AUGUST 2011 NEWSLETTER

WINE & BEER TASTINGS

August 18th -  5:30 to 7:30pm
LOIRE VALLEY TASTING
Our Favorite Loire Valley White and Red Wines

BEER TASTINGS ON FRIDAY AUGUST 12th and AUGUST 26th
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Watch for details via e-mail & Facebook.

AUGUST SHORT SIPS CLASS – Cru and other Beaujolais’

We’ll talk about and taste Beaujolais’ from different villages. Wines from Beaujolais are among the most versatile food wines and an excellent choice for summer quaffing. This is a FREE one hour educational program, limited to eight people and held in our fine wine room.–The class is offered twice on FRIDAY & SATURDAY ,  August 19th and 20th from 5:30 to 6:30pm. 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.)

NEW ARRIVALS

2008 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley, WA – “Tightly wound, its blueberry, plum and crème brûlée flavors riding aristocratically over a layer of refined tannins. The finish persists and expands as it hints at mineral and wet earth. Best from 2013 through 2018. From Washington. 1,553 cases made”  (WS Insider 7/#29) $36.95
2008 Papillon, Napa Valley Red Wine, CA- 88% Cabernet Sauvignon 7% Petit Verdot3% Merlot 2% Cabernet Franc. Aged 16 months in French oak and bottled by Orin Swift Cellars.  $59.95
A note about Dave Phinney and Orin Swift Cellars:
In 2010 Dave Phinney sold the Prisoner and Saldo brands to a much larger winery. Their intention is to leverage the wines for as much exposure as possible. You will begin to find these “brands” heavily discounted in local discount supermarkets and other mass market outlets. While David Phinney remains the contractual winemaker, the quality will be tested as the pressure to produce more cases increases. Having said all that, if you want to drink a truly great California Zin blend that is produced and bottled at the winery try the 2008 Oakville Ranch Napa Valley Field Blend -  “A killer value, this stunning red offers loads of blueberries, blackberries, cherries, pepper and spice. I see more Petite Sirah than Zinfandel character in this wine, but the suppleness of the tannins, the opulence and almost explosive richness make it an undeniable star.” WA #192 $41.95 (Only a few available.)
2007 Domaine de la Romanee Conti Monrachet, FR -  “a very ripe and wonderfully nuanced wine with a brilliantly complex nose of white peach, pear, exotic yellow fruits, acacia blossom and citrus hints that complement perfectly the rich and monumentally constructed flavors that possess an almost chewy texture yet the mouth feel is one of satin and silk, all wrapped in a palate staining mildly toasty finish that displays impeccable balance and incredible length. To call this a knockout seems almost like faint praise but it is one genuinely stunning wine that should live for 30 to 40 years.” (Burghound #39) $2999.95
New Burgundies from the wonderful 2009 vintage:
2009 Albert Bichot:-Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Murots” Rouge -  From a plot located at the bottom of the hillside slope at a spot known as Les Murots. The soils are mostly limestone and some clay and the wine displays a palette of red fruit, mineral notes and a boldness characteristic of this terroir. $54.95
2009 Domaine du Pavillon, Albert Bichot, Meursault, FR -  Meursault is often referred to as the capital of Burgundy’s great white wines. Fermented in Oak and aged for 12 to 15 months with full malolactic fermentation the ’09 Meursault has fruit and pear aromas and with toasty notes and touches of cream and butter typical of the appellation. $44.952009 Domaine Adelie, Albert Bichot,  Mercurey 1er Cru “Champs Martin” Rouge- South of the Cote d’ Or lies the burgundy appellations of. The village of Mercurey (named after a Roman temple built in the area to honor the god of the same name) is the largest appellation in the area and these pinot noir’s generally are fuller in body than neighboring cote Côte Chalonnaise appellations. This ’09 is already drinking nicely with characteristic bright cherry fruit but a suppleness that plays above its price point. $37.95

CALIFORNIA WINE LABELING LAWS.

There are very few wine labeling rules in California, for example the word “reserve” on a label means absolutely nothing, but the back label can provide some insight into the provenance of the wine you are about to purchase. If the label says: “Estate Bottled” or “Grown, Produced and Bottled by ...” it means that 100% of the grapes used must be from a vineyard that is owned or controlled within a viticultural area where the winery is located. These designations by a respected winemaker often denote a higher quality wine, since the entire product was produced by that winemaker. If the back label says; “Cellared and Bottled by . . .” or “Vinted and Bottled by . . .“or just “bottled by…” it means that the bottler made less than 10% of the wine and possibly did not make any of the wine. This designation often refers to wines bought in bulk from other wineries and bottled under the label of a winery that had no involvement in the production of the wine.

SHELF TALKING TRASH

Recently a far west end wine store ran a blog post about a Richmond discount grocery store that was using reviews from Robert Parker, Wine Spectator and others as “shelf talkers”. Unfortunately they were inaccurate and, in some instances, fabricated reviews. (You can read more about it here: http://bit.ly/qhWQ26  .) Grocery stores sell a lot of things and wine is but one, so their focus is easily distracted and, if fake wine reviews will help them sell more wine “sku’s”, so much the better. We asked some of the sales representatives from the distributors whose wines where misrepresented their thoughts and we were a bit surprised when they reacted with indifference and a kind of “that’s none of my business” attitude. There are two basic kinds of wine distributors, those that primarily service the discount grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores and those that don’t. While we buy from both types; it is the former that you need to watch carefully as they will deliver wine that is hot or has clear signs of poor storage. Why would they not care about these things? Because their attitude simply reflects that of their most important mass market grocery store customer base.

THREE SISTERS CHEESE STRAWS

The best cheese straw you will ever taste. Baked locally by Peggy Crowley and her sisters and available
exclusively at Emerson’s.  5oz - $9.95, Gift tin - $14.95 and $19.95.

MONTHLY SPECIALS