Don't let Stéphane Quien's polished demeanor fool you - this French vintner is a bit of a rebel. His fun and affordable collection of wines, Be Bordô, completely challenge the notion that Bordeaux is always stuffy, confusing, and expensive. Be Bordô doesn't pretend to compete with the legendary wines from Bordeaux's top châteaux but offers a playful and tasty option that won't break the bank - each bottle has a suggested price of $11.99. Although the wines are modestly priced, Stéphane is committed to quality and selected Château Merlet and winemaker Pierre Laroche as his partners in this venture. Be Bordô has access to some of the finest fruit and terroirs across all of the major Bordeaux appellations.
Stéphane is no newbie to the industry - his family's legacy as influential European merchants can be traced back to the 18th century. He describes Be Bordô as a "French alternative to New World wines" because it presents the classic grapes of Bordeaux in a more modern way. These young wines are meant to drink now and are crafted to express the freshness of Bordeaux's classic grapes instead of the influences of oak and long aging.
Bordeaux is famous for blends and Be Bordô carries on that tradition. Be Bordô Sauvignon Blanc (Le Crisp White) is a breezy, citrusy, and refreshing blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc with 15% Semillon. Be Bordô Merlot (Le Fruity Red) deftly combines 85% Merlot with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon to create a supple and juicy wine that pleasantly lingers on the palate. Be Bordô Cabernet Sauvignon (Le Deep Red) includes 15% Merlot - it is a more robust wine with a touch of spice on the finish but still lively and fruit-forward.
Be Bordô also helps to alleviate the stress of pairing wine with food: each bottle includes icons with helpful pairing suggestions like Sauvignon Blanc with seafood, Merlot with pasta & poultry, and Cabernet Sauvignon with cheese & barbecue. No matter what food you choose, Be Bordô will add an easy elegance to the occasion.
Australian winemaker Dean Hewitson is the real deal. You won't find Hewitson Winery churning out bottles of low-quality wines with cartoonish labels to ship off to unsuspecting consumers abroad. Hewitson produces authentic wines, the kind that Australians actually drink, and they are fantastic!
Founded in 1998 in the heart of the Barossa Valley, Hewitson Winery boasts some of the oldest vines in the world - some dating back to 1853! Many of Dean's wines are single vineyard and display an incredible character and authenticity. A native of Australia, Dean's love of winemaking has taken him around the globe and he has worked three vintages in France and earned a Masters in Winemaking from UC Davis, California. Dean's experiences abroad have influenced his approach to winemaking and he describes his wines as combining Old-World traditions with New-World fruit purity. Truly a family business, many of the wines in the Hewitson portfolio are named after members of Dean's family.
Watch the video to hear Dean describe his winemaking philosophy, flavor profiles of three Hewitson wines, and a few funny family anecdotes! The wines featured in the video include Lu Lu Sauvignon Blanc, Miss Harry Rhone Style Blend, and Ned & Henry's Shiraz.
Named after Dean's wife, Lu Lu Sauvignon Blanc 2016 ($15) is quite exceptional. Adelaide Hills is considered Australia's premier region for Sauvignon Blanc and Lu Lu has earned rave reviews as one of the very best. No sugar or acid is added to Lu Lu during the winemaking process and Dean describes it as a "complete wine" and a "pure natural expression of this single site vineyard." Crisp and refreshing, Lu Lu has vibrant flavors of tropical fruit, melon, and peach that are balanced by a hint of herbs. This is not an overwhelmingly grassy and aggressive Sauvignon Blanc but its gracefulness makes a powerful statement.
Named after his daughter Harriet, Hewitson Miss Harry Rhone Style Blend 2013 ($20) is sourced from vineyards dating back to the late 1800's. A blend of grapes that are closely identified with France's Southern Rhone - Grenache, Mourvédre, Shiraz, Cinsault, and Carignan; this wine delivers outstanding structure, balance, and freshness and flavors of rich forest fruits, dark cherries, a hint of hibiscus, and dried herbs.
