: 2007 MAS DEL PERIE CAHORS 'LA ROQUE'
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 2007
CANTINAMATTA CASAMATTA BIANCO
Wines like this one are a big part of what we
are all about here at Wine Warehouse, representing great value
created by the hands of a world class producer. Winemaker Bibi
Graetz was on the fast track to become an acclaimed artist before
choosing to refocus his passions towards winemaking. In just a
few short years producing wines in Tuscany, Bibi’s top wines
have created quite an impression with major reviewers for both
their impressive power and intensity, as well as their, shall
we say, ‘ambitious’ $300+ price points. While waiting
for those bottles to sell, the winery actually MAKES money turning
his talents towards creating an excellent line of values wines.
The Casamatta Bianco is made from Vermentino, a grape that makes
incredibly vibrant and refreshing wines that have an uncanny ability
to pair well with seafood. A first whiff of sage and seashells
opens slowly to more peach and white fruits, but always seems
to maintain a bit of a nose-tingly mintiness. While from the nose
you may expect more intense mineral vibrancy, the fruit is surprisingly
juicy and gentle in the mouth, with just a light hint of tartness
through on the finish. A refreshing sipping or first course wine
that can handle even oyster dressing.
Regular price $13.99, $11.89/case
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2006 GRAZIANO FAMILY MONTE VOLPE PRIMO ROSSO
As a general rule, most Italian grape varieties do not do nearly
as well away from their native soil as many of the French ones.
Something seems to get lost in the translation, subtlety is lost,
and the wines never seem to have the zest they should. When the
rare success happens, the price is usually significantly more
than an equivalent version form the homeland. All of this makes
this wine even more impressive, in that not only is it a tasty
use of Italian grapes, but it’s a smoking good value to
boot. The Graziano Family has winemaking history in Mendocino
County since the early 1900s, and today production in two of their
four brand lines is dedicated exclusively to wines from native
and sometimes obscure Italian varietals from Tuscany, Friuli,
and the Piemonte regions. This bottling is a bit of a mish-mosh,
pulling from all over Italy to use Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Negroamaro,
and Carignan, dropped over a base of ever-present Zinfandel. The
Zin provides the platform of ripe texture for the wine, but the
Italian grapes are the show, showing great earth and spice, dried
berries and smoke that feels much more Southern Italian than New
World. This is great with savory dishes and red sauces, to be
sure, but also be a fun alternative for the holidays ahead.
Regular price $11.99, $10.19/case
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2007 FOXGLOVE ZINFANDEL PASO ROBLES
(Wine Advocate 90points)
Continuing the theme started in the first Select Six wine of great
values from top producers, but moving to the other side of the
world to California, we have the value line of wines from one
of the top producers in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Varner Winery
has quickly become a top name for small production single vineyard
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the underappreciated mountaintops
above San Jose. While not as overpriced as Bibi Graetz’s
top wines, it can be hard to pay the bills with just $40+ wines
even in the best of times, so the Foxglove wines were born. A
Chardonnay was the first in the line, which has been a store favorite
since we first got our hands on it, and has since spawned two
equally successful reds, a Cabernet Sauvignon and this Zinfandel.
Sourced from vineyards in Paso Robles, this wine is all about
easy drinking pleasure, popping from the glass on the first pour
with warm briary black fruit and spice. In the mouth the rich
fruit continues, filling the palate and showing no signs of heat
from high alcohol or hard tannins. This works well with stronger
seasoned meat dishes or all by itself sipped on a cool evening.
Regular price $15.99, $13.59/case |
2008 CONOSUR SAUVIGNON BLANC 'VISION'
As winemaking technology improves worldwide, vineyards continue
to get planted in areas once thought unlikely if not outright
impossible for grape growing. Generally the moves are into cooler
areas with heavy western oceanic influence, which creates very
cool consistent conditions year round. For centuries the standard
was to look for as much sun exposure as possible to help the grapes
ripen quickly and consistently. In these new areas the growing
period takes longer, but better techniques in the vineyards help
the grapes develop at a healthy rate, and the more protracted
growing season allows the grapes to develop more intense flavors
and acidity, especially in white grapes. In Chile, the Casablanca
Valley is this new destination, quickly evolving into a top source
for value Sauvignon Blancs like this. Impressively endowed with
round ripe fruit and zippy lemon citrus and light grapefruit,
the wine bears some similarity to those of New Zealand, but have
a stronger peach and white fruit flavor and a refreshing, almost
Riesling like brightness. This is one of the best examples of
Sauvignon Blanc we have come across from Chile, and as the Casablanca
Valley continues to mature we are sure to see even more for years
to come.
Regular price $13.99, $11.89/case
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2007 GLATZER GRUNER VELTLINER CARNUNTUM
If you have not had the pleasure of trying wines
from the Gruner Veltliner grape before, this is an ideal place
to jump in. The grape is not terribly well known outside its native
Austria, but is THE grape that gives Austria its wine identity.
I like to describe the grape’s flavors as a theoretical
cross between the grassy citrus of a Sauvignon Blanc and the round
flesh and mineral texture of a dry Riesling. The wines are incredibly
versatile, ranging from crisp light bodied value sippers to intense,
saturated, almost oily textured showstoppers. This particular
producer is brought to us from noted German and Austrian wine
importer Terry Theise, who has commented on this particular bottling
several times and its trueness to the grape, saying “you
could teach a class with it.” While not overt or intensive,
the wine is full to the brim with aromas and flavors; crisp grapefruit
and an almost peppery herbal sensation in the nose followed by
fruit that is both ripe and vivacious, tingling with acidity that
livens up the fruit but does not overpower it on the finish. This
can go with an extremely broad array of foods, from lightly seasoned
vegetarian dishes to spicier or sweeter Asian ones, and even seafood.
Regular price $13.99, $11.89/case |
2007 ROCCHE COSTAMAGNA BARBERA d'ALBA ANNUNZIATA
Earlier this year we featured the 2006 vintage of this wine as
an Insider’s Pick, and the 2007 vintage is so good we had
to find someplace to feature it as soon as it came in. In the
Piedmont, there are three red wine grapes that dominate the landscape:
Barbera, Dolcetto, and Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo is the rock star; as
the grape for the most noted wines of the region, it tends to
be planted in only the best situated vineyard sites. Dolcetto
is the workhorse grape doing the yeoman’s job of the region,
making wine from the lesser vineyards to made more everyday wines.
Barbera, on the other hand, is the crossover sensation that’s
sweeping the nation, able to make both incredibly tasty entry
level wines as well as succeed at the top level. The best examples
tend to come from bottlings like this, a single vineyard production
planted in the midst of the best Nebbiolo vineyards in the region.
At first pour, this deeply purple colored wine gives off hints
of vanilla from the French oak it was aged in, but is quickly
chased away by dried cherry and raspberry fruits and dusty herbs.
The first sip is full and silky at first, loaded with more dried
red fruits, then picks up intensity as the acidity and fine grained
tannins start kicking in. This is a wine that works well with
some meaty dishes, but could also merge perfectly with a hearty
pasta or mushroom risotto, but definitely deserves to be paired
with food.
Regular price $17.99, $15.29/case
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