Behind the Cork™ - Hess Collection Napa Valley Chardonnay

2017 Hess Collection Napa Valley Chardonnay ($22)

With pineapple, green apple, and tropical fruits on the nose, you might be expecting a bright, crisp high acid Chardonnay.

And, this Hess Collection Chardonnay delivers the bright fruit flavors as well as a super creamy smooth finish.

Dave Guffy, Director of Winemaking at Hess, says this is achieved by putting 70% of the Chardonnay through stainless steel fermentation to retain the wonderful fruit flavors. The remaining 30% fermented in oak - 19% of which is new French oak.

Only 30% of the blend is allowed to undergo the secondary fermentation.

The aging of this Hess Collection Chardonnay is done for nine months in the barrel with the lees being stirred weekly for first four months.

This is a truly excellent Chardonnay from Napa Valley. And, at this price, it’s well worth being a Behind the Cork™ wine of the week! Cheers!

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

Sample Provided by Donna White of Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Beronia Crianza

2016 Beronia Crianza ($14.99)

The Rioja region of Spain is noted for its Tempranillo and this one from Beronia is indeed noteworthy.

This is a typical Rioja blend of grapes consisting of 91% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha and 1% Mazuelo (a.k.a Carignan).

The Tempranillo in this wine defines its structure. The Grenache provides more berry flavors and spices while adding to its wonderful aroma. Finally, the Carignan, even this wine’s 1%, adds acidity and an ever-so-slight hint of tannin.

With nice bright fruit on the nose, this wine immediately yields red fruit flavors of cherry and raspberry. Its medium body allows the fruit flavors to shine though.

This wine’s label includes the word “crianza.” In case you are not familiar with this term, crianza indicates that wine has spent one year in oak barrels.

The oak aging was done in mixed barrels with American oak staves and French oak caps. This process added subtle spice flavors and yielded low tannin. This makes for an easy finish with each sip.

This is a very nice wine that can pair with lighter fare and also stands up nicely with bigger-flavored foods.

As with all wines featured as a Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week, it’s very affordable and easily attainable. Enjoy! Cheers!

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

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster, Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Phantom Red Blend by Bogle

2015 Phantom Red Blend by Bogle ($25)

The Phantom is back! Last week’s Behind the Cork™ feature was the Phantom Chardonnay that was so good I went out and bought another bottle. This week feature is the Phantom Red Blend by Bogle.

This Phantom Red Blend is comprised of 44% Petite Sirah, 44% Zinfandel, 10% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. It spent 24 months in 1 & 2 year-old American and French Oak.

On the nose you know you are going to get richness, dark fruit, some earthiness and a healthy dose of oak.

And that oak comes right through. Along with the richness of the Petite Sirah, and the jammy Zinfandel, you get wonderful chocolate and vanilla tones from the oak that are followed up with a low tannin, smooth and lingering finish.

I’ve enjoyed Bogle wines for years but this offering from their Phantom label, along with their Phantom Chardonnay, really step it up a few notches.

And, you can bet I’ll be out soon looking for more of this Phantom Red Blend by Bogle! Cheers!

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

Sample Provided by Bogle Vineyards

Ever Wonder? - What Does 'Vin Sec' Mean on a Riesling Label

Ever wonder what “Vin Sec” means on the label of a bottle of Riesling?

In French it literally means ‘dry wine.’

Riesling is a wine that is most famously produced in Germany where nearly half the world's Riesling grapes are grown. Other great producers of Riesling include the Alsace region of France, Australia, Austria, Canada and the United States.

Riesling that is grown in cooler climate regions result in highly aromatic wines with great acidity and big, bright fruit flavors. But mention a Riesling and most often you'll hear "Oh, that's a sweet wine."

But not all Rieslings are sweet. They can span the range from dry to sweet. The Alsace region of France is known for its dry Riesling. And warmer climates, such as California, Oregon and Washington, produce dry Rieslings that typically have more muted fruit flavors, are more medium to full-bodied.

So, if you are looking for Riesling that is not sweet, look for the words ‘Vin Sec’ on the label. This will ensure that you’re getting a ‘dry’ or low-sugar wine.

Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Phantom Chardonnay by Bogle

2017 Phantom Chardonnay by Bogle ($20)

Here’s a “scary” one from Bogle that is very appropriate as we approach Halloween. This Phantom Chardonnay is inspired by a ghostly figure that wanders the Bogle cellars at night. And, there are also some paranormal stories of the Phantom available by downloading the “Augmented Reality Wine Labels” app from the internet and scanning the Phantom bottle label.

As for this Phantom Chardonnay, it was sur lee aged for 10 months in 100% French Oak with lees stirring twice a month.

The result is anything but scary. It’s actually downright friendly to the nose and pallet. This Chardonnay has wonderful aromas of honey, vanilla and baked apples. The oak aging results in creamy, buttery flavors of caramel and butterscotch, along with apple and pear with just a touch of acidity to round out its flavor.

After tasting this one, I went out the next day and bought another one. It’s that good. So keep you eyes out for this Phantom Chardonnay by Bogle! Cheers!

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

Sample Provided by Bogle Vineyards