Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/97133
WINE NUMBER ELEVEN Balance of Family Commitment CHARLES KRUG 2009 Family Reserve Generations, Napa Valley ($50) 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot F rom the oldest winery in Napa Valley (1861) under the fourth generation of Mondavi family ownership, Generations is an apt moniker for this proprietary blend from Charles Krug Winery. Released in November 2011, the wine aged for 19 months in French oak and was bottled one year earlier. The fruit comes from estate vineyards in Napa Valley; the irst vintage was made in 1991. Our Panel���s Notes: ���Considering the high alcohol (15.4%), this wine is gritty but also pretty, with a perfumed nose of rose petals and jasmine. A big burst of plum opens to a wash of coffee beans stirred with dark chocolate. This would pair beautifully with the Mandarin Oriental���s signature rib eye.��� ���Nicole Kosta ���Generously opulent and mineral-rich with black cherries, blueberries and baker���s bitter chocolate. Demanding on the palate: a big dry tug of structure pulls on the tongue.��� ���Chris Baggetta WINE NUMBER TWELVE Balance of East Meets West Meets Italy BILTMORE 2010 Century Red Wine, California ($15) Sangiovese and Merlot T he Century line of wines was released to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Biltmore������America���s Most Visited Winery������and its legacy of hospitality in Asheville, North Carolina. The wine consists of Sangiovese from Cienega Valley and Merlot from Lake County. Winemakers Bernard Delille and Sharon Fenchak refer to the wine as a ���cappellini red��� for its natural pairing afinity, Chianti-style, with pastas. The bottle is etched, celebrating the elegance of Biltmore House, the iconic chateau founded by George Washington Vanderbilt III. Our Panel���s Notes: ���Clean and simple, with bright cherry, red plum and raspberry. Earth tones and dried herbs permeate; minerals form mid-palate and on the inish of this medium-bodied red.��� ���Deborah Parker Wong ���Youthful with plummy tones and warm spice, indicating some oak aging. The acidity is bright and almost Old World, but the fruits are ripe and New World fresh.��� ���Haley Moore december 2012 / the tasting panel / 107