November Inspired Wine Club: Scents for the Season

Autumn is filled with a cornucopia of aromas. The musty smell of golden and crimson leaves gathered into piles. A sweet waft of cinnamon and apples that can permeate an entire house when a pie filled with orchard-fresh fruit quietly bakes. And of course, that alluring aroma of turkey roasting in preparation of a Thanksgiving feast for family and friends. Yes, this is a time of year for wonderful aromas that evoke childhood memories and comforting times. As the writer Vladimir Nabokov said, “Nothing revives the past so completely as a smell that was once associated with it.” So in honor of the great smells of autumn, Hinsdale Inspired Wine Club offers two wines that promise a captivating olfactory experience. Whether you enjoy the earthiness of a perfected Pinot Noir or the exotic fruitiness of a lesser-known Italian white varietal, this month’s selections are sure to fit into this season of sensory delights.

2009 Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

For red wine lovers, Pinot Noir is often their wine of choice when it comes to turkey time. And, this particular Pinot is certainly one worthy of a special affair. “The 2009 [Fess Parker Santa Barbara] Pinot Noir is a gorgeous wine bursting with dark cherries, spices and sweet French oak,” says Robert Parker Jr. in an August edition of Wine Advocate. “It shows fabulous textural richness and depth, especially for an entry-level offering. This is a tasty, accessible Pinot to drink now and over the next few years.” Indeed, this ruby-colored elixir composed completely of Pinot Noir grapes from four vineyards with complementary terroir offers an exquisite nose of black cherry, autumnal spices of cinnamon and clove, vanilla and foresty earthiness. On the palate, the black cherry comes through with red currant, cranberry, vanilla and spice. Ten months of aging in new Burgundian French oak adds that impressive depth, and its texture is pure velvet. Enjoy at Thanksgiving or to enhance a meal of bourbon-glazed salmon or crispy roasted duck.

2009 Caleo Inzolia. Sicily

One sniff of this Sicilian white, and you will recall a vacation to the tropics with its captivating exotic fruitiness — most notably of kiwi and pineapple. Made from 100 percent Inzolia grapes, this Italian varietal has a spicy aromatic character that is refreshing and unique. Inzolia grapes, also known as Ansonica, have been traditionally used to make the lighter-colored Marsala wines that come from this region. More recently, as Sicilian wines have become popularized through export, those outside of Sicily are enjoying Inzolia as a well-structured, crisp, clean white wine with an intense bouquet. The cool, breezy Sicilian nights add to the wine’s brilliant straw color and distinctive nose. The Caleo Inzolia is a particularly well-balanced, harmonious wine with hints of citrus that pair perfectly with seafood dishes like a shrimp and fennel risotto, linguini con vongole or sole Meuniere.

 

Taking the edge off…

It’s only the start of October and an intense autumnal cold front has transformed Lake Michigan into a boisterous, unfriendly seascape, reminding anyone who lives near it why Chicago is indeed called the “Windy City.” Here in Hinsdale, these brisk winds seem to make even the trees shiver as leaves start falling in earnest, and we are forced to bring out sweaters and soft, warm clothes much sooner than we would have liked. The first real chilly weather of the season is always a bit of a jolt to the system, but Hinsdale Wine Cellars has two October “inspired” club selections that will likely take the edge off this gusty weather and provide the perfect calm in these storms. Here is a rich, almost heavy white wine that most definitely is not the white you’d choose on hotter days. Additionally, a soul-soothing Zinfandel provides heartiness and needed warmth after a day in dreary weather. The Hope family produces both wines, which seems amusingly apropos during these times when we could use a little extra “hope.”

