Newsletter
June 15, 2014 – July 14, 2014
Navarra Garnacha
2013 Navarra Rosado (Vega Sindoa)
Sale Price $8.99 – $91.70 case of twelve
Grolleau
2013 Touraine Rosé (Chidaine)
Sale Price $12.99 – $132.50 case of twelve
King of the Provençal Pinks
2013 Bandol Rosé (La Bastide Blanche)
Sale Price $24.99 – $254.90 case of twelve
America’s idea of rosé changed dramatically when Bandol’s Domaine Tempier became the ‘must have’ wine at Chez Panisse. It soon became safe for importers to bring in other Provençal rosés, and we all benefit. We still enjoy a bottle of Tempier each year, but the more affordable and equally good La Bastide Blanche is one we can happily support. Initially reticent, it blossoms at a not too cold temperature that allows the aromas of garrigue and peachy fruit to emerge.
The Great Muga
2013 Rioja Rosé (Muga)
Sale Price $12.99 – $132.50 case of twelve
Muga’s rosé is also their best value. Like all Muga wine this is barrel fermented, but bottled early to retain its freshness. Tangy oak is followed by gushing fruit and a crisp overall dryness. Have this with lamb chops off the grill
Gris Bodacious
2013 Coteaux du Vendômois Rosé ‘Gris Bodin’ (Patrice Colin)
Sale Price $14.99 – $152.90 case of twelve
Chinon Franc en Rosé
2013 Chinon Rosé (Bernard Baudry)
Sale Price $17.99 – $183.50 case of twelve
The mixed gravel, clay, and quartz soils of Chinon are clearly capable of making mouth-watering wines. Baudry’s super fresh, juicy rosé of Cabernet Franc is a cocktail of flint, mint, and watermelon.
Listed prices are honored through July 14th, 2014. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 38, No. 7
2010 Chianti Classico (Castello La Leccia)
The Mediterranean-hugging province of Liguria is better known in English as the Italian Riviera. But behind the beaches and above the towns are thousands of small plots of vines, vegetable gardens, and olive trees. There is no room for cattle, so the cuisine of Liguria is seafood and plant based. The best known culinary offering from Liguria is pesto in myriad combinations and usages. The best known wine of Liguria is Vermentino. Some growers, like Bruna, have a version of Vermentino that develops a spotted skin when it is ready to harvest. This they call Pigato. Majé is Bruna’s crispest and liveliest Pigato. 
The 2013 has a gorgeous yellow gold color and trades on its herbal and saline freshness. Have this with the freshest fish prepared at its simple best. The Rossese is a variation on the western Ligurian red from the denominazione of Dolceacqua; in France the Rossese di Dolceaqua grape is called Tibouren. The Brunas advise serving this wine chilled with fish. The 2013 is a light dry red with raspberry fruit and subtle tannic structure. We suggest this with a grilled swordfish served on a bed of tender arugula
Ca La Bionda’s Casal Vegri vineyard is capable of producing Amarone, but they consider the fruit they harvest just perfect for making a deeper than usual Valpolicella without resorting to the Ripasso method. The 2011 is instead a wine of restrained ripe fruit, leafy, herbal aromas, and gentle barrel-aged flavors. This is one of the top wines of the region priced very modestly. Have this with a fresh home-made lasagna.
Most Muscadet is simple plonk, but we like Muscadet that has been given more attention in the making, which makes it much more interesting in the tasting. Jo Landron, Marc Ollivier, and Pierre Luneau-Papin separate their vineyards into distinct bottlings to reflect the varied soils and microclimates of their estates. Luneau-Papin’s Clos des Allées is a south-facing vineyard with fifty-year-old vines planted in michaschist. This is a Muscadet with body and a fresh minerality, crunchy fruit, and great length. Absolute perfection with lobster and even better with crab.
We feel that you should save your big bruising reds for winter and explore the lighter, more elegant reds in the warm months. It was surprising news to us when we learned that the Alto Adige in Italy’s north produces more red than white. The culprits are the very productive Schiava grape variety and the thirsty folk who drink it in Germany and Austria. We also like it when it comes from producers like Muri-Gries who sneak some Lagrein into their Santa Maddalena to give it a boost of strength. The 2013 is a charmer with dark berry fruit and prickly spice.
Knowing that they cannot make blockbuster reds in their climate, producers in Alto Adige have taken the graceful and delicate route, and we approve. The 2013 Pinot Nero from Colterenzio has aromas of wildflowers and perfectly ripe strawberries.
Dry Rieslings are receiving much-deserved attention as producers harvest later and ferment drier. The 2012 from Von Nell-Breuning is a striking rendition from the Ruwer, a Mosel tributary. Slate dominates the soil in the Nies’chen vineyard and it shows in this terroir-driven wine. Harvested at Spätlese ripeness and fermented totally dry, the wine exudes an aroma of fruits and the flavor of minerals and savory herbs. This is a wonderful match with crisp fried cod or other white fish.
2011 Rioja ‘Tradiciòn’ (Hazaña)
Olga Raffault died a few years ago, but what a pleasure it was to meet her. Luckily we read a review of the 2009 Chinon ‘Les Picasses’ and it sounded just like the Olga Raffault Chinon of old, so we took a leap of faith and ordered a bunch. With its hilltop soil of limestone and clay, Les Picasses is one of the best sites in Chinon. The current generation still ages the wine in old 30-hectoliter casks for 18 months before bottling. The exchange between the old porous wood and the spicy, tannic Cabernet Franc results in a mellow wine with a delicate sandalwood aroma. 2009 is a ripe vintage, so this red is also deep in fruit and substantial buried tannins. While it’s delicious now, it will age and improve for another decade.
2012 Chablis Ier Cru ‘La Forest’ (Domaine Dauvissat-Camus)
From the Beehive Cheese Co. in Utah comes this pasteurized cow’s milk cheese hand-rubbed with espresso and lavender. Semi-firm and smooth with a creamy texture; the rub creates caramel and butterscotch notes near the rind. Brothers-in-law Time Welsh and Pat Ford started Beehive Cheese in 2005 as a change of pace from the corporate lifestyle. Their cheeses use vegetarian rennet and milk from local dairies which is free of hormones, antibiotics, and chemical fertilizers.
Oma (German for “grandma”) is made by brothers Sebastian and Dan Von Trapp and named after their own grandmother who started the Von Trapp Farmstead in 1959. Oma is a washed rind, tomme-style cheese made with organic, unpasteurized cow’s milk. Produced in small batches on their dairy farm in Waitsfield, Vermont and aged at Jasper Hills cellars for 60-90 days, it has a slightly pungent and sweet flavor..
For four generations the Maytag family has been handcrafting small batches of this raw cow’s milk blue cheese with fresh milk from local cattle. Aged over 6 months, the cheese is slightly crumbly and sharp in flavor. The innovative process for making Maytag Blue Cheese was discovered and patented by two Iowa State University microbiologists. 
2011 Toscana ‘Carato’ (Erik Banti)
2013 Vinho Verde (Quinta de Azevedo)