Farmstead Bargain Wine Club – February 2021 Allocation

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 1 lexicon sauvignon blanc hq labelLexicon Sauvignon Blanc

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: “Lexicon’s 2019 Sauvignon Blanc is reassuringly fresh and tropical, with herbal notes layered over passion fruit, pink grapefruit and apple flavors. It’s light to medium-bodied, with a crisp, mouthwatering finish.”  Lexicon varietal wines are carefully selected by Fran Kysela MS to show the essence of each variety, along with its terroir of origin – both essential elements of a good wine.

Sauvignon Blanc, historically known for the great white wines of Bordeaux and Sancerre, is gaining popularity in New Zealand. Lexicon Sauvignon Blanc was produced from grapes grown in the renowned Marlborough region, on the northern end of the island. Marlborough is recognized for growing outstanding Sauvignon Blanc with mouthwatering fresh acidity, balanced by intense tropical fruit notes.

Tropical, zesty & citrusy. Hints of guava, passion fruit & gooseberries.

 

Olianas Vermentino di Sardegna

While Vermentino has made a name for itself in other parts of Italy (where it’s also called Pigato and Favorita), in France (where it is called Rolle), and in California; it’s in Sardinia where the grape really shines!

Sardinia’s wines have little in common with those produced in the rest of Italy. The island’s remote Mediterranean location, as well as the historic influence from other cultures, gives the wines a unique character that might be considered to have more in common with Spanish than Italian wines.  

About 20% of the grapes are harvested slightly earlier and fermented on the skins, partly in stainless steel and partly in amphora, without inoculating according to biodynamic procedures. The must is then used as a “pied de cuve” to activate spontaneous fermentation. The remaining amount of grapes, after destemming and soft pressing are fermented in stainless steel.  70% of the wine ages in stainless steel “sur lie”, 30% in large used oak tonneaux, for five to six months. After blending, the wine is naturally clarified with bentonite and lightly filtered with cartridges before bottling.  Native yeast, low sulfur addition.


This Vermentino di Sardegna shows a brilliant straw yellow color;  the nose is intense, clean and pleasing aromas of apple, plum and pear followed by aromas of hawthorne, citrus fruits and almond. The wine has a pleasant, medium-bodied mouthfeel, a crisp attack, good body, and intense flavors. The finish is persistent with apple, plum and almond flavors.   Perfect as an aperitif, it pairs well with fish dishes and medium aged cheese.

The winery is located in Gergei, Sardinia, in central, southern Sardinia, a particularly unspoiled part of the island.  Olianas is planted with Cannonau (Grenache), Carignano (Carignane), Bovale, Vermentino and Nasco, all indigenous grape varietals to the region. Olianas has 40 acres of organically farmed vineyards planted.

Moulin de Gassac Rosé Guilhem (Biodynamic and Organic)

Year in, year out, this is our best selling rosé – and it’s easy to see why: bright fruit and balanced flavors, low alcohol and organic and biodynamic viticulture!   

Always one of the first rosés to hit the market, this traditional southern Rhone blend comes from 25-50 year old vines grown along the Gassac River. It boasts a pleasant, intense nose with hints of strawberries. Full and round on the palate with red fruit flavors.

A blend of Carignan and Syrah from Jurassic limestone slopes in France’s deep south. The crop (which is ultra-organic) is de-stemmed to avoid harsh compounds leaching into the wine. The young wine was rested for 6 months in stainless steel prior to bottling, to allow its flavors to come together.  

The producer, Mas de Daumas Gassac, has been variously described as ‘Lafite in the Languedoc’, ‘the only Grand Cru of the Midi’ and ‘exceptional’.

