My local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source issued their two selections for the month.  I am proud to say that this fine institution probably survived during the economic upheaval of the last almost two years by our harridan’s fiats, because of their wine club.  We could make arrangements to pick up the monthly selections and also find some other gems or refill orders of our latest go-to wines.  Since they didn’t sell cigarettes, snack foods or lottery tickets, they were not considered necessary, except by their loyal customers.  They even became quite creative and one could book a tasting with all the appropriate distancing and plexiglass shields that were prevalent.  It became an adventure, and one that the loyal customers wanted to partake of, because of their tremendous customer service.  Through the entire topsy-turvy era, they still maintained the concept of having one Old World and one New World selection and they had to be affordable, great value and not to be found in every gas station, grocery store, pharmacy of corner party store. 

Thierry Delaunay “La Vignette” Rosé Touraine 2020 in the Loire Valley was the first wine in our monthly package.  The Loire is France’s longest river and many distinct wine regions are found there.  Touraine is one of the districts in the heart of the valley.  The city of Tours is halfway between Sancerre and Nantes. Touraine has its own appellation that covers white, red and rosé wines, both still and sparkling.  Whites are Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, while the reds are predominately Gamay, Cabernet Franc (known locally as Cot) and Malbec. Thierry Delaunay has twenty-one hectares of vineyards that have been in the family for five generations and he also works with additional contract growers.  This wine is thirty-four percent Gamay, thirty-three percent Cabernet Franc and thirty-three percent Malbec and the wine is age on fine lees in Stainless Steel to maintain the freshness of the fruit.  The notes on this wine are a well-balanced salmon-pink wine with notes of red currants, strawberries and raspberries, that carry over into the taste in a creamy and supple wine on the palate.  Perfect for a summer meal of roast chicken or grilled shrimp, cheese and charcuterie.

Airfield Estates “Bombshell” Red Blend, Yakima Valley 2018 of Washington State offers a label reminiscent of the nose or fuselage art that was prevalent on the bombers used by the Americans during World War Two; the term Bombshell is probably archaic and unknown to the current generation, but it was appreciated by those that survived the war.  The roots of Airfield Estates go back to 1907 and H. Lloyd Miller.  The family leased property which became a flight school for hundreds of pilots and after the war, the family ended up with the property and started the Airfield Ranch. The property was still with the family and in 1967, they experimented with three different varietals.  In 1971, they had their first commercial planting after years of testing. In 1974, Mike Miller joined the family, in the wine production.  They have eight-hundred-thirty acres of wine vineyards and three-hundred-fifty acres of Concord juice grapes.  In 2005, Airfield Estates was founded, and they stopped selling their crops to other wineries and began making their own wines. This wine is forty percent Syrah, thirty-seven percent Merlot, eighteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Malbec.  The notes on this wine offers a nose of bramble fruit and spices, the palate continues with these notes and offers secondary notes of boysenberry and pomegranate with a medium finish and a burst of fresh fruit. This is a fruit-forward wine that would probably best pair with steaks or pork.