JULY 2011 NEWSLETTER

RED WINES

OREGON – RED

2009 Belle Pente, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 17.99/192.50
Belle Pente’s Brian O’Donnell is one of the Willamette Valley’s most gifted and conscientious winemakers. Year after year, he quietly crafts superb wines fashioned from the native grapes of Burgundy and Alsace. Showing all the precocious and immediate charm of the 2009 vintage, Belle Pente’s ’09 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir soars from the glass with aromas of Morello cherries, dried orange peel and earthy cranberries. Lushly textured and richly fruited, the wine coats the palate with delicious cherry and loganberry fruit accented by hints of vanilla bean, potpourri, bitter oranges and Gevrey-like earthiness. Suave tannins and framing acidity emerge on the wine’s long, creamy finish. This is another fabulous wine by O’Donnell and further testament to his status as one of the Willamette Valley’s most skillful vignerons. Enjoy now and over the coming five years with hearty foods like roast duck, braised pork and potato casseroles.

CALIFORNIA – RED

2007 Beringer, Knights Valley, Alluvium Red, California 21.99/ 235.00 Reg. 29.99
Do we have a deal for you: the 2007 Beringer Alluvium Red is on sale! Brimming with luscious, mouth-filling Knights Valley fruit that is balanced by fine acidity and sweet tannins, this wine is ready to drink. According to winemaker Laurie Hook: “The name pays homage to the alluvial soils of Knights Valley, a vineyard that consistently rewards me with wonderful fruit to work with. The 2007 Alluvium has enticing savory and sweet aromas, and is full of plum, black cherry, tobacco and coffee flavors. It has a juicy fruit core, round mouthfeel and notes of bittersweet chocolate and currant that linger in the finish.” Robert Parker states that the Beringer Alluvium “possesses a dark ruby/purple color as well as notes of cranberries, mocha, roasted herbs, white chocolate, and spice. It is a medium-bodied, straightforward red to drink over the next 3-4 years.” Availability is limited.

ALSO AVAILABLE: 2008 Beringer Chardonnay Private Reserve, California 27.99/300.00 Reg. 34.99

FRANCE – RED

2008 Joseph Drouhin, Côte de Nuits-Villages, Burgundy, France 17.99/192.50
Burgundy geeks are extolling the precision and terroir definition in both the red and white wines of Burgundy’s 2008 vintage. Who better to capture the essence of an elegant and truly Burgundian vintage than the masters at Maison Joseph Drouhin? From vines in the southernmost communes of the Côte de Nuits comes this richly-scented and seductively approachable red Burgundy. The 2008 is medium-ruby in color and bursting with classic red Burgundy aromas of cherries, red raspberries and mushroomy sous bois. Broad on the attack, the wine shows layers of complexity as it shifts from ripe cranberry and pomegranate to hints of button mushrooms and licorice. Bristling acidity lifts the fruit to delicious and food-friendly tanginess. The wine finishes long, clean and infused with that inimitable Burgundian clay-limestone minerality. Fresh, complex and beguiling as only red Burgundy can be. A superb choice for prime rib, roast poultry, potatoes au gratin. Serve now and over the coming seven years.

2009 Lucien Lardy, Morgon Côte du Py, Beaujolais, France 16.99/181.50
By now you’ve probably read the accolades for the great 2009 Beaujolais vintage. The wines are indeed exemplary, conveying the ripeness and breadth that have many Beaujolais old timers harkening back to the legendary 1947 and 1929 vintages. Here is one of the finest values we’ve encountered from this hallowed vintage, a wine of harmony, balance and terroir transparency. From the granite hillsides of the Côte du Py, Morgon’s finest sector, Lucien Lardy’s ’09 casts a transparent plum-ruby color alongside gorgeous aromas of dusty granite, freshly crushed cherries and raspberries, cinnamon and dried orange peel. Elegantly textured and deft on the palate, the wine combines the cherry and raspberry fruit with hints of camphor and cloves before dusty tannins and brisk acidity segue the Morgon to its long granite-laced and cinnamon-tinged finish. This is superb Beaujolais that will delight newcomers and old-schoolers alike. We encourage you to pull a cork now and serve with roast chicken, burgers or pizza, but buy enough to lay down this wine for seven or ten years. There’s a genie in this bottle, and further complexity will reward the patient.

