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.