About Us

Contact Us

Newsletter

Events/Tastings

Party Orders

Join our
E-mail list

Newsletter

March, 2007

• Tasting Calendar
• Red Wine the Month
• White Wine the Month
• New Arrivals
• The 16th Annual Wine Festival of Colorado Springs
• Featured Brewery—Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Deleware
• Archives

Printer Friendly Version

TASTING CALENDAR

The 16th Annual Wine Festival of Colorado Springs

March 9th and 10th, Several Locations

Please see inside for details.

Wines to Drink with Spicy Foods

March 28th, 6 p.m. at Mackenzie’s Chophouse

The challenge of challenges-the answers do exist. The Chef de resistance, Espiridion (Pete) Moreno will do his magic with Mexican, Thai, Chinese, and whatever other Cuisine his fertile mind will come up with. We will pull everything out of the hat and that which is up the sleeve to match his creations. There will be a series of food samplings to compare and match. A good time will be had by all. The price is $40/person plus tax and gratuity. Reserve your hot seat—it won’t be extreme—by calling us at 475-9700.

"A Night at the Villa"

April 14th, 6:30 to 9 p.m at the Smokebrush Gallery 218 W. Colorado Ave. (under the bridge)

Enjoy an evening of wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres and live music. Sample from a diverse selection of 45 wines from around the world and feast at the buffet table provided by Colorado Springs’ finest caterers. Darby Gould, one of Coaltrain’s premier wine geeks has organized this event to raise funds for Ruth Washburn Cooperative Nursery. The cost is $35 ($30 if purchased before April 6th). Please call the school at 636-3084.

The Southern Stars of Australia

April 17th at The Briarhurst Manor, 6 p.m.

top

Red Wine the Month

2004 Vega Sindoa Cabernet Sauvignon-Trempanillo, Navarra, $10.99: Talk about chocolate and toast! This is it, a bit of exotica from northern Spain. Perched on the shoulder of the Pyrenees and scattered upon the high plains, Navarra is a wine zone with a multitude of climates and soils. This allows it to cultivate many different kinds of grapes. This wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon grown in red clay at an altitude of 1,500 feet..where Cabernet can ripen perfectly. The other 40% is Tempranillo, grown at a higher altitude on a calcareous clay soil. The resulting wine is far more international in essence than "Spanish." But then, Spain of today is synonymous with international T he winemaker, Concha Vecino, gives a wine here with deep color. There are essences of leather in the nose with blackberries, licorice and soft tannins on the tongue. If you like California style wines, you’ll like this a lot. And check out the price! "Que nina brava."

top

White Wine of the Month

2005 Brassfield Sauvignon Blanc, High Valley Appellation, High Serenity Ranch, Regularly $12.99/Sale $11.99: That’s a pretty big name for a winery that’s only been operating since 1998, in the newest AVA (American Viticultural Area), founded in 2005. So, one might call the wine a "pretty baby." Actually, the Sauvignon Blanc vineyards are particularly infant, being planted in High Serenity Ranch in 2001. There is drop of pineapple in the nose with some citron. It’s lively and fresh. The body has no flab, like a bicycle racer. Perhaps we’re rhapsodizing, but we can taste some of the gravelly loams on the tongue in which the vines are planted. An impressive beginning effort from this new wine zone. When these vineyards become nubile we foresee some stunning beauties. By the way, THE WINE ENTHUSIAST gave this 91 points and a "Best Buy" denotation. Good call.

top

New Arrivals

2005 Patianna Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino, $15.99: We’ve always been taken by the Sauvignon Blancs from Mendocino. There is something nice, fresh and Sauvignon Blanc about them. This wine is particularly interesting because it is biodynamic. That means that it is far more than "organic." With organic winemaking the theme is no herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, etc. Biodynamics is this and more. Biodynamic winemaking works according to a special calendar, a sort of cosmic calendar. This tells the winemakers when to perform their work according to the alignment of the planets and other astronomical conditions. Shed your doubts. It seems to work. The wines, like this Sauvignon Blanc, have a singular personality.

2005 Sancerre, Les Charmes, Andre Vatan, $21.99: When the atypically skilled sommelier, Sergio Calderon, at Michel Bras (the most connoisseurial restaurant in France) introduced us to the Sancerre of this maker last June, we were a bit surprised. First, because he decanted the wine and placed the glass decanter in an ice bucket. Second, because we weren’t familiar with the maker, Andre Vatan. That Sancerre was a 2002 and Sergio was ever so wise to decant it. The more air it got, the more exotic it became. We were even more surprised when, back home, we gazed upon one of our distributor’s list of wares and found Andre Vatan in the line-up (the distributor had no idea the gem he possessed). In the last month we have received the 2005, a great year for Loire wines It’s aromatic, but coy on the nose. It’s rich, but light. It’s round, but edgy. It’s long, but fleeting. Just try it. You will experience most all the pleasures the Sauvignon Blanc grape can provide.

