JANUARY 2012 NEWSLETTER

RED WINES

OREGON – RED

2010 Matello, Pinot Noir, Cuvée Lazarus, Willamette Valley, Oregon 19.99/213.50
We adore Marcus Goodfellow’s hands-off, non-interventionist approach to winemaking. And we are delighted to feature another of his limited-release wines: the brand-new Cuvée Lazarus Pinot Noir. Lazarus is Matello’s designation for their first-release Pinot, a wine specifically fashioned for bright fruit and immediate appeal. Matello’s 2010 Lazarus opens with a brilliant garnet robe and high-toned aromas of spicy raspberries, blood oranges and earthy cranberries. Bright red fruits grace the palate alongside smoky soil notes and suggestions of wild yeast complexity. Fine tannins and firm acidity sneak in mid-palate to make the wine’s transparent core of raspberry and cranberry fruit shimmer with electric energy before turning the spotlight to lovely hints of leafy underbrush and white button mushrooms. Another honest-to-goodness winner from Goodfellow, and a fantastic expression of the red-fruit nature of Oregon’s 2010 vintage. Enjoy now and over the coming five years with roast chicken, broiled salmon, potatoes au gratin, pan-seared pork chops, and roast duck.

FRANCE – RED

2010 Eugène Carrel, Gamay, Vin de Savoie-Jongieux, Cuvée Prestige, Vieilles Vignes, Savoie, France 14.99/160.00
Carrel’s 2010 Gamay, from vines averaging forty years, comes across as a sensational fusion of fresh cru Beaujolais fruit and the glacial limestone mineral signature that graces the finest of Savoie’s wines. A bright ruby robe leads to aromas of freshly crushed pie cherries, red raspberries and limestone dust. Vibrant the instant it hits your palate, the Gamay alternates waves of succulent cherry fruit, limestone minerality and bristling acidity. Nervy, sinewy and yet completely satisfying, Carrel’s Jongieux finishes refreshingly tannic and brimming with energy. Choose this as your versatile winter red with all sorts of poultry and game birds. It will also pair nicely with light beef and pork dishes, as well as pastas dressed in rich cream sauces. Drink now and over the next three years. Fabulous wine!

2010 Chais Saint-Laurent, Chinon, La Vigne en Véron, Loire Valley, France 10.99/117.50
As much as we love to pontificate about the intricacies of one wine versus another, we also love to take a bottle home to simply enjoy. This is such a wine. While Chinon can be a very serious, ageworthy wine, it can also delight with immediate and uncomplicated charms. Chais Saint-Laurent’s Chinon hails from clay, limestone and gravel soils that tend to produce wines that are a bit more approachable when young. Limpid ruby in the bowl, the wine shows textbook Chinon aromas of raspberries, leather, gravelly soil and fresh herbs. Soft and approachable, the wines dusty soil signature merges with a kernel of fresh red fruits, leafy tobacco, lip-smacking tannins and lilting acidity. Delicious beyond a reasonable doubt, each sip makes you want to take another bite of pan-seared pork chops, roast chicken or hamburger. Isn’t that what wine is really all about? Few wines satisfy like this at such a happy price.

2009 Yves Cheron, Côtes du Rhône, Les Dentelles, Rhône Valley, France 11.50/123.00
Yves Cheron is gaining renown in the Southern Rhône Valley for bringing his gentle Burgundian winemaking techniques to the region and fashioning wines of elegance from gently-sloping hillside vineyards at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountain range. A classic blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah, Cheron’s Les Dentelles casts a plum-ruby color and sun-baked aromas of Provençal cherries, plums, sappy herbs and leather. Bright and lively on the palate, the balance of the 2009 vintage marries the perfect ripeness of red stone fruits with framing tannins and tangy acidity. Hints of black pepper, bay leaf and stony terroir enter the picture on the wine’s long, graceful finish. Cheron’s Burgundian touch and our most affordable price tag make this a wine for all seasons. Serve with everything from grilled or sautéed squashes to the heartiest of game dishes – just about everything that doesn’t swim or make water its habitat.

