"Smooth and elegant with red fruit notes of dried cranberry, raspberry, and strawberry jam. Framing the mouthwatering fruit are toasty oak notes of chocolate and caramel. This compelling and nuanced wine has great balance now and is sure to please for years to come." Leigh Meyering, winemaker (January, 2014)
This proprietary blend marries the blue-black fruit of Petite Sirah with the brightness and elegance of Zinfandel. Petite Sirah provides big fruit and tannins, while the Zin provides the brightness and finesse of a lighter, more refined raspberry-strawberry notes and a lingering silky finish. The cab/merlot/cab franc provide more structure and depth. This wine is surprisingly quaffable and easily paired with a variety of foods.
The grapes in this wine represent a marriage of the best from three vineyards in two counties – all at higher elevations and all benefiting from cool Pacific breezes at night. Petite Sirah grapes are from Amber View Vineyard in northern Lake County, while the Cab/Merlot/Cab Franc come from Wild Diamond Vineyard in the southern part of the County. The Petite Sirah has bigger tannins and dark, dense fruit while the Cab/Merlot/Cab Franc have softer tannins than many Napa Cab blends to the south. Both enjoy shorter than normal harvest periods but fully ripe fruit because of their vineyard elevations of over 2,000 feet. The Zinfandel from Firebrick Hill Vineyard to the west, however, enjoys a cooler climate and longer growing season, resulting in a more refined, layered fruit as evident in this wine’s long, silky finish.
2013 Nobelle Wines Carmenère
$39.00
Colbert in San Miguel is one of the only vineyards to carry the varietal in the region. Carmenère always ripens late; mid-October to mid-November is the usual picking time. The leaves turn black in fall, which is very surprising and rare! 100% Carmenère.
Ahhh Carmenère! I never worked with it in France and always liked the Argentinian/Chilean style that was easy to achieve here, thanks to the growing conditions in 2013. The fruit came cleanly to the winery and right after crushing (less than 24 hours later) we inoculated the batch with classic Bordeaux yeast. After press we moved the wine to a Le Roi pungeon where it aged for 24 months. 76 cases produced.
This varietal has a light and delicate perfume. The density of the wine is very interesting, a lot of weight, followed by long and smooth spice. It will go perfectly with a rack of lamb with rosemary or similar, the simpler the better!
The wine is comprised of 94% Semillon, 4% Chardonnay and 2% Viognier. Whole cluster pressed and settled for 3 days then racked off the solids. Cold fermented for 24 days in stainless steel tanks and then racked off the lees. The wine was then aged for 6 months in 4 year old French barrels.
This wine has a combination of flavors and aromas of apple, pear, lemon grass and a touch of saffron spice on the finish. Crisp and clean with nice acidity.
Our 2011 Anthem Las Piedras Vineyard Cabernet is a testament to how much a great site with well drained, rocky soils can mean. This wine shows great bright red fruits, spicy smoked meats, and spice. On the palate, it is full weight and incredibly smooth and seamless, exhibiting more red fruits along with dark chocolate, licorice, and candid cherries. This Cabernet has tremendous elegance, suppleness, and breadth, and will be superb with any meat dish. Exquisite to drink now, and will be even better in 3-8 years.
Our 2011 St. Helena harvest was later than usual. Early autumn rains prompted many to harvest their grapes at lower Brix, but we took our chances and successfully weathered the storm so that we could pick fully ripe grapes of the highest quality. Due to the beautiful sunny, dry weather in the weeks before our arrest, our 2011 wine has gorgeous color, and deep, complex flavors.
2013 Oak Cliff Cellars Wild Diamond Syrah
$45
The grapes in this wine all come from the Wild Diamond Vineyard in southern Lake County. At an elevation of 2,200 ft., this vineyard sits high above the fog line, with 5 – 6 hours of direct sunlight daily and then cooled by Pacific breezes at night coming across the Mendocino wind gap. Its red loamy soil is the result of ancient pre-civilization floods and contains rich nutrients that contribute to the density, acidity and color of these grapes.
Syrah is known as the king of Rhone: single varietal for northern Rhone red wines and one of three primary grapes for the blends from southern Rhone. As a softer alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah still is known for its thick skin and big tannins, resulting in wines that are age-worthy and stand up to heartier dishes. This Syrah is elegance in the glass, with predominant notes of blackberry and black pepper and hints of anise, earth and leather.