2004 Saint-Romain, Germain Pere & Fils, $23.99: Saint-Romain provides the finest values in white Burgundy. Actually, it provides some of the best values in Chardonnay of the whole world. These can be very high-class wines, but you must have a good maker and above all a good year. Germain is a superb maker, who lives in the enchanting village of Saint-Romain. You must have a good year because it’s difficult for the Chardonnay to ripen up here. You see Saint-Romain is high (between 985 and 1,300 feet), rugged, stony and consistently windy. In a cool year, the wines will be thin and acidic. But, in a good year like 2004, the wines are exuberant with a lemony freshness. This particular Saint-Romain is the apotheosis of elegance. Its light golden color with its soft apple nose and refined Chardonnay flavors make it so. In this age where big is always best, it is remarkable someone can make such a wine.

2005 Stoller "JV" Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Oregon, Regularly $26.99/Sale $23.99: When you taste this wine you will know why the owners ended turkey farming for the sake of wine making (observe the small turkey on the label). The Stoller vineyard is in the Red Hills of Dundee, an intensely cultivated hillock of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Stoller Ranch is a 350 acre site, not completely planted, sitting on an iron rich Jory soil which seems to give wines higher PH (less acidity) that are less dense than many. So here you have a medium weight wine with raspberry notes and a bump of spice. It’s an absolute delight to drink tonight, maybe with a deep fried turkey.

2006 Las Hormigas Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, $10.99: The ants (las hormigas)! This is Italian-made, Argentine Malbec from the sunny plateau of Mendoza, beneath the silvery, snow clad summits of the Andes. Basically it’s a Tuscan wine made by Alberto Antonini, who also consults at the Mendoza wineries of Melipal and Carlos Pulenta. Gushy, jammy flavors can be the "usual suspects" with many Argentine Malbecs. Las Hormigas is more than that which is why we like it. Sure there are cherries, plums and other red fruits here, but there is some spine from the soft tannins which give the wine some volume and personality. We believe, at the value end, it is one of the best you can buy. Get a bottle and see if we are right.

2005 Giminez Rilli Torrontes, Mendoza, Argentina, $10.99: If Malbec is Argentina’s showcase red, Torrontes is its showcase white. But the origin of the Torrontes is under debate, unlike Malbec that is generally agreed to have come from the Cahors region of France. The debate is whether the grape came from Galicia in Spain or is some other footloose grape variety? We certainly can’t answer the question. All we can say is that Torrontes provides our favorite white wine of Argentina. It has this ability to keep its acidity in hot, arid areas such as Mendoza and Salta in Argentina, so the wines aren’t flabby and sweet in perception. In the land of goliath winemakers, small Giminiz Rilli is a formidable "David."

2005 Fiano di Avellino, Vinosia, $17.99: With little debate, the most dynamic, recent events in Italian wine have been occurring in the south. This lively, white jewel comes from Campania, where Naples vibrates on high. There, Fiano is the most interesting grape. Maybe it is the complexity…minerality, herb and pine nuts. The best Fiano, such as this, comes from the wooded hills of Avellino, thus the name. It is an area of clean, deep soils, rich in micro and macro elements that are of volcanic origin. The winery, Vinosia, is almost new, founded in 2003 by the Ercolino family of Feudi de San Gregorio renown. This wine is small boned and refined, not vulgar in any way. The lime essenced acidity is so firm that we would like to try the wine with oysters.

2005 Chianti, Fattoria Piazzano, Empoli, $10.99: Perhaps we were a bit compromised by a full day of slugging Brunellos before, but we were driving from Siena to Cinque Terre, Monterosso al Mare to be exact. We needed gas and had pangs of hunger (and pangs of thirst) in Empoli, on the way. So we stopped in a bar-pizzeria on the square. It had a back dining room full of local farmers. A good sign we thought. There was no menu, just a set lunch of salad, pasta, meat or fish and dessert. It was 10 Euros and it included a bottle of wine. "Fill us up," we rejoiced. The food was okay and the Chianti was friendly and quaffable. "Wish we could get a nice, little lunch Chianti like this in Colorado," we thought. We can and this is it. It is lovely cherry notes, some earth and a finish. Most impressive is its balance. It’s hard for us to resist this wine. Each sip takes us back the pizzeria in Empoli.

