These wines were received as tasting samples.
Let me just get this out of the way at the very beginning of the post. We are not football fans. Heresy, I know. Football fans, please forgive us. We just don’t watch the game faithfully, every Sunday, during what seems like an ever-expanding season. We do, however, look forward to the Super Bowl. We whip up some of our favorite munchies and, there is always wine.
When we don’t watch the Super Bowl at home we are gathered with friends to visit, eat and watch the game. These celebrations invariably include a wide variety of food, often everyone brings a dish. A wide variety of dishes calls for a variety of wines to accompany them. This year, we have four wines to recommend. All four are wines we have tasted over several vintages, and have always enjoyed. They will accompany whatever a potluck brings, and they won’t break the bank.
2015 M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Blanc — medium yellow in the glass with citrusy and dried hay aromas. Flavors include wet-rock minerality, pears and citrus. Lovely flavors and bright acidity. 13.5% abv. SRP $15
The blend of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Macabeo (aka Viura or Macabeu) and Vermentino gives this wine nice depth and length of flavor.
2015 M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Villages Rouge — medium ruby in the glass with fruity aromas that make me think of a fruit roll-up. Strawberry and raspberry flavors combine with earthy, dark fruit flavors and bright acidity. Tannins are smooth and the finish is medium in length. 14.5% abv. SRP $15
Syrah, Grenache and Carignan work well together in the flavorful, fruit-forward wine. Grapes for the Rouge are harvested from vineyards located at higher elevations in the Agly Valley, lending that bright acidity.
Michel Chapoutier is the current face of Maison M. Chapoutier. The family winery was founded in 1879 in the northern Rhône. Michel took over from his father, Max, in 1990. Since that time the vineyard acreage has increased in the Rhône and farming has been converted to Biodynamic. Winemaking has expanded beyond the Rhône to other parts of France as well as Portugal and Australia.
2016 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Reserva Sauvignon Blanc — pale yellow in the glass with generous cut grass and gooseberry aromas. The flavors mirror the aromas, are long lasting and finish with juicy acidity. 13% abv. SRP $11
The is no doubting that this is a Sauvignon Blanc. It is made in the herbaceous rather than tropical fruit style. It loves food.
2015 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon — medium ruby in the glass with herbaceous, dark fruit and hints of cedar aromas. Predominantly dark fruit flavors of plums are joined by ripe raspberry flavors, earthy backnotes and hints of cedar. The tannins are smooth, and while the flavors are not long lasting, they are interesting and tasty. 13.5% abv. SRP $11
This Cabernet Sauvignon gains complexity with the inclusion of just a splash of Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah. It drinks well above its price of $11.
Concha y Toro was founded in 1883 and now farms over 12 estates located throughout Chile. In addition, winemaking has expanded to Argentina and California. Our experience with Concha y Toro has been that they produce quality wines over a wide range of price points.
Regardless of whether you are a Patriots or Falcons fan, we hope you enjoy the Super Bowl. Only one team can win, so there will be long faces for some. Choose any, or all, of these wines to accompany your celebration and at least your wines will be winners, even if your team is not.
Thanks to Creative Palate Communications for sending these delightful wines our way.
Cheers!
Great selections!