Last night while we packed up we took a break for some grilled cheese sandwiches and thought, let’s pop that Penalba Lopez 1990 Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva to see if it’s still alive. Whoa. Yes almighty indeed very much alive. 1990 was an excellent vintage for Ribera del Duero and this wine, while aged beautifully, was not fading at all. It was a pretty cherry/ruby color with medium variation and was fairly brilliant in brightness. The aromas were effusive with notes of dried black cherry, cassis, tobacco, coffee and spice. I spent five minutes smelling the wine before I even managed to taste it. On the palate it’s big and very complex, with plenty of cherry fruit mingling with black licorice, chocolate and firm, yet integrated tannins. Lots of licorice. In a good way.

One of the things I’ve begun to look to in terms of a wine’s quality is its finish. The finish on this was gorgeous and super long. Most wines have a normal finish length, but the truly special ones have discernible finishes that you actually remember as much as the aromas and flavors. This is one of those wines you can’t believe you’re drinking, because it’s so seemingly perfect. So on a Thursday night at midnight with grilled cheese while you pack your girlfriend’s car before she drives to California for law school is a good time to open a seventeen year old Tempranillo. Trust me.

It’s difficult to find wine that’s been aged but I’m always on the watch for overlooked gems. For similar but not quite as amazing experiences, check out our Penalba Lopez 1999 Ribera del Duero Crianza, it’s a lovely wine drinking great right now and it’s a steal for $10.75. It will be here for a good week or two before we run out. For some Ribera del Duero selections that are worthy of aging I recommend 2004, a crazy good vintage, probably the best of the decade at this point.

I have secretly stocked many wines from this vintage here at Art of the Table. We have limited amounts of

2004 Montecastro Ribera del Duero at $44.75 (94 pts Wine Advocate)

Avan “Nacimiento” 2004 Ribera del Duero at $35.50 (91 pts Wine Advocate)

2004 Pesquera Tinto at $36.00

Vizcarra “JC” Crianza 2004 Ribera del Duero at $24.50 (92 pts Wine Advocate)

2003 Pesquera Reserva Ribera del Duero at $58.00, which should be awesome as well.

Mike D.

Recently the G-pal and I attended some good friend’s 4 year old daughter’s birthday party. There were many young people, the requisite slip and slide in the backyard, a sand box, many parents, burnt hot dogs, melted ice cream. You get the picture? Expecting such, we brought a bottle of pink, the ’06 Stephen Pannell Grenache, which is pure strawberry creme-sickle btw, and were ready to battle flies. We were pleasantly surprised in that the hosts were also thinking pink, and had both the ’06 Domaine Faillenc Syrah and the ’06 Gour de Chaule Gigondas. The Syrah was bright and yummy with lots of upfront fruit, almost to the point of slightly sweet, it went great with my spicy brat and watermelon wedge. The Gigondas was a different story. Bone dry, lots of complexity, notes of mineral, earth, crazy pink fruits, easily the best dry rose I’ve ever had. My partner became a ball hog with the Gigondas at this point, which was fine with me. Fyi, I think there are about two bottles left at the store.

So at this point Allison and I are talking away with various parents and generally having a jovial time and getting mildly stuffed. Our expectations had been met and suddenly, as the third designer lunchbox had just been torn from goofy wrapping paper, I noticed my glass empty, just as John arrived with a box of wine. “Who’s that strange red man?” Allison asked. “Things will get interesting,” I muttered. We heading back to the patio where John was pulling out three bottles of Loire Valley gems. A ’96 Savennieres, a ’95 Coteaux du Layon and a ’90 Quartes du Chaume, all from Domaine Baumard, and all are, if you don’t know, incredibly ageableChenin Blanc. We were delighted at the opportunity to try these wines.

The Savennieres was first and the driest of the bunch. Deep gold with medium variation, it had aromas of dried apricot, peach, toasted nuts and honey. On the palate it was rich with additional notes of mineral and lime. Outstanding in every way, it quickly went as everyone caught wind of the tasting. Next up was the ’95 Coteaux du Layon, which was more advanced visually, a more turgid gold, almost browning. The aromas really shot out of the glass and all I was getting initially was circus peanuts. Seriously. The more we swirled the more we got citrus rind, orange blossom, lots of honey. Truly complex aromas. I think I went almost five minutes before I even wanted to taste it. On the palate it’s certainly ripe and pushing sweet, but the thing I kept going back to was the ripping acidity. This wine was not going to go anywhere and I anticipate it lasting another ten years plus. Finally, the ’90 Quarts du Chaume was poured and was discernibly lighter in color, a brilliant yellow gold with much less variation. Likewise, the aromatics were somewhat muted. We were stunned! This seventeen year old wine wasn’t even ready to drink. After vigorous swirling typical notes of botrytis, candied pear, orange liqueur and spice began to yield. Very sweet and again, ridiculously acidic, this is a wine to toss in the furthest corner of the cellar, as I anticipate it will last 25 more years. At the end of the night I snuck the last of the ’95 into my glass to share with Allison, which we agreed was easily showing the best this night of all the wines. It was utterly sublime .

