Exceptional Acaibo & Magnificent Merlot!

I had the pleasure of receiving two bottles of wine as a gift. Merçi beaucoup Pascal!! One wine was the 2013 Acaibo of Trinité Estate and the other wine was the 2014 Chalk Hill Merlot by G&C Lurton of Lurton Vineyards. The winery is owned by Gonzague and Claire Lurton, and they are located in Healdsburg, CA. 

The Acaibo is one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted and I’m in gratitude of experiencing it and I think I’m in love! A friend and I enjoyed the bottle and we savoured every drop! It’s a Sonoma County red wine produced by Gonzague & Claire Lurton. It’s a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. We found out that this wine has received scores of 92 points from Wine Spectator. So delicious!

We tasted blueberry, blackberry and noticed a nice lingering finish. It opens up nicely, and my friend said “it’s like a big comfy couch!” We paired this wine with Gorgonzola cheese, Toscano cheese with pepper, and tiny sweet stuffed peppers.  I roasted the peppers first then combined some light cream cheese and goat cheese with oregano, then baked again for about 10 minutes. The wine really complemented the sharper cheeses,and I recommend this pairing, as this wine is so smooth.

We moved on to taste the G&C Chalk Hill Merlot. This 2014 is the first vintage and it’s a winner. We noticed that this 100% Merlot wine was well balanced with some acidity. Lovely garnet colour. We paired this wine with brie and that seemed to be a good choice. We also thought that this wine would go nicely with red meat. It was fruity, crisp and clean. Very tasty!

In case you are wondering what makes these wines so special, it might be helpful to know that both Gonzague Lurton and Claire Villars-Merlaut (G&C) are 4th generation winemakers from Bordeaux. They also own and manage 18th Century wine estates in France, and their extended families own numerous Chateaux in the Bordeaux area and around the world. They have been managing their family properties since 1992.

Next time you are in the Sonoma area you may want to drop by and see Pascal Guerlou, the Tasting Room Manager. They also have tours! I hope to visit next time I’m in the area!! Merçi!