Behind the Cork™ - J Vineyards California Cuvee

J Vineyards California Cuvée ($18)

I recent had an opportunity to share in a celebration and wanted a nice sparkling wine for the occasion. Seeing this bottle of J Vineyards California Cuvée already chilled at the store made my decision an easy one.

Having visited J Vineyards in Healdsburg (Sonoma County), I was well aware of their fine sparkling wines and beautiful tasting room that includes the gorgeous “Bubble Room.”

This sparkling wine is a ‘brut’ meaning that it is “Dry” (very low in residual sugar).

This J Vineyards sparkling wine has aromas of citrus and orange blossom. On the palate its fruit flavors include crisp green apple, juicy pear, fresh-cut lemon and lime. It finishes with refreshing mouth-watering acidity.

According to J Vineyards, the grapes for the California Cuvée were primarily hand-harvested and placed as whole clusters, without destemming, into their presses for a gentle, low-pressure pressing that minimizes the breakdown of grape skins and seeds. Each vineyard lot was then fermented and kept separate until blending. Reserve wine from previous vintages was also added to round it out.

As is customary for traditional method sparkling wine production, the secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle. The wine was aged on the yeast in their cellars for a minimum of 24 months in order to develop deeper complexity as it aged. A dosage (a sweetened spirit added at the end) of aged reserve wine and cane sugar was added to further complexity. The California Cuvée was then aged for at least an additional four months before release.

If you are looking for a really nice sparkling wine for a celebration, or any occasion, this J Vineyards California Cuvée is a great choice. Cheers!

Ever Wonder About Sangiovese Wine?

Sangiovese (san-jo-VEH-zay) is a famous grape from Italy. Some believe that this indigenous Italian grape dates back to the second century BC, where it was first known to be cultivated by the Etruscan winemakers of Tuscany.

Literally translated from Latin, Sangiovese means the “blood of Jove” in reference to the ancient Roman king of the gods, Jupiter. Sangiovese is Italy’s most planted grape and likely best known as the primary grape used to produce Chianti.

Chianti is region in Tuscany that specializes in Sangiovese. But, there are several other regional names for wines that are made from Sangiovese including Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montepulciano, Sangiovese Grosso, and Brunello di Montalcino. The Tuscan region of Montalcino produces a very age-worthy Sangiovese that that improve over 10 to 20 years.

Sangiovese is more subtle than other red wine varieties landing about mid-way between a Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. Wines produced from the Sangiovese grape are medium to full bodied, dry, and highly acidic, with fruity and savory flavors. Common flavors and aromas include Cherry, Plum and herbs. Additionally, oak aging can add licorice, leather, tobacco and smoke.

Sangiovese has seen renewed interest in the United States after the success of Super Tuscan wines (subject of our next blog) in the 1980s. Sangiovese producing areas include the California regions of Napa Valley and Sonoma County, as well as Washington state.

If you are just getting started with Sangiovese, pick up a bottle of Chianti or Chianti Reserva and enjoy! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Rombauer El Dorado Twin Rivers Zinfandel

2017 Rombauer El Dorado “Twin Rivers” Zinfandel ($42)

Rombauer’s El Dorado (“the golden”) Vineyard is located 1,650 feet above sea level in the Sierra Foothills of El Dorado County, California. Its sandy soils, high elevation, and warm days and cool night air are ideal for growing Zinfandel.

The grapes were carefully de-stemmed and sorted to ensure only perfect fruit made it into the wine. A cold soak extracted color and flavor before primary fermentation began. The wine was then gently pressed, racked to oak barrels to finish primary fermentation, malolactic conversion, and aging in French and American oak for 15 months.

The Rombauer Twin Rivers Zinfandel is composed of 85% Zinfandel and 15% Petite Sirah.

This wine is medium ruby red with plum, black cherry and hints of wood on the nose. On the palate it has rich dark fruits flavors along with notes of smoke and oak. The tannins are very light and smooth. The wine finishes light and easy.

I’m a big fan of wines from El Dorado and this Twin Rivers Zinfandel from Rombauer is a great one! Cheers!

Ever Wonder about Montepulciano Wine?

Montepulciano (mon-ta-pull-channo), as you might guess by its name, is an Italian wine. You might also guess that it’s from a region or town of Montepulciano, Italy. There, you’d be wrong.

Montepulciano is a beautiful medieval town in Tuscany, in central Italy. But, oddly enough, Montepulciano wines are not produced there.

Instead, Montepulciano wines are from Marche, Molise, northern Puglia and most notably, Abruzzo. All of these regions are along the eastern coast of Italy and benefit from the cooling winds off the Adriatic Sea.

So, Montepulciano wines are made of Montepulciano grapes but they have nothing to do with the town Montepulciano.

To make things even more confusing, the wines that are produced in Montepulciano are, like most Tuscan wines, made from Sangiovese.

Montepulciano is the second most planted red grape in Italy. Sangiovese, the grape used to make Chianti, is the most widely planted grape of Italy.

Montepulciano has long held a reputation for being low-priced fruity red wines that go well with pizza and bold tomato-based sauces. This reputation is true. But, there are many producers, especially in Abruzzo, that are making some very well-structured wines displaying notes of cherry, crushed herbs and tobacco.

Finally, for a wine to be a certified Montepulciano d’Abruzzo it has to comply with the following rules:

• It must be made with at least 85% Montepulciano grapes (up to 15% Sangiovese is allowed)

• The wine must be aged for at least 5 months before it is released

• To be labeled as a Riserva, the wine must be aged for at least two years including a minimum of nine months in wood barrels

Although a bit confusing, Montepulciano wines can be quite good and, as the most exported Italian wine to the U.S., it can be very reasonably priced. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ Ravines Wine Cellars Maximilien

2017 Ravines Wine Cellars Maximilien ($24.95)

Ravines Wine Cellars is an artisanal winery in the flourishing, world-class wine region of the Finger Lakes, located in upstate New York. It is the passion of Morten & Lisa Hallgren, a European Winemaker/Oenologist and his Chef wife. Together, they have created a small, distinctive winery, crafting elegant and expressive wines using Old World winemaking practices.

Maximilien is an old Roman mane used throughout the centuries for saints, emperors, revolutionaries and philosophers. Ravines Wine Cellars considers Maximilien “a honest name for this blend of two noble and historic varieties.”

This Ravines Wine Cellars Maximilien is a blend of 54% Merlot and 46% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Knowing this is a Merlot/Cab blend, I was most surprised to see that this wine is light in color - a pale to medium ruby, almost like a Pinot Noir or a GSM blend. On the nose it has cherry and plum with a bit of a sweet note. On the palate this wine is medium bodied, medium tannin with flavors of tart cherry, cranberry and raspberry, moderate acidity and a refreshingly long finish. This wine definitely expresses its Finger Lakes terroir.

If you are not familiar with wines from the Finger Lakes region I’d definitely recommend that you check out Ravines Wine Cellars Maximilien as well as their Dry Riesling and White Springs Dry Riesling. The are all very affordable and worthy of being Behind the Cork™ wines of the week. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Ravines Wine Cellars