Red Wine Quintarelli Primofiore 2018. Quintarelli is widely regarded as the top winery in the Valpolicella region thanks to the vision and passion of one man, Giuseppe Quintarelli. At a time when many of his neighbours had turned to mass production methods, Giuseppe insisted on following traditional winemaking practices such as lengthy maturation periods and manual harvesting in the vineyards. In recent years this dedication has paid off and the Quintarelli family’s wines are now coveted by collectors all over the globe. Quintarelli has also been quick to embrace innovation and new ideas, such as their Primofiore red which is composed of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon blended with local varieties Corvina and Corvinone. The wine is aged in oak barrels to integrate the components of the blend and add a touch of polish and finesse. The nose opens with attractive notes of fresh violets, dried herbs, cassis and black cherry while the palate offers juicy dark fruit flavours and hints of cigar box, licorice and mint. The well-rounded texture and smooth tannins make this a very easy-going wine which can be paired with a variety of dishes from charcuterie and cheeses to hearty game or beef stews.
2018
Red Wine Quintarelli Primofiore 2018
Red Wine El Enemigo Cabernet Franc 2018. El Enemigo is a thrilling Argentinian project founded by Catena Zapata chief winemaker Alejandro Vigil and historian Adrianna Catena who is Nicolas Catena’s youngest daughter. Their wines capture their shared passion for history, philosophy and literature, offering rule-breaking and romantic expressions of some of the world’s greatest grape varieties with a distinctive Argentinian twist. Their cool climate Cabernet Franc grown at altitude in Mendoza’s spectacular vineyards at the foot of the Andes is particularly inspired. The bigger brother to this wine, Alejandro’s El Gran Enemigo Cabernet Franc was awarded the highest score ever given to a pure example of the variety by Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. Grapes for this bottling are sourced from vineyards in Gualtallary which sit at between 1400 and 1470 metres above sea level. These unique conditions help produce a remarkably intense, powerful wine with perfect poise and balance thanks to the cool summer nights and long ripening season. The young wine is aged for 16 months in 100-year old Alsatian founders or large oak casks which were imported from Italy. The result is a stunningly beautiful red with luscious dark berry flavours, smooth tannins and a very long, spicy finish.
2018
Red Wine Whitehaven Pinot Noir 2018. Decant 1 hour. A beautiful garnet red, this Pinot Noir demonstrates an elegance yet flavourful wine that is worthy of the awards it has won. The nose promises ripe cherry, raspberry and strawberry with hints of spiciness and a little vanilla. The palate brings a medium bodied wine with a perfect balance of acid and tannin and layers of complexity that you would expect from such a quality wine. Succulent flavours of strawberry, cherry and raspberry with vanilla and spice notes leave you with a long finish that is a perfect end to what is a very good wine. Perfect food match for roast chicken, seafood, salmon, tuna and pasta. Whitehaven’s philosophy on winemaking is quality first and foremost. They look for consistency, intensity and quality while at the same time ensuring elegance in all of their wines. Using a mix of Old World knowledge and New World techniques, Whitehaven developed a reputation based on consistently producing high quality and interesting wines. This Pinot Noir follows the Whitehaven philosophy with the hand harvested fruit picked and de-stemmed before being soaked for 6 days prior to fermentation. Placed in a mix of new and old French oak, a secondary malolactic fermentation happened in barrel prior to 11 months maturation and then bottling.
2018