Behind the Cork™ - Barton "The Dance" Red Blend

IMG_3193.jpeg

2013 Barton Family Wines “The Dance” Red Blend ($50)

The Barton Family Wines is located in Paso Robles, California and Joe Barton is the Proprietor of “The Dance” red blend. He makes this wine in remembrance of Joseph Barton Sr., his father.

In 1994, the Barton Family established Grey Wolf Cellars with sights of running a boutique, craft winery focusing on small lot, high quality wines. Winemaker, Joe Barton has been doing just that ever since. Keeping with tradition, the Grey Wolf wines still entail small lot, creatively blended wines made from high quality grapes grown locally. In 2011 Joe released two new and exciting brands. One being the Barton label which entails a line of white wines and reserve reds. Joe's philosophy with the Barton brand is clean, dry, acidic and floral whites and best of the best red wines.

And “The Dance” is certainly in the ‘best of the best’ category. From Happy Canyon of Santa Barbera, this blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc and 10% Malbec is outstanding. With only seven barrels being made, this is certainly ‘small lot.’

“The Dance” is medium ruby in color, with notes of plum and black currant and just a hint of oak. On the palate this one has great bold flavors, depth of character and wonderful complexity. Its tannins are soft and the finish is long and smooth.

This one’s a real winner and well worth being called a Behind the Cork™ Exceptional Wine.

If you are in Paso Robles, stop by and visit Barton Family Wines and Grey Wolf Cellars. Or check out their line of fine wines at www.bartonfamilywines.com

Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wilson Creek White Cabernet Sauvignon

Wilson Creek.jpeg

2018 Wilson Creek White Cabernet Sauvignon ($10.97)

Yes. That’s right. A white Cabernet Sauvignon. Were you aware that you can make a white wine from a red grape? Well, here’s the proof! And, you can read more about how this is done in my recent posting.

This white Cabernet Sauvignon was such an unusual combination I just couldn’t wait to try it.

While it is a white wine it’s got just a slight hint of a red shade around the edges - not terribly surprising yet odd. And, the aromas are just not what you would expect from a Cabernet Sauvignon. They are not like a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Gris, but they are also not like a Cab. It was so odd - it’s a white wine but smelled, well, just different. There was some sweet honey in the aroma along with melon and orange peel. Then the taste. Yours eyes see a white wine but the flavors just don’t fit what you’d expect. It really messed with my mind. So unusual. I kept trying to compare it to other wines but there’s no good fit. It was rich in flavor, low in acid and at 10.4% ABV a bit sweet.

If you can’t tell by now, this was such an odd wine. I probably should have evaluated it in a blind tasting to eliminate any preconceptions. But, if you are looking for a great conversation piece to enjoy with friends, pick this one up. And see if you can make sense of it! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Veramonte Carménère Reserva

Veramonte+Carmenere.jpg

2018 Veramonte Carménère Organic Reserva ($11.99)

This organic Carménère Reserva from Veramonte is produced from 100% Carménère (kar-men-nair) from the Colchagua Valley in Chile.

The Carménère grapes are cold macerated for five days in open-top stainless steel tanks and then fermented with native yeasts. Following primary fermentation, the wine is macerated with its skin for another ten days to achieve greater smoothness and intensity of flavor. The wine is then aged in neutral French oak barrels for eight months.

The wine is medium purple in color, with subtle hints of black cherry on the nose. On the palate is has flavors of dark stone fruits and blackberry, medium-low tannin, hints of vanilla from the oak aging and an easy finish.

This organic Carménère from Veramonte is a great fit as a Behind the Cork™ wine because it’s very affordable and attainable. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster, Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Veramonte Organic Wines

IMG_3324.jpeg

2019 Organic Sauvignon Blanc ($11.99)

2018 Organic Pinot Noir ($12.99)

These organic wines from Veramonte are produced in the Casablanca Valley of Chile. Both are from organically farmed vineyards and delivers the maximum expression of their living soils.

The Veramonte organic Sauvignon Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc that gets picked at night and goes straight to the press. After sitting on lees for 24 hours, it is fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve its freshness and flavors.

The Sauvignon Blanc is pale yellow in color with bright citrus, pineapple, pear and herbs on the nose. On the palate it’s got mellow flavors, including grapefruit, moderate acidity and finishes really easy.

The Veramonte organic Pinot Noir is produced from 100% Pinot Noir. After being harvested at night, 15% of the grapes undergo whole-cluster maceration and fermentation that helps build its structure. It is then fermented in small open-top tanks with native yeast. Finally, it’s aged for eight months in French oak.

This Chilean Pinot Noir is pale ruby in color with hints of red fruit on the nose. On the palate it’s got that classic cherry and cranberry flavor of a Pinot with very light tannin and low acidity.

Both of these Veramonte organic wines from Chile are affordable and flavorful, the perfect match to be a Behind the Cork™ wine of the week. Look for these - they’re a great value! Cheers!

Imported by Gonzalez Byass USA

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Rebekah Polster, Donna White Communications



Behind the Cork™ - Ritual Sauvignon Blanc

IMG_3198.jpeg

2018 Ritual Sauvignon Blanc ($19.99)

This is an organic wine from the Casablanca Valley in Chile. This cool climate area is located on the northwestern side of Chile’s coastal range that is less than 30 km from the Pacific Ocean.

This 100% Sauvignon blanc is whole-cluster pressed and is allowed to sit for 36 hours. It is then divided fermented in concrete eggs, neutral oak and stainless steel. By doing the fermentation in three separate ways, the winemaker is able to create different components each with varying aromatics, flavor and textures. The wine is then aged for eight to ten months with the lees being stirred every other week, based on the fruit days of the bio-dynamic calendar.

This wine is pale straw in color and has aromas of citrus, tropical fruit and melon. On the palate it’s creamy-smooth on the front and has nice rounded acidity through its finish.

This one from Ritual is not your typical Sauvignon Blanc. The concrete and oak fermentation definitely adds some wonderful texture and smoothness to this wine. Cheers!

Imported by González Byass USA

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster, Donna White Communications