Newsletter
February 15, 2020 – March 14, 2020
Old Faithful
2017 Alexander Valley Red ‘Fidelity’ (Goldschmidt Vineyards)
Sale Price $14.99 – $152.90 case of twelve
The 2016 vintage of this blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot was a hit last time we featured it. So we were delighted when we found the 2017 even more pleasurable than the previous vintage. It’s rich and expansive, with dusty cocoa, black cherry fruit, and a hint of baking spices. A year of aging in French oak smooths out the creases to create a fine, dry red to drink by itself. Even better with a spicy steak burrito.
Zin Blend
2017 North Coast Zinfandel ‘Román’ (Marietta Cellars)
Sale Price $19.99 – $203.90 case of twelve
Calaveras County Royalty
2017 Estate Red ‘Queen of the Sierra’ (Forlorn Hope)
Sale Price $17.99 – $183.50 case of twelve
Different in temperament from our two other California reds, this organic blend of Trousseau, Mondeuse, Zinfandel, Barbera, and Grenache is more lithe and delicate. Yet this wine from the Sierra Foothills is richer than expected. Considering the labor that went into hand-picking the five varieties at different times during the season and fermenting them separately, as well as the high level of skill required to forego additives and cultured yeasts, this is an incredible value.
Toes and Feet
2018 Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore (Scala)
Sale Price $13.99 – $142.70 case of twelve
The wait is over. Scala Cirò is back. When the 2016 vintage sold out, we had no choice but to wait for the next vintage to arrive. However the Scala family were unhappy with the quality of their 2017 harvest and sold all of it to local cooperatives. Thankfully the next year’s harvest was a success. This full-bodied organic red brimming with dusty, dark fruit has returned better than ever. It’s made from the local grape Gaglioppo, a Greek-derived name for ‘beautiful foot’ which is fitting considering that its home turf is Calabria, the toe of Italy’s boot.
Digging Douro
2016 Douro (Mary Taylor/Filipe Ferreira)
Sale Price $13.99 – $142.70 case of twelve
We’re excited to see an increasing amount of Portuguese terroir-driven wines entering our market. Mary Taylor travels throughout France, Portugal, and Italy to curate a portfolio of producers who exemplify their regions through their wines. Unlike the middleman approach of negociants, Mary considers her producers and growers partners and thus spotlights their names on the labels. This Douro blend dominated by Touriga Nacional tastes like black plums without the sweetness. Its earthiness matches up with mushrooms, butter beans, and rice, but it also shines with a Pozole Verde.
Valpo
2018 Valpolicella Classico (Ca’ La Bionda)
Sale Price $13.99 – $142.70 case of twelve
Our appreciation for the Corvina grape variety continues to rise. Ca’ La Bionda’s Valpolicella Classico cross-compares to Pinot Noir with its fine berry fruit and dusty dry tannins. This is a versatile red that will go well with roasted salmon and spinach lasagna.
Listed prices are honored through March 14th, 2020. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 44, No. 3
The Savoie is an alpine paradise with great cheese, underrated wine, and four-season tourism. The tourists consume a good deal of the wine production. One of the best producers in the Savoie is the André et Michel branch of the Quenard clan. Months ago we featured their old-vine Chignin Blanc made from the Jacquère grape. Now we have their Chignin Bergeron, a very different white made from the Rousanne grape. Where the Jacquère is light and crisp, the Rousanne is weighty and textured. This rich, full-flavored, golden-hued white is a great match with a lobster bisque, crab cakes, or a full-on cheese fondue. Normally priced above thirty dollars per bottle, this is a rare treat at twenty dollars.–
Packaged into the great deal for the white we received a few cases of old-vine Mondeuse, an earthy, minerally, dry light red that is a great match for a gratin of potato and mountain cheese with a winter salad.
