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August, 2010

• Tasting Calendar
• Coaltrain's Wine Classes
• New Arrivals
• Mondavi Reserves, Past and Present
• The Last Roses of Summer
• Visiting Mystical Priorato and Drinking Its Great Wines Off the Shelves of Coaltrain
• Wines of the Month
• Robert Mondavi Wine Dinner
• Frisky Fruit Flies
• Archives

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TASTING CALENDAR

Meet the Winemaker with Susie Selby of Selby Wine in Sonoma

Tuesday, August 24th, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
This informal "meet & greet" is a new event format for Coaltrain, and we can’t wait. Come by Nosh, taste five of Selby’s stellar wines, enjoy the delectable hors d’oeuvres that Nosh will pair with the wines, and chat with winemaker, Susie Selby. With no set arrival time, you can come by whenever it suits you. Stay an hour or two – as you like. For a mere $20 per person (plus tax and gratuity), we can’t think of a better happy hour or a finer way to start a latesummer evening. Tuesday, August 24th, from 5:30 to 7:30p.m. Call Nosh to reserve: 719-634- 6674.

Tripel Beer Tasting

Tuesday August 24th at 6:30 pm
Please join us for this sit-down beer tasting and explore Tripel-style beers from Belgium and beyond. The Warehouse will provide two courses of food to pair with our two beer flights. The cost is a mere $25, inclusive. Reservations are required and can be made at Coaltrain, 475-9700.

Wine Dinner Season Returns to Pizzeria Rustica

September 14th at 6 pm
The hugely-popular wines dinners at Pizzeria Rustica will commence this season September 14th at 6pm during Local Food Week with a home-grown spread featuring the bounty of Venetucci Farms and the wines if Guy Drew, from Cortez, Colorado. Guy Drew’s wines are among our very favorite Colorado wines. We can’t wait to experience their synergy with the Venetucci-inspired dishes the talented Rustica kitchen will pair with them. $49 per person, plus tax and tip. Call Coaltrain to reserve: 475-9700.

Robert Mondavi Wine Dinner at the Country Club of Colorado at Cheyenne Mountain Resort (open to the public)

Friday, September 24th, 6:30 pm
We recently had the privilege of enjoying a wine pairing dinner at the Country Club of Colorado with three chefs and some reps from Robert Mondavi—a treat, indeed! Along with their stunning setting, the country club has brought on board a very talented kitchen staff. So…we thought…let’s let our customers enjoy this wonderful meal that we were so impressed with. Topped off with perfectly-paired wine from Robert Mondavi, we think this evening will be a smash hit! Not to mention some great gifts they’ll be giving away to a lucky few: a 750ml of 1992 and a 1.5 liter of 1998 Mondavi Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. And, we have an older bottle of Mondavi Reserve that we’ll bring along for people to taste, so you can see how well these have aged. Need we say more? Friday, September 24th, 6:30pm. At $69 per person plus tax and service, a true steal.

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Coaltrain's Wine Classes

Coaltrain's own Darby Gould, a seasoned wine instructor, will be offering these much-anticipated and often-requested seminars to help you further your wine knowledge.

Introductory Wine Class
Wednesday, September 29th, 6-8pm
The Warehouse Restaurant $30 per person (inclusive)
"What's the difference between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc?" "What is tannin?" "Why do you swirl the wine?" If questions like this have you mindboggled, then this is the class for you! You'll learn what wine is, how it's made, how to taste wine and what you'll likely find when you do. Includes tasting the main wine grapes (varietals) and discussing their differences. Besides information, there will be wine, light appetizers and fun!

Intermediate Wine Class
Wednesday, October 20th, 6-8pm
The Warehouse Restaurant $35 per person (inclusive)
"Why does a French Merlot taste different from a California Merlot?" Find out the answer and learn the differences between the Old World and New World styles of wine making. Enjoy a blind tasting of several wines from both styles and guess which is which. It's innovation vs. tradition in the Advanced Class! There will be plenty of vino, snacks and education!

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New Arrivals

2008 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, $26.99/Sale $19.99
Because we expect every pricey California Sauvignon Blanc to mimic Chardonnay, every time we taste this Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc, we have an epiphany. This one tastes like Sauvignon Blanc! And it possesses a refined, personal style like Grace Kelly. It is, perpetually, a top-class product. Now, at a sexy price.

