MAY 2010 Newsletter

OUR MAY TASTINGS

ROSÉ -A-PALOOZA
A Grand tasting of Rosés from around the Globe
Wednesday, May 12, 5:30pm to 7:30pm at our store on Grove Ave.
A list of wines will be posted in the store and there will be special pricing for purchases made during the tasting.

Wine tasting with Jeff Latchum of WILLIAM’S CORNER WINE
featuring natural wines from Louis/ Dressner
Wednesday MAY 26th 5:30 to 7:30 at our store on Grove Ave.
A list of wines will be posted in the store and there will be special pricing for purchases made during the tasting

MIX & MATCH BEER TASTING
Wednesday, MAY 19th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Taste and then MIX and MATCH a 6 pack of Ales, IPA’s and fruit infused brews at 15% savings!
PLUS – LACONIKO Greek Olive oil tasting.

DOMAINE ROMANEE-CONTI

“The World’s Benchmark for Pinot Noir.”

That is the title on the cover of this month’s Wine Spectator and inside is a long and excellent article about the Domaine. Many of us don’t pay much attention to where our wines come from as long as they taste “good” (what does that mean anyway?). But a reoccurring theme with great wine is the absolute importance of place, (climat) and the importance of letting place dictate the wine (terrior and transparency). The wine making at DRC is the essence of transparency and a kind of calculated simplicity, with biodynamic farming, minimal intervention, hand bottling, etc. Because they strive for low yields of concentrated fruit, their Grand Cru vineyards yield very few bottles (300 to 1,000 cases depending on the vineyard) and the demand for wines from the Domaine is so great that prices quickly skyrocket. April is the month that DRC releases their current vintages to a select group of shops and restaurants, which is probably the reason Wine Spectator ran a cover article and, as this was an “off” year for the reds, we secured a few bottles of the:
2007 DRC Montrachet (arguably the finest Chardonnay in the world). Here is a review from IWC: “Bright full yellow. Knockout, soil-inflected nose combines menthol, honey, wild herbs, crushed stone, minerals and a whiff of caramel. Wonderfully ripe and sweet but with a light touch, thanks to its powerful stony character. The flavors of pineapple and pungent iodiney minerality saturate the palate and build slowly and inexorably. A white Burgundy of extraordinary texture and nuance.” $2,395.00
In addition we currently have, on hand, vintages (in some cases, multiple vintages) of other Romanee-Conti vineyards including: Romanee-Conti, La Tache, Richebourg, Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru, Romanee St.-Vivant, Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux.  The prices range from $500 - $5,000.  EVERYONE who loves Pinot Noir should drink at least one bottle of DRC in their lifetime but the astronomical prices, a function of supply and demand, make the wine inaccessible. So, during the month of May, we’re going to try and make these wines a bit more accessible by offering 20% off the retail shelf price. If you have any interest in calibrating your Pinot Noir palate this may be the time to consider DRC.

FUN WITH WINE

Our Education “Short Sips” Series

In June we will start a series of FREE one hour educational programs, limited to eight people and held in our fine wine room (we are making changes to accommodate). There will be one about every two weeks and we’ll start each session with a tasting that relates to the topic covered
We intend to hold these on Fridays from 6:30pm to 7:30pm The tentative themes for the first two:
June 11th – Chardonnay: France vs. USA (4 wines no time limit)
June 18th – How to taste wine or Everything you ever wanted to know about spitting.
As you can see the idea is to have a little fun with each topic. Availability is on a first come first serve basis but you can call and reserve spaces at anytime. (A great idea for your group as a prelude to dinner.) We’ll send out more information toward the end of May.

NEW ARRIVALS

2005 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Rio Sordo Riserva, Barbaresco, Italy –“The 2005 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo jumps from the glass with an exciting array of freshly cut roses, spices and raspberries. The 2005 is an especially dense, rich Rio Sordo endowed with superb depth and great overall balance. Floral notes accompany the wine from start to finish in an irresistible display of the perfume that makes Barbaresco such a sexy wine. In 2005 the Rio Sordo is not to be missed.” (WA# 185) $64.95
2005 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montefico ,Piedmont, Italy –“The 2005 Barbaresco Riserva Montefico is simply beautiful in the way it combines elements of florality and structure, which makes it one of the more complex, multi-faceted wines in 2005. Sweet roses blossom on the palate, followed by succulent ripe raspberries, mint and baking spices. As the wine sits in the glass the layers continue to fill out, revealing a wine of first-class pedigree. This is an exceptional effort from the Produttori!” (WA # 185) $64.95
VERITAS
We think Veritas makes some of the best wines in Virginia and we especially like their Chardonnay and Viognier. For a time these were not easily available as the winery was in the process of moving to self distribution; however the wines are now once again readily available in Richmond.
2008 Veritas Chardonnay Reserve “Harlequin” -  Barrel fermented and barrel aged in French oak to add dimension and complexity without overwhelming the natural fruit tones. Yellow gold in color and medium-full bodied, the wine shimmers with intensity. Ripe apples, pears, and pineapple, followed with buttery oak. Bright acidity of sweet citrus linger though the long, creamy finish. (winery notes)  $24.95
2009 Veritas Viognier - A full-bodied, pale golden wine, with an elusive, almost tantalizing bouquet of apricots, peaches and white flowers. The first impression is an uplifting fruit-filled rush that tastes of ripe peaches, honey, fresh orange peel and lychees.  (winery notes)  $19.95

2000 ROTLLAN TORRA – “TIRANT” Priorat Tinto

We drink/taste a considerable amount of wine as part of our job. Most of what we drink/taste is, after a fashion, good, well-made wine; though to be candid, it is not often that something tickles your spirit. We had this one on a recent Saturday with a grilled ribeye; it was brick red, wonderfully aromatic, lush, flavorful and perfectly balanced - a poster child for how bottle aging makes great wines. Here is the review from Spectator: “Inky black, aromatic of coffee and licorice, thick on the palate, this red has power to spare. Ripe plum and raisin flavors are subdued by mouthcoating tannins, but emerge on the finish and promise to bloom with time. Best after 2004. 900 cases made.” The mouth-coating tannins have precipitated out of the wine and now you have a gorgeous expression of Priorat old vine Grenache and Carignan. $74.95

MONTHLY SPECIALS