Wine of the Month

August 2010 Wines of the Month Chateau D'Esclans Whispering Angel Rose Proprietary Blend Avalon California Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Chateau D'esclans Rose "Whispering Angel" Reviews of 2009 Chateau D'Esclans Whispering Angel Rose Proprietary Blend 89 points, Stephen Tanzer /July 2010/ (unlike the rest of this line-up, this saw no oak) Pale peach skin color. Reticent aromas of orange zest, herbs and honeysuckle are energized by white pepper. Dry and nervy, offering dusty citrus and berry skin flavors but not the round, velvety texture of its more flamboyant sisters. This grown-up wine's uncompromisingly dry, steely character will strike some as austere; others will prefer its restraint to the richness and power of the Clans and Garrus. This is made from a kitchen sink blend of southern French varieties. About 2009 Chateau D'Esclans Whispering Angel Rose Proprietary Blend About the Winery Chateau D'Esclans Chateau d’Esclans’ is located on an exceptional site, on elevated land near the Gorges de Pennafort, twenty kilometers northwest of the ancient Roman city of Frejus on the Mediterranean coast. The first traces of the chateau’s site date back to Gaulist times during which its location served as a lookout point to spot intruders coming by boat into the Gulf of Frejus.The chateau’s cellar structure or foundation (known today as the oldest in the region) housed an original Chateau that was given by the Comte de Provence to Gérard De Villeneuve, in 1201. The De Villeneuves, an illustrious family from Marseille, would own Chateau d’Esclans and the land around it for centuries to come. The surrounding land around Chateau d’Esclans is known as La Vallee des Esclans (the valley of the clans). At one point the entire area was part of the chateau’s property and over time was gradually parceled out.In 2006 Sacha Lichine acquired Chateau d’Esclans beginning a new and exciting history for this remarkable chateau and the 267 hectares surrounding it.
Avalon California Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 This is a terrific Cabernet Sauvignon from the respected producer, Avalon. What's more, the wine was from the excellent 2007 vintage, and the extra year of bottle aging has resulted in a wonderfully smooth, rich wine with more complexity and depth that you'd ever expect at such a low price. The grapes come from the Central Coast, Monterey, Mendocino and Napa, and a bit of merlot and syrah are blended in for additional depth and richness. And did we mention that the price is only $8.99?! With gas at $4, every dollar counts, and we can't imagine a better Wine of the Month than this oh-so-easy-to-drink Cabernet Sauvignon that combines value and quality. A great summer-time red!
July 2010 Wines of the Month Chateau Houchart Fleur de California Martín Códax Albariño
Chateau Houchart The wine from Jerome Quiot Chateauneuf superstar is a beautiful light pink color with lovely flavors of strawberry raspberry white peach and hints of almond with a certain minerality that comes from the terroir. The silky texture and wonderful body make this perfect for spring/ summer. A blend of Grenache Mourvedre Syrah and Cinsault that coats the palate with flavor and length. The newly recognized Sainte Victoire appellation (Provence) lies to the east of Aix-en-Provence at the foot of the Sainte Victoire mountain for wine.com. Fleur de California Pinot Noir Fleur de California is our bright, fresh, charming, and flavorful Pinot Noir. The brilliant ruby color sets the stage for aromas of cherry and dried cranberries, with hints of pepper and spice. Effusive fruit flavors dominate the palate while the wine remains soft, supple, and elegant in the mouth. This flower of a wine may be enjoyed today, served cool, alongside an appetizer of pate & smoked salmon, with broiled Portobello Mushrooms with garlic or as an aperitif. Martín Códax Albariño Martín Códax Albariño is a refreshing food friendly wine, showcasing a pale yellowish color with touches of bright gold. It is an aromatic and complex wine that is rich, elegant, dry and crisp. It is full-bodied, with flavors of ripe apples, peach, apricot, melon, grapefruit and lemon zest melded perfectly together with a bright minerality. The striking balance of acidity, body and aromas allows the wine to adapt to the palate exhibiting its versatility of fresh and bright characteristics to a rounder mouth-feel as the meal evolves. Albariño is an ideal complement to any seafood dish such as blackened scallops over angel hair pasta, grilled oysters and salmon with pear, apple and lime chutney. It will also complement a variety of dishes such as summer salads, pasta and grilled pheasant with a pineapple, orange marmalade.
