October 2011 Monthly Newsletter

OUR OCTOBER TASTING SCHEDULE

THURSDAY OCTOBER 6th -  5:30 to 7:30pm
Winemaker Jean-François Coquard
Tenuta Mazzolino
Award winning wines from Lombardy.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 20th – 5:30-7:30
RHONE WINE TASTING
Just in time for Autumn

BEER TASTING
FRIDAY OCTOBER 21st
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Watch for details via e-mail & Facebook.

A HALLOWEEN OCTOBER “SHORT SIPS” CLASS

“World’s Scariest wines, Part 2” – Unusual wines from unusual regions

Last year’s October short sips class was a huge hit so we are offering a sequel with different wines. A FREE one hour educational program, limited to eight people and held in our fine wine room. Because the demand has been so great we are doing the class twice in October – FRIDAY & SATURDAY , OCTOBER 28th and 29th   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

2005 Gatinois Champagne, Grand Cru – Small, family winery located in the Grand Cru of Äy with a very small production – usually less then 500 cases (Äy is also home to Bollinger, to whom Gatinois sells grapes.) This is a predominantly Pinot Noir Champagne and had a full bodied “ Winey Pinot-y” style. This is a wine built to last and something one might wish to lay down for several years. $64.95
2007 Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia- “… bursts onto the palate in a big, brooding expression of Sangiovese from Castelnuovo Berardenga. Muscular and dense to the core, the 2007 powers all the way through to the long finish. Hints of smoke, tar, leather and scorched earth emerge over time, but only with great reluctance. In a vintage where so many wines are open, the Rancia comes across as quite stubborn and in need of at least five more years in bottle. That said, it is a standout, not to mention one of the greatest values in fine, age-worthy wine. In a second tasting the 2007 Rancia came across as decidedly more elegant and restrained in style, so it will be interesting to see where this ultimately settles within the context of recent vintages.” (WA# 191) $49.95
2007 Robert Sinskey POV – Robert Sinskey marches to his own music shunning reviewers and making wines that, as much as possible, are a reflection of place. This Bordeaux blend made from organic grapes with minimal intervention displays un-characteristic restraint for a California blend but still delivers a balanced delicious combination of dark fruit, vanilla and oak with the acidity that makes it a great food wine. $41.95
2009 Radikon “Slatnik” Venezia Giulia –  A maverick among mavericks Radikon makes white wines with extended skin contact (which then take on a slightly orange hue) and no added sulfur. The Slatnik is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Tocai with 3 weeks of skin maceration. The wine is aged in barrel one year, then bottled and released. The Slatnik has a big mouth feel with moderate, smooth tannins (yes, tannins) and bracing acidity. Piercing, aromatic, dense. It tastes and smells, like many of these wines, like a delicious enigma. $54.95

SICILIAN WINES

Contrary to what you may think Sicily’s major export is not fodder for Francis Ford Coppola movies, it is wine. This month we have two wines from Sicily in our monthly specials case and we were reminded of other great wines from that island that you should try:
2008 Valle dell’Acate Cerasuolo di Vittoria – “70% Nero d’Avola (aged in oak) and 30% Frappato (aged in steel), a marriage that works beautifully. The Frappato adds freshness and verve to the dark fruit of the Nero d’Avola. Menthol, licorice and spices develop on the mid-palate and finish, adding further complexity. This is another marvelous wine from Valle dell’Acate. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014.” WA # 195 $22.95
2010 Valle dell’Acate Frappato -  “a gorgeous wine endowed with expressive inner perfume, sweet red fruit and an impossibly long, silky finish. It shows terrific depth on the palate, but some of the wine’s more feminine qualities will be emphasized if it is served slightly chilled during the warm summer months when it is sure to provide much pleasure. The Frappato was aged in steel. Drink: 2011-2014.” (WA # 195) $19.95
2008 Occhipinti, Il Frappato, IGT Sicilia - Arianna Occhipinti’s first vintage was in 2004. Her 25 acres of vineyards are in southeast Sicily, near Vittoria and have been farmed organically since her start and biodynamically since 2010. She makes numerous wines, most of which carry the Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) Sicilia designation. The Il Frappato is fermented with indigenous yeast and aged for 14 months in 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks before bottling without filtration. Frappato is a grape native to Sicily, and this is a juicy wine, full of blackberry and raspberry flavors, with a slight hint of spice, and beautifully balanced. $37.95  We also carry her Nero d’Avola and Frappato blend SP68 for $25.95

VIRGINIA WINE MONTH

October is Virginia Wine Month. We are the 5th largest producer of wine in the United States and this is the month to seek out and try some great wines produced right down the road. Hop in your car, visit some wineries and enjoy the scenery. Here is the VA wine website: http://www.virginiawine.org  where you can get all the information you need for tastings and winery visits. To help encourage you to try Virginia wines Emerson’s will offer a 10% discount on all Virginia wines during the month of October.

MONTHLY SPECIALS