Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is considered one of the great red wine varieties native to Italy, with the most famous appellation being Piedmonte where it is most widely planted today. The Nebbiolo grape is typically bigger, darker, tannic, tart and alcoholic compared to other wines. It has a nose of cherries, raspberries, roses, truffles, tar and anise and has rich, chewy, deep and a long finish. It is a very cellar worthy wine and prized by collectors. The wine itself is generally lighter in color and gets a more rust colored hue to it as it ages.

Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Ghemme, all (DOCG) wines, are all wines produced from nebbiolo. During harvest, usually in late in October, a heavy fog sets into the Langhe region where many Nebbiolo vineyards are located and a frosty milky coating forms over the berries as they reach maturity. A solid Nebbiolo wine can complement the heartiest meats and stews as well as stong, aged cheeses that may be overpowering for other wine varietals. The Nebbiolo varietal is also known as Spanna, Picutener and Chiavennasca in different Italian areas. Nebbiolo is difficult to cultvate and, to date, very few nebbiolo cuttings or clones have been exported.

Cabernet Sauvignon

In the wine making world the Cabernet grape is commonly referred to as the "king" of grapes. It is the one grape whose basic characteristics are strong enough to be recognized no matter where it is grown (unlike other grapes). This masculine grape provides the "backbone" to a lot of wine blends and also stands well on it's own generally offering up hearty, intense and deep wines that stand the test of time. Cabernet provides sturdy tannins that vary from soft to harsh. The flavors we taste in a cabernet vary with the age of the vines as well as the environmental influences. The older vines have a tendency to impart earthy, leathery, tobacco, cocoa and smoky flavors. Younger vines tend to dominate with dark fruit flavors like currant, black cherries, plums, blackberries and often hints of vegetables and herbs with tougher tannins.

Pinot Noir

The Pinot Noir grape produces some of the most elegant wines in the world. Although, unlike the cabernet grape, the pinot noir grape can take on very different personalities from region to region. In the famous Burgundy region of France this grape produces what many consider to be the finest wines in the world. Where it is grown in this region also greatly affects the perception of quality (which translates into price). This grape is also growing in popularity in the US - primarily in Oregon and California but the resulting wines are really quite different.

Semillon

The Semillion grape is an early ripening golden colored grape varietal which is most widely planted in Bordeaux, France. Semillion is a fairly easy wine grape to cultivate and has been grown internationally and currently is popular in Australia and the US. It is often used for blending with chardonnay and sauvignon blanc but can also stand on its own. The semillion varietal generally exhibits crispy, citrus, herbaceous, fig like characteristics often coupled with nutty and/or toasty flavors. These semillion wines have the ability to improve with some cellar time.

This grape also produces some of the finest sweet wines - desert wines in the world. These sweet wines are produced from moldy grapes infected by botrytis which is referred to as noble rot. This noble rot encourages a sweet viscous concentrated juice to be extracted resulting in a delicious sweet golden honey style wine called sauterne wine. These Semillion based sauterne wines are blended with sauvignon blanc and a little Muscadelle and get richer and more complex with some cellar time. Sauterne wines commonly show flavors of apricot, peaches, pineapple and honey with the added complexity of malolactic fermentation which can add cream, smoke, butter and vanilla. The most famous desert wine is Château d'Yquem Sauterne which is usually about 80% Semillion.

Sangiovese - Sangiovese Grosso

The Sangiovese grape is a red wine Italian grape and, as mentioned earlier, the base grape for the widely popular Chianti (70%+); Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (70%+); lesser known (and fairly new to DOCG) Morellino di Scansano (85%+); and Carmignano "a Super Tuscan" (50%+) wines of Tuscany, Italy. Its name comes from the Latin "sanguis Jovis" meaning "blood of Jupiter (Jovis)". While these wines can improve with age they generally don't last more than 10 years. Rarely will you see a 100% sangiovese wine because of it's tendency to produce acidic, hard and light bodied wines. This grape is also very susceptible to rot due to its thin skin. But, given the proper environment (including Limestone soils), a good harvest, proper barrel aging and a complementary blend of grapes by the right winemaker and these wines are fabulous!

The Sangiovese Grosso grape varietal, from which the Brunello grape is classified as, is considered to be a superior clone of the Sangiovese grape and is responsible for producing the Brunello, the signature Brunello wine being from the commune of Montalcino and known as Brunello di Montalcino which must be made from 100% Brunello of the sangiovese grosso clone. These clone based wines are darkly colored Sangiovese wines and produce much sturdier wines and have the ability to cellar well beyond 10 years, unlike the Sangiovese parent.

Chardonnay

The Chardonnay grape

Malbec

The Malbec grape

Tempranillo

The Tempranillo grape is Spain's most well known native grapes. It is a vibrant, aromatic varietal that offers spicy, red fruit aromas and flavors. Tempranillo translates to "little early one," which references fruit's short growing season.