Spotlight
7/17/10 Sidewalk Sale
The following items are on sale for one day only:
2007 Dom. des Terrisses, Gaillac - Normally: $11.95 / Sale: $8.95
2006 Ch. d’ Oupia, Minervois Rouge - Normally: $14.95/ Sale: $11.95
Assorted 2006 Saintsbury Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, Carneros, CA. Normally: $34.95 / Sale: $23.95
2003 Dom. du Caillou, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France, Normally: $49.95 / Sale: $39.95
2006 Dom. de la Mordoree, Lirac Rouge, France - Normally: $39.95 / Sale: $31.95
2005 Spinifex “Papillon”, Barossa Valley, Aust. Normally: $28.95/ Sale: $17.95
(*No further discounts allowed.)
From the Cellars of Giacomo Borgogno
J. Emerson is proud to present an assortment of new arrivals from Giacomo Borgogno, one of the Langhe’s finest producers of traditionally-styled Nebbiolo from the town of Barolo. The estate was first established in 1761, and boasts sizeable vineyard holdings of over 50 hectares around the village of Barolo, including the prestigious crus of Cannubi, Liste and Brunate.
The Borgogno winery is one of a handful of producers in the Langhe that have maintained a steadfast commitment to producing Barolo in a traditional fashion. Extended maceration (approximately three weeks), native-yeast fermentation, and long barrel aging in large oak casks are de rigueur at Borgogno, yielding classically-styled, structured Barolos that are built for the long-haul rather than immediate gratification. Consequently, these can often be difficult wines to fully appreciate in their adolescence, as their youthful austerity typically requires years of patient cellaring before the wines blossom into mature Barolo.
Fortunately, Borgogno also happens to have one of the largest inventories of vintage Barolo in all of Piedmont, and in the years following World War II, they have made it a priority to save a sizeable portion of each year to cellar for later release. Their commitment to extended bottle aging in their cellars allows their customers to experience the wines the way they are meant to be enjoyed without having to cellar the wines themselves for a decade or more in what may be less-than-ideal conditions. We have been fortunate enough to receive a limited quantity of eleven different vintages of Borgogno’s Barolo Riserva, dating as far back as 1967. Each of the vintages offered are considered to be very good to excellent years for Barolo, ideal for extended aging.
The wines have only recently arrived in the United States, straight from Borgogno’s cellars in Barolo. Every bottle has been tasted by the winery to ensure that the wine is sound, decanted to remove excess sediment, then re-corked and topped-off with the same wine (from the same vintage) before release. Purchasing older vintages of wine is often a risky proposition due to the vagaries of storage and provenance, and thus we are quite thrilled to be able to offer such an array of pedigreed, mature Barolo straight from the winery’s cellar.
2007 Barbera d’Alba Superiore, $ 20.95
1967 Barolo Riserva, $229.95
1978 Barolo Riserva, $213.95
1982 Barolo Riserva, $204.95
1985 Barolo Riserva, $199.95
1988 Barolo Riserva, $187.95
1996 Barolo Riserva, $ 87.95
1997 Barolo Riserva, $ 82.95
1998 Barolo Riserva, $ 74.95
1999 Barolo Riserva, $ 74.95
2000 Barolo Riserva, $ 69.95
2001 Barolo Riserva, $ 69.95
2009 Bordeaux Futures PDF
2009_Bordeaux_Pre-sale.pdf
There seems to be general agreement that 2009 is among the very best years in Bordeaux and thus we are pleased to offer you an opportunity to participate in a selected group of 2009 Bordeaux futures.
These will not be rated growths as the expense is prohibitive, but rather smaller Château from the traditional Bordeaux and better satellite appellations. The case prices are quite reasonable at $138-$550/case ($11.50 - $46.80/btl.) There is no prepayment required; however we will need a credit card number to hold the wine. Requests will need to be in no later then June 28th and please note that all wines will be subject to availability as we will be competing with others on a first come first serve basis. The wines will NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2011. You can e-mail us with you order or print the list and bring into the store.
Where available I have included numerical reviews from Robert Parker, Wine Spectator and Decanter. We think there are great values in the Haut Medoc, Fronsac and St. Estephe. However, it is not possible to provide all of the supporting information regarding the 2009 vintage and specific wines so you should certainly do some research on your own. If you would like to come in to the store we can share additional articles and wine reviews.
This is a wonderful opportunity to purchase a great vintage of Bordeaux at very reasonable prices.
The Brave New (Old) World
One of the most exciting developments in the wine world today is the revitalization of ancient grape-growing regions that have in modern times been relegated to historical footnotes. Regions such as Campania in southern Italy and Galicia in Spain’s green northwest are areas that immediately come to mind, as their vineyards were highly venerated in antiquity, and up until very recently, the quality of their wines severely lagged behind their historical reputations. With the advent of modern viticultural techniques and the enthusiasm of a young generation of vignerons, these languishing vineyards have quickly sprung back in terms of relevance, and are now creating waves in the international wine community.
The Republic of Georgia is a perfect example of this revival of ancient vineyards—this is the cradle of wine civilization, with evidence of grape growing going back over 7,000 years. While the history of viticultural traditions in the region is extremely rich, much of this tradition has been ignored and tossed to the curb in favor of international grape varieties and modern winemaking, in an effort to remain relevant in today’s global wine market. However, a few pioneers in the region are looking to the past for inspiration instead of looking at stainless-steel fermentation vats and Cabernet Sauvignon as their path to salvation.
We are excited to present two new wines here at J. Emerson’s from Pheasant’s Tears Winery from the Republic of Georgia. Taking their cues from the ancient techniques of fermentation in large earthenware amphorae (called “Qvevri”) buried in the ground, the team at Pheasant’s Tears draws upon traditional Georgian winemaking techniques and employs only indigenous Georgian grape varietals. Their vineyards are all cultivated organically, without the help of pesticides or commercial fertilizers, and their wines are fermented using only naturally-occuring yeasts and with extended contact with the grapes.
All this said, this could easily be a recipe for natural winemaking gone wrong, a Luddite approach yielding harsh and unpleasant wines with plenty of character, but little to offer in the way of pleasurable drinking. However, we’ve been impressed with the purity of their wines expression of the Georgian terroir, and we don’t think that we’ve come across anything quite like them before. We plan to have the wines open for tasting in the coming weeks, and we hope that you’ll join us to experience these compelling and unique wines from our friends at Pheasant’s Tears.