To the east of Soave is Gambellara, a much less well known denominazione for white wine. Because of his radical natural winemaking practices Angiolino Maule decided to bottle his wines as an IGT Veneto. Now that Maule has adhered to his non-interventionist wine ways (spontaneous fermentations, no chemicals, no filtration, very little and/or no sulfur) for more than 25 years, the La Biancara name is better known than Gambellara. The Garganega grape variety planted in volcanic soils is the key. Masieri is their entry-level wine made with grapes from the second and third harvest passes through the vineyards. The 2018 is charming and zesty with spicy peach and apricot fruit and a satisfying jolt of acidic freshness. This wine has a tiny dose of SO2 to preserve that freshness. Their single-vineyard wines – Sassaia and Pico – contain no added sulfites. All are spectacular with simple fresh fish and risotto.
For Andalusians, Fino and Manzanilla Sherries are dry white wines for food. This concept has been difficult for others outside the region to grasp, but a movement has taken hold. Spain is surrounded on three sides by the sea: the Bay of Biscay to the north, the Atlantic to the west, and the Mediterranean to the south. All of these regions still have active fisheries that harvest seafood and shellfish. The tinned fish from Spain (and Portugal) are delicious meals unto themselves and they are fabulous with Sherry. Hidalgo’s La Gitana is an amazing Manzanilla. Fresh apple fruit and a salty tang make it a natural with sardines, but also great with tinned mussels, cockles, and octopus. All easily obtainable from our deli department. Toss a salad, toast some bread, open some tins, and have a quick and elegant dinner. 
This wine is a collaboration between Domaine Jean Collet and American importer Kermit Lynch. Henri Costal is a grandparent of Collet who also made Chablis. They together blended the wine and chose this charming label from the family archives. Les Truffières is a single vineyard located to the north of the village of Chablis. In 2017 yields were low, but concentration was high. This wine was fermented in stainless steel but rested for several months in old barrels before bottling. It’s bracing, crisp and dry, with a classic Chablis minerality.
Bodegas Muga is back with more excellent value, this time with their 2018 Rioja Blanco. This winter-weight white is made with 90% Viura and 10% Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca. Fermentation in neutral oak barrels followed by aging on the lees gives plenty of supporting body and texture to this otherwise fresh and pear-fruited white. Robust yet supple, it’s a great match for chicken and rice.
Pinot Grigio’s incredible popularity has doomed it in the eyes of ‘serious’ wine drinkers. We rarely promote it because it already sells, but we get happy when we find one that is somewhat serious and doesn’t cost too much more than a brand-name bottling. In the northeast of Italy the Grave del Friuli is a flat productive plain that fills importers’ portfolios with Pinot Grigio. Further to the northeast is the hilly Friuli-Colli-Orientali that produces much more interesting wines. The Perusini family, credited with rescuing the Picolit grape from extinction, also toils with the quotidian Pinot Grigio to great success. This 2018 has lovely citrus fruit, luscious palate presence, and a long, crisp, very dry finish. Great for a seafood and pasta combo.
Frank Heyden is a pretty intense guy and so are his wines. Given what ends up in the bottle, we would never deny the power of his wines given the price. This ten dollar dry-style Riesling Kabinett is plush with body and packed with concentrated, almost reduced fruit essences that lead to a fine, expansive finish. Throw any and all kinds of spicy, hot, salty, and fermented foods at this Riesling. It will manage. Plus, Frank is a really nice guy.
Allow us to name some Rioja wineries that we will always love for their devotion to traditional winemaking. CVNE for their Viña Real. Muga for their versatility and value. López de Heredia for their otherworldly dry whites. And La Rioja Alta for their fantastic red Reservas – Alberdi and Ardanza. The current releases of 2015 Alberdi and 2010 Ardanza are truly gorgeous Riojas. The Alberdi is a solid block of Tempranillo with an oaky veneer. The ripe and aged Tempranillo is perfectly balanced by the sweet tannins of the oak. Have this with a lamb shank tagine with copious onions, garlic, and pimento.
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