2113 Wine Club 12/11/13 - Virginia

This week at wine club we kept it close to home, focusing on Virginia.

Castle Hill Celestial Cider NV

Though not a wine, my Wine of The Week, I give to the Castle Hill Celestial Cider. This bone dry cider will ignite your senses with it's beautiful spices and citrus notes. Nice body, great nose, this cider will be on my holiday list for celebrations and toasts!

"This cider has a firm tannic structure that exhibits notes of earthiness, spice and citrus that comes from a blend of English Bitter Sweets and Albermarle Pippin apples. A touch of Winesap apples enhances Celestial's bright clean finish and aromatic notes." - Celestial Hill Cider

Rockbridge St. Mary's Blanc 2010

Barrel fermented Vidal Blanc. Amber color, apple blossoms on nose. Nicely layered with apple, pineapple. Good Virginia alternative to Chardonnay.

Pair with fresh baked bread and creamy cheeses.

Rappahannock Cellars Cabernet Franc 2011

One of the most popular varietals in Virginia is Cabernet Franc and this 75% Cab Franc and 25% Cab Sauv is a great example of the promise of Virginia wineries.

I am fairly impressed with everything I have tasted from Rappahannock Cellars thus far, but this Cabernet Franc in particular is my favorite.

"A classic Virginia Cabernet Franc, medium-dark color with spice and red berry aromas and a hint of cedar cigar box, all precede flavors of stone fruit and cherries wrapped in supple tannins, and followed by a medium-full finish. Try with a winter leg of lamb, or your favorite hearty red pasta. Only 625 cases made." - Website



Join us next week at 2113 Bistro for Wine Club and taste some delicious wines from Rioja, Spain!

2113 Wine Club 12/04/13 - Loire, France

This week at Wine Club we focused on the Loire Valley region of France. Loire is one of the largest and most diverse wine regions in France, producing virtually every type of wine. Loire, like Champagne, is close to the highest latitude that wine can be successfully grown. This cool climate makes for sharp and full fruit flavors that classify Loire wines. 

Domaine Pichot Vouvray 2012 

This wine is 100% Chenin Blanc and is considered Demi-Sec or off-dry. A very rich wine with a beautiful balance between dry and sweet. This wine pairs perfectly with pasta dishes prepared with a cream sauce, particularly with seafood or poultry. Very creamy mouthfeel and nice acidity throughout.

Muscadet Sevre & Maine Domaine de la Fruitiere "M" - 2012

100% Melon de Bourgogne (White Muscadet).

The Melon de Bourgogne grape, also called Muscadet, was brought to the region centuries ago from Burgundy. It flourished in this new environment and became famous in France for its ability to complement to saltiest of oysters and shellfish of the region. " - Tech Sheet

This was the favorite white of the evening. A very good balance of dry and acidity. Complex yet easy drinking.

Jean-Maurice Raffault Chinon - Les Galuches - 2011

"The Galuches lieu-dit is an ancient river bed of the Loire. The name of parcel derives from the presence of gravel. According the records from the era, vines were already well established in this sector by the 1830s. The Cabernet Franc ripens very well in the domaine’s 10 hectare holding on a sand and gravel soil. The Galuches is always among the first site to be picked because the soil warms up quickly and drains very well. The wine is very aromatic and is noted for its bouquet of violets, followed by lush and supple dark berry/cherry fruit."

 
 This Cabernet Franc has a great nose of dried violets, one of my favorite noses, and is a nice medium body red with a hint of dried fruit and possibly a dash of earth.

Pair with a rack of lamb.

Domaine Baron Touraine - Cot 2010

"Baron’s Cot is a deeply saturated, dark purple wine with juicy and spicy black cherry and kirsch flavors and characteristic Loire freshness and succulence."

Such a wonderful wine! The certain favorite of the night. Full of flavor and spice. Would recommend this wine as a French alternative with any pairings you would traditionally pair with a Malbec or Rioja.

I am making this my wine of the week!








Next week we will be focusing on Virginia wine at 2113 Wine Club. Come join us!

2113 Wine Club 11/20/13: Piedmont, Italy

This week was all about the varying landscape that is Piedmont wine. A sea of small wine estates makeup this region, with rolling hills and mountains. It is common to find multiple wine estates on a single slope each producing vastly different wines!



Moscato d'Asti Bosio - Vini Produttori

Creamy Creamy Decadence!! This wine is sweet, floral, and velvety. This wine is rich yet delicate in its nuances.














