February 2013 Newsletter

February Tasting Events

JOIN US ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20th
DAVID TASTING No. 1
This time the David will be Witkowsky from Potomac Selections
and we’ll have interesting and unpronounceable wines from THE MOST obscure areas of the World!
5:30 - 7:30pm at our store on Grove Ave.

WINE TASTING EVERY SATURDAY
“Whatever we feel like opening”
2:00pm-7:00pm

FEBRUARY “SHORT SIPS” CLASS

Matt Adkins (Friday) & Josh George (Sat.) - The Wines of Southern Italy

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 February–FRIDAY & SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15th and 16th   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.)

ERIC FOREST – 2006 Pouilly-Fuisse “La Cote”- A LIMITED SPECIAL OFFER

Eric is an 8th generation wine maker using Biodynamic methods to produce miniscule quantities of great wine.

2006 Eric Forest Pouilly-Fuisse La Cote – “Pale gold. Fresh lemon, pink grapefruit and peach aromas underscored by dusty minerality. Brisk citrus and underripe pit fruit flavors are firmed by chalky minerals, which add a dry, serious quality. Gains flesh on the finish, which leaves behind a strong impression of succulent herbs. I’d give this a few years of aging.”  (IWC Mar. 08) Usually $28.95 now $19.95

NEW ARRIVALS

One of the most interesting C-D-P’s we’ve tasted in a while and a great intro for anyone new to Rhone wines.
2009 Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf du Pape Chateauneuf du Pape,  Rhone, France - “ The dark ruby /plum-hued 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition is a sexy, open-knit, delicious, richly fruity, full-bodied wine with lots of herbes de Provence/bouquet garni notes intermixed with hints of graphite, plums, figs, blueberries and black raspberries. Round and generous, it is ideal for drinking over the next decade.”(WA #197) $39.95
Here is a great price on an iconic wine that you can drink now or celler for a few years:
2009 Anderson’s Conn Valley Right Bank Proprietary Red Wine - “The 2009 Proprietary Red Right Bank offers up sweet dark cherries, mint, licorice, dried flowers, scorched earth and tobacco, all in a gracious, mid-weight style. A bit rough at first, the 2009 opens up beautifully with time in the glass as the aromatics find their focus and the tannins soften a bit. Ideally, the 2009 is best cellared for another fewyears, which should help the elements to come together a little bit more.Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027.” (WA #204) $59.95
Ah Leon, he does as he pleases; from his cows that wander the vineyards to his uncompromising approach to wine making producing delicious stuff that just cannot be categorized.
2009 Domaine Leon Barral Blanc Languedoc Roussillon, France- “From centenarian Terret Gris vines with a bit of Roussanne and Viognier, Barral’s 2009 Blanc - bottled only shortly before my April visit - has no label name, so I once again refer to it as “Blanc,” but really it has with this vintage joined the nowadays much written-about class of “orange wines.” And besides being orange, it is, as usual, not just cloudy but manifestly full of solid matter. It’s also distinctively delicious. Scents of ripe apricot, musk melon, acacia, and narcissus set the stage for an expansive, lush, and exotic palate performance that achieves counterpoint and a welcome measure of invigoration thanks to notes of cress, white pepper, citrus zest, apricot kernel, and salt. This finishes with refreshment and head-scratching subtlety. Close your eyes if it will make you less uncomfortable, but try this wine!” (eRobertParker.com #195”) $44.95
The wines from the Greek Island of Santorini are said to taste of the island, crisp and fresh, they have always been a favorite of the store but, unfortunately, only limited quantities of Gavalas are available.2011 Gavalas Santorini, Aegean Islands, Greece – “The 2011 Santorini is an Assyrtiko with 10% Aidani blended in. I used to wonder who on the island was making fine wine. I’m beginning to wonder who isn’t. This is just lovely, powerful, dense, pointed and with fine acidity, including a tinge of lemon in its youth. It manages, however, to retain its elegance as well. The fine, tasty and lingering finish is quite wonderful. This wine’s structure and concentration certainly provide evidence that it should hold pretty well, too. It is hard to say what is better—this or the fine 2009, but I’m leaning to the 2011. Maybe it’s the youth. We’ll see as time goes on.”  (eRobertParker.com #204) $16.95

TWO WINES YOU MUST TRY

Domaine Billard Haute Cotes De Beaune Blanc
Buttery rich Chardonnay form the home of Chardonnay and an unbeatable value.
The 3 hectare vineyard has the place name “lieu dit” of La Justice. The soil is very chalky and the land has good drainage and exposure. The grapes are fermented in barrel and then matured for 10 months “sur lie” before bottling. The resulting wine is rich and well structured but also quite elegant. $18.95

2004 Lodali “Rocche Dei 7 Fratelli” Barbaresco
Yes, we are crazy for Italian wines, especially when we can find something like this, an affordable Barbaresco with a bit of bottle age. So we bought a bunch without tasting and opened a bottle for the first time last Saturday in the store With just a minimal amount of decanting,  we were blown away by the expressiveness. It sings Barbaresco. Dark cherries, leather and taut minerality.  $39.95

MONTHLY SPECIALS