Ferrari Brut Spumante, Regularly $23.99/Sale $19.99: Have you ever seen a "Champagne" decanted? A few years back, we did by the owner of this winery, Mauro Lunelli. It was in Trento, but the Lunellis (he has a brother) have their vineyards and villas situated in the Dolomite Mountains, outside of town. Anyway, Signor Lunelli was decanting his top of the line Riserva Giulio Ferrari 1996. Holy cow, the stuff was unbelievable. Lunelli was modest, "Oh yes, it wins all the competitions in England against the finest French Champagnes." That was their top wine, this is their "intro" model. The wine gives a subtle nose. It’s elegant, nicely defined and long. The bubbles are small and persistent, what we like. It’s a definite step-up from most Prosecco, made next door in the Veneto. For us, it is closest we’ll ever come to owning a Ferrari.

2000 Dehesa La Granja, Vicinity of Zamora, Alejandro Fernandez, $19.49: Some might protest that Alejandro Fernandez stretches machismo too far. Senor Fernandez is one of the most internationally renowned of Spanish winemakers. He is the man who started Pesquera, among the most macho and revered of Ribera del Duero wines. Once we were riding with him through his Pesquera vineyards and we posed a question, "Alejandro, why do you prefer American oak to age your wine, rather than French oak?" "Oh," he exploded, "I make big, masculine wines, not itty-bitty wines like the French." So it goes…another day with Alejandro. And here with this new Dehesa La Granja from Zamora, west of Ribera del Duero, he gives another manly effort. You certainly can sense that American oak in the aromas of this bad boy. It’s all toast, spice and mature fruit. Julio Iglesias, a close "amigo" of Alejandro’s, uses it as a house wine. Taste it and you’ll know why.

2005 Blange Arneis, Ceretto, $17.99: Several years ago we were walking through the Ceretto winery, outside of Alba, Italy, with Alessandro Ceretto. Ceretto produces small amounts of Barolo, Barbaresco and other Piemontese treasures. But it makes a lot of Arneis. It’s more than all the other wines combined. And Ceretto’s Arneis is highly esteemed, maybe only Bruno Giacosa’s is valued more. Arneis may be the most well known white grape of Piemonte, though Gavi (Cortese) might debate that. Arneis is a low acid white wine with honeysuckle overtones. Few, if any, see wood. Out of the stainless steel tank, into the bottle. The wines are round and fresh. A good mate for fresh water fish or pasta in cream sauces. Also, people who don’t relate to acidic white wines adore Arneis.

2004 Rosenblum Zinfandel, Carla’s Vineyard, San Francisco Bay, $25.99: Kent Rosenblum is a reformed veterinarian. He has volumes of stories about animals he has known and loved. One tale involves mouth to mouth resuscitation of someone’s pet iguana. Small wonder he moved on to the wine business. Kent is a Zin-ophile’s dream come true. Not only does he make a plethora of different Zinfandels, he makes big mouthfilling Zinfandels. This one, from Carla’s Vineyard, is true to form. It’s dark red in color. The nose is a monster with ripe blackberries and black cherries. The flavors are immense, but creamy. Dark, ripe fruits dominate the taste profile. The finish is long and warming. Its knock-out punch is the plus 16 percent alcohol . That is typically Kent.

2004 Novy Syrah, Napa Valley, Page-Nord Vineyard, $31.99: We all know what kind of fine Pinot Noirs Adam Lee has made at Siduri Vineyards. With this wine from Novy, he shows us that he has the "touch" with Syrah too. This is remarkably graceful for a California Syrah. It certainly bears few similarities with the "smash mouth" Shirazes (another name for Syrah) of Australia. No, this is more similar to a Crozes-Hermitage or, even, a Cote Rotie from the north Rhone. There is the expected puff of smoke along with roasted meats on the nose. There are dark fruits in the mouth and some spice, but not excessively so Probably what impressed us was the balance. The fruit, oak, acid and alcohol thrive in harmony. THE WINE SPECTATOR agrees with us, scoring this tasty devil 92 points.

