August 2012 Newsletter

August Tasting Events

Tuesday August 14th -  5:30 to 7:30pm
FREE RUN Wine Merchants – Wines of the Northwest
Watch for details via e-mail & Facebook.

Thursday August 23th -  5:30 to 7:30pm
  GRAPPOLI Wine Imports
Re-introducing the Tuscan wines of Montenidoli
Watch for details via e-mail & Facebook.

BEER TASTINGS ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 10th and AUGUST 24th
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Watch for details via e-mail & Facebook.

AUGUST SHORT SIPS CLASS – Great Wines & Great Prices

Forget the usual stuff; we’ll drink some under $15 gems
from lesser known areas that consistently over deliver for the price.
This is a FREE one hour educational program, limited to eight people and held in our fine wine room once FRIDAY 8/17 &  repeated on SATURDAY 8/18 both at 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.)

HELP

Every now and then we’ll buy a great wine that has trouble finding the right home. The reason is usually a combination of obscurity and price. Diatom, from Brewer-Clifton, is just such a wine and while it is still spectacular, it needs to be drunk this year (perhaps with some crab cakes). The regular price is $56.95 but it is now available for $45.95. Here is the glowing review from The Wine Advocate:
2007 Diatom Chardonnay Huber Vineyard - “Absolutely mind-boggling is the 2007 Chardonnay Huber. White citrus, wet stones, peach, and apricot blossom as well as tropical fruit oils give this wine extraordinary complexity and sensational richness. Remarkable purity and great length further characterize this wine, which should drink nicely for another several years. It is hard to know how these will age, but they seem incredibly pure and very long, although I would still opt for drinking them in their first 2-3 years of life. These wines from Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton are nothing short of revolutionary. Completely stainless steel fermented and aged, this winemaking team has been successful in their efforts to produce a grand cru-like Chablis style in the Central Coast with no exposure to oak, taking full advantage of the extraordinary growing conditions in the Santa Rita Hills. The aromatics of these wines are off the charts, and the flavors extraordinary. For any of those who would argue that oak is an integral part of Chardonnay winemaking, these wines are the antithesis of that.” (WA #180)

AFFORDABLE MAGNUMS OF GREAT WINE – One for now and one for the winter.

Nothing is better suited for presentation at the dinner table then a magnum (2 -750ml bottles) and here are two affordable, excellent newly arrived wines; one that is perfect for summer seafood dishes, (especially oysters) and one suited for fall fare like veal and lamb. Both from outstanding producers:
2008 Ch. du Coing de St.-Fiacre Comte de St.-Hubert Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie – Extra time on the lees give this a mature slightly weighty feel and the mineraly/salty delivers Muscadet goodness. $34.95
2009 Vietti Perbacco Langhe -  means “wow” or “surprise” in the local dialect.  This 100%-nebbiolo bottling includes fruit from numerous Barolo crus; in fact, much of this juice used to go into Vietti’s entry-level Barolo Castiglione.  You’ll get young Barolo characteristics on this wine. 1.5 liter, magnum only $59.95

NEW ARRIVALS – 2009 Orin Swift Papillon

David Phinneys’ 2009 mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and bit of Malbec and Petit Verdot arrived a few weeks ago. Aged 16 months in French oak it is what you have come to expect from Dave.  A local Market sells this wine for $59 and advertises that wine stores sell this wine for $75 (boy that’s a tall tale!); but most wine stores, like us, sell it for $57.95. Buy a case and save 15%.

MORE NEW ARRIVALS

2009 Vietti Barbera d’Alba Scarrone - “A powerful, brooding Barbera, evoking black currant, blackberry and coffee notes. This is broad-shouldered and high-octane, with well-integrated tannins and a touch of licorice on the finish. Best from 2013 through 2016. 523 cases made.” (WS 2/29/2012)  $39.95
2008 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Ca. - “The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon impresses for its layers of dark, plush fruit. Hints of cassis, grilled herbs, tobacco and cedar develop in the glass, adding further complexity and depth. Firm tannins frame the long finish. This is a very classic and beautiful Cabernet. In 2008 the blend is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot.” (WA #199) $55.95

PIEDRASASSI –Making and thinking about wine and food in the Lompac Wine Ghetto.
Not far from a Home Depot in Lompac Ca. is a collection of small production vintners, urban wineries if you will, located in an industrial park they call the Lompac Wine Ghetto. The Ghetto is home to the likes of Sea Smoke (who recently moved) Flying Goat and Piedrasassi.  The folks at Piedrasassi are traditionalists and believe, like us, that wine “should have a certain kind of authenticity—it should come from someone and somewhere.”  Here are three of their offerings from the central coast appellation:
2009 Piedrasassi Central Coast White – Mostly Sauvignon Blanc but you might not realize it as extended skin contact has given the wine a golden color and a bit of carmel on the nose. Geat with Grilled Pork Tenderloin. Only 46 cases made. $34.95
2009 Piedrasassi Central Coast Syrah – “a strikingly pure wine graced with dark red fruit, smoke and flowers. …in a style that showcases marvelous purity all the way through to the long, dazzling finish. Bright, floral notes add lift on the close. …(A) Santa Barbara appellation bottling inspired by the great wines of the northern Rhone, where blending across vineyards sites is still practiced.” 110 cases made. (WA 196) $34.95
2009 Piedrasassi “PS” Central Coast Syrah – Barrels of Syrah that didn’t make the 1st blend are then blended into “P.S.,” a wine that is released a bit earlier and is great bargain with plenty of pepper and dark fruits reminiscent of Northern Rhone Syrah. $21.95

MONTHLY SPECIALS