: 2007 MAS DEL PERIE CAHORS 'LA ROQUE'
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 2008
BRAD’S STICKDOG VIRGINIA RIESLING
Brad McCarthy is the closest thing we have in
Virginia winemaking to the iconic Pouilly Fume winemaker Didier
Dagueneau, and we aren’t just talking about the shaggy mane
of hair. Since his days with White Hall Winery and more recently
with Blenheim Vineyards, he has been brash and outspoken about
the quality of his wines (and most of the time he’s absolutely
right), and has constantly pushed the quality of his wines to
the limit, making him an essential part of the great progress
Virginia wines have made over the last two decades. His recent
creation of his own line of wines add to that legacy, and while
he’s had tremendous success with Chardonnay through the
years, this may be his most unique and exciting white. Sourced
from a vineyard in Staunton with high amounts of limestone running
through it, the wine shows off a vivid lime and white citrus aroma
and impressive brightness in the mouth. The limestone notes helps
the slight residual sugar almost disappear, as well as the natural
acidity the Riesling earns from the cooler and longer growing
season in the Valley. This drinks as well as any Finger Lakes
dry Riesling, and will make you wonder why more people don’t
try to make wine like this here in Virginia.
Regular price $12.99, $11.04/case
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2007 DOMAINE GRAND VENEUR COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES 'LES CHAMPAUVINS'
(Wine Advocate 91points)
This wine is so good it almost doesn’t even need a write-up,
but will do so just to let the joy flow. Almost since the end
of harvest, people have been talking about the greatness of the
2007 vintage in the Southern Rhone. Picture perfect growing conditions
all year long provided some of the best raw material winemakers
had seen in a decade that was already the best ten year stretch
in the region’s history. While one can nitpick about the
best vintages for Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the icon wines in the region,
nobody can debate the uniformly top notch quality found in the
less expensive Cotes du Rhones and Villages level wines. This
Village-designated wine is at the quality and intensity level
most would expect from a Chateauneuf in normal vintages, but from
2007 it’s just another great sub-$20 wine. Rich ripe aromas
of raspberries and blackberries show off the intensity of the
vintage but don’t completely cover up the spice and Herbs
de Provence complexity that make Rhone wines so inviting, especially
with a little time open. The mouthfeel is equally immense, soaking
into every inch of your palate, with full tannins that give the
wine plenty of chewy texture. For those that prefer a more subdued
wine, you may want to cellar wines like this for a few years or
look towards Rhones from the less heady 2006 vintage. Otherwise,
this is an exceptional wine for the price that will provide loads
of drinking pleasure over the coming cooler months and for years
to come.
Regular price $17.99, $15.29/case
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2008 DOMAINE ROBERT SEROL COTE ROANNAISE LES VIEILLES VIGNES
Very few regions in the world can create wine from the Gamay grape
anywhere close to the quality of Beaujolais. In much of France
Gamay was pulled out of vineyards in favor of more reputable and
prolific varieties, but the high iron soils of Beaujolais became
a safe haven and allowed the grape to survive and thrive. Now
that Beaujolais have become successful again, the other small
pockets where Gamay still survives are being explored. Though
technically part of the Loire Valley wine region, the Cote Roannaise
is almost 100 miles upriver from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, lying
due west of the Beaujolais region. The region is isolated due
to its mountainous surroundings, but as more quality producers
like this are unearthed by importers, the region and its wines
will earn quite a reputation. From vine averaging more than 40
years old, this older vine wine boasts an impressively deep ruby
color for a Gamay, and a nose full of dried red fruits and hints
of smoke. The flavor and texture are a bit fleshier and chunkier
than your standard Beaujolais, but as this young wine opens up
the polish and silkiness starts to arrive. After a while, you
will forget whether you are drinking Cru Beaujolais or not.
Regular price $15.99, $13.59/case |
2008 BRICCO DEI TATI CORTESE PIEMONTE
The Cortese grape is best known in Italy’s Piedmont region
as the base grape for Gavi, the most noteworthy dry white produced
in the region, and one of the most famous white wines in all of
Italy. Outside the boundaries of Gavi, however, Cortese is minimally
planted as its light bodied nature has lost out to more intensive
and international varieties. Even within the Piedmont it is planted
only sparingly. Other growing areas just aren’t able to
reach the levels of complexity and intensity with the grape that
Gavi can, so Cortese is relegated to making very light, simple
wines. This exceptional little bargain is brought to us by the
producer Lodali, who has been the source for many of our best
deals in Barbera and Dolcetto, and even a Barbaresco. The Bricco
dei Tati estate is owned by Lodali’s American importer,
and the wines are made from fruit off their estate. Light and
crisp, which is what you would expect, with a pretty floral aroma
and hints of light peach and citrus. In the mouth the wine is
very quenching and easy sipping, with a hint of herbs and almonds
behind the light fruit, staying very clean all the way through
the finish. Not a ‘serious’ wine, but a seriously
good deal, perfect for light cocktails and everyday seafood dishes.
Regular price $7.99, $6.79/case
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2007 PATIENT COTTAT SAUVIGNON BLANC VDP DU VAL DE LOIRE
Often these value priced Sauvignon Blancs from
the Loire can be of questionable quality from dubious sources,
and you end up actually getting less than what you paid for. This
is one of the few exceptions where you get WAY more for the money.
Patient Cottat is a well known and respected producer in Sancerre
and we have always been a follower of his wines, particularly
the Vieilles Vignes bottling. This was our first exposure to their
value wine, and, were this served to us blind, we would never
have guessed this wasn’t Sancerre. Aromatically fresh but
fairly reserved at first, from the first sip the wine absolutely
speaks of Sancerre’s distinct chalky minerality in the midst
of the surprisingly ripe texture. The clean fruit is very fresh
in the mouth allowing a nice citrus peel finish to linger much
longer than one would expect from a wine of this price. This is
the spitting image of their Sancerre but with the intensity levels
dialed down a few notches, ideal for all purpose drinking through
the end of the summer and well into the cooler months.
Regular price $12.99, $11.04/case |
2007 KELLEREI KALTEN PINOT NERO
ALTO ADIGE
Perhaps the greatest pleasure in putting together the Select Six
lineups is when we pull a unique or obscure wine out, shine our
bright light on it, and it becomes a storewide hit. This is likely
to be that sort of sensation. While we all know about Pinot Nero,
or Pinot Noir as it is known throughout most of the wine world,
most people don’t know how good their wines can be from
this part of the world. The Alto Adige is in the Northeast region
of Italy, pressed up against the Austrian border. The region as
a whole is mostly noted for their white wines, especially Pinot
Grigio, and many would think the reds would be unimpressive given
their mountainous climate. But on the better hillside exposures
vines can get more than enough ripening sunshine, and soft fleshy
red wines can be made from Pinot Noir as well as the local Lagrein
grape. Impressive aromas of red berries, rose petals, and hints
of dried spice give an almost Burgundian presence, but in the
mouth the fruit is fleshier and softer with plenty of Pinot subtlety.
The Caldaro subregion of the Alto Adige where these grapes are
grown also has a strong limestone presence in the soil, and the
minerality shows up very nicely here to give the fruit a bit of
tart firmness and lengthen the finish. This is a fun interpretation
of the Pinot Noir grape that is perfect for all fans to help broaden
their horizons and experience what the grape is all about.
Regular price $16.99, $14.44/case
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