: 2009 CAMERON HUGHES LOT #278 MERITAGE SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
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2010 DOMUS PENSI WHITE TERRA ALTA
With the explosion of wines from Spain over the
last decade or so, many people still haven’t heard much
about the Catalonian region of Terra Alta. Much of their product
historically has been sold as bulk to local cooperatives or as
base juice for large volume Cavas, but some smaller artisan producers
have started to make some noise. The warm climate is ideal for
growing classic Rhone varieties, and both reds and whites seem
to thrive here. This new offering is based primarily on White
Garnatxa (Grenache Blanc for French wine fans), which gives the
wine great body and rich waxy melon flavors, and the local Macabeo
grape (used mostly in Cavas) gives the wine some softness and
extra acidity. The real stroke of genius here is the use of a
small amount of Muscat, just enough to throw some perfume into
the mix, a pretty dash of orange and white flowers without any
sweetness brought along. A fun alternative that can work with
appetizers, lighter dishes, and can even handle some light spice.
Regular price $10.99, $9.34/case |
2008 ROBERT PERROUD COTE DE BROUILLY ‘LA FOURNAISE DU PEROU’
If you like good Beaujolais like we do, you think about drinking
it all year round and implement into your dinner plans whenever
possible. But as we start looking forward to the holiday season
just a few short weeks away, it becomes a much hotter topic as
a highly recommended pairing with the broad selection of Thanksgiving
fare. This bottling is a great example of earthy and almost Burgundian
a Cru Beaujolais can be, and also why you don’t need to
grab the newest vintages. Light in body and color with aromas
of light strawberries, sage, and peppery meat, the mouthfeel has
lots of acidity to give the fruit and almost crunchy presence
and finishes with mouthwateringly earthy tones. None of the bubble
gum found in the mass marketed Beaujolais that get stacked everywhere
this time of year, just pure natural Gamay grape flavors that
are ideal any time of the year.
Regular price $12.99, $11.04/case
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2008 DeANGELIS ROSSO PICENO SUPERIORE
In last month’s Select Six we featured a wonderful Montepulciano
d’Abruzzo. This month we travel a bit further North in the
Marches to the area of Rosso Piceno, another region of spotty
quality in their history but showing massive improvement and great
pricing in recent years. We have featured the basic bottling from
this producer in a past Select Six, so you may recognize the small
bird on the label. The ‘Superiore’ designation means
the grapes are riper than the regular bottling at harvest which
provides more natural weight and intensity to the wine. Deep color
and black fruit aromas with hints of tobacco and black pepper
let you know from the get go this has some intensity, and it definitely
follows through in the mouth. The texture is surprisingly silky
in comparison to the nose, allowing the deep plum fruit to feel
warm and inviting, not hard and aggressive. If you enjoy Tuscan
wines this would be a great wine to try and expand your vinous
vocabulary.
Regular price $13.99, $11.89/case |
2010 MORGAN WINERY UNOAKED CHARDONNAY ‘METALLICO’
(Wine Spectator 91points)
Whenever possible we like to break down the many stereotypes and
clichés that exist in the wine world, and few things are
as cliché as the buttery, oaky Californian Chardonnay.
Not to say there aren’t very good ones, or that you shouldn’t
like those types of wines. But there’s just so much more
potential to the Chardonnay grape than to have everyone follow
the same formula and create such similar wines. In this bottling
the Morgan winery steps outside the norm and uses some very fine
fruit, bypasses the oak treatment it would usually get, and creates
one of the best unoaked Chardonnays you will find anywhere. Bright
and racy apple and zesty citrus aromas as first will make some
think this will show a lot of tartness, but with some air the
softer pear and tropical tones start to show. The real stunner
in on the palate, where the juiciness and quality of the naturally
well-ripened grapes (and NOT malolactic fermentation and oak barrels)
give the wine plenty of texture and ripe fruit to absorb the natural
acidity, making it fresh and accessible with no harshness. This
is one to help change your mind about what domestic Chardonnay
can be.
Regular price $16.99, $14.44/case
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2010 CHATEAU d’ARVEYRES GRAVES DE VAYRES
This house may also be familiar to many of you
as it has made appearances in various Select Six’s and insider’s
Picks over the years. In almost every vintage this shows a great
balance of fruit and oak that’s hard to achieve at this
price point, and in the latest ‘Vintage of the Century’
from Bordeaux, it’s achieved that goal with flying colors.
Ripe, slightly waxy melon and citrus flavors and aromas pop from
the glass from the first pour and intensify slowly as the wine
opens over several hours, a sign this wine has the potential to
age several years. The oak is more of a texture than a flavor
at this point, giving the wine more fullness in the mouth and
only the slightest vanilla notes and extra tannins. you don’t
really even notice any oak unless you’re really looking
for it. A perfect food white for bolder fish or poultry dishes.
Regular price $15.99, $13.79/case |
2008 ANDREW MURRAY VINEYARDS SYRAH CENTRAL COAST ‘TOUS LES JOURS’
(Wine Advocate 91points)
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve featured something
from the Andrew Murray Vineyards and taken the opportunity to
remind you how much we love this winery and how killer their wines
are. And that’s a few weeks too many, especially since his
most recent releases earned their best reviews yet in the Wine
Advocate. This Rhone Ranger specializes in capturing the cool
climate essence from fine vineyards in the Central Coast, avoiding
the heavier, more sweetly extracted wines in favor of balance.
While the 2008 certainly shows more ripe fruit than the 2007 vintage
(and aspect of the warmer vintage conditions), the complex dark
fruit aromas are backed by notes of smoke, cola, and hints of
meat and herbs. The mouth is very full and complex, loaded with
intensity, yet still maintains some raciness through the finish
because of the acidity, even allowing some cherry and red fruits
to shine through. This is mailing list quality wine that so exceeds
its price point it almost isn’t funny. Stock up before too
many other people catch on.
Regular price $16.99, $14.44/case
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