May 2010 Wines of the Month Valdicava Ross di Montalcino 2007 Atrea "The Choir" White Wine 2007 Torlasco Moscato d'Asti
Valdicava Ross di Montalcino 2007 The 2007 Rosso di Montalcino is one of the more massive Rossos in this vintage. In fact, it is one of the few wines that may actually require a year or two in bottle for the tannins to soften! Super-ripe red cherries lead to kirsch, earthiness, leather and spices as this full-bodied, tannic Rosso struts its stuff. The wine possesses exceptional depth, purity and class. Proprietor Vincenzo Abbruzzese elevates Rosso to another level with this effort, but readers will need to be patient. The Valdicava Rosso is made from the estate’s youngest vines, all of which are Brunello-designated. In 2007 Abbruzzese gave his Rosso an additional 4-5 months in cask above the usual 8-10 months. He describes the wine as “too important for a Rosso” and I tend to agree as this is by no means an approachable, easy going wine. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022. Valdicava has been somewhat of a controversial property over the last few years. The Brunellos are typically very concentrated and dense when young, which can make them hard to assess. Make no mistake about it though; these are very serious wines whose only difficulty lies in giving them a few more years in bottle than the vast majority of Brunellos. A vertical tasting last year going back to 1988 published on www.erobertparker.com showed that the Valdicava Brunellos age exquisitely. 91 points _The Wine Advocate_ Atrea "The Choir" White Wine 2007 I really loved their 2007 Atrea The Choir, a blend of 76% Roussanne and 24% Viognier, fermented in a combination of stainless steel barrels and neutral French oak. This is a beauty, with notes of honeysuckle, marmalade, and lemon oil, tremendous exuberance and fragrance, medium to full body, but great freshness and liveliness. This is a terrific and very fairly priced Mendocino dry white to drink over the next 1-2 years. 90 points _The Wine Advocate_ Attractive wines are emerging from this Mendocino County winery, where none other than David Ramey is their consulting winemaker. Torlasco Moscato d'Asti The name Moscato, was first used in the Middle Ages with the meaning of “fragrant” from the Latin word “muscus”, alluding to a highly fragrant wine. Sweet, but not cloying, with the incomparable delicate and intense musky bouquet of it’s grapes, reminiscent of wisteria and linden flowers, peach and apricot with hints of sage, lemon and orange blossom. The wine color is pale yellow, with some green reflections. The subtleties that distinguish this wine are the intense aromatic flavor and the harmonious sweetness of its sugar content.
April 2010 Wines of the Month The Seventy Five Wine Company The Sum 2007 Benziger Family Winery Chardonnay 2008 Albert Mann Vin D'Alsace Pinot Blanc 2008
The Seventy Five Wine Company The Sum 2007 From the Seventy Five Wine Company Website: "The inaugural vintage of “The Sum” is a cabernet based blended red wine created by Tuck Beckstoffer who’s family is widely considered to be the most famous grape growing family in the Napa Valley. This amazingly well endowed profoundly rich red wine must be smelled and tasted to be believed. The color is a rich, deep purple garnet and gives but a small hint as to what’s inside. The nose gives off soaring and wonderfully focused aromas of ripe stone fruit, vanilla, cherries, cedar cigar box, blackberries and cinnamon. In the mouth, there are layers upon layers of broad, sweet opulent fruit balanced by firm tannins, great acidity and oak." Benziger Family Winery Chardonnay 2008 From the Benziger Family Winery Website Tasting Notes: "Our Carneros Chardonnay is a bright, clean wine with excellent balance of fruit and structure. In this vintage, flavors of ripe peach and pear are followed by notes of soft vanilla. Barrel aging contributes to a round, satisfying mouthfeel with very subtle oak flavor. Production Notes: “Extreme” would be a good description of the 2008 vintage. The elements played a huge roll in our vineyard management – from frost, to drought, to high winds, to heat waves and eventually smoke from fires hundreds of miles away, we were hard at work from start to finish. Initially, harvest began early in August, but cooler temperatures slowed things down a bit and the rest of the harvest was evenly paced and lasted into October. The 2008 vintage was excellent for Chardonnay. Winemaker Notes: The cool Carneros climate gives us Chardonnay with natural acidity. All of the fruit was whole-cluster pressed before cold barrel fermentation. We fermented and aged the wine in oak barrels for eight months. The traditional practice of batonnage was used to build body, texture and to integrate flavors." Albert Mann Vin D'Alsace Pinot Blanc 2008 From the Albert Mann Vin D'Alsace Website: "The label created by François Bruetschy' The label conceived for the range of products expresses the diversity of the varieties and their period of sunshine, but also the vivacity, the youthfulness and the imagination you find in the wines of the Domaine Albert Mann. The rigour in the elaboration of the wines and the philosophy of the estate, deeply rooted in a tradition of quality, are symbolized by the axes which lean on the square (here, the best of the soil is expressed) ; the two T-squares represent the action of the two families, realizing and guaranteeing this quality. The Pinot Blanc is full of ripe pear and melon aromas with crisp green apple notes. The palate is full and rich with a creamy, spicy finish."