Friends with benefits wine club

2020 Val de Meigas Albariño

Val de Meigas is the personal project of Rebeca Barral from the Salnés valley of Galicia’s Rías Baixas! Rebeca’s family has been established for generations in the town of Ribadumia in the heart of the Salnés valley. The Salnés is the oldest and most coastal of the Rías Baixas appellation’s recognized subzones, and is generally believed to the be the genetic birthplace of the Albariño variety. Rebeca’s family has been producing wine commercially in Ribadumia since 1983, but it wasn’t until 2015 that Rebeca decided to take charge of her own project, sourced from select parcels of her family’s holdings. Her impish imagination settled on the trade name Val de Meigas—meiga (cognate with the English ‘mage’) being a witch or sorceress, a common folkloric figure in Galicia and neighboring Asturias. She has also finetuned the winemaking to express her preferred style, utilizing natural yeasts while avoiding skin contact and extended lees aging to achieve a pure, light, mineral style of oceanic refreshment at an amazingly affordable price. Try this wine with grilled fish, salads, shrimp and vegetable dishes.

2019 Raúl Pérez Ultreia

Raúl Pérez Pereira is universally considered to be one of the world’s most visionary winemakers. Since he produced his first vintage for his family’s winery in 1994 at the age 22, he has been in the forefront of the conversation about what has been called “The New Spain”. In 2005, he left his family business to strike out on his own, creating Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez, which quickly became the point of reference for the Bierzo appellation. In the intervening years, he has expanded his sphere of activity to include the appellations of Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra and Tierra de León, but his heart and his home remain in Valtuille de Abajo, the village in Bierzo where his family has been tending vines for well over 300 years. In addition to numerous other accolades, Raúl was named “Winemaker of the Year” by German publication Der Feinschmecker in 2014 and “Best Winemaker in the World” for 2015 by the French publication Bettane+Desseauve. In the February 2018 Decanter, Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros wrote, “Raúl Pérez is the archetype of the intuitive winemaking genius.” A picture of Raúl in that same article is captioned, “Is this the best winemaker in the world?” Raúl would certainly not self-apply any of these superlatives. In fact, his genius is far exceeded by his humility and generosity of spirit. That humility comes through in his wines. The 2019 Ultreia is comprised of the indigenous varities Mencía with Bastardo (Trousseau), and Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet). Try this red blend with grilled meats, hearty stews, empanadas, pizza or pastas.

2019 Stags Leap Chardonnay, Napa Valley

From one of California's first winery estates, Stags Leap. This Chardonnay is a story of balance, a delicious intersection of richness and minerality that benefits from the classical standard of viticulture, care of the land, and winemaking that is as relevant today as it was in 1893 when Stags' Leap Winery celebrated its first vintage. The boisterous bouquet invites you in with lively aromas of delicate Meyer lemon, orange blossom, fresh white peach and delicate honeysuckle, supported by more subtle notes of Tarte Tatin (recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/vanilla-bean-tarte-tatin) and brioche toast (a nod to the well-integrated French Oak). Fresh, vibrant and mouthwatering, the palate is crisp with layers of ripe Golden Delicious apple, guava and warm Asian pear, backed up by a luscious texture that is rich and balanced (hinting at the delicate batonnage lees stirring that occurs during the winemaking process). Well-integrated notes of vanilla, allspice and crème brûlée lead to a lengthy finish that is full and bright. Maintaining a core of fresh acidity, this Chardonnay is graceful and elegant, full of depth and complexity. 94 points, James Suckling

2018 Matanzas Creek Merlot, Alexander Valley

For the past four decades, Matanzas Creek Winery has focused on creating site-expressive wines. Throughout the years Matanzas Creek's methodology has remained the same: utilize a range of vineyard clones and fermentation vessels, and explore new farming and winemaking techniques, to produce thoughtfully crafted, expressive, and balanced wines. Today, all Matanzas Creek Winery estate vineyards are sustainably farmed and are certified under the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. This Merlot has high intensity aromatics, such as satsuma citrus, boysenberries and (yum!) blackberry tart. On the palate look for tanned leather, black pepper, and black anis. This wine has nice acidity, making it a solid pairing for a wide range of foods such as grilled or smoked cherry marinated chicken breast or pork loin. Also yummy with classic Cassoulet, sweet Italian sausage and mozzarella. Try it with stuffed grilled portabella mushroom caps… Merlot is always great with a traditional ground sirloin burger or, for a veggie option, lentil mushroom burger.

2019 Gundlach Bundschu Chardonnay

The 32 acres of Sonoma Chardonnay on Rhinefarm are comprised primarily of vines with an average age of 30 years old, planted to Wente, See, and Robert Young clonal selections. Included in this blend are the second oldest Chardonnay vines in California – planted in 1970. All of the Chardonnay grows in the lower portion of the vineyard, a section that sits literally across the street from the Carneros appellation border and shares the cooling benefits of the fog from the San Pablo Bay to the south and the Petaluma Gap to the west. Continuing to hold true to its Old World roots of brightness, minerality and racy freshness, this Estate Chardonnay tastes of pomelos, Fuji apples and lemon curd with a subtle hint of toasted oak. Enjoy with grilled shellfish, spring salads, or just kicking back under a shade tree on a hot summer afternoon. 92 points, Wine & Spirits