2008 Les Capucins, Côteaux du Languedoc, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 9.50/101.50
The Côteaux du Languedoc produces some of France’s heartiest and best-value red wines. New to our palates is this delicious rendition from Les Capucins, which captures the essence of this rugged region at a very affordable price. Translucent plum in color, the Capucins Côteaux du Languedoc opens with elegant aromas of red plums, tobacco and an intriguing floral top note. Suavely textured on the palate, the wine conveys classic Languedoc notes of tar, bay leaf, sappy dried oregano, lavender and sweet cherry fruit. Complex and satisfying, the Capucins finishes with sappy cherry fruit lifted by a balancing acid backbone and fine, framing tannins. Enjoy now and over the coming three years with just about anything that doesn’t make water its habitat. Incredible value!

2009 Domaine Berthet-Rayne, Côtes-du-Rhône, Vieilles Vignes, Southern Rhône Valley, France 13.50/144.50
Domaine Berthet-Rayne is poised to become the next Rhône Valley superstar. Employing organic viticulture, hand-harvesting, superbly situated old vines and traditional methods in the cellar, Berthet-Rayne is fashioning lush, full-throttle Southern Rhône wines that combine old-school character with modern accessibility. Making the most of the beautiful 2009 vintage, Berthet-Rayne’s old vine Côtes-du-Rhône bottling is a beguiling harbinger for the great Châteauneuf and Gigondas bottlings to come. Classic translucent plum-ruby in color, Berthet-Rayne’s Côtes-du-Rhône V.V. opens with opulent aromas of fresh cherries, sappy thyme and violets. Lush and suave on the attack, the wine blossoms on the palate to reveal suggestions of Provençal cherries, boysenberries, herbal garrigue, dry limestone terroir and black licorice. On the finish, the wine’s old-vine character comes to the fore with ripe, framing tannins and a thrilling undercurrent of smoky, stony terroir. What sets this beauty apart, though, is the wine’s effortless sense of elegance, balance, harmony and its grand cru weightlessness on the palate. At this price, this a wine to buy by the case to enjoy now and over the coming five years with roast lamb, grilled burgers, ratatouille – just about anything outside the green vegetable and seafood spectra.

ITALY – RED

2006 Il Molino di Grace, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy 13.50/144.50

SPAIN – RED

2005 Viña Olabarri, Rioja, Reserva, Spain 17.99/192.50
My goodness, this is superb Rioja Reserva! From old vines in the prestigious Rioja Alta zone, Viña Olabarri has crafted a masterpiece of a traditional Rioja Reserva. Deep, opaque plum color on the glass, the Viña Olabarri Reserva explodes with a classic Rioja nose of black plums, spicy cherries, cigar tobacco and vanilla. Lush on the palate, this traditional 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano blend fills the mouth with lilting cherry fruit complemented by hints of tobacco, button mushroom and classic Rioja barrel notes of coconut and vanilla bean. Even more complex on the finish, the wine adds suggestions of cinnamon, sarsaparilla and sandalwood. After twenty-four months in barrel and another year in bottle, this beauty is ready for your table with meat tapas, grilled lamb, roast beef, burgers, vegetarian lasagna and patatas bravas. While this Reserva is superb now, it has the structure and stuffing to age another decade or more. Superb Rioja Reserva!

WHITE WINES

OREGON – WHITE

2010 Siltstone, Pinot Gris, Guadalupe Vineyard, Vine Tenders Selection, Willamette Valley, Oregon 13.50/144.50
Siltstone is the winery label of legendary Willamette Valley vineyard manager Joel Myers. Myers has captured all the nerve and vinosity of the Willamette Valley’s challenging but rewarding 2010 vintage and fashioned a succulent Pinot Gris from the famed Guadalupe Vineyard, which he manages. In the glass the Siltstone Pinot Gris shows a pale straw color accented by glints of green, and offers a textbook Pinot Gris nose of green pears, straw and smoke. Crisp and minerally on the fore-palate, Siltstone’s Pinot Gris segues seamlessly to a brisk mid-palate featuring hints of raw hazelnuts, smoky earth, gooseberries and tarragon. Suggestions of green Pippin apples mixed with smoky soil notes and saline minerals transition the wine to its long, juicy and thirst-quenching finish. This is one of the most distinctive and mineral-driven Oregon Pinot Gris in many a vintage. We plan to enjoy it as an apéritif, and as a complement to broiled salmon, halibut, fresh cheeses and light vegetarian fare. Drink now or over the next three years.

