February 2015 Wine Club Selections
February 2015 Wine Club Selections
Finca Sophenia Reserve Malbec 2012 $ 16.99
Finca SOPHENIA is an argentine winery recognized as one of the top quality wine producers from Argentina. To achieve its goals, Roberto Luka, its founder and conductor, chose Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza, one of the most prestigious regions to produce high quality wines. The result was quite rewarding and the wines have already been praised by the wine writers in Europe, America and Asia. Roberto Luka, inspirer of Finca SOPHENIA, holds a recognized background in the wine world. He was Managing Director of one of the main wine exporter companies of his country and President of Wines of Argentina. In 1997, he founded Finca SOPHENIA naming it this way after the names of his partner´s daughter, Sophia and his own daughter, Eugenia. The wine making team is integrated by Lic. Germán Masera and winemaker Matías Michelini. Region of origin: Estate grown and bottled at, Tupungato, GualtallaryMendoza, Argentina. Vineyards: By the Andes, altitude 4000 feet. Soils of alluvial origin, loose and highly permeable structure. Special handling of pruning, irrigation and canopy to obtain low yields and grapes of the highest quality. Ageing: 10-12 months in French and American oak barrels. Tasting notes: Intense violet color. In the nose, aromas of ripe red fruit, with a highlighted presence of floral notes, perfectly harmonized with aromas coming from the oak aging. In the mouth it is smooth and velvety with sweet tannins. Robert Parke 91 Rated! “The 2012 Finca Sophenia Reserve Malbec has a clean floral component intermixed with ripe red and blue fruit and sweet spices. It feels very harmonious both in the nose and in the medium-bodied palate, where the acidity is the backbone of the wine. It has great freshness, round tannins and pure flavors. This represents very good value. Drink 2014-2018.
Finca Sophenia Reserve Chardonnay 2012 $ 14.99
Region of origin: Estate grown and bottled at, Tupungato, GualtallaryMendoza, Argentina. Winemaking team: Germán Masera and Matías Michelini Vineyards: By the Andes, altitude 4000 feet. Soils of alluvial origin, loose and highly permeable structure. Special handling of pruning, irrigation and canopy to obtain low yields and grapes of the highest quality. Vinification: Harvest exclusively by hand by the end of February. Grape cluster selection (sorting table). Must cold maceration during 10 days. Fermentation through selected yeasts at controlled temperature:15-17 C- during 25 days. 25 % of wine fermentation in new French oak barrels during 6 months. Tasting notes: Golden yellow color of good intensity. Intense tropical fruits: pineapple, mango, and peach, with delicate citric and mineral hints. Vanilla and toast notes confer elegance and complexity. In the mouth, it shows a concentrated sweet entrance of good balance leading to a fresh and persistent finish.
Connoisseur Club
Buehler Vineyards Buehler Vineyards is a small, family-owned winery located in the mountains east of St. Helena in Napa Valley. Situated north of Pritchard Hill and Conn Valley, near the base of Howell Mountain, our hillside vineyards are planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller blocks of old-vine Zinfandel. The family has been farming this beautiful estate for thirty-six years. We combine that experience and the unique terroir of our hillside vineyards with low yields, meticulous vineyard management, and minimalist winemaking techniques to create wines of uncommon complexity and depth, and to present these wines to wine lovers at reasonable prices.
Buehler Vineyards Chardonnay 2013 $17.99
This Russian River Chardonnay is born from two vineyards within the Russian River appellation: Wood Vineyard, located on River Rd and River Vineyard, located in the heart of Sonoma’s Russian River Valley on East Side Road. The floral, mineral, and lime aromas and steely structure of the River Vineyard are complemented by the peach and apricot aromas and more fleshy structure of the Wood Vineyard. The Russian River Chardonnay displays abundant floral/ stone fruit aromas lightly accented by toasty, graham cracker sur-lie qualities. The mouthfeel is creamy and full but the natural acidity of the Russian River fruit carries this velvet textured package to a long, clean finish.
Buehler Vineyards Estate Napa Valley Cabernet 2012 $ 34.99
Situated in the mountains above Conn Valley and near the base of Howell Mountain, the Buehler Estate vineyards are planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon. The topography of steeply sloped hillsides with eastern exposures against very gently sloping hills with southern and southwestern exposures hints at the tumultuous geologic past of the Estate; extensive faulting resulted in at least three distinct soil types. Not surprisingly, grapes grown on the different soils give different characteristics to the finished wines; these differences are often as great as the differences between various Bordeaux varieties and allow us to blend within the variety of Cabernet Sauvignon to craft a truly multi-faceted Estate wine. After the completion of the primary fermentation, the wine is delivered to barrels to initiate the secondary malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged 18 months in barrels: 35% of which were new French oak, and 5% of which were new American oak barrels. The aromas hint at black fruit: ripe black cherries and black plums. Enticing barrel qualities of cola and spice complement the fruit aromas. On the palate, the wine shows layers of deeply extracted flavors that only mature hillside vineyards can give. Our Estate Cabernet is the most age-worthy wine we produce. Enjoy for 15- 20 years from the vintage.