ITALY – RED

2008 Bisceglia, Terra di Vulcano, Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata, Italy 13.99/149.50
Aglianico is Southern Italy’s most noble varietal. In the predominantly volcanic soils on Mount Vulture, the Aglianico achieves impeccable balance while taking on the earthy terroir signature of its soils. Bright crimson-tinged plum in the glass, Terra di Vulcano’s Aglianico del Vulture conveys terroir-expressive aromas of spicy cherries, tarry earth and sappy herbs. Bold and earthy on the palate, the Aglianico shows a bright plum and blackberry fruit core alongside suggestions of dried herbs, leather and dusty volcanic soil. Fine, food-friendly tannins appear on the wine’s back-palate and segue it to a long mouthwatering, soil-tinged finish. We featured the 2007 version of this to rave reviews back in August. The newly released 2008 is even more serious and terroir-expressive, while still being a delicious and immediately enjoyable partner to spit-roasted lamb, pizza, spicy pastas and braised pork.
Antonio Galloni, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate –90 points

2008 Flavio Fanti, La Palazzetta, Sant’Antimo Rosso, Tuscany, Italy 15.99/171.00
Flavio Fanti’s La Palazzetta estate is best known for its superb, authentic Brunello di Montalcino. Working organically and with the utmost respect for Tuscany’s time-honored traditions, Fanti also fashions this delicious Sant’Antimo rosso from equal parts Sangiovese and Colorino grown in the southeastern sector of the Montalcino zone. Colorino, as its name suggests, is a traditional Tuscan grape employed to add color and structure to wines. The marriage of Sangiovese and Colorino in this wine is magical. A deep cherry-ruby color in the glass, Palazzetta’s Sant’Antimo rosso opens with bright, focused aromas of pie cherries, leather and mushrooms. Soft on the attack, the wine stains the palate with sappy, focused cherry and plum fruit alongside suggestions of bay leaf, leather and creamy vanilla. The wine finishes lively and vibrant with high-pitched cherry fruit mingling with deep soil notes, buoyant acidity and fine, buffered tannins. This is a sensational Tuscan rosso that will have Chianti and Brunello fans singing its praises. Enjoy now and over the next five years with grilled or roast beef, aged cheeses, rich mushroom recipes and hearty pasta dishes.

2010 Poderi Luigi Einaudi, Dolcetto di Dogliani, Piedmont, Italy 15.99/171.00
Few estates give as much attention to their Dolcetto as the good folks at Luigi Einaudi. Einaudi makes three Dolcettos, all from the esteemed Dogliani zone where Dolcetto finds one of its greatest expressions. Saturated plum-ruby in the glass, Einaudi’s Dolcetto casts traditional aromas of ripe plums, almonds, tar and bay leaf. Brisk and appetizingly tannic in the mouth, the Dolcetto fills the mouth with sensations of perfumed limestone terroir, violets, tarry earth and sappy herbs. Unusually firm acidity and fine, firm tannins rein in the wine’s expressive core of cherry-plum fruit before segueing to a long, leather and almond-tinged finish. This is terrific Dolcetto and one that drinks well now after decantation, and is also poised for three to seven year’s evolution in your cool cellar. Pair with carne cruda, bagna caôda and other traditional Piemontese primi. It will also delight with American fare like burgers, pork chops, roast chicken, and vegetarian casseroles. This is amazingly serious Dolcetto that’s very attractively priced.

SPAIN – RED

2009 Espelt, Garnacha Old Vines, Empordà, Cataluña, Spain 11.50/123.00
In the far northeastern corner of Spain where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean, the Empordà D.O. employs Garnacha and Carineña to fashion bold, deeply-colored red wines. From organic vines dating to 1920 planted on granite and slate, Espelt’s Garnacha casts a plum-ruby color followed by aromas of juicy plums and sun-warmed cherries. Lush on the attack, Espelt’s Garnacha projects fine buffered tannins mid-palate to frame the wine’s palate-staining core of plum and boysenberry fruit. Spicy and gamy on the finish, waves of plummy Garnacha fruit interweave with suggestions of smoky granite terroir. Deep, delicious and eminently affordable, this is a great substitute for pricier Vacqueyras or Gigondas and a natural companion for hearty everyday fare like burgers, lamb and beef stews, roast pork and eggplant-rich ratatouille. Enjoy now and over the next three years.

