Counter Punch 2012 Merlot - Wine of the Day

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Counter Punch 2012 Merlot bottle shot on Qorkz

Counter Punch 2012 Merlot

$45

The grapes for the 2012 Counter Punch Merlot were hand-harvested on September 28, 2012 from the Los Carneros AVA of Napa Valley at 24.0 Brix. "Classic" and "Perfect" are just two accolades being bestowed upon the 2012 Napa Valley growing season and harvest. Textbook conditions saw near-ideal spring bud break, steady flowering, even fruit set, and a lengthy stretch of warm days and cool and often foggy nights during the long summer months. Late and light rains held off until the grapes found optimal ripeness, bringing exceptional quality to the crush pad and into the cellar. 

The fruit arrived at the winery in small 1/2 ton bins where destemming and hand-sorting occurred. Fermentation proceeded in a small bin for eight days. The free-run was transferred directly into neutral barrels for settling. After settling, the young wine was racked from the neutral barrels into new American oak barrels (from trees grown in Minnesota) where it aged for an additional year. The wine was polish filtered and bottled in April 2014. 

Counter Punch Petite Sirah - Product Of The Day

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This wine is not available in stores and is exclusively available to residents of California or those with a California based wine locker. 

COUNTER PUNCH 2013 PETITE SIRAH

$ 40.00

5% DISCOUNT ON PURCHASES OF 6-11 BOTTLES

10% DISCOUNT ON PURCHASES OF A CASE

HARVEST INFORMATION

The grapes for this Counter Punch Petite Sirah were hand-harvested on September 21, 2013 from the Paso Robles AVA at 26.0 Brix. The 2013 vintage was a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, so the grapes had the long hang time that was important to great vintages. The vineyard experienced a hot early summer, it cooled some midsummer, the heat returned for the end of summer and remained well into the early fall. The outcome of these ideal weather conditions was early brim accumulation with refreshing acidities. The deciding factor as to when to pick was based on the balance of acids and flavors rather than the numerical value of the sugar. 

WINEMAKING INFORMATION

The fruit arrived at the winery in 1/2 ton bins where destemming and hand-sorting occurred. Fermentation proceeded in a small tank for five days. The free-run was transferred directly into neutral barrels for settling. The young wine was racked from the neutral barrels into a combination of new and one-year old French and American oak barrels where it aged for an additional year. The wine was bottled unfined and unfettered in April 2015. 

Taste With Winemaker Steve Hare

The Season Of Sharing

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The season of sharing is upon us and Qorkz is pleased to help you get in the spirit through  Humanitas and Counter Punch. Not only do they produce fantastic wines, but they donate their proceeds to causes that they believe in. If you are looking to do a little good with your holiday drinking, then consider buying your wine from either of these two great wineries. Buying wine to help charity, drinking never felt so good.  

Humanitas

Humanitas donates their profits to needs charities. The best part? They donate to charities near where the purchaser lives. That's right: when you buy, you help your local community. What could be better than that? Plus the wine is outstanding and they make all the wines you could need for your Thanksgiving meal.  So go on, you know you want to. 

Shipping Available To 

Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, and Wyoming: 2 Bottles $23.48, 4 Bottles $24.17, 6 Bottles $29.20, 8 Bottles $37.14, 10 Bottles $37.14, 12 Bottles $40.23

California, Nevada, & Oregon: 2 Bottles $20.66, 4 Bottles $23.42, 6 Bottles $27.68; 8 Bottles $34.77, 10 Bottles $34.77, 12 Bottles $37.33. 

Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin: 2 Bottles $23.01, 4 Bottles $29.60, 6 Bottles $36.53, 8 Bottles $48.71, 10 Bottles $48.71, 12 Bottles $54.25. 

Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas: 2 Bottles $20.70, 4 Bottles $27.91, 6 Bottles $33.92, 8 Bottles $44.85, 10 Bottles $44.85, 12 Bottles $49.58. 

Hawaii: 2 Bottles $43.76, 4 Bottles $54.44, 6 Bottles $67.20, 8 Bottles $81.68, 10 Bottles $96.65, 12 Bottles $107.98. 

Counter Punch

Counter Punch was started to help punch back against Multiple Sclerosis by not only donating the proceeds to fight MS, but by also starting Crush MS, a charity event in the Napa Valley to raise more money to fight MS. They make big, bold red wines that would please the palate of any red wine drinker without the big, bold price tag. If you haven't tried their Petite Sirah yet, you're missing out!

Merlot $45.00; Petite Sirah $40

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Shipping Available To 

California: 2 Bottles $19.09, 4 Bottles $22.73, 6 Bottles $25.07, 8 Bottles $29.65, 10 Bottles $31.57, 12 Bottles $31.57. 

Book Club

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We love book club. In fact, for us it is mostly a wine drinking social club where we not only talk about the book, but we also use the time to catch up with our friends. When it's our turn to select the book, we pick from one of the myriad of books about wine that are on the shelves today. In the Book Club feature, we will share some of our favorite wine based books that we have read here at Qorkz, and we hope you enjoy them as well. 

