2017 Sun Goddess Merlot, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Tasting Notes
Sun Goddess is produced with love and passion from the sun-kissed vineyards owned by the Fantinel family, located in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Mary J. Blige and Fantinel have partnered to create a stunning lineup of wines.
Ruby red with garnet tinges. Rich and powerful aroma that harmoniously combines typical herbaceous scents with intense red berries and delicate spicy notes. Full-bodied, mineral, pleasantly tannic, and elegantly velvety. A flavorful and very long-lasting red wine.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Varietal: Merlot
Appellation: Friuli, Italy
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: Dry Wine
What’s Included
4-bottles:
4x 2017 Sun Goddess Merlot, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy Case:
12x 2017 Sun Goddess Merlot, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Sun Goddess wine collection by Mary J. Blige & Fantinel
“‘Sun Goddess’ immediately struck me as the perfect name as it connects my real life, conveys the connection between nature, and the personality of wines I enjoy the most, combined with my style and that of Fantinel.” Mary J. Blige
Sun Goddess wines are produced with love and passion from sun-kissed vineyards owned by the Fantinel family in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Here, the peculiar microclimate and the precious terroir guarantee the highest quality and ultimate expression.
Friuli Venezia Giulia recognized around the world as a source of excellent quality wines. Its particular climate enables the grapes to develop acidity together with fragrant aroma. The terroir in this area is extremely rich in minerals, enhancing the structure and complexity of the wines.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Thank you Alice and @winedavid49 for the rat opportunity of 2017 Sun Goddess Merlot. The bottle arrived Tuesday, and I enjoyed most of it last night with classic veggie spaghetti with tomato meat sauce and enjoyed the rest of it this evening before dinner.
Upon initial pop and pour, it is a very easy drinker. The nose is somewhat muted, but the cork is in excellent shape. Violet appearance. I get initial flavor profiles of black berry and plum with mid Acidity but smooth well integrated tannins. The wine pairs very well with food and doesn’t change much over the course of the meal, but does an excellent job of biting through spice within the pasta sauce.
The work week was exhausting with a major conference in town so I looked forward to the remaining glass this evening to see what has changed in 24 hours. Still retains that plum lavender taste with a long dry finish.
Upon seeing the CM case price, stocking up on this is a no brainer. An excellent opportunity to buy a crowd-pleasing with aging potential Merlot at a very fair price. Considering there was 1!! Bottle to rat of this, thank you again Alice!
I am around all day if anyone has any questions.
A few more tech notes from the producer, nothing peculiar here:
Grapes: Merlot, Origin: Friuli DOC, Soil: gravel
Vineyards’ average age: 25 years
Training system: Guyot, Vines per hectare: 5,000
Yield per hectare: 13 tons
Harvest: the grapes are picked at the moment of perfect
ripeness, normally in late September.
Vinification: Merlot grapes are partially raisined. This drying method (“appassimento” in Italian) aims at obtaining a more structured, rounded and fruity wine. Grapes are then destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. After macerating, the wine is racked and part of it is transferred to oak barrels for maturation.
The wine further ages in the bottle for maturity and balance. Appearance: deep red with garnet tinges.
spicy notes. Palate: full-bodied, mineral, pleasantly tannic and elegantly velvety. A flavorful and very long-lasting red wine.
A Wine Enthusiast blurb with MJ Blige and Fantinel here
@kaolis
The Appassimento part is practically peculiar. Especially since it was not mentioned in the Casemates write-up. That should impart some sweetness onto the palate, although the specs say “dry wine” and the lab rat report didn’t mention “sweet” at all. I suppose the percentage of raisined grapes determines the sweetness level and maybe they kept it fairly low in this juice.
@chipgreen My take, and no expert, is that the process can concentrate flavors (fruitier can equal perceived sweetness) but the wine itself could be vinified dry or sweet. But as you point out, the notes say partially.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2017 Sun Goddess Merlot - $45 = 29.99%
Curiosity has overcome my initial resistance to buying a “celebrity wine.” I’m intrigued by the price point, relative to the seemingly audacious full retail price, and the appassimento treatment. In for 12: thirsty-unreal-instrument.
@winedan Indeed! I think I’ve only had Valpollicella and dessert wine that’s used apassimento, at least that I can recall. I love a good merlot, and hopefully this is one of those, even if a little different from the usual style. At this price at least it seems like a safe bet.
@worbx Yes, I don’t worry about getting a poorly made wine from Casemates, but it is possible to get a well made wine I don’t like. At this price point, if I don’t like it, I’ll cook with it. But I rather expect it’ll be another great buy and I’ll wish I’d bought 24.
