This month, we’re giving you a double feature for Dad! We know that just as important as that great bottle of wine to enjoy now, is that great bottle of wine to tuck away in the cellar and enjoy in years to come. For June, we have selected two awesome wines that will make the perfect gifts for the wine-lover in your life. And, while you’re at it, you might want to pick up a few bottles for yourself, because you deserve a treat too!
Roche Costamagna Barolo, Rocche Dell’Annunziata, 2006 (100% Nebbiolo)
This outstanding single-vineyard Barolo is a sure-fire winner having received 93 points from Wine Enthusiast Magazine (12/1/2010). From Italy’s prestigious Lange region in the Piedmont, this wine is aged for two years in oak, and an additional 12 months in bottle to coax balance and finesse from the juice. Big, structured and meaty with notes of violet, sweet plums, leather and spicy tobacco, upon sipping you’ll find pleasant tannins give way to the ripe red fruit for which the Nebbiolo grape is known. A fantastic food wine, this is the perfect pairing for all sorts of roasted and braised meats and, unlike many wines, it is the perfect foil for truffled dishes. Enjoy this wine now, or cellar it for a few years to see how it evolves and matures.
Domaine Eric et Joel Durand, Cornas “Empreintes”, 2010 (100% Syrah)
From one of the smallest appelations in the Rhône Valley, Cornas, comes this blockbuster wine from one of the Northern Rhône’s rockstar wineries run by brothers Eric and Joel Durand who took over the family estate in 1991. Made of 100% Syrah, by law the only varietal allowed in Cornas, this wine is at once bold and powerful and yet incredibly delicate. A nose of blackberry, anise, and graphite is backed by good acidity and a long finish. This big, bold wine should be cellared for a few years to allow it to evolve, but will remain in ever-improving form for up to fourteen years. This is one to stock up on, and then put away and enjoy for years to come!”
