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Wine Details
Price:
$22.00 per bottle
Description:
More than simply a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot, Alisos is Palmina’s signature wine. The intent and extreme focus of this blend is to create a wine with style, concentration and structure using many of the techniques of the Veneto region of Italy. Since the very first days of Palmina in 1995, this wine has been produced from Sangiovese and Merlot. Beginning in 2001, the wine has been crafted from grapes from a single vineyard source - the Alisos vineyard located in the rolling hills near the town of Los Alamos, California. The steep south-facing hills, low yields, cool growing conditions, and meticulous farming of the vineyard have produced fruit that is superb.
A reflection of our love of the Amarone style of winemaking, our 2004 Alisos showcases the fantastic balance between the characteristics of Sangiovese and Merlot. We also feel the 2004 Alisos is a wonderful expression of the singular soil in which the grapes were grown.
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Varietal Definition
Sangiovese:
Sanguis Jovis, the Latin origin for the varietal name, literally means “blood of Jove.” Sangiovese is one of the oldest known varietals and it is likely that ancient Etruscan winemakers cultivated it, although the first literary reference to Sangiovese was in 1722. Sangiovese is probably indigenous to Tuscany, whose most famous wine is Chianti. Chianti is a blend that currently contains a minimum of 90% Sangiovese.Sangiovese thrives in hot dry climates. Because these climatic criteria generally enhance quantity, rather than quality, it takes careful cultivation and winemaking techniques to produce really excellent wine from this grape.
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Merlot:
Merlot is known as a Noble Bordeaux varietal. Although it came to France in the first century, it was not named until the 1880s. Merlot was originally used only for blending, as it is soft and compliant, very useful in softening other Bordeaux wines like Cabernets. Recently in California and Chile it became popular as a 100% varietal wine. Merlot tends to be easier to grow in a variety of soil conditions and is harvested earlier in the year than Cabernet. Although most Merlots are made to be drunk earlier, there are many with complexities of a Cabernet. Flavors of plum, black cherry, violet, chocolate and orange pair well with rich, red pasta dishes, hearty chicken dishes, and any beef combination that you fancy. The perfect match of course is chocolate. Not only does the chocolate compliment the wine and vice-versa, but the essence of both flavors linger eternally.
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