Red Wine Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto 2017. Decant 1 hour before serving. Sure to please lovers of big Italian reds, this majestic Barolo opens with powerful aromas of raspberry, cherries, violets, dark chocolate and tobacco. On the palate there are firm tannins, a generous full body, and luscious dark berry flavours carefully balanced by a gentle streak of freshness. The long, intense finish is peppered with hints of smoke and spice, making this a great partner for hearty red meat dishes such as slow cooked beef or rich tomato-based pasta dishes. The noble Cordero di Montezemolo estate can trace its history right back to 1340 with 19 generations of the family involved in managing the Monfalletto property in the famed town of La Morra in Barolo. Today the estate is run by Giovanni Cordero di Montezemolo and his children Elena and Alberto who together take care of 51 hectares of prime vineyards in the Barolo appellation and beyond. Their magnificent Barolo Monfalletto is crafted with around 70% fruit from the Gattera cru and the remainder from the Annunziata vineyard which are both located in La Morra. The young wine is aged in barrels for two years before release and is considered a classic Barolo style with excellent ageability.
2017
Red Wine Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto 2017
Red Wine Flam Noble 2017. Decant 1 hour before serving. Flam is a gorgeous boutique winery set in the bucolic Judean Hills of Israel close to the city of Jerusalem. Founded in 1998 by the Flam family who have been making wine for decades, the estate adopts a European approach to winemaking with a strong emphasis on terroir and showcasing the potential of the up-and-coming Judean Hills region. This stunning Bordeaux blend is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc which are sourced from the estate’s Dishon and Ben Zimra vineyards in Upper Galilee and sites in the Judean Hills. To preserve freshness and balance in the wine the grapes are carefully hand harvested early in the morning from the ancient vines which naturally have very low yields. Following vinification the young wine is aged in French oak barrels for 18 months to soften and fully integrate the different components. The wine is then bottled and matured in the cellar for an additional 24 months before it is deemed ready for release. Rich dark fruit characterises the nose while the palate offers a generous full body, smooth tannins and firm structure which will respond very well to a few more years of ageing. Although ideal to drink now alongside hearty dishes like a fine steak or beef stew, the Flam Noble can be kept in your cellar for at least another 10 years as it continues to develop and evolve.
2017
Red Wine D’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2017. Established in 1912, d’Arenberg is one of the McLaren Vale’s most iconic wineries which boasts some extremely old Shiraz vines planted back in the 1880s. The estate’s chief winemaker is Chester Osborn, the great-grandson of d’Arenberg’s original founder Joseph Rowe Osborn who was actually a teetotaler who used to sell his grapes on to local wineries. Today the estate specialises in making complex and robust reds primarily from Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Dead Arm is d’Arenberg’s flagship Shiraz and takes its name from a vine disease that kills off one arm” of the plant while the other side of the vine produces remarkably intense and delicious fruit. The grapes for this bottling come from low yielding old vines on the estate which are harvested in small parcels and vinified plot by plot to give maximum control over the blending. In the winery the grapes are gently crushed and then trodden by foot part way through the fermentation process. The wine is then moved into new and used oak barrels for a lengthy period of ageing and bottled without fining or filtration. This creates a powerful, ageworthy wine with firm tannins and a well-developed structure that will respond well another decade or so in the cellar. Pair with hearty red meat dishes if you’d prefer to enjoy it now.
2017