The Heritage Club - February 2022
For us, drinking wine is as much about discovery and adventure as it is about simply enjoying the way it tastes or makes us feel. The Heritage Club has featured plenty of classic favorites from California Cabernet to French Chablis.. and make no mistake, those wines are classics for a reason. However, wines like these two Southern Hemisphere selections show off what different, specific wine regions can do with grape varietals more associated with old-world, or American wine-making.
BLACKWATER LAZY LUCY 2021
PRODUCER: Blackwater Vineyards
REGION: Riebeek-Kasteel, Swartland, South Africa
WINEMAKER: Francois Haasbroek
GRAPE VARIETAL: 100% Grenache
VITICULTURE: Sustainable, dry-farmed, sandstone over shale soil. These vines are fourteen years old from a single site in Riebeek-Kasteel.
METHOD: Three hours of whole-cluster skin contact, then whole pressed into concrete tanks in which it sits for around four months.
SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve cold with anything from Valentine's Day chocolates to Greek Gyros.
AGE: Drink now or save for a hot summer afternoon with friends.
NOSE: A quite fruity nose of strawberries and raspberries leads into subtle minerality.
TASTING NOTES: Ripe strawberry, watermelon, and a bit of orange zest show well in this crisp, refreshing rosé.
WHY WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS WINE
A South African 100% Grenache Rosé, sure. Named for winemaker Francois Haasbroek's bulldog Lucy (@lol_lifeoflucy on Instagram), this wine is a favorite in all companies, much like we imagine Lucy the Bulldog to be.
What we love about this wine is three-fold. First, the versatility of this wine is immense. This wine is perfect for Valentine's Day and will suit a large variety of meals and wine drinkers' palates. Secondly, we do not get many offerings of South African wines in the Ozarks. Many of us enjoy Grenache and are even more excited to see the high acidity and full body show through in this different expression of the varietal. Lastly, this is the first rosé offered to us here at Just a Taste for the 2021 vintage. Due to the Southern Hemisphere having opposite growing seasons, they do their harvests in January or early February, whereas ours occur in September or October.
DANDELION VINEYARDS LIONHEART OF THE BAROSSA SHIRAZ 2018
PRODUCER: Dandelion Vineyards
REGION: Barossa Valley, Australia
WINEMAKER: Elena Brooks
GRAPE VARIETAL: 100% Shiraz
VITICULTURE: God's Hill Vineyard is organic and features alluvial wash with grey loam over iron-rich clay. The vines average 96 years of age.
METHOD: 100% whole-cluster fermentation with 8 days of skin contact leading to 18 months in 25% new French Oak.
AGE: Drink one now and then come buy another to age for 10 years.
SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve slightly below room temperature with dark meats and aromatic spices.
TASTING NOTES: Blueberry and plum feature prominently in the nose which finishes with notes of spice and dark chocolate. The palate features bramble fruits as well as some firm tannin that will soften with age and oxygen.
WHY WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS WINE
We are excited about any wine that comes from this producer. With the production of over 30,000 cases a year Zar and Elena Brooks' Dandelion Vineyard products always deliver.
This wine comes from the Barossa Valley, which is perhaps the oldest known wine-growing place in the world. The region is distinctive because of its isolation from the rest of the world. Phylloxera has not yet contaminated vineyard soils in Barossa, which means it is home to some of the oldest living vineyards on earth.
Shiraz, known throughout the rest of the world as Syrah, is a favorite amongst our team and we love to see how different areas and producers showcase the fruit. This deep ruby wine differs from the standard French Syrah by being more fruit-forward and more full-bodied.
This wine was velvety and delicious but certainly packs a punch. Winemakers from this region once used their Shiraz to make port and one can see why when drinking this one. Winemakers and climates are what make or breaks wine. The Brooks' and their wonderful climate in South Australia maximize their fruit and you will be able to see why when enjoying this 2018 Lionheart of the Barossa.