NewsletterOctober, 2008
TASTING CALENDARAN EVENING AT RUSTICA Monday, October 13 at 6 pm There’s a new restaurant in town getting a lot of rave reviews. We enthusiastically agree with them. Join us and the fine folks at Rustica for five courses of delicious fare paired with yummy organic and sustainably grown wines for $49 per person plus tax and service. The first dinner sold out very quickly, so call now if you want to secure a seat. Monday, October 13 at 6 pm., 2527 W. Colorado Ave. ALSATIAN WINE DINNER CHEZ PEGGY October 28 at 7 pm The Zind-Humbrechts make some of the world’s most respected wines and they have been doing so since 1620. Olivier Zind-Humbrecht runs the show today, growing the grapes organically and employing minimal intervention in the winemaking. Thus, he produces wines of character and strong personality. We’d love to see how these wines pair with food, particularly Alsatian cuisine which is unique and respected all around France. To our great happiness, we have Coaltrain’s executive chef, Taylor Courey, to bring this to reality. The tasting dinner will take place on October 28 at 7pm. The cost is $45 per person, all inclusive! We think this is a "tres bon marche" (great deal). Seating is limited. "A bientot!" CABERNETS AT THE WAREHOUSE November 6 at 6:30 pm It’s been a while since we’ve perused the world of domestic cabernet at one of our tastings (not that we don’t taste them, we taste hundreds each year!). So, let’s see what’s going on with these American beauties. We’ll keep it simple: cabs priced between $15 and $50 from different regions of California and Washington. Kick-off (it is Bronco season) will be at 6:30 pm on Nov. 6 at the Warehouse Restaurant, 25 W. Cimarron. A mere $50, plus tax and tip, covers the tasting, accompanied by Chef Chip’s delectable food. 2004 BAROLO AND BARBARESCO BASH November 20 at 6 pm They are here…the 2004 Barolos and Barbarescos. It’s one of the finest vintages of recent time. To quote the great Bruno Giacosa’s winemaker, Dante Scaglione, "2004, 2001, 1996 and 1989 are the greatest vintages for Barolo and Barbaresco in the last two decades." We concur with Dante. They are wines of intensity and balance giving you all the violets, dried rose, cherries, camphor and "goudron" that make the Nebbiolo grape one of the worlds’s most revered. This tasting will take place on Nov. 20 at La Petite Maison with tasty small plates to savor with the wines. Start time is 6 pm and the tariff is $79 per taster, plus tax and service. This is a formal sit-down tasting, so spaces are limited. New Arrivals2006 Chehalem Inox Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, $18.99/$15.99: Here’s a crisp, clean Chardonnay from Oregon. It’s because it has been aged exclusively in stainless steel tanks, not oak. "Inox" is the term used in winemaking for stainless steel ("inoxible" in French). This is one of our favorite Oregon Chardonnays. Congrats to the maker, Harry Peterson-Nedry. We should also point out that we have brought in another stunning Chehalem wine, the 2006 Reserve Dry Riesling. It’s an extremely serious effort with ripeness, weight and complexity. Harry says that if he were to make only one wine, it would be this Riesling. The price is $22.99, worth every cent. 2007 Girardet Pinot Noir, Umpqua, South Oregon, Regularly 19.99/Sale $17.99: Finally, what many of you have been asking for…a tasty Oregon Pinot Noir for under $20. We tasted this the other day after a 2005 Burgundy and preferred it over the Burgundy! It has all the cherries and red berries we want from a Pinot. But it also has depth and the tang of the soil in it. It comes from southern Oregon, not the Willamette Valley, and you can tell the difference. Girardet has been supplying us with excellent price/value Oregonians for several years. Another winner here. 2007 A to Z Pinot Gris, Oregon, Regularly $13.99/Sale $12.99: We love these guys’ motto: "Aristocratic wines at democratic prices." And it’s the truth. The wines are masterworks of blending by Bill Hatcher from Domaine Drouhin with Sam Tannahill and Cheryl Francis coming respectively from Archery Summit and Chehalem wineries. This wine gives you body, complexity and balance. If you think Pinot Gris (or Pinot Grigio in Italian) is a bland affair, try this. It will change your mind, guaranteed. 