Several years back, the folks at Mas de Daumas Gassac began working with a neighboring cooperative in Sête to produce fun, full flavored wines from the surrounding countryside and rocky hillsides. The goal is to produce wines grown under the strict vineyard and winemaking regimens employed at this unique domaine. Organic farming is de rigueur and the vinification is closely overseen by the Guibert family. The results are splendidly aromatic wines that bring out the terroir of the this Mediterranean region. The wines are named after St. Guilhem, the patron saint of the area where the village of St. Guilhem le Désert, one of the most stunningly beautiful villages in Europe, draws people from all over the world.

 

Due Terre Nerello Mascalese (Organic) 

Winery notes:  “Due Terre Wines is a collaborative effort between friends and we are happy to present our first line of wines made from the indigenous grapes of Italy – delicious, economical, well packaged, and certified organic. All the wines are produced as 100% pure varietals with minimal intervention and wine making in order to allow the characteristics of the grape to shine through. There could not have been a better place than Sicily to produce these first wines for our project – the island has the largest number of organic vineyards in Italy and produces more grapes of quality than have a home in IGT and DOC bottlings and is often sold off as bulk wine to the north. We cannot bear to think of these delicious native grapes disappearing into another anonymous bottle and are very happy to give them a home at Due Terre Wines.”

Nerello Mascalese is an indigenous grape from the island of Sicily that has gained recent fame for the wines it produces on Mount Etna. The grape is naturally high in tannins and light in color, though when grown on lower sandy soils like those we find on the opposite side of the island from Etna in the Southwest, it can be more approachable when young.

Grapes were harvested in mid-September, a short 4 day maceration at low temperature to keep the tannins light, fermentation at 65° F/18° C for 12 days with native yeasts, and then simply aged for 15 months in concrete tanks.

An excellent alternative where you might use any medium bodied, earthy Italian red. Grilled meats, sausages, tomato based sauces, etc.

 

Olianas Cannonau di Sardegna

Cannonau is most closely associated with the island of Sardegna where it is widely planted.  Cannonau is used to make dry reds, rose’, passito sweet wines, or fortified “liquoroso” wines. 

Many of the wines spend some time in oak or chestnut botti (=large barrels) depending on its classification.  Common descriptions include red fruits like raspberry, floral, and spices when more mature. 

It has long been thought that the variety arrived on Sardinia with the Aragonese when they conquered the island in the early 14th Century (from what is now Aragon). However, in the past few years, Italian researchers have uncovered evidence suggesting that Cannonau (and therefore Grenache) may well have originated in Sardinia.

Native yeast, low sulfur additions, tank fermented and finished in oak and amphora, Organically farmed. An intense ruby red, fresh, boldly structured flavors. An explosion of small berries with hints of dark chocolate and tobacco is followed by silky tannins and excellent flavor concentration. Well balanced by the pleasant acidity. A young, fresh and lively wine, ideal with appetizers and main courses.

Azienda Agricola Olianas is all about native grape varietals. The winery is located in Gergei, Sardinia, in central, southern Sardinia, a particularly unspoiled part of the island.  Olianas is planted with Cannonau (Grenache), Carignano (Carignane), Bovale, Vermentino and Nasco, all indigenous grape varietals to the region. Olianas has 40 acres of organically farmed vineyards planted.

 

1 mont gravet carignan cardMont Gravet Carignan, Vieilles Vignes

The Herault region of Languedoc is the warmest part of the Languedoc and perfect for the Carignan grape which is particularly well suited to hot and dry climatic conditions. The vines, all over 50 years old, are planted in calcareous soil on hillside vineyards near the town of Cruzy. Yields are kept to a minimum.

Following the harvest, the grapes are all destemmed and the grapes allowed to macerate for a few hours followed by a slow ten-day fermentation during which the wine is pumped over several times a day to extract as much fruit quality as possible. Fifty percent of the wine is aged in French oak for four to five months and the remainder left on its lees in stainless steel vats. Bottling takes places in late March.

Mont Gravet Red is a beautiful cherry red in color and has a suggestion of black cherries and raspberries on the nose. It is rich in fruit flavors but fresh and easy-drinking. Also, very good when serve slightly chilled.

 

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