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!
2013 Bodegas Emilio Moro
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).
2012 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir
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.
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