Behind the Cork™ - Beronia Crianza

2017 Beronia Crianza ($7.99 and $14.99)

This week’s Behind the Cork™ features two bottles of Beronia Crianza - the traditional 750 ml bottle and a 375 ml bottle that’s perfect for single serve meet-ups with friends at a distance. In this new era of socializing, the smaller bottle helps you take your own bottle at a manageable size.

This wine is imported by González Byass which is headquartered in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. It is a family-­owned collection of wineries that was founded in 1835 and spans across Spain’s most important wine producing regions.

This Beronia Crianza, from the Rioja region of Spain, is made from 94% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha and 1% Mazuelo (a.k.a. Carignan). By Rioja regulations, a Crianza (“kree-ahn-tha”) wine must be aged for a total of two years with at least one year in oak barrels. In the case of this wine, its one year of barrel aging was done in barrels made of American oak staves and French oak ends. It was then bottled and left to rest for three months prior to its release.

This wine is medium ruby in color and has nice aromatics including red fruits (cherry and raspberry), fig, tobacco and wood. On the palate this Beronia Crianza has big red fruit flavors, medium tannin and a really nice lingering finish with a bit of crisp acidity. And, amazingly, I really believe that small addition of Mazuelo enhances the cherry/cranberry/raspberry flavor of this wine.

This Beronia Crianza Rioja is imported by González Byass USA and nicely fits as an affordable and attainable Behind the Cork™ wine of the week! Cheers!

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

Samples Provided by Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Lyeth Meritage Red Blend

2014 Lyeth Meritage Sonoma Red Blend ($26)

Lyeth (“Leeth”) Estate was created in 1981 by founder Chip Lyeth who was captivated by the Bordeaux style of wine blending to achieve the most intriguing, inspiring wines.

And a Bordeaux blend this one is indeed. This Meritage (rhymes with Heritage) is produced from 41% Petit Verdot, 27% Malbec, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Carnénère and 1% Merlot.

This wine is medium purple in color and has notes of black cherry, plum and violets along with hints of sweet tobacco, some earthiness and oak.

I was expecting a big, bold and tannic wine. But, this 2014 Meritage has had some time to soften with age.

On the palate it’s steady in its profile with soft tannin and, surprisingly, a bigger finish of jammy fruit.

This Lyeth Meritage is part of the Boisset Collection of wines owned by Jean-Charles Boisset. His parents founded the family winery in 1961 and today the family collection includes wineries that share more than 20 centuries of combined winemaking heritage and tradition in some of the world’s most prestigious terroirs, from Burgundy to the South of France, to California’s Napa Valley and Russian River Valley. 

If you are looking for a nice Bordeaux-style red wine, at a very affordable price, be sure to look for Lyeth Sonoma Meritage. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Opolo Vineyards Fusion Red Blend

2014 Opolo Fusion Red Blend ($28)

Several years ago, I was given a bottle of Opolo Reserve Zinfandel and thought it was one of the best bottles I had ever had. I’ve remained a big fan of Opolo and have visited their tasting room during a visit to Paso Robles.

Opolo’s was established in 1995, and has vineyards on both the west and east side of Paso Robles. The coastal influence of the westside vineyards provides for intense and unique flavor profiles. The heat and dryness of the east side vineyards make it an ideal microclimate for growing Bordeaux varietals.

This Opolo Fusion is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. It is deep ruby in color with aromas of plum and blackberry. On the palate it’s big and bold with a powerful front of fruity flavors that trails off to an easy finish. Right out of the bottle this 2014 showed its firm tannins but after about an hour in a decanter it settled down nicely.

Be sure to check out all of Opolo’s super wines on their website or stop in and visit their tasting room next time you are in Paso Robles. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - J Vineyards California Cuvee

J Vineyards California Cuvée ($18)

I recent had an opportunity to share in a celebration and wanted a nice sparkling wine for the occasion. Seeing this bottle of J Vineyards California Cuvée already chilled at the store made my decision an easy one.

Having visited J Vineyards in Healdsburg (Sonoma County), I was well aware of their fine sparkling wines and beautiful tasting room that includes the gorgeous “Bubble Room.”

This sparkling wine is a ‘brut’ meaning that it is “Dry” (very low in residual sugar).

This J Vineyards sparkling wine has aromas of citrus and orange blossom. On the palate its fruit flavors include crisp green apple, juicy pear, fresh-cut lemon and lime. It finishes with refreshing mouth-watering acidity.

According to J Vineyards, the grapes for the California Cuvée were primarily hand-harvested and placed as whole clusters, without destemming, into their presses for a gentle, low-pressure pressing that minimizes the breakdown of grape skins and seeds. Each vineyard lot was then fermented and kept separate until blending. Reserve wine from previous vintages was also added to round it out.

As is customary for traditional method sparkling wine production, the secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle. The wine was aged on the yeast in their cellars for a minimum of 24 months in order to develop deeper complexity as it aged. A dosage (a sweetened spirit added at the end) of aged reserve wine and cane sugar was added to further complexity. The California Cuvée was then aged for at least an additional four months before release.

If you are looking for a really nice sparkling wine for a celebration, or any occasion, this J Vineyards California Cuvée is a great choice. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Rombauer El Dorado Twin Rivers Zinfandel

2017 Rombauer El Dorado “Twin Rivers” Zinfandel ($42)

Rombauer’s El Dorado (“the golden”) Vineyard is located 1,650 feet above sea level in the Sierra Foothills of El Dorado County, California. Its sandy soils, high elevation, and warm days and cool night air are ideal for growing Zinfandel.

The grapes were carefully de-stemmed and sorted to ensure only perfect fruit made it into the wine. A cold soak extracted color and flavor before primary fermentation began. The wine was then gently pressed, racked to oak barrels to finish primary fermentation, malolactic conversion, and aging in French and American oak for 15 months.

The Rombauer Twin Rivers Zinfandel is composed of 85% Zinfandel and 15% Petite Sirah.

This wine is medium ruby red with plum, black cherry and hints of wood on the nose. On the palate it has rich dark fruits flavors along with notes of smoke and oak. The tannins are very light and smooth. The wine finishes light and easy.

I’m a big fan of wines from El Dorado and this Twin Rivers Zinfandel from Rombauer is a great one! Cheers!