Red Wine Vina Vik Milla Cala 2016. Drink now through to 2031. Norwegian entrepreneur Alexander Vik founded his namesake winery in 2004 to realise his dream of making world-class wine in Chile’s Millahue Valley. To achieve his vision Vik teamed up with top winemakers and grape growers including Patrick Valette who cut his teeth making wine in Napa Valley and at some of Bordeaux’s leading chateaux. Today the estate has some 900 acres of vineyards with the best quality fruit used for their own bottlings and the remainder sold on to other wineries. Milla Cala is a stunning Bordeaux blend composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Merlot, and Syrah. The wine takes its name from the Millahue or Place of Gold” Valley where the grapes are sourced. Yields are kept very low to maximise quality, and in the winery the young wine is matured in French oak barrels for 21 months. The wine is then bottled and aged for another three years before it is deemed ready for release. Luscious cassis, blackberries and cherries characterise the nose while the first sip reveals a bold full body, smooth tannins and a well-built structure. Hints of blackcurrant, dried herbs and cigar box spice linger on the palate, making this a great match for red meat dishes.
2016
Red Wine Vina Vik Milla Cala 2016
Red Wine Quinta Sardonia 2016. Decant 1 hour before serving. Quinta Sardonia was founded in 1998 by the legendary Peter Sisseck who also founded the famed Dominio de Pingus in Ribera del Duero. Located just outside the Ribera del Duero wine region, Quinta Sardonia occupies a magnificent setting on a high ridge overlooking the Duero valley below. Conditions here are ideal for producing gorgeous red wines which easily rival the estate’s more famous neighbors thanks to the harsh climate and talent of their ex-Pingus winemaker, Jerome. Quinta Sardonia has 20 hectares of vines in total which are all farmed biodynamically to protect the local ecosystem and work in harmony with the rhythms of nature. This bottling is made from Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes along with smaller proportions of Syrah, Malbec and Merlot. The estate marks the best clusters of grapes as they ripen and then co-ferments the varieties together using yeasts that are naturally found in the winery and on the grapes. The wine is then aged in oak barrels for 19 months before bottling. This careful and attentive approach to winemaking produces a luscious red wine that exudes rose petal, dark chocolate and sweet spice aromas. The first sip reveals a full body, intense fruity flavours and firm tannins which make this fine bottling an ideal candidate for extended ageing in the cellar.
2016
Red Wine Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2016. Decant 1 hour before serving. This magnificent Australian Cabernet is made by the top Coonawarra winery Wynns which was originally founded by John Riddoch back in 1891. Riddoch arrived in the area in 1861 and began planting some of the region’s very first vineyards on the exceptional iron-rich terra rossa soils. Today the estate is in the hands of the Wynn family who took over the property in the 1950s and have helped transform it into a household name in Australia. The John Riddoch Cabernet celebrates the winery’s founder and is a complex blend of the finest fruit from that vintage. The winemakers start with around 30 individual parcels from 16 top vineyards and then select the best 2-3 vineyards to feature in the final composition. It is only made during the very finest years using under 1% of the estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The nose is dominated by intense dark fruit notes of cassis, cherry and damsons mingling with hints of dark chocolate, espresso and dried sage. On the palate there’s a robust full body, firm tannins and a well-built structure which will age beautifully in the cellar. This is a great wine to keep for another decade or so, although it can also be enjoyed now alongside rich meat dishes like barbecued ribs, steak, or even wild boar.
2016