In our last blog post, we introduced you to our appellation wines, available exclusively in three-bottle sets designed for gifting, upgraded Tuesdays nights, furthering a wine education or stocking the pantry. Unlike our first four, which are focused on the art of blending and combine wines from different areas, these wines come from specific AVAs in some of the country’s top wine regions.
This month we released those wines available exclusively and directly to you in five curated three-packs. Spoiler alert: there will be four more curations and a few dazzling new wines in the New Year, but we are so excited by the wines Heidi Bridenhagen has crafted that we couldn’t wait!
But now we wanted to dig a little deeper into one of those packs and it is our punniest, the ALL YOU KNEAD pack. We have described this one as being for fans of dad jokes and good wine. This pack is also known as the Red Blend Pack and features three bottles that each showcase a different style of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends, letting one varietal take the driver’s seat. What does that mean? Essentially, these three bottles are made of combinations of the same two grapes, in different amounts..
Why? Well, it is not just because we could. It is really because we wanted to make the best wines possible and different blends allowed us to explore all of the qualities of the grapes. Essentially, we were looking to see what would taste best and experimented with different percentages for each bottling. It is also a great way to educate yourself about blends and learn about your personal preferences.
Speaking of learning, let’s learn a bit more about the three bottles:
All You Can Knead Blend 1
This bottle is a 50/50 blend of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Our winemaker would say that “aged for 15 months in a mix of French and American Oak, the wine shows rich dark fruit aromas and plum, dark cherry, toast spice and vanilla on the palate, all leading to a full, long and velvety finish.”
Technical terms aside, what that means is that this wine has had time to develop complex flavors and you may get hints of all of those flavors when you drink it.
We’ve heard that it pairs perfectly with a classic French pithivier filled with beef, bacon & mushroom, which means it will also be great with a bacon cheeseburger or carne asada burrito.
This wine is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. Our winemaker says that This Left Bank Bordeaux-style blend showcases the intensity of the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that drives the conversation, engaging and bold.
Translation please? This wine is inspired by the wines of Bordeaux in France, specifically the left bank of the Gironde River. These wines are often described as Cabernet-dominant wines with a reputation as tannic, masculine, and capable of aging for many decades. That means that this wine will stand up to strong flavors and will be good both today and years from now.
To pair? Pizza with smoked sausage and black olives.
All You Can Knead Blend 3
I bet you may have guessed that in contrast to Blend 2, this wine is 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 80% Merlot. It could be fun to taste them side by side and compare the blends and learn which grape you prefer to be dominant. It could also be fun to simply enjoy this bottle with meatloaf, mashed potatoes and your fifth viewing of Endgame. We won’t judge!
Includes: 2018 All You Can Knead Blends 1, 2 and 3 $94
Our wine sets come with 3 bottles each and are perfect to be gifted to your friends and family, or even for your own “to be enjoyed list.”
Give a gift that gives back! Dough contributes an annual “dough-nation” towards the James Beard Foundation Impact Programs, with a focus on restaurant recovery, equality in the kitchen and food sustainability.