Neck ties need not apply. What Dad wants for Father’s Day and probably everyday is WINE! But what wine the big guy will like depends a lot on his taste and his personality. So without further ado here are 8 Different Types of Father’s Day Wines for Dear Old Dad.
Mountain Man
If your Dad has a pioneering spirit then the 2011 Mt. Brave Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon will make him weak in the knees. The respect for the land held by the Wappo, “The Brave Ones,” who first called the mountain home, still resonates. Wine has been crafted from Mt. Veeder soils since the early 1860s.
Along with other Napa winemaking pioneers such as Charles Krug and Agoston Haraszthy, Captain Stalham Wing, who arrived on Mt. Veeder in 1853, showed the first Mt. Veeder wine at the Napa County Fair in 1864. The land that is now home to Mt. Brave was originally purchased in 1841, before the Gold Rush forever changed California and two decades before the Civil War.
2011 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon $75.00
The 2011 Mt. Brave Cabernet presents notes of roasted espresso, blueberry, anise, and violets with a cleansing minerality, expansive mouth feel, and great balance.
Appellation: Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley
Composition: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc
Alcohol by volume: 14.5%
Aged 19 months in 91% new French oak barrels
Papa Don’t Preach We Know Pops Loves Pinot
Clos de la Tech winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains has a vineyard that is incredibly steep, some slopes are 35 degrees. The wines are made by owners (Cypress Semi-Conductor CEO) T.J. Rodgers and his wife Valeta- using equipment they have personally engineered. With caves tunneling deep into the Santa Cruz Mountains and vineyards so steep they have to be farmed with a one-of-a-kind tractor moved by cables, Clos de la Tech is one of the most ambitious and innovative Pinot Noir producers in California.
The Estate bottling from Domaine Lois Louise is always our most accessible and imminently drinkable wine upon release. It is rich and full bodied with intense fruit (black cherry, plum, cranberry and blueberry jam), moderate oakiness and a long finish. The wine has an “Old World” balance between acidity and tannin.
Clos de la Tech 2009 Pinot Noir $42
100% Pinot Noir
Vineyard: Domaine Lois Louise Estate
Barrel Aging: 18 months in Francois Frères French oak barrels (75% new)
Alcohol: 14.13
Production: 588 cases
McIntyre Vineyards
The McIntyre Estate Vineyard lies in the “sweet spot” of Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, a 12-mile stretch of east-facing benchland renowned for producing wines with great character and complexity. Originally planted in 1973, the 80-acre site boasts some of the Highlands’ oldest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. Since purchasing the property in 1987, the McIntyre family has viticulturally upgraded the entire site.
Today, McIntyre Vineyards produces estate, vineyard designated, and block designated wines from their estate and neighboring vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco Avas. They produce several distinct pinot noirs, chardonnays and a merlot, sparkling wine and a rose.
With degrees in viticulture and enology, Steve McIntyre is that rare combination of winegrower and winemaker. With a history in SLH that stretches nearly four decades, Steve has a unique perspective on the terroir and wines of this great appellation. In 1987, following many years as winemaker at Smith & Hook, a neighboring winery in the Highlands, he purchased the adjacent 80-acre vineyard parcel that would eventually become McIntyre Vineyards.
2013 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir $34
Vintage: 2013
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands
Harvest Date: September 2013
Aging: Oak Barrel
Bottling Date: August 2014
Organic Old Man
Natura Syrah $12
Varietal 100% Syrah
Region: Rapel Valley
Vineyards: Rapel Valley, Chile. The soil is an alluvial mixture of clay and sand.
Winemaking: The organically grown grapes are hand-picked in mid-April. After the crush, the must is transferred to temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks to cold soak before undergoing alcoholic fermentation. The wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation naturally. 20% of this wine is aged in French oak barrels for 6 months.
Tasting Notes Color: Deep ruby red in color. Bouquet: Notes of rich mocha and ripe red fruit. Taste: Soft, voluptuous tannins framed by red fruit and a touch of pepper spice, with good length and balance.
Food Pairing This wine pairs well with grilled or roasted meats, game such as duck, pâtés and sautéed vegetables.
Additional Notes 100% organically grown grapes.
Family Man
2012 Susana Balbo Signature Brioso $45
Winemaker Tasting Notes: Dark red-ruby. Peppery dark fruits, black tea, cedar and fresh herbs on the vibrant nose. Reveal a terrific purity of fruit perfectly framed by ripe acidity. Finishes broad, with ripe tannins and excellent grip.
Vintage: 2012
Varietals: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot.
Regions: Dominio, Agrelo (Luján de Cuyo)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Oak Aging: 15 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
Food Pairing: beef, pork, lamb, squab, quail and duck.
Susana Balbo Named The Drinks Business’ Woman of the Year
Five Must-Know Facts about Susana Balbo Wines
1) PIONEERING SPIRIT Susana became the first female enologist in Argentina after graduating with honors from Don Bosco University in Mendoza in 1981. Due to the male-dominated industry in Mendoza, her first job took her north to Salta where she changed Argentine wine history with her first vintage of premium Torrontés.
2) INNOVATIVE WINEMAKING Susana continually seeks innovative ways to enhance her winemaking, from experimenting with barrel volumes (160L through 6,500L) to testing wild vs cultured yeasts. For premium wine production, Susana chooses concrete eggs for fermenting vessels. The egg’s porous concrete breathes like oak yet allows the wine to develop as if it were made in stainless steel. The resulting wine has a pure expression of fruit with a richer, more complex mouthfeel.
