Eight wines to bring out the spirit of the New Year

As New Year’s Eve is just around the corner, I wanted to share some wines that I recently sampled that might tickle your fancy for the New Year. These suggestions will include sparkling wine to kick off the New Year, but it will include some wines to pair with your holiday dinner.

White Wines:

If you love Rhone Blends, Ascension Cellars Silver is a lovely blend with a twist, the addition of Chardonnay. The wine has a viscous quality that reveals flavors of grapefruit, pineapple, and pears.

Also from Ascension Cellars is the Lumiere Du Soleil Sunlight. This Rhone blend consists of primarily Viognier with Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Marsanne. You can definitely taste the Viognier. While the aromas are those of stone fruit, the flavors include honey, clove, clover and of course stone fruit.  I think it is the clove that makes this a nice winter wine.

Not everyone can get their hands on Idaho wines but if you can Huston 2013 Riesling is an excellent example of the quality of wine produced in Idaho. This well-balanced, fresh wine delivers flavors of Apricot and citrus. It is interesting because the wine has the texture of Chardonnay.

Red Wines:

Castello di Amorosa 2012 Sangiovese is a blend of 95% Sangiovese and 5 % Merlot. One will find flavors of cedar, balsamic, violets, dark cherry and white pepper. This well-balanced wine is very European in style. Kudos to the winemakers for creating a Sangiovese that is not typical of California

Bila Haut Occultum Lapidem 2014 is a Rhone blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Carignan. Like many of Michel Chapoutier’s wines, it expresses the terroir of the Roussillon Villages. It is a smooth and balanced wine with dark stewed fruit and hints of Herbs de Provence.

From El Dorado County in the Sierra Foothills, the Findleton Estate Winery 2013 Zinfandel reveals the intensity of altitude that region is known for. With aromas of pepper and blackberry and flavors of pepper, clove, blueberry and blackberry pie, this wine is a lighter Zinfandel.

Sparkling Wines:

Masottina Le Rive Di Ogliano Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry delivers not only an excellent value but also a tasty almost sweet and savory wine to toast in the New Year. It is easy drinking with fresh and youthful aromas and flavors of almond and honey.

One can rarely go wrong with Chandon. The Methode Traditionnelle Rosé is a combination of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. This non-vintage sparkling wine is created from multiple vintages. One finds a very pretty sparkling wine with both flavors and aromas of watermelon, strawberry and red cherry. There is a slight creaminess to this sparkling wine.

Any of these wines will bring good cheer to your holiday meals this New Years weekend.

Enjoy your holiday, and Written Palette wishes you a Happy New Year!