Trinchero Family Estates
The Return of Dr. LOV!
Friday, August 30th
5:00 - 7:00
We are firm believers that any good business is based on great relationships. Our main goals revolve around forming a relationship with our customers, getting to know them and their tastes, and providing the best service we can. Just as important as our bonds with our customers is our relationships with the people that we buy wine from. There is actually a lot of good wine out there, and often it is who the wine comes from that can put the pieces in place to get us to offer a certain wine to our followers. There are a number of companies that we find supply us with the best over and over, but there are also some individuals that we are dedicated to. Laurence O. Vuelta, aka Dr. LOV, has been an ardent supporter of this store since the very first day, and we are proud to support him back. Drew was the GM at Nana's when he first met and started working with Larry, who at that time was selling the California wines of Semler Malibu Estates. As soon as Hope Valley Wines was open, Larry was here making deals and finding us the best of his portfolio, and we sold a lot of Semler wines for a number of years. Larry then made the move to represent Aveniu Brands in 2014, and we moved with him, diving into their great Spanish portfolio and sharing the best finds with you over those years. Well, Laurence has had another change, bidding adios to Aveniu Brands and picking up the mantle of representing Trinchero Family Estates for North Carolina. This is an excellent portfolio of wines, with a strong showing of California gems but also with stellar offerings in their imports. We've just started down the road of tasting through these wines with Laurence, and have already found some favorites, which we can't wait to share with you! Good old Dr. LOV is back in the saddle, and will join us this Friday night to taste through a first of many looks at the wonderful wines he now represents!
Avissi Prosecco Extra Dry
Prosecco DOC, Veneto, Italy, NV
Three Pears Pinot Grigio
California, 2018
Mason Sauvignon Blanc
Napa Valley, California, 2018
Folie à Deux Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast, California, 2017
Neyers Vineyards 'Left Bank Red'
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot
Napa Valley, California, 2016
Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California, 2016
Avissi Prosecco Extra Dry
Prosecco DOC, Veneto, Italy, NV
Three Pears Pinot Grigio
California, 2018
Mason Sauvignon Blanc
Napa Valley, California, 2018
Folie à Deux Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast, California, 2017
Neyers Vineyards 'Left Bank Red'
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot
Napa Valley, California, 2016
Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California, 2016
Weekly Saturday Tasting
Beautiful Blends
Saturday, August 31st
4:30 - 7:00
The idea of labeling a bottle of wine by the grape name is a relatively new trend in the wine world. Some areas, such as Alsace in France, have done so for years, but they were very much in the minority. Historically the name that went on the label most often, the name thought to be most important, was the region, village, or vineyard the wine came from. It was often the case for many of these classically known wines that they would also not necessarily be made of just a single grape, but were blends. Many believed that blending a variety of grapes which prospered in a specific area would give a better sense of terroir, that the wine tastes of where it was grown. In the Southern Rhone Valley Chateauneuf-du-Pape is king, and can be composed of up to 13 recognized grape varieties. Red Bordeaux has thrived based for centuries on a classic collection of 5 noble grapes, and Tuscany's Chianti allows 4-5 other grapes to be blended with the mainstay Sangiovese grape. Even in Californian wines, many people drink more blends than they realize, as a wine need only be 75% of a single grape to be listed as that grape on the label, and they are not required to indicate if it is blended with other grapes (though the large majority do). So this Saturday we are going to look at five of our current favorite blended wines, and investigate if the whole is truly more than the sum of its parts!
Pine Ridge White Blend
80% Chenin Blanc, 20% Viognier
California, 2016
A.A. Badenhorst 'The Curator' White Blend
60% Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay, 20% Viognier
Swartland, South Africa, 2019
Cono Sur Organic Red
49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Carmenere, 25% Syrah
Chile, 2018
Alma Negra 'M Blend'
* They like to be mysterious about this wine, so don't say exactly what the blend is,
but we're confident that Malbec and Bonarda play big roles
Mendoza, Argentina, 2015
Bodegas La Cartuja
70% Garnacha, 30% Mazuelo
Priorat DO, Spain, 2016
Pine Ridge White Blend
80% Chenin Blanc, 20% Viognier
California, 2016
A.A. Badenhorst 'The Curator' White Blend
60% Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay, 20% Viognier
Swartland, South Africa, 2019
Cono Sur Organic Red
49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Carmenere, 25% Syrah
Chile, 2018
Alma Negra 'M Blend'
* They like to be mysterious about this wine, so don't say exactly what the blend is,
but we're confident that Malbec and Bonarda play big roles
Mendoza, Argentina, 2015
Bodegas La Cartuja
70% Garnacha, 30% Mazuelo
Priorat DO, Spain, 2016