NewsletterDecember, 2004
Tasting CalendarA three business day cancellation policy is in effect for all tastings. December 14th, at 6:00 p.m. OUR "EMERGENCY" PINOT NOIR TASTINGWe’re calling this an "emergency" tasting for two reasons: The 2002 vintage in Oregon is virtually unsurpassed in the state’s pinot noir producing experience and we want you to have a chance to taste some of these wines before they’re gone; AND, its been six weeks since we returned from Oregon wine country, and, frankly, we’re going through pinot noir withdrawal! Come join us for an evening of hedonistic delight—and some spectacular wines, too—on Tuesday, December 14th, at 6:00 p.m., at the Briarhurst Manor. Given the quality of these wines, the $35.00 tariff (per person, plus tax and tip) is mind-bogglingly low. To keep the cost down, however, only light finger foods will be served…and we encourage you to stay afterward for dinner at the Briarhurst. Ring us now at 475-9700 to secure your seat—this one is sure to fill up fast! CHAMPAGNEMeriwether “Cuvee Discovery” Brut, Oregon, Regularly $14.99/Sale $13.99: One of the sublime experiences of our October expedition to Oregon was tasting this. It’s our baby Champagne, reminiscent of the real bubbly from France. By “baby,” we mean a bit smaller, but with the inimitable style of its French counterpart. Laurent-Perrier “LP” Brut Champagne,
Regularly $33.99/Sale$26.99: “How
can you offer us real Champagne at this price,” you ask?
We can’t say—we just Piper-Sonoma Brut, Regularly $15.99/Sale $13.99: A “battling” bubbly if ever there was one. Though it’s from northern California, the “Piper” indicates a French connection—to the ubiquitous champagne house of Piper-Heidsieck. A mouth-filling and most agreeable wine on every level. Krug Grande Cuvee Brut Champagne, Regularly $161.99/Sale $138.99: Great Champagne doesn’t come cheap. This isn’t cheap, but it’s worth every cent. It’s the ethereal aspects here that make it great. SPECIAL SPIRITSDel Maguey, Single Village Mezcals, $67.99 These are nothing like your typical tequila. They are unblended and produced in the original 400 year old organic, hand-crafted way. With ,minerally, smoky, spicy and even fruity notes,these mezcals are definitely delicious. Winner 1999-2002 World Spirits Championships. McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, $39.99 Jim Murray, respected whiskey reviewer, scored this a 94 out of 100 and said, “this is a dram I could drink any day.” Clear Creek Distillery uses imported peat-malted Scottish barley to make this amazing American Whiskey. If you’re a fan of “peaty” Scotches you’ve got to try this one! THE TREASURE CHESTThese are the fine, the rare and the costly. Due to our long term standing in this business and our ever steady devotion to fine wine, we are able to procure highly allocated wines unavailable to most other stores. Any of these wines would be a very special gift for your connoisseur friends who are, hopefully, very good friends, or for yourself! This is but a small sampling. We have many more! 1998 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District , $149.99/ bottle: Year after year, this wine is selected as one of the best California cabernets. It is always quintessentially Stags Leap, with a Margaux –like elegance combined with power and opulence. Given 94 points by Robert Parker, he writes, “The 1998 Hillside Select is a candidate for wine of the vintage. It is better each time I retaste it. This rich, full -bodied cabernet offers sweet tannin, a layered texture, and a finish that lasts 45-50 seconds. It is a splendid accomplishment in a difficult vintage. Drink now – 2017.” 2000 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, $149.99/ bottle: Again Robert Parker bestows this wine 94 points and again calls it “ a candidate for wine of the vintage. A powerful effort… a round, opulent wine with beautiful texture as well as a plump, evolved style”. It seems Shafer never produces a “ Hillside Select” that is less than outstanding! 2000 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvognon, Napa Valley, $299.99/bottle: For nearly two decades, HarlanEstates has been committed to creating a “First Growth” wine estate … and they have succeeded. This blend of the classic Bordeaux varietals, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and petit verdot, has elegance, depth, and complex-ity. It is very difficult to come by as only 1800 cases were made. The Wine Spectator gave this 94 points describing it as “A tremendous wine. Dense, tight and chewy, with firm tannins wrapped around a core of mocha-laced currant and blackberry. Well-focused, precisely balanced and full of concentrated flavors. A great cellar candidate. Drink now through 2012.” 