Joe's Winos Wine Club FEBRUARY 2017

TONNINO

MEDITERRANEO CHENIN BLANC 2014

Chenin Blanc deserves more exploration. This versatile grape can be produced in a bone dry style that is actually age-worthy. It can also be made in an off dry style such as the famed Vouvray of France's Loire Valley. Some great sparkling wines have also been produced taking advantage of the grape's perfumed qualities. Today, the majority of Chenin Blanc is grown in South Africa with much smaller amounts grown throughout the new world. Tonnino's Mediterraneo offers an incredibly unique Chenin Blanc from a region we've never seen the varietal offered, Sicily. The Mediterranean climate has a powerful influence in this bottle. First whiff and you can smell the ocean air with salty mineral notes, bees wax, lemon blossom, kaffir lime leaf, jasmine tea and a hint of Parmesan. The medium to light bodied palate is floral and a hint tart with toasted marshmallow and kumquat. Mediterraneo finishes as it began in a whirl of salt and bees wax.

Pairings:

Sushi, grilled langoustines, dumplings, rich and pungent cheeses.

WOODWARD CANYON

NELMS ROAD MERLOT 2014

Woodward Canyon Winery was started in 1981 by Rick Small and his wife, Darcey Fugman-Small. From the beginning, the sustainably farmed winery focused on structured, age worthy wines with a clear nod to old world winemaking. The winery has always been very small production starting off with 1,200 cases in 1981 and reaching 15,000 today. Nelms Road was created in 1998 as a second label to Woodward Canyon. The fruit sourced for the label is from Woodward Canyon's younger vines and declassified juice. While the Woodward Canyon wines need years of cellaring before they should be approached, Nelms Road offers the winery's distinctive style in a far more accessible bottling. The nose is a mix of leather, cocoa powder, decaying wood, cured meat, mulberries and dark black cherries. The palate is rich and juicy with black fruit, chocolate truffles, walnut bitters, and structured tannins. The finish is a beautiful combination of bitter chocolate and mint. Washington State Merlots are big and structured and often poured after Cabernet Sauvignon in a line-up. Nelms Road makes a great case for Merlot as a powerful, dark, focused age-worthy varietal.

PAIRINGS:

Korean BBQ Short Ribs, Heavier meats with fruit reductions, burgers with sauteed mushrooms