Elegant (adj) •• gracefully refined and dignified; displaying effortless beauty and simplicity in execution; tasteful and highly attractive
Who do you think of when you think of an elegant personality? One person that comes to mind for us is Cary Grant. He was so suave, maintained his appeal throughout his life, could be both serious (think North by Northwest) or funny (think Houseboat), would be welcome at any dinner party as great company, or just to sit and chat with. He is what women want their partners to be like and men would love to be able to get women to swoon as he could. Truly an elegant personality. Below are some examples of our elegant wines.
This is a very nice example of a Rodney Dangerfield type of wine - it doesn't get the respect it deserves. It comes from the Medoc region of Bordeaux and is only about 5 miles north of the famous Margaux area whose wines can sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars a bottle. 2005 was a stellar year for Bordeaux wines and this one from Chateau Aney is no exception. It is a delightful wine with cherry and raspberry flavors. It can age for years, but is also very nice right now, just give it a few minutes in the glass to open up.
Walnut Block is a Wairau Valley Boutique winery producing high quality wines. The name is taken from the landmark walnut tree located within the vineyard itself. Grown in European style high density style planting, using top quality Burgundy clones, the canopy is meticulously worked to ensure even ripening, intense flavors and good tannin structure. The grapes are 100% handpicked. The wine is fermented using 100% wild yeast and aged for 12 months in high quality French barriques.
This wine is made in the vino di ripasso method. The winemaker makes valpolicella wine and then puts it through a second fermentation with the lees (the sediment from the skins, etc. in making wine) from their amarone wine. This adds some of the complexity and taste from that expensive style of winemaking. without adding a lot of cost. Cesari is one of the top producers of amarone in Italy and this is an excellent example of the ripasso method of making wine. The wine smells and tastes of ripe fruit and leaves a long warm feeling on the tongue.
Hop Kiln is in the great Russian River Valley area within Sonoma. It gets its name from the hop kiln on the property that was used for half a century to process the hops grown in the area. This wine is named for a pioneer women who lived and ranched in the area in the 1800's. The wine is a zinfandelbased blend with lots of red fruit and a touch of spice. Not a complicated wine, simply a good tasting full red that goes great with simple foods like burgers, barbeque or pizza. Or maybe with a bowl of popcorn and a James Bond movie.