March 2015 Wine Club Selections
March 2015 Wine Club Selections
Both the red and white wine come from the Minervois region of France. This Domaine has been family owned since 1826. They consistently make great wines year after year. If you have never had wines from this area, you are in for a treat!
Domaine Tour Boisee Minervois Red 2011 Retail $ 14.99
A blend of the famous Languedoc trio, Grenache, Carignan, and Cinsault. Vinification of each wine plant is achieved separately. Maceration last approximately 21 days. The harvest is fully de-stemmed and the wine is aged in vat for six months. One may inhale the blackberry, the blueberry and the morello flavours. The tasting reveals well ripened berries enhanced with liquorice aromas. Serves wonderfully with duck, tender red meats, and spicy foods.
Domaine Tour Boisee Minervois White 2012 Retail $ 14.99
Elaborated from the three main grape varieties of the Minervois Appellation in white : Marsanne (50%), Vermentino (15%), Maccabeu (10%), Grenache blanc (10%), Roussanne (10%), Muscat Petit Grain (5%). This wine is obtained by a traditional vinification, with particular care given to the pressing of the grapes. It has a floral and refined character
thanks to the controlled temperature of the vinification, which lasts for approximately thirty days. Then it is kept on fine lees until the eve of its bottling.
Once you perceive its golden glint and inhale its floral and complex notes, you will appreciate its soft apricot and exotic fruit flavors. The final taste is long and fresh with a light bitterness which is so typical of the terroirs of Laure-Minervois.
This wine may be served with hot puff pastry appetisers, grilled fish and seafood. The wine maker’s (Jean-Louis Poudou) favourite dish with this wine is fish baked under a thick layer of large salt (Poisson en croûte de sel) !
Connoisseur Club
Gundlach Bundschu Chardonnay 2012 90 Rating Wine Enthusiast! $ 28.99
Aromas and flavors of meyer lemon, mandarin orange and fresh guava are layered with wet stone minerality and subtle vanilla bean. The lush and creamy texture, intense weight and lively finish give this elegant chardonnay an ideal balance of freshness and sophistication, and make the 2012 vintage a classic example of the character of the old vines and ancient soils of this vineyard.
This is a polished Chardonnay, fruity in Meyer lemon and lime yet mellow and honeyed on the palate, buoyed by tight acidity and just enough spice. There’s a balance of depth and breadth to this wine, and a lengthy finish. Some fruit comes from 40-year-old vines planted to Heritage Selections of the Robert Young clone.
Tenshen Winery Red 2013 $ 24.99
Tensley Wines owner and winemaker Joey Tensley and TGIC founder, vintner and CEO Alex Guarachi announce the launch of tenshen, a new red Rhône varietal blend from Santa Barbara County AVA . Through tenshen, Tensley and Guarachi collaborate to capture the unique Santa Barbara County regional expressions of Rhône varietals, as harvested at the perfect moment of ripening.
Joey Tensley has a strong following for his acclaimed Santa Barbara County boutique wine label, Tensley Wines. Alex Guarachi, a winemaker in his own right with Guarachi Family Wines, has grown his import, marketing and product development company, TGIC, to become the second largest importer of South American wines in the US over $10.
Tenshen is a play on words that nods to Tensley’s winemaking acumen and the tension that occurs with harvesting. Tension is a tenacious energy that a wine possesses, inspired by the process of picking at the just-ripe-enough precipice and then getting out of the way. Alex Guarachi and Joey Tensley believe that great red wine is all about tension and the elusiveness of this characteristic. As such, the labyrinth design of the label is emblematic of this puzzle or challenge that winemakers face.
90-92 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Made by Joey Tensley, there are 3,500 cases of the 2013 Red Wine to go around. A blend of Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Merlot that’s brought up in roughly 20% new oak, it should be a smoking value. Showing lots of purple fruits, white pepper and spring flower like nuances, it has terrific richness, sweet tannin and a big finish. (JD) 
92 points Wine Spectator
Offers a fresh, lively array of complex flavors, extending from ripe, juicy plum and black cherry to subtle tar, rose petal and dried herb notes. Features a supple texture and good length. Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Merlot.
