Grapes 4U

RJ Spagnols Limited Release 2010

A Time for Discovery

Each year Cru Select offers winemakers outstanding wines from the world's leading vineyards Discerning winemakes eagerly anticipate the Restricted Quantities announcement so they can stock their wine cellars with these exceptional vintages. These wines have become known as industry benchmarks of quality. This year is no different

Germany Ehrenfelser

Available January 2010 with a special early release in December 2009

This cross between Riesling and Silvaner is aromatic and very fruity - peach and tropical notes abound - but with just a hint of rose petal. The flavour is fresh and inviting with mineral notes, hints of orange rind and a lingering off-dry finish.

This wine will match well with spicy indian, Thai or Chinese food or chilled on a sunny patio

Argentina Malbec Syrah

Available January 2010 with a special early release in December 2009

A new world spin on an old world wine! The blend of these two classic varietals creates a wine that is full bodied with plenty of appeal. This wine is fruit forward and approachable, with balanced toasted vanilla flavours from Hungarian oak cubes. The wine hints of cherries and black currant up front, with darker, richer notes of coffee, tobacco and licorice behind. Round and smooth with balanced tannins and a very easy drinking wine.

A solid match for grilled foods as well as heartier meat dishes like Steak and Kidney pie or Osso Bucco.

Argentina Torrontés

Available February 2010

The signature fragrant white grapes of Argentina. Torrontés (related to Muscat) is one of the "aromatic varietals" distinctive and exclusive to this South American region. It produces a wine with a bouquet rich with tropical fruits, honey and sweet floral notes. The flavour is unexpected - crisp and refreshing with a vibrant acidity, citrus notes and a hint of spice with an enduring finish.

Great with conversation, but also pairs well with seafood, spicy ethnic foods or the classic Argentinean hand held snack - Empanadas

Portugal Trio Do Vinho Tinto

Available March 2010

This dark red wine is an intensely flavourful blend of Aragones (Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, and Trincadeira. The bouquet is rich with red berries, anise and black pepper. The palate is well balanced with many layers of complexity. Initially there is fruitiness, followed by notes of mushroom and earth. Rich tannins from the American Heavy Toasted Oak spiral and Cabernet Merlot GenuWine Winery Dried Grape Skins help give this wine a long finish.

Pair this wine with red meat, Chorizo or other cured sausage, or a strong cheese.

South Africa Cabernet Franc Merlot

Available April 2010

This wine is rich in every way - deeply coloured, aromatic and very flavourful. The nose has green and black pepper and a hint of spice. It is full bodied with a fruit component - cassis, followed by a layer of darker flavours - cigar box and leather. There are healthy, chewy tannins from the Merlot GenuWine Winery Dried Grape Skins

This wine will pair beautifully with flavourful foods such as goat cheese, game birds, babaganoush or curries.

CellarCraft International 2010 Limited Release

January Release
Cabernet - Shiraz
New South Wales, Australia

Both the Cabernet and the Shiraz in this blend come from the Darlington point Vineyard that supplied the fruit for our recently launched Australian Shiraz.

This blend features 64% Cabernet and 36% Shiraz and is fermented on equal parts of Cabernet and Shiraz virgin, crushed grapes from Darlington Point. 2-stage oaking on Hungarian shavings then Hungarian cubes brings vanilla and subtle toastiness to the finished wine.

Aromas of plum, spice, herbs and chocolate from the Cabernet dominate with berry and more spice coming from the Shiraz. The palate displays black currant and mint from the cab with suggestions of cherry, blackberry and earthy overtones contributed by the Shiraz.

The marriage of Cabernet and Shiraz is found mainly in new world wine regions and certainly Australia is the acknowledged champion of the style. Cellar Craft is pleased to be able to offer the kit wine enthusiast this Limited Release example made with high quality fruit from a leading area and prize winning vineyard. We hope that you will consider this rare offering as being a worthy addition for your cellar.

February Release
Tannat
Uruguay, South America
(With 2 L virgin, Tannat crushed grape pack)

Yes, Uruguay does have a wine industry. In fact, it goes back some 250 years! However, the world outside of Uruguay has only recently and very enthusiastically discovered the wines.