2008 Treana White

An intense yellow color, this blend of 55% Marsanne and 45% Viognier provides a flavorful, exotic experience from a northern vineyard in Santa Lucia’s highlands. The Treana White is wonderfully tropical on both the nose and palate.  A Rhône-style wine, it carries bright floral and citrus blossom aromas with hints of jasmine. A slight oakiness augments papaya, guava, mango and other tropical flavors that have clear accents of honey and honeysuckle. This is a surprisingly rich, even viscous white wine with a long finish and full mouth-feel. It’s also wonderfully food-friendly and is a perfect match for those aromatic meals we love at this time of year like a garlic-rosemary roast chicken or savory apple and sage pork roast.

Candor Zinfandel Lot 3

The Hope family aims for perfection with its Zinfandel, opting to mix vintages to create fresh, bright wines that exhibit youthful, vibrant flavors while possessing the rich complexity of more mature wine.  Candor Lot 3 blends the unique characteristics of 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages from the Paso Robles and Lodi appellation. The result? Another gorgeously rich wine with those strong berry flavors that accompany good Zinfandel.  On the nose, you’ll sense licorice and vanilla. To taste, it’s a mix of strawberries, cherries, chocolate, toasted spice and pepper with a zing of acidity. Silky tannins provide a lush, full mouth-feel and long finish. And with a red wine this luscious, it may serve as the centerpiece to your dinner after a cold-commute home – able to stand up to strong, flavorful cheeses or upgrade even ordinary carry-out pizza into a little bit of heaven.

 

Cowabunga! Perfect wines for summer’s end

Ah, Labor Day weekend…you come upon us so quickly…too quickly, in fact. It seems like just yesterday that we were rejoicing in the long days, but complaining about humidity that really just gave us a good reason to sip our favorite ice-cold beverages more eagerly. Sure, we can see the tinge of brown on the Horse Chestnut tree leaves, and we see our rose gardens starting to falter a bit, but it’s hard to say goodbye to our dear friend, summer. Autumn may pledge to us artful landscapes and more sensible temperatures, but it doesn’t hold the same promise of leisure. And, are we really ready to see swimming pools close, the kids begrudgingly resume homework and our work commute be awash in moonlight?  Of course, the answer is “no,” but thankfully, Hinsdale Wine Cellars has prepared for this eventuality.

September’s Inspired Wine Club offers the perfect wine coupling to ease you into autumn. Just as you are performing your final cannonball dives of the season, we present two of Cannonball Winery’s finest. These wines will comfort the soul with their iconic childlike diver on the label placating your last pangs of summer nostalgia. Yes, two wines that happily accompany your grill fare as well as your renewed autumn stews—perfect for Hinsdale weather as it too tries to settle into the upcoming cooler season.

2009 Cannonball Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County

If you believe the winemaker (and why shouldn’t you? It’s the beloved, skillful Dennis Hill), this Cab may be the winery’s very best vintage ever, and that’s coming from a winery that prides itself on its Cabs. Thanks to Mother Nature, all the conditions were right for creating fantastic Cabs in 2009. And so, here we have a gorgeous, smooth, full-bodied specimen that pushes the fruit forward with just a small addition of Syrah. In addition to the jammy dark berry, cherry and plum flavors is a wonderful bit of warmed dark chocolate, some autumnal spiciness and softened toasted oak. The tannins add dimension but don’t overwhelm, and the acidity makes for a balanced wine with a long finish. Match it to a Porterhouse steak on the grill, a warming beef Bourguignon, or on its own as a sipper. Red wine lovers won’t be disappointed.

2010 Cannonball Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County

This limited-release wine promises the perfect send-off to summer during your Labor Day celebrations. The long, cool growing season in 2010 produced flavorful grapes with balanced acidity. The nose overflows with the fruitiness of honeydew, papaya, citrus and a smidge of white pepper. In the mouth, its minerality juxtaposes so nicely with the honeysuckle and melon flavors. This wine won’t weigh you down. It is smooth, refreshing and a great accompaniment to seafood, your favorite pastas and salads, or for quaffing alone as you enjoy those diminishing picturesque summer sunsets from your backyard deck or screened-in porch.

 

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