July 2014 Monthly newsletter

JULY TASTING EVENTS

THE TASTING, WEDNESDAY, JULY 9.    5:30-7:30 pm at our store on Grove Ave.
WORLDS’ GREATEST GRAPE - RIESLING
Remember - by drinking Riesling you become a better person.               
Discounts will be offered store-wide on the World’s Greatest Grape.

MONDAY, JULY 14th     5:30- 7:30pm
Join us as we celebrate
Bastille Day and Founders Day*

We will be tasting a selection of our favorite French Wines and Cheeses
Discounts will be offered on all French wines.
(*Emerson’s was founded July 14, 1985. This is our 29th anniversary!)

Thursday, July 17——5:30 to 7:30 pm
A tasting with Alessandro Fiore
FIORE WINES
Wines from Tuscany

TASTING EVERY SATURDAY 2 - 7:30 pm
“WHATEVER WE FEEL LIKE OPENING”

JULY SHORT SIPS CLASS

Prosecco- There is SO MUCH MORE you need to know!

We’ll taste a variety of styles; learn the history and wine laws. A one hour educational program, limited to eight people and held in our fine wine room. The class will be held twice in JULY–FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JULY 25th and 26th,  5:30 to 6:30pm ––There is a $5 per person fee for this class & availability is on a first come first serve basis but you can call and reserve spaces at anytime.

NEW ARRIVALS

2010 Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er “Les Gravieres” Burgundy Fr. - I was with Vincent’s wife, Veronique, at the winery on a lovely September day when this vineyard was picked. The bunches were even & ripe and we grabbed a handful to sample – delicious. Vincent’s notes: “Already clear but not yet bottled, deep crimson in color. A gamy nose, very Santenay. Creamy on the palate – cafe au lait with some granular tannins, but they have juicy acidity along with mint & dark chocolate & a hint of red licorice.” $48.95
Steve Matthiasson crafts small production winse that strive for purity and a lighter touch of alcohol.
2012 Matthiasson Napa Valley White Wine-  a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Ribolla Gialla, Semillon, and Tocai Fruilano,  ripe and exuberant, reflecting the warm growing season. Fresh cream on the nose accompanied by key lime pie and flavors of passion fruit, lychee, and lemon curd. There’s a long stony/saline finish from the Ribolla, bright pineapple from the Sauvignon blanc, and the Semillon balances the wine with a beeswax character that adds gravity and weight.  $41.95
2013 Matthiasson Rose California -(a blend of grenache, syrah, mourvedre and counoise; 11.5% alcohol):  “Light pink.  Vibrant, sharply focused citrus zest and strawberry scents are underscored by a chalky mineral quality.  Dry, nervy and precise, offering tangy red fruit flavors and a touch of peppery spices.  The mineral note repeats emphatically on the incisive, clinging finish.” IWC 6/14 $24.95

Visit to ITALY

“Everything good happens on a hill”

I was fortunate this month to spend 8 days in a whirlwind tour (Abruzzo, Marche, Tuscany, Veneto, Friuli, Alto-Adige) of Italy courtesy of Della Terra Imports.  We stayed in hotels on both coasts and visited 15+ wineries. One common theme from south to north: it’s getting warmer and as a result growers are adopting with different canopy management and trellising schema. The wine & food was outstanding and there will be several new wines for the racks, but here are a few, outstanding old friends, already in the store:
2011 Casa Vinicola Garofoli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Podium” – This is a whole different level, richer then most Verdicchios, with honey and stone fruits and a pure crazy minerality. Think mussels or clams or shrimp or…  $23.95
2011 Selvapiana Chianti Rufina – Rufina is the northernmost of the Chianti growing regions and, is considered to be many, the equal of Chianti Classico. High on a hill with its own medieval tower, Selvapiana makes great organically farmed Chiantis offering real value. The 2011 is balanced and ripe with dark cherries and typical Sangiovese acid. This is “classic” Chianti. $18.95
2010 Inama Carmenere Piu- Stefano takes you to the top of a hill and he has a map, his own extraordinarily detailed map, of his vineyards, surrounding towns, etc. He talks, you eat and drink wine. He points to the side of an adjacent hill, here is more iron in the clay, best for Carmenere and Merlot. The “Piu” (means “more” in Italian) always surprises those new to the wine. It’s plums and black cherries, cocoa, a touch of oak, great acidity and refined grainy tannins.. Thinking Bordeaux or California red blend? Try Piu.  $21.95

SUMMER OF RIESLING

This year we are not participating in the official “Summer of Riesling”, however we have received some new Rieslings from a recent pre-order that are delicious summer food friendly alternatives to the usual Sauvignon Blanc or Vinho Verde and, by the way, drinking Riesling makes you a better person.
2013 Christoffel Erben ”Ürziger Würzgarten Kranklay” Riesling Auslese *** - Delightful nose of peach, mango & pear; fresh, spicy & vibrant on the palate with a touch of mint; finishing with beautiful mineral & slate. Hans Leo Christoffel:“The day I can‘t make wines like these any more is the day I‘ll pack it in.”  $79.95
2012 Willi Brundlmayer Riesling Heiligenstein Austria - “Brundlmayer’s 2012 Riesling Heiligenstein delivers not only buddleia and lilac perfume but a bittersweet and invigorating palate impression akin to chomping on flowers. Stone, salt and iodine serve for dynamic and saliva-inducement if at the same time a hint of austerity, with infectiously juicy apple and lime serving for finishing refreshment. Here is another superb example of how richness can combine with buoyancy, vivacity and sheer sap in the best Riesling and Gruner Veltliner of the 2012 vintage. (WA #212) $46.95
2012 Alfred Merkelbach Riesling Kabinett Mosel Kinheimer Rosenberg - “Offers hints of richness to the ripe peach and apple flavors, with some cream accents. The plush finish is full of spice, showing notes of dried, savory herbs and dried apricot. Drink now through 2020. 750 cases made.” (WS 5-31-2014) $21.95
2012 Eugen Müller Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese Trocken – “ (This) is a swollen subterranean wave of mineral. You start at OMG and end with WTF, because even in the context of so many great years this is singular and amazing. Fantastically salty and cherry-blossomy, and deeply embedded mineral.” $37.95
And someday, when you’re ready, you can drink the very best Riesling:
2010 Joh, Jos. Prüm Riesling Auslese Gold Cap Mosel Bernkasteler Badstube – “Ripe, luscious and deeply flavored, with a juicy mix of glazed apricot, red peach and baked pear flavors that are flanked by rich notes of cream and spice. Very long and graceful on the finish, with loads of sage honey and tropical fruit notes. Drink now through 2040.” (WS 3/31/2012)  $89.95

USE YOUR 6 BOTTLE WINE BAGS FROM OTHER STORES AND SAVE 10% (on six bottles)

We want to remind our customers to use wine bags that other stores continue to push on you. Remember they are made from oil and you must use each of those bags 9 times before it equals one paper bag.

MONTHLY SPECIALS