2018 Saint Amant Le Borry

The 2018 Saint Amant Le Borry is one of those jewel like wines that comes from a mountaintop vineyard overlooking Beaume-de-Venise in the Rhone Valley. 

Liquified gold in color, the blend of 95 percent Viognier and five percent Roussanne is not your typical Viognier, as it’s anything but in the style of a Condrieu from the Northern Rhone. Here the influence of the mountains in the south, and the warm breezes from the Med give the Saint Amant flagship white a flavor profile all of its own. Limestone drives the tropical flavors while the delicate flavors of peach and pear come through elegantly.

That’s why the 2018 Saint Amant Le Borry   is today’s WineSiders Wine of The Day.

2016 Domaine Jaume Vinosobres Reference

The 2016 Domain Jaume Vinosobres Reference red wine is from a lesser known region in the Rhone that proves all great wines don’t have to only come from the more established AOCs. Wines from Vinosobres, Rasteau, Cairanne, Seguret and Sablet like those from the Ventoux are hidden gems, and offer great finds at great prices.

The Jaume Vinosobres Reference red is half Syrah, with the balance being Grenache and Mourvedre. It’s the Mourvedre that gives the wine the kind of standout character that offers a striking difference from so many southern Rhone wines that tend to taste the same. Here the Jaume winemakers artfully blend the three grapes and the result is a dizzying medley of tarry cherries, leather, jammy blueberries and rich engulfing black raspberry.

That’s why the 2016 Domain Jaume Vinosobres Reference is today’s WineSiders Wine of The Day.

2018 Domaine Jaume Cotes du Rhone Blanc

The 2018 Domaine Jaume Cotes du Rhone Blanc is just sheer delight in a bottle. It’s a wine that is loaded with lemon and lime citrus that carries through just like fruit cocktail.

Offering up a gorgeous bouquet the white southern Rhone blend of Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier, delivers ripe melons-honeydew and cantaloupe as well as sweet pears, all with crisp acidity that blends in with the fruit for a very long, lingering finish. 

That’s why the 2018 Domaine Jaume Cotes du Rhone Blanc is today’s WineSiders Wine of the Day.

2017 Jean Royer Le Petit Roy

The 2017 Le Petit Roy from Domaine Jean Royer is a great example of a “baby” Chateauneuf du Pape. At age five the blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre is both charming and enjoyable all by itself or with food. 

The Le Petit Roy is often overlooked by wine snobs due to it being Vin de France and not an AOC wine, but that’s a huge mistake. This sub 20 dollar red is a big over-performer. The wine has a nice spicy and herbal bouquet, with gobs of blueberry, strawberry, black raspberry and black cherry  flavors.

That’s why the 2017 Domaine Jean Royer Le Petit Roy is today’s WineSiders Wine of the Day.

2015 Blachon Saint Joseph

As a long time lover of the Northern Rhone, the region of Saint Joseph is often overlooked for the more famous AOCs like Hermitage, Cornas and Cote-Rotie.

The Blachon Saint Joseph is one of the best examples of the Saint Joseph AOC. It got everything you like about Syrah, with that brambly style of fruit, black pepper and gobs of pie filling blueberry flavors.

That’s why the 2015 Blachon Saint Joseph is today’s WineSiders Wine of The Day

Loimer Brut Rose

Bubbles. Sparkling wine. Cremant. All are wines that when done right can be as enjoyable as the most well known wines from Champagne. And one of the best examples of bubbly rose hails from Austria’s Kamptal region and the charming wine village of Langelois.

The Loimer Brut Rose Reserve is a delightful concoction of Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, Zweigelt that is made in the “méthode traditionelle” of sparkling winemaking.  

With some toasty notes, aromas of cherry pie crust and wild cherries, plums and hazelnuts, the Loimer Brut Reserve is a delight all by itself or with yummy sushi.

That’s why the Loimer Brut Reserve is today’s WineSiders Wine of The Day. a

2018 Hilmy The Temp

Texas wine have long been maligned, misunderstood and missed by many wine fans, but times are changing, and one that really turns heads is the latest Tempranillo wine from Hilmy, the 2018 “The Temp.”

Here’s a blend of Tempranillo, Barbera and Sangiovese that offers a nose of coco and black cherry fruit, that has been exquisitely made to be ready to go from the start, but has the backbone to age. 

Ripe red fruit, black spice, some taste of Texas dust, much like Rutherfod Dust, “The Temp” is a leading example of how great Texas wines are and is a perfect pairing with a charred rare Tomahawk steak, as it just starts out big and gets more elegant as the bottle gets drained.

That’s why, the 2018 Hilmy “The Temp” is today’s WineSiders Wine of The Day.

2016 Domaine Saint Amant Beaumes-de-Venise Grangeneuve

The Domaine Saint Amant Beaumes-de-Venise Grangeneuve from the 2016 vintage. is a ripe and rich blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Viogner that is really hitting stride. Produced in the tiny winery that sits atop one of the highest peaks in the Southern Rhone, the flagship wine from Camille Wallut, has gone from its’ younger and primary fruit forward flavor to a more complex and tightly integrated knitted wine.

While it still has that silky texture of red and black fruit, the more subtle aromas of lavender and lilac, along with richer plums, raspberries, black sweet cherries and some blueberries and white pepper are now showing in a multi-dimensional cornucopia off delights.

Still in a youthful state at almost age five, the vibrancy in the Saint Amant Grangeneuve shows the richness and depth that’s possible in red wines from Beaumes-de-Venise, one of the Rhone Valley’s smaller appellations, that is better known more for its sweet Muscat based white wine.

That’s why the 2016 Saint Amant Grangeneuve is today’s WineSiders Wine of The Day!!!

2018 Azores Wine Company Tinto Vulcanico

Of late the exploration of wines from island vineyards has taken a turn to the Azores. Part of Portugal, the volcanic nature of the Azores (Acores) islands give the wines a unique and distinctive character.

One of the better producers found on the Azores is The Azores Wine Company and the 2018 Tinto Vulcanico is a wine to behold.

Made from a medley of grapes including Aragonês, Agronómica, Castelão,
Malvarisco, Merlot, Touriga Nacional,
Saborinho, Syrah and others, the Tinto Vulcanico is sheer delight in the glass with it’s ruby red color, vibrant bouquet and lingering finish of cherries, licorice and cloves.

That’s why the 2018 Azores Wine Company Tinto Vulcanico is today’s WineSiders Wine of the Day.

2017 Concrete Mama Syrah

Rhone grapes are found in many places, but one of the emerging area of North America, Washington State, is rapidly showing that California is not the only place in the USA where Syrah is growing and being bottled really well. 

The 2017 Concrete Mama River Rocks Vineyard Syrah is both a very enjoyable and  complex red that gives off Northern Rhone like notes from the grapes grown in the area outside of Walla Walla, Washington in the Rocks District.

Ripe, bright, and silky, the usual blueberry, bacon fat and green olive flavors and bouquet are all there. This is a sensual wine, with layer upon layer of fruit, and while only 3 years old right now, the wine is showing incredible forward development. 

That’s why the 2017 Concrete Mama Syrah is today’s WineSiders Wine of the Day.

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