2006 Neyers Mourvedre, Pato Vineyard, Contra Coast County, $32.99: Look out French Bandol, source of the world’s best Mourvedres; there is competition from the New World. This wine comes from 100 year-old vines. Mid-bodied with lots of dark fruit and a hint of tea leaf, it has none of the gamy aspects of lesser types. Interestingly, it is made by Ehren Jordan of Turley renown, but is leaner and less extracted than Turley’s famous Zins. 2006 A. & P. de Villaine, Bouzeron, Aligote, $24.99: For us, this is almost annually the best Aligote made in Burgundy. No surprise, it is made by the owner of Domaine Romanee-Conti, Aubert de Villaine. He gives us a fine, perfumed wine, not the acidic, watery Aligotes that the locals slug down in the village cafes. By the way, the complete appellation is Bourgogne Aligote-Bouzeron (Bouzeron is a village). It is normally far superior to those wines with the simple Bourgogne Aligote appellation. Part of the reason is that the vineyard yields are lower (45 hectoliters/hectare versus 60 hectoliters/hectare). 2006 Jean Perrier Rousette de Savoie, Monterminod, $19.99: Here we go again (after the Apremont and Abymes) with another French white from the Savoie. You might think we are trying to win a free trip to the French Alps. No, this is simply an intriguing wine. The grape is Altesse, the source of which is most mysterious. Some think it came from Cyprus, others Hungary. The wine has more body than the Abymes and Apremont. It would be splendid with raclette, fish, poultry or "charcuterie." A wonder indeed. 2007 Domaine Maby Lirac Blanc, $19.99: In the village of Tavel, near Avignon, in southern France, Domaine Maby makes some impressive wines. Of course, Tavel is most known for making many of France’s best roses, but they can make some mean reds and whites in those parts as well. Often the whites can be heavy, but not this; it dances on your tongue with grace. Many white grapes are allowed in the blend down here, but Clairette must be one third of the mix. This wine won a gold medal in the difficult "Concours des Vins Orange," and we can see why. It’s the best white Lirac we have tasted. 2006 Felsina, Chianti Classico, Regularly $21.99/Sale $18.99: Felsina has been a leading Chianti estate in the village of Berardenga for many years. In general, the wines of Berardenga are full bodied, structured wines, particularly compared to the softer Chiantis from the village of Greve, to the north. This Berardenga Chianti is pretty true to type. It greets you with a floral nose. The colors are darkish, not bricky. It has a middle weight’s body but there are loads of flavors with an acid edge that makes it ideal with food. 2004 Damilano Barolo, Le Cinquevigne, Regularly $44.99/Sale $39.99: To get a Barolo for 40 bucks from one of the best vintages in the last 15 years is nothing to complain about. Actually, 2004 was such a great year that it was almost impossible not to make a good wine. This Barolo shines with its nose of "surmaturo" (ripe) fruit that gives you dried rose, cinnamon and a hint of white truffles. The palate is full, with the expected tannins and acids in abundance. But the balancing fruit is there too. It’s indeed a remarkable value for 2004 Barolo, which generally aren’t cheap. 2007 Piculit-Neri, Emilio Bulfon, Venezie IGT, $16.99: What do you say about a grape that requires an archeologist to figure out what it is. Really! Ampelographers, normal grape scientists, had nary a clue what was growing in Emilio Bulfon’s vineyard. But an archeologist buddy did. He went back to ancient Roman records and found out what they had grown there. It turned out to be Piculit-Neri. Anyway, this is a charming, medium bodied red. It has a satin mouthfeel with gracious, well-bred flavors. We were impressed. Be one of the first to taste this wine in America (and perhaps the whole world). 2006 Capestrano Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, $9.99: Here’s a quaffer with character from Italy’s Abruzzi province. It comes with a fetching ruby color with black cherry, plum and carob aromas. The mouthfeel is velvet with some earth. Again there are black cherry and plum flavors. It has a wide range of food matches from Pecorino cheese to red meats. 