The Tasting Room
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SEPTEMBER 2018 THE TASTING ROOM WINES EVALUATED LAST MONTH: 308 • REJECTED: 247 • APPROVED: 61 The Forgotten Land of World- Class Wines Beaujolais: the forgotten land of world-class wines just south of the infamous Burgundy wine growing region of France. Just north of Lyon (the gastronomical center of France), Beaujolais is fighting to return to its previous stature on the world wine stage. In fact, if you look at restaurant menus from as recently as the ‘60s, you will find that quality Tasting with Cyril Chirouze in the tasting cave at Château des Jacques in Beaujolais. brands of Beaujolais wine command- ed the same price if not more than their northern neighbor. And if anyone is decidedly motivated to acquire a return to their top-tier status, it is Cyril Chirouze, winemaker at Château des Jacques. I first met M. Chirouze in Los Angeles for an on-camera interview, here in my office. His command of the English language was admirable and it was not to be outdone by his passion for Beaujolais (the video is available on Wine of the Month Club’s YouTube chan- nel). If there was ever an ambassador for a wine region, Monsieur Chirouze is quintessential. Engaging, informed and relentless, M. Chirouze presented the pedigree and history of Beaujolais with passion and conviction. As we arrived at the winery after a short van ride from Lyon, we were greeted by M. Chirouze and escorted promptly to the fermenting room, where we were taken by the spit shine of the stainless steel fermenting tanks and the scrubbed concrete tanks. After, we made our Learning about the winemaking process in Château des Jacques’ way down in the caves, where we viewed barrels of impressive modern fermenting room (notice concrete tanks). Paul Kalemkiarian, Owner/Cellarmaster continued on next page >> Membership in the Wine of the Month Club is open to anyone with an @WineoftheMonthClub @WineoftheMonth interest in and appreciation for superb wines... and excellent wine values. Membership is FREE. WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB • 123 W POMONA AVE, MONROVIA, CA 91016 www.wineofthemonthclub.com • 1.800.949.9463 << continued from previous page wine from the varied Beaujolais districts. Ducking to make our way to the tasting cave, we entered a small cave with ambi- ent lighting revealing a table of eight wines and two to three small barrels of soil. As we tasted through the wines, we were invited to enjoy the tactile experience of sifting our hands through the soils from whence these wines hailed. What an experience and what an amazing way to convey the idea of the importance of the soil to the character of the wine… More to come. Salud, Paul Kalemkiarian, Owner/Cellarmaster In the wine caves at Château des Jacques. Flashback A look back at some stellar selections with Ed Masciana March 1972 Chablis Grand Cru, 1969. “Les Preuses” - $6.29 / fifth (757 ml) Back then, people thought Chablis came in a gallon bottle and cost $5. Most had no idea that it was - and still is - one of the purest forms of Chardonnay grown in an area called Chablis. They typically thought it was a generic wine. The pecking order in Burgundy is very specific and generally quite reliable. The village wines are labeled by the village they come from, like Chablis. Then come the Premiere Cru wines, which usually come from one vineyard, but can come from several. Finally we have the Grand Crus, which come from one specific vineyard and have been classified as the best the area has to offer. I believe this was my first Chablis. You never forget the first one. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for here, but Paul, Sr., assured me eventually I’d get it and eventually I did. Today, I grab these wines as often as I can as they still repre- sent great value, but obviously not like they did back then. June 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon, 1965. Charles Krug Vintage Selection - $5.50/fifth (757 ml) Charles Krug was owned by the Mondavi family, principally Robert and his brother, Peter, and their mother. Robert and Peter were at odds because Peter wanted to make jug wines and Robert wanted to make iconic wine. Oddly enough, this was the last wine Robert made at Krug and it was so good that it became the impetus to start his own winery. We all know how that turned out. This was a great Cabernet on release, probably the best Cabernet I’d ever tasted. Thirty years later, I tasted it along- side some of the other great Cabernets of the era including Heitz Martha’s, Mayacamas, BV Private Reserve and Mondavi Reserve. Surprisingly, it was still the best Cabernet I ever tasted. www.wineofthemonthclub.com • 1.800.949.9463 SAMPLE