2005 CHATEAU MOURGUES DU GRES COSTIERES DE NIMES ‘CAPITELLES’
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 2008
CANTINA DEL TABURNO FALANGHINA
As a potential New Year’s resolution, many
people should consider vowing to break out of their wine choice
ruts. So many of us get locked in on one or two grapes varieties
we recognize and will be more willing to have an indifferent or
even bad version of that wine than a good version of something
we aren’t familiar with. Pinot Grigio makes many very tasty
wines, but there are oceans of very average ones out there as
well, and Italy has dozens of other white grapes to offer that
present very similar wines with many great results. Falanghina
is a grape native to Campagnia, planted both along the warm Mediterranean
coastline and in the volcanic soils and hilly terrain inland from
Naples. The ones along the coastline are riper and more tropical,
where ones like this from the area around the town of Benevento
are cooler, brighter, and more mineral. The first whiff seems
somewhat grassy in a Sauvignon Blanc sort of way, but opens up
into more Mediterranean white fruits and herbs. The palate is
juicy but still shows plenty of zip, keeping the white fruits
bright and lively through the finish. This wine is excellent with
seafood or poultry cooked with very simple herb or citrus influence,
or if you are just looking for something to liven up your drinking
rotation.
Regular price $16.99, $14.44/case
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2007 CHATEAU LA MOTHE DU BARRY BORDEAUX SUPERIEUR
The reputation of Bordeaux has taken a beating over the last few
years, mostly from the exorbitant pricing of the 2005 vintage
that carried through into the far less successful 2006 and 2007
vintages. Much of this bashing is directed at the higher end prestige
wines, but a lot of the stigma trickles down to the less expensive
wines as well. We aren’t about reputations here, we’re
about what’s in the bottle, so when we tasted this wine
and found out it would be $12 on the floor, we jumped at the chance.
Merlot can show well even in the less spectacular vintages, avoiding
some of the hard green edges Cabernet Sauvignon can sometime bring.
The tannins are still a bit young here, but with a short bit of
air the aromatics are full of dried blackcurrants, cherries, and
tobacco leaf and the fruit in the mouth is nicely ripe for the
price point. This is a much more restrained and traditional Bordeaux,
with old school fruit intensity and alcohol levels under 13%abv,
dry but not astringent, elegant instead of fruit driven. If well
made, there will be many more values like this to come as the
Bordelais try to deal with a less than outstanding vintage in
these tougher economic times.
Regular price $11.99, $10.19/case
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2007 DOMAINE PUIG-PARAHY COTES DU ROUSSILLON 'GEORGES' (WineAdvocate
90-91pts)
Yes, yes, it’s another great value wine from the Rhone/
Southern France that we can’t help but make you fall in
love with. If you are a fan of the wines, the last 4 years or
so have been a hot streak the envy of any gambler in Vegas or
Monte Carlo. Few wine growing regions have had outstanding vintages
back to back like they have, providing so many uniformly good
wines that are still considered excellent values up and down the
price spectrum. Domaine Puig is an extreme throwback in the Roussillon
region at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains, more noted for the
production of the fortified Madeira-like Rancio wines than hearty
red wines. With only a few slight modernizations over the last
decade or so, the quality of reds here have improved dramatically.
Grenache is still fairly prevalent in these wines (thanks as much
to their use in the Rancio wines as anything else), but use of
Mourvedre and Carignan are much more prevalent here than other
areas of France, able to ripen and intensify the fruit in the
baking sunshine. This tank fermented cuvee is mostly Carignan
and Grenache, with just a splash of Syrah, so while it isn’t
as juicy and forward and many Rhones, it does not lack for intensity
and complex flavor. Smoky black fruits and a savory, almost meaty
element dominate the wine at first, but a bit of time decanting
or beating it around in the glass wake up more spicy and complex
red fruit notes. In the mouth the texture is definitely firmer
and chewier than most Rhones, but as the tannins soften a bit
with air the fruit comes out quite nicely. A great wine for roasted
meats, his is a lot of wine for the money, and for this price
you can afford to experiment with a bottle to see where it shows
optimum enjoyment for you.
Regular price $12.99, $11.04/case |
2007 TREVOR JONES CHARDONNAY 'VIRGIN' (Wine Advocate 90points)
This wine has become one of the most consistent wine values out
of Australia in our store, red or white, as well as an educational
tool for many drinkers’ palates. So often malolactic fermentation
and oak barrel aging are done hand in hand, it can be hard to
tell which process creates which flavors. Also, most wineries
will use their lesser Chardonnay juice for the ‘steel fermented’
wines, so those wines are usually destined to be inferior to the
ones whose juice were deemed good enough to be aged in oak. This
wine sets both those concept on their ear. The wine is called
‘Virgin’ because it is made from what is called ‘free
run juice’, the ripest juice from the grapes that comes
from the natural weight of the grapes pushing against themselves
in the press (untouched by human hands, so to speak), as well
as no oak aging. The wine does go through malolactic fermentation
in the tanks, which creates the creamy round texture and buttery
aromas, which is what I think Chardonnay drinkers are looking
for even more than the oak. Round apple and pear aromas with just
a slight hint of butter on the nose flow into a flavor that very
even between the creamy texture and the still present citrus fruit.
This is a great all purpose Chardonnay that will appeal to a very
broad array of tastes.
Regular price $15.99, $13.59/case
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2008 RUDOLF MULLER RIESLING 'SHINE'
This wine is more of a ‘simple pleasure’
sort of wine than a profound drinking experience, but there are
always times when life is more about enjoying the simple pleasures
than anything else. German Rieslings, especially the inexpensive
ones, are usually glommed into the sweet and cheap category, ideal
for getting sugar and a bit of alcohol into your system and little
else. The quality of German winemaking extends far, far beyond
this misconception, showing a broad diversity of sweetness levels
and flavors even in the value priced wines. This wine from the
Pfalz region would be more accurately termed off dry than anything
else, showing hints of sweetness in the peach and pear aromas
and flavors. But the wine goes well beyond that, pulling in tart
green apple aromas, limestone, and a racy, almost crispy line
of acidity that livens up the palate on the finish. This is a
great wine to have around to pop with various spicy ethnic cuisine
as well as for easy everyday enjoyment.
Regular price $9.99, $8.49/case |
2007 G.D. VAJRA LANGHE ROSSO
As I started writing these notes, I had two glasses before me
to taste. One is a fine red burgundy we are looking to possibly
bring in the store, the other is this wine. From a dollar standpoint,
the Burgundy ‘should’ be better, and from the standpoint
of complexity, nuance, and certainly pedigree it may very well
‘be’ better. Whether it’s the masterful hands
of G.D. Vajra, the blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto, or
the sublime character of the 2007 vintage (all three, even), but
I find myself enjoying this wine more than the Burgundy. Needless
to say that Burg picked the wrong day to show up here. The first
whiff is all about Nebbiolo, a gorgeous perfume of violets, cherry
pits, and dusty old leather. In the mouth, where young Nebbiolo
is usually astringent and cheek-peelingly tannic, the Dolcetto
shows up to soften the blow, adding some round black fruit and
giving it a juicy texture. The Barbera comes through a bit in
the mouth, but I get more on the finish, adding some tart strawberry
notes and some acidity that helps the wine linger. For most this
is likely an all purpose red sauce/red meat/stews choice that
will accept all but the most hearty of challenges, but I can see
those that like to sip on subtle, complex wines enjoying this
by itself as well.
Regular price $14.99, $12.74/case
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