2001 Viader, Napa Valley, $83.99/bottle: This is always one of our favorite wines. Made from cabernet sauvignon with a healthy dose of cabernet franc, it is a beautiful style and able to be consumed earlier than most other top end California cabs. 92-94 points from the Wine Spectator calling it “A seductive, smooth and richly flavored wine, with layers of chocolate, black cherry, plum and spice. Long, complex after-taste.” 1998 Joseph Phelps Insignia, Proprietary Red, Napa Valley, $99.99/bottle: Jo-seph Phelps is one of the pioneers of California cabernet production and his winery was the first to produce a blend of Bordeaux varietals under a proprietary name, that name being Insignia. The wine is stellar vintage after vintage. The Wine Spectator ‘s review of the 1998 —”A dark, deliciously rich and complex youngster, brimming with layers of currant, blackberry, plum, mineral, spice, chocolate and cedar. Finishes with a gush of flavors, yet maintains its finesse and grace. 93 points. 1997 Gaja Barbaresco, Normale, $189.99: From a great maker, Angelo Gaja, in a great vintage. A mouthfill of Nebbiolo, near its peak. 1997 Vega Sicilia, Valbuena, $119.99: Vega Sicilia is the most historic winery in Spain. Some bottles sell for $700 on release. This offers velvety, tempered Tempranillo flavors. 1995 Quinto do Cotto, Grande Escolha, Regularly $69.99/Sale $54.99: This red was “wine of the year” in Portugal. It comes from the Duero Valley, where Port is made. Though dry on the tongue, it has the aromatic essences of Port (roasted nuts and raisins). 2001 Vall Llach, Priorat, $79.99: This and L’Ermita ($500/bottle) are ranked as the top two wines of the stellar 2001 vintage in Priorato. This is a posh, mouthfilling, but not “mouth breaking,” young wine. AFTER DINNERBarros 10 Year Old Tawny Port, Regularly $29.99/Sale $26.99: Itwould not be hyperbole to call Barros “a tawny port genius.” In itsancient and numerous casks in Vila Nova de Gaia, Barros produces portsof a quality that stands significantly above many of their peers. This 10- year-old still carries some ripe fruit, but with dried-fruit notes as well. The perfect quaff for a snowy afternoon. Dow’s 20 Year Tawny Port, Regularly $49.99/Sale $47.99: This wellknown port house has a winner here. The Wine Enthusiast calls this, “Aclassic 20 year old, containing good fruit with aromas of coffee, mint andplum jam. Its perfect in balance; great structure keeps it from beingcloying, and the finish is long and easy. 96 points.” 2002 Lillypilly Noble Blend, Riverina, New South Wales, Australia, Regularly $15.99/Sale $13.99 (375ml): A sweet, dessert-style blend oftraminer, riesling and semillon grapes infected by botrytis (noble rot). Essences of wildflowers, white peach, mandarin, butterscotch and honeyvie for one’s attention amid a lusciousness that’s reminiscent of goodsauternes. The perfect match for strawberries and cream. Kelt Tour du Monde VSOP, Regularly $53.99/Sale $46.99: Centuriesago it was discovered that cognac, which was sent from France to thecolonies, improved dramatically during the long sea voyage. The rolling ofthe sea, temperature variations, frequent air pressure changes and the seaair itself rounds the spirit off in a beautiful way. Kelt has revived thistradition by sending their aged cognac, still in oak barrels, on a three- month sea voyage around the globe, hence the name Tour du Monde. The result is this very smooth, complex cognac. Our Christmas Sale WinesEUROPEANREDS 2002 La Sauvageonne “Les Ruffes,” Coteaux de Languedoc, Regularly $11.99/Sale $10.99: There is indeed something “sauvage,” (savage) about this red wine—and we say this in a complimentary way, as in “noble savages”—in that it gives us such intriguing elements as red earth, campfire smoke and wild grit. 2003 Casenove “La Garrigue,” Cotes Catalanes, Roussillon, Regularly $12.99/Sale $11.99: From the foothills of the Pyrenees comes this “mountain” of a red, offering up elements reminiscent of the earth, rocks and shrubs that you find spread across the “garrigue” for which the wine is named. No Smuckers jam or obsequious fruitiness here. 2000 Jean Deydier “Les Clefs d’Or,” Chateauneuf du Pape, Regularly $29.99/Sale $25.99: Compared to the above two wines—also from southern France—this is all grace and style. It exhibits some of the charming plum and herb aspects for which Chateauneuf is known. An excellent wine for lamb. 2000 Les Grandes Vignes du Roy, Rasteau, Cotes du Rhone Villages, Regularly $12.99/Sale$11.49: Of the 16 villages allowed to put their names on a bottle of Cotes du Rhone, Rasteau and Cairanne are our two favorites. Rasteau has a tendency to be the meatiest and, at times, the most rustic of the bunch. This one lends distinctive nuances of coffee, cocoa, spice and earth. 