Mayacama Wine Offer - Summer Red Wines

I am often asked what my favorite wine is, a tricky question to answer. My tastes vary, often based on what I am eating, my mood, the time of day, am I enjoying a good cigar and so on. The truth is I usually have at least a glass of wine on a daily basis.

Unless it is 100 degrees and I’m eating lighter fare, I tend to gravitate towards red varietals that are rich and complex with bold flavors and complexity. It is often the varietal that attracts my interest and I love discovering great wines from different artisans….mostly reds.

The offer for our July features varietals I often enjoy, not only with my meal but also while sitting on the patio enjoying great conversation, great music and sometimes a Cuban cigar. If I had the time to list every producer I enjoy, the lineup would be larger than our wine list so I am recommending these wines based on both quality and value.

For those of you who have other favorites in these varietal categories that are not on the offer, I would be happy to customize your orders and give you the same 10% discount on a six-pack you create.

Enjoy!

The Wines

2013 Casanova di Neri Brunello, Montalcino

The Brunello di Montalcino is the expression of a territory and the specific subdivision that it is made up of. Their classic Brunello with its Casanova di Neri stamp and its white label was the first to be produced and is the expression of the most elegant Sangiovese of Casanova di Neri.

Beautifully executed, the wine oozes forth from the glass with round, supple and velvety fruit. This Brunello is luscious and deep, with millefoglie aromatic layering that peels back slowly and carefully. Last year’s vintage was the #4 wine in the world in the Wine Spectator.

2013 Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape, Avignon
Guigal produces an intensely concentrated, inviting and complex Chateauneuf-du-Pape that is almost unique to the region today. Guigal’s 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape is the deepest and most concentrated edition of this wine since the 2010. Full of black cherries, tapenade and Provence herbs, it should make for exciting drinking shortly after it is finally released.

The Guigals age their wine far longer than almost anyone in the appellation, allowing it to develop complexity of flavor and texture, and making for an outstanding drinking experience on release. Signature notes of deep and pure red fruits, spices reminiscent of the flowers and herbs of the area, all wrapped in a full, lush body, make Guigal’s Chateauneuf gorgeous and irresistible.

2014 Radio-Coteau Syrah, Harrison Grade, Sonoma Coast
Another winner is the 2014 Syrah Harrison Grade. About 36% whole clusters were used for this wine, which was sourced from an organically farmed Syrah vineyard 800 feet above sea level. This 2014 is an elegant take on Syrah, exhibiting finesse, its flowery notes intermixed with black and red currants, beef blood and blackberries. Harrison Grade is their Estate grown Syrah situated on a ridgetop above Occidental. Organically farmed, hand-harvested, natively fermented, and bottled in-house, Harrison Grade Sonoma Coast Estate Syrah is a true grape to glass, vertically-integrated expression by the crew at Radio-Coteau. This bottling is a cellar favorite with cool-climate spicy charm and vibrant acidity.

2016 Carlisle Zinfandel, Piner-Olivet Ranches
Medium-dark ruby-garnet. Very lifted, perfumed aromas of cherries, red licorice whips, sandalwood, and blood orange. The nose provides everything you could hope for in a Russian River Valley Zinfandel. Impeccably balanced, flavors of red cherry, mulberry, and baking spices build through the mineral-laden, zesty finish. A beautiful wine but as a blend of Carlisle, Papera, and Montafi, how could it not be?

A great success story, Mike Officer’s Carlisle Winery continues to not only protect heritage old-vine sites in Northern California but to also turn out a bevy of realistically priced, delicious, consumer-friendly wines, primarily from Zinfandel, although Officer can also turn a trick or two with Grenache, Petite Sirah

2013 Freemark Abbey, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford, a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, kicks off with a beautiful red and purple flower perfume over a core of red and black currants and tilled loam, plus a touch of tapenade. Medium to full-bodied and firmly structured, it has a great concentration of perfumed black fruit, supported by chewy tannins and just enough freshness. Full-bodied with a soft entry and great depth, it shows the famous Rutherford dust.

2014 Navarro, Pinot Noir, Deep End, Anderson Valley
The 2014 Deep End Pinot is a cuvée created by blending the twelve best lots from Navarro's Pinot Noir hillside vineyards. Four different vineyard sites, four different Pinot clones and four different rootstocks; each one adding complexity to the final blend. Get lost meandering down this wine's complex flavor paths: plum, strawberry, clove, pomegranate, vanilla, cocoa and chanterelles. The Deep End Blend is harvested with grapes harvested from higher elevation and aged in higher percentage of new oak for a full 18 months. The nose is brimming with baked cherry pie, cola and vanilla. The depth and mouthfeel are impressive, attended by flavors of dark plum, pomegranate and licorice. The complexity of this wine should make it amenable to fine aging.

The Offer

2013 Casanova di Neri Brunello, Montalcino - $80

2013 Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape, Avignon - $60

2014 Radio Coteau Syrah, Harrison Grade, Sonoma Coast - $75

2016 Carlisle Zinfandel, Piner-Olivet Ranches - $40

2013 Freemark Abbey, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford - $76

2014 Navarro, Pinot Noir, Deep End, Anderson Valley - $55

Jeff McCarthy, Wine Director 
[email protected]
707.569.2906