' Vino Mas June Wine Club 2024 High Camp Wine - Vino Mas

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June Wine Club 2024: High Camp Wines!
06/04/2024
This month Clubs have a chance to choose the main red wine that they would like. You can choose the High Camp Cabernet OR the High Camp Red Blend. The difference between the two is one, the obvious, one is Cabernet and one is a blend, but also the taste. The Cabernet is a bit bolder and the Red Blend is juicy with lots of fruit on the palate.  Both wines are great and drink very well. The complement red is the "Grand Petite" which is a Petite Sirah and Petite Verdot blend and the white is an Albariño. They are all delish and will be great for the warm weather that is coming.  

I paired the High Camp Red Blend with beef sliders topped with sautéed mushroom and onions, sliced avocado and a fresh basil leaf. The earthiness of the mushrooms and onions with the freshness of the avocado and basil rounded out the juicy palate of the wine. The Red Blend I think shows better with a slight chill on it and is super easy drinking!

AJ paired the Cabernet with a Steak topped wth chimichurri Sauce.  "The start of summer means many things, for me it is cooking outside and lots and lots of fresh herbs!  I paired the High Camp Cabernet with a grilled ribeye with fresh chimichurri sauce and herb roasted potatoes. This Cabernet includes  5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cab Franc and 15% Sangiovese and has lots of berry notes to it. When I first tasted it, I knew I wanted some bright herbs alongside whatever dish I made, it is (unofficially) summer after all! We headed down to my favorite meat market and picked out some ribeyes. The more marbled cuts of meat are perfect for Cabernets; their higher tannins cut the fat and the berry flavors create a rounded, palate-pleasing bite every time.  Chimichurri originates from Argentina and has fresh parsley, cilantro, garlic (I measure this with my heart), oregano and lemon juice, which, added to the ribeye, really brought this whole dish to life. The roasted potatoes included rosemary, thyme and of course garlic (all of the herbs in these dishes  came from my herb garden!) and are a staple in our house."

The Grand Petite is the bolder of the three reds. This wine has lots of berry aromas and flavors which led me to pair the wine with Bone in Pork Chops with a fresh blackberry sauce toped with finely chopped fresh herbs. Just like AJ, I have an herb garden and always use any opportunity to use fresh herbs as much as I can. The berry sauce on the chops were perfect with the wine and helped the berry notes of the wine to jump out of the glass. I wish I had made a double or triple batch of sauce to have extra to freeze so that I could have it on hand for future quick Pork Chop dinners. 

Because the Albariño this month is from California, it is a bit different than Albariño's that you have from Spain. The High Camp wine delivers with tropical fruits with nice acidity on the palate. The bottle is clear with a mermaid on it, who doesn't love mermaids!  I have been obsessed lately with Argentine Shrimp. Red Argentinian shrimp are wild-caught shrimp that live and are found in the icy, pristine waters off the far southeastern tip of Argentina. Because of the cold-water habitat, they have a fresh, clean sweet flavor. The are know to be the sweetest shrimp in the world, many people compare them because of the taste and texture, to lobster rather than shrimp. I made a Shrimp, asparagus and orzo dish to go with the Albariño. The lemon, sweet notes from the shrimp and herbal component of the asparagus, I also added fresh spinach, were a perfect match for this California Albariño.  

Recipe links below.  ENJOY! 
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High Camp Red Blend
NOTES:  This complex wine is Bordeaux inspired, with a touch of Sangiovese, adding fresh acidity and qualities of fruit forwardness.  Forward aromatics, with bright acidity and fresh fruit notes. Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, cassis, subtle smoke and spice, refined and balanced tannins.
High Camp Cabernet
NOTES: Rich dark red color.  Raspberry, blueberry, boysenberry with hints of leather, and black pepper.  Full bodied, concentrated, lots of supple tannins with a round smooth finish, supported by blue fruit and vanilla and cinnamon from the oak.  Winemaking: Estate Cabernet with 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cab Franc, and 15% Sangiovese.  Aged for 18 months in 30% new French oak.

Recipe to pair with Cabernet:

High Camp Grand Petite
NOTES:  Our 'Petit et Grand' wine is a blend of the two most concentrated fruits on the estate, Petit Verdot & Petite Sirah. Two small but mighty blends! Notes of blueberry, boysenberry, vanilla, baking spice, chocolate and earth. Aged in 100%  neutral French oak, with balanced tannins and rich, indulgent dark fruit. 

Recipe to pair with Grand Petite:  
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High Camp Albariño
NOTES:  Golden white in color, this Albariño is sourced from Edna Valley's Marfarm vineyard. Aromas of ripe pineapple and Asian pear greet the nose, intertwined with subtle hints of pine needles. The cool climate of Edna Valley imparts a fresh acidity that accentuates its tropical character. Organically farmed. The juice is cold fermented about three weeks and aged in stainless steel for six months. 

Recipe to pair with Albarino: 
High Tier Wine Club Wine:
Chateau Buena Vista Cabernet 2018

Before there were vineyards in every valley north of San Francisco, before Napa and Sonoma were household names before there was a California wine world at all, there was Buena Vista. Founded in 1857, and spanning from Sonoma and into Napa, Buena Vista is California’s first premium winery, and its history is as colorful as it is proud. Today, the legend has been re-born under the vision of Jean-Charles Boisset.
NOTES: It opens with rich aromas of black cherry and cardamom with a touch of black licorice. Spreading across the palate are flavors of red plum, black currant and cherry. The fine-grained tannins are silky and soft with a full-bodied mouthfeel and a long, lingering finish.

95 Points: James Suckling          91 Points:  Wilfred Wong


 
Post By:   Deanna Albertson
 

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