WHITE WINES

FRANCE – WHITE

2010 Domaine de la Mavette, Cuvée Préstige, Blanc, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Southern Rhone Valley, France 10.50 /112.50
The tradition of character, quality and value found in the delightful Mavette Côtes-du-Rhône rouge extends equally, if not more, to the winery’s terrific 2010 Vaucluse blanc. A brilliant straw-gold in the bowl, the Mavette blanc opens with Châteauneuf blanc aromas of wet stones, menthol, honeydew melon and oolong tea. Brisk and tactile on the fore-palate, the wine conveys a juicy palate of melon fruit, stony minerals and nervy acidity. Juicy impressions of Tilleul honey, beeswax, lemon balm and waves of stony minerality highlight the wine’s long, delicious and lingering finish. This classic blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourbolenc and Viognier is so delicious now that we recommend that you buy enough to get you through the winter and the coming year before its precocious appeal fades. Serve with oily fishes like mackerel, sardines, tuna and bluefish, rice dishes like paella featuring squid, sea snails, clams and cockles, and as a complement to hearty Southern French eggplant preparations.

2010 Vins Auvigue, Mâcon Davayé, Burgundy, France 14.99/160.00
2010 is already being heralded as a classic white Burgundy vintage, one of great soil transparency, brilliant acidity and elegant fruit. These wondrous attributes are exemplified brilliantly by this lovely, juicy Mâcon from Vins Auvigue. Opening with a brilliant straw-gold color, the Macon Davayé conveys a pungent, mineral-assertive nose of buttery lemon fruit and Burgundy’s inimitable limestone goût de terroir. Crisp, clean, and stony on the palate, Vin Auvigue’s Davayé rises far above the average Mâcon with its intensity, richness and lemony limestone goût. Hints of quince, lemon curd and high-toned limestone minerality provide additional complexity on the wine’s long finish, while a lingering suggestion of honeyed melon completes this classy, top-caliber Mâcon. Dedicated fans of affordable white Burgundy will delight in this wine, which we suggest serving now or over the next five years with salmon, roast chicken, light pork preparations and halibut.

2010 Domaine Saint-Lannes, Côtes de Gascogne, Gascony, France 8.50/91.00
Throughout the year, the bracing, thirst-quenching, and stunningly affordable white wines from the Côtes de Gascogne are among the staff’s go-to selection. This refresher from Domaine Saint-Lannes follows the traditional recipe by marrying the crispness and tropical fruit profile of the Colombard with the grapefruit and citrus notes of a fine Gros Manseng. Crisp, focused and lip-smackingly delicious, the 2010 Saint-Lannes casts a pale straw-gold in the glass and bursts with gooseberry and green plum fruit fused with lovely hints of passion fruit, papaya, lime, pineapple and vanilla. Smoky mineral notes combine with crunchy acidity on the wine’s long, clean finish. Buy enough to get you through the coming year and open a well-chilled bottle of this terrific value anytime the moment strikes. It’s great as an apéritif and will pair well with delicate fish preparations, quiches, lentil soups, and sautéed green vegetables.

2010 Hubert Veneau, Côteaux du Giennois, Loire Valley, France 14.99/160.00
Hubert Veneau’s Coteaux du Giennois shows amazing purity and flinty terroir for its modest price tag. This Sauvignon Blanc sports similar calcareous and silex soils as its more famous siblings, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume. Pale green-gold, Veneau’s Côteaux du Giennois opens with a Pouilly-Fumé-like aromas of lime zest, freshly cut grass and smoky silex terroir. Brisk and racy on the palate, shimmering acidity propels a pure, focused kernel of white grapefruit and gooseberry fruit. Further citrus notes of lemon and lime appear on the back-palate and transition the wine to its long smoky, flinty, soil-driven finish. Racy, pure and exceedingly versatile, enjoy this now and over the coming year with lightly dressed green salads, sautéed green vegetables, fresh chèvres, raw oysters, mussels, clams and light white-fleshed fish preparations.

