Month: January 2017

Shamrock Selections is a monthly subscription service that brings you the best wines from around the world. Each month’s selection is carefully chosen by sommelier Keegan Sparks and his team. He keeps a keen eye out for wines that are unique, rare, and new to our market. Shamrock Selections is ideal for enthusiasts and explorers who delight in finding hidden gems and trying new, exclusive vintages. Each month, you can join us on a journey of sampling and learning about some of the greatest wines in the world. Each selection of wine comes with detailed tasting notes and food pairing suggestions from our team.

This month, we’ve got two incredible red wines to keep you warm on these cool January nights!

The Moro family has been tending their vineyards in Spain’s Ribera del Duero for almost 100 years. For years, they sold their grapes to other winemakers, and it wasn’t until 1988 that they made their own wine. Emilio’s son José invested the family’s entire savings in winery equipment, so there was little turning back. Today, the winery produces some of the most complex and delicious wines from the tempranillo grape in the Ribera del Duero. This wine, the “Emilio Moro,” is the flagship wine of the Bodega and it’s a perfect example of the region’s typical style. The tempranillo grapes for this wine underwent a 28-day long maceration and were then allowed to age in barrel for a full year before bottling. I’m always impressed by the combination of freshness and ripeness I find in these wines. Leather, dark tomato sauce, mushrooms, and strawberry compote notes are combined with fresh red apple, wet stone, and violets, making this a very complex wine. On the palate, it is full-bodied but still fresh and lively with a kick of acid. Tempranillo always makes me crave mushrooms and, to that end, I can think of no better pairing that grilled ribeye covered in jaeger sauce (mushroom gravy).

For those who were Shamrock Selection subscribers in 2015, you might remember that we had the fantastic Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay just over a year ago (The 2014 vintage of that wine was recently named the best white wine in the world by Wine Spectator Magazine).  Now we are bringing you the Pinot Noir which received that distinction back in 2010. The Evenstad Reserve is a hand selection of the very best barrels each vintage produces. The extreme lightness of color can be deceiving, but don’t let that fool you; this is a magnificent wine bursting with ripe cherry and strawberry note. It is one of the most elegant pinot noirs I’ve ever tasted. It is so light and elegant that it glides across the palate, leaving a lingering, mouthwatering finish that makes you crave more. For a wine this good, it is best to go with the most classic and most simple pairings. Sauteed duck breast with tart cherry chutney would be the perfect way to elevate this wine. 

Want to learn more about Shamrock Selections? Click here. 

Shamrock Selections is a monthly subscription service that brings you the best wines from around the world. Each month’s selection is carefully chosen by sommelier Keegan Sparks and his team. He keeps a keen eye out for wines that are unique, rare, and new to our market. Shamrock Selections is ideal for enthusiasts and explorers who delight in finding hidden gems and trying new, exclusive vintages. Each month, you can join us on a journey of sampling and learning about some of the greatest wines in the world. Each selection of wine comes with detailed tasting notes and food pairing suggestions from our team.

This month, we’re highlighting the second round of wines that we imported directly from France. These wines are so special, and they’re unlike anything you’ll find on our shelves, or anywhere else in Arkansas, for that matter. A theme you will notice this month selections, and in previous selections is “old vines”. As vines age, the size of their grapes become smaller. This, in turn, results in a wine is more concentrated and complex. Old vineyards are rare and finding two wines from vineyards that are over seventy years old is a real treat.

This is the second time we’ve had a wine from Domaine D’Aupilhac and we’re thrilled to bring you another of their fantastic wines. The domain is owned by Sylian Fadet, whose family has been farming this land since the nineteenth century. The “Les Servières” is a truly amazing wine. The vineyard was planted in 1900 on extremely rocky terrain composed of clay and limestone. The resulting wine is deep and complex with ripe flavors of strawberry, cherry and an underlying savouriness. Composed entirely from cinsault, this is the greatest example of the grape I have ever tasted. I recommend decanting the wine as it’s a bit tight and angular at first sip. Given just a few minutes to breath, it opens up to reveal a great depth of flavor and remarkably smooth texture. I’d recommend enjoying it with hearty winter food like pot pie and roasts.

If you happened to guess that “Vielles Vignes” is French for “old vines” you’d be right. The vines here are all over seventy years old and were originally planted in the 1930s by Michel’s grandfather. Today he farms these old vines with the help of this two sons Guillaume and Roman. When I taste this wine I am immediately transported back in time to a summer I spent in the alps of Switzerland and France. The grape here is jacquere and it has that fresh crispness of mountain air combined with a surprising richness from a wine grown so high in the mountains. Drinking it makes me crave a big pot of fondue or raqulette.

Want to learn more about Shamrock Selections? Click here.