2006 Hexamer, Quarzit Riesling, Nahe, $19.99: Ah, Nahe! Our favorite German wine zone. "Warum?" It contains the best sensations of the Mosel and Rheingau…racy fruit and huge complexity and minerality. Harald Hexamer brings it to us from a vineyard of quartzite soil. But the Nahe is hard to get a handle on because there are so many differing soils in a relatively small area, 13 miles from north to south. Besides quartzite there are porphyry, basalt and colored sandstone soils. All add a different flavor to their resulting wines. At this relatively mild price, you can see how delightful a Nahe Riesling can be. 2006 Schmitges, Erdener Treppchen, Auselse, $37.99/375 ml. The Mosel wines presented by Andreas and Waltraud Schmitges have few peers. And this is perennially one of their finest. It gives you mesmerizing sweetness with harmony and length. It shows you how a sweet wine can be so fine and not really taste all that sweet. That is the key to it all. And Schmitges definitely holds that key. 2006 Josef Ehmoser, Gruner Veltliner, $17.99: The Austrians have a taste for dryness and acidity that is not always shared by their German neighbors. Thus, most, though not all, of Austrian wines are dry. Though many different grapes are grown in this up-and-coming wine country, Gruner Veltliner is the work horse. The wine gives you perfume and substance. It is dry and spicy as well. Gruners can actually get better for a couple years from the vintage. This one is approaching prime time. 2005 Quinta de la Rosa, Douro, Portugal, $24.99: You know some of the dry reds from Portugal’s Douro valley can top $100. Are they worth it? Some, perhaps. But with this one there is not a doubt that it is worth $24.99. It’s a powerful wine with dark aromas and dark fruit flavors on the tongue. These are artfully framed by vanilla essences provided by the oak barrel aging. In many ways, though the grapes are different, these Douro wines remind us of the Priorat wine of Spain. But the "terroirs" are very similar. Snag a bottle and you will see what the excitement is about. 2005 Aliança Foral Reserva, Douro, Portugal, Regularly $11.99/Sale $10.99: If you balk at the price of the above Douro red, take a shot at this value priced model. Aliança Foral Reserva gives polish and power with ripe fruit, licorice and some pepper. It’s a good intro into the wonders from the Douro valley, whence Port comes. We believe it to be just the thing to bring us into the fall and serious red wine drinking season. Look out deer and elk. 2007 Nieto Senetenir, Don Nacanor, Chardonnay/Viognier, Argentina, $16.99: One of the most impressive white wines we’ve tasted from Argentina. Normally, when one thinks Argentine white, the Torrontes grape pops up. At best it is light, floral and refreshing. This wine is lot more serious, with body coming from the Chardonnay and some viscosity provided by the Viognier. A little oak pulls it all together. Judging by what we’ve tasted from the Nieto Senetenir Winery, it is one of Argentina’s most consistent.
A MOST SPECIAL OFFERING2005 Achaval Ferrer Quimera, Mendoza, Argentina, Regularly $49.99/Sale $24.99: A very special offering here. We were able to obtain an astounding price on this Argentine rarity by purchasing the entire lot. It is a blend of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Not surprisingly it is remarkably Bordeaux-like in essence.Thus it shows more refinement and complexity than many of its Argentine kin. It’s dark in color, neither fined nor filtered, with a subtle nose. It’s rich and fleshy on the tongue, like a Pomerol from a good year. What we like is the correct amount of acidity which is not easily come by on the hot and dry Andean plateaus encircling Mendoza. No way is it "over the top" but it’s best to open it a few hours ahead.
Stellar SelbySusie Selby, winemaker/owner of Selby vineyards, made a guest appearance at our Wine Festival last spring. It was a rousing occasion because of Susie and her exuberant wines. It’s no surprise that this chardonnay is the "house wine" of Robert Redford at Sundance. Good taste, Bob. 2006 Selby Chardonnay, Russian River, $25.99: Now this is a marvelous California Chardonnay! Why? It is complex, full-bodied, yet it has elegance too. Rarely do you find these three attributes in one bottle of Chardonnay from the "Golden State." It is a result of ideally situated hillside vineyards and the know-how of the makers. The wine is fermented in "barriques," like most of the finest white Burgundies. Then it matures in these same wooden barrels upon the lees (dead yeast and other materials), a process called "sur-lie" in French. Then the wine is stirred every three weeks, a process the French call "batonnage." This is what gives you the complexity. As you can imagine, this is a labor-intensive wine. The results are worth all the efforts.