2009 Domaine des Forges (Vignoble Branchereau), L’Audace, Anjou, Loire Valley, France 12.99/139.00
Following our customers’ accolades for Domaine des Forges’ sensational Chardonnay, we’re delighted to present the domaine’s dry Chenin Blanc from vines around the village of Saint Aubin de Luigné. Like the brilliant Chardonnay, this wine is infused with the inimitable schistose terroir of the Anjou. Also like the Chardonnay, the Chenin here acts merely as a conduit through which the Anjou’s great terroir speaks. Limpid lemon-gold in the glass, the l’Audace casts smoky, soil-driven aromas of pear, quince and Crenshaw melon. Full and plump on the palate, the wine’s buttery Chenin fruit is lifted and amplified by riveting acidity and undercurrents of terroir. Long, lingering and complex, the wine finishes with further suggestions of tangerine, pear butter and green tea. A terrific accompaniment to fish dishes in beurre blanc, plump, buttery, not-to-saline raw oysters, light veal and pork recipes, and savory winter squash preparations.

ITALY – WHITE

2010 Fattoria Laila, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Marches, Italy 8.99/96.00
Verdicchio is central Italy’s most distinctive white varietal and one of our perennial favorites. Fattoria Laila lies in the rolling hills of Italy’s Marches region overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Thanks to dense plantings, reduced yields and careful viticulture, Fattoria Laila’s 2010 Verdicchio captures vividly the smoky, herbal and mineral facets of this most complex and under-appreciated grape. Laila’s 2010 Verdicchio casts a green-tinged lemon gold color from the glass and complex aromas of lemon curd, honeydew melon and smoky minerals. On the palate, the Verdicchio’s bracing acidity lifts and heightens suggestions of Comice pear, green melon and papaya infused by an undercurrent of smoky minerals. Hints of lime zest, breadfruit and smoky peat emerge on the wine’s long juicy, mineral-laden finish. Serve this classic, affordable white wine now or over the coming year with light pork preparations, freshwater fish dishes, grilled squashes, fresh cheeses and frittatas featuring onions, potatoes and zucchini.

2010 Primosic, Malvasia Istriana, Venezia Giulia IGT, Northeastern Italy 12.50/133.50
While the great Malvasia is widely grown throughout Europe, it is widely acknowledged that the finest dry rendition of the varietal emerges from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeastern Italy. Primosic’s Malvasia Istriana opens with a limpid straw-gold color and opulent aromas of green apples, Bartlett pears, jasmine and barley malt. Brisk and refreshing on the attack, the Malvasia fuses bright apple, pear and grapefruit with floral suggestions of jasmine, honeysuckle and almond blossom. The fruit transitions mid-palate to reveal complex green pineapple, lemongrass and muskmelon notes. Suggestions of sweet almonds and hops mark the Malvasia’s long, crystal-clear finish. This is a truly distinctive wine that comes across as a hypothetical fusion of a great Alsatian Muscat and a brisk northern Italian Pinot Grigio. This is a great choice for an attention-grabbing apéritif or as a complement to sashimi, ceviché, young cheeses, and bean salads.

2010 Giordano Lombardo, Gavi di Gavi, Vigne di San Martino, Piedmont, Italy 13.99/149.50
This is an impressive, biodynamically-grown Cortese from prime vineyards just outside the medieval village of Gavi. Casting a pale straw-gold robe in the glass, Lombardo’s Gavi conveys an aromatic spectrum far beyond what we might expect. Hints of white flowers, acacia and honeysuckle combine with a palate rich with lemon, lime and melon fruit. Bright mineral suggestions emerge and amplify the wine’s energetic citrus mid-palate. Sweet pear fruit segues the wine to its long, mineral-filled finish. Gavi can often be innocuous and expensive. This wine is outstanding, affordable, and bristling with energy, character and minerality. Serve as an aperitif and also as a complement to freshwater fish preparations, oysters on the half-shell, sushi, ceviche, crab and green vegetable frittatas. It will also complement buttery and semi-firm cheeses. This is reference-standard, show-stopping Gavi.

ROSÉ WINE

FRANCE - ROSÉ

2010 Bénédicte et Hubert Montigny-Piel, Clos Saint Fiacre, Rosé, Orléans, Loire Valley, France 12.50/133.50
It takes a lot of chutzpah to feature a rosé in the heart of winter. Fortunately wines such as this offer so much pleasure and versatility that they defy the season. (Besides, Eric Asimov of the New York Times has made it chic to drink rosés all year long!) The grapes for this little wonder: the Pinots Meunier, Gris and Noir. The soil: sand mixed with clay. The result: magical. Pale salmon-orange in the bowl, the rosé casts aromas that suggest dried orange peel, watermelon rind and sandy terroir. Effusively mineral on the palate, the wine alternates waves of clay and sandy soil with whispers of persimmon, watermelon and bitter orange fruit. Juicy, affordable and ineffably delicious, the biggest decision you’ll have to make is whether to enjoy it by itself or pair it with the myriad choices that enhance its deliciousness. Drink now and over the coming year with steelhead, salmon, ahi tuna, sushi, sashimi, fresh chèvres, chicken, duck, rabbit, game birds, and not-too-sweet winter squash recipes. Superb, distinctive rosé.

