Still shopping for holiday gifts?  Why not taste and shop at the same time?!  We’ll be pouring a flight of wines from around the world at varying price points.  And, if you’re already ahead of the curve and are all done with shopping, just come in, relax and enjoy the flight!

2016 Chateau Cantelaudette, Graves de Vayres Blanc, Traditionelle, Bordeaux, France

Grape Varieties: 90% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc.  The Graves de Vayres appellation gets its name from the soils which are predominantly gravel or a mix of sand and gravel.  White Bordeaux are typically a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle, with Sauvignon Blanc usually having the highest percentage in the blend.  However, this white is predominantly Semillon!  It is aged on its lees for 6 months.  Lees aging adds more body to a wine, provides a textural quality on the palate, and can impart flavors of yeast or bread dough.  This wine is mineral driven with delicate aromas of melon and citrus and a faint hint of wood.

About Chateau Cantelaudette: Chateau Cantelaudette is located in the Graves de Vayres region of Bordeaux.  The estate was established by the Chatelier family in 1870.

2013 Vasse Felix, Premier Chardonnay, Margaret River, Australia

Grape Variety: Chardonnay.  Pristine isolation, ancient lands and twin oceans make Margaret River a wine paradise and one of the world’s greatest environments to grow ultra-premium Chardonnay.  I first tasted this wine at a Master Sommelier led tasting of Australian wines, white and red.  For me, it was the most memorable wine of the tasting.  It has a beautiful minerality, salinity, green apple flavor and just a touch of oak – similar in flavor to a white Burgundy from the Meursault region of the Côte d’Or.

About Vasse Felix: Vasse Felix is Margaret River’s founding wine estate, established in 1967 by regional pioneer Dr Tom Cullity.  He searched the South-West cape of Western Australia relentlessly for his first vineyard site, before selecting 8 acres of land in Cowaramup.  Today this special block, Margaret River’s original vines, remains at the heart of the Vasse Felix estate.

2015 La Playa, Red Blend, Colchagua Valley, Chile

Grape varieties: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere.  Winemaker’s notes: This plush, fruity, well-balanced Red Blend wine, comprised of only Colchagua Valley reds (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere), showcases each of our sustainably farmed red varietals together in one authentic blend.  A deep red color.  On the nose, bright red fruit and toasty aromas.  It is an expressive, plush red blend, with plums and soft tannins on the finish.

About La Playa: Viña La Playa is home to some of Chile’s best vineyards, producing distinctive Chilean varietals, as well as unique proprietor blends.

2015 Saini Vineyards, Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Grape variety: Zinfandel.  Winemaker’s notes: This wine is a great showcase of how spectacular the 2015 vintage was.  Aromas of blackberry, boysenberry and black cherry jump out of the glass and hints of all-spice and cinnamon and vanilla round it out.  The palate is all juicy fruit and tannin.  This beautiful wine also has nice acidity which makes it very food friendly.  950 cases made.

About Saini Vineyards: Saini Vineyards is a story of two families, of partnerships and of friends between the Saini and the Christie families.  The Sainis are 4th generation Sonoma County grape growers that have been farming grapes in Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley for over 90 years.  George Christie and his wife Tami have been a part of the wine industry ever since 1991 and have worked with some of the most iconic wineries in California, such as Korbel, Buena Vista, Kenwood and Clos du Bois.

To learn more about Saturdays at TasteVin and upcoming and past tastings, please click here.