2014 Wines

Inspired by Great Legs, a Chateau Ridge Springs and Bauer Vineyards production, we’ve made a “sister” version.  The grapes for Great Legs were harvested in the early season (July), and the grapes for Great Body were harvested in the late season (December). 

Great Body has been aged with Hungarian oak, which imparts notes of smoke into the nose and vanilla in the finish.  We double-racked it, to ensure it’s as polished as possible.  And, as with all Chateau Ridge Springs wines, it isn’t filtered.

Who doesn’t like a Great Body?  We do, and we think this one’s got some promise.  We recommend having Great Body with just about anything you want!  It goes very well with crab cakes (Maryland-style), and it’s nice sipping next to the fire pit.  Heck, it also goes great with guacamole and pita chips!  Don’t let the summer end without a bottle of Great Body !

When we decided to produce a Sauvignon blanc, we thought about all the great places Sauvignon blanc can be found.  Harris-Teeter, Winn-Dixie, Publix, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s come to mind.  But, that’s not it.

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France.  Today, some of the best regions for growing it are South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, along with California and France.  Although there are some oak-aged examples from Pessac-Léognan and Graves, as well as some Loire wines from Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre, we’ve chosen to produce ours un-oaked.  It makes a great summer white, with notes of grapefruit and lime.

We chose to turn Roy Lichtenstein’s Oh, Jeff…I Love You, Too…But… into a love affair with Sauvignon blanc with a nifty Bauer Vineyards tattoo over the heart.  We’re not sure what Roy would think, but we do think he’d like this wine!

 

The Outback is our first 100% Barossa Shiraz offering made with premium grapes harvested from one of the world’s most renowned growing regions. 

Australia is a land of many wonders, and one of them is the  Barossa valley.  Pronounced bah-RAH-suh or bah-ROH-suh (both are correct), Barossa valley produces some of Australia’s finest grapes.  One of those grapes is Shiraz, and that’s what this wine is all about.

This 100% Barossa Valley Shiraz boasts aromas of blackberry, peppercorns and smoked meat. You’ll find this to be full-bodied yet smooth with big, dark, peppery fruit and plush texture on the palate. This wine needs an equally rich dish to stand up to it. Think thick stews, or grilled steaks with sautéed mushrooms. The dark fruit notes in this wine would also pair beautifully with roast pork and cranberry chutney.

The  label for this production was inspired by Australia’s history and wine-growing heritage.  We hope you like having The Outback and thinking about far off lands; but if you see a kangaroo in your backyard while sipping this wine, put the glass down for a few minutes to allow your mind time to return from The Outback!

Inspired by Henry Moore’s King and Queen, currently at the Tate Modern housed in the former Bankside Power Station just across London’s Millennium Bridge, and a twist on Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, our Waiting for Merlot speaks of the seemingly endless time we wait until a red wine is ready to drink.  But, don’t wait too long for this one!

The grapes for this vintage were harvested in 2013 from Stag’s Leap District in Napa Valley, which is famous for over 18 premier wineries.  We think Waiting for Merlot is a winner, even though we aren’t in Napa! 

The initial fermentation lasted eight days with grape skins to transmit the deep, rich tannins of the Merlot grapes into the wine.  We used both French and American oak to bring out a full-bodied Merlot that bursts cherries on the nose along with smoke and vanilla on the finish.  And, as with all Chateau Ridge Springs wines, it isn’t filtered; so every bit of the Merlot grape character comes through.

We hope you don’t have to wait long to enjoy Waiting for Merlot, so if it’s Spring of 2015, and you haven’t opened a bottle, get cracking!  This Merlot ain’t Godot!

Caught by Pinot Noir is our first foray into wine from the Pinot Noir grape.  Finicky as it is, Pinot Noir grows best in only a handful of regions around the world.  Old world wines from the Burgundy region in France and as far south as Languedoc are probably the best known expression of Pinot Noir.  Recently, in the last thirty or so years, both Oregon, in the States, and New Zealand have become major competitors; and they have all but stolen the Burgundian crown wine made from this noble grape.

We also did something a bit different with this wine.  It’s the first red wine we’ve produced that’s un-oaked.  We believe this will allow the delicate flavors and aromas produced from the best Pinot Noir grapes to come shining through this wine.  Unaltered and basic.

For our label, we chose the Bettie Page Rocketeer Poster WOW, by Dave Stevens, because it went with a film noir notion of being caught by a famous detective named, of course, Pinot Noir.  Stay tuned, because we think Pinot Noir will be catching other scantily-clad young ladies wherever they may be posing.

Old Mundulla is a South Australian vineyard located one kilometer from the village of Mundulla, 35 kilometers north east of Padthaway, and 15 kilometers south east of Bordertown.  It is part of the Limestone Coast that includes the famous Coonawarra region.

The region surrounding Mundulla has been rich and successful growing cereal, potatoes, and small seed crops since the 1880s.  A healthy wool trade has operated in the region as well.  The Mundulla property retains a large water right for irrigation of the vineyard, and because of the specific location of the vineyard on the aquifer the water quality is better than surrounding properties.

We chose to name this “Sheer OZ” because of the play on the name of the grape, Shiraz, and because it’s quintessential Australian.  While the Shiraz (also called Syrah) grape is grown in many other places, it has a distinctive character when grown in Australia. 

Enjoy Old Mundulla in any way you like — with steaks or, shoot, plain old hot dogs.  Whatever you do, you can’t mess up with Sheer Oz; that is, unless you forget to drink it.

Caught in Sonoma by Pinot Noir is our second 100% Pinot Noir offering.  Caught in Sonoma started with premium grapes harvested from Sonoma, California, and it spent its initial fermentation with American oak to impart light notes of vanilla and smoke to the wine. The earliest opportunity to enjoy this wine is in spring of 2015.

For our label, we chose a vintage cover from True Detective, because it went with a film noir notion of being caught by a famous detective named, of course, Pinot Noir.  Stay tuned, because we think Pinot Noir will be catching more dames misbehaving!

 

The African Queen is our first foray into making wine with grapes sourced from South Africa. This Shiraz, from the Stellenbosch region, continues to gain international recognition for its distinctively new style. It may best be described as having Rhone-style backbone but with heady, New-World, up-front fruit. It is however more refined than many Australian “fruit bombs.”
Fermenting with crushed Stellenbosch Shiraz grapes has heightened layers of blackberries, boysenberries, figs, and plums, followed by notes of cocoa, chocolate, and coffee. It subtly shows the trademark black pepper note common to all Syrah and Shiraz.
We used a two-stage oak treatment, with French and Hungarian oaks, contributing vanilla and toast while harmonizing the many flavors within the wine. A subtle hint of mineral remains in the background then accompanies the fruit through the long finish.
We chose the movie poster from The African Queen to highlight the struggle South African wines have endured. South Africa is quickly becoming a force to reckon with in the wine industry.
We hope you feel regal drinking The African Queen, because we gave this wine the royal treatment!