This wine has lovely round tannins, lively acidity, a dark red hue, aromas of dark stone fruits and berries, and on the mid-palate, flavors of plums, dark cherries, cooked strawberries, berries, earth, and spices.
Don Angelo is a blend of these two Italian varieties of grapes in honor of our friend, Angelo, who introduced us to the wonders of the Province of Umbria. Located just East of Tuscany, Umbria is a landlocked province that produces great wines, wonderful olives, Perugina Chocolates, and many, many other world-class gastronomical delights. Monte Falco, a small town in the heart of Umbria is the center of the Sagrantino World.
We produced this wine using Sagrantino that we planted at our vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley and Sangiovese grapes we sourced from the Venturi Family Vineyard in Calpella, Mendocino County. Together they produce an exquisite wine that showcases the blend of these two great varieties.
Don Angelo is a nod to the old country and its cuisine. As a blend composed of varieties from both Umbria and Tuscany, Don Angelo pairs well with rich tomato sauces, pasta-like pappardelle, and meat sauces made with beef, duck, rabbit, grilled steaks, lamb, grilled eggplant, peppers, and onions. Cheeses that pair well are earthy rich nutty blues like Rogue River Blue, aged sheep cheeses like Cusie Castagno, and a good Fiore Sardo.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Varietals: 67% Sangiovese, 33% Sagrantino
Appellation: Mendocino & Sonoma Counties
Alcohol: 15.6%
Production: 100 cases After Appellation and before Alcohol:
In the cellar: Fermentation in open tanks with manual punch-downs 2-4 times per day
Length of fermentation: 10-13 days
Oak regimen: Aged in new and neutral French and American barrels for 20 months.
Bottled: November 2020 After Alcohol and before Production:
pH: 3.6
Residual sugar: Less than 0.1%
2018 Denier~Handal Family Selection Red Wine Blend
Tasting Notes
Our red blend is made with Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel from the finest vineyards in Sonoma and Mendocino County. Aromas of rich ripe fruit with strong elements of lanolin and leather. Flavors include ripe and jammy black cherry-berry fruit and spices like nutmeg, cocoa, mocha that add to the chewy tannins. When you pour this wine into your glass youāll notice its jewel-like appearance. The colors will remind you of rare gems like sparkling rubies. On the nose, youāll note cherry, strawberries, and raspberry. At the mid-pallet, these same fruit flavors are intensified with flavors of earth and leather.
It is dry with a crispness that comes from balanced acidity and tannin all of which makes it an excellent choice to accompany lighter meals such as roast chicken, roast pork loin, aged cheeses, and hearty pastas. The finish is long and pleasant.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Varietal: 50% Petite Sirah, 25% Sangiovese & 25% Zinfandel
Appellation: Mendocino & Sonoma Counties
Farming: 75% of these grapes are organically grown and dry-farmed on soils of rocky, medium clay. It is dry farming that brings intensity to this beautiful wine.
In the Cellar: Cold soaked then fermented in open-topped tanks with manual punch-downs daily
Aged: 25 months in new and neutral American and French Barrels
Bottled Date: November 22, 2020. Unfined with a light filtration
Alcohol: 15.4%
pH: 3.24
Residual Sugar: Less than 0.1%
Production: 100 cases
Whatās Included
4-bottles:
2x 2018 Denier~Handal Don Angelo
2x 2018 Denier~Handal Family Selection Red Wine Blend
Case:
6x 2018 Denier~Handal Don Angelo
6x 2018 Denier~Handal Family Selection Red Wine Blend
An award-winning, family-run winery in the heart of Dry Creek Valley
Our fascination with wine-grape growing began in South America, where we lived in Ecuador for 38 years, and continues today with our grape growing and wine-making ventures in Sonoma County.
For over twenty years we were primarily grape growers selling our premium grapes to some of the best wineries in Sonoma and Napa counties with whom we have long-standing relationships. One of our client-wineries was Wellington Vineyards in Glen Ellen owned by the Wellington family of Sonoma. Peter Wellington, owner-winemaker, produced several award-winning, vineyard-specific Cabernet Sauvignons, including one from our Dry Creek Vineyard. Peter Wellington helped us develop and make our wines. We grew and produced boutique lots of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Sagrantino, a Red Blend, and Cabernet Sauvignon at the Wellington facility in Glen Ellen. We now produce our wines at the Meeker custom crush facility in Healdsburg and continue to receive consulting support from Peter Wellington as well as David Noyes who also worked with Wellington.
