Hello 2018! All new wine for the new year. Please welcome back William “Bill” Ofriel of Tryon Distributing to the tasting bar for the first official tasting of the year.

Bailly-Lapierre Saint-Bris Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Situated in the heart of the district of Auxerre, in the North of Burgundy, our wines are deeply rooted in a soil whose special type of limestone gives our Bailly Lapierre wines their softness and aromas. In the permanent cool semidarkeness of our ancient quarry, our Cellar Master attends daily the bottles and to the development of the specific characters of each of our wines. The District of Auxerre is a mosaic of vines, appellations and characters. Just over 800 Hectares, this medium sized vineyard district also offers a colourful palette of white, red and rosé wines. The Saint-Bris appellation (North Burgundy) covers a surface of 100 hectares surrounding the village of Saint-Bris-Le-Vineux, on the right bank of the river Yonne. Saint-Bris became an Appellation Villages in 2003. It is the Sauvignon Blanc, whose sole Burgundian outlet is as the Appellation Controlé of Saint-Bris, which gives its famous character. Vinification and Maturation: The grapes are harvested as soon as they reach the most desirable level of maturity expected for the vintage. They are pressed on arrival at the press-house. The juices are cleansed cold before the fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, in order to preserve vivacity and aromas. The wine spends 4 months on its lees before it is bottled. Tasting notes: Pale gold color, limpid and brilliant wine. The bouquet offers a blend of white fruits with a hint of fresh herbs. On aeration, the aromatic palette gives a floral and fruity style with a hint of citrus and blackcurrant flowers. In the mouth, it is fresh with a delicate touch of minerality with the richness of white fruits. Floral and fruity in the end.

Aberrant Confero Pinot Noir 2015
Confero {to bring together} is, and will always be, the practice of bringing distinct vineyards and clones of Pinot Noir together from differing sub regions within the Willamette valley. From this ideal,we are able to capture unique strengths of each parcel and adjoin them with qualities of other individual sites, thus enhancing the overall complexity and depth a given vintage can provide.While a scientific approach and “winemaking by numbers” can make correct, sound wines they often end up lacking any edge or excitement stripped of character by using shortcuts via the subtraction of, or conversely, the addition of any number of available fixes for the sake of the saving the wine from itself! Aberrant Cellars’ approach is quite different. Our single greatest emphasis is the quality of fruit prior to its temporary confines within a fermentation vessel (of which we use a variety of sizes, shapes and types). At harvest a rigorous selection of clusters are made while still on the vine, and again on the sorting line at the winery ensuring only the most pristine clusters make their way into the fermenters. These “hands on” steps, combined with 6 months of maniacal, quality minded farming throughout the season, allow for much of the wine to be made in the vineyard. Such practices though costly and a whole lotta work are the only real secret for wines which ultimately have the potential to be profound…an aspiration we hold above all else.

Alto Moncayo Veraton 2015

From its privileged location in the highest part of the town of Borja (500m above sea level) can be seen the Santuario de la Misericordia (Shrine of Mercy) and La Muela de Borja to the northwest, with the Ebro Valley and the Pyrenees to the north, the Sierra de Tabuenca and Huecha valley to the south-east, while to the south-west in the foreground can be seen El Moncayo, which is the highest point in the Iberian Mountain Range (2,315m); this gives its name to the winery. Veraton’ is the third wine we produce from the Garnacha grape, from vines between 30 and 50 years old, and aged in barrels for 16 months. It is a wine with an attractive collection of balsamic notes, of chocolate and black fruits, very warm in the mouth and an extremely pleasant finish.

Austin Hope Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Paso Robles is one of California’s most pastoral domains. Its name roughly translates to “Passageway of Oaks,” and indeed, majestic trees mark the landscape. Amongst the rolling hills and native habitat lie manicured vineyards, where ideal soil exists for farming Cabernet. Dry, warm conditions are typical, yet evenings are chilled by a breeze from the Pacific just 18 miles to the west, allowing fruit to ripen into luxurious richness. At nearly 1,000 feet, soils are elevated sea beds where shell fossils are often found.Deep ruby in color, the 2015 Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon expresses aromas of freshly picked black currants, ripe black cherries and blackberries, with subtle notes of violets, mocha and dried spices. On the palate, it’s a big, powerful, modern-styled wine layered with heaps of juicy blackberry and cherry fruit, while nuances of cedar, clove, nutmeg and vanilla bean round out the long smooth finish. It’s full-bodied and rich, balanced by fresh acidity and firm, polished tannins.

 

Our Wine Wednesdays, include one *free sample from each of our hand selected fine wine features (up to four wines). New wines are chosen each week. All feature wines available by the glass or flight of four.