A Tour of Wine Grapes: Alicante Bouschet

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Alicante Bouschet 🍷

Alicante Bouschet (ally-can-tay boo-shey) was created in 1866 by botanist Henri Bouschet when he crossed Granacha with Petit Bouschet in Southern France.

This grape is unique in that both the skins and the flesh are red, yielding red juice (most red grapes produce clear juice).

Nearly half of all Alicante Bouschet is grown in Spain while France, Chile, Portugal and several other European countries and the U.S. grow small percentages.

Wines made from Alicante Bouschet can have smokey, sweet aromas including sweet tobacco. On the palate, the flavors include black cherry, blackberry, black plum, and black pepper.

The wines are typically full-bodied, are medium-high in tannin, with medium to high acidity, and very low sweetness levels.

Alicante Bouschet can be aged in the bottle for 5 to 7 years.

Decant young Alicante Bouschet wines for 1-2 hours while an older wine (5+ years) should be decanted at least 30 minutes before serving in a large red wine glass at 60-65 °F.

Behind the Cork™ - Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Pinot Noir

2022 Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Pinot Noir ($22)

Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Pinot Noir is blended from some of the region’s top vineyards. The Rochioli and Bacigalupi vineyards are in the Middle Reach subdivision, where close proximity to the river awards foggy mornings, warm and sunny days, and cool nights. The Toboni vineyard is in the Santa Rosa Plain, a distinctly cooler and foggier sub-region, while the Hallberg and McDonald Mountain Vineyards, located within the Green Valley and Sebastopol Hills neighborhoods, exhibits even more extreme cool climate conditions.

This wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes that are hand sorted. Some of the grapes were de-stemmed and then transferred to small, open-top tanks where a small percentage of whole cluster fruit was added. It underwent malolactic conversion and was aged in 35% new French oak barrels for nine months on primary lees.

Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Pinot Noir is a medium ruby red in color with nice, bright red fruit aromas. On the palate, this medium-bodied Pinot Noir has flavors of sour cherry and cranberry.

Gary Farrell is a top Russian River producer of Pinot Noir. And, at this price, an amazing value. A perfect fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

A Tour of Wine Grapes: Albariño

Albariño

Albariño grapes are mostly found in the northwest of Spain and Portugal but but they owe their growing popularity to the success of wines coming from the Rias Baixas appellation in Spain.

Albariño thrives in cool, maritime climates that preserve its acidity and enhances its aromatic intensity.

In Galicia, Albariño vines are traditionally trained on high pergolas so air can circulate under the vines. This helps prevent rot in the region’s damp, rainy climate—and creates beautiful vineyards you can walk beneath.

Albariño is also grown in the Vinoh Verde region of Portugal (where the grape is known as Alvarinho), the USA (California, Oregon, Washington), Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Uruguay, France and Brazil.

Albariño was one of the first Spanish white grape varieties produced as a varietal.

Wines produced from the Albariño grape are considered to be refreshing, light bodied, with high acidity and low sweetness. They are almost always fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks to preserve the bright flavors.

Albariño wines can age better than most light-skinned grapes (5 to 10 yrs) but are generally meant to be consumed young.

Albariño wines have floral notes of orange blossom and honeysuckle. Flavors include Citrus (Lemon zest, lime, grapefruit, nectarine), Stone Fruits such as peach and apricot, Orchard Fruits like green apple and pear. They can also have hints of salinity from the coastal influence.

Albariño is usually an excellent value with bottles selling in the $10 to $20 range.

Albariño should be served well chilled (~40 deg F) in a white wine glass and needs no decanting.

Behind the Cork™ - Trujillo Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

2021 Trujillo Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($96)

Michael Trujillo arrived in Napa Valley in 1982 from his family’s farm in Colorado. He grew up helping his father year-round in the fields, and learned early on about how soil, climate, pests and critters affect living, growing plants.

After three decades of winemaking experience in all aspects of the business—from vineyard cultivation and irrigation digging, to cooperage selection and blending—Michael Trujillo is proud to offer his own namesake Cabernet Sauvignon.

This wine is a realization of his lifelong passion for crafting red wine, an expression of all that he’s learned and deeply values about winemaking in the Napa Valley.

This wine is produced from 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, all of which are from the Napa Valley. It was aged 22 months in French Oak (82% new barrels).

Trujillo Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is deep, dark and dense in its color. On the nose it has dark fruit aromas of black cherry, currant, and a hint of plum, along with cedar and cigar box. On the palate, it starts bold and then yields a smooth richness with flavors of black cherry, currant, and dark chocolate that culminate in a lengthy finish. [ABV: 14.6%, TA: 5.6 g/L, pH: 3.71, RS: 0.4 g/L]. Cases Produced = 582

Trujillo Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa is truly amazing! And, a real treat for your palate. That makes it an easy selection as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week! Cheers!

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

Media Sample Provided by Trujillo Wines

A Tour of Wine Grapes: A to Z

Photo by Moritz Knöringer on Unsplash

As we begin a new year, EverWonderWine will take you on a tour of the more common grapes, A to Z, used around the world to produce wine.

We’ll look at where the grapes originated, where they’re grown, the various aroma and flavor profiles as well as things like the best serving temperature for the wines made from the grape, along with decanting recommendations and the aging potential of the wine.

While turning the grapes into wine can be done in many ways by wine makers, we’ll also look at common wine characteristics such as acidity and tannin associated with the wines made from each grape.

So, follow along the tour.

Next time we’ll being with Albariño. Cheers!