Red Wine Chronic Cellars Dead Nuts 2017. Chronic Cellars was founded by brothers Josh and Jake Beckett in 2004 out of a desire to turn chronic” or top quality fruit into delicious and accessible wines. The siblings grew up in Paso Robles in California and spent their early years helping out on the family winery washing down barrels and bottling wine. These skills and strong work ethic would come in handy in later life when setting up their very own winery from scratch. Thanks to their Paso Robles roots, the brothers are able to access some of the region’s finest fruit which are selected by winemaker Josh. They strive to use the very best raw ingredients wherever possible to craft opulent, fruit-forward blends. Their striking labels are also the result of a local partnership thanks to an old friend and artist who interprets their bold and characterful wines in visual form. This quirky bottle is named Dead Nuts” after the old walnut and almond trees that had to be removed to make way for the brothers’ vineyards. It’s a punchy blend of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah along with a drop of Tempranillo. Expect opulent dark fruit flavours and hints of spice, tobacco leaf and licorice with a generous full body and firm tannins.
2017
Red Wine Chronic Cellars Dead Nuts 2017
Red Wine David Sterza Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2017. Decant up to 2 hours. A traditional Valpolicella blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara varietals in the ancient style of Amarone. This wine is dark ruby red with aromas of raisins, leather, and blackberry. The tannins are like gossamer and the soft acidity gives rise to the rich blackberry and raspberry compote, cedar, and spice. A long, smooth finish of toasted wood and juicy raisin leave you pouring another glass of this full-throttled red. Enjoy this Amarone in the dead of winter with a good book, hot cup of tea, and a blazing fire. It is also agreeable when paired with roasted wild game, grilled red meat, lasagna, grilled portabella mushrooms, and Osso Bucco. Serve at 18°C. Although very drinkable now, Amarone is known to get better with age, so get another and stick it in the cellar. The name Amarone was coined in the 18th century and is a style of winemaking using approved grapes that have been laid out to dry or allowed to dry on the vine to almost a raisin. The sugars in the juice become more concentrated imparting a pronounced sweetness and a slight raisiny” taste to the resulting wine. This Amarone has been aged in French oak barrels for 15 months. The grapes were harvested manually at the Sternza farm in a village located in Casterna, at the foothills of the Lessini mountains.
2017
Red Wine Bogle Phantom 2017. Drink now or cellar for up to 5 years Decant 2 hours With a deep ruby red colour, this blend of Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvedre certainly looks like a winner! On the nose, rich, ripe fruit is intense – blackcurrant, blueberry, spice and vanilla. The palate follows up with pronounced ripe blackcurrant, raspberry, blueberry, and a hint of capsicum. The oak ageing also adds toasty coconut and spicy vanilla. The tannins are quite firm but tempered by the oak aging and high alcohol. The wine is full bodied and capable of some aging but is drinking well now. A long finish with coffee and a slight minerality at the end. This wine is a perfect match with steak, beef roast, venison, game pie and strong cheese. Bogle are a winery that looks at how to get a balance between really good quality wines and a really good value price – with the Phantom they have managed to do just that.
2017