Rolling Chardonnay 2009

Type: White wine
Winery: Cumulus Wines
Country: Australia
Variety: Chardonnay

Features

It comes from a relatively young area within the Australian outlook, Central Ranges. It is elaborated by Cumulus Wines, a winery owned the Portuguese family Berardo, which it is famous for a constant technologic innovation and its high precision in all elaboration stages.

Fruit is harvested during early cold hours. When they come at the winery, grapes are pressed softly. Grape juice is paled to leave a little quantity of solids and the fermentation starts into 15-18 degrees. After fermenting, wine is shoaked on yeast lees for some months  to promote the resulting yeast autolysis, which give the creamy and smooth taste of wine. Only a little portion of the mixture is fermenting and aging with French oak.

Tasting

View: Beautiful yellow colour with bright lemon glitter, very bright.

Nose: Remarkable intensity. Fresh stone fruits aroma (white peach and apricot), lemon, melon and tropical fruits (lichee and passion fruit), with superposition of creamy notes and yeast taste typical from the fresh Chardonnay climate.

Mouth: The crunchy citricus skeleton accepts ripe melon tastes on palate. The palate sensation with texture, smooth and oak suggestion adds weight and lenght on the palate. Large, some greasy and a very good integrated, heavy sharpness which confers freshness. It finishes with a large and pleasant fruit finish, leaving spicy and citricus peel memories.

Finca Constancia

Type: Red wine
Winery: Finca Constancia
Apellation: V.T. Tierra de Castilla
Country: Spain

Variety: Petit Verdot, Graciano, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Tempranillo

Features

Near 200 hectares of vineyard surround Finca Constancia where traditional Spanish varieties are cultivated and other new international ones as Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Garnacha and Graciano in red ones, and Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay in white ones.

It has been aged for 6 months inside French and American oak casks.

Alc./vol.: 14,5%.
Serving temperature: 16º-18ºC

Tasting

View: Intense red-cherry colour. Clean and bright. Medium-high depth.

Nose: Varietal complex aromas of ripe red fruit, redcurrant and raspberry, supported by fine spicies and liquorice. Balsamics make their way, along rosemary, rockrose and pepper notes.

Mouth: On palate it is silky, easy, without becoming complex, it has a backbone. Fresh, leaving an aftertaste of red fruits' yogurt. Good weft and lenght.

Viña Bayona Crianza 2008

Type: Red wine
Winery: Viña Bayona
D.O.: Vinos from Madrid
Country: Spain
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo

Features

The winery was founded in 1940. It has 7 Has. in the locality of Titulcia, which allows to irrigate its grounds by Tajuña river, centenary grounds in the cultivation of stocks on limy soil. It has an ageging winery where the French and American oak Bordeaux casks settle; crianzas age into them, which can come to be until 21 or 28 days in contact with the skins (soaking), ir order to extricate the most of aromas, pigments and tanins, which keep the colour structure through the aging. Crianzas are bottled into the 225 l. American and French oak Bordeaux casks, where remain for 8 to 10 months; once this stage finishes they go to the bottling where the aging goes on inside the bottle remaining a minimum of 12 months, where they gain bouquet.

Alc./vol.: 14,5%

Service temperature: 16-18 ºC

Tasting

View: Intense red-cherry colour and covered with violet glitters.

Nose: Very expressive, it denotes the great aromatic charge owned the varietals which make up it, stressing violet floral and blackberry and raspberry fruity aromas.

Mouth: It is pleasant and warm on the palate, with a great persistence and a smooth harmony between tannins and sharpness, with a clean and aromatic finish, where the red fruits jam and vanilla spicy notes are stressed.

Briego Fiel

Type: Red wine
Winery: Briego
D.O.: Ribera del Duero
Country: Spain
Variety: Tempranillo

Features

Grape is from the vineyard from Las Navas in Fompedraza. Aged for 24 months inside French and American oak casks.

Awards: Madrid Fusión 2010, best Spanish wine under 30 €.

It is indispensable to open the bottle 15-20 minutes before being served.

Alc./vol.: 13,5%
Serving temperature: 14-16 ºC

Tasting
View: Excellent redcurrant colour. Clean and brilliant.

Nose: Impressive pallet of aromas, having them all. With time, each of them develops its own identity, offering a variety of flavours: red and black fruit, crystallized fruit, floral notes, rich pastry aromas, clean leather, tobacco, laurel, fennel, toffee, cacao, mineral, etc.

Mouth: The harmony on the palate offers the drinker an extraordinary experience.

Dominio de Tares Cepas Viejas Crianza 2007

Type: Red wine
Winery: Viñedos y Bodegas Dominio de Tares
Country: Spain
D.O.: Bierzo
Variety: Mencía

Features

This wine is elaborated with a vineyards selection of over 60 years old, grown on terraces and slopes of gravel and slate soils. Fermentation is made over 30ºC. Malolactic fermentation is made completely inside American oak casks and ageging is made inside new and two years old American and French oak casks for 9 months.

Awards - other vintages:

Great mention Vinitaly 2002, Gold Medal Oro Bacchus 2002, Silver Medal Wine International Exhibition 2002, Silver Medal Burdeaux 2002, Silver Medal London 2002.

Ratings: Peñín Guide 94 Points, Wine Spectator 90 points, Winner Tasting El Mundo Newspaper Nov. 2003 ‘Best wine’ of Spain.

Alc./vol.: 14.0%

Service temperature: 17 ºC. It is recommended to decant before tasting.

Tasting

View: Attractive cherry red colour, with violet tones around the rim.

Nose: It offers strong fruity aromas of raspberries and cherries, as well as flowery hints of violet, which form a harmonious ensemble with the wood with hints of liquorice, chocolate, toffee, vanilla, and spices.

Mouth: Smooth, full bodied, and elegant, with the characteristic traits of the Mencía grape blended with the toasted flavours of the oak casks noticeable in the retronasal breathing. It has a long and smooth finish.

Beringer Founders' Estate California Old Vine Zinfandel 2008

Type: Red wine
Winery: Beringer
D.O.: Napa Valley (California)
Country: USA
Variety: Zinfandel (100%)

Features

Beringer's focus on excellence is illustrated in its commitment to sustainable practices and our wines express this attention to the environment. Each Beringer vineyard, with its own distinctive soil, climate and terrain, lends itself to particular grape varietals. These vineyards have become recognized as the primary sources of Beringer wines.

Alc./vol.: 13%

Service temperature: 15-18 ºC

Tasting

View: Deep, dark, brilliant red colour.

Nose: It comes along with lush fruity and spicy aromas of wild cherries, blackberries and blueberries, warm spice, forest floor and a strong dash of pepper.

Mouth: On the palate is full bodied and complex with concentrated fruit and soft tannin, the Old Vine Zinfandel has warm fullness, its good structure and balance of soft and juicy berry flavors and smoky oak notes add to the wine so early wonderfully accessible.