April Wine Club
Wine Club, April 2023
Schlosskellerei Gobelsburg, ‘Cistercian’ Rosé, Austria, 2022
Piedrasassi, Sta. Rita Hills Syrah, Santa Barbara Co., CA, 2019
Andrew Will, ‘Ciel du Cheval’, Red Mountain, Washington
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!
November Wine Club
Wine Club, November 2022
Vilmart & Cie, Cuvée Rubis Brut Rosé NV, Champagne, France
2004, Château Gaby, Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux, France
WINES
NV Vilmart & Cie, Cuvée Rubis, Brut Rosé, Champagne, France
2002 Château Gaby, Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux, France
Vilmart & Cie, Cuvée Rubis, Brut Rosé NV
Champagne, France
Pinot Noir (90%) / Chardonnay (10%)
A tremendous Grower-Producer, Vilmart & Cie has been crafting top-tier Champagne since the 1890s. All of their Chardonnay is classified Premier Cru in the area of Rilly-la-Montagne. Vilmart & Cie practices environmentally-friendly agriculture, eschewing the use of pesticides and herbicides, which is not the most common thing in the Champagne region. Their wines exude sophistication and elegance and are crafted in a way that is singular to the estate, and, in my opinion, vastly superior to the mass-market Champagne houses. Te Cuvée Rubis Rosé is perhaps the most beautiful sparkling wine I have ever poured into a glass. An incredible salmon color, its bouquet is powerful with notes of wild red fruits like strawberries and raspberries. Gorgeous floral aromas then take hold, and on the palate, a crisp acidity is marked with a roundness that is absolutely special. The bubbles themselves are as fine and delicate as any out there, and the wine deserves to be enjoyed from an elegant glass. Don’t stifle this juice in a small flute! The use of 90% Pinot Noir grapes is notable in that includes a portion of actual finished red wine which contributes to the incredible color. In addition, the base wine for the cuvée is aged for 10 months in oak barrels, lending softness and aromatics. The base wines for the cuvée come from the 2017 and 2018 vintages. The cuvée is assembled, aged, and then bottles with it’s yeast for 3 years before the disgorgement as is the rule for Champagne.
Serve well chilled (43-46º)
Drink: now-2030
Food pairings: This Champagne is an exceptional food wine as well as a celebratory drink. The wine will go with anything from turkey, chicken, or goose, to seafood (notably lightly sautéed shrimp or scallops), a range of cheeses, or desserts provided they aren’t lusciously sweet.
Glassware
The common Champagne flute is finally falling out of favor. It traps the bouquet of these gorgeous wines. Instead, reach for a tulip glass or even pour this into either a standard white wine glass or a large Pinot Noir glass! Treat it like a wine. Enjoy the aromas and let it evolve.
About Champagne
Three grapes are allowed in the production of Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Most wines are a blend of two or all three of these grapes. A base wine is made in the traditional manner. The wine is then bottled and a small amount of yeast and sugar are added into bottle which is sealed with a crown cap. The bottle is then laid down in the cellar where it ages a minimum of 3 years for non-vintage Champagne (which means the base wine comes from multiple vintages). A second fermentation happens and the Carbon Dioxide cannot escape the bottle, thus producing bubbles! When the time is right, the bottle is removed from the cellar and the disgorgement takes place in which the cap is released and the yeast is expelled from the bottle. A small bit of reserve wine is added, along with sugar to the desired level for the wine. The wine is sealed with the traditional cork and wire cage and is either laid down for further aging or is released on the market. Champagne containing all Chardonnay is labeled Blanc de Blancs. Champagne made entire from Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier is labeled Bland de Noirs. Sparkling wines outside of France are often made in the ‘champagne method’ but may not write the word ‘Champagne’ on the bottle. The method will be listed as ‘traditional method’ or some similar phrase. These wines include all Cava from Spain, all Franciacorta from Italy, and most high-end sparkling wines from the United States. Sparkling wines such as Prosecco are traditionally made using the tank or Charmant method in which the second fermentation takes place in large tanks rather than in the bottle.
2004 CHÂTEAU GABY
Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux, France
Merlot (80%) - Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) - Cabernet Franc (10%)
This is the 2nd offering from Château Gaby for the Stem & Flute Society (going with the 2008 from the September offering). Canon-Fronsac is part of the famed Right-Bank in Bordeaux, near the communes of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion. While Left Bank Bordeaux wines are known for their powerful and graphite-laded Cabernet Sauvignon based blends, the Right Bank is the home of some of the world’s finest Merlot and Cabernet Franc-based wines in the world. Château Gaby has long been a leading property in the region, making wines since the 1600s. The winemaking and growing is all organic and the Merlot thrives on the clay-rich soil of the region. 2004 was an outstanding vintage that produced a very aromatic wine here. Very delicate and lots of finesse on the palate.
Open at 60º-65ºF and let the wine interact with some oxygen or decant.
Drink: now-2027
Food pairings: Pork chops, hamburgers, steak frites, duck. Can work with a fatty fish like salmon if sauced and seasoned appropriately. Avoid spicy food pairings.
2018 ODDERO
Barbaresco ‘Gallina’, Piemonte, Italy
Nebbiolo (100%)
Despite its moniker as ‘the Queen of Wine’ (or perhaps because of it), Barbaresco tends to hide in the shadow of its ‘big brother’ Barolo. In truth, Barbaresco plays second to fiddle to no wines anywhere in the world. The wines of Barbaresco are just as powerful, elegant, and profound as their neighbors and are among the most expressive examples of Nebbiolo in the world. Located around the three townships of Barbaresco, Neive, and Treiso, the hills of Barbaresco are mixtures of limestone, sand, and clay soils, often with marine fossils lurking near the surface. The best Crus are identified as single vineyard wines, and the Gallina cru counts among them. The Gallina vineyard is located near the town of Neive, and there are several producers who make cru Barbaresco from the site. Oddero is an historic producer in Piemonte and produces a classically elegant Barbaresco here. A 25-day maceration and fermentation lends way to aging in 40hL large oak barrels of French and Austrian oak. The wine has strong tannins, typical of traditional Nebbiolo production. The tannins are met with bright acidity and a gorgeous floral bouquet. Notes of cherries, mocha, and sweet spices integrate with the tannins, creating a fantastic drinking experience.
Serve at 60ºF. The wine will open up beautiful over several hours in the bottle or in the glass.
Drink: now-2040.
Food pairings: A great wine to meditate on! Best wish lean, roasted meats and game, aged cheeses or blue cheeses/roquefort, hearty soups, roasted vegetables.
