Writing a wine blog may appear to be glamorous, and perhaps some may use the concept to ask for wine.  That doesn’t happen here.  Since we have retired, the first four months, each year, I seem to entertain myself quite a bit, as my Bride has been helping her sister.  She keeps the house full of food that I may fend for myself.  Usually, we she gets home in the evening, she looks to see what I have opened up for my dinner and she will have some, as she unwinds in front of the television in the family room.

Thankfully I keep the refrigerator in the garage filled with assorted wines to handle whatever I may be having for dinner.  The other night I opened Chateau La Gabarre Bordeaux Rosé 2021 and is in the commune of Galgon on the Right Bank, northwest of Lalande-de-Pomerol. The estate has been in the Gabard family since the 1800’s and the present stewards are Stephane and Paola Gabard.  They use sustainable farming practices, and the soil is gravel, clay and sand and the average age of the vines is between fifteen and thirty-five years.  Besides this wine they also produce a Bordeaux Blanc, and a Bordeaux Supereiur; and all three wine types are done both as Chateau La Gabarre and their label “La Gabarre.”   The wine is a blend of forty-five percent Merlot, thirty percent Cabernet Franc and twenty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  They use a direct press method and then age the wine for nine months in Stainless Steel to keep the fruit and crispness and they produced eight-hundred-fifty cases of this wine.  This copper-colored wine offered notes of raspberries and strawberries.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of fresh red fruit with some bright acidity and ends with medium-count finish of fruit and spices.

I am not going to mention the entrées that I have had with these different wines, as sometimes there are several different choices waiting for me and when one has a cellar, it is easy to find something to try.  Sometimes I even surprised myself as I discover a wine that I had forgotten about like this bottle of Tenuta Ronci di Nepi Rosso di Ne’ Lazio IGT 2019. The winery was founded by Arturo Improta in the Eighties looking for an uncontaminated nature that was near volcanic lakes, a few kilometers north of Rome.  He planted both native and international varieties on soil made of disintegrated “peperino” stone, a volcanic rock, rich in minerals that would create a distinct terroir to the wines made.  The estate is about thirty hectares on the gentle hills of the Ronci Valley.  The wine is a blend of sixty percent Merlot and forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and the vineyards are about twenty-five years in age.  The wine is fermented and aged in Stainless-Steel tanks to maintain the freshness of the fruit.  This ruby red wine offered notes of cherry and raspberry and a mix of spices and herbs.  On the palate the red fruits and spices blended with velvety tannins in a well-balanced wine and a smooth finish featuring fruit and terroir.

It has been quite fun, since I am just pulling something out for myself, there really is no stress and I can check out how a wine is aging.  Sometimes I just want something light, as when I grabbed this bottle of Joseph Mellot Destinea Sauvignon Blanc Val de Loire IGP 2021.  Joseph Mellot is a wine producer in the central Loire region of Sancerre with a portfolio of labels and Domaines covering a huge swath of real estate in the region.  The estate was established in 1969, but the Mellot family name goes back to the 16^th Century.  Since 1513 Pierre -Etienne Mellot established his Domaine and began his winemaking dynasty.  Cesar Mellot acted as a wine advisor to King Louis XIV.  In the 1920’s they were the first Sancerre winemakers to showcase their wines at the Foire de Paris.  Unfortunately, there was an inheritance split, and one brother began Joseph Mellot. By far, Sauvignon Blanc is the grape of choice for the estate from one hundred-hectares of vineyards in the Loire; and each plot is harvested and vinified separately.  Val de Loire IGP basically covers the entire Loire Valley, encompassing fourteen departments and in terms of area, is one of the largest in France.  It basically follows the Loire River for about 350 miles.   The designation was established in 2009 from its prior Vin de Pays, or its proper and more floral Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France.  The grapes are destemmed, then pressed.  A short maceration period and a short fermentation period of ten to fifteen days and then aged for a short period on the lees before bottling to maintain the fresh fruit finish.  The wine is a pale gold in color with notes of florals and orange and passion fruit.  On the palate the fruit is fresh with tones of lime and lemon, and well balanced with bright acidity and ends with an aromatic finish.  The Sauvignon Blancs of France are usually classified as Green and flinty, to differentiate the wine as it can be found especially in New Zealand and Australia.