The Cellar: 6 Great Wines for Christmas
Friday, December 23, 2011
In honor of the holidays and a weekend full of entertaining and gift-giving, I am going to be reviewing 6 different wines. They range in price from $15 - $50 and are all delicious, as well as good values. Regardless of whether you are a red, white or sparkling wine drinker, there should be something in here for you to put on your holiday dinner table. If you enjoy sparkling wine and need inspiration, please be sure to sign up for the next sparkling wine tasting at the Providence Wine Academy!
R. Dumont & Fils “Brut Tradition”, Champagne, France
Welcome friends and family with Champagne. The non-vintage Dumont Brut is a blend of 90% pinot noir and 10% chardonnay. The whole berry vinification at very low temperatures yields a wine that exudes a quality of soft elegance. With a delicate toasty-ness adding a nice measure of complexity to the palate, this is very high quality Champagne at a very reasonable price (upper $30’s). The Dumonts have owned their plots for over 200 years and are among the few growers that actually make their own Champagne, as opposed to selling their grapes to the big Champagne houses.
Montsarra Cava Brut – Non-Vintage, Spain
If you like the bubbles, but are looking for a more modestly priced version, I suggest you look to Spain and their version of sparkling wine: Cava. The $15 Montsarra is produced almost the same way as Champagne. This sparkling wine is a blend of 3 grape varieties indigenous to the northeastern region of Penedes: Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada. After making a base wine from these three grapes, a combination of sugar and yeast is then added igniting a second fermentation inside the bottle. It is while aging in the ‘Cava’s’ or cellars that the Cava acquire its intense bouquet and delicious flavors.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST2010 Borealis ‘The Northern Whites’, Willamette Valley, Orergon
There are great values from Oregon – among them this week’s third wine: the 2010 Borealis white wine from Montinore Estate. Proprietor Rudy Marchesi is guided by a passion that was instilled early on by his Italian grandparents. He sought out Oregon as a place that enabled creativity and that he thought could grow grapes capable of delivering wine showcasing the truest expression of the land. This wine starts with a slightly sweet expression of ripe fruit with a crisp acidity. It finishes dry with apple, grapefruit and hints of lime.
2009 Kerpen Riesling Kabinett, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Mosel, Germany
The 2009 Riesling Kabinett from Kerpen is sourced from their Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard. The vineyard is located at high altitudes and thereby exposed to sun throughout the grape growing season. The mineral-rich, heat-storing Devonian shale rock creates unique conditions making it possible to cultivate the sometimes finicky Riesling grape – otherwise known as the queen of white wine grapes. At Kerpen they make deliciously concentrated Rieslings, some dry while others slightly off-dry, sparkling and sweet. Kerpen has 4 high altitude vineyards covering approximately 15 acres – all of which are dedicated to growing this wonderful grape. The $20 2009 Kabinett is light, delicious, slightly sweet but with a minerally and acidic backbone.
2007 Ferraton Pere & Fils, Saint-Joseph, “La Source”, France
Ferraton Pere & Fils was established in 1946 and is currently operated by the second generation. In 1998, the vineyards were converted into organic viticulture and have embracing the culture of bio-dynamics. It took a while for this wine to open, but when it did – wow! This 100% Syrah is extremely soft. Initially the flavors are a little light and bright, but this changes after a few hours. The backbone of the wine is its ‘dirty’ flavors otherwise known as its minerality. The finish is long and spicy. This wine is for all kind of meats.
2008 Stolpman Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley, California
This week’s last wine is a real monster – super dense and rich in dark fruit flavors. I am talking about the 2008 Stolpman Syrah from Santa Ynez Valley. Stolpman’s vineyards were originally planted with the intention of selling the fruit to other Central Coast wineries. Now, Stolpman has its own estate wine program making great bottlings like this Syrah. It’s a meaty wine in every way possible, but has an undeniable ‘delicious’ factor. This wine is for the crown roast.
Happy Holidays & enjoy!
Steffen Rasch CSW is ready to answer any wine-related questions, comments or concerns you may have. Feel free to email him at [email protected]. And as always, don’t forget to follow GoLocalProv’s Wine Cellar on Facebook.
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