The signature wine of Uruguay is a big red wine called Tannat. Like Carmenere and Malbec, Tannat originated in France but today has limited plantings there. The Tannat grapes in this Limited Release offering were selected and custom processed for Cellar Craft by Bodega Bouza, an ultra-modern boutique winery located just outside of the capital city, Montevideo.

Perhaps the best way to whet your interest in this exciting new wine is to extract a quote from noted wine critic and authority Jancis Robinson.

“I tasted a range of wines from one of the producers that most impressed – Bodega Bouza. …….. I have to admit I was very impressed too by their reds and especially, as one might expect, by their Tannats. Tannat is to Uruguay what Malbec is to Argentina: a red grape traditionally associated with south west France that seems if anything almost more at home under the South American sun.

Here in Uruguay the tannins are much softer and there is none of the mandatory 10 year wait that one has for a fine Madiran. (We tasted a Madiran or two alongside the Bouza Tannats and were much more beguiled by the Uruguayans.) In fact this Bouza Tannat Las Violetas is a babe in arms by French standards and yet is already drinkable and should drink beautifully from next year for the next four years or so I reckon.

I liked its dense, firm, confident on the nose and lovely full fruit impact on the front palate with some tar and liquorice and firm fruit first, and only then very slightly inky tannins. The alcohol level is 14.5% but it doesn’t taste hot. “
(Source: www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/20070403.html)

Cellar Craft is dedicated to bringing new and exciting “Discovery” wines to its customers. Your feedback on earlier releases like Gruner Veltliner, Zweigelt and Mencia has been rewarding. Now we are exclusively offering what may be your first opportunity to experience wine from a country and from a grape that you had not previously experienced. We think that you will be more than pleased if you give it a try.

March Release
Two Hemispheres Riesling
New South Wales, Augstralia - Yakima Valley, Washington

We love the ability to source fruit from diverse regions and blend them into a wine that often exceeds the qualities of the either component. This blend of Rieslings, co-fermented in equal proportions, from vineyards more than 12,000 km. apart is a great example. Individually, each wine has much charm and appeal but vinted together they achieve a new level of complexity. The multiple layers of sensory delight contributed by the 2 components indeed reach new heights.

From Washington Riesling, notes of apple, pear, peach, melon, floral and mandarin establish a solid foundation. The Australian fruit brings out lime, grapefruit, tropical notes and additional spicy floral qualities. A most interesting wine!

We are still evaluating levels of dry/sweet and flavour reserves that will be chosen to define the final product but we already are certain that this wine will offer a unique and enchanting wine experience for those who choose to add it to their cellars.

April Release
Trio Tinto
A fusion of classic Spanish grapes varieties - Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Cariñena

These three native Spanish red wine grapes are usually deemed to be the mainstay of quality wines in most of Spain. (Mencia is the currant hot star in Spain but is grown in only 2 areas so cannot be said to represent the typical Spanish red wine profile. We hope that you did not miss trying Cellar Craft’s Mencia.)

Tempranillo is most associated with wines of Rioja. Garnacha has been responsible for making the Priorat region one of the most esteemed regions in recent years. Carinena, known as Carignan in most other countries, gets its best reviews in Priorat and Montsant. Nevertheless, it is common that at least 2 or all three varieties are blended together to achieve the most profound and complex wines that each region can exhibit.

This limited Release offering is made up of 50% Tempranillo (Spain & California); 27% Garnacha (Spain) and 23% Carinena (Carignan from California).

This blend is fermented on virgin crushed grapes from Spain. (Tempranillo, Garnacha or a blend of the 2 - to be determined by our panel’s selection from prototypes still in progress).

2-stage oak treatment is expected to be chosen – French during fermentation; Hungarian cubes post-fermentation.

This blend has been designed to truly reflect the advances that have been made in both viniculture and viticulture of Spanish red wines in the past decade. We proudly present it as our best possible effort to let our customers discover why Spain is being touted as one of the regions to watch – no, discover – what may be one of today’s most exciting and best value wine countries in the wine world.

Check out our 2010 Limited Editions