Kate with Charles River Wine Co.
Free tasting | Friday, October 11, 2019 | 5-7PM
It’s Friday at the Cheese Shop with our weekend wine warrior Kate from Charles River Wine Co. Come try the fabulous wines that Kate is opening, including a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Napa, Finger Lakes Riesling, two Spanish reds, and a Napa Valley Donkey and Goat favorite - their 2015 Mourvèdre! See you Friday!
Free Friday Wine Tasting Line-up:
2015 Donkey & Goat ‘The Prospector’ El Dorado
Who: Jared & Tracy Brandt
What: 95% Mourvèdre with touches of Syrah and Grenache
Where: California, United States (specifically in El Dorado, which is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains)
How: 35% of these grapes are fermented whole cluster before spending 14 days in concrete. The wine is aged for 9 months in neutral French oak barrels.
Farming Method: Biodynamic
Fun Fact: The Brandts utilize many old school winemaking methods; they purposefully don’t crush grapes with machinery and instead have their daughters and harvesters foot stomp them! The formal term for foot stomping is pigege à pied.
Tasting Notes: Mushrooms, dried violets, and earth.
2013 Bodkin Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
Who: Chris Christensen
What: Sauvignon Blanc
Where: California, United States (Dry Creek Valley in Northern California)
How: These Sauvignon Blanc grapes were purposefully left unpicked on the vines to become overripe. They were picked and pressed when the Brix (sugar) level was at 38!
Farming Method: Organic. No added sulfur at bottling.
Fun Fact: To decorate their 2015 harvest shirts, Chris adopted and expanded on House Greyjoy’s (From Game of Thrones) motto, “We do not sow - we only reap.”
Tasting Notes: Candied pineapple and lemon with notes of hay and fabulous acidity to balance out that sweetness.
2017 Boundary Breaks OLN Riesling
Who: Diana Lyttle and Bruce Murray
What: Semi-sweet Riesling
Where: Finger Lakes, New York (Central New York)
How: The grapes are picked at an ideal ripeness and this wine has just a touch of residual sugar added for an extra roundness.
Farming Method: Organic
Fun Fact: Diana and Bruce’s favorite grape child is Riesling; they purposefully create every type of Riesling on the bone-dry to super-sweet spectrum to showcase the versatility of the grape.
Tasting Notes: This Riesling is bursting with acidity and notes of pineapple and guava. Diana and Bruce recommend pairing this wine with almost anything but warn that the acidity in the Riesling would combine with tomato sauce in a very dangerous way! Beware!
2015 Mont Rubí Finca Durona
Who: The Peris family
What: Sumoll, Samsó, and Garnatxa
Where: Catalonia, Spain
How: Aged for 9 months in French Oak barrels.
Farming Method: Organic
Fun Fact: Catalonia is also the birthplace of Spain’s signature sparkling wine, Cava, which was created in 1872.
What It Tastes Like: Gorgeous acidity, tart raspberry fruit, and warm notes of baking spices.
2016 Finca la Mata Ribero Del Duero
Who: Isaac Fernandez and Aurelio Cabestrero
What: Tinta del Pais
Where: Ribero Del Duero, Spain
How: Aged in a combination of French and American oak for 8 months
Farming Method: Sustainable
Fun Fact: Tinta del Pais is another name for the grape, Tempranillo.
What It Tastes Like: Blackberry, plum, and cedar.