How To Love Wine: A Memoir And Manifesto

 

Wine fanatics, or those angling for entry to the world of wine, will find comfort in New York Times chief wine critic Asimov’s down-to-earth discussion of loving wine. His approach welcomes all, untangling the preposterous hype around wine scores, blind tastings, and memorizing grape varietals, aspects that supposedly separate the masters from the rest. But readers expecting some handy checklist should look elsewhere. Asimov wants to challenge readers. Answers do come, though, while he considers his own unlikely path from casual drinker to the powerful industry voice he has become. And while much of his story strays from wine, what’s really special here is that Asimov’s argument not only makes so much sense but that he doesn’t take the easy way out, letting wine drinkers off the hook to drink whatever simply tastes good. He values any opinion, as long as it comes with thoughtful reasoning. Moreover, what he argues is most essential for a relationship with wine, and what’s most refreshing to read, is an approach free of anxiety and open to love. --Casey Bayer

Wine Pairing For This Book 

Drink what tastes good? A novel idea in the world of wine. We are big fans of drinking what you enjoy, even if it goes against the mainstream thinking. Looking for a wine that just tastes great from a varietal that hasn't had its break out moment yet?  Try the Counter Punch Petite Sirah. Blueberries, rich tannin, and incredible mouth feel for $40 a bottle. We have a feeling author Eric Asimov would love it.  

Winemaker Steve Hare

Varietal Of The Week

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Merlot 

THE GRAPE

One of the six Bordeaux grapes, Merlot is a dark skinned grape and one of the most popular red wine varietals. While most famous for its production in Bordeaux, Merlot is also widely grown in California, specifically Napa Valley, Sonoma, and the Central Coast, along with South America. Merlot grows in loose clusters of larger berries and has a medium tannin structure. Merlot has a naturally high sugar content and low acidity. Merlot grapes need to struggle to maintain their acidity and grow best in well-draining clay soil. Because of its thin skins, Merlot is susceptible to mildew, rot, and frost. 

THE WINE

The flavor of Merlot depends greatly on where it was grown and the preference and style of the winemaker. When planted in a cold climate, Merlot has flavors of strawberry, and plum with hints of tobacco. When grown in a moderate climate, Merlot has bold flavors of blackberry, black cherry, and plum. When cultivated in a hot climate, flavors of dried fruit, chocolate and plum are more prominent. 

When the fruit is harvested early, the wines have more acid and are produced with a more moderate alcohol level. The wine will have lighter fruit flavors such as raspberries and strawberries with a sometimes herbal characteristic. When the fruit is harvested late, the wine will be higher in alcohol content and very full bodied with deep rich flavors of blackberries, plums, and cherries.

PERFECT PAIRINGS

Because if its deep flavor and medium tannin structure, Merlot pairs well with Italian sausage, meatballs, hamburgers, chicken, tomato sauce, charcuterie, earthy flavors such as lamb or mushroom, pork chops, roast turkey, and ham. The higher alcohol of Merlot can bring out the capsaicin in spicy foods and is not a good match. When pairing with cheese, aged Gouda, Camembert, Toussaint, and Pecorino Toscano are good pairings.

Winemaker Of The Week

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Steve Hare - Winemaker/Proprietor of Counter Punch Wines

Steve Hare is the winemaker and proprietor of Counter Punch Wines. Steve's focus is on bringing bold wines back to the people. He cites love of big wines, and the rising costs of Cabernet Sauvignon, for his desire to create a bold Merlot and Petite Sirah at reasonable prices. If you like full bodied intense wines, check out Counter Punch in the Qorkz Marketplace.  

How Long Have You Worked In The Wine Industry?
I have worked in the wine industry for 40 years. I fell in love with it at a young age and have done every job at a winery you could think of. 

What Do You Love Most About Winemaking? 
I love that every year you get one shot at perfection. The grapes are out fighting the elements and the winemaker does the best he can to help them along. The grapes counter punching back against the elements was half of the inspiration for our name. 

For Those That Have Never Tried Petite Sirah, What Would You Tell Them About It? 
Buckle up! It's a huge wine. Big tannin, big mouth feel, deep dark color and bold blueberry flavor. If you like bold wines then Petite Sirah is for you. 

Learn More About Counter Punch Wines HERE in the Qorkz Marketplace. 

Product Of The Day

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COUNTER PUNCH 2012 MERLOT

$ 45.00

5% DISCOUNT ON PURCHASES OF 6-11 BOTTLES

10% DISCOUNT ON PURCHASES OF A CASE

HARVEST INFORMATION 

The grapes for the 2012 Counter Punch Merlot were hand-harvested on September 28, 2012 from the Los Carneros AVA of Napa Valley at 24.0 Brix. "Classic" and "Perfect" are just two accolades being bestowed upon the 2012 Napa Valley growing season and harvest. Textbook conditions saw near-ideal spring bud break, steady flowering, even fruit set, and a lengthy stretch of warm days and cool and often foggy nights during the long summer months. Late and light rains held off until the grapes found optimal ripeness, bringing exceptional quality to the crush pad and into the cellar. 

WINEMAKING INFORMATION

The fruit arrived at the winery in small 1/2 ton bins where destemming and hand-sorting occurred. Fermentation proceeded in a small bin for eight days. The free-run was transferred directly into neutral barrels for settling. After settling, the young wine was racked from the neutral barrels into new American oak barrels (from trees grown in Minnesota) where it aged for an additional year. The wine was polish filtered and bottled in April 2014. 

PRODUCTION LIMITED TO 50 CASES

Taste With Winemaker Steve Hare