Napa Valley East Side Cuvée Carl Roy 2021 DE
USA - Carl Roy - Left Bank Bordeaux Blend Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes: The wine is comprised of 20% Aruffiac, 20% Petit Manseng, and 60% Gros Manseng, from a one-hectare parcel of south facing, gradually sloping gravelly clay. The grapes were hand ha... rvested in early October, and fermented in a mix of used barriques, where the wine matured seven months with weekly batonnage before bottling. In the glass, this radiant, shimmering green-gold wine unfurls with compelling aromas of dried pineapple, fresh basil, quince, and white peppercorns, that alternate with suggestions of ripe white peaches, applewood smoke, marigolds, and walnut oil, as the nose evolves over time. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, dry, and electrifying, with a dense core of pine berry, Meyer lemon, green mango, and kiwi, all seasoned with palpable sea salt minerality and bright acidity, which carry the flavors through a long, persistent, refreshing finish. Drink now–2028. Read More
In 1952, Alain Bortolussi's grandfather, an immigrant from the Veneto, purchased the eighteenth-century château and the surrounding 25 hectares of vines, which had just been classified under AOC regulations as Madiran and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh. At the time, it had almost no value. Over the next thirty-five years, most of the estate was replanted with the best clones of Tannat and Cabernet Franc for the Madiran, along with a tiny one-hectare parcel of local white varieties for the Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh. Alain, who is the first to bottle wine at the estate, took charge in 1991. When I met him in 2013, he was just completing the restoration of the château. In 2016, his daughters, Claire, and Marion, joined Alain at Château Viella, and in 2019, on Alain’s nominal “retirement,” have taken the reins of this jewel of a winegrowing estate.
Viticulture in the Southwest of France was initially established by Phocaean traders and certainly expanded under Roman occupation. The region's network of rivers made it possible to transport its wines to distant markets and by the 2nd Century AD, wines from the Southwest were the most highly prized in Europe. The vine louse, phylloxera, literally wiped out the vineyards and the 2000 year-old traditions of the region. A renaissance that began in the 1950s continues to this day as enthusiastic growers and a new generation of winemakers reestablish the ancient vineyards. The AOC Pacherenc Du Vic-Bilh covers white wine grown in Madiran. While the rare, sweet wines are the most famous, beautiful, aromatic, dry white wines are produced here as well from the local varieties which include Arrufiat, and the various members of the Manseng family.
Pacherenc-du-vic-Bilh is produced from a mix of the the local Arrufiac, as well as Petit and Gros Manseng. The name "Manseng" refers to a family of grapes grown primarily in the southwest of France and the Basque regions of Spain. "Gros Manseng" (large Manseng) is the more widely planted of the two white varieties; thick-skinned and prized for its more reliable yields. "Petite Manseng" the other white variety is generally considered of higher quality, but ripens less evenly and generally produces smaller yields. Both types tend towards a quince-like aromatics with floral overtones and moderate acidity.
Grilled, olive oil-laced seafood, whole-roasted fish, as well as pastas with diced tomato and herbs work very well with this wine. It also loves cow and sheep-milk cheeses.
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