Newsletter
April 15, 2015 – May 14, 2015
Borsao
2014 Campo de Borja Rosé (Borsao)
Sale Price $8.99 – $91.70 case of twelve
Poussin
2014 Vin de France Rosé (Le Poussin Rose)
Sale Price $9.99 – $101.90 case of twelve
Rioja
2014 Rioja Rosé (Muga)
Sale Price $13.99 – $142.70 case of twelve
Chiaretto
2014 Bardolino Chiaretto ‘Rodòn’ (Le Fraghe)
Sale Price $13.99 – $142.70 case of twelve
Provence
2014 Côtes de Provence Rosé (Domaine Houchart)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
Rosato Lambrusco?
2014 Rosato dell’Emilia (Vigneto Saetti)
Sale Price $17.99 – $194.30 case of twelve
Just a few short years ago Rosé was difficult enough to sell, and Lambrusco…? Forget about it! And now we’re featuring a Rosato Lambrusco. What a wonderful industry. Some of you may be familiar with Vigneto Saetti’s regular Lambrusco made from organic grapes with no added sulfites and a fabric label – a wine so funky and fresh that it’s little surprise that we fell for the Rosato as well. This is also dry, but with spicy, peppery flavor. Try this with a seafood
antipasti and copious spring artichokes.
Listed prices are honored through May 14th, 2015. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 39, No. 5
Our first taste of Galician wine was Albariño from the coast, and what a thrill it was to have with fresh seafood. But there is gold in the hills of Valdeorras in the form of Godello, a white with a deep vein of minerality and crisp, snappy fruit. Our new favorite is the 2014 ‘Bolo’ from Rafael Palacios. This stainless steel-fermented Godello has lively aromatic fruit and a sleek, long, stony finish.
Casa Castillo’s Jumilla is a consistent great value from the south of Spain. The explanation for its consistency may be that the Monastrell grape variety grows well in Jumilla’s hot, dry climate. The 2013 is another boldly flavored but well balanced big red. A great wine for a juicy burger or smoky pork ribs.
The owners of Fattoria di Fèlsina have always felt that Sangiovese was the grape of Tuscany and hence Chianti. They have long considered it crazy that you can add Cabernet Sauvignon to Chianti, but for a long time they couldn’t make a Chianti from Sangiovese alone. Well, now they can. The 2012 is pure Sangiovese. The deep ruby color and cherry fruit are Sangiovese personified. Additional flavors of wild herbs and an earthy dryness round out the picture.
While the vineyard at Foz de Arouce dates only as far back as 1939, the place has an amazing history. The property dates back to an Arab king; a Roman road runs through the vineyard; and it was the site of the 1811 Napoleonic Battle of Foz de Arouce. When a tornado felled a grove of pines in 1939, the prince decided to plant a vineyard on the site. In a country laden with vineyards this is the only vineyard within a fifty mile radius. The modern era at Foz de Arouce arrived when João Portugal Ramos, a leading winemaker, married the current prince’s daughter and began overhauling the vineyard and winery. The wine is a blend of Baga (80%) and Touriga Nacional, and the 2011 is outstanding. This is packed with ripe dark fruit, gripping tannins, and forceful spicy fruit. For this modest price you can buy one of Portugal’s best red wines.
Growers in Vouvray took a beating the last couple of vintages due to hail, but have rebounded with a more normal harvest in 2014. This superb demi-sec ‘Les Girardières’ from Bernard Fouquet has a gorgeous green plum and flower blossom aroma that leads to round, ripe fruit and a long, earthy finish. This is a reminder of how glorious Chenin Blanc can be.
Aligoté survives in Burgundy despite the fact that Pinot Noir and Chardonnay will always get higher prices. We guess that a few stubborn growers are devoted to their Aligoté vines and like the wine as much as we do. The 2014 from Closerie des Alisiers is requisitely dry, with a nice firm bite on the finish. This ain’t no fruit bomb, but it’s great with a sautéed sole.
Yes, you read right: Maine. We fell for this effervescent dry white wine not because of the novelty of its home state but because of its refreshing and delicious charm. The Morphos is a pétillant-naturel, a term for an age-old method of making fizzy, light wines with low alcohol. At his horse-drawn farm in Warren, Maine, Brian Smith lets the indigenous yeasts start the fermentation of Cayuga and and Seyval Blanc grapes. The process is finished in the bottle, trapping the carbon dioxide that is naturally released. He doesn’t add sulfur or filter the wine, which explains the cloudy appearance and yeasty flavors. This is as non-interventionist as winemaking gets, and the result is delightful. With delicate floral and apple peel aromas, the Morphos evokes muscat grapes and apples. Unlike many pét-nats, this one is bone dry, with an undercurrent of balancing bitterness. And at 10% alcohol this quaffer is the perfect drink for a picnic lunch or as an aperitif on the porch. Like this month’s rosés, it’s a harbinger of warmer weather.
A stunning three-milk Camembert made by Caseificio dell’Alta Langa, a dairy in Piedmont well known for mixed-milk cheeses such as La Tur, Rocchetta, and Robiola Bosina (featured last month). A perfect melding of the richness of cow’s milk, the sweetness of sheep’s milk, and the piquancy of goat’s milk.
2013 Tempranillo (Flaco)
2014 Pinot Grigio (Villa San Martino)