This wine is a dream come true. After thousands of tastings, over 5,000 and counting, where our founder would surprise tasters and mix things up – literally – combining our Profiles Four and Five into one glass for people to try, the reaction was so fun and people loved it so much, she decided to make it a real thing and add an eighth addition to the BOXT family, Profile Four Five.
For the real thing though, we didn’t just take casks of Profiles Four and Five and mix them together. We spent months researching and tasting (one of the perks of our job) to make the perfect combination of the characteristics everyone loves from both profiles. This is the beauty of BOXT — we aren’t bound by sticking to a single varietal, producing a merlot from only merlot grapes, or a chardonnay from a single vineyard in Sonoma.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. We love all wines and have great respect for our fellow winemakers who create their wines with varietals. We’re just about something else: doing things differently and making fine wine just a little bit more simple, bringing our members a glass they know they’re going to love, every single time. And with varietals, you don’t always know. They are subject to all sorts of environmental influences. The terrior (the entire ecosystem where they are grown), the yearly rainfall or lack thereof, the humidity or aridity, heat waves, fires in California; everything makes grapes grow differently each year, and that’s why one year you can love a vineyard’s chardonnay and the next year it’s just not quite right for you.
With BOXT, it will always be just right because we make our wines based on a taste profile — acidity, fullness, sweetness, fruitiness, dryness, crispness, all the ways a wine can taste and feel. We make our wines based on keeping those things consistent for each profile, which means that we may not always use exactly the same grapes in each handcrafted single-batch run. But it does mean that if you love Profile Four Five, you will love it every single time, because it will always check all the boxes for what you expect and want in your favorite glass of wine.
So if you like medium to full bodied red wines, like a lighter Bordeaux or Spanish Rioja, or a cabernet sauvignon from Paso Robles or Sonoma, Profile Four Five is your food-friendly, all-evening, cocktail soirée wine. In other words, this wine is delightful and goes with everything.
We can’t tell you all our secrets, but we can tell you that this wine is made from Coastal Syrah from California and GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) from either the Rhône in France or central California. It has notes of dark fruit like plums and blackberries, spice scents including black pepper and an earthy vibe. This wine is medium bodied, with mid-level tannins, slightly high acidity and a dry finish.
Profile Four Five pairs well with just about any food, but it really loves richer flavors and the fattier, gamier meats like ribeye, duck, goat and lamb. You can grill, barbecue or put any of those in a savory stew and they will pair perfectly. Profile Four Five also tastes wonderful with roasted chicken, mushrooms and herbed dishes using rosemary, sage or red pepper. For starters a charcuterie board is a perfect match.
Autumn pairings for Profile Four Five.
ARUGULA AND PARMESAN SALAD WITH SIMPLE DRESSING
INGREDIENTS
4 cups baby arugula
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
Place arugula in a medium size mixing bowl. Drizzle oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Toss thoroughly to coat. Transfer to a large salad bowl or individual salad plates. Top with parmesan and a few turns of fresh ground pepper. Serve.
Note: This salad intentionally leaves out vinegar or lemon juice. The acid in those ingredients will interfere with the acidity of the wine. You’ll lose many of the subtle notes and flavors of the wine and it will feel heavy and fat on your tongue. You may garnish with lemon slices, as in the photo, but they are just for looks.
ORGANIC ROAST CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY, SAGE, BLACK PEPPER AND PARSLEY
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 3 1/2- to 4-lb. organic roasting chicken
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh rosemary
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 450°F. In a small bowl, mix together oil, paprika, salt and garlic powder until a paste forms; rub it liberally inside and outside of the chicken. Stuff the chicken with parsley, sage, rosemary, lemon quarters, garlic and shallots. Truss chicken. Set chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and roast until juices run clear and the internal temperature of chicken registers 165°F, or 50 to 60 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.
CHOCOLATE CAKE
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I love to use the Hershey’s Special dark, but regular works)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 3 large eggs , room temperature
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING
- 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1 /3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
CAKE
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans (I also like to cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan to make sure the cake doesn’t stick). Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix until well combined.
Slowly add boiling water to the cake batter, while stirring. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute. The batter will be very thin.
Pour cake batter evenly between the three cake pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with few moist crumbs.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.
FROSTING
Stir together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. In a separate mixing bowl beat the butter on medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes.
Gradually add the sugar/cocoa mixture alternating with the cream and vanilla, beating after each addition, until you reach your desired frosting consistency.
Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, until fluffy.
ASSEMBLY
Lay one layer of chocolate cake on a cake board or platter. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread a layer of dark chocolate frosting over the top of the cake. Add the second layer or cake and frost the top and sides of the cake.
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