We continue to source excellent grapes from vineyards that follow our high standards in growing grapes using organic practices and supporting sustainability. These farming relationships ensure that our grapes will continue to produce award-winning wines.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Peter Wellington helped us develop and make our wines. We grew and produced boutique lots of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Sagrantino, a Red Blend, and Cabernet Sauvignon at the Wellington facility in Glen Ellen. We now produce our wines at the Meeker custom crush facility in Healdsburg and continue to receive consulting support from Peter Wellington as well as David Noyes who also worked with Wellington.
@karenhynes@MarkDaSpark sellout?!
I wonāt be around later to risk it, should just grab some. After all 100 cases (of each) and who knows how many WD snagged.
Hubby and I were just talking about how we missed D&D and hanging out with everyone. We miss dinners with Scott and Jana and when we went and hung out at Dicks house and the wonderful cheese his daughter makes and great conversation. Will have to decide on if I have room for a case.
@MarkDaSpark. I just discovered some of the wine we made in Vegasā¦the first time i got to meet up with everyone. So much fun!!! Would love to do again!!
@mommadeb Always a great memory of hosting you at the ranch. We, my dad and I, now own Locals Tasting Room in Geyserville where we sell all of our wine plus represent 9 other wineries. www.localstastingroom.com
Just last week pulled a cork on 2011 Denier-Handal Family Selection from DCV. Different AVA, but a nice bottle. Do we really have to wait 7 years between offers?
Ah, I think there was one in between, stillā¦
@kitkat34@klezman@rjquillin Itās interesting ā when I extract the individual frames using my preferred image viewer (Irfanview), only the first frame has the entire image, while all of the other 51 are just the lower half:
@kitkat34@Mark_L@rjquillin Isnāt that how image compression works? Usually it encodes in blocks of the main image and tries to be smart about it. The best way to do that it to not re-encode static information in a moving image.
Thank you to Casemates for providing a bottle of the 2018 Don Angelo for my wife and I to review! Iāll list our review below
Pairing: Burrata with roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic. We roasted the cherry tomatoes in basil/rosemary olive oil and drizzled balsamic vinegar over the finished product.
Nose:
My wife thought there was red fruits, blackcurrants, and a little leather on the nose. I thought the there was a lot of red fruits and a touch of vanilla. After 30 minutes in the glass, the nose softened and the leather become more pronounced to the both of us.
Mouth:
My wife thought the acidity of the wine was striking in the first 30 minutes. I tended to agree as well. We both tasted red fruits initially, specifically brighter red fruits like red currants. The back label states the mouth will present with red currants and pomegranates and we agree with the description.
Overall review:
This is a food-friendly wine that almost requires food to be eaten along side it. The acidity was a bit much on its own, but pairing it with the burrata really mellowed it out. At the moment, my cellar is full but I would consider buying a case in the future for dinner parties focusing on Italian cuisine.
@dioniseuss Thank you for that great review. Love having these wines with food and love that you paired it with Burrata. That is a classic flavor combination and the wine definitely shines when paired with fat. Fat is flavor!
We always love the Casemates community. Thank you for continually supporting our wines. We continue to get advice and support from Peter Wellington and David Noyes. These wines tend to honor their winemaking style.
@Doralice4Sangio Nice to see you back! I noticed the alcohols have crept up quite a bit from the mid-14s. Any comments on that or what youāre aiming for?
Nice to hear you guys own Locals now. Hope to stop by when Iām next up there and see you again!
When I first received the bottle, I resigned myself to thinking this would be some fruit bomb, given the label provides itās a red blend from the North Coast. Iām happy to say I was wrong.
