Cultivar Wine Club Dinner with Friends - #CultivarWines

Sysco Foods says, "Enjoy Life. Eat out more often".  Not true.  In fact one of the things I plan to do more of in 2015  is entertain to make quality time for friends and fun.  Thanks to the Cultivar Wine club, I not only had two luxurious and potentially mouthwatering bottles to try, but I also had inspiration from Cultivar's cool blog.  Their theme "How to Host a Horizontal Tasting" sounds super fun, but too much to pull together during hectic back-to-business January.  I will put a pin there as a huge benefit of wine clubs is allowing you to "collect" bottles that enable special tastings #instantpopularity.

On my calendar (in pen), however, was a dinner with wonderful friends.  Perfect! I volunteered to bring my plush bottles. 

First up
Cultivar 2012 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($72):

Nice boots!  Nicer wine!

Howell Mountain is a special place in Napa, whose Cabs I adore.  The appellation begins at 1400 feet and the elevation and soils contribute to a microclimate that is "above the fog".  Vineyards can produce fruit which vinifies into a gorgeous balance:  nice acidity and plenty of sugar for that alcohol we all love in the balance we all crave.  The Cultivar wine was almost opaque, and purple in color.  It had aromas of blackberries dusted with cocoa powder, an herbal note of thyme and cedary wood that delighted me.  The flavors followed through with more dark fruits and hints of cocoa.  Smooth mouth feel with well integrated flavors were lovely.  Cultivar recommends that you hold the wine for up to 10 years, which is sound advice, if you have that kind of restraint.  I don't when tempted, and was happy to find the wine accessible now.  Luscious and lovely, which after all is the best pairing for good conversation, isn't it?  We drank this as an aperitif while we waited for everyone to arrive and for the delicious dinner to be ready. 

With our yummy grilled prawns, melted leeks and quinoa salad, we opened up:

Cultivar 2013 Oak Knoll Chardonnay ($28) 
The Oak Knoll District in Napa is located in an area that benefits from the cooling influences of San Pablo Bay, so it's an area that produces cool climate fruit even though Napa is so warm.  This wine had a clear, pale straw color.  Aromas leaped out of the glass of sophisticated tropical fruit with herbal notes. Nice acidity with graceful oak treatment provide subtle, well integrated flavors.  Lingering finish with a kiss of herbs. The notes that come with the shipment made it easier to understand the wine.  I enjoyed the restrained chard better with an enhanced understanding of its journey.


We were all impressed with the Cultivar offerings.  They drank with that same relaxed luxury I associate with really good resort wear: quality, style and a really good fit.   I was so happy to be able to share good taste with great friends.  We are vowing to make time for everyday events.  My Cultivar will help me keep my promise in a delicious way.

If you think you need a touch of luxury in your life, you can leverage a special incentive courtesy of Cultivar for BrixChicks readers.  Please enjoy 10% off when you order online at Cultivar Wine with the promo code " CultivarWineBrixeChicks"



Mid Century Modern Wine Club

Many thanks to Cultivar Wines for providing these samples.