Red Wine Jean-Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone Les Abeilles Rouge 2018. Seductive raspberry and red cherry aromas along with hints of coriander and bay leaf delight the nose, while the palate offers a well-rounded, smooth entry full of sweet spices, ripe wild berries and licorice which linger long on the tongue. The fresh acidity helps to balance the deep, concentrated flavours and aromas, making this Cotes du Rhone red an ideal match for charcuterie, hard cheeses or tomato-based pasta dishes. Crafted by renowned Rhone Valley producer Jean-Luc Colombo, the Les Abeilles Rouge is a careful composition of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre grapes harvested from old vines with a minimum age of 25 years.
2018
Red Wine Jean-Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone Les Abeilles Rouge 2018
Red Wine B. R. Cohn Silver Label Pinot Noir 2018. Bruce Cohn served as manager for the legendary American rock band the Doobie Brothers for 45 years, but he also found time to set up the winery which today bears his name. After looking for a family home away from the spotlight Cohn chanced upon this property sandwiched between the Mayacamas Mountains and Sonoma Mountain. Before long Cohn took an interest in the vineyard already planted on the estate and had the good fortune to gain Charlie Wagner of Caymus as a mentor. He sold grapes to local wineries for a number of years before in 1984 deciding to start bottling his own wines to great critical acclaim. The winery now produces a range of small-batch bottlings as well as exceptional olive oils. Cohn’s Silver Label Pinot is crafted with fruit sourced from California’s cool northerly coast where the conditions are ideally suited to this noble Burgundian grape variety. The cool conditions help to produce a light and elegant Pinot Noir with ample red berry notes, gentle tannins and a very clean finish. It’s a great match for coq au vin, Mediterranean vegetables, or tomato-based pasta dishes thanks to the bright freshness and red fruit character.
2018
Red Wine Kaesler Old Bastard Shiraz 2018. Decant 1 hour before serving. The pioneering Kaesler family first settled in the Barossa Valley in the 1840s and by 1893 they had planted their first vines here. Now, generations later, it is these ancient original vines which have helped put the estate on the map for top quality Shiraz. The current owners practice regenerative farming throughout the estate, a philosophy they consider to be a step beyond sustainable agriculture since it aims to leave the land better than they found it. Old Bastard is the family’s flagship cuvee that’s named in honour of those old gnarly vines which produce the intensely concentrated fruit used for this wine. The grapes are handpicked to ensure quality in the early hours of the morning before it gets too hot. They are then vinified according to the family’s secretive winemaking methods using innovative techniques to create their impressive range of top quality Shiraz wines. The final step is a lengthy maturation period in new and used French oak barrels, adding enticing smoky and spicy notes to the solid core of luscious dark fruit. On the palate there’s a generous full body, firm tannins, and a long finish seasoned with toast, woodsmoke, cedar, and crushed wild berries.
2018