This is an extremely approachable, balanced, and particularly soft on the palate. Itās really solid juice, and definitely on the lighter/more elegant side of petite sirah/sangiovese/zinfandel blends. Iām finding the description provided rather accurate: āFlavors include ripe and jammy black cherry-berry fruit and spices like nutmeg, cocoa, mocha that add to the chewy tanninsā Before seeing this description, after a few sips, I thought cocoa, while my partnerās first sips elicited ājammy while not being too fruityā which I fully agree with and think is a paramount detail; jammy wines I am not fond of (particularly jammy plum notes). Iām finding no real qualms with this wine. I would be perfectly happy were I served this at a restaurant or dinner party. It must be thoughtfully crafted, given the fruit, spice/cocoa, tannins, and acid working harmoniously to deliver a satisfying sip, while also revealing some layers/nuance for those who want to stop and pay more attention to what theyāre drinking.
Some may want something more exciting, bold and in your face, rather than this understated, elegant take on this blend.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Denier~Handal Mixed Red Blends - $40 = 16.66%
2018 Denier~Handal Don Angelo
Tasting Notes
Specs
After Appellation and before Alcohol:
After Alcohol and before Production:
2018 Denier~Handal Family Selection Red Wine Blend
Tasting Notes
Specs
Whatās Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
422.18/Case for 6x 2018 Denier~Handal Don Angelo & 6x 2018 Denier~Handal Family Selection Red Wine Blend at Handal-Denier Vineyards
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Apr 11 - Thursday, Apr 14
Denier~Handal Mixed Red Blends
4 bottles for $79.99 $20/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 Denier~Handal Don Angelo
2018 Denier~Handal Family Selection
@ilCesare wow, classic CT. Been a loooong time.
Labrat reports? We donāt need no steenkinā reports ā¦ this is Denier-Handel!
/giphy dysfunctional-trendy-crow
@MarkDaSpark
I wouldnāt mind a rat or twoā¦
Wonder if this will sell out before mid-day tomorrow??
@MarkDaSpark that good, eh. Havenāt been around long enough or lucky enough to try any of the previous
@kitkat34
Peter Wellington consulted or helped as winemaker IIRC on many of their wines, and one of his Cabs was from their vineyard.
Very nice people, they opened their home on some Wooter visits.
@kitkat34
Helps if I read the write-up first!
@MarkDaSpark LOL
@MarkDaSpark you didnāt have time to read, you were busy buying all the wine!
@karenhynes
Magic 8 ball says ā¦
/giphy magic-8-ball
@karenhynes. Donāt want to say how long that took!
@karenhynes @MarkDaSpark sellout?!
I wonāt be around later to risk it, should just grab some. After all 100 cases (of each) and who knows how many WD snagged.
@kitkat34 @MarkDaSpark
Yeah, I was just thinking out loud. I bought before I posted.
@karenhynes @kitkat34
Hubby and I were just talking about how we missed D&D and hanging out with everyone. We miss dinners with Scott and Jana and when we went and hung out at Dicks house and the wonderful cheese his daughter makes and great conversation. Will have to decide on if I have room for a case.
@mommadeb
I still need to go to Vegas to see about making our own blends again, like we used to do.
@MarkDaSpark. I just discovered some of the wine we made in Vegasā¦the first time i got to meet up with everyone. So much fun!!! Would love to do again!!
@mommadeb
/giphy replete-tasteless-stove
In for a caseā¦ just couldnāt resist
@mommadeb Always a great memory of hosting you at the ranch. We, my dad and I, now own Locals Tasting Room in Geyserville where we sell all of our wine plus represent 9 other wineries. www.localstastingroom.com
@Doralice4Sangio
When we come back to California, we will definitely have to stop in and see the new place.
@mommadeb We were just talking about this as well. Last time was the casemates launch so long ago. Sigh. Miss you guys.
@trifecta
Sigh! One day, hopefully sooner than later, we will be able to get together again!!
Just last week pulled a cork on 2011 Denier-Handal Family Selection from DCV. Different AVA, but a nice bottle. Do we really have to wait 7 years between offers?
Ah, I think there was one in between, stillā¦
@rjquillin. There were 2 offers (May & Dec) in 2020 here.
@rjquillin
Looks like a Petite Sirah offer in July 2016 on the old site.
@MarkDaSpark @rjquillin I remember those, just not sure why I donāt have any downstairs
I bet these are tasty!
Sounds like a winner to me, and unless you are Napoleon I, the mention of Wellington doesnāt hurt either!
