Friday, April 13, 2012
Wine Wandering Wino: Be Thankful I Don't Take it All Edition
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Fri, Apr 13, 2012 at 7:57 AM
If you haven’t tried the new Belle Meade Bourbon yet, Grand Cru wants to give you the opportunity, plus you’ll get to meet the whiskey wunderkinds, Andy and Charlie Nelson. This Saturday, April 14, they’ll be sampling and discussing this excellent high-rye bourbon at the store from 3 to 5 p.m.
If you prefer agave over corn and rye, Grand Cru will also be sampling some fine tequilas with Eric Rubin, Tequila Ph.D., on April 20 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and April 21 from 3 to 4:30 p..m. Drop by and you might just learn something.
Village Wines is putting on a nice tasting of Hecht & Bannier wines with Gerard Hecht at 6 p.m. Monday, April 16, at 360 Bistro. According to Hoyt Hill, these are absolutely the finest wines of the Cotes de Roussillon and are all rated in the mid-90s by Robert Parker, in spite of being extremely reasonably priced wines. Only $15 per person, and you’ll receive a 10 percent discount on your food if you stay for dinner.
Midtown Wine and Spirits is really going over the top and popping the corks on quite a few excellent bottles this weekend to help you forget your tax troubles:
Altadonna Grillo 2010"An aromatic white with lush notes of apricot, crisp lemons, and Mediterranean herbs. It is refreshing and crisp with seemingly salty characteristics contributed by the nearby sea."
Pair With: Salads, grilled seafood, and raw shellfish. Also pairs well with sushi.
$13.99/btlJean Paul Brun Terres Dorees Rousanne 2008
Notes of honeysuckle and toasted nuts in the nose usher in a glossy, expansive palate loaded with persistent floral perfume. Green apple and melon liqueur on the palate complement the wonderfully viscous wine. This should be lots of fun to play around with at table over the next year.
Pair With: Stinky cheese like Epoisses or Camembert or pork tenderloin.
$24.99/btlChapillon Cuvee Harmonie Petit Verdot/Tannat 2006
"It is a unique blend of 90% Petit Verdot and 10% Tannat aged in French oak for 10 months. Purple/black in color, it offers up a superb aromatic array of wood smoke, leather, underbrush, violets, black raspberry, and blackberry liqueur. Powerful on the palate, this layered effort is dense, full-bodied, rich, and succulent. It hides enough ripe tannin to evolve for 2-3 years and the lengthy, fruit-filled finish suggests that it will be at its best from 2011 to 2020."—JM
Pair With: Game such as lamb, venison, or a hearty braised rabbit stew.
90-pts, Wine Advocate
$14.99/btlForadori Teroldego 2009
Think old world Zinfandel and you kind of have the picture. Nice cherry and blueberry fruit. Medium bodied and lush with an outstanding finish.
Pair with: A nice big juicy cheeseburger or bone-in pork chops
$21.99/btlArnaldo-Caprai Collepiano Sagrantino di Montefalco 2005
Sagrantino is a very unique varietal from the region of Umbria in Italy. These are big monsters, with loads of structure and aging potential for another 10 years or so.The 2005 fruit aromas were a little muted but given some time to breathe the wine exhibited a beautiful bouquet of concentrated raspberry, cherry and overripe strawberries with a little vanilla spice also apparent in the aromas. The balance of this wine was amazing. It has been a long time since I tasted a wine that was so harmonious.
Pair with: Lamb chops, Bisteca Fiorentina
$39.99/btl
Woodland Wine Merchant is having a “Fire Sale on Single-Vineyard Pinot Noir.” These wines are normally quite sought-after, so don’t miss out on this unique opportunity:
OK, normally we don't really talk like this, but this is a crazy deal. Harrington Wines, based in San Francisco, sources fruit from the best AVAs around California. They bottle single-vineyard wines from Anderson Valley, Carneros, Sonoma Coast and the Chalone region, which lies just to the south.Production on each of these wines runs at fewer than 200 cases — that means focused, handcrafted wines, the sort of scale that fetches a $40 price tag. Only, we're selling them this weekend for $15. Seriously, that's more than 60% off the normal price! This is all '07 vintage. We've tried each one (you know, quality control) and trust us, this is a steal.
Free Tasting
Saturday April 14 3-5pmWe're popping a couple of these bottles this Saturday. You're welcome to drop by to taste them, but get here on the early side while supplies last. When people start tasting what $15 can buy, it might get loud. See you at the shop.
Until next week, make sure to enjoy those interstate highways that I paid for.
