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Keermont Merlot 2018
Stellenbosch, South Africa
Brought to us by: Kysela Pere et Fils
Regular: $29.99 | TWS Sale: $23.99
I realized while considering Bordeaux varieties that I rarely take home Merlot, which kind of saddened me. Contrary to what that early 2000’s dramatic comedy set in Santa Ynez wine country may have implied, it’s a wonderful cultivar! Thankfully though, the absence of this grape variety in my personal repertoire is a paradigm well within my control, and the 2018 Merlot from Stellenbosch powerhouse Keermont has helped me shift it.
Keermont’s winery and estate vineyards are located in the Blaauwklippen Valley, in a wild natural amphitheater tucked against Guardian Peak, straddling the Helderberg and Stellenbosch mountain ranges. The Blaauwklippen River runs directly through the property, and the 30 hectares under vine sit at a range of elevation of between 250m and 400m. The sun rises behind the towering peak, and the valley is a mere 12.5km from False Bay and the Atlantic Ocean – this means cooling breezes, cool mornings (you could sleep in a bit and still catch a sunrise!), and cool nights. These factors combined with sufficient rainfall concentrated in the winter months result in slow ripening for grapes and depth of aroma/flavor compounds – there are certainly parallels to the maritime Bordeaux, but Keermont’s grapes are distinctly mountain fruit. Vines grow in deep red clay derived from sandstone and granite, formed by weathering of surrounding mountains. Rich in iron and minerals, this soil composition is great for water retention.
The 2018 Merlot from Keermont is comprised of 86% Merlot (sourced from the High Road vineyard at 330m and the Homestead vineyard at 260m), 8% Cabernet Franc (sourced from the Pondokrug vineyard at 380m), 6% Malbec (also sourced from Homestead). Small batches of grapes are harvested and vinified separately, fermented in open-top fermenters, and then aged for 20 months in old French oak barrels. The wine pours a pretty deep ruby, and the nose is inviting – wild blueberries, crunchy raspberry, strawberry preserves, violets, nutmeg, candied orange peel, cracked pepper, and dried cloves. The palate shows generous fruit, medium acidity, and delightfully supple tannins – it’s soft and plush, perfect for sipping fireside and/or alongside beef teriyaki or roasted root veggies.
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Avennia Gravura 2019
Columbia Valley, Washington
Brought to us by: Kysela Pere et Fils
Regular: $47.99 | TWS Sale: $37.99
My winter selection this year is Avennia Gravura 2019 from the Columbia Valley AVA. This is a beautiful & celebratory wine to enjoy with the ones that mean the most to you during the holidays. A Bordeaux-style blend specifically inspired by the sub-region of Graves, this wine is compromised of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petite Verdot, and is aged for 20 months in 50% new French oak.
The wine has aromas of fruit leather, macerated berries, tobacco, cocoa, vanilla, violets, and rosemary. On the palate, flavors of cooked blueberry, chocolate covered cherries, espresso, graphite, and a lingering of flowers and herbs. The balance of acid and subtle-yet-peristent tannins leave this wine as beautiful for pairing with the heartiest of meals or even a glass on its own. Cheers and Happy Holidays.
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Clos Marsalette Blanc 2018
Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux
Brought to us by: Monsieur Touton Selection
Regular: $49.99 | TWS Sale: $39.99
When you think of Bordeaux in the winter months, the mind leaps to richly structured and heavily oaked reds for which the region is famous. However, Bordeaux also makes some criminally underrated white wines with plenty of gastronomic versatility. These wines inhabit a comfortable and approachable middle ground between the steely, linear, and bright wines of Sancerre, and the nutty, warm, autumnal flavors of a Beaune white. As such, Bordeaux whites occupy a compelling niche in the spectrum of French whites.
Clos Marsalette’s Pessac-Léognan blanc is a rare and unique treat of this ilk. 55% Sauvignon blanc and 45% Semillon that are fermented in stainless steel vats. 25% of the wine remains in stainless steel, the remainder is transferred to French oak, 30% of which is new oak. The resulting wine is a decadent ambrosia that is full-to-bursting with exotic notes of kiwi, honeydew melon, white grapefruit, and lychee. These fruit notes are draped over a rich tapestry of oak flavors: crème brulee, hazelnuts, marzipan, and brioche. The resulting wine is fruity and decadent, but with the kind of precision and angularity you would expect from a Sauvignon Blanc. A sumptuous and indulgent white that’s sure to impress family and friends alike over the holidays!
