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Labor Day has come and gone, and we have flipped the calendar page to September. However, summer isn’t officially over until September 22nd. We still have more beach days, picnics, grilling, outdoor concerts, and summer sunsets to enjoy!  Photo credit: Karsten Wurth With that in mind, here are four wines that will take you through the end of summer, into the fall, and even winter!  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Moser 51.151 Trentodoc Brut Sparkling Wine NV Moser Winery, located in Trentino, Italy, was established in 1979 by Diego and Francesco Moser. Today, the winery is run by third-generation Carlo and Matteo, who combine family traditions with innovative and modern winemaking techniques. Moser winery sits among the Dolomites in the Trentodoc appellation, with vineyards benefiting from micro-climates and diurnal variations. This sparkling wine is produced in the Metodo Classico method, with 100% Chardonnay grapes grown on limestone soils in the Trento DOC Bianco appellation. Secondary fermentation and aging occur in bottle for 15 months on the lees.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Nose: Floral, apples, citrus zest, white stone fruit, and baked croissant. Palate: A crisp and lively wine with fine perlage and notes of minerality, sapidity, and a touch of lemon zest on the finish. Alcohol: 12.5% SRP: $23 Pairing suggestions: Enjoy as an aperitif or with light appetizers, seafood, mushroom risotto, and dessert. Bolla Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC 2023 Bolla Winery was founded in 1883 by Alberto Bolla in Soave. In 1931, he opened a winery in Pedemonte, a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. And in 2006, Gruppo Italiano Vini purchased the company. In 2016, Pinot Grigio attained DOC status in the geographical area of Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Trentino for the production of Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC. The DOC Delle Venezie covers almost 28 thousand hectares of vineyards, encompassing the entire northeast area of Italy! The grapes for this 100% Pinot Grigio are sourced from hillside vineyards in Delle Venezie.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Nose: White stone fruit, citrus, green apple, and melon. Palate: Light with crisp acidity, minerality, and hints of melon and peach lingering on the finish. Alcohol: 12% SRP: $11.99 Pairing suggestions: Enjoy as an aperitif or with seafood (especially oily fish) or shellfish. Also, white meat, light pasta, salads, and vegetable risotto pair nicely. Avivo Rosé Wine 2023 Avivo Wines is led by Ridgely Evers, Founder & CEO, and Daniel Fitzgerald, Director of Winemaking and owner. Their mission and goal is to make “clean wines.” They are committed to transparency and regenerative agriculture that reaches beyond sustainability in the vineyard and winery. In addition, AVIVO packages its wines in lightweight glass and uses Nomacorc Ocean corks made from recycled marine plastic waste. The blend for this rosé is 95% Sangiovese and 5% Syrah. The grapes are sourced from Ledbetter Family Vineyards in Lodi, CA. Fermentation took place in neutral oak and was aged in neutral French oak barrels for five months.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Nose: Floral notes, red berries, vanilla, and a dash of citrus. Palate: Expressive! Dry, racy acidity, raspberry, melon, and a touch of cherry and pepper on the finish. Oh my! Alcohol: 12.8% SRP: $24 Pairing suggestions: Enjoy as an aperitif or with appetizers, seafood, crab quiche, light pasta, or grilled chicken. San Pedro 1865 Selected Vineyards Carmenère 2019 Viña San Pedro is situated in Maule Valley, Chile. It was founded in 1865, hence the name of the wine. Today, it is one of the largest and oldest exporters of Chilean wine. The grapes for this 100% Carmenère were sourced from San Pedro’s vineyards in Pencahue in the Maule Valley, and production took place at their Molina Winery in the Curicó Valley, 200 km south of Santiago. After fermentation, the wine was aged 12 months in French oak barrels (90%) and American oak (10%). 20% of the barrels were new.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Nose: Intoxicating notes of dark fruit, cherry, baking spice, herbs, and pepper. Palate: Smooth tannins, rich and savory, with juicy blackberry and cherry leading the parade, followed by a hint of plum and a grand finale of cherry fusing with subtle herbs and pepper on a long finish. Alcohol: 14.5 % SRP: $20 Pairing suggestions: Get the grill going and enjoy this wine with seared tuna, steak, and fowl. Or serve with hearty stews, pasta, charcuterie, or cheese boards. Cheers to embracing the last few weeks of summer and looking forward to a stellar autumn!  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Until next time…
Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com “We’re embarking on a multi-generational adventure, exploring three of the best things in life: fathers, daughters, and wine.” Quote from fanddcellars.com The Fathers & Daughters Cellars represents three generations of fathers and daughters. The patriarch is Kurt Schoeneman, his daughter Sarah, Sarah’s husband Guy Pacurar, their daughter, Ella, and Guy’s older daughter, Taylor. The winery is located in Anderson Valley of the coastal region of Mendocino County in Northern California. Their story began in 1996 with Sarah Schoeneman helping her father Kurt Schoeneman research the perfect area to grow grapes. She found a parcel of land in the Anderson Valley, the Ferrington Vineyard, which was long neglected. Kurt, who was a builder, knew nothing about wine. So he wisely sought out the expertise of vineyard managers and winemakers in the industry while also taking courses in viticulture. With love and determination, the Ferrington Vineyard was restored and is today recognized for its premium quality grapes  Ferrington Vineyard Photo courtesy of F&D. They have 72 acres under vine that include Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer. The vineyard is especially noted for its signature fruit, Pinot Noir, in addition to a block of 40+ year-old Sauvignon Blanc vines. Most of the grapes for their wines are sourced from this vineyard. However, grapes for their rustic sparkling wine are sourced from Roederer’s Estate Vineyard. For many years F&D has sold their grapes to high-end labels without producing or bottling their own wine. However, that all changed with the first vintage for their own label in 2012. It also happened to be the birth year of Ella, Sarah and Guy’s daughter and the inspiration behind creating the label. Phil Baxter, a well-known and talented winemaker, was consulted about wine production. Not only did Phil oversee the production of their inaugural vintage of Ella’s Reserve Pinot Noir, he now oversees the winemaking for F&D’s successive vintages. To quote Guy regarding production, “Fathers & Daughters is a high-touch, small production family venture. You will find our fingerprints on every step of the process, from the harvest to the press, to the bottle. We produce all of our wines at Baxter Winery.” Here are three impressive wines that I received from Fathers & Daughters Cellars.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Sarah’s Rustic Bubbles Sparkling Chardonnay 2018 The grapes for this 100% Chardonnay were sourced from the Roederer Estate. It is produced using the Pétillant-Naturel method (pét- nat), a very old technique for making natural wines. It is often referred to as Méthode Ancestrale, which predates the “traditional method”. Unlike traditional-method sparkling wines that go through two fermentations, Pétillant-Naturel goes through only one fermentation. The wine is allowed to ferment naturally in stainless steel barrels. When the sugar has dropped significantly, the wine is bottled, crown-capped and unfiltered to allow the yeast to complete fermentation in the bottle and under pressure. The result is an intense array of aromas, flavors, effervescence and yeast. F&D suggests serving the wine “deeply chilled”. And I suggest uncapping it gently over a sink with a wine glass close by. The foam that spews forth is both festive and quite aromatic! Apples, baked bread, floral and citrus tantalize the nose while the palate is entertained with a fine mousse texture and hints of lemon, apricot, tropical notes and a touch of minerality. Alcohol: 13.9% SRP: $21 Sauvignon Blanc 2019 The grapes for this wine were harvested from vines originally planted in the late 70s in the Ferrington Vineyard. Lovely aromas of floral, citrus and melon segue onto the palate with notes of ruby grapefruit, lime, sweet apple, a touch of minerality and herbs. This is a refreshing wine that blends sweet and savory with just the right amount of acidity. Alcohol: 12.8% SRP: $25 Ella’s Reserve Pinot Noir 2017 Twenty-five acres of Ferrington Vineyard is dedicated to multiple clones of Pinot Noir, the signature grape of this vineyard. The clones used for this wine are Pommard, known for its dark color, intense fruit and fragrant spice components and Waldenswil, known for its floral, spice and bright red fruit. The wine is aged 20 months in 25% once used and 75% neutral French oak barrels before bottling. This wine starts out with heady aromas of floral, baking spice, dark plum, berries and dark cherry. The palate offers juicy plum, strawberries, cherry, and a touch of toasted herbs rounded out with a dash of earth, nutmeg and minerality. It is vibrant, smooth, complex and beautifully balanced.
Alcohol: 13.8% SRP: $52 Fathers & Daughters has succeeded in bottling the very essence of Ferrington Vineyard and is obviously a labor of love! I look forward to tasting their other wines! Until next time… Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com |
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