FRANCE – WHITE

2010 Huguet de Can Feixes, Blanc Selecció, Penedès, Spain 13.50/144.50
The historic Can Feixes estate is situated on the graveled amphitheater-like slopes near the famous Montserrat pinnacle. Vineyard plantation at Can Feixes dates back to at least the fifteenth century and the estate has been in continuous production since 1690. Only the estate’s finest high-altitude Montonec (a.k.a. Parellada), Macabeo (a.k.a. Viura) and Chardonnay fruit goes into the brothers Joan and Josep Huguet’s Can Feixes Blanc Selecciò. A perennial favorite in our newsletter, Can Feixes returns in 2010 with a classically structured, crisp lemon-gold, warm-weather white that offers appetizing aromas of lemon oil, Bosc pear, lemon verbena and intense minerality. On the palate, the Blanc Selecciò’s brisk acidity lifts the wine’s mineral-infused lemon, pear and green apple fruit. Smoky, gravelly minerals come to the fore on the long, clean finish, conveying a complex soil signature rare for such an affordable wine. Enjoy this crisp, refreshing, moderate-alcohol wine over the coming five years as a wonderful and economical alternative to old-school French Chablis, Aligoté or Sancerre. Pair with oysters, white-fleshed fish preparations, scallops and other seafood.

2008 Domaine de Calet, Esprit de Blanc, Costières de Nîmes, Rhône Valley, France 9.99/107.00
Calet is dialect for what wine lovers know as “galet,” the round off-white rock that gives Châteauneuf-du-Pape its inimitable stony character. Here in the Costières de Nîmes, where the Rhône Valley meets the Languedoc, these galets are also found and impart their inimitable character to the region’s wines. As soon as the Domaine de Calet Esprit de Blanc is uncapped, you can smell those stones lingering atop expressions of Mirabelle plums, Comice pear and honeydew melon. Taste the wine and you’ll surely peg it as a prestigious Châteauneuf blanc or a Rasteau blanc, but this wine will set you back a fraction of their tariffs. It’s just one heck of a bargain in authentic and detailed Southern Rhône Valley blanc. Roussanne blended with Vermentino, Bourboulenc and Clairette, this is the Southern Rhône blanc of the season. Enjoy it now and over the coming year with mussels, sea snails, Provençal chicken or hors d’oeuvres slathered in tapenade. An incredible value in Southern Rhône blanc.

2010 Domaine de Ménard, Colombard Sauvignon, Côtes de Gascogne, Gascony, Southwest France 9.99/107.00
When the temperature rises, the bracing, the thirst-quenching white wines from the Côtes de Gascogne are among our go-to choices. Usually a blend of Colombard and Ugni Blanc, this refresher from Domaine de Ménard alters the traditional recipe in a nobler direction by marrying the crispness and tropical fruit profile of the Colombard with the grassiness and citrus notes of a fine Sauvignon Blanc. The result is nothing short of fantastic! Crisp, focused and lip-smackingly delicious, Ménard’s 2010 casts a pale straw-gold in the glass. Grassy gooseberry and green plum fruit from the Sauvignon Blanc fuse with lovely hints of passion fruit, papaya, lime and pineapple notes from the Colombard. Smoky mineral notes combine with crunchy acidity on the wine’s long, clean finish. Buy enough to get you through the summer and open a well-chilled bottle of this terrific value anytime the moment strikes. It’s great as an apéritif, and it will pair well with delicate fish preparations, quiches, lentil soups and sautéed green vegetables.

