December 2014 Wine Club Selections Please email me your selections BEFORE coming in to be guaranteed your picks! Only one bottle of each wine may be selected Please note some bottles are only allowed at certain membership levels White Wines The whites are somewhat unusual this month as they are all made with barrel fermentation and/or aging. It is not the norm to have an “oak conspiracy” but it just worked out this way. However, given the added “heft” the oak adds in these wines, they are all perfect “winter whites.” 2012 Stuhlmuller Vineyards Estate Chardonnay, Alexander Valley, California 4 and 6 bottle levels $24 100% Chardonnay This is a 6‐bottle level wine that we are making available to 4‐bottle level clubbers this month! Lelia and I visited Stuhlmuller in February, with their fantastic view of the Alexander Valley appellation. There is some serious (think costly) winemaking on this wine. 100% native yeasts from the vineyard were used for fermentation (risky but awesome when it works), and only French oak was used for the 8 months of sur lie fermentation (“sur lie” gives the wine a creamier texture). The end result is a wine that feels as good as it tastes. Tree fruits combine with citrus and honeysuckle to make for a rich, complex Chardonnay. 2013 Muga Cask‐Fermented White, Rioja, Spain 4 and 6 bottle levels $22 90% Viura, 10% Malvasia Muga is located in the Basque town of Haro, in the Northwest corner of Rioja. When I was last there in 2010, we enjoyed this wine during a Basque festival with grilled white fish fresh from the Atlantic (shown below). However, this wine does not need food to be enjoyed—it carries a strong personality. Think Calvados (apple brandy) flavors mixed with vanilla/coconut and pastry shop aromas from the time in oak barrel. It shares some likeness to a new world Chardonnay, yet still retains the individuality of a Spanish wine. 2013 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Blanc, France 4 and 6 bottle levels $20 30% Viognier, 25% Picpoul de Pinet, 20% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne, 5% Clairette We’ve done very well with the Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Rouge in the past, but this is the first time we’ve been introduced to their small production white. 2013 was a cooler year for this Mediterranean‐climate area, thus the grapes were picked later, allowing for slow growing (the ideal). It means (in this case) a flavorful wine that is well‐balanced, crisp and lower in alcohol. The blend is very complex, with the sourcing of a diverse array of grapes, each bringing something different to the blend. The winemaker says the wine displays mango, papaya and marshmallow aromas! Sparkling Wines Maysara Sparkling Rosé, Willamette Valley, Oregon 6 bottle level $30 100% Pinot Noir Only 100 cases of this made‐‐that's crazy! 100% Pinot Noir, giving a super creamy honey strawberry profile. A very fine bubble on this bodacious charmer‐‐no one will even imagine where you got this. If you want to blow the minds of your guests this holiday season, pop one of these. You’ll get a raised eyebrow, followed by a ‘wow’, then a question “where did you say this is from again?” This is one of those restaurant‐only distributed wines. Red Wines 2012 Chateau Pesquie Cuveé des Terrasses, France 4 and 6 bottle levels $15 70% Grenache, 30% Syrah Having been to Chateau Pesquie (in the eastern Rhone Valley) twice, I have been ON the Terraces (Terrasses) of rock. If you bought on value alone, this wine is a no‐brainer. Ultra ripe fruit which tanned under the Southern French sun makes for a cocktailing wine as well as a great accompaniment to a meal. Fruit forward cherry liqueur is met with berry pie and a touch of black licorice. For such an inexpensive wine it has very full extraction and texture. Robert Parker gave this wine 92 points. Pictures show the old Grenache vines there and their cool private tasting room—I hosted 23 guests on that trip in 2009! 