The Wine Club before Christmas!
We love our wine club, and you, its members. We enjoy searching out new wines we hope you’ve never had. We strive to bring you the very best examples of some of the world’s famous regions, when we go that route. It warms our hearts everytime one of you comes into the store and tells us how much you enjoyed the previous month’s selection.
To us, the wine club is a gift that you give to us, because it keeps us learning about new styles and on top of breaking trends. So, for the Wine Club before Christmas, we’ve decided to up our game even more and give you two wines (and some chocolate truffles) that would make great gifts for any wine lover. We’re not going with a crazy or avant garde approach this time: we’re simply giving you two exceptional wines as our way of saying thank you for all that you have done for us this year.
Parxet Cuvee 21 Organic Cava 2015
Save this one for either Christmas dinner or New Years Eve, because it’s a special sparkler that you’ll remember forever. Expect ultra fine bubbles that will make each sip feel luxurious. The nose greets you aromas of fresh flowers, tarragon and white fruits. But the best part of this wine is the perfect balance between crisp acidity, fine bubbles, and a perfect level of alcohol.
For those of you unfamiliar with Cava, you may never go for Champagne again. Cava comes, mostly, from a region of Spain named Penedes, near Barcelona, though technically there are many other areas of the country where it can be produced as well. At Grand Cata, we tend to stick to what comes out of Penedes.
This particular wine comes from the combination of three grapes: Xarel.lo, Macabeu and Parellada. The second fermentation, which creates the bubbles, happens in the bottle. This method is called the “traditional method,” or “Champenoise,” because it’s the same method used in Champagne.
Bibbiano 2010 Vigna del Capannino Gran Selezione - Chianti Classico
Get ready to have a sip of this wine, and then stare at the glass in awe. It tastes delicious, sure, but it’s one of those wines that arrests your palate and forces you to pay attention to what’s going on in your mouth. Savory and earthy flavors of grilled herbs, white pepper, sage and soil interplay gorgeously with bright red fruits.
Chianti Classico is actually a geographical denomination as much as a stylistic one. It refers to the region in Tuscany, Italy, where Chianti, as a style, first took hold. Now, the overall “Chianti” region encompasses a much larger area, but “Chianti Classico” refers to an area of approximately 100 square miles between the city of Florence and Siena.
The region is further divided into what are called “communes.” This particular wine comes from one called Castellina. The estate itself dates back to medieval times. The family that made this wine has owned it since the mid 19th century. The estate has very unique geological attributes that directly affect the grapes, and thus the wine. It’s located on hill that has a fault line that runs East and West along it. One side of the hill has completely different soil than the other. The grapes from the south side make the best wines.
This “Gran Selezione” is made from grapes on the southern facing hill, meaning they get more sun and have their roots in better soil. The term “Gran Selezione” is actually a legal one championed by Tommaso Marrocchesi Marzi, one of the two brothers that own the estate now. In essence, the term means that, according to strict standards, the wine labeled with it is the best version of Chianti Classico.
We hope you love these wines, and accept them as a gesture of our appreciation for your support of Grand Cata through the wine club. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!