2019 Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel

The history of the Ridge Three Valleys began with the release of the 2001. The wine contains grapes from a number of Sonoma vineyards—this year, ten. Ridge takes great care in selecting their fruit, which is hand-harvested, then crushed and fermented on its native yeast and naturally occurring malolactic bacteria at both of their Monte Bello and Lytton Springs wineries. Unlike Ridge's single-vineyard wines, which reflect the distinctive character of each site, Three Valleys represents the blending of vineyards—winemaking—at its finest. Zinfandel determines the wine’s varietal character; old-vine Carignane contributes bright fruit and acidity; Petite Sirah spice, depth of color, and firm tannins. 93 points, Wine Spectator

2019 Dashe Cellars "Concrete Cuvee" Chenin Blanc

As long-time fans of wines made from the Chenin Blanc grape—especially those from the Loire Valley in France —Michael and Anne Dashe have long searched for local Chenin Blanc grapes to make a crisp, dry wine from this classic varietal. The Dashe's discovered a great vineyard in Clarksburg California, with climate and soil conditions that allowed them to make a delicious, ripe wine with an alcohol level of only 12.1%. This unique area is in the Sacramento River delta, where cool breezes from the San Francisco Bay cool the grapes, creating hot afternoons and cool evenings that make for ideal conditions to grow Chenin Blanc. They use a 500 gallon egg-shaped concrete fermentation vessel ("Concrete Cuvee") to highlight the minerality of the grapes, and the results have exceeded expectations. This wine recently scored 90 points from Wine Enthusiast. Only 843 cases of this wine were produced and the food pairing possibilities are endless - I enjoyed this wine on my back porch with no food pairing at all!

2018 Bedrock Old Vine Zinfandel

This is the wine that got me hooked! We are currently offering it by the glass at Commonwealth Tap. 2018 was a brilliant year for Zinfandel across California, and this wine reflects it. The 2018 Old Vine is a blend of 85% Zinfandel filled out with Mataro, Grenache, Alicante Bouschet, Carignan, Petite Sirah and scant amounts of the many other varieties that can be found in California’s older, multifarious vineyards. Many of Bedrock's most venerable vineyards contribute to this wine, including Bedrock, Teldeschi, Esola, Pagani, Papera, Evangelho and Pato filled in with lots from other old vineyards throughout the state. This will provide great drinking pleasure with a decant early on, but as with most iterations of this bottling, will develop nicely for a number of years. This wine scored a nice 91 points from Antonio Galloni's Vinous publication. For further inspiration, read more here: https://www.bedrockwineco.com/bedrock-heritage/on-the-wings-of-a-pig/ I have drank plenty of this wine and if you want something really special, seek out some of Bedrock's single vineyard wines from the vineyards mentioned above, which are mostly available through the Bedrock mailing list, you can find links on their website for that, and yes, they do ship to Kentucky!

2020 'Erne' Vermentino Costa Toscana

This medium bodied white wine is made from the aromatic Italian grape variety, Vermentino. Grown on the Tuscan coast this wine would be an ideal paring with dishes like grilled sea bass, shellfish, roasted veggies or pasta with pesto. This wine is vibrant with a palate of juicy grapefruit, nectarine, lemon zest and a hint of Mediterranean herbs that lead to an intriguing saline and mineral finish.

2011 Casanuova delle Carbaie Rosso di Toscana "Rivale"

This is a classic example of a "Super Tuscan" wine, a wine that falls outside of the rules established by an Italian governing body. Rivale is made (mostly) with a grape called Sangiovese Grosso, which is usually reserved for Brunello di Montalcino - some of the best wines (and higher priced wines) of the area. Pair this wine with any pasta and red sauce dish, it will go very well with braised or stewed beef, grilled steak or veal chops. Spicy notes of red fruit, cherries, and gravel dominate the wine’s structured and juicy palate. This wine has some bottle age on it and it's really drinking very nice right now - some are rewarded with patients, in this case the winery held on to these bottles until recently, simply for our enjoyment.

2020 Moulin de La Roque Les Adrets Bandol Rosé

Les Adrets is produced by Moulin de La Roque, a growers’ cooperative situated in the famous Bandol Village of La Cadière d’Azur. Les Adrets means “Sunny Side” in French and in practical use refers to a slope soaked by the sunshine. As such, the vineyards that produce Les Adrets sit upon hillsides facing southeast, steep enough to require the growers to plant the vines in stone wall terraces called “restanques”. Les Adrets is produced from younger vines planted in the five diverse Bandol soil types: rudist limestone, Triassac pebbles, black marl, sandy marl, and red sand. This rosé is a classic Bandol blend of 70% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache and 10% Cinsault, it is an elegant, supple rosé with presence and persistence – expressive berry fruit, herbal tones and the mineral tension typical of Bandol. Drink now! You can pair this wine easily with fresh goat cheeses, pasta with anchovies and capers, grilled white fish, black bean tacos, or oysters.

2016 Moulin de La Roque Les Adrets Bandol Rouge

This wine is a blend of 95% Mourvèdre and 5% Carignan grapes that are harvested, destemmed and sorted by hand. Selected yeast is used to preserve natural aromas. Maceration (the soak where juice and skins swim around together) takes place at controlled temperatures for 28 days. Lots are vinified separately prior to blending, with 18 months aging in large oak Foudres, which are like barrels on steroids, turned upright and fitted with a spout and a lid for easier access. The result is an elegantly perfumed wine that is rich with deep ripe fruit and peppery spice. Drink this wine now or hold on to is for a few years and it will develop a little further with time. Pair this wine with grilled red meats and hard cheeses. 92 points, Editors’ Choice, Top 100 of 2020, Wine Enthusiast