White Wine of the Month2006 Quinta do Alqueve, Ribatejo (Portugal), Regularly $12.99/Sale $10.99: What a haunting white wine here. It’s kind of like listening to the Fado of Coimbra (north of the Ribatejo wine zone)…not quite like anything else in Portugal. Different from the Fado bars in Lisboa. Probably it is the grape, the Fernao Pires. This white grape has a distinctive nose which some wags have compared to boiled cabbage. We’d like to say the aromas are more of lime and lemon with some "caldo verde" (the traditional Portuguese kale and potato soup) tossed in the mix. It’s golden-hued, dry and refreshing, with a lot more character than Portugal’s workhorse white, Vinho Verde. Yet there are some nationalistic similarities between the two. The maker, Pinhal de Torre, is one of Portugal’s bright, new stars. The grapes are all home grown on Pinhal de Torre’s Quinta do Alqueve estate. If you are up for something new, unique and delicious, pounce on this. The supply is not limitless.
Red Wine of the Month2006 Chateau de Segries, Cotes du Rhone, Regularly $14.99/Sale $12.99: Golly, there is a staggering number of delightful, value priced, red wines from France’s Rhone River valley. And this is one of the very best we’ve tasted. It casts its spell with red and black fruit aromas and flavors. There is some spice and maybe a whiff of tobacco. It is medium-full bodied, with all the parts in perfect harmony. Well, obviously we are in awe. The wine’s composition is 50 percent Grenache, 30 percent Syrah and 10 percent each of Cinsault and Carignan. Chateau de Segries was in decline until it was resurrected in the last ten years by Henri de Lanzac. We must give this man a "chapeau" (tip of the hat). He has done miracles at his estate. We cannot imagine a more satisfying wine for $13. He also makes impressive Lirac red and Tavel rose too.
Exclusively CoaltrainAs we wander the globe consuming copious quantities of wine, we habitually look for tasty tidbits to bring into Coaltrain. With this wine we worked through a Seattle importer to obtain the magical 2005 Mas Marcal red for the delectation of all our loyal customers. Mas Marcal is a picture book estate that in the 18th Century was a convent. It rides a hill with palm trees and sweeping views towards mountains and sea. It is some 30 miles southwest of Barcelona. In 1975 Manuel Sancho bought the convent and planted the vines. His family continues to run the winery today. From the start, Mont Marcal made a name for its Cavas (sparkling wines) that dominate the region. The region, Penedes, is prime white wine growing habitat. In 2000 the laws were changed allowing Penedes makers to go to neighboring zones to procure red grapes. A few of these zones in nearby Tarragona (where Priorato is located) produce some of Spain’s richest and finest reds. Manuel Sancho was all over it and went to the Terra Alta appellation to purchase the Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Carignan to make this gem. So what do we have with this 2005 Mas Marcal red? We have a full-bodied young wine with blackberry and blackcurrant aromas seasoned with a twist of cracked, black pepper. On the tongue it’s tangy and fresh with intensity and length. There are dark berry and plum flavors. It’s big, but charming, a personality like the Catalan tennis hero, Rafa Nadal. We are offering it for $11.99 a bottle or $9.99 a bottle when purchased in case lots. This 2005 Mas Marcal is one of the top red values we’ve put on the shelf. Try a bottle. We think you’ll return for a case. REMEMBER, IN COLORADO, IT IS EXCLUSIVELY AT COALTRAIN.
Marvels of Shannon RidgeThe wines of Shannon Ridge, in Lake County, are the latest Californians to set our hearts atwitter. It’s a certain purity and distinctiveness that turns us on…they are not like many of the "others." The winery is fairly new with land just being purchased in 1995 by Clay and Margarita Shannon. The vineyards were planted on steep mountain ridges with elevations of 2,100 to 2,400 feet. The lean, rocky volcanic soils make the vines produce small berries with concentrated flavors. We have several Shannon Ridge Wines in the store now. Two of our favorites are the Sauvignon Blanc, for which Lake County is famous, and a Syrah. 2007 Shannon Ridge Sauvignon. Blanc, High Valley, Regularly $16.99/Sale $15.49: You are first taken by its bright, pale straw color. It indicates it will be fresh and it is. There are citric essences along with gooseberries and peaches. It has that crisp acidity that gives Sauvignon Blanc its "raison d’être." 2006 Shannon Ridge Syrah, High Valley, Regularly $17.99/Sale $14.99: Not an Australian Shiraz impersonator; more like a Crozes-Hermitage, or maybe even a Cornas. Dark mahogany in color with toast, pepper and blueberry aromas. On the palate it is big, but thoroughly under control. We seriously doubt you will find a Syrah this impressive for less than its price of $14.99 |
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COALTRAIN
Wine & Spirits
330 W. Uintah
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
719-475-9700