Once a month, I go to my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source of Livonia, Michigan to pick up their club selections.  The odds are that I go there more often than that for the camaraderie and the in-house wine tastings.  Another great bonus is that one gets case pricing, even if you only need a bottle or two.  The selections always have one wine representing the Old World and one representing the New World.

The first bottle is Cantine Renzo M “Cornioleta” Chianti Riserva 2019 from the Fattoria di Basciano which is owned by the Masi family since the beginning of the 1900’s. It is a family-run company that has been making wines for three generations in the Chianti Rufina region of Tuscany.  Chianti Rufina is the second most widely known region after the Chianti Classico district, and it has nothing to do with Ruffino, a wine producer in Tuscany (but people get the two confused, because they sound and look similar).  They have long term relationships with growers, and maintains a consultation on how to maintain the vineyards for the highest quality.  The Rufina region is more mountainous compared to the Classico zone and is known for cooler evenings, allowing the grapes to ripen more slowly.  The Riserva is only made in selected years and this wine is ninety-five percent Sangiovese and five percent Colorino (a minor Italian varietal that is known for its dark-black skin and high tannin levels to give color and character to the Sangiovese grapes in Tuscany).  “Cornioleta” means a small grove of dogwood plants (corniolo in Italian) that grown nearby some of the vineyards.  The wine is aged for thirty months in oak and Paolo Masi is considered a “modern-style” winemaker in the region and known for deep colors and elegant aromas.  The dark wine offers notes of cherries, fennel, sage, rose, tar, and graphite.  On the palette tones of mature cherry fruit, blended with full tannins with substantial acidity against a chocolaty backdrop.

The second wine representing the New World is Kenwood Vineyards Merlot Sonoma and Mendocino Counties 2019.   Kenwood Vineyards was established in 1970 in Sonoma.  It was founded by the Lee family when they purchased the estate and winery of the Pagani Brothers that began in 1906 and were successful until Prohibition.  In 1999 the winery was bought by F. Korbel and Bros. and in 2014 Kenwood was bought by the international beverage concern of Pernod Ricard.  Kenwood Vineyards has twenty-two acres of estate vineyards and also sources fruit from dozens of other growers in Sonoma.  The winery has been known for years for some of their Single-Vineyard wines, as well as some of their other collections.  This wine is from one of their other collections as it also uses fruit harvested from seventy-one percent Sonoma County and twenty-nine percent Mendocino County.  The various blocks of Merlot were picked from September through October and ferment separately, then aged with new oak before the final blending.  The wine is eighty-seven percent Merlot, nine percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and four percent Petit Verdot. The furnished tasting notes describes the dark red wine as having notes of blackberry jam, dark chocolate, blueberry, and touches of toasted oak.  On the palette, tones of black plum, raspberry, cedar, soft tannins, and a long finish.

I thought I would also mention a wine that I tasted at Fine Wine Source, that really hasn’t fit conveniently with other wines for an article.   It is Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2020.  The winery is currently managed by Sofia and Christina Thanisch and the family goes back to 1636 and covers twelve generations.  The winery first made the attention of the tax men in 1654.  They now have vineyards located in Bernkastel, Kues, Lieser and Brauneberg and all are planted with Riesling; the most famous vineyard is their Bernkasteler Doctor.  Most of their vineyards have been owned by the family for over two-hundred years.  In 1910, they were one of the founding members of the VDP (the Association of Germany’s finest wineries).  The “Villa Thanisch” was built in 1884 and is still the seat of the winery.  This winery is known as a VDP.Grosse Lage (a Grand Cru Vineyard).  The wine is listed as a Riesling Kabinett, which means that the fruit was picked later to ensure richness, and the term is referred to as Mit Pradikat as a designation of further respect, and it is listed as “feinherb” which translates to “semi-dry.”  Riesling wines with Pradikat from Grosse Lage are respected and appreciated and known for long aging potential.  This golden-straw colored wine offered notes of green apples, citrus, and white florals.  On the palette there were crisp tones of green apple, lime, and lemon and a long finish of fruit and minerals; very refreshing.