TASTING NOTES FOR THE WEEKEND
Raft Trails End Vineyard Potter Valley Grenache Blanc 2020
Winemaker: Jennifer Reichardt – Born and bred in Sonoma County, California, Jennifer Reichardt’s family raises Sonoma County Poultry and Liberty Ducks. Barely thirty now, she still runs the family duck farm as her day job, but decided wine was more her thing, so in 2011, Jennifer started working harvests for neighboring vineyards in Sonoma.
The Wine and Grapes – Jennifer sources her grapes from small plots of organically farmed vines, like this Grenache Blanc from the Trail’s End Vineyard in Potter Valley. Just northeast of Lake Mendocino is the quaint town of Potter Valley,
Kevin’s Notes – Grenache Blanc’s origin is Spain. Typically, it’s considered a full-bodied white wine. The aromatics and flavors of this wine are unforgettable of Fuji apple and Asian pear with a subtle herbal quality. The texture is rich yet vibrant with terrific acidity and persistent finish while carrying a very low ABV 12.4%. Cooper’s Price $24.99 Mix & Match 3 btls $22.49/btl
Arndorfer Strass Weinberge Gruner Veltliner ONE LITER – Unfined and Unfiltered
Certified Organic. 100% Gruner Veltliner. Sourced from 4 different vineyards with different soil types. They are all south-facing terraces with altitudes between 200-330, planted between 1959 and 2000. The Kamptal is a cool climate region, named after the Kamp river, which flows through the area before emptying into the Danube. Very high diurnal shifts create thick skins in fruit here, which leading to powerful aromas and strong acidity.
The Winemaking – Whole cluster pressed, with no maceration before. Fermented with native yeast and aged for 11 months, 80% in large neutral barrels and 20% in stainless steel. (Barrels are between 1200-1900L!) Sulfur added once (20 mg/l – just before bottling. ‘Strasser Weinberge’ is a protected name for more-or-less village wines for the Arndorfers.
Kevin’s Notes – MY STAFF WAS BLOWN AWAY! The wine is cloudy because it’s unfined/unfiltered. It’s a powerful white wine as the aromatic attacks your senses with Granny Smith apples, and citrus. The flavors are reflective of the aromatics with piercing acidity. It is an extremely complex white wine at this price. I’ve tasted many Gruner’s at this level at 3x’s the price. Cooper’s Price $21.99 Mix & Match 3 btls $19.79/btl
Domaine Michel Tete (Domaine du Clos du Fief) Beaujolais – Villages La Roche 2021–
Domaine du Clos du Fief is run by the father-son team of Michel and Sylvain Tête. This is a rare 4th generation Cru estate in Juliénas and Julie, based at the far Northwest sector of Beaujolais. The history of these great Villages dates back more than 2,000 years and trace their names to Julius Caesar. The vines are 50+ year old and sit on steep slopes with over 4000 vines planted per acre (this is considered to very high).
Kevin’s Notes and Education – Why is “high density planting” important to know? High density planting means the vines will compete with one another for soil nutrients. This competition will cause the roots to reach deeper to find these nutrients. The end result is a more complex wine displaying intricate flavors of the soil type – it gives you sense of ‘Terrior”. Gamay Noir is the ONLY red grape for red “Beaujolais” wine. Chardonnay is the white grape. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving! Cooper’s Price $19.99 Mix & Match 3 btls $17.99/btl
Dunites Spanish Springs Vineyard Syrah 2020
Winery Notes – “The 2020 Syrah comes from a steep east facing block planted to the Alban clone at Spanish Springs Vineyard. The grapes were hand harvested and clusters were partially destemmed with 65% of the whole clusters included in the fermenter. Fermentation began slowly without the addition of sulfites or cultured yeasts and after two weeks the wine was gently basket pressed to neutral French oak puncheon for ageing. Following 10-months in barrel, the wine was racked to tank prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Taste – Robust olive and black berry aromas are complimented by savory pepper, herbal, and floral notes. The palate is elegant with soft, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity.”
Wine Enthusiast Review – 95 Points
“Earthy aromas of crushed rock and turned earth meet with lavender petals and uncracked peppercorns on the dynamic nose of this bottling. There’s an ashy texture to the palate, where white-pepper, elderberry and black-plum flavors “ Cooper’s Price $35.99 Mix & Match 3 btls $32.39/btl
