We have some club shipments coming in from Silverado and Petrichor. We also picked up a few bottles over the past two weeks that we added to our cellar. Here’s the list of wines that came in.

2014 Gaja Barbaresco

I’ll admit, I splurged a bit on this one. Through my research over the past few weeks I’ve read a lot about the Italian wine regions. And specifically about the Nebbiolo grape. While browsing K&LWines, I discovered they had a one Gaja Barbaresco in stock. After a bit of reading on the vintage year (2014), I decided to go for it. This bottle will sit in my wine fridge for a minimum of 5 years!

Barbaresco comes from the Nebbiolo grape, the same grape that Barolo consists of. Here’s a little bit of info:

Often compared to Barolo but worthy of its own separate conversation, Barbaresco is home to the softer side of Nebbiolo. For a long time, consumers viewed Barbaresco as a more affordable alternative to the wines of neighboring Barolo, but advances in viticulture and resulting improvements in quality have allowed this region to build a superior reputation all its own.

With a warmer, drier, and milder climate and compact, fertile soils, the wines here are powerful yet soft, fruit-forward, and elegantly perfumed. Barbaresco needs some time to mature before being ready to drink, but less so than Barolo, and the typical bottle is best enjoyed between five and 15 years from the harvest.

2015 Riased by Wolves Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

I’ve always enjoyed South African wines, with Kanonkop Kadette being my favorite. I recently discovered Raised by Wolves, which is a blend of 80% Cinsault – 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cinsault is an older grape varietal that has good a good tolerance against heat, making it a good grape for South Africa and other warm regions. This tolerance to heat also made it imporant to former French colonies of Algeria and Moroccoe. Cinsault is typically blended with Grenache or Carignan, which makes this wine somewhat unique.

Raised by Wolves is the brainchild of a South Africa winemaker, Adam Mason. The Old School refers to the fact that it’s a blended wine, once very popular in wines from Cape Town.

1999 Domaine La Millière Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes

This was my first auction buy from K&L Wines. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a French wine appelation surrounding the village with the same name. It is one of the well known regions within Rhone Valley. Châteauneuf-du-Pape translates to “The Pope’s new castle”.

This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault and 10% Counoise.