The Heritage Club - February 2021
This month we feature two bold wines from Porter & Plot, a custom label wine produced by Winc.
Winc is a very exciting virtual wine brand that has been around for a few years and has a hand in making every wine that they sell in their clubs. Their wine clubs start by simply asking the customer about their wine preferences and then curating selections to fit that person's needs. These two club selections are Californian classics that should be familiar in style, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both produced by Winc.
PORTER & PLOT CHARDONNAY
Producer: Winc
Region: Carneros, CA
Grape Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Viticulture: Organically farmed
Method: slight oak, no fining agents (Vegan-friendly)
Serving Suggestion: Serve at 44-48 F with fish or pasta
Age: Drink now through 2022
Nose: white peach, lemon rind, wet stone
Tasting Notes: ripe stone fruits with a hint of minerality and citrus
WHY WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS WINE
White wines are infrequently, and sometimes unfairly, thought of as light and lacking boldness. While that can certainly be true, it most definitely does not apply to this Chardonnay. The flavor profile is beautiful and has a real bold nature behind it. This semi-dry and relatively soft-textured wine packs a generous amount of fruit while not sacrificing the classic new world oaked Chardonnay finish. I love seeing malolactic fermentation in wines because it delivers such a unique set of qualities (creaminess and a fuller mouthfeel). Many Cali Chards suffer from over oak, in my opinion, while others have a tough time dealing with the malolactic fermentation flavor profiles. Because Winc makes so many different wines from so many different places with so many different varieties they have the knowledge and experience to make this wine precisely right. They could have easily gotten carried away with a Chardonnay this bold, but their understanding of winemaking, as well as their customer's taste, thankfully won out.
PORTER & PLOT CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Winc
Region: Paso Robles, CA
Grape Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Viticulture: Sustainably grown in sandy loam soils
Method: 40% new French Oak for 18 months
Serving Suggestion: Serve at 60-65 F with burgers or BBQ
Age: Drink now through 2025
Nose: Ripe plum, cocoa, licorice
Tasting Notes: Juicy with succulent fruit and oak finish
WHY WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS WINE
Paso Robles, California is quickly becoming a hotbed for wonderful wines. This bottle is certainly no different. Everybody knows and understands what Califonia Cab is and should be and that speaks to how good the grape and winemakers have been. As mentioned above, this wine is bold and should be decanted for proper enjoyment. A little air and time will give this wine exactly what it needs to let loose and open up a bit. The vast majority of wine drinkers are looking for varieties they know at a value, Winc understands that and has produced this Cabernet which is not only excellent tasting but an excellent value to boot. The generosity of fruit with this wine is a bit more than the average Cabernet and this is done without losing the cocoa and other non-fruit flavors synonymous with this variety.