1999 Hoya de Cadenas Tempranillo Reserva, Utiel-Requena, Regularly $9.99/Sale $8.99: We are beginning to see some wines from the lesser-known Spanish appellation, Utiel-Requena, on American retail shelves. To date, this is the best we’ve tasted (our “mala educacion?”). It is 85 percent tempranillo and 15 percent cabernet sauvignon—an intense, meaty wine with fetching dried-fruit aromas and flavors. 2000 Muga Rioja Reserva unfiltered, Regularly $21.99/Sale$18.99: Muga never seems to let you down. The balance between the fruit and oak in the wines is always pin-point— and this offering is no exception, exhibiting young, dark fruit and a bit of diffidence. But it will reveal more of its abundant charm with each passing day. 95 points from Wine Spectator. 2000 Elio Grasso Barolo “Vigna Casa Mate,” Regularly $45.99/Sale $39.99: Though Wine Spectator dubbed 2000 the “vintage of the century” in Barolo, the wines are merely very good, not great. But this bottling from Grasso is one of the very best of the very good. It’s feminine and refined, and, for Barolo, a stupendous value. We will sell through our allocation of this VERY FAST, so…if you want some, you know what to do. 2000 Fugue de Nenin Pomerol, Bordeaux, Regularly $39.99/34.99: This merlot-based red from a storied appellation in a great vintage seems to be perfectly named, since it is the softer, more pliable prelude to its “symphonic” parent, Chateau Nenin. The wine’s fleshy blackberry fruit is wonderfully balanced by rich hints of herbs, mocha and cedar. WHITES 2003 Bott-Geyl Pinot d’Alsace, Beblenheim, Regularly $12.99/$11.49: This is pretty full-flavored for an Alsatian white. On the palate it’s pure satin…and there is just a hint of sweetness—which makes it a fine match for ham, sausages or choucroute garni. 2003 Gysler Weinheim Holle Silvaner Halbtrocken QBA, Regularly $12.99/Sale $10.99 (liter): All those who think of the silvaner grape as one that produces a watery, insipid wine must taste this. It is indeed light, but it explodes on the palate with delicious melon-like flavors—and a splash of acid at the end gives it a lingering finish. 2003 Josef Leitz Rudesheimer Magdalenenkrauz Riesling Spatlese, Rheingau, Regularly $21.99/Sale $18.99: Josef Leitz is one of our wine heroes…he never fails to impress us. The fruit and complexity he manages to draw from the riesling grape is rarely equaled. And he always provides perfect acid to balance the wines—particularly the semi-sweet ones such as this brilliant spatlese from Rudesheim. 2003 Immich-Batterieberg Enkircher Riesling Spatlese, Mosel, Regularly $39.99/ Sale $36.99: This is the Mosel complement to the Rheingau spatlese above. True to it origins, it is leaner, with more of a Granny Smith apple aspect. Again, the wine’s elegance and complexity is awe-inspiring…it is simply one of the finest white wines from any-where that we’ve tasted this year. SOUTHERN HEMISPHEREREDS 2002 Urban Oak Red, Valle de Uco, Argentina, Regularly $12.99/Sale $11.49: Right out of Borges in “BA.” And, like his short story, “The Aleph,” the wine is a fanciful web of delights and delusions, coming, as it does, from tempranillo, malbec and syrah. Though we aren’t much into wine labels, the existential aspect of this label sends us—to where precisely, we aren’t quite sure. 2000 Graham Beck “The Ridge” Syrah, Robertson, South Africa, Regularly $21.99/ Sale $19.99: An accessible, fruit-forward, yet dense red, exhibiting layers of cherry-plum, vanilla, spice, cedar and red earth in a tightly structured package that make it the perfect foil for cassoulet or baby back ribs. 2001 Apaltagua “Envero,” Colchagua Valley, Chile, Regularly $14.99/Sale $13.99: The juicy raspberry-cherry fruit in this carmenere-cabernet blend from Chile will win some fans, while nuances of smoke and brown spices add interest. There are hints of raspberry jam on the finish, but balancing acidity lifts the palate. 2001 Scarpantoni “School Block” Red, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Regularly $17.99/Sale $15.99: This delicious blend of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot is almost too good to be true: soft and easy-going in its personality, the wine explodes with exotic aromas of mint, vanilla, black pepper, mushrooms and black cherry that are mirrored on the palate, along with roasted meat and earth notes. A stunner! 2002 Jim Barry “The Cover Drive” Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Australia, Regularly $16.99/Sale $14.99: Subtle aromas of cigar box, dark berries, sweet mints and vanilla greet the taster, followed by luscious blackberry and dark cherry flavors, rounded by the velvety tannins and sweet oak imparted by French and American barriques. You may find that this fascinating Coonawarra red joins your list of favorites. 