We have a 2003 Savennieres here at the store, and a 2003 Coteaux du Layon, please stop in and ask your friendly Art of the Table representative about Chenin Blanc.

This past week, Amy & Steve took a quick trip to California for both some R&R and some wine tasting. We happily report that California is just as beautiful as last time! Apparently there was an earthquake in San Francisco while we were there, but we were over in Modesto at the time and didn’t feel the effects. We did, however feel the effects of great food, wine, pool, sun & friends! We try to venture to California every other summer. We always go with the same three couples as they’re great travel companions. They have to bear with us as we get very in depth, full line tastings and the whole 9-yards tours of wineries. But then again, I don’t think it bothers them too much. They’re Dutch and I get them in free with extra wine!

Wine visits on this trip included a jaunt to Santa Rosa to taste at Hook & Ladder winery. We currently carry my favorite two wines from our tasting there – the Gewurtztraminer & Cabernet Sauvignon; and though I never thought I’d hear myself say this, their White Zinfandel wasn’t bad!

The other two visits that day included Ace Cider Company and B.R. Cohn winery.

We rented a house in Sonoma and ate out at two neat restaurants; Deuce & The General’s Daughter. Both were great, though if you go to The General’s Daughter, be prepared for a price fixe meal. We weren’t. Don’t get me wrong. It was good food, it just wasn’t what we were expecting.

The other day of our tastings took us to Napa. We made a quick stop at the Oakville Grocery so Amy could get some more ideas of products to carry. Watch for the Bread Dip Co. to arrive soon! Our two wineries today included Cosentino & Grgich Hills. At Grgich, we got the special tour from Dave Bos, one of the vineyard managers (originally from Holland, MI). They are using biodynamics in their fields to create better grapes – therefore making better wines. We got the whole schpiel and our own tasting with Dave. My favorite? The Fume Blanc. It’s got a ton of flavor and it’s round and full in the mouth.

At Cosentino we tasted through a ton of different stuff. On the top of my list were – the expensive ones! Seriously though, collectively we liked “The Franc”, Legends Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, the Merlot and the Napa Cab. The Cabernet was not ‘typical’ we decided. It was lighter and dirtier than most. The Merlot had a great nose, was plush and at a great price. The real fave for me was the Legends Meritage. A blend of 41% Cab, 37% Merlot & 22% Cab Franc, it was plush but not sugary, besides that all I could think about was the green pepper. Yes, up there at $80 of course I like it!

This is (as always) an exciting time of year for the wine department here at Art of the Table. As Spring approaches we get excited for fresh air and move our palates towards white and rosé wines. We will be getting all our spring direct import deliveries soon! First arrival: 2006 rosés, 2005 red Rhone & 2006 white Rhone selections in late April/early May & our 2006 German Rieslings late May/early June!

We are tasting new wines all the time looking for the best values and best varietals from the very best producers from all over the world for you. More than ever are so many amazing wines available to us—and that’s exciting! Here’s a brief on some standouts:

Read the rest of this entry »

2006 at Art of the Table was another amazing year. This year we had more new and interesting wines in the store than ever and more new and interesting customers along the way as well – and we love that!

I thought it would be fun to list off the highlights for the year and that turned into the saga shown below. We’ve not done one before and as it’s been so crazy around here I’m actually looking forward to doing something fun. (It must have been fun, because Mike slipped in a 26 th wine on Amy’s nagging request!)

What’s the criteria for Top Twenty Five status? Well, the intrepid wine staff here at Art of the Table has spent hours in round table discussion and we’ve used every possible rational to determine just which wines should be honored including “best selling,” “cutest label,” “quality verses price,” “Mike said it was good,” “it really went well with that ______ display,” “Suzanne said it was good,” “the label looks like a spaceship,” and many more as you can imagine.

Top 25 drumroll please…

Read the rest of this entry »

Ken Wright started in Oregon Pinot Noir in 1986 as the winemaker for Panther Creek. In 1993 he established Ken Wright Cellars and began a path of bottling only single vineyard Pinot Noirs.

From 1993 to 1996 he served as winemaker at Domaine Serene while he built and established his own winery.

Ken’s Pinots always emphasize elegance over power; and he achieves this by having very close relationships with his vineyard owners and their workers, and thus yields are very low and concentrated. Ken’s philosophy is that winemaking revolves around working with nature to fully allow the vines to express their quality of fruit and place.

