Reds of South America
Join us on Thursday, March 15th from 6-8pm for our latest Winemaker Social event! We'll be featuring select South American reds from Via Pacifica Selections. Their CEO, Cristobal Fernandez will be on hand to guide us through wines from Chile's Casas del Toqui and Argentina's Manos Andinas. While Cristobal is not the "winemaker" for these wines he comes from a 3rd generation winemaking family and is intimately familiar with these producers. We'll be doing a flight containing a Casablanc Pinot Noir, a Mendoza Malbec, and two Cabernet Sauvignons (detailed below) for only $14. We'll also be offering special prices on these wines in the Wine Cellar next door so come on down and explore some of South America's treasures with us.
“Hands from the Andes” or Manos Andinas is named for the handcrafted wine made in partnership with small and passionate South American grape growers practicing sustainable and family viticulture for generations. Each grower's small production is vinified separately as a parcel to maximize their own expression and character. In Chile's cool, Casablanca valley, this region has a Mediterranean climate with cool misty nights and hotter days that provides excellent growing conditions for top quality cool climate varieties, including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc as well as this Pinot Noir. This hand-harvested Pinot is aged in selected French oak for over 6 months, rotating the barrels daily to improve the wine balance and texture. The last stage is a 4-month bottle-aging period for the wine to settle ($12 retail in the Orchard Wine Cellar).
Mendoza is located at the foot of the Andes but on the eastern side and 500 kilometers from the coast. This famous Malbec region generally enjoys wide day-night temperature variation, poor alluvial soils, low rainfall but ample pure Andes irrigation water. All of which contribute to fruit-forward wines that are well structured and easy to enjoy. The Manos Andinas Reserva Mabec is cold soaked and fermented in stainless steel tanks with gentle pump overs to avoid over extraction and after is aged in selected French oak for over 6 months. That this wine can also be had for $12 is the Cellar is a great deal!
The first Cabernet is the Casas del Toqui Barrel Series that has a very complex nose with hints of tobacco, spices and black fruits, and a soft hint of vanilla. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon has been aged in oak barrels for 8 months. The second Cab is the Gran Toqui with a full 14 months in oak. It also has 5% Petite Verdot and 5% Syrah added to the 90% Cab. Its a warm and lovely big bodied Cab retailing at $22 with the Barrel Series coming in at $16 a bottle in the Wine Cellar.
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