To maintain harmony within the family, Dean knew that he had to name a wine after Miss Harry's older brothers! Hewitson Ned & Henry's Shiraz 2014 ($23) will knock your socks off if you've only been drinking too sweet, too tannic, super jammy Shiraz - this wine is an excellent reminder of how wonderful Shiraz can be when treated with respect. Full-bodied but lithe and refreshing, Ned & Henry's Shiraz is silky with elegant flavors of blackberry, pomegranate, and a subtle hint of spice.
If you're a planning a trip to the Barossa Valley, Hewitson Winery will begin welcoming visitorsfor tastings at their newly renovated Cellar Door facility in December 2016.
If you love elegant white wines with plenty of flavor, nuance, personality, and aging potential; give Fiano di Avellino a swirl! An ancient grape with roots in the Campania region in the south of Italy, Fiano was known as the grape of the bees because they find its sweetness too alluring to resist. After a lovely tasting of Donnachiara Fiano di Avellino at Il Gattopardo restaurant in NYC, I can attest that wine lovers will also find it irresistible!
Winery owner and managing director Ilaria Petitto is the granddaughter of the Donna Chiara that inspired the name of this family enterprise. Located in Montefalcione, an ancient village in Avellino province, the modern cellar at Donnachiara was completed in 2005 but the vineyards have been in the family for 150 years.
Ilaria describes Fiano di Avellino as "aristocratic and elegant" and a "secret wine" that many people don't know about. If you want in on the secret, Donnachiara Fiano di Avellino DOCG 2015 (around $18)is a fantastic introduction. Very aromatic with a beguiling floral scent, this dry white wine refreshes the palate with crisp fruit flavors and a hint of minerality. Fiano di Avellino also belongs to that special club of white wines that age beautifully and I found that the older vintages revealed amazing layers of flavor - tropical fruits, honey, and almonds; while maintaining great acidity and freshness. Bottles of the 2013 are still available and I highly recommend purchasing one so that you can see how beautifully Fiano di Avellino evolves in just a couple of years. If you're lucky enough to have a friend with a bottle of 2007 Donnachiara Fiano di Avellino, be extra nice so that they share it with you. The 2007 is extraordinary - luscious, rich, and graceful. Cheers!
You won't find the king of the jungle roaming the vineyards of Napa Valley but the mighty lion provides powerful inspiration for the wines of The Hess Collection. The lion has been the emblem of the Hess Family for nine generations and has come to symbolize their majestic winery home in the highest peaks of Napa Valley in Mount Veeder. The Hess Collection was founded by Swiss entrepreneur and art collector Donald Hess more than a quarter century ago and the next generation of the family is successfully realizing his vision of creating world-class wines from this rugged California terrain. Following the family credo to "Live Each Day with the Heart and Courage of the Lion," The Hess Collection's wines are bold and distinctive.
"As a student I loved Cabernet, especially from Napa Valley, and it inspired me to pursue winemaking. Now, I’m literally on top of Napa, making mountain Cabernets. Mountain fruit is different from valley floor fruit — and so are the wines. They are structured, complex, rich wines, with distinctive tannins, ageability and concentrated fruit.” - Dave Guffy, Director of Winemaking, The Hess Collection
There is certainly no shortage of big red blends in Napa Valley but The Hess Collection's director of winemaking Dave Guffy has a gift for creating bold blends that are also elegant and balanced. One of his favorite blending grapes is Malbec and Hess is one of the largest growers of Malbec in Napa Valley. During our tasting Dave described Malbec as "naturally softening the wine" and this trait inspired the name of the Lion Tamer. A blend of Malbec (55%), Zinfandel (15%), Cabernet Sauvignon (12%), Petite Sirah (10%), and Merlot (8%); theLion Tamer 2014($40) exquisitely exemplifies Guffy's assertion that "We're all about flavor. We're not making widgets." The abundance of Malbec gives Lion Tamer a strong foundation of flavor and aromas that meld exquisitely with the other varieties. Juicy and luscious with flavors of blackberry, plum, licorice, and creamy chocolate; Lion Tamer is a really beautiful wine - it is very enjoyable now and has what it takes to age with finesse.