2005 Ojai Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Barbara County, Westerly Vineyard, $25.99: If you doubt that California can produce world class Sauvignon Blanc, try this quick. It envelopes your tongue with exotic fruits, minerals and many more indescribable sensations. Sure it’s not ineffably fine like some Sancerres or Pouilly Fumes, but it provides its own singular delights. It’s made by Adam Talmach who worked with Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat. At Ojai, Adam only makes around 6000 cases of a wine a year. In the total, besides Sauvignon Blanc, are Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Viognier. Everything Adam makes is top class.

2003 Chevalier de Rauzan Gassies, Margaux, $25.99: This is a second label of this 2nd growth chateau. The wines of Rauzan Gassies have been on the upswing the last decade or two. Historically, the chateau makes wine heavier and richer than is typical of the Margaux commune, which is characterized by fragrance and finesse. This Chevalier de Rauzan Gassies is a whole other fine thing. It gives you plum and cassis flavors built on an earthy foundation. But there a soft finesse that tells you it is from Margaux. It will drink attractively at an early age, like now. In a hot/dry vintage like 2003, second chateau labels can offer superb values.

top

A Fantastic Wine Event…

The 16th Annual Wine Festival of Colorado Springs

March 9 & 10, 2007

This weekend of wine and food events is bound to pop your cork! This year’s theme is "Pinot Noir from Around the World," and there will be all kinds of other wines as well. The line-up of events is outstanding: There is a blind tasting with a Master Sommelier, the Grand Tasting with over 300 wines and culinary delights by the areas best Chefs, a silent wine market auction, live music and dancing, seminars, and then the Gourmet Winemakers Dinner and Live Auction. Can you stand it?

For information, call the Fine Arts Center box office at 719-634-5583.

The Schedule

Friday, March 9, 2007 at the Broadmoor Hall

• A Blind Tasting Seminar with Master Sommelier Greg Harrington/ 5:30 pm/ $30
• Grand Tasting & Wine Market Auction/ 7 pm/ FAC members $60, non-members $65

Saturday, March 10, 2007

• Pinot Noir from Around the World Seminar/ 10:30 am ~ Garden of the Gods Club/ $30
  
• Classic Food & Wine Seminar/ 12:30 pm ~ Paragon Culinary School/ $50
  
• Gourmet Winemaker Dinner & Live Auction/ 6:30 pm ~ Garden of the Gods Club FAC members $150, non-members $175

top

Featured Brewery—Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Deleware

Dogfish Head is a unique brewery, opened in 1995. They tend toward experimental or extreme beers, and use many non-traditional ingredients and methods. Many of their limited release beers have a higher alcohol content and can age very well for up to ten years. Several of these beers are aged in oak, and the list of ingredients include: dates, figs, honey, saffron, maple syrup, grapes, rice, vanilla, and many other fruits and berries.

Featured Beers—

60 Minute IPA, 6 packs, 6% ABV, $8.99 Sale $8.49—Dogfish Head’s flagship beer and the first in their line of signature India Pale Ales. This beer is continuously hopped during the 60 minute boil imparting a strong citrusy, hop character. This IPA pairs well with spicy foods, pesto, grilled salmon, and pizza. Enjoy this session beer at 45-50ºF.

Raison D’Etre, 6 packs, 8% ABV, $8.99 Sale $8.49—This deep, rich ale is brewed with beet sugar, green raisins, and Belgian yeast. The ingredients work together to create a complex, full-flavored ale. It pairs well with steak, duck and mussels and should be consumed, via a snifter, at 45- 50ºF for complete appreciation.

Indian Brown Ale, 6 packs, 7.2% ABV, $8.99 Sale $8.49—This selection is a cross between a Scotch Ale, an IPA and an American Brown Ale. Brewed with aromatic barley and caramelized brown sugar, this beer goes well with smoked meats, venison, and stews. Enjoy this balanced ale at 45-50ºF.

—Try the above 3 beers in a 6-pack sampler (2 bottles of each), Sale Price $8.49

90 Minute IPA, 4 packs, 9% ABV, $9.49 Sale $8.99—This imperial IPA is continuously hopped over a 90 minute boil, and then dry-hopped during fermentation. A ridiculous amount of barley is used to create a big, balanced, beer. This beer pairs well with pork chops, beef and grilled fish. Savor this brew, from a snifter, at 50-55ºF.

Also Available—

Midas Touch, 4 packs, 9% ABV, $12.49—Somewhere between beer, wine and mead, this smooth, dry ale will please the Chardonnay or IPA drinker alike.

120 Minute IPA, 12oz. single bottle, 18% ABV, $8.49—Continually hopped over a 120 minute boil and dry hopped for a month after that. This beer is the Holy Grail for hopheads.