Wine Tasting March 31 – April 1 2023
Mas de Cadenet Cotes de Provence Rose 2021 – ORGANIC
“The 2021 vintage of Mas de Cadenet is superb and better than ever, to the delight of all our many loyal followers of this organic Provence rosé, including myself.
The vineyards of Mas de Cadenet lie in the foothills of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire in the heart of Provence. Their glorious new 2021 vintage is a lovely pale (wild) salmon pink. It is fresh, crisp and vibrant with subtle and complex flavours of red berries and white summer fruit with a hint of rose petals, and just the right amount of zippy acidity to give it grip on the finish. The alcohol is a modest 12.5%.
This is as good a rosé as you will find from Provence at a great price – it is delicious.”
– Esme Johnstone, Co-Founder of FromVineyardsDirect
Cooper’s Price $18.99 Mix & Match 3 Bottles $17.09/btl
Camp Sonoma County Chardonnay 2021 –
Stylistically, Hobo Wine Company makes artisanally crafted wines of integrity and charm that respect their role at the table. This means they are true to character and origin, generally moderate in alcohol, and noticeable in acidity. The wines are made without commercial yeast or malolactic bacteria or other commercial additives and sulfur levels are always kept to a minimum.
Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Camp Chardonnay is 83% Chardonnay, from the Lloyd Vineyard in Alexander Valley off of Soda Rock Road, 11% from our new planting of Chardonnay at the Vecino Vineyard in Potter Valley, and the other 5% from 3 other various vineyard sites. The wine also has 1% Viognier.
The Winemaking – The lots were fermented in a combination of stainless steel tanks and neutral French oak barrels, then racked to all older French oak barrels and left sur lies until the completion of the malolactic fermentation, and brought back to stainless for the complete blend and bottling. Cooper’s Price $17.99 Mix & Match 3 Bottles $16.19/btl
Domaine Chaume Arnaud Côtes du Rhône – ORGANIC
In 1956, severe frost killed off almost all the olive trees in the region around the small village of Vinsobres, and people turned to viticulture. Valerie Chaume-Arnaud always wanted to be a winegrower, but her mother tried to dissuade her, hoping her daughter would find a more ‘modern’ occupation. Lucky for us, the strong-willed Valerie followed her heart. After studying oenology and viticulture, she took over the 5-hectares (12 acres) of vines belonging to her parents in 1987. With her husband Philippe, they extended the vineyards bit by bit, which today cover 38-hectares.
The Wine – The Côtes du Rhône rouge is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% each of Syrah and Cinsault.
Kevin’s Notes – I am very picky about my Cotes du Rhone because so many to choose and the quality can really vary. This is an outstanding very small family producer who cares greatly about what they make and it’s what they will have at their dinner table! Cooper’s Price $16.99 Mix & Match 3 Bottles $15.29/btl
Blue Rock “Baby Blue” Red Blend – ORGANIC
Blue Rock is located in the Alexander Valley next door to Silver Oak Winery. The hillside vineyard, consisting of 46 acres, was replanted in 1982 to the 5 Bordeaux varietals. In 1993, an additional 3 acres of Beaucastle-clone Syrah were planted in the hills. The ancient olive trees are beautiful and still produce tiny amounts of organic oil. They make only three wines.
The Wine:
Our proprietary red blend Baby Blue is our most popular wine. Our latest baby is a distinctive blend of six grapes – 43% cabernet sauvignon 25% merlot 11% syrah 10% petit verdot 7% cabernet franc and 4% malbec. The backbone of course is a blue rock hallmark cabernet sauvignon. Merlot brings sweetness and silky tannins while cabernet franc provides complex aromatics. Petit verdot and syrah round out the palate with warm black fruit flavors. The blend may change with each vintage but the goal is always the same – to produce a wine that is delicious and accessible with velvety tannins an enticing aroma – a wine that is balanced with a lengthy finish. Baby blue spends 12 months in French oak before bottling.
Kevin’s Notes – I bought use but Blue Rock Cabernet as a buyer for a wine wholesaler in Georgia and it is a stunning Cabernet, but I never knew Blue Rock was distributed to Colorado until now. Rarely, do I buy any wine for our customers without tasting it first, but this is one of those moments. However, the reputation of this winery far exceeds any hesitation for tasting this wine. It should be awesome!!! Cooper’s Price $29.99 Mix & Match 3 Bottles $26.99/btl
