Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1061132
{ SOMMjournal.com } 7 winery was recognized as an industry leader in sustainability by the United Na- tions with the "Momentum for Change" Award in 2017. It farms more than 1,000 cer tified-organic acres in the Mendocino AVA, with approximately one-quar ter of those vines also cer tified as Biodynamic. Bonterra Winemaker Jeff Cichocki, who crafts The McNab, also selects top-per - forming Merlot lots from the vineyard for The Elysian Collection 2016 Merlot ($25), produced with certified-organic grapes. Cichocki artfully blends up to 15 percent reserve wine into the new release, which sees 30 percent new oak and undergoes an oak regime featuring a mix of new and neutral barrels. The finished product shows classic, plummy varietal character with crisp and generous tannins for a veritable North American snapshot of the variety. The sheep that gazes from the wine's memorable label, meanwhile, serves as a tribute to the animals that graze the McNab vineyard during the winter months and contribute to the site's biodiversity. The tasting shifted southward once more to the Bordeaux variety championed in Ar - gentina's Mendoza region: old-vine Malbec grown in Luján de Cuyo, the basis of the Trivento Eolo 2014 Reserva Malbec ($85). "Trivento is named for the three winds that influence the vineyards there: the Polar, a cold wind from the south; the Zonda, a warming western wind sweeping down off of the Andes; and the Sudestada, or southeast blow, which brings freshness from the Atlantic and Río Plata estuary to the vineyards," said Jofré, who notes that the clay bands in the sandy loam soils help hold moisture in this dry, continental region. The Eolo vineyard, a 10-acre parcel planted in 1912, is fittingly named after Aeolus, the Greek god of the winds. Wine - maker Victoria "Vico" Prandina cold-soaks destemmed berries for five days and uti- lizes a week of post-fermentation macera- tion to achieve the rich, dark color of the finished wine, which spends 18 months in 70 percent new French oak. Sabatini highlights complexity from old vines and the wine's additional bottle age as factors that allow it to develop its nuance and impressive mineral-focused character. Focus then transitioned to the final pair of wines, both Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker Sebastian Donoso sources the variety from one of Napa Valley's widest and warmest points, the Rutherford AVA, for the Sanctuary 2015 Cabernet Sauvi - gnon ($40). He blends two very different blocks in the Beckstoffer Melrose vineyard: one planted to Clone 337 that gives him darker fruit and the fine, powdery tannins known as "Rutherford Dust;" and a second to Clone 4, which possesses the subtle pyrazines beloved in Napa wines. "Sanctu - ary is proving to be a classic expression of Rutherford's terroir," Donoso said of the wine, which spends up to 20 days on the skins and 15 months in 80 percent new French oak. Viña Concha y Toro's iconic 2014 Cab - ernet Sauvignon Don Melchor ($120) hails from the Don Melchor Vineyard in Alta Maipo Valley, located just outside Santiago. Named for founder Don Melchor Concha y Toro, who first planted vines from Bor - deaux in the Maipo Valley in 1883, the first vintage of Don Melchor wasn't made until more than a century later in 1987. At over 2,100 feet in elevation, the vineyard was planted to the coldest site in the valley on a gravelly alluvial terrace and spans 320 acres. Ninety percent of it is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, which is supplement - ed by small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. For the 2014 vintage, Winemaker En- rique Tirado blended 92 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with 8 percent Cabernet Franc and held the wine on the skins for 20 days. Aged for 15 months in 65 percent new French oak, the finished wine is refined and complex with a lengthy, powerful fin - ish. "Don Melchor is the most Bordeaux- like of any Chilean wine on the market," Blum explained. "Despite the French influence, it doesn't taste like Bordeaux or California. It's distinctly Chilean." "This extraordinary vineyard has pro - duced Chile's top Cabernet Sauvignon since the first vintage of Don Melchor released," Jofré added. Given its impres- sive track record, there's little doubt it will continue to do so. Amy L. Lutchen, Wine Director at Del Frisco's, has a keen interest in red wines from both hemispheres. Viña Concha y Toro's Italo Jofré brought his firsthand knowledge of Chilean terroir to the tasting. Mark Gambacorta pours for Amy Mundwiler, Assistant Wine Director at Maple & Ash.