Wine for a Good Cause on Veteran’s Day: Purple Heart Red Wine

November 11, 2016 By Clive Pursehouse Leave a Comment

2014 Purple Heart, Red Wine, Napa Valley, California $17

There never need be a cause to enjoy a fine wine, but when you do get to enjoy a wine for a cause, all the better.

Purple Heart Wines makes a generous annual donation to the Purple Heart Foundation, an organization dedicated to serving the unmet needs of military men, women and families. For over 50 years the Purple Heart Foundation has been supporting and honoring the sacrifice military veterans have made for our country. Last year alone, the foundation helped over 19,000 veterans secure over $300 million dollars in VA benefits with their professionally trained VA Service Officers. Only with your continued support will the Purple Heart Foundation be able to provide desperately needed programs to assist veterans with new Service Dogs, Educational Scholarships, resources to help cope with Post Traumatic Stress, and necessary funding for research to heal those suffering with Traumatic Brain Injuries.

Transitioning from the battlefield to the home front has never been more difficult, and every dollar donated makes a difference in the lives of our men and women in uniform – yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The wine itself is made by two veterans of the Iraq and Vietnam wars, and so the cause is personal for them. The collaboration between Ray Coursen and consulting winemaker David Grega, is a project backed by the Mondavi Family. The wine itself offers plenty of cause to toast the project, with aromas of black fruit, dried figs and anise, and a notes of black tea. The palate is full and lush with blueberry, black cherry and a wonderful structure that accents fine tannins and a sateen mouthfeel. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet, and tiny bits of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot.

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Olympic Hopefuls, Brazilian Wines (All Under $20)

August 8, 2016 By Clive Pursehouse Leave a Comment

While we can’t all swim like Michael Phelps or Katie Ledecky, we do enjoy a poolside barbeque. While we’re no Simone Biles when it comes to flexibility or coordination, we’ve been known to cut the rug a little. While we’re never going to medal in an Olympic event, we sure do enjoy watching them. What could possibly pair better with U.S. Olympic gold medal worthy performances than three medal worthy wines from a growing region in the far southern reaches of Brazil?

In the late 19th century families from Italy immigrated to Brazil and in the mountainous region of Sierra Gaúcha they found a place that reminded them of the vineyard heavy regions of their homeland. Sierra Gaúcha is incredibly cool and temperate and quite rainy, none the less, families like the Carraro family who moved to the region in 1875 have found in these rolling hills a place that allows them to make wonderful wines from Brazil.

2013 Lidio Carraro Dádivas Chardonnay, Brazil $15

Made from two different clones of Chardonnay this wine is opulent and round without any use of oak barrels. Aromas of chamomile, apple blossom and pineapple, and a palate that is round and ripe with flavors of sweet hay, cut apple and plenty of texture and mouth filling viscosity.

2014 Lidio Carraro Agnus Merlot, Brazil $12

From the growing region of Encruzilhada do Sul and a tiny four acre vineyard. This Merlot is an exercise in highlighting the fruit character of the region. Also fermented and aged in steel the aromas are cut strawberry and blueberry compote, along with notes of turned earth. The palate is an emphasis on fruit purity, with a bright core of blue fruit, notes of clove and outstanding tannin.

2014 Lidio Carraro Agnus Tannat, Brazil $12

Tannat is generally an uber-tannic grape that can often times produce nearly unapproachable wines. This bottling however shows that even in youth, the Tannat from this part of Brazil makes for very drinkable, well structured wine. This wine is aged in barrel and that helps mellow a bit of the grape tannin and this wine takes on aromas of espresso, blackberry and dusty cherry. The palate is rich and round with lots of dark fruits and cocoa powder and opulence.

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Chateau Grand Renom Bordeaux Rouge 2012 (Bordeaux, France) $15

June 30, 2015 By Clive Pursehouse Leave a Comment

The 2012 Chateau Grand Renom Bordeaux Rouge blend follows in the tradition of the wines made along the “right bank” of the Dordogne River in that it’s a Merlot dominant (70% in this case) blend. The Chateau Grand Renom was built in the 18th century and the winery was later established in 1861 on forty hectares of limestone and clay soils.

The wine is produced to highlight what the “right bank” does right. Merlot is at its best when it’s showing it full fruit character, thanks to cement vats, still tanks and minimal to moderate oak, the Chateau Grand Renom does just that. The restrained used of neutral oak allows the fruit to shine, expect aromas of dusty raspberry, stone and violets. The palate is lithe, particularly for this price point and highlights fresh red fruits, along with stony minerality. Plenty of structure for the price with soft tannins and great acidity.

Pairing Picks: This is an elegant red wine and while it’ll pair perfectly with steaks and grilled pork loin, it’s wonderful alongside grilled chicken thighs and pan seared tuna.

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