the mouth the generous, velvety texture and balancing acidity is immediately evident along with black pepper, plum and dried herb flavours.
2017