2013 Testamento Bonarda, Mendoza, Argentina 4 and 6 bottle levels $15 100% Bonarda The Bonarda grape dates back to the early 19th century in Eastern France where it was known as Douce Noir meaning “sweet black.” The Argentines fell in love with this grape, and today it is the 2nd most planted grape there behind Malbec. It is tough to find 100% Bonarda wines, as it is typically blended. There is a nice combination of smoothness and spiciness on this wine. Look for blackberry fruits, with a hint of cinnamon vanilla. A great “Tuesday night” wine. 2013 Illahe Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 4 and 6 bottle levels $23 100% Pinot Noir Illahe (ee‐lah‐hee) is a Chinook Indian word for “earth” or “soil.” The Ford family, owners of this 80 acre estate, do things the “old fashioned way,” insisting on using the traditional wood basket press to turn the grapes into juice. This wine has a nice balance of rustic, earthiness and some bolder blackberry flavors with a clove and baking spice finish. The fresh acidity comes across, and the wine represents the Oregon “Pinot profile” very well. “It’s not a survivor like Cabernet that can grow anywhere and thrive even when neglected. Pinot needs constant care and attention, you know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time… to understand Pinot’s potential… can then coax it into its fullest expression.” From Miles in the movie Sideways So true Miles, so true. 2011 Le Rote "Massimo" Chianti Riserva, Italy 4 and 6 bottle levels $22 Sangiovese dominant blend This is a Rob Van Leer contribution to our line‐up this month. Almost all Chianti Riserva wines are made in the small Classico appellation, thus boosting the price to the mid‐thirties. This one is just outside of the boundary, but still firmly located around Siena. This wine is full and ripe from this vintage, with a 14.5% alcohol level—living up to its moniker Massimo which means “Maximum.” Lots of dried, spiced cherries on this one. Imagine a wine where Napa Valley collides with Tuscany—and you have this wine. 2013 Sans Liege "Cane & Fable" Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California 4 and 6 bottle levels $22 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Tempranillo, 5% Petit Verdot Two talented Paso Robles winemakers joined forces to craft this Cabernet; Curt Schlachlin and Andrew Jones. Curt hales from the heralded winery, Sans Liege. This is only the 2nd year this wine has been released. The wine greets you with a dark garnet color with purple accents, along with scents of lush blueberry, boysenberry, currants, and memories of your grandfather’s briar‐wood pipe. As the flavors begin to march across your palate, it imparts hints of sweet plums, red and black cherries, vanilla, herbs, earth, warm cedar planks, and freshly ground spices. It’s as comforting as a bowl of chili on a cold, winter day. 2010 Rosenblum “Rockpile Road Vineyard” Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, California 6 bottle level $42 85% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah The power and grace of this single vineyard wine is a culmination of its unique climate, soil and pedigree. Bold, dark fruit, redolent with blueberries and boysenberry jam, shapes the core and establishes the masculine, mountain character of this high‐elevation (2,000 ft) Zinfandel. Black pepper, cocoa and toasted oak spices weave through the multiple layers. It’s a big wine! **BONUS WINE** WINECLUB MEMBERS ONLY—UNTIL SUPPLIES LAST For any wine club member, you can buy these exclusive items outside of your monthly membership. 2012 Etude “Grace Benoist Ranch Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Carneros, California $45 normally (Special price of $29.25 after 35% OFF) 100% Pinot Noir This is one of the wines I enjoyed leading up to Thanksgiving celebrations. The 2012 vintage was warm and sunny, so this wine is svelt and luscious at the same time—intense and athletic, yet still feminine and perfumy. The wine is loaded with strawberry and cherry fruits, and the finish of sandalwood and cinnamon was long. 2011 Beringer “Quantum” Napa Valley, California $65 normally (Special price of $29.25 after 55% OFF) 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petite Sirah, 1% Petit Verdot This is high‐end, boutique Beringer wine—only the 2nd release of this wine. This is the 2nd of three wines I consumed last week during Thanksgiving; yes, I did drink rather well. I found this wine to be quite powerful, even compared against other Cabs. Here is what the winemaker said about her wine: “The Quantum is full of dark cherry, espresso, tobacco, and leather aromas. Notes of ripe plum, vanilla, and boysenberry jam are accented by a hint of sage and savory brown spices. It is a fleshy, distinctive wine with silken tannins and a lush, rounded profile.” .