2012 Casa-Dea Pinot Noir – $19.95 – **** – This is a little rough around the edges, but that’s a good thing. There is a nice depth to this wine with good earthiness and smoke over black cherry and blackberry. This wine is a bit like a lion in a tutu. The flavours are big and bold but there is a nice acidity to this wine that has it leave your palate refreshed. When you take your first sip of this wine it’s hard to imagine how it could be elegant because of the intensity it packs, but I assure you this is elegant.
2012 Casa-Dea Reserve Cabernet Franc – $24.95 – ****+ – This wine is made from County Fruit, I think it’s important that you know this because when you take your first sip of this bottle it will be hard to picture how a region with a short growing season could get fruit this ripe. There is bright acidity to this wine and I would call this medium bodied. The fruit is sour cherry and raspberry with notes of cranberry. This wine will be best at home with roasted meats or stews but it is fantastic on its own. This wine is drinking great right now but it should improve with 3-5 years in a cellar.
2015 Casa-Dea Reserve Chardonnay – $24.95 – ****+ – This is pure elegance and the definition of balance. Apples and Spice are what you will find from the nose. The mouthfeel of this wine is satisfying. It has a nice creaminess on the mid palate, but it does sit light and finishes clean with nice acidity. The bottle says this has spent 8 months in oak barrels but everything you might expect from the barrel – vanilla, spice, butterscotch are nice and subtle. There is very nice depth to this wine but somehow it feels restrained. I would love to pour this for someone who is a Chardonnay skeptic, I’m certain that will change a few minds