2017 Sun Goddess Merlot, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$384.00/Case for 12x 2017 Sun Goddess Merlot, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy at Sun Goddess Wines
About The Wineries
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Feb 5 - Tuesday, Feb 6
2017 Sun Goddess Merlot
4 bottles for $49.99 $12.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $104.99 $8.75/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
I’m a little concerned about the peculiar microclimate. Hope wondering about it doesn’t keep me awake tonight.
@InFrom
It’s particularly peculiar, practically.
@chipgreen @InFrom Ok, your group think got me thinking peculiar is peculiar…Merriam-Webster to the rescue…
Peculiar: distinctive, unique, distinguishing
Sleep better tonight
Thank you Alice and @winedavid49 for the rat opportunity of 2017 Sun Goddess Merlot. The bottle arrived Tuesday, and I enjoyed most of it last night with classic veggie spaghetti with tomato meat sauce and enjoyed the rest of it this evening before dinner.
Upon initial pop and pour, it is a very easy drinker. The nose is somewhat muted, but the cork is in excellent shape. Violet appearance. I get initial flavor profiles of black berry and plum with mid Acidity but smooth well integrated tannins. The wine pairs very well with food and doesn’t change much over the course of the meal, but does an excellent job of biting through spice within the pasta sauce.
The work week was exhausting with a major conference in town so I looked forward to the remaining glass this evening to see what has changed in 24 hours. Still retains that plum lavender taste with a long dry finish.
Upon seeing the CM case price, stocking up on this is a no brainer. An excellent opportunity to buy a crowd-pleasing with aging potential Merlot at a very fair price. Considering there was 1!! Bottle to rat of this, thank you again Alice!
I am around all day if anyone has any questions.
No crowds here. Just me. Guess I’ll have to pass on this
A few more tech notes from the producer, nothing peculiar here:
Grapes: Merlot, Origin: Friuli DOC, Soil: gravel
Vineyards’ average age: 25 years
Training system: Guyot, Vines per hectare: 5,000
Yield per hectare: 13 tons
Harvest: the grapes are picked at the moment of perfect
ripeness, normally in late September.
Vinification: Merlot grapes are partially raisined. This drying method (“appassimento” in Italian) aims at obtaining a more structured, rounded and fruity wine. Grapes are then destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. After macerating, the wine is racked and part of it is transferred to oak barrels for maturation.
The wine further ages in the bottle for maturity and balance. Appearance: deep red with garnet tinges.
spicy notes. Palate: full-bodied, mineral, pleasantly tannic and elegantly velvety. A flavorful and very long-lasting red wine.
A Wine Enthusiast blurb with MJ Blige and Fantinel here
fwiw
@kaolis
The Appassimento part is practically peculiar. Especially since it was not mentioned in the Casemates write-up. That should impart some sweetness onto the palate, although the specs say “dry wine” and the lab rat report didn’t mention “sweet” at all. I suppose the percentage of raisined grapes determines the sweetness level and maybe they kept it fairly low in this juice.
@chipgreen My take, and no expert, is that the process can concentrate flavors (fruitier can equal perceived sweetness) but the wine itself could be vinified dry or sweet. But as you point out, the notes say partially.
@chipgreen @kaolis if it helps at all, I don’t enjoy sweet wines and found no sweetness on this at all - it is very much on the dry side.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2017 Sun Goddess Merlot - $45 = 29.99%
Been awhile since we had any Merlot around here so why not?
/giphy encouraging-reflective-operation
Not having a musical suggestion on the sale page seems like a missed opportunity today.
@InFrom Also no mention that yesterday was Blige’s birthday.
@davirom @InFrom It’s Sun Goddess around here!
Sold! Intrigued so in for a case and at this price a steal! Oh right - we had a “steel” yesterday!
Curiosity has overcome my initial resistance to buying a “celebrity wine.” I’m intrigued by the price point, relative to the seemingly audacious full retail price, and the appassimento treatment. In for 12: thirsty-unreal-instrument.
@winedan Indeed! I think I’ve only had Valpollicella and dessert wine that’s used apassimento, at least that I can recall. I love a good merlot, and hopefully this is one of those, even if a little different from the usual style. At this price at least it seems like a safe bet.
@worbx Yes, I don’t worry about getting a poorly made wine from Casemates, but it is possible to get a well made wine I don’t like. At this price point, if I don’t like it, I’ll cook with it. But I rather expect it’ll be another great buy and I’ll wish I’d bought 24.
Damn you, Casemates… couldn’t resist after the rattage.
/giphy chivalrous-vast-mint
