TN : Starmont Merlot 2009, Starmont Winery, Merryvale Vineyards, Napa Valley, California, USA

This wine is a blend of 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. The must underwent a warm, fast fermentation with a total of six days on skins. The wine was aged for 18 months in 32% new French and American oak barrels.

Starmont is located at the entrance to the Napa Valley on the historic Stanly Ranch, one of the first vineyards planted in the valley, built by agricultural pioneer Judge John Stanly in 1872. The winery opened officially on September 6th, 2006, just two days before the first grapes for processing arrived. Starmont is a member of the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group. The estate vineyards at Stanly Ranch became certified through the Napa Green Farm Certificate Program in 2007.

At Starmont, each barrel room has independent climate controls to more efficiently manage fermentations and barrel aging. Automated systems manage temperatures by bringing in cooler nighttime air and venting out warmer air, using low energy fans, when conditions permit. Starmont recycles 100% of its' winery process water as vineyard and landscaping irrigation.

This wine was imported by Magnum Wine AB.

Colour :  Dark red

Aroma : Raspberries, plums, milk chocolate, herbs, tobacco

Taste : Luch tannins, plums, raspberries, oak, milk chocolate, tobacco

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 244 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 72948

Mark : B+

Website : Starmont Winery

TN : Raffy Malbec Réserve 2010, Bodega Raffy, Tupungato Valley, Mendoza, Argenina

Bodega Raffy is an argentinean limited company, founded in 2007 by a frenchman, Jean-Louis Raffy, who also is its Manager. The bodega and its vineyard are adjacent to the Andes Moutain Range, in the province of Mendoza, at 3500 feet altitude, just below the Tupungato Volcano which gives its name to the Valley and the village. 

All the grapes for this wine came from a specific parcel, from vines over 50 years old, right next to Bodega Raffy's maturing cellars. All of the grapes were hand-picked. The grapes were harvested slightly overripe. After an alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine underwent a 15% saignéeand a post fermentation maceration of two whole weeks. Malolactic fermentation was entirely carried out during the twelve-month period that the wine spend in French oak barrels; of which 18% was new French oak. 8,700 bottles of this Cuvée Réserve were produced.

This wine was imported by JPC Wines AB.

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Spicy, blueberry, toast, oak, blackberry, lavender, herbs

Taste : Toast, sweet blueberries, blackberries, milk chocolate, liqourice on long finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 179 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 95340

Mark : B

Website : Bodega Raffy

TN : Pangea Syrah 2009, Viña Ventisquero, Apalta Valley, Colchagua Valley, Chile

John Duval, ex-Penfolds, and Felipe Tosso, chief winemaker at Viña Ventisquero were responsible for this wine.

This wine was imported by Giertz Vinimport AB.

Colour : Deep purple

Aroma : Blackberry, blackcurrant, plums, blueberry, tobacco, vanilla

Taste : Blackberry, blackcurrant, oak, tobacco, spicy warm finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 279 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 95374

Mark : B

Website :  Viña Ventisquero

TN : Serrata Belguardo 2011, Marchesi Mazzei, Maremma, Tuscany, Italy

This wine is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Alicante Nero. The Total acidity is 5,80‰. The vineyards are located between 70 and 130 metres above sea level with a South-West exposure. The soil is mainly Sandstone and Limestone. The age of the vineyards is 13 years. The vines are spur cordon trained. The number of vines per hectare is 6,600. All of the grapes were hand picked with the Sangiovese harvested from September 3rd and the Alicante Nero from August 29th 2011. The fermentation temperature was between 28 and 30 degrees. The period of maceration was 14 t o16 days. The wine was aged for twelve months in small French and American 225 litre oak barrels of which 30% were new. The wine was bottled in September 2012 and available on the market in November 2012. 86,000 bottles were produced.

This wine was imported by The WineAgency Sweden AB.

Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Raspberry, cherry, milk chocolate, oak

Taste : Oak, spice, cherry, tobacco, raspberry, liqourice, warm finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 99 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 22955

Mark : C

Website : Marchesi Mazzei

TN : Schloss Gobelsburg Steinsetz Grüner Veltliner Kamptal Reserve 2011, Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg, Kamptal, Austria

Schloss Gobelsburg has been maming wine since 1171. The winemaker was Michael Moosbrugger. This wine received 91 points from Wine Spectator and 89-91 from Austrian wine magazine Falstaff.

This wine was imported by Prime Wine Sweden AB.

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Peach, white pepper, lemon, mineral

Taste : White pepper, lemon, lime, minerals, peach, acidic finish

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 149 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 95314

Mark : C

Website : Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg

TN : Antu Ninquén Syrah 2011, MontGras, Colchagua Valley, Chile

 

 

Ninquén (nin-ken), meaning ‘Plateau on a Mountain’, is the name of the unique Estate from where this wine comes from. Antu which in the Mapuche or “People from Earth” language means “Sun” is a range of wines inspired from this ancestral tribe, renowned for its perseverance. Thus Antu Ninquén means “Sun of the Mountain”.

 

 

This wine received 92 points in the 2013 Descorchados Wine Guide. All of the grapes wer eharvested on the 22nd April 2011. The must underwent a four day cold maceration. Fermentation took approximately three weeks with pumpover three times a day. All in all there was 30 days of total skin contact. The fermentation temperature was kept between 29 and 32 degrees a day. The wine spent one year and two months in French oak of which 30% was new and the rest was second fill. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. The residual sugar is 1.7 grammes per litre. The total acidity (tartaric acid) is 5.28 grammes per litre. The pH is 3.5. A total of 7,200 cases were produced.

This wine was imported by Vinovum AB.

Colour : Dark blackcurrant

Aroma : Burnt toast, blackcurrant, blackberry, herbs

Taste : Blackberry, blueberry, burnt toast, herbs, violets

Alcohol : 14.5%

Systembolaget Number : 95378

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Ninquén Mountain Vineyard