February 2014 Newsletter
FEBRUARY “SHORT SIPS†CLASS - BROWN BAG BLIND TASTING
This is always a fun class! We will discuss and then blind taste a selection of old world and new world varietal wines and see if we can discern which is which.
A one hour educational program, limited to eight people and held in our fine wine room. we are doing the class twice in February–FRIDAY & SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21st and 22tnd 5:30 to 6:30pm –– There is a $5 class fee and 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.)
LA GERLA – Brunello di Montalcino and more.
We were well pleased with our last minute La Gerla tasting on Monday. The turnout was great but the reaction to the wines was the best. We sold through our entire inventory and took additional orders. In fact, our latest order included the well regarded ‘07 Riserva as we sold through the ’06. If you did not attend here are the wines available:
2007 LA GERLA Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna gli Angeli- “Spicy oak aromas greet the nose, while concentrated flavors of cherry, currant and tobacco are buried underneath. Very vibrant, with refined tannins and a lingering finish of fruit, spice and mineral. Builds on the finish, with a long aftertaste. A combination of power and finesse. Best from 2015 through 2030. 300 cases imported.†(WS 5/31/13) $83.95
2008 LA GERLA Brunello di Montalcino –“Full and rich, offering cherry, kirsch, tobacco and earth aromas and flavors. The ripe, refined tannins are buried under the sweetness and flesh, emerging on the resonant finish. Shows fine energy. Best from 2015 through 2029. 1,200 cases imported.†(WS 6/15/1313) $56.95
2009 LA GERLA Toscana Birba – “Rich and meaty, with oak notes accenting cherry, currant, iron and earth flavors. There’s a firm underlying structure. Sangiovese. Best from 2014 through 2020. 650 cases made.†(WS Web Only – 2012) $32.95
2011 LA GERLA Rosso di Montalcino – “Medium-bodied, showing raspberry and strawberry flavors, with a hint of tar, backed by a vibrant spine of acidity and tannins. Fine length. Drink now through 2020. 850 cases imported.†(WS 10/15/13) $22.95
NEW ARRIVALS Bordeaux
We love Bordeaux, especially in winter and, especially with roasted and grilled meats; Beef, lamb, Venison – they are Bordeaux’s best friends. The wines below are priced at $20-45 dollars & this is a range that will offer the best value/quality ratio. Here, for example, is an over achieving Medoc from an excellent vintage:
2009 La Cardonne Medoc, Bordeaux, France-“50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, offers up notes of tobacco leaf, cassis, and loamy soil with underbrush nuances. With excellent texture, impressive purity, and medium to full body, this is a rich, over-achieving cru bourgeois to drink over the next decade. This is a major sleeper of the vintage and the best wine I have ever tasted from La Cardonne, which is in the northern end of the Medoc, near the town of Blaignan.†(WA #199) $22.95
2010 was an almost perfect vintage in the Medoc/Haut Medoc and here is one perfect for tonight with Lamb.
2010 La Bernadotte Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France – “ a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot. The wine is deep and clearly a sleeper of the vintage, with loads of fruit, glycerin and extract. Its excellent purity and loads of spice box as well as red and black currants make for a delicious, impressively endowed wine to drink over the next 10-12 years.†(WA 205) $38.95
In a classic vintage, like 2009, second wines from great Chateaus are a smart choice. here are two to try:
2009 Ch. Branaire-Ducru St.-Julien Duluc de Branaire-Ducru, Bordeaux, France – “Ripe, fresh and decidedly forward in style, with a modestly tarry edge supporting the juicy blackberry, loganberry and mulled plum fruit flavors. There’s a lingering anise note, with enough grip to keep this honest. Drink now through 2020.†(Web only 2012) $44.95
2009 Ch. Grand-Puy Ducasse Pauillac Prelude a Grand-Puy Ducasse, Bordeaux, France – “Taut and grippy, with a charcoal and loam frame to the black currant, fig paste and coffee notes. Stays grippy through the finish, but with solid flesh. Best from 2013 through 2020. 4,165 cases made.†( WS Web only 2012) $39.95
CANE & FABLE – Love the wine NOT the name
2012 Cane & Fable “373†Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Roble, Califonia – A collaboration between winemakers Curt Schalchlin of Sans Liege and Andrew Jones of Field Recordings, it is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Tempranillo and 5% Petit Verdot. the wine was aged for 10 months in both French and American oak, 25% of which was new. Well balanced, quite dense in the mouth and not over oaked with dark fruits, spice and cedar. A terrific find at $19.95
2012 EOLA HILLS OREGON PINOT NOIR - An Old Friend Returns
Recent Oregon vintages have been tough on value priced Pinot Noir; but a drier summer in 2012 has, generally, produced riper wines and thus 2012 is a “buy†vintage for value Oregon Pinot Noir. The Eola Hills displays some of the vintage ripeness with ripe cherry notes, a medium body and a smooth finish. $17.95
2010 DOMAINE GROSBOT-BARBARA “Le Quarteron†Saint-Pourçain, France
Here is something different and quite good from Saint-Pourçain, which is technically in the Loire Valley but is actually closer to, well, nothing, actually. This is a blend of predominantly Chardonnay with a fair bit of the naturally over productive Tressallier and a touch of Sauvignon Blanc. Barrel fermented, big and rich with great acidity; a poor man’s Chassagne Monratchet perhaps? Or perhaps not. These are the type of wonderful little finds that make drinking wine more fun. Oh, did we mention that during the 13th and 14th centuries the wines of Saint-Pourçain were highly esteemed and were favored by Popes, royalty and the aristocracy alike?
Drink like 13th century royalty for only $24.95
MONTHLY SPECIALS
Feb 2014 | Usual | Case (cs.btl cost) |
|
---|---|---|---|
*2012 Val de Salis Sauvignon Blanc (Pays d'OC, France) | $ 8.49 | $ 9.95 | $96 ($8.00) |
*2012 Campus Oaks Chardonnay (California) | $ 9.49 | $10.95 | $108 ($9.00) |
*2011 La Maia Lina Chianti (DOCG, Italy) | $11.95 | $13.95 | $132 ($11.00) |
*2011 Magellan Le Fruit Defendu (vin de Pays de L'Herault, France) | $11.95 | $13.95 | $132 ($11.00) |
2011 Vinterra Pinot Noir (New Zealand) | $11.95 | $13.95 | $132 ($11.00) |
N/V Lovisolo Nebbiolo Brut Rose, (Vino Spumante, Italy) | $13.95 | $17.95 | $156 ($13.00) |
2012 Domingo Molina Hermanos Torrontes (Argentina) | $13.95 | $18.95 | $156 ($13.00) |
2012 Domingo Molina Hermanos Malbec-Tannat (Argentina) | $13.95 | $18.95 | $156 ($13.00) |
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