Let’s all be real with ourselves – February and March are not really the vibe. Spring is looming but still feels far away, Football season ends and Sundays lose their meaning, and the weather generally kind of sucks. If you’re anything like me, now is the time of year where you lose a lot of motivation to go out and do things – opting instead to cozy up with a big glass of red wine. Lucky for you, I’ve done the hard work and have come up with a list of some of the red wines I recommend to warm you up until Spring actually shows up:
Bennett Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, $67 per bottle
Bennett Lane is a Calistoga based winery that, like a lot of Napa Valley wineries, specializes in cabernet. If you know me at all you know that cabernet is not my usual go-to, but this one has bright black fruit notes and silky tannins that make it easy to drink younger than you typically would a Napa cab. I’ve paired this in the past with burgers, I’ve paired it with steak and I have paired it with weekend Harry Potter marathons…it’s basically just that versatile 😉
Maker Wine Cab Pfeffer, $12 per can (1/3 of a bottle)
Cab what?! This is a super rare varietal (like there are less than 10 acres of this grape planted in the world rare), but what it lacks in recognition compared to other grapes it does not lack in flavor. German for pepper, this medium bodied red wine, has bright acidity and cranberry notes, rounded out with a hint of pepper. The single-serving Maker cans are also perfect for pairing with your pajamas and a movie on the couch, I speak from experience.
Pro tip: If you go to makerwine.com/hannah you can also get this at 15% off or 35% off if you join the can club!
Boonville Road, Special BBQ Wine $32 per bottle
Ok so yeah you’re probably not barbecuing this time of year unless you’re one of the rare few who lives in a place where winter doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t mean you should sleep on this wine. A blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and a touch of Syrah, round out this blend that, while perfect for a BBQ, will also be a crowd pleaser at your winter family gatherings. It’s got spice, it’s got floral notes, and it’s got juicy deliciousness that will make you sad you already opened the bottle.
The 2019 vintage marks Flora Springs’ 35th anniversary of making their flagship Bordeaux blend. Though the exact composition changes from year to year, the blend is cab dominant, with a supporting cast of other Bordeaux varietals. For 2019, cab comes in at 75% of the blend and this is then rounded out with Petit Verdot, Cab Franc and Malbec. This wine could easily age for 15-20 years even, but it also is one that tastes pretty damn delicious already and pairs with lots of comfort food you might be finding yourself enjoying this time of year. P.S. this one is 10% off until March 4 with code CHEER54.
Maggy Hawk Unforgettable Pinot, $70
I’ll preface this by saying that I recently went to Anderson Valley with my parents and visited nine total wineries during the duration of that trip, including Maggy Hawk on their new tasting room’s opening day. While we had tons of incredible wine throughout the weekend, this pinot was, well, unforgettable. It had a super aromatic nose, rounded out by deep blue and black fruit notes. To me this is the Goldilocks of Anderson Valley pinot noir- not too big and overpowering, but still both strong enough to stand up to food and with a luscious mouthfeel you could also easily enjoy drinking on its own.
While red wine is an all-year thing for me, there truly is something different about a glass of red wine while your heater is blasting and you’re trying to ignore what on Earth the electrical bill is about to be! Any bottles you think I should add to this list? Let me know, as it doesn’t seem it’s getting much warmer so soon!