ONLY 2013 Merlot 97 points California 14.4 % Alcohol by Volume “ mare • loh ” Today we take you to the Wine of the Month Club through COLOR the back door. We taste hundreds of wines every month to Dark Crimson pick out the best values for our members. Many of the wines are bottled and many are not. When they are still in tanks, we have the advantage of blending several different lots making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. They are almost NOSE always labeled “Sample Only,” so we figured that would be an Blueberry, Vanilla apt name here. The most important attribute in a wine is balance. Most don’t have it. But the way to get it is to add a wine to the blend PALATE that contributes what the original wine is lacking. For instance, Berry, Earth, Spice a wine may have harsh tannins, so we find a wine with soft tannins and add bits of it at a time until we get the balance we’re looking for. FINISH Our selection is a blend of several different lots of Merlot Lush Berry from Paso Robles. One had too much tannin, and another great structure, but not enough fruit. It’s a game of inches. Sometimes an addition of 5% can change the makeup of the PAIRING entire wine. That’s why it’s a slow and laborious process. Red Meat, Game, Fowl Because we get so many samples each month, we have a lot to choose from, so the process always has a happy ending. CELLAR We want our Merlot to taste like, well, Merlot. That means a Now through 2022 touch of blueberry and spice, some vanilla from the oak aging and finally a medium finish with soft, yet enveloping tannins. Once all the boxes are checked, voila! We have our wine made from samples only. Item ID: C0918R1DC MSRP: $18.99 Member Price: $12.48 CLUB SELECTION Reorder Price: $7.99 www.wineofthemonthclub.com • 1.800.949.9463 TASTING NOTES Wine: __________________________________________________________________ Color: ___________________________________ Date _______________________ Tasting Comments: ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Overall Rating: _______________(1-100) www.wineofthemonthclub.com • 1.800.949.9463 EDEN’S EVE 2014 CHARDONNAY 95 points Paso Robles, California 15.58 % Alcohol by Volume “ SHAR • doh • NAY ” The two most important things that make a great wine are COLOR where the grapes were grown and who made them into wine. Pale Gold In this case, both are at the top of the list. The grapes came from Broken Earth Vineyards, formerly Continental Vineyards, in Paso Robles. They were first planted NOSE here in 1973 by Herman Schwartz, and he named it Rancho Green Apple, Pear Tierra Rejada, which is Spanish for “land of worked earth.” He was one of the pioneers of viticulture in Paso and one of the reasons that more vintners established wineries here. PALATE Herman knew the territory and knew what he should do and Generous Apple, what he shouldn’t do. His vineyards were carefully mapped out Spice and studied to decide which wines would do the best on which sites. FINISH In the beginning, he sold grapes to wineries in Napa and Lively Vanilla Sonoma. As the word spread, wineries in Paso figured out that they had a great vineyard in their own backyard. And so, as they say, the rest is history. PAIRING Fish, Fowl, Vegetarian Winemaker Chris Cameron has won so many awards and high scores that it would take two pages to fill. Suffice to say that when he touches a wine it turns gold, just like the awards his wines receive. CELLAR Now through 2020 Our selection is nothing less than perfection in Chardonnay. The grapes were grown on the cooler slopes, which is clear from the fresh apple and pear flavors through to the clean, crisp and exotic citrus finish. Item ID: C0918W1DC MSRP: $17.99 Member Price: $12.48 CLUB SELECTION Reorder Price: $6.99 www.wineofthemonthclub.com • 1.800.949.9463 TASTING NOTES Wine: __________________________________________________________________ Color: ___________________________________ Date _______________________ Tasting Comments: ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Overall Rating: _______________(1-100) www.wineofthemonthclub.com • 1.800.949.9463 LAPIS LUNA 2012 ZINFANDEL 96 points Lodi, California 13.5 % Alcohol by Volume “ ZIN • fan • DELL ” This selection comes from a winery founded in 1999, with COLOR a story beginning in 1952. That’s when Ben Volkhardt Sr., Medium Magenta a San Franciscan, purchased some farming land outside of the big city. He decided on an 80-acre fruit orchard filled with peach NOSE and pear trees and a four-acre vineyard. Ben slowly Strawberry, Spice replanted the orchard over the next 20 years, creating a quaint family winery, Volkhardt Family Vineyards. Grapes were the family business for three generations, PALATE spanning over 50 years.