Gavi, 'Masera' - Stefano Massone - 2011 (100% Cortese)

The first thing that I noticed about this wine was the remarkable complexity of the nose. Lime, pear, apple, and exotic fruits wash over this wine in a refreshing yet taunting aroma. The wine is well balanced between acidity and ripe fruits, weight and crispness.

This wine would be a good choice as an aperitif or first course wine.











Cantamessa, Freisa D'Asti 2009

This varietal is almost exclusively grown in the Piedmont region. This wine was a group favorite this week. A deep ruby red with hints of brick around the edges and a rich, intense nose gives way to a full, dry palate full of red and black fruit flavors.

This wine is quite complex and warm. However, I think it is a wine that you could easily pair with most entree dishes and get away with it. Due to this and the overwhelming response at wine club, I am making it my wine of the week.

Dolcetto d'Alba dei Grassi 2012


This lightweight Dolcetto was the perfect end to the evening. Beautiful nose of cherries and a hint of floral. The palate is very fresh with lots of fruit on the forefront with a little bite of pepper on the end. Well balanced. A very easy drinking wine!


I would pair this wine with smoked meats or pasta dishes.

Wine Club 11/13/13 : The Pfalz Region of Germany

This week at wine club we focused on the Pfalz region of Germany. This region is just across the border from Alsace, and is similar in climate due to the shelter of the Haardt mountain range. The best way to describe wines from this region is energetic. The normal hard acidity of German wines is not as profound here and instead gives way to a energy that excites the palate.

We focused on wines from Villa Wolf Estate produced by winemaker Ernst Loosen.

Accolades for Ernst Loosen
• Top 100 Winery of the Year 2012, Wine & Spirits
• Man of the Year 2005, Decanter
• White Wine Maker of the Year 2005, Wine International
• World’s 50 Most Influential Winemakers, Wine & Spirits
• Germany’s Winemaker of the Year 2001, Gault Millau


2011 Riesling Wachenheimer

I must say I thoroughly enjoy this Riesling, it is full of flavor with a nice minerality that dances over your tongue. The assertion of flavor was fulfilling yet succinct enough not to be ostentatious and for that I am making it my wine of the week.

"The 2011 Wachenheimer Riesling Kabinett is clean and pure with a delicious peachy fruit. It has a stony juiciness that is quite captivating, and a delicate texture that is true to the Kabinett style. A little bit of botrytis-affected fruit was allowed with this wine at harvest time, which enhances the lovely peach fruitiness, but there is no obvious botrytis character and the freshness and juicy acidity shine through to the fine, elegant finish." - Tech Sheet






2012 Villa Wolf Pinot Gris

This Pinot Gris makes a wonderful sipping wine. A beautiful nose complimented by a great balance between acidity and body give this wine an overall well rounded appeal. I recommend allowing the wine to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before pouring.

"Villa Wolf Pinot Gris is made in a fruity, yet dry style that will appeal to anyone seeking a fresh, unoaked, food-friendly wine for every day. To ensure quality, only clean, perfectly healthy fruit is accepted — no botrytis is allowed — and production is limited to about 4,000 cases. Traditionally, a part of each vintage (the exact percentage varies) is vinified in the region’s traditional 1,200 liter, neutral oak casks for depth and complexity, and the rest is made in stainless steel tanks to emphasize the vibrant fruit. Malolactic fermentation is avoided to maintain bright acidity. The wine is bottled with the Stelvin screwcap to preserve freshness." - Tech Sheet




2009 Villa Wolf Pinot Noir

The Villa Wolf 2009 Pinot Noir is a great wine to help you understand what a broad category Pinot Noir is. Gone is the luscious ripe fruits typical of the US northwest, and in its place we find a very layered and structured wine with a hint of smoke and spice.

"Pinot Noir has a long tradition in the Pfalz region, where it is known as Spätburgunder. Villa Wolf Pinot Noir is warm and medium-bodied, with a firm acid structure. Its bright black-cherry fruit is juicy, ripe, and forward, with a spicy mid-palate. Twelve months of aging in used barriques gives the wine a smoky depth and a nice touch of earthy tannins. It’s an excellent, approachable red wine for everyday dining." - Tech Sheet

2009 Michel Schneider Dornfelder Trocken (Dry)

Smoky Smoky Smoky. The very dark red colour and flavours of ripe forest fruits give a strong character to this wine. A very easy drinking red wine due to its low acidity and mild tannins. This wine is very full bodied and delicious!






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Next week at 2113 Wine Club (11/20/13) we will be taking a look at some classics from Northern Italy! Come join us at 2113 Bistro on 11/20/13 at 8PM.