ITALY – WHITE

2008 Falchini, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Ab Vinea Doni, Tuscany, Italy 14.99/160.00 Reg. 17.99
The beautiful hillside Tuscan village of San Gimignano is home to one of Italy’s finest white wines, Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The great Falchini estate is one of the zone’s finest, producing an impressive portfolio of Tuscan red, white and sparkling wines. The Ab Vinea Doni (“gifts from the vineyard”) is their flagship white. Produced from hand-harvested Vernaccia, the Ab Vinea Doni is fermented and aged in fine Allier barriques, which give the wine superb structure and ability to age gracefully. A deep lemon-gold color, Falchini’s Ab Vinea Doni casts aromas of yellow plums, golden delicious apples, heather and dissolved limestone minerals. Rich and waxy on the palate, the wine alternates waves of smoky limestone minerality, honeydew melon and barrel notes of vanilla, toffee and sandalwood, culminating with a haunting note of bitter almond. The barrel fermentation and ageing works terrifically for the wine, adding texture, weight, structure and resin to the already superb raw materials. This is serious Vernaccia and a world-class white wine by any measure. Pair now and over the coming five years with hearty food such as mature cheeses, roast chicken, rabbit, duck, veal, pork, and eggplant lasagna.

2009 Prà, Soave Classico, Veneto, Italy 16.99/ 181.50
Since their first bottling under their own name in 1983, Prà has set the standard for independent Soave producers. Prà’s 2009 Classico is superb: a pale straw-gold in the glass, with a smoky nose highlighting aromas of lemon zest, green apples, Bartlett pear and spicy vanilla. Crisp and juicy on the palate, the wine slakes the thirst with brisk lemon fruit backed by zippy acidity and a vein of smoky volcanic minerals. Dry, refreshing and totally delicious, this is a wonderful choice for the warm summer months by itself, with sautéed zucchini and crookneck squash, fresh cheeses or the entire seafood spectrum. Our findings are corroborated by The Wine Advocate’s Antonio Galloni, who raves: “The 2009 Soave Classico opens with gorgeous aromatics that lead to crisp, beautifully articulated fruit. The persistence, balance and clean, minerally finish add up to an absolutely delicious bottle of Soave. Needless to say, it is highly recommended.”
Wine Advocate – 90 points

SPAIN – WHITE

2010 Arregi Getariako, Txakolina, Basque Country, Spain 14.99/160.00
On the rocky Biscay coast west of San Sebastian in Basque Spain, stubborn traditionalists fight the harsh local climate to produce one of the and raciest and most exciting white wines in the world, Chacolí or Txakolí in Basque. Pale lemon-gold in color, Arregi’s Txakolí offers distinctive aromas of lime oil, papaya and salty sea breeze. Fresh and still sporting a happy dose of dissolved CO², the Txakolí has enough bristling acidity to handle even the most wine-challenging vegetables, even asparagus and green beans. Supporting the high acidity is a lively, exuberant fruit expression reminiscent of lime zest and crisp green apples. The finish is brisk and flinty, reprising the juicy lime expression on the nose and palate. Always a staff favorite, this Hondarribi Zuri wonder is sure to please fans of crisp, mineral-driven wines such as Chablis, Riesling, Vinho Verde and Grüner Veltliner. It’s also a perfect fit for vegetable lovers who would yearn for a vinous complement for their freshly-harvested market picks. This is a must-try selection that should ideally be enjoyed this summer and fall to capture its youthful vigor.

ROSÉ WINES

2010 Château Margüi, Rosé, Côteaux Varois en Provence, Provence, France 15.99/171.00
Provençal rosés have a special place in the hearts of the L&E staff. This is the third year in a row that we’ve featured Margüi’s dynamite rosé that offers real Provençal character at an unusually affordable price. Based on a bend of Grenache (50%) and Cinsault (50%), the Margüi rosé casts a pale copper-salmon color from the glass and herbal aromas of thyme, marjoram and coriander. In the mouth the wine is brisk, bone dry and refreshing, as aromatic herbal notes mingle with hints of golden raspberries, Rainier cherries and sarsaparilla. Invigorating and undeniably delicious, this is once again one of the rosés of the season, both for quality and for value. Pair now with eggplant casseroles, bouillabaisse, grilled salmon, ahi tuna, sashimi and chicken marinated in lemon, olive oil and herbes de Provençe. Great classically structured rosé!