2002 Kaesler “Stonehorse” Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia, Regularly $27.99/Sale $24.99: With a 94-96 point rating, The Wine Advocate calls this wine “ spectacular…a teeth-staining, mouth-filling, extremely concentrated shiraz of great per-fume, beautifully integrated wood, and sensational richness as well as length. A prodigious effort…”—a sentiment with which we cannot disagree. It’s very limited in supply. WHITES 2003 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, Regularly $15.99/ Sale $14.99: Classic aromas of melon, gooseberry and fresh herbs suggest New Zealand “ savvie;” citrus fruit, spices and a bracing acidity on the palate confirm the wine’s lineage. Kim Crawford’s award-winning bottling is full flavored and stylish, with a faint oiliness and great intensity. A Wine Spectator TOP 100 Wine for 2004. AMERICANREDS 2003 Sineann Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, Regularly $32.99/Sale $28.99: A meticulously made, elegant, spicy, beautifully balanced pinot, with a refined structure, a generous palate and remarkable length. If you love good pinot noir, you’ll be blown away by this stylish ambassador for the vintage. 2003 Jezebel Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, Regularly $19.99/Sale $17.99: This “entry-level” pinot from Sineann’s Peter Rosback and Rex Hill’s Aron Hess, displays much of the uniform ripeness, dazzling red fruit and impeccable balance of many Willamette pinot noirs selling at twice the price. 2001 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Regularly $44.99/Sale $39.99: This blend of 86% cabernet and 14% merlot from the Phelps estate vineyards, is chock-a-block with black cherry and blackberry aromas, underscored with a trace of graphite. Rich, dark berry fruit and undertones of sweet oak linger on the palate, culminating in a long, lush finish. 1999 Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Trailside Vineyard, Napa Valley, Regu-larly $89.99/Sale $83.99: The 11 th vintage from this renowned vineyard in Napa’s Ruth-erford appellation delivers powerful varietal flavors, along with firm, refined notes of black cherry, plum, mocha, herbs and cedar; it’s exceptional balance and supple texture make for a long, complex finish. 1998 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Regularly $49.99/Sale $36.99: If you are among those who ignored the 1998 cabernet vintage in California, Cathy Corison’s superlative effort will be a real “find.” Complex aromas and flavors of plum, blackberry and black cherry mingle with hints of violets, chocolate, a dash of spice and the unmistak-able mineral character known as “Rutherford dust”. In short, this is stylish, beautifully built, Napa cabernet—a standout effort in a difficult vintage. 2002 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Regularly $21.99/Sale $18.99: Pretty aromas of cassis and blackberry, with hints of earth, dried herbs and vanilla, precede lush berry flavors that overlay accents of brown spices and toast; the wine’s firm structure adds length to the satisfying finish. 2002 Crystal Valley Cellars Reserve Merlot, California, Regularly $12.99/Sale $10.99: Richly flavored, nicely balanced and surprisingly complex for its price, this “sec-ond label” merlot from Cosentino assaults both nose and palate with essences of cherries, plums, herbs, spices, minerals, vanilla and earth. If you can find a better merlot for the money, let us know! 2001 Regusci Merlot, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley, Regularly $44.99/Sale $41.99: Simply stated, this merlot from a little-known winery in Napa’s Stags Leap District will astonish you. Rich, expansive aromas of black cherry, vanilla, white pepper and earth mingle with hints of coffee and chocolate in the mouth, permeating the senses with their concentration and clarity. We can’t recall a more memorable experience with California merlot. 2003 Saisons des Vins “L’Hiver” Syrah, Mendocino, Regularly $19.99/Sale $17.99: Saisons des Vins (seasons of wine) produces a wine for each of the seasons, and this is the winery’s winter (“l’hiver”) offering. If you like your syrah rich and full, this is for you. Packed with essences of blackberry, licorice, violets, vanilla and smoked bacon, the wine finishes with a trace of black pepper, reminding us very much of a French Syrah. 