A creative co-ferment of grapes native to the South of France:Marsanne 43.81%, Viognier 27.35%, Vermentino 12.65%, Riesling 8.79%, Roussanne 5.0%, Sauvignon Blanc 2.4%; farmed to savor the natural attributes of granitic soils, washed down the mountains covered in Madrone, Oak and Ponderosa pine. Full bodied and exotic, this is a substantial wine, but it’s still balanced with the bracing acidity you would expect from Oregon. The aromas and flavors are laced with hints of honeysuckle and ripe peaches. An ideal match for roast chicken, veal and cheeses. For those that love the exotic, lush and complex white blend of the southern Rhône Valley will adore Longue Carabine.
The very first Chardonnay from Ryan Cochrane Wines and he made it about as simply as you can. That said, there’s nothing simple about this wine! Pressed directly into barrels, it went through both primary and secondary fermentation on its own. All in all, this was fermenting for 8-9 months non-stop. The lees were stirred every two weeks and that was about it! It’s a total olfactory wine. The powerful nose contains hints of crisp pineapple, melty banana, green apple, vanilla bean, creme brulee and that classic marine-influenced Santa Maria je ne sais qois that is synonymous with the region. On the palette, the wine pays off the nose perfectly with an added twist of Meyer lemon and peach juice to boot. Full malolactic fermentation added a plushness up front, but there’s great acid on this wine that carries it through and builds to a nice crisp snap on the finish, which just goes on and on and on. Thine lips shalt smack!
Elegance, finesse and power are three words that come to mind when tasting Oro Bello. Winemaker Alexandre Remy says that wine tasting is first a range of feelings rather than a list of aromas. With his 2013 Oro Bello Chardonnay, the subtle nuances evoke a feeling of warmth. Fruit aromas range from pineapple to kiwi with Meyer lemon notes. The mouthfeel is smooth yet fresh and balanced with well-integrated toasted oak.
Oro Bello tasted best when shared with friends. Gather some of your loved ones for a feast of homemade guacamole with fresh salsa and grille garlic/lime barbecued prawns. This wine pairs nicely with arugula salad, scallops, asparagus, and risotto. For dessert, lemon meringue pie makes a great compliment for guests who love sweets almost as much as they love Oro Bello Chardonnay.
Marsanne, the most underestimated Rhone white varietal, expresses its full potential here, with a traditional rhone yeast and a classic batonnage twice daily for six weeks. It can take as much aging in oak as a chardonnay, up to 36 months in big vats! Some of the most exclusive marsannes in the world are made this way.
This vintage reminds me of white fruit: peach, pear and especially quince which is my favorite fruit. As you taste it, a fresh zest apple comes up front, followed by a dense mouth feel with a lot of weight. Served chilled at 45F, this 2013 Marsanne can age beautifully for the next 10 years.
This Syrah benefits from Solano County Green Valley's afternoon winds which sweep over the vineyard from San Pablo Bay. This makes an intense but balanced wine. This Syrah has a definite fruit-forwardness which will intensify over time, but will work well with stews and meat dishes right now! We recommend pairing with spicy foods like Shakshuka or tagine though it is divine with lamb kabobs or crispy roasted chicken. Enjoy!
Bright ruby violet color carried by lovely aromas of rich, ripe blackberry, cassis liqueur, black licorice, fine leather and rhubarb. A hint of gamey roasted meats give the wine immediate complexity and interest. On the palate, the wine follows the nose with dark marionberry and black plummy flavors. Juicy acidity provides balance for the round, soft tannins and lingering finish of cola, coffee and sweet oak.
The 2013 Walala Pinot Noir is our 1st release from our own estate vineyard. The exceptional site, Walala is comprised of 17 acres of vineyard surrounded by 1900 acres of forestland. A unique site for Pinot Noir in the “True Sonoma Coast”. This wine has a great violate color with amazing depth and clarity. The nose shows notes of cassis, blackberry, and cloves associated with hints of pomelo and honeydew. Bright forest fruit flavors hits the palate. The finish is of lively fruit with lengthy spice and concentration.
In 2014 a small percentage of Tempranillo (about 1%) was picked the same day as the zinfandel, and layered into each fermenter. All the grapes are treaded before de-stemming, to help the wild yeast get a good start in fermentation, and to have a more gentle, fuller extraction of the natural grapes tannins at the start of ferment. This is a deeper, darker zinfandel from a special block of vines just behind the winery.
