Red Wine Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2019. Decant 1-2 hours prior to serving A Super Tuscan blend of Bordeaux varietals, Ornellaia is always a highly rated example of the style. Made with 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot, and 14% Cabernet Franc, this is a fresh and floral wine on the nose, with aromas of black currant, cherry, herbs, and tobacco. Flavors of iron, cloves, blackberry, and black tea are followed by a dense, tannic finish that would benefit from a few years aging. Ornellaia, like many Bordeaux style blends, is fantastic paired with heavier red meats, whether alone or in rich stews. A grilled filet mignon wrapped in bacon and served with a pat of herbed butter on top would be an excellent choice. Hand harvested and sorted grapes, a gentle crushing, and long maceration on the skins are all hallmarks of Ornellaia’s style of winemaking, guided by the owners, the Antinori Family of Tuscany. This, combined with their use of 70% new oak barrels for an 18-month aging process, allows Ornellaia to craft an exceptionally complex wine that stands up to the best of what Bordeaux has to offer. Their focus on the maritime Bolgheri Coastal terroir also increases the comparison to Bordeaux, though Ornellaia can stand alone with its exceptional quality.
2019
Red Wine Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2019
Red Wine Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove 2019. Decant 1 hour before serving. Tenuta dell’Ornellaia is one of Italy’s most famous wineries thanks to the vision and dedication of its founder Marchese Lodovico Antinori. He’s the brother of Piero Antinori who founded Tenuta Tignanello, and also happens to be the cousin of Mario Incisa della Rocchetta who founded Tenuta San Guido where Sassicaia is made. Given the ambition and competitiveness of his relatives, it’s not surprising that Lodovico was one of the first to produce top quality Super Tuscans in Tuscany’s coastal Bolgheri region. The estate’s second wine, Le Serre Nuove, is not as well known as Ornellaia, but it’s exceptional flavour profile and great value make it an enticing option for any Super Tuscan enthusiast. The wine is made from the property’s younger vineyards and is a complex Bordeaux-style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Each variety is vinified separately to give maximum control over the final blend. The young wines spend 12 months ageing in oak barrels before blending with another 3 months of ageing to fully integrate all of the components prior to bottling. The result is a graceful Tuscan red that opens with enticing notes of blackberry, raspberry and red cherry along with wild rose, licorice and black peppercorns. The firm tannic structure and polish make this a great wine to serve with hearty red meat dishes or to cellar for a few more years.
2019
Red Wine Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 2019. Award-winning winemaker Allan Johnson has won over 80 gold medals for his Palliser wines since joining the estate in 1991. In total the winery has 85 hectares of top quality vineyards in Martinborough where they grow exceptional Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The estate is currently converting their entire holdings to organic agriculture and experimenting with sustainable practices to preserve the land and business for the next generation. In this bottling Allan aims to craft a “ripe, full and rich” Pinot which showcases the pure varietal character using fruit from their excellent Pencarrow vineyard along with two organic vineyards. The fruit is harvested by hand and allowed to ferment naturally using wild yeasts before spending 10 months maturing in French oak barrels. The inviting nose opens with delicate notes of ripe raspberries, cherries and pomegranate along with undertones of dried herbs, sunbaked earth and cigar box spice. The first sip reveals a medium body supported by fine tannins and rich fruit flavours which linger long on the tongue. Pair with Italian or French charcuterie, roast pork, tomato-based pasta dishes, or even casual sharing dishes like pizza or nachos.
2019