This featured wine is no longer available for purchase on HotCosts.Join our mailing list to be notified when a new featured wine is offered.2005 Paso Robles Ensemble. Only 480 Cases Produced. Winner of "Best in Class" from the coveted San Francisco Chronicle's Wine Competition, the Ensemble beat out 473 competitors as the winner in the Bordeaux Blends category. As you can see, the results of the 2008 Award Winners in the Bordeaux Blends $35 and over show that the average competitor price is more than double the price of this week's featured wine. HotCosts has a small allocation of their final inventory available for sale this week only. About cluse and Lock Vineyardscluse is a small boutique winery of Lock Vineyards, located on the Westside of the Paso Robles AVA. Lock Vineyards started as growers for winery customers. Starting out as growers gave cluse special insight that truly remarkable wine definitely begins in the vineyard. After Steve Lock won several gold medals in homemade wine competitions, the cluse Wine Label was started. cluse is dedicated to producing limited production, hand crafted, award winning wines. About The Featured WineEnsemble is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 25% Petit Verdot. The Cab is from the Lock Vineyard and the other fruit is sourced from small vineyards where Lock is intimately involved with the viticultural practices. In most cases Lock does the pruning, shoot thinning and all other vineyard work and has total control of the fruit. The Cabernet Sauvignon is a combination of cane pruned clone 08 and bi-lateral VSP trained clone 337. These vines are in a south facing block with heavy shale and limestone influenced soil on the knolls and clay/loam soils in the swales. Summary of Tasting EventThis wine was tasted on March 22, 2008 by a panel of 5 tasters in a blind tasting format and paired with Skirt Steak with Chimichurri. A blend of four of the five Bordeaux grapes, this luxuriant and seductive red is stuffed with fruit, but has the depth and structure to age superbly. All tasters noted how the wine came together nicely in the finish. We noted a slight dark fruit aroma on the nose. The flavor profile leaned to the fruity side with cherries and plumb noted. The texture is smooth and very approachable now - the fruit is focused and substancial without being overpowering. The winery suggested we pair Skirt Steak with Chimichurri sauce with this Bordeaux blend. The wine was smooth and well rounded enough to balance the Chimichurri sauce of the skirt steak. This food pairing works especially well in a pot luck BBQ party setting.
Tasting NotesOur mission is to provide unbiased opinions of the wine being offered. These notes come from up to 10 guests who tasted this wine in a blind tasting format (wine is concealed so their identity is unknown). Why this format? Tasting blind completely throws out any hype associated with a certain winery, style, price point, etc; it forces the taster to accept what is in the glass without any predetermined notions. Our guests utilize Robert Parker's Glossary of Wine Terms for their comments for consistency purposes. In addition, we utilize the wine aroma wheel to enhance ones ability to describe the complexity of wine flavor. Notes are posted on this wine during the tasting to ensure they accurately reflect the impressions.Selected Wine Tasting Notes
NH: Lots of jammy fruit but focused. Definitely a food friendly wine.
RLA: I did not get much aroma from the wine. However, initial tastes of dark berries and cassis came through nicely. It makes the tongue dance. Loved the long finish.
BH: A full-bodied dark red wine. Definite cherry on the nose and pallate. A very well balanced wine - it coats the tongue.
EH: I didn't pick-up anything on the nose. The wine is jammy with cherry and cassis flavors.
MA: This wine was light on the nose for me. I did sense more cherry aromas in the second pouring howerever. In the mouth, the dark fruit rolled around the tongue and felt very smooth. A very long finish that paired really well with the skirt steak.
Technical Data
Vintage DescriptionThe varietals are fermented separately in open top bins after cold soaking for two days. We used a combination of punch downs and delastage to control the temperature during fermentation and to enhance the extraction of color and flavor. Fermentations were completed in two weeks and all but the Cab were given two days of extended maceration. The wine was pressed off to French oak barrels, forty percent of which were new and sixty percent a combination of two year old and neutral barrels. We began making some preliminary blends in February, racked in June then checked and adjusted the blends in August. The wines were then racked again, blended and returned to barrels. We bottled in mid-March and released the wine in early September.
Tasting NotesThe nose invites you to explore the harmony of these Bordeaux varietals dominated by the classic Cabernet Sauvignon black cherry and currant overtone with the additional fruit and spice brought by the other varietals. Ensemble has a wonderful tannin/acid balance and provides a long, lingering finish. Very approachable now but will definitely age well in the bottle. Recipe: Skirt Steak with Chimichurri SauceINGREDIENTS:
1. Combine the olive oil, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic and shallots. Pulse until well blended but do not puree. Add 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the crushed red pepper. 2. Season the steak with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt on each side, as well as 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper per side and place in a large, resealable plastic bag. Add some of the chimichurri sauce from the processor. Seal bag and refrigerate the steak for at least 2 and up to 4 hours. 3. Light BBQ and set temperature to medium heat. 4. Once the steak has finished marinating, remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes. 5. Brush the excess chimichurri sauce off the steak and set the steak over the hot grill. Cook for 6 minutes on the first side. Rotate the steak 45 degrees, and cook another 6 minutes. Turn the steak over and continue to cook until the steak is done, about 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare. 6. Once cooked, lay the steak on a clean cutting board, and allow it to rest for 5 to 7 minutes before slicing across the grain into 2-inch wide strips. Serve with the reserved chimichurri sauce. Serves 4-6 |
Featured Wine
2005 Paso Robles EnsembleBordeaux Style Red$38/bottle inclusive of shipping! HotCosts Mailing List
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