Wine Club: Social Distancing with Mourvèdre

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Hi wine friends…and Happy #WineWednesday! We have been diligently practicing social distancing in the A Glass After Work household, which has given me the opportunity to focus on my wine clubs. Today, I’m sharing my March 2020 Vasco Urbano Wine Co. Wine Club and tasting the 2016 HP Mourvèdre, which is a $42 red wine from the Livermore Valley in California. Cheers! 

The Vasco Urbano wine club send shipments 4 times a year — March, June, September, and December – and there are 12, 6, and 3-bottle membership options. The monthly cost depends on the wines included in the shipment, but usually it ranges from $95-$130.
 
You can watch previous Vasco Urbano Wine Club unboxings here:
Questions of the Day: 
  • How are you holding up with all of the changes going into place because of the pandemic?
  • Have your drinking habits changed?
  • What are you drinking?

Quarantine Happy Hour

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Hi wine friends…and Happy #WineWednesday! Like much of the US, I’m at home because of the coronavirus pandemic; so today, I sharing my March 2020

Wine Club, which arrived right before the more serious restrictions were put in place.  I also taste their 2018 Élevée Vineyard Pinot Noir, which is a $65 red wine from the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  Cheers!

Questions of the Day:

  1. How are you handling the coronavirus pandemic…are you safe?  Is your family ok?
  2.  Are you still enjoying some wine?  If so, what have you stocked up on?

John Legend’s LVE Wine

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Hi wine friends…and Happy #WineWednesday! Today, I’m sharing the 2014 LVE Cabernet Sauvignon by John Legend, which is an $85 red wine collaboration between singer John Legend and Napa Valley’s Raymond Vineyards. Cheers!

As I mentioned in the video, I first received this wine as part of a Gary Vee Wine Club shipment in 2018.  The #GaryVeeWineClub is a monthly shipment of wine for only $55 a month. Depending on the month, you receive 1, 2, 3, or 4 bottles. It is run through Wine Library.

Question of the Day: 

  • Have you had any of the John Legend LVE Wines?
  • Do you have plans for Valentine’s Day?  If those plans involve wine, what are you planning to drink?

Virginia Wine Month with a 2015 Breaux Vineyards Meritage

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Hi wine friends, and Happy Wine Wednesday! October is Virginia Wine Month, so I’m sharing a Virginia wine that was actually part of a larger Virginia Wine Twitter Tasting—the 2015 Breaux Vineyards Meritage.  You can watch my YouTube video to get all my thoughts, as well as background on the wine, or you can keep reading!

Also, in full disclosure, the Twitter tasting was organized by Frank from Drink What YOU Like, it was sponsored by Visit Loudon, and all of the wines, including the Breaux Meritage, were sent as samples.

As the name suggests, the 2015 Breaux Vineyards Meritage has an SRP of $42 and is a red wine blend—50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Petit Verdot, 23% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec.  It’s a small production wine, with only 376 cases produced.  The wine was a nice dark, inky ruby color.  On the nose, there were a lot of blackberries and tobacco with some  green tea and baking spice notes.  There was also a little bit of earthiness, the type of smell that reminded me of walking in a forest right after a little bit of rain.  It was an earthy, dirt smell, but in a very nice way.  In the mouth, there were juicy, ripe blackberries practically hitting me in the face, followed by green tea and tobacco and more subtle notes of nutmeg and cinnamon. The wine had a medium-to-full body with tannins that just clung to my mouth.

2015 Breaux Vineyards Meritage – At $42, this red wine blend from Virginia is too expensive for an every day waine, but is a fantastic option for a fall special occasion or Thanksgiving dinner. Everything about it screams chilly weather, light sweaters, fall leaves, some football, and chili. Cheers! | AGlassAfterWork.com

2015 Breaux Vineyards Meritage

Overall, the 2015 Breaux Vineyards Meritage is a beautiful wine, although it definitely needs to breathe a little bit before you drink it, which is something I learned during the Twitter tasting because I didn’t.  That said, because it does so nicely with some air, it was still beautiful when I enjoyed a glass the next day.

