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The Season for Giving is Upon us
This year will be a bit different but still, the desire to give has not wained.
While jewelry, sweaters, or books may be the classic present, receiving a superb bottle of red or a refreshing sparkling can be just the gift for wine enthusiasts. To help you we’ve rounded up some of our editor’s favorites to include in our holiday gift guide to make any wine connoisseur smile!
The Rubicon Stellenbosch, South Africa Vintage: 2015 is showing all of the hallmarks of a great, classic vintage of Rubicon. Incredibly dense purple-ebony core with very slight gradation at the rim. The nose is brooding, dark bramble fruit, cassis, plum, incense, and licorice, it is still very tightly coiled, slowly offering cigar box, crushed stone, and subtle oak spice. On the palate, the wine is concentrated yet restrained with dark fruit flavors of pastille, mulberry, and dark chocolate, all held in an intricate lattice of polished sleek grape tannin. Still very young yet approachable, this Rubicon promises a long future of maturation and enjoyment.
2020 Wine Gift Guide
Table Design by Joel Robare
2015 Enate Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Hugely expressive and intense on the nose flaunting red fruit aromas swathed in balsam
and spice. Pleasant hints of phenols and minerals from the Cabernet mingle beautifully with
toasted, creamy, and cocoa nuances from the new oak. Fat, dense, and meaty on the palate with mature and unctuous tannins, which signal excellent capacity for further aging in the bottle. A lingering and mouth-filling finish rounds off the tasting experience.
Torraccia del Piantavigna Gattinara 2015
Mattia Donna/Beppe Caviola Garnet red in color with a golden rim that develops with aging, the wine has a fine and pleasant nose, with a hint of violets. On the palate, it is dry and harmonious, with a lightly tannic aftertaste.
Tenuta di Arceno 2017 Gran Selezione Chianti Classico “Strada al Sasso”
Considered a legendary vintage with its small yields, 2017 produced an intense, concentrated wine with vibrant acidity. The 2017 Strada al Sasso has powerful fruit and incredible depth. On the nose, the wine demonstrates a playful balance of fruit and herbal tones with aromas of ripe cherry, violets, cedar, and herbs jumping out of the glass. The palate follows with flavors of blueberry, vanilla bean, and sweet mint. Soft tannins lead into the finish with tones white pepper tones, black licorice, and the unmistakable Tenuta di Arceno signature of orange peel. A perfect pairing to classic Italian delicacies like wild boar pappardelle, Asiago, Manchego, roasted chicken, and tortellini with Bolognese.
Dry Creek Valley | Sonoma County Inaugural Vintage The texture of the wine, its infinite range of aromas and flavors is all tangled up with soil and climate and history and culture, a spectacular mash-up of people and place, wit and wisdom and everyday life. The Sbragia family has been farming and making wine in DCV for over 100 years. Adam’s great-grandfather came from Tuscany in 1904 and worked in local wineries. In 2006, after 32 years as a wine-master at Beringer Vineyards, Adam’s father, Ed Sbragia, opened the doors to Sbragia Family Vineyards at the northern end of Dry Creek Valley.
Le Difese – Intense black fruit aromas and flavors as well as the vanilla and spice of oak in a full-bodied wine with supple tannins. Casual beef dishes such as steaks on the grill or hamburgers. Kobrand Wine & Spirits Fruit for Le Difese is selected from Tenuta San Guido estate’s younger vines. Fermentation for both varieties takes place on the skins in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The wine is matured in French and American oak barrels.
2020 Sparkling
Coppery-orange color. Expressive aromas of strawberry and very ripe wild strawberries. A full-bodied, structured, vinous palate that stays fresh. Length and character define this champagne. https://www.veuveclicquot.com/en-us
Sterling Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine is a glistening pale straw color in the glass with ribbons of fine bubbles. The aromas of green apple, lemon citrus, pear, and lemon cream are distinctive. We opened the bottle for a gathering recently and was pleasantly surprised, our guests requested its information.