This symbol indicates a naturally farmed wine.

LINER & ELSEN
2222 NW Quimby St.
Portland, OR 97210
800-903-9463
503-241-9463
website
e-mail

HOURS: Mon.-Sat. 10-6

CLOSED: Jan. 1 – 5
We re-open on Friday, Jan. 6

FRIDAY TASTINGS:
First and third Friday
of the month
5:30-7:30 p.m. Fee

Jan. 6 Welcome back! It’s a new year with red Burgundies from the highly touted 2009 vintage.

Jan. 20 What’s Happening in Washington? A taste of Washington State Cabernets and blends.

Feb. 3 Spain on Parade: Four decades of Riojas!

SATURDAY TASTINGS:
Weekly; Starts at
12 noon. No fee

Jan 7 FROM FRANCE: Saint-Lannes Côtes de Gascogne, Hubert Veneau Côteaux du Giennois, Eugène Carrel Gamay Vin de Savoie-Jongieux, and Chais Saint-Laurent Chinon.

Jan 14 FROM ITALY: Giordano Lombardo Gavi di Gavi, Primosic Malvasia, Fattoria Laila Verdicchio, Bisceglia Aglianico del Vulture, Flavio Fanti La Palazzetta Sant’Antimo Rosso, and Luigi Einaudi Dolcetto di Dogliani.

Jan 21 FRANCE AGAIN: Dom. Mavette Blanc, Vins Auvigue Mâcon Davayé, Bénédicte et Hubert Montigny-Piel Clos Saint Fiacre Rosé, L’Audace du Domaine des Forges Anjou, and Yves Cheron Côtes du Rhône.

Jan 28 We’re pouring Matello Cuvee Lazarus Pinot Noir, Espelt Garnacha Old Vines, and more.

SPECIAL EVENTS AT L&E:

Meet Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Wines
Mon. Jan. 30, 6:15-7:30 p.m.
Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon fame will be on hand to sign his book, “Been Doon So Long,” and pour his wines. Please join us for an evening of hilarity, irreverence and, of course, fine wine. Glass fee: $5. No reservations needed.

A Tasting of Wines of Rosenthal Wine Merchant
Tues. Feb. 7, 6:15-7:30 p.m.
Please join for us for a tasting of great wines from Neal Rosenthal, with Ben Anderson as our host. Very few, if any, importers can match the brilliance of the wines that are in this great catalog of wines.
Glass fee: $10. No reservations needed.

Port Tasting with Rupert Symington of Symington Family Estates
Wed. Feb. 8, 6:15-7:30 p.m.
After a five-year absence from Portland, Rupert Symington, managing joint director of Symington Family Estates, will join us for a Port tasting. The Symington Family Estates portfolio includes Ports from Graham's, Dow's, Smith Woodhouse, Quinta do Vesuvio, and Cockburn's. The full menu of wines to be served will be on our website in January. Fee: $45 per person. Pre-payment confirms your reservation. Seating is limited.

A Taste of Burgundy with Luc Bouchard of Bouchard Père &Fils
Tues. Feb. 21, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Glass fee $20. No reservations needed.

CLASSES AND SEMINARS:

Austrian Wine Seminars with Brian Martin of Galaxy Wines
Wed. Feb. 15 and Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m.
Please join us for a two-part seminar on the great wines of Austria, hosted by Brian Martin of Galaxy Wines. Brian will lead us through a discussion and tasting of these world-class wines and their vineyards. The seminar will focus primarily on the wines from the Kamptal and the Wachau, and feature the finest producers from these areas. Find out what makes these wines so brilliant!

Fee: $40 per person (one night), $75 per person (both nights). Pre-payment confirms your reservation. Seating is limited.