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Dominique Portet Fontaine Cabernet 2020
Yarra Valley, Australia
Brought to us by: Legend | Well-Crafted Wine & Beverage
Regular: $27.99 | TWS Sale: $21.99
If you have ever wondered what left bank Bordeaux would taste like if it were grown in Australia, give the Fontaine Cabernet Sauvignon from Dominique Portet a try. It may surprise you.
The Fontaine, blended from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon,12% Merlot, 2% Malbec, and 1% Cabernet Franc, actually comes from the Yarra Valley in Australia’s southern state of Victoria. Yarra Valley is the coolest growing climate in Australia, producing wine that is finer and lighter than the rest of the country with growing conditions more akin to Burgundy and Bordeaux. Much like Burgundy, this region predominantly grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in a cool, higher elevation and dynamic topography. The soils of the Yarra Valley are well draining and rocky with broken sandstone and clay. After a dry winter, wet spring, and mild summer, grapes collected from across the Yarra Valley delivered a wine with elegance and freshness.
The 2020 Fontaine Cabernet Sauvignon drinks more like a red Burgundy with a medium body and fine tannins. Aged in French oak barrels for 10 months, the nose is subtle red fruit dusted in cocoa powder and earth. The palate has crisp red fruit and acidity that may have you reconsidering everything you previously thought about Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Bordeaux blends.
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Garage Wine Co. San Juan de Pirque Lot #91 Cabernet 2017
Maipo Valley, Chilé
Brought to us by: House of Jenny | Constantine Wines
Regular: $47.99 | TWS Sale: $37.99
For our Wine Source December 2022 newsletter featuring Bordeaux grape varietals, I have chosen the 2017 Maipo Valley Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon "San Juan de Pirque Vineyard Lot # 91" from the Garage Wine Company. This wine is made from 35+ year-old vines grown 3100 feet above sea-level. The selling-points here are 1., that older vines produce less juice with more concentrated flavors/aromas and 2., that mountain vines receive more UV rays, developing thicker skins which equates to greater color concentration and higher tannins. I have been consistently impressed with Garage Wine Company's focus on careful farming and high-quality single-vineyard bottlings, and this Lot # 91 is certainly no exception. It has inviting aromas/flavors of blackberries and blueberries with subtle herbal overtones. It's full-bodied and jammy with a smooth silky finish. It was a wonderful pairing for a beef short-rib dinner I had a few nights ago, and would pair marvelously with Beef Rib-Eye, Flank Steak, Brisket or Lamb. This is a perfect wine for fans of Napa Cabernets that don't want to shell out $50 (or more!). Happy Holidays and Cheers!
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Fabien Jouves H@*te Côt de Fruit Malbec 2021
Cahors, France
Brought to us by: Zev Rovine Selections | Genin Selections
Regular: $23.99 | TWS Sale: $18.99
Fabien Jouves is a biodynamic winemaker located in the birthplace of malbec, Cahors. This is an energetic and bright version of malbec when compared with the typical Mendoza types. Usually, the French malbecs are bit lower in tannin and structure, but substitute a great brightness and cheery bounce that expresses cherries and pomegranates. Great for charcuterie boards, fuzzy sweaters and magical encounters with snow men that have gained sentience.
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Brancatelli Valle delle Stelle 2018
Tuscany, Italy
Brought to us by: Uva Imports | Free Run Wine Merchants
Regular: $27.99 | TWS Sale: $21.99
With a focus on Bordeaux varietals this month, allow me to throw conventional wine tradition out the window by recommending an Italian wine not made from a niche native varietal, but the rather ubiquitous Cabernet Sauvignon. Brancatelli winery is a small 6 hectare property in Val di Cornia, which is adjacent to the Bolgheri DOC. Bolgheri famously led the movement of “Super Tuscans”; wines where international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot form a major part of the blend or final profile. This is controversial stuff for Tuscany which has fierce pride for Sangiovese, it’s native grape. The Brancatelli winery also blends modern and historical concepts with sustainable techniques that utilize modern and peer -reviewed scientific research. The most interesting technique being the simultaneous plantings of mycorrhizal fungi which is found promote water and nutrient uptake for the vine, as well as increase bio-active compounds (flavors!) and antioxidants in the fruit.