3)LEADING THE INDUSTRY Susana Balbo has been an influential leader in Argentine wine not only with her own projects at SBW, but also as elected President of Wines of Argentina (Argentina’s international trade promotion organization).With WoA, Susana has been elected by her industry peers three times due to her work ethic, visionary leadership, and dedication to the success of Argentine wine worldwide.
4) FAMILY TIES In 2011 and 2012, Susana’s son Jose and daughter Ana joined the winery to help build SBW to where it is today. Jose helps Susana as the winery’s head of R&D alongside his role as Exportation Manager. Ana is SBW’s Marketing Manager as well as General Manager of the winery restaurant Osadía de Crear.
5) PUSHING THE LIMITS Susana continuously seeks uncharted territory in the wine world to see what limits can be tested. Most recently, Susana crafted Argentina’s first Barrel Fermented Torrontes. It’s a wine that is not only the first of its kind, but harvested from a previously unproven terroir for Torrontés in the Uco Valley. The Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez calls it one of the “10 Argentine Wines to Drink Before You Die”.
2012 Le Petit Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc $22
Grape: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Napa Valley
Fermentation: Stainless steel barrels
Aging: 7 months sur lie
Alcohol: 13.5%
Cases: 1,934
Coquerel Family Wine Estates in Calistoga, one of California’s premier producers of Sauvignon Blanc. Their winemaker Christine Barbe has an unusual background in which she has done extensive studying of sauvignon blanc in the vineyards of France and has been published in several journals. In addition to SB, she also makes small quantities of Verdelho, Tempranillo and Petite Sirah from the estate “Walnut Wash” vineyard in Calistoga plus Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from other prime sites in Napa Valley.
Winemaker Notes: All of our 2012 Terroir Sauvignon Blanc was hand picked in the early morning hours at our estate vineyard in Calistoga. Once in the winery the clusters were de-stemmed and gently pressed to avoid any bitterness. The juice was settled and fermented in small French oak barrels, 10% of which were new. The wine was aged sur lie for seven months with frequent stirring to increase body and texture.
Winemaker Tasting Notes: Decidedly in the Pessac-Leognan camp, this Sauvignon Blanc exhibits the signature herbal aromatics of the variety mixed with the light vanilla flavors developed after seven months in French oak barrels. The palate is powerful and lush with the necessary structure to keep the wine refreshing and balanced. As with all of our Sauvignon Blancs, this wine shows beautifully upon release and will continue to evolve and improve with time in the bottle.
Daddy Warbucks
Falletto Barolo DOCG
Shell out a few extra bucks on these bad ass Barolos and make your Papa proud. After a few sips and any simpleton will transform into an Italian Stallion. Bruno Giacosa’s winemaking philosophy combines a respect for tradition and conservative winemaking with the selected use of modern technology to obtain the best expression of each vineyard’s terroir. He is convinced that great wines begin in the vineyard with the production of grapes cultivated by experienced growers. This belief pushes him to improve quality with every harvest.
In the cellar, the goal is to produce a wine that maintains its identity from vine to bottle, so winemaking methods are traditional and in full respect of the grape’s typical characteristics.
The “Azienda Agricola Falletto – di Bruno Giacosa” labels represent the estate vineyards, while the “Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa” labels are used for wines produced from grapes purchased from historical grape growers that have a longstanding relationship with the family.
Dude, Surf’s Up Dad
Head High Wines a surf-inspired wine brand from Sonoma. Sam Spencer, formerly of Cameron Hughes Wine, is the managing partner and winemaker, and Bill Price of Three Sticks Wines and LUTUM, also serves as partner.
Both Sam and Bill are avid surfers and the name Head High is derived from the surfing term which refers to waves that are the same height as the rider. This is a lifestyle brand, with emphasis on wines not just being consumed on special occasions, but for every occasion, big or small.
2013 Head High Red Blend $30
Cultivated from vineyards in Sonoma, Lake, and Napa counties, the 2013 Head High Red Blend is 36% Malbec, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Zinfandel and 11% Grenache. Vineyard selection ranges from the cool, rolling Sonoma Valley to the rugged hills of the Mayacamas Range. Madder Lake Vineyards provides our Grenache and Zinfandel, the Cabernet comes from Lichau Hill and Roundball Vineyards, and the Merlot and Malbec stem from Fichtenberg Vineyard. Embodying the best of nature’s essence, the balanced and powerful Red Blend invigorates with every sip.
Dads Dig Douro
There are few things more important than family and good wine in Portugal. Embrace both of these traditions by sharing some Assobio Red $12.99 on the deck with dad after an outdoor adventure. This fresh, full-bodied wine has lively acidity and a well-balanced finish. A “bang for your buck,” you’ll impress Dad with both your savvy financial sense and good taste.
Fire up the grill for a Father’s Day cook off! Challenge dad to a battle of the burger, and see whose meal pairs best with Quinta dos Murças Reserva $39.99. The wine’s smoky aromas and palate of ripe fruits and toast will elevate all Father’s Day festivities.
Metro Man: Refreshing Roses
Villa Gemma Masciarelli Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC $14.99 A rosé made with 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes, the appellation “Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo” is the newest DOC of Abruzzo. This wine has intense cherry pink with purple highlights and a nose that has a pretty intense floral bouquet that recalls the aromas of thyme, pomegranate and walnuts. The palate is balanced and fresh with subtle tannins. It pairs well with meats, pizza and soup dishes.
Noble Hill Mourvedre Rosé 2013 $16.95 This South African rosé stands out with a beautiful salmon pink color and a bit of orange peel on the rim. The wine elicits aromas of rose water, strawberries, watermelon, and black currant. It has a crisp, dry finish and is perfect alongside the braai.
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