Four Wines is our chance every couple of months to share recommendations with you for wines we’ve recently enjoyed but weren’t for an upcoming episode. This week is all about California wines and we have four tasty and affordable options.
Belle Glos Pinot Noir Blanc Oeil De Perdrix 2016 Sonoma – priced around $22. In France, this wine is traditionally known as oeil-de-perdrix, which translates to ‘eye of the partridge’ and refers to its pink and copper color. This is a Rosé wine with berry aromas almost like strawberry rhubarb as well as fresh mineral with hints of floral notes. This wine is fruity, light, and crisp with a strong strawberry flavor, with a touches of vanilla-cream and floral notes. The vanilla cream comes from the winemaker using French oak to ferment part of the juice before bottling. Serves as a refreshing break from heavier wines of the cold season.
Church and State Wines Lost Inhibitions 2014 California White – priced around $20. This wine has a fairly aromatic nose of stone fruit, minerality, melon, and rose. A blend of Chardonnay, Muscat of Alexandria and Sauvignon Blanc, it tastes rich with flavors of white peach, citrus, intense floral notes, plus hints of dried grass on the finish. It’s round and complex and although this wine is intensely aromatic, it’s still light enough to pair with lighter dishes – seafood, fresh cheese, or buttered popcorn – or sip on its own.
Carmenet Reserve Pinot Noir 2015 – priced around $9. Typical California Pinot Noir aromas of cherry cola with dried herbs like fennel seed and sage. This wine is so savory with a strong mushroom flavor but still has light cherry and dusty notes. We thought this wine was not as acidic as I would expect from a Pinot Noir and it’s not jammy and flabby either, nicely put together.
Michael David Freakshow Red Blend 2014 – priced around $20. This deep, dark wine has aromas of dark fruit, spice, pepper and smoke. It’s full bodied with medium velvety tannins and medium acidity that striking a nice balance of textures. This wine has flavors of black plum, blackberry, pepper/spice and jammy fruit. It’s high in alcohol with 15.5% ABV making it a jammy, ripe wine but not too overpowering. There is a lot of hype around red blends currently, and this lives up to that hype.
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