If you’re ready to start drinking a little more red wine and have been thinking about pulling out some of your heavier clothes, but maybe you’re not ready to dive right in and drink that big juicy California cab yet, this is exactly what I think you should be going for.  It’s the perfect wine for transitioning into fall. It has a little bit of that smokiness and a little bit of that structure that is perfect for the weather getting chilly.  It feels to me like a wine that I want with fall leaves, some football, and chili.

Also, as you’re starting to thinking about the holidays, it’s a wine that would be perfect for Thanksgiving.  It’s a little more on the expensive side, so it’s not one of those wines I’m going to open up every day, but for a special occasion like Thanksgiving where I’m family is coming over and I want to share a bottle or two of something special, this would be a perfect option.  It has the characteristics of a crowd-pleasing wine and it’s festive.

Questions of the Day:

  • I know Breaux Vineyards wine has started making its way outside of Virginia, so have you had a chance to taste any?  If so, which ones and what did you think?

Celebrating Open That Bottle Night 2019 with Genium Celler Costers

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Hi wine friends, and Happy Wine Wednesday!  The last Saturday in February is Open That Bottle Night (OBTN), so I wanted to share with you the wine I opened to celebrate—a 2005 Genium Celler Costers.  I’ve been holding onto this wine for 10 years, so it seemed like there was no better time to open in than this year’s OTBN.  You can watch my YouTube video to get all my thoughts, as well as background on the wine, or you can keep reading!

 

OBTN was started in 2000 by to Wall Street Journal writers, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, and the whole idea is exactly like it sounds.  We all have special bottles of wine that we never open because we’re always saving the wine for a special occasion that never seems to come.  OTBN is the chance to open that bottle!

In honor of Open That Bottle Night, I opened a bottle I've been holding onto for 10 years-- a 2005 Genium Cellers Costers. This is a red wine from Priorat, Spain. Rating 5 out of 5 stars. | AGlassAfterWork.co

2005 Genium Celler Costers Priorat

My special bottle was given to me as a birthday present from my in-laws about 10 years ago, right after I started wine blogging. That year, they bought me several really nice bottles of wine, and it was recommended not to open the bottle until at least 2015, but it could cellar up until 2030.  That seemed like a really long time, and I just don’t have enough patience to wait that long.  If I’m being honest, I’m surprised the bottle lasted as long as it did.  I think the only reason that happened is because I had a chance to taste several vintages over the years, which was enough to satisfy my curiosity and convince me I should hold out a little longer.

The 2005 Genium Celler Costers (winery) is a red wine from Priorat, Spain.  It was a really dark ruby that was starting to transition to garnet, so you can definitely tell that it’s been aging.  The nose was beautiful with dark cherries and dark plums.  The fruit notes were at the back of the nose, with more earthy characteristics happening front.  There was smoke, sweet tobacco, and a hint of new leather that reminded me of a new handbag type.  There was also a touch of rose petals.  In the mouth, the characteristics were similar, although the dark cherry notes were much stronger.  The wine was medium bodied with grippy tannins.  I could feel my gums contracting, which I love.

In honor of Open That Bottle Night, I opened a bottle I've been holding onto for 10 years-- a 2005 Genium Cellers Costers. This is a red wine from Priorat, Spain. Rating 5 out of 5 stars. | AGlassAfterWork.com

2005 Genium Celler Costers

I’m really glad I opened the wine this year, as it was ready to drink now.  I would probably have been disappointed in it if I let it age much longer.  As far as price goes, I couldn’t find any bottles of the 2005 or sale now, but it looks like it was selling for about $60 when it when it was still available.

Overall, Genium Celler continued to impress me.  The 2005 Costers was a really great wine, and the experience of drinking this particular bottles was even better because it was given to me at the beginning of my kind of adventures in wine, and I opened it specifically at a time that is set aside to open special bottles.  This year was the first time I participated in OTBN, but it won’t be the last.  I mean, what’s the point of having the good stuff if I never enjoy it?

Questions of the day:

  1.  Did you participation in Open That Bottle Night (the last Saturday in February?) If so, what did you open?
  2.  What are your thoughts on Priorat?