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ACE

ACE Wine Details
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Description: ACE, named for our children Austin, Chandler, and Eliza, is a "Family Reserve" selection blended from the finest selections of the vintage. A blend of Mourvedre, Touriga and a little of our finest Merlot displays a balance of dark berry, black cherry, and soft jam, laced with spice and herb. The warm earthy complexity is imparted by the granitic red clay hillsides of the region. These grapes were uncrushed, gravity fed, hand-punched, and bottled without filtration, each quality hallmarks of hand -crafted, limited-production wine.

Varietal Definition
Mourvedre:
As long as the weather is warm, Mourvedre ably tolerates a wide variety of soils. It is popular across the south of France, especially in Provence, where it is responsible for the greatness of Bandol, and many a fine red Cotes-du-Rhone. It is often blended in Chateauneuf-du-Pape; Languedoc makes it as a varietal. Spain uses it in many areas, including Valencia. In the United States, Mourvedre remains a minor factor for now, pursued by a few wineries that specialize in Rhone-style wines. The wine it produces can be quite pleasing, with medium weight, spicy cherry and berry flavors and moderate tannins. It ages well.
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.
Touriga Nacional:
Found in California and South Africa, this fiercest and best of the port grapes has also been successfully transplanted to Australia for fortified wine production. The vine produces grapes with small, darkly-pigmented berries. Notorious for low yields, attributes like its intense rich fruit personality make this grape a highly-regarded and sought after varietal. In addition to being important in port production, it is also increasingly significant in the rich, red table wines of Portugal’s Dao and Douro valleys.


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