Thanks, and hope all enjoy.
Whilst everyone else was sleepingā¦
/giphy magnetic-industrious-leg
@kitkat34 Thatās kind of mesmerizing
@kitkat34 @klezman
she isnāt breathingā¦
@kitkat34 @klezman @rjquillin Itās interesting ā when I extract the individual frames using my preferred image viewer (Irfanview), only the first frame has the entire image, while all of the other 51 are just the lower half:
@kitkat34 @Mark_L @rjquillin Isnāt that how image compression works? Usually it encodes in blocks of the main image and tries to be smart about it. The best way to do that it to not re-encode static information in a moving image.
@klezman @Mark_L @rjquillin hey donāt be messing with my giphy girl
Do I need it? No. Do I get FOMO watching a sellout? Yes.
Houstonites Iām willing to part with up to half this case if anyone wants some.
/giphy convenient-lone-mollusk
Buy now, (perhaps) share later.
/giphy tasty-distinguished-pie
Hi all,
Thank you to Casemates for providing a bottle of the 2018 Don Angelo for my wife and I to review! Iāll list our review below
Pairing: Burrata with roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic. We roasted the cherry tomatoes in basil/rosemary olive oil and drizzled balsamic vinegar over the finished product.
Nose:
My wife thought there was red fruits, blackcurrants, and a little leather on the nose. I thought the there was a lot of red fruits and a touch of vanilla. After 30 minutes in the glass, the nose softened and the leather become more pronounced to the both of us.
Mouth:
My wife thought the acidity of the wine was striking in the first 30 minutes. I tended to agree as well. We both tasted red fruits initially, specifically brighter red fruits like red currants. The back label states the mouth will present with red currants and pomegranates and we agree with the description.
Overall review:
This is a food-friendly wine that almost requires food to be eaten along side it. The acidity was a bit much on its own, but pairing it with the burrata really mellowed it out. At the moment, my cellar is full but I would consider buying a case in the future for dinner parties focusing on Italian cuisine.
@dioniseuss Thank you for that great review. Love having these wines with food and love that you paired it with Burrata. That is a classic flavor combination and the wine definitely shines when paired with fat. Fat is flavor!
We always love the Casemates community. Thank you for continually supporting our wines. We continue to get advice and support from Peter Wellington and David Noyes. These wines tend to honor their winemaking style.
@Doralice4Sangio Nice to see you back! I noticed the alcohols have crept up quite a bit from the mid-14s. Any comments on that or what youāre aiming for?
Nice to hear you guys own Locals now. Hope to stop by when Iām next up there and see you again!
In for 2 casesā¦donāt miss out on this offer
/giphy rhetorical-groovy-skunk
Who was the winemaker for these two?
@losthighwayz For both wines:
Winemakers: Dick Handal, Lucas Meeker and David Noyes, Consulting Winemaker
First order in a few months, all the positive words and the Wellington connection sold me!
/giphy spongy-violet-sponge
Iām the lucky rat for the Family Selection!
When I first received the bottle, I resigned myself to thinking this would be some fruit bomb, given the label provides itās a red blend from the North Coast. Iām happy to say I was wrong.
This is an extremely approachable, balanced, and particularly soft on the palate. Itās really solid juice, and definitely on the lighter/more elegant side of petite sirah/sangiovese/zinfandel blends. Iām finding the description provided rather accurate: āFlavors include ripe and jammy black cherry-berry fruit and spices like nutmeg, cocoa, mocha that add to the chewy tanninsā Before seeing this description, after a few sips, I thought cocoa, while my partnerās first sips elicited ājammy while not being too fruityā which I fully agree with and think is a paramount detail; jammy wines I am not fond of (particularly jammy plum notes). Iām finding no real qualms with this wine. I would be perfectly happy were I served this at a restaurant or dinner party. It must be thoughtfully crafted, given the fruit, spice/cocoa, tannins, and acid working harmoniously to deliver a satisfying sip, while also revealing some layers/nuance for those who want to stop and pay more attention to what theyāre drinking.
Some may want something more exciting, bold and in your face, rather than this understated, elegant take on this blend.
/giphy grandiose-inconvenient-skate
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Denier~Handal Mixed Red Blends - $40 = 16.66%