The deeper, fuller aromas and textures come from the Tempranillo co-fermented with the Zinfandel. Medium ruby color with warm and friendly aromas, like a ripe peach on a barbeque grill, with an evanescent and lifting scent of huckleberries on a hot summer day. Lush and rounded tannins, generously carrying ripe blackberry and blueberry flavors into a long,evolved finish. This is classic, brambly, full-flavored zinfandel balanced by a touch of fresh Oregon acidity. The ultimate match for your biggest, baddest steak on the grill. It’s so easy to drink this wine.
Only 25 cases available!!! This has been the find of the year. 85% St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Oak Knoll Merlot. We keep hearing the same reaction from people when tasting this amazing wine from the barrel “I want to drink all of this now”.
Blackberry all the way with leather and violets living in harmony. A faint hint of orange blossom points to the fresh fruit while the tannins showcase the French Oak.
This proprietary blend marries the blue-black fruit of Petite Sirah with the brightness and elegance of Zinfandel. Petite Sirah provides big fruit and tannins, while the Zin provides the brightness and finesse of a lighter, more refined raspberry-strawberry notes and a lingering silky finish. The cab/merlot/cab franc provide more structure and depth. This wine is surprisingly quaffable and easily paired with a variety of foods.
The grapes in this wine represent a marriage of the best from three vineyards in two counties – all at higher elevations and all benefiting from cool Pacific breezes at night. Petite Sirah grapes are from Amber View Vineyard in northern Lake County, while the Cab/Merlot/Cab Franc come from Wild Diamond Vineyard in the southern part of the County. The Petite Sirah has bigger tannins and dark, dense fruit while the Cab/Merlot/Cab Franc have softer tannins than many Napa Cab blends to the south. Both enjoy shorter than normal harvest periods but fully ripe fruit because of their vineyard elevations of over 2,000 feet. The Zinfandel from Firebrick Hill Vineyard to the west, however, enjoys a cooler climate and longer growing season, resulting in a more refined, layered fruit as evident in this wine’s long, silky finish.
After an early hand-pick in mid-October, the grape came to the winery in perfect condition. We used the tightest settings on the crusher/destemmer to extract all the tannins and color from these tiny berries, inoculated the must with D254 yeast and punched it down two to three times a day. After pressing 21 days later with a bladder press we let the wine rest overnight, then moved it to three-five year old barrels, including François et Frère, Demptos and Taransaud, where it was aged for 18 months.
An initial whiff of violets makes for a pleasant nose, followed by mild spiciness. This soft cabernet with a long finish is typical of the west side of Paso Robles.
Sonoma Valley received its designation as an AVA in 1987. Situated across 60,065 acres, Sonoma Valley includes sub-appellations Bennett Valley, Los Carneros, Sonoma Mountain, and Moon Mountain District Sonoma County. The Sonoma Mountain protects Sonoma Valley from the wet and cool influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean. The Sonoma Mountains to the west help protect the valley from excessive rainfall. The cool air that does affect the region flows northward up from San Pablo Bay through the Los Carneros region.
Sta. Rita Hills received its designation as an AVA in 2001, under the name Santa Rita Hills. In 2005, after a name dispute with the Chilean producer Vina Santa Rita, the region changed its name to Sta. Rita Hills. The region is situated on 30,720 acres in Santa Barbara County. Soil types within the Sta. Rita Hills are notoriously varied between mixed loams, Diatomaceous Earth, and shale. The valley's proximity to the Pacific Ocean along with its east to west running hills allow fog and wind off the Pacific to settle over the grapes and creates a cool growing climate. The cool climate has made the Sta. Rita Hills an excellent area for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Two clones of Sangiovese, from two separate blocks on the GV Cellars Estate, come together to form this harmonious, food-friendly wine. Red fruits, mineralogy and balanced acidity make this wine the perfect compliment to pizza and other tomato sauce based foods.
Here at Qorkz we like wine, food, and sharing our experiences with other wine lovers. We are thrilled to offer our new blog Qorkscru to share the joy of wine culture, along with the great stories and products of our wineries and winemakers. Cheers from our wineries the whole Qorkz team and we hope you enjoy Qorkscru!