2001 Rosenblum Zinfandel “Alegria,” Russian River Valley, Sonoma, Regularly $29.99/Sale $24.99: An old-vine, field blend of zinfandel, petite sirah and alicante bouschet, the Alegria (Spanish for “happy”) is a rich, jammy, spicy, raspberry-plum-fruited red— with a hint of licorice—engineered to put a smile on the face zin lovers everwhere. 2001 Kunde Estate “Century Vines” Zinfandel, Shaw Vineyard, Sonoma Valley, Regularly $28.99/Sale $21.99: Produced from a Kunde family vineyard planted in 1882, this intensely flavored, spicy, expansive zinfandel continues to delight red devotees; zesty raspberry, mint, cocoa, toasted oak and roasted nuts infuse its never-ending finish. This isn’t a huge fruit-forward zin. It is instead, a medium-bodied, stylish rendition of the grape. Caldwell “Rocket Science” Red, Formula 101, Napa Valley, Regularly $33.99/Sale $26.99: We brought a few cases of John Caldwell’s superb wines into Colorado last spring for a wine dinner and have a tiny amount of his luscious “Rocket Science,” a merlot-syrah blend, left (the only bottles in the state). Redolent of boysenberries, roast coffee beans, peppercorns and earth, it’s a sturdy, rich, spicy and sophisticated red with a hint of cigar wrapper in the finish. 1999 Laird Family Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Regularly $59.99/Sale $35.99: No, the sale price is not a typo. Small distributors, for reasons of cash flow and space, sometimes need to sell the remaining cases of a wine in order to bring in the next vintage. That’s what happened here, much to our delight, and we’re passing the savings on to you. We can vouch for the quality of the wine, loaded as it is with the intriguing flavors of dark cherries, moist earth, blackberries, cedar, cigar box and mocha. As supple as it gets. 92 points from Stephen Tanzer. WHITES 2002 Schweiger Sauvignon Blanc, Uboldi Vineyards, Sonoma Valley, Regularly $16.99/Sale $12.99: From a single vineyard in Kenwood comes this fresh, aromatic sauvignon, that manages to combine some of the lemongrass, citrus, and green apple char-acteristics of Frane’s Loire Valley with the gooseberry, melon, and tropical fruit elements typical of New Zealand sauvignon blanc. 2002 Neyers Chardonnay, Carneros, Napa Valley, Regularly $25.99/Sale $19.99: Traditional Burgundian techniques—including natural yeast, barrel-fermentation and aging in French barriques—are employed here to produce a lighter style chardonnay with layers of melon, toast, tropical fruit, butterscotch and spice in the mouth and the finish. A balanced statement in California chardonnay. 2002 Talley Chardonnay, Arroyo Grande Valley, California, Regularly $25.99/Sale $23.99: Purity is the watchword here—purity of apricot, white peach, pear and citrus fruit, lightly oaked and beautifully balanced, so as to provide a superior drinking experi-ence. Subtlety, elegance, generosity, persistence: this chardonnay from little-known Ar-royo Grande has it all. 92 points from The Wine Advocate. 2002 Kunde Estate Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley, Regularly $12.99/Sale $10.99: Kunde scores with this zesty, perfectfully balanced chardonnay, displaying vibrant, racy, lemon-lime-melon fruit with traces of toast, vanilla and a subtle herb component that lends the wine added dimension. An amazing value! 2001 Laird Family Chardonnay, Carneros, Regularly $34.99/Sale $24.99: Another excellent bargain from your friends at Coaltrain—this one for fans of rich, full-flavored, butter-and-toast-laced California chardonnay. A plush, spicy, concentrated white, from celebrated winemaker Paul Hobbs, which garnered a 92 rating from Wine Spectator. 2003 Martin & Weyrich Moscato “Allegro,” California, Regularly $12.99/Sale $10.99: A delicately effervescent, California version of Italy’s moscato d’Asti, Allegro dances across the palate with its fruit intensity and bracing acidity. The wine’s light sweetness and exotic orange blossom-honeyed apricot-peach notes, make it the ideal brunch accompaniment. SEASONAL BREWSWoodchuck Dark and Dry Hard Cider, Vermont $6.49/6pk: Juicy red apple aromas follow through with crisp, dry apple flavors and a long, dry apple finish. Refreshing and versatile with many foods. Isolation Ale, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO $7.29 6/pk: No fruit or spices in this winter beer, just rich, malty flavors and aromas. Perfect for hearty fare such as steak or grilled sausages. Sam Adams Chocolate Bock, Boston, MA. $13.99/ 750ml: Dark mahogany hue. Cocoa and roasted malt aromas follow through on an utterly smooth and chocolaty palate that never turns sweet and finishes with a lingering malt afertaste. Gift Ideas
A Very Happy Holiday
Season to All of You |
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COALTRAIN
Wine & Spirits
330 W. Uintah
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
719-475-9700