The nerdy stuff aside, Brancatelli devotes more than 80% of their fruit to the Valle delle Stelle bottling, an 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc blend. The wine pours a deep ruby with garnet flecks and boasts aromas of smoke, leather, tar, thyme, and rosemary. The wine is full bodied with classic Italian tannin that grips you. It would be best enjoyed with a hearty meal that warms you, whether it’s Italian or not. With a secondary and tertiary dominant backbone, this wine makes you feel expensive, while the liquid itself remains a wallet-friendly value.
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Chateau Auney L'Hermitage Graves Blanc 2020
Graves, Bordeaux
Brought to us by: Rosenthal Wine Merchant | Potomac Selections
Regular: $34.99 | TWS Sale: $27.99
Sémillon: the soul of white Bordeaux. A native grape to the region: its name is derived from the old pronunciation of St.Émilion, the well-known winemaking commune. We recognize Sémillon easily as the star of Sauternes and Barsac: sweet wines of the noble rot Botrytis. In dry styles, it’s blended with other grapes to provide richness and aging potential, often at a lower percentage of the blend. This Graves Blanc, however, is two-thirds Sémillon! To be exact: 65% Sémillon, 20% Muscadelle, 15% Sauvignon Blanc grown on a 2ha plot of gravel, clay + limestone.
Within the commune La Brede lies the gem Château Auney l'Hermitage: a small-scale grower producer assembled via the reclamation of 10 smaller domaines dating back to the 19th century that were abandoned (or on the verge of being so). The plots, small clearings of forest, cover 8.5 hectares, some of which due to age have never seen commercial pesticides. Christian Auney has kept the parcels separate to allow for distinct terroir between the individual vines. This separation of plots also means that Auney can manually harvest (they are the only ones doing so in La Brede) and harvest over a longer period of time to respect various ripening times. Sémillon itself tends to ripen earlier!
This Graves Blanc has outstanding textural complexity: seeming to stretch itself across the palate with an expansive density. A plush bodied, yet vibrant, white wine is exactly what I want during the freezing wintry season. It’s aromatic of honeyed cashews and apricot jam on warm toast. A palate of candied pomelo rind and lanolin. The finish with a wooly intensity that coats your mouth in decadence. :)
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Finca Adalgisa Familia Furlotti Malbec 2017
Mendoza, Argentina
Brought to us by: Brazos Wine | Potomac Selections
Regular: $19.99 | TWS Sale: $15.99
In this age of wine exploration and discovery, with all the globe open to the consumer, it can be easy to simply write off certain grapes. I catch myself making gross generalizations such as “Pinot Grigio just tastes like white wine”, or “Malbec is pretty simple”. Thankfully, we always find bottles to remind me that, in the vast world of wine, such sweeping statements are shortsighted.
To be fair, there is much Argentinian Malbec exported to the US that has a very similar profile: jammy, juicy, lots of red fruit, and maybe a bit of chocolate or spice. Recently, however, we have brought in a bottle that breaks that mold: the Familia Furlotti 2017 Malbec.
This bottle is very old school for a new world wine. An ancient winemaking family from Parma, the Furlottis settled in the Lujan de Cuyo region of Mendoza Argentina in the late 1800s, and officially opened their winery in 1916. Gabriela Furlotti is currently the fourth generation of her family to be winemaker since they crossed the Atlantic. Only 30% of each bottling sits in neutral oak, and, even more unusually for Mendoza, all bottlings are aged considerably before being released to the market. (We have two different Furlotti wines on shelf, 2015 and 2017).
You can taste these differences in the wine. A big jammy red this is not. Though rich and wintery, the texture is very soft, and the flavors have knit together with age. It’s substantial but not heavy, with just faint tannin, showing much more like a Bordeaux than your average Malbec. (Though Malbec was, at one point, the most widely planted grape in Bordeaux!)
The nose is smoky, big, dank and dark: fig, beach plum, wood spice, black and red licorice, smoked hickory, bbq sauce, beef jerky, and stewed cranberries. The palate is also meaty/umami, with sesame, wood spice, stewed cranberries and plums.
The Furlotti is excellent for $15.99 a bottle, but if you are hunting for an even more Bordelaise Malbec, (and want to further challenge your pre-conceptions about the grape) we also have their top-tier wine (called Adalgisa), a 2015 for $40.99.
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