Red Wine Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. Decant 1 hour before serving. Buccella was founded in 2002 by Bill and Alicia Deem who fell in love with Napa and Sonoma wine country during their honeymoon. After spending most of their vacations visiting wineries up and down the state, the pair finally took the plunge after Bill had gained valuable experience and knowledge after working a harvest with a local winemaker. The Deems began their venture making wines using other wineries’ facilities and in 2006 they set up their own winery just to the south of the town of Napa. In Latin the word buccella” means mouthful which Alicia and Bill saw as a fitting name for their project to make wines which are bold and beautiful. Their winemaking philosophy focuses on sourcing top quality grapes from different Californian appellations which are then carefully blended to create an incredibly complex and multi-layered wine. They blind taste the final blend compositions multiple times before bottling to produce the best wines possible. The Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon is a masterful expression of this noble grape and an excellent wine to savour over the course of a special dinner or gathering of friends. The wine opens with aromas of dark cherries, blackberries and cassis along with hints of dried rose petals and herbs while the first sip reveals a generous full body, firm structure and very long finish. The complex and intense flavour profile also makes this a good choice to cellar for at least a decade more.
2018
Red Wine Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Red Wine Buccella Merlot 2018. Cellar for 15 years or more. It can benefit from decanting. The Bucella winery was founded in Napa Valley in 2002 by Bill and Alicia Deem. Their love for wine had been clear since 1990 when they shared a bottle of Gaja over their first date. This small winery is now widely known for its rich and intense wines produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Rhône varieties. The wine is made up of 97% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes come from two hillside vineyards in the famous Hyde Vineyard, in Carneros, where yields are low, typically less than two tons per acre. The wine is aged for 18 months in 70% new French oak. It is a young, fresh, and accessible wine, despite having the typical richness and roundness of Merlot. Buccella Merlot is fresh and vibrant and has a deep and captivating color. The nose is dominated by seductive aromas of black cardamom, nutmeg, plum and blackberry, along with purple flowers such as violets and lavender, and sweet spices. On the palate, it is soft but powerful, savory, and structured, with flavors of raspberry jam and plum concentrate. In the end it remains with a long and intense flavor of red fruits. Try it with lamb, beef or aged Pecorino cheese.
2018
Red Wine Caccia Al Piano Bolgheri Superiore 2018. Caccia al Piano is a former historic hunting lodge located off the Via Bolgherese road which is lined with olive groves and top wineries. In 2003 the estate was purchased by Franco Ziliani, one of Italy’s finest winemakers who is credited with crafting the very first Franciacorta sparkling wine in 1961. The estate is located in Tuscany’s coastal Bolgheri region which is famed for its powerful Super Tuscan wines crafted from classic Bordeaux grape varieties. These days Caccia Al Piano is run by Franco’s three children, Arturo, Paolo, and Cristina, who look after 45 acres of prime vineyards mostly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Their Levia Gravia cuvee is named after the great Italian poet Giosué Carducci since the same terroir gave birth to his poetry and to this stunning wine. The blend is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes carefully selected from the estate’s vineyards which are harvested by hand. Once in the winery the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks and then transferred to oak barrels for 20 months. The wine is then bottled and left to rest for another year before it is deemed ready for release. This lengthy ageing process produces a well-balanced, elegant wine with ample dark fruit, firm tannins and a generous full body.
2018