Malbec plays a smaller, but still important role, in the opulent The Lion Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ($175). Produced in the best vintages, The Lion represents the finest Cabernet Sauvignon of The Hess Collection. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (90%), Malbec (8%), and Petite Verdot (2%), The Lion bounds across the palate with concentrated ultra-ripe fruit and precise tannins. Rich black fruit and touches of spice and chocolate round out this robust beauty. All signs indicate that The Lion will age masterfully. If your budget allows, buy one bottle of The Lion to enjoy now and another to imbibe a few years later so that you can taste its evolution.
Lest you think that you have to drain your bank account to enjoy a wine from The Hess Collection, their Napa Valley Allomi Cabernet Sauvignon 2014($32) is one of their most popular wines. Their Allomi Vineyard lies in the rolling hills of northeastern Napa Valley and is divided into 35 unique growing blocks with six different Cabernet clones. In each vintage, the winemakers evaluate each block and only select the finest grapes for the final blend. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petite Sirah, 7% Malbec, and 3% Petite Verdot; Allomi 2014 is aged in new American oak which adds warm notes of vanilla and spice to its flavors of fresh red fruit, currants, and blackberry.
Of course, we can't talk about California wines and not mention Chardonnay. The Hess Collection Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014 ($22) is a refreshing reminder that not every Chardonnay from Napa is an over-oaked butter bomb. Round and rich, but still graceful, with supple flavors of peaches, apricots, and Japanese pears that meld nicely with touches of spice and vanilla - this is a very pretty Chardonnay.
If you're planning a visit to Napa, The Hess Collection welcomes visitors for tours and tastings. In addition to enjoying the art of wine, guests can feast their eyes on Donald Hess's private art collection at The Hess Collection Art Museum. Cheers!
Hold on to the feeling of sunny summer days with refreshing, crisp, and juicy Vionta Albariño Rias Baixas 2014 Limited Release($15). The Albariño grape achieves its greatest expression in the Rias Baixas region of Galicia in northwest Spain and Vionta is an excellent example of this wine's many charms. Named after Isla Vionta, an island and protected seabird sanctuary in the Atlantic off the coast of Rias Baixas, Vionta is a joyful wine with lively flavors of peach, citrus, and green apple that are balanced by lip-smacking steely minerality and energetic acidity. Medium-bodied with a lingering finish, the coastal influences of Vionta make it a perfect match with all types of seafood - from fresh oysters and ceviche to grilled lobster and seared scallops.
Vionta is produced by Ferrer Family Wines. Founded in 1861, Ferrer's portfolio showcases their 18 generations of winemaking experience and wines from Spain's most important winemaking regions.
As summer languidly transitions to autumn, I've been having quite the love affair with Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley. Elegant and supple, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is the perfect bridge between chilled rosés and hearty reds. Here are three of my favorites from the region - give them a swirl!
Résonance Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 ($65) is acclaimed French winemaker Louis Jadot's first project outside of France and this sophisticated Pinot Noir beautifully expresses the finesse of Burgundy and the unique terroir of the Willamette Valley. Silky and exquisitely structured, lovely cherry and blackberry flavors are balanced by a hint of space and mellow earthiness.
Ponzi Tavola Pinot Noir 2014 ($27) The Ponzi family's lovely wines were my introduction to the wonders of the Willamette Valley and their Tavola Pinot Noir is one of my absolute favorites. Luscious flavors of plum and black cherry are gently revved up by hints of mint and white pepper.
Pike Road Pinot Noir 2014 ($19) Pretty and vibrant, this juicy Pinot Noir has lively flavors of cherry, strawberry, and an appealing earthy and dry finish. Delightfully refreshing!