2007 Berghold Zinfandel, Foot Stamp, Lodi, $21.99/$13.99
Not “food stamp,” but like the Merlot from the same maker (our Wine of the Month), this Zinfandel has substance and breed. It’s not flabby and crazy alcoholic. We doubt we will be able to beat this for the price.

2007 Stoller Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, $25.99/Sale $21.99
The Dundee Hills is where Oregon’s Pinot industry was born. It was here that David Lett planted the first of his Eyrie vineyards in 1965. The soil is iron-rich clay and this holds water for the vines into the latter weeks of the growing season. The resulting wines are marvelous - almost like real Burgundy - and you see that with this Stoller Pinot. It’s medium-bodied. You can almost see through it. There are cranberry and sweet black cherry essences. On the palate it is pure silk.

2006 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir, Evenstad Reserve, Willamette, $59.99/Sale $49.99
The flagship of Domaine Serene’s production. It’s a blend of the winery’s finest lots. The result is a transparent wine with red berry fruits and slate. There is the slightest hint of citrus peel. Consistently one of Oregon’s signature Pinots.

2001 Chehalem Reserve Dry Riesling, Willamette, $22.99/Sale $16.99
As you know, we’re crazy for Chehalem’s Pinots. And, when we tasted this one, we were made crazy again. It is dry, but with a lattice of fetching flavors. Bigger in body than most German Rieslings and nowhere near as “petrolic” as are many Alsatian Rieslings. Another Oregon gem!

2009 Whither Hills Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, $13.99/Sale $11.99
Sure, we know you are about to groan, “Not another Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc!” Hmm, well that it is. This one is poised and delicious, not as smashmouth as all too many. Sure, there is the expected citrus, but there are some other flavors, like gooseberry, that make it a winner. Don’t groan, be happy! The price isn’t bad either.

2009 Denis Jamain, Domaine de Reuilly, Pinot Gris, Reuilly, $16.99
Here’s one you will not see every day. It’s a Pinot Gris from a Loire village (Reuilly) most known for its Sauvignon Blancs. It comes with a blush color. Beautiful perfumed nose. Dry, round flavors and a long, clean finish. Calling all wine adventurers.

2007 Dominique Mugneret Bourgogne Pinot Noir de Vieilles Vignes, $22.99/$18.99
A stellar value from the profound 2007 Burgundy vintage. Mugneret resides in the commune of Vosne-Romanee, where a rather famous wine estate, Domaine Romanee-Conti, lives around the corner. This wine tastes like a mini Vosne-Romanee, which some have called the finest of all Burgundy appellations because it has power and sublime elegance.

2008 Pierre Chermette Beaujolais, $16.99
When you think “Beaujolais,” this is precisely what you fantasize about. That is, a friendly, fruity quaffer, not a doltish drink from a mass producer of Beaujolais (you know who we mean). One glass invites another. And, before you know it, the bottle is gone.

2007 Domaine Sainte-Eugenie, La Reserve, Corbieres, $17.99/Sale $14.99
From the foothills of the Pyrenees, a half hour ride from the Mediterranean coast, comes one of the most impressive wines we’ve tasted this year. It gives all the expected richness and balance from the ideal 2007 weather (some have complained that this weather was so felicitous that the “terroirs” of many regions were overpowered by it). And that might go for this wine, for you sense little of the normal “garrigue” (the rocky, scrubby hillsides) where the grapes are grown. Rather you have a wine bursting with dark berry fruit, luscious power on the mid-palate, along with spice and sweet fruit on the finish. It is a masterpiece. Supplies are severely limited, so try this as soon as you can. After tasting, we doubt you will be able to resist coming back for many more bottles. By the way, the grapes are 40% Syrah, 30% Carignan and 30% Grenache, all coming from old plantings.

2009 Burgans Albarino, Rias Baixas, $13.99
2009 has turned to be an historic year for the white wines of Galicia. Here, on the Atlantic coast, and also in northern Portugal, just south, the Albarino grape thrives. This wine is a model of perfection for the grape. It is acutely balanced with bewitching stone fruit flavors. Maybe it’s time for us to bite the cost bullet and fly some “percebes” (gooseneck barnacles) in from Galicia to luxuriate with this “chica.”

