With all of us having smaller celebrations over the holidays this year it follows that purchasing wine in smaller bottles might be a good idea for many of us. And I like the idea of drinking better wine rather than drinking more wine. We’re happy to share these little gems with you that we received as tasting samples from Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles.
When I received the inquiry about sampling these wines in 375ml bottles my first thought was stocking stuffers. These small bottles are perfect to tuck into the Christmas stocking of your favorite wine lover. They will make perfect Hanukkah and Kwanzaa gifts as well.
Then I got to thinking about our own Christmas celebration, that will include only the two of us this year, and thought these small bottles would be perfect for small celebrations too. Even if you don’t celebrate any specific holiday, these small-format bottles are perfect for a weeknight dinner for one or two. Bravo Robert Hall Winery!
2019 Robert Hall Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Paso Robles — pale straw in the glass with generous aromas of stone fruit, pineapple and flowers. Flavors follow with yellow peach, pear, and pineapple, citrusy notes and dried hay. Nice acidity provides a clean finish. 13.5% abv. SRP $8 (375ml bottle)
This Sauvignon Blanc is easy sipping with pleasing stone fruit flavors. The 2019 vintage is described by the winery as short and somewhat sporadic with an overall vineyard yield that was lower than average.
2018 Robert Hall Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles — dark ruby in the glass with aromas of ripe plums, blackberries and hints of coconut. Generous flavors of ripe blackberries, plums and raspberries combine with a bit of earth. Flavors are supported by slightly drying, well-integrated tannins. 14.5% abv. SRP $9 (375ml bottle)
This Cabernet Sauvignon is generous without being too ripe. It has nice depth and pleasing flavors. It is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Syrah, 3% Cabernet Franc aged in French and Eastern European oak for 18 months.
The winery describes 2018 as a vintage that started off cool and wet with early frost followed by a heatwave in July and August. The result was a harvest that was two weeks later than usual but yielded smaller clusters and berries resulting in dark wines with dense phenolics.
Robert Hall Winery is certified sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance for their winery and estate vineyards and have started the process to certify all of their grower partners.
And I was interested to read a recent press release outlining Robert Hall Winery and its owner, O’Neill Vintners & Distillers’, “comparative trial for the wider wine community to learn about regenerative farming with organic and biodynamic farming techniques, comparing the results with conventionally farmed vineyards.”
Thanks to Robert Hall Winery and to Calhoun & Company Communications for sending these wines our way.
Cheers!
