DURAN 2014 GRAN RESERVA CAVA

CATALONIA, SPAIN

It’s no secret that the entire team here at Bricks Wine Co. LOVES Cava!

Cava is made like Champagne, but priced like Prosecco, so it goes without saying… these sparkling wines represent amazing value and the 2014 Duran Gran Reserva is no exception. In order to be called “Gran Reserva” the wine must be aged on it’s lees for a minimum of 30 months. Duran takes it a bit further though, ageing this wine for more than 36 months!!! This delightful little gem is made using three grape varietals that are native to the Catalonia region in Spain – Xarel·lo (35%), Macabeu (20%), and Parellada (20%) with Chardonnay (25%) to round it out.

Aromas of lemon curd and toasted brioche jump from the glass. The palate is complex and creamy with notes of macadamia nuts, more toasted brioche, puff pastry, Granny Smith apples, white strawberries, orange marmalade…

It seems I’m getting something different on each delicious sip.

LIGHTNING ROCK 2017 VIOGNIER

OKANAGAN VALLEY, B.C.

I’m super excited to be able to include this beautiful Viognier, from one of British Columbia’s newest wineries in this month’s BRICKS 6! Lightning Rock is a passion project for husband and wife duo Tyler Knight & Jordan Kubek. Their focus is in the vineyard where they maintain the vines in a holistic way to produce healthy, clean fruit. The grapes for this cuvée were hand harvested from their estate vineyard on October 15th 2017. This particular block of the vineyard is planted on exposed granite bedrock. The grapes were gently crushed, and the juice spontaneously fermented in concrete. After six months on lees the wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

This really is unlike any Viognier I’ve ever had, most Viognier can be quite heavy, one would even say “fat”, but at 12% alcohol, this is lean and light and fresh. Most Viognier starts at around 13.5% alcohol. The nose and palate are harmonious with amazing minerality, a touch of sea salt, quince, lemon and tropical fruits like guava and mango.

GRUBER RÖSCHITZ 2017 ST. LAURENT ROSÉ

WEINVIERTEL, AUSTRIA

Saint Laurent aka Sankt Laurent has an origin that’s shrouded in mystery. It’s often mistaken for Pinot Noir and at one point it was thought to be a cross of Pinot and some unknown varietal, but DNA testing has proven that St. Laurent is genetically distant from Pinot.

St. Laurent is the most widely planted red varietal in the Czech Republic and the 3rd most planted red varietal in Austria.

Gruber Röschitz has been growing grapes in the Weinviertel region of Austria since 1814. Today the winery is operated by three siblings: Ewald, Winemaker; Maria, Sales; and Christian, Viticulture. The vineyards are organically-farmed and recently obtained official certification. The “wine spirits” that adorn the labels are a reflection of this creative, spirited, and confident team.

This deeply hued rose is super tangy and crisp. The nose is brimming with notes of strawberries, tart red cherries, and rhubarb. The palate echoes these red fruit notes and is complimented with flavours of pink peppercorn and baking spices.

NICHOL VINEYARD 2015 9 MILE RED

NARAMATA BENCH, B.C.

Nichol Vineyard is among the first three pioneering wineries on the Naramata Bench. The first part of their home vineyard was planted in 1989 and it was completed in 1991. They are famous for their Syrah, which was the first to be planted in all of Canada! The 9 Mile Red however, is a blend of approximately 70% Pinot Noir & 30% St. Laurent! Yup!!! More St. Laurent, because why not?!

While Nichol meets the standards for both organic certification and VQA status, they choose not to pursue these qualifications in an effort to keep their costs down and not have to pass them on to the consumer. The wines are made with minimal intervention, are almost entirely dry-farmed and are technically vegan too!

Notes of freshly picked raspberries jump from the glass. The palate is super bright and juicy with flavours of pink SweeTart candies, more raspberries, cherry pie filling, thyme and just a tiny hint of black tea.

Try it chilled!

I like it straight from the fridge!

G.D. VAJRA 2016 LANGHE ROSSO

PIEDMONT, ITALY

G.D. Vajra (pronounced “vi-rah”) is one of my favourite Italian producers, and you may recognize the name from when we featured their Nebbiolo back in October.

This is their Rosso, a blend of 30% Barbera, 30% Dolcetto& 30% Nebbiolo, with Freisa, Albarossa & Pinot Noir making up the remaining 10%. 2016 was a beautiful, classic vintage. Locals called it “a farmer’s year” for what is a very rare combination of high quality, purity of aromatics and generous crop. The grapes are sorted manually three times: directly on the vine, as whole clusters on the sorting tables, and lastly as single berries after destemming. The wine is aged for approximately 10 months before it’s bottled, 95% of which is in stainless steel and 5% in neutral oak barrels.

The result is a medium bodied, beautifully balanced and charismatic wine. This nose reveals notes of blackberries, violets, sweet tobacco and leather. The palate has a nice spicy kick of black pepper, stewed plums and licorice with supple, velvety tannins and a long finish.

TORBRECK 2016 CUVÉE JUVENILES

BAROSSA VALLEY, AUSTRALIA

“Cuvée Juveniles was created as a ‘Cote Du Rhône’ inspired bistro wine from the classic Barossa varieties of 75% Grenache, 18% Mataro aka Mourvedre & 7% Shiraz from mostly old, unirrigated vineyards. These varieties are the cornerstone of the Barossa Valley and are intrinsic in the wines that are so easily appreciated around the world and often referred to as GSM blends by sommeliers and consumers alike. The wines hallmark is its freshness due to no oak ageing and as the name describes, it is a wine best drunk in its youth.” – Torbreck

This is the perfect red to welcome Spring and the beginning of BBQ season! The addition of the Mataro and Shiraz gives the wine great structure, with the Grenache and lack of oak keeping it light on its feet. The grapes come from old, established vineyards ageing between 40 – 150 years old and 2016 is considered to be a “standout” vintage in this part of Australia.

Aromas of cherries, redcurrants, cloves and pencil lead are complimented by flavours of blackberries, blueberries, more cherries, cinnamon and a just a touch of smoke.

-Erin Loader