2008 Pra Soave Classico, $12.99
Generally, in the last dozen years, Soave has made the greatest leap in improvement of any Italian white. You have so many fine makers like Pieropan, Inama, Suavia, Anselmi and this Pra, to just mention a few. Of course, you have laggards like Bolla, too. The Soave here is soft, delicate, but interesting. It shows you what the Garganega grape can give with reduced yields and loving care. By the way, “Soave Classico” means the grapes are grown in the center of the wine zone which is hilly. Lesser Soaves are grown on the fringes which are flat and have different soil. We call that “Ma-Bolla country.”

2007 Cascina Chicco Nebbiolo, $25.99/Sale $19.99
Long admired for their Arneis, the Faccenda brothers (Enrico and Marco) have come up with a stellar Nebbiolo here. Of course, this is the Roero neighborhood, across the Tanaro River, whence Barbaresco is born. Instead of the traditional cherry aspects of Barbaresco, the boys have made a wine with Amarone aspects in the nose and boysenberry notes on the palate. The mouthfeel is like tattered satin. A significant achievement for Cascina Chicco.

2006 Giuseppe Lonardi Privilegia, Verona IGT, $38.99
Those of you, who have been hankering for an Amarone-style wine, but are put off by Amarone prices, should look carefully at this wine. It provides some of the rich and raisiny aspects of Amarone at half the price. By the way, the main grape is Corvina (with some Cabernet Franc) as it is with most great Amarones. And Cabernet Franc is no stranger to this area of the Veneto.

2009 Castelfeder Schiava, Alto Adige, $14.99/$13.49
Anyone who has ever visited Italy’s northern Trentino and Alto Adige has probably tasted this grape (Schiava), but probably doesn’t know it. Schiava just doesn’t get its due respect. It’s a light, fruity wine probably most fit for a mountain hut in the Dolomites after a day’s hike. Hey, but we got mountains in Colorado too. So you can do the same here. Serve this with a chill, almost like a dark rose.

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Mondavi Reserves, Past and Present

Of course, one of the keystone wineries of the California wine industry is no longer owned by the Mondavi family. But, despite change, there is still continuity at the Robert Mondavi winery. We just tasted some of the new Cabernet Sauvignon releases and were impressed. So, we are offering a bit of the old and new to demonstrate the continuum of excellence. Mondavi has been giving us quality wines for four decades and we hope it never ends.

Sample a mini-vertical of this venerated wine—buy a bottle each of the 1996 and the 2006 Mondavi Reserve Cabernets for a mere $199.99. That’s a savings of $75 (over 27%!) on two superb Napa Cabernet Sauvignons:

2006 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, $129.99: A beautifully concentrated Cabernet with black currants, spice and some moca flavors with a hint of lead pencil in the bouquet. The oak does not leave splinters in your tongue. The Wine Spectator gave it 96 points saying it has “uncommon complexity and depth”. Best from 2010 to 2017.

1996 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, $144.99: Here, with the aging, you get the finished work. The dried fruits, coffee and sateen texture dazzle. It is Mondavi’s Sistine Chapel. Wine Spectator 95...#6 in WS Top 100 in 1999.

2005 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, 375 ml, $66.99/Sale$44.99: If you want to try one of the finest Cabernet vintages of recent times, get this. With a mix of currant, mint, sage and dusty berry flavors it’s refined, yet rich and complex. And the small bottle (375 ml) pushes it to prime time. WS 92 points.

1998 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, 1.5 ml, $239.99/Sale $169.99: Here, you can be a wine collector without being a wine collector. It’s a wine with aged mahogany colors and a velvety, round mouth feel. Just the reason people collect wine. Wine Enthusiast 92 points.

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The Last Roses of Summer

We brought in over a dozen top level rosés for the summer. They came from France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany and Colorado. They have flown off the shelf. So, we are running a bit low. A few are completely gone and, normally, we can’t reorder. Here is a selection of those we still have. In some instances the supply is adequate. For certain ones, only a couple of bottles remain.

2009 SARDASOL ROSÉ, NAVARRA, $12.99/Sale $10.99: Navarra in Spain is a mirror image of Provence in France for rosés. Simply, the most trustworthy rosés the countries can produce. This one is fruity and lively, awaiting some “caliente” days ahead.

2008 LEO ROSÉ, PFALZ, $15.99/Sale $11.99: With no doubt, our favorite grill and spicy food rosé. It has the body weight to do the trick with a speck of sweetness. Put some brats on your grill and you will immediately see what we are talking about.

