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Wine Details
Price:
$19.00 per bottle
Description:
This is a blend of mostly Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Chambourcin. It is medium bodied with aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, apricots and cherries – soft and supple. Serve slightly below room temperature. This wine pairs well with a beef stew, chili, any Italian pasta in a rich marinara sauce with meatballs and sausage, veal or eggplant parmesan, and blackened chicken with green peppers, onions and mushrooms in a garlic alfredo sauce.
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Varietal Definition
Merlot:
Merlot is known as a Noble Bordeaux varietal. Although it came to France in the first century, it was not named until the 1880s. Merlot was originally used only for blending, as it is soft and compliant, very useful in softening other Bordeaux wines like Cabernets. Recently in California and Chile it became popular as a 100% varietal wine. Merlot tends to be easier to grow in a variety of soil conditions and is harvested earlier in the year than Cabernet. Although most Merlots are made to be drunk earlier, there are many with complexities of a Cabernet. Flavors of plum, black cherry, violet, chocolate and orange pair well with rich, red pasta dishes, hearty chicken dishes, and any beef combination that you fancy. The perfect match of course is chocolate. Not only does the chocolate compliment the wine and vice-versa, but the essence of both flavors linger eternally.
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Cabernet Sauvignon:
Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted and significant among the five dominant varieties in France’s Bordeaux region, as well as the most successful red wine produced in California. Though it was thought to be an ancient variety, recent genetic studies at U.C. Davis have determined that Cabernet Sauvignon is actually the hybrid offspring of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Sauvignon berries are small with black, thick and very tough skin. This toughness makes the grapes fairly resistant to disease and spoilage and able to withstand some autumn rains with little or no damage. It is a mid to late season ripener. These growth characteristics, along with its flavor appeal have made Cabernet Sauvignon one of the most popular red wine varieties worldwide.
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Chambourcin:
A french-american hybrid used to make red wines with fruity flavors and some herbaceousness. Grown in the cooler regions of Eastern U.S. and Canada. Decreasing acreages also found in Europe; due to stringent European Union rules these varieties cannot be blended with traditional varieties.
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