He mentions, “human beings are not responsible for the wine we enjoy, the qualities the grapes posses are inherent, we don’t inject them.” He views his role as to “simply try to have the purest expression the fruit is capable of, brought all the way to the bottle and evident in the glass of wine.” Because of this philosophy, it’s no wonder that Ken feels “pinot noir has a far greater ability than any other variety to express the qualities of place, and that’s magical!” Needless to say we’re excited to have been able to grab a few bottles of the 2005 Ken Wright’s Pinot Noirs. These will be fantastic gifts for the collector for the holidays, as they age well for 8 to 15 years.

Following, a breakdown of the different single vineyards:

Read the rest of this entry »

This week in Wine Wednesday action, we’re dealing with “Overachievers Unanimous” – part three of our spring value series, in which we unveil some of our favorite overachieving reds – meaning they taste like $30 and cost around $12!

We’ll start with two Italian varietals, one authentic and one a South American knock-off, then do an homage to the Rhone valley, and finally a pair of super-duper Old World wines we guarantee you’ve never even heard of. There’s limited seating left, due to the awesome display we promise, sign up today!

Each week Mike seems to find more new, awesome, affordable wines here at the store. Lately Mike’s been working on bringing in new wines for spring, so affordable reds and tasty whites are what we’re talking. Here are a couple of new thoughts:

“New Age White” 2004, Valentin Bianchi, Mendoza, Argentina, $10.50

“So very strange, and yet . . . so good.” Comments like this are what we’ve been hearing over the last week. This strange yet so good Argentinean white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, who we’re already friends with, and Mavasia Bianco, who we haven’t really met before. Malvasia is a Sardinian varietal that falls into the “aromatic” category along with such brethren as Muscat, Viognier, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. Put together the zip of the Sauvignon, the aromatics and “sweetness” of Malvasia, and, oh yeah, add some frizzante (that’s bubbles for the new kids) and you have a wine unlike anything you’ve ever had. I get notes of lemon, lime, kiwi and watermelon rind on this one, it’s perfect for sipping while you float in the pool. And, it’s got a lady on the back of the label.

Justin 2003 “Orphan”, Paso Robles, California, $15.50

By now I’m sure you’ve all heard about the huge Napa Valley wine warehouse fire that destroyed over $100 million dollars of stored wines last fall. Well, most of Justin’s 2003 and 2004 wines were lost in that fire. So what Justin and Deb Baldwin decided to do was to produce a wine with some of the reserved juice from the 2003 vintage so people could still enjoy their Justin wines. While the Orphan has lost its parents, it’s still a lovely blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with a shot of Merlot, Petit Sirah and Petit Verdot. Elegant and smooth, this boasts toasty notes of red cherry, cassis, vanilla and spice, with soft tannins and a lingering finish. Perfect with roasted pork chimichangas and margarita melon salad.

Just making sure you’re aware of the awesome values everyday here and reminding you that you ALWAYS get a 10% discount on a mixed case of wine (that’s 12 bottles) and a 15% straight case discount – that’s one to store away and remember when you’re running low on the wine rack.

See you soon!
Mike, the wine guy & Amy, the owner gal

As we continue to celebrate Mother Earth this week we curiously find the week’s tasting to be “Burgundy vs. Burgundy” another celebration of the earth. More than any wine region in the world Burgundy is known for its “terrior” or, as I like to describe it, “essence of place.”

Terroir is the French term that conveys the combination of soil, temperature, exposure to the sun, amount of rain etc. that is uniquely situated to where a specific grape varietal is grown. “Terroirists,” as they’re affectionately known, believe that good wines are made in the vineyard as a consequence of its essence of place. I subscribe to this as well and base much of my thoughts on the wines for the store as reflections of the places they’re grown and the people who grow them.

So . . . Burgundy. We were initially going to do a Burgundy vs. the World tasting, but then felt it best to just focus on this one mystifying region. We’ll do two whites; a Chablis and a Pouilly- Fuisse, both from Chardonnay, then four Pinot Noirs, from both the Cotes du Beaune and the Cotes du Nuit. We’ll talk about the vintages from the last five years and what has made this stretch so remarkable in this oft-maligned region, and of course we’ll touch on aging potential for the wines.

New in Store!!!

As Spring advances we’re finding more and more new wines on the shelves . . . so exciting!

Here are a few of the newbies:

Rutherglen 2004 “The Alliance” Marsanne-Viognier, Victoria, $16.50

I realize that calling a blend “Alliance” is somewhat cheezy, but . . . let me explain my feelings on this one. When we got in the Rutherglen Red I gave it a “yum,” a “pretty-good” if you will. This new Rutherglen white is a “yum, yum, yum!” Way-good. I’ll cite personal reasