WINES

2022 Schlosskellerei Gobelsburg, ‘Cistercian’ Rosé, Austria
2019 Piedrasassi, Sta. Rita Hills Syrah, Santa Barbara County, California
2017 Andrew Will, ‘Ciel du Cheval’, Red Mountain, Washington

SCHLOSSKELLEREI GOBELSBURG
2022 ‘Cistercian’ Rosé, Austria

Zweigelt, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir

As the weather warms, sometimes nothing is better than I crisp and refreshing rosé. And when the rosé is as delicious and elegant as this one from Austria, everyone will be happy! Schloss Gobelsburg is one of the oldest wineries in Austria, dating back to the 12th Century! The estate has been both privately owned and held by the Cistercian order of monks at various times throughout its history. The Cistercians started in the Burgundy region of France and spread their agricultural work throughout Europe. Their work in agriculture, and in particular in winemaking and brewing, laid the groundwork for some of the most important wines and regions of the modern age. The Gobelsburg estate makes a few different lines of wines. The ‘Schloss Gobelsburg’ wines are the estates premium bottlings, and are all single vineyard explorations of some of Austria’s finest terroirs. The ‘Schlosskellerei Gobelsburg’ wines are the estates classics. The labels picture the castle and church, and the wines represented include both native varietal wines, such as Grüner Veltliner, as well as lovely blends of native red grapes and Pinot Noir, which was brought to Austria in the 20th Century.

This rosé is a blend of two native Austrian grapes, Zweigelt and St. Laurent, along with Pinot Noir. These grapes all grow along the Danube river in areas that are too cool to ripen these red grapes fully. This allows the estate to focus on making a very high-quality rosé exclusively from these grapes, rather than simply ‘bleeding off the juice’ and concentrating what remains for bigger reds. The wine is light pink in color and possesses fantastic crispness and acidity. Aromas of peaches, melon, tart raspberries, and flowers dance along with zippy acidity. Absolute drinking pleasure.

Serve cold to chilled: 40º-48º
Drink now
Food pairings: Lovely by itself on a warm afternoon or with a light summer salad, fresh vegetables, or soft cheeses. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to put an ice cube in it by the pool!

PIEDRASASSI
2019 Sta. Rita Hills Syrah, Santa Barbara County, California

100% Syrah

Syrah is presently undergoing a revolution in California. For years, some of the most dense, powerful, and ripe wines coming from the state where made with Syrah grapes, left to ripen under the warm California sun. A new generation of winemakers is looking backwards and eastwards, trying to create an American version of Syrah that speaks a closer language to the Syrahs made in places like St. Joseph and Hermitage in the Northern Rhône Valley. One of these winemakers is Sashi Moorman, who, along with Raj Parr and Pax Mahle, is quickly becoming one of the most respected and sought-after winemakers and consultants in the United States. Sashi’s wines are always nothing short of beautiful. In the case of this wine, he is working with the Piedrasassi family who happen to own vineyards in some of the most important parcels of land in California’s Central Coast. In Santa Barbara County, the Santa Rita Hills have become a kind of ‘Goldilocks zone’ for the production of primarily Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that can be truly breathtaking. The addition of Syrah to this region has been absolutely incredible. The Sta. Rita Hills is a small AVA that sits in an East-West valley just a few miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. This is unique as most of California’s wine regions lie in North-South valleys (Napa Valley being the most famous). The geological effect of this is that the cool breezes from the Pacific get sucked in and race across the valley, swirling and bouncing off the mountains and hills on each side. This breeze is essential in cooling down the berries as they bask in glorious sunlight of the area. In addition, the soil of the Sta. Rita Hills is one of the most unique and special on earth. The area is home to the highest density of Diatomaceous earth on the planet. This white sedimentary rock is very high in silica, and helps give the wines of this region, whether Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Syrah, an absolutely singular minerality. Diatomaceous earth is very special in that it retains water very well and once it reaches a point of saturation, the water is able to pass through. This is very important in drought-ridden California, and the rock helps to limit how much irrigation is needed, while preserving the nutrients and ‘struggle’ required for excellent winemaking. This is the same rock used to make the trendy bathmats today!

The sorongon family owned the estate, and has been most noted for their artisanal breads using heritage grains. With a production of just 188 cases, this special wine comes from two organic vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills. These two vineyards are both at nearly 2,000ft. above sea level, and located on opposite sides of the valley–one faces north while the other is extremely high and facing south-east. Fermentation is 70% whole-clusters, and fermentation is on indigenous yeast. The wine is aged 18 months in neutral French oak. The wine has an absolutely alluring aroma of smoky flavors with berries meat, olives, and bacon fat all mingling alongside tannins that are both gritty and integrated. A long finish. The wine is immediate and appreciable right away but will continue aging beautifully for a decade. I love the heart in this wine, and am excited to share it with you.

Serve at 58º-62º F
Drinking beautifully now. Will continue developing for 5-10 years.
Food Pairing: Get out the smoker! Any smoked meats, burgers, grilled food. Rich cheeses. Cured meats and sausages.

Andrew Will
2017 ‘Ciel du Cheval’, Red Mountain, Washington

Merlot (50%) / Cabernet Franc (50%)

Washington’s reputation as a wine-growing center in the United States continues to grow almost exponentially. This vast area of largely high desert vineyard areas produces some of the most exceptional big red wines in the country—and with exceptional value! Among the most important and impressive producers in the entire state is Andrew Will Winery. Founded in 1989, Andrew Will has been at the forefront of the Washington wine scene. They source their fruit from some of the absolute finest vineyard sites in the Red Mountain, Yakima, and Horse Heaven Hills AVAs—all sub-AVAs for the larger Columbia Valley. From these pristine sites, they make some of the most sublime Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc based wines in the entire county.

The ‘Ciel du Cheval’ vineyard covers just over 100 acres with multiple producers owning vines. The vineyard itself is made up of deposits of gravel and large stones with significant amounts of calcium carbonate. These properties help give the wines from this vineyard a fantastic amount of richness, depth, and earthiness. This wine is often considered a New World version of Bordeaux’s Château Cheval Blanc—the Right Bank legend made up of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The 2017 vintage is equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and is tremendously complex and a wine built for immediate enjoyment as well as long cellaring. Notes of ripe plums, blackberries, and currants, meld with red flowers, pencil lead, tobacco, and wet earth. Supported by strong but soft tannins and a long finish. The wine changes with each minute of air it breathes in. While distinct and never a ‘replica’ of Bordeaux, this wine is, for me, what I long for in big American reds.

Serve at 60ºF.
Drink: Drink now but will continue improving and evolving for up to 20 years!
Food pairings: Any grilled meat, roasted lamb with cherry sauce, smoked duck, bacon-wrapped scallops, fig compote. Just drink it!

April Wine Club