2009 MUGA ROSÉ, RIOJA, $14.99: Well, you have a lot of great rosés from Spain. Many come from Navarra, but this comes from just south, in Rioja. It’s always one of the best we can find in EEUU. It’s mid-bodied with both the sunny and dark side of Spain. Bring on the “toros.”

2009 CUATRO PASOS ROSÉ, BIERZO, $10.99: Exotica from Galicia, northwest Spain. It offers power and depth. Drink it alone or with light or even spicy foods. It’s made from the Mencia grape, soon to become world famous.

2009 THE INFINITE MONKEY THEOREM SYRAH ROSÉ, Colorado, $17.99/Sale $15.99: From one of our favorite winemakers in Colorado, Ben Parsons. It’s a “bleed” of Ben’s grand Syrah. So it has some controlled power. Many might like this with serious food (like grilled salmon), but alone it is pretty killer too.

2009 MAS DE LA DAME ROSÉ, LES BAUX DE PROVENCE, $15.99/Sale $14.99: The quintessential Provencal rosé with grace and interest. Dry and refreshing. Our top selling rosé of all.

2009 MAS CAL DEMOURA, COUTEAUX DU LANGUEDOC, $20.99: Pretty hefty body. Not quite bone-dry impression.Thus it would shine with spicy food. Maybe “brats” off the grill would be an endearing marriage.

2009 CHARLES & CHARLES ROSÉ, COLUMBIA VALLEY, $11.99/Sale $10.99: The previous vintage of this was our Rosé of the Month last summer. It sold out in a heartbeat. This vintage is a bit fuller bodied. It’s made from Syrah and you can tell. Has serious food potential.

2009 DOMAINE SAINTE-EUGENIE ROSÉ, CORBIERES, $10.99: Always a staff favorite. It tantalizes with southern French fruits. It's like a walk through the fruit stalls at the Sunday market in St. Chinian, outside Narbonne.

2009 DOMAINE DE FONTSAINTE GRIS DE GRIS, CORBIERES, $13.99: A hottie that is perpetually a customer fave from Southern France. It’s brought in by the estimable Kermit Lynch. The wine is born from the Corbieres “garrigue,” it would be a delight with fresh vegetable dishes, or all by itself.

2009 CHATEAU DU ROUET, $9.99 375ml: The perfect halfbottle for a neophyte to get hooked on dry French rosés. Actually we call this size the “breakfast bottle.” It’s a light, fresh version. Round, but certainly not buxom.

2009 JOSEF WEGER LAGREIN ROSATO, ALTO ADIGE, $17.99: From way up in northern Italy, where the language is German, not Italian. This rosé offers a stern richness. We’d like it with some of the dried meats or sausages of that region (“speck”). It's clearly a rosé for chilly, alpine climes.

2009 BISSON CILIEGIOLO ROSÉ, $21.99: The grape here is Ciliegiolo which grows happily in the sun of Liguria, on Italy’s northern, Mediterranean coast. This is a colorful, powerful rosé that would be best with food. We’d be interested to try it with some pesto dishes made by the quixotic Andrea Poggi at his Hotel La Spiaggia. in Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre.

2009 HEX VOM DASENSTEIN ROSÉ HALBTROKEN, BADEN, $14.99: Shear refreshment in this bottle. On pouring there is a tickle of CO2 which makes it refreshing. It’s made from Pinot Noir. Bring on the “dog days of summer.”

2009 KNIPSER CLARETTE ROSÉ TROKEN, PFALZ, $22.99: The Kaiser of German rosés. It has finesse and the smooth words that drive the frauleins wild. Like all Kaisers, it is pricey and limited in access.

2007 CURRAN GRENACHE ROSÉ, SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, $20.99/Sale $17.99: The "darndest" best California rosé we've had in recent times. Extremely elegant and flavor packed. But a few bottles remain.

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Visiting Mystical Priorato and Drinking Its Great Wines Off the Shelves of Coaltrain

Gratallops, Priorato, Spain - What a difference a 15 years makes! Fifteen years ago you would hardly see a soul on the skinny, corkscrew roads of Priorato. Farms and vineyards were deserted. The wineries seemed to be in hiding. As for dining and lodging, “buena suerte.” But it’s a whole different story today. Wine tourism has emerged from the smoke-shaded mountains of Priorato.

