January Wine Club Answers

Note: Spoilers ahead!

Rocche Costamagna, Arneis, 2021

Arneis is a native white grape cultivated in Italy in the Langhe and Roero areas of Piedmont.

Tropical fruits, white flowers, and honey on the nose. Fresh and mineral on the palate with hints of chamomile. This would pair very well with fish or as an aperitif. 

The Costamagna family started making wine in 1841, and today their vineyards span over 34 acres. The winery and vineyard follow sustainable practices and do not use any pesticides in the growing of their fruit. Parts of the vineyards are located in Rocche dell’Annunziata, one of the most coveted crus of Barolo.

Domaines Hautes Garrigues, Côtes du Rhône Villages, 2020 

An organic table wine with nicely concentrated notes of black fruit, spices and lilac. High acidity and full bodied. This wine pairs well with beef, lamb, and gamey meats. 

This organic wine comes from 25 year old vines in the Southern Rhône Valley, which is one of the warmest growing regions in France, with hot and humid Mediterranean summers. Wines from this region are typically high quality but fairly priced. 

Vignobles Marie Maria, Madiran, 2018

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast 
A deep, intense garnet-red. Elegant, powerful, black currant nose. Structured tannins, fresh on the palate, a generous finish with notes of licorice sticks. 

Gravelly, clay soils, an oceanic, temperate climate with mild winters and hot, stormy summers.

Benedictine monks have been cultivating the vineyards of Madiran since the 11th century. Today, the local farmers are keeping this tradition very much alive under the banner of Marie Maria, which unites some of the finest terroirs of the appellation. Marie Maria was born of an intrinsic, profound and heartfelt desire to forge ahead with the work of revealing the great terroirs of Madiran. Their wines represent the appellation’s best attributes: firmness, freshness and balance.