WEB-EXTRAS: Read the reviews online

2009 Produttori Colterenzio, Pinot Bianco, Thurner, Alto Adige DOC, Northeastern Italy 13.99/149.50
The Produttori Colterenzio is a high-quality cooperative founded in 1960 focusing on the amazing array of varietals grown in northeast Italy’s high-altitude, versatile Alto Adige region. A lovely green-tinted lemon-gold color, their Pinot Bianco opens with aromas of green melon, Thai basil, green apples and smoky limestone minerality. Broad and smoky as it hits the palate, the wine conveys impressions of Bartlett pears, fleshy gold apples infused with dark limestone minerals. Clean, refreshing, yet richly textured, the wine finishes with added notes of sweet almonds and meyer lemons. This rich and delicious wine begs to be paired with grilled Chinook salmon, baked halibut, semi-firm cheeses, roast pheasant, braised fennel, and pastas in light olive oil or cream sauces.

2010 Les Perles, Piquepoul, Vin de Pays de l’Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 8.50/91.00
For well over a decade Picpoul de Pinet has become synonymous with crisp, dry, seafood-friendly white wines. The word Piquepoul means “lip stinger” in the local dialect, and refers to the wines of yesteryear that were tart, lean and acidic. Today’s Picpoul retains ripe, refreshing acidity, but its tartness is balanced by fully ripened fruit, and its freshness is retained by modern winemaking techniques. A Chablis-like green-gold in color, Les Perles’ Piquepoul casts aromatic notes of pineapple, pink grapefruit, Thai basil and flinty minerals from the glass. The wine’s crisp, enticing bouquet – not too far removed from a fine Sancerre – leads to a wonderfully juicy, full and zippy palate suggesting lime zest, kiwi fruit, passion fruit and stony minerals. Crisp, clean and super-refreshing, this wine begs you to pair it with delicate white-fleshed fish dishes, grilled and sautéed zucchini, calamari, periwinkles, clams and oysters. A superb wine for warm end-of-summer evenings, serve this well chilled over the coming year.

2008 Thierry et Pascale Matrot, Bourgogne Chardonnay, Burgundy, France 15.99/171.00
We love Matrot’s wines and know that they age better and longer than some of the more recognizable names in Burgundy. From vines near Meursault, Matrot’s Bourgogne Chardonnay transcends its humble regional designation. A bright lemon-gold in the glass, the Bourgogne Chardonnay explodes with aromas of lemon zest, pear blossoms and dissolved limestone minerals. On the palate, the wine is classic Matrot: elegant, restrained, brisk with firm acidity, and spotlighting a riveting current of perfumed limestone minerality. The Bourgogne Chardonnay’s core of pear and citrus fruit buffers the wine’s acidity and yields a wine of laser-like precision and deft balance. Hints of raw hazelnuts and vanilla bean sneak in as the wine transitions from its shimmering palate presence to its long lemony, minerally finish. This is superb white Burgundy that will work well all summer long and well into the next three years with broiled halibut, light poultry dishes and lighter roast pork preparations.

2009 André Neveu, Sancerre Rosé, Le Grand Fricambault, Loire Valley, France 20.99/224.50 Reg. 23.99
A “terroiriste” at heart, André Neveu issues a full range of Sancerres that effortlessly convey the varied terroirs of the Sancerre vignoble. Neveu’s rosé, a saignée of Pinot Noir, casts a pale orange-copper-salmon color in the glass. The wine soars with aromas of white raspberries, Rainier cherries, wild strawberries and red currants, all infused with the smoky limestone terroir of Sancerre. Brisk in the mouth, flavors of blood oranges, ruby grapefruit and thyme fuse with chalky soil notes and hints of wild herbs. This is serious rosé, one with a modicum of tannin that has benefited from the year in bottle. As such it should be served cool, but not cold. Pair with crab, lobster, sashimi, sautéed summer squashes, beef tartare – just about anything but bivalves, whose brininess may interfere with the rosé’s tannins. Delicious, singular, terroir-driven rosé. Very limited.