What has triggered this emergence? Well, wines bearing names like l’Ermita, Clos Erasmus, Finca Dofi, Clos de l’Obac, Fra Fulco, Mas Doix, Clos Mogador and Vall Llach to mention but a few. In this span of fifteen years, these wines have become among the most esteemed and sought after in the world. And this status has generated a curiosity among wine lovers. They wonder just what this Priorat wine zone is like. So they come to see it, taste some of its wines and maybe purchase a few special bottles at the point of production (if they are lucky enough to find such bottles). Though Catalan is still the domestic language in Priorato, you hear a lot of English, German and, even, French on the streets. These speakers are almost all wine tourists (some are in the wine business).

With the wine tourists have come visitor amenities. You no longer have to scratch and hunt to survive like the wolves that once ruled the hardscrabble region. There are several comfortable hotels and several good restaurants. And some of the wineries have come out of hiding and are open to the public. But, though things have changed, Priorato is still far from being a touristic wine vortex like Napa Valley or Tuscany, where people flock, expecting luxury appointments. In Priorato, things remain pretty basic.

On our first visit, we set up camp in Reus, the closest large town to the zone (ten miles away). Our reasoning was “selection” — the largest selection of hotels and restaurants. Today, Reus continues to have the largest selection of these necessities. However, no hotel or restaurant in Reus is absolutely irresistible, though many are totally serviceable. The problem with Reus is the traffic (and parking). The traffic circulation is confused and, thus, getting in and out of town is stressful. Plus, half the time there is some type of accident or road construction. I’m sure the locals have it all figured out, but, for the firsttime visitor, it as hard as understanding a Borges short story.

» Click here to read the rest of this article...

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Red Wine of the Month

2006 Berghold Merlot, Lodi, $21.99/Sale $13.99
The Berghold family, of Austrian descent, has been growing grapes in Lodi since 1986. In 1999, they began making wines including Viognier, Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot and Zinfandel. The wines are “terroir” driven and the winery employs artisan techniques in consort with state of the art technology. Always a good idea. This is a Merlot with substance and breed to go with its expected lush Lodi fruit. The flavors of blackberry and currant are ripe and warm. It’s drinking right at its absolute best. The perfect barbecue alternative to Zinfandel.

White Wine of the Month

2007 Laboure-Roi Bourgogne Chardonnay, Maximum, $17.99/Sale $12.99
Labourie-Roi (a “negociant”) offers a wide range of wines mostly coming from the Cote de Beaune region of Burgundy. The operation itself is located in Meursault. So, they go out into the nearby vineyards - some of them the most famous in the,world of wine - and,buy the best wines.they can afford. This is a stellar example of what a good Bourgogne Chardonnay can be. It has been aged six months in wood barrels. This gives it nutty aromas that normally don’t come with the everyday Bourgogne Chardonnay. Substantial mouth feel. It has some minerality and a long, dry finish. We understand why Laboure-Roi calls it “Maximum.” It tastes like a baby Meursault and we would not be surprised if there is a drop or two of Meursault in it. For white Burgundy devotees, this is one not to miss. And it won’t drain your wallet. Case purchases are highly, advised.

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Robert Mondavi Wine Dinner

Country Club Of Colorado At The Cheyenne Mountain Resort
Friday, September 24th, 6:30 pm

We recently had the privilege of enjoying a wine pairing dinner at the Country Club of Colorado with three chefs and some reps from Robert Mondavi—a treat, indeed! Along with their stunning setting, the country club has brought on board a very talented kitchen staff. So…we thought...let’s let our customers enjoy this wonderful meal that we were so impressed with. Topped off with perfectly paired wine from Robert Mondavi, we think this evening will be a smash hit! Not to mention some great gifts they’ll be giving away to a lucky few: a 750ml of 1992 and a 1.5 liter of 1998 Mondavi Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. And, we have an older bottle of Mondavi Reserve that we’ll bring along for people to taste, so you can see how well these have aged. At $69 per person plus tax and service, a true steal. Need we say more?

» Click here to see the menu

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Frisky Fruit Flies

The little devils are at it again! It is the season for Drosophila, known commonly as fruit flies. They love to dive into glasses of wine. This makes the wine almost undrinkable in seconds, befouling the nose and flavor. Then you have to change the glass or wash it thoroughly. The best prevention we’ve found is to cover the wine glass with a cloth napkin between sips. Oddly, we’ve never had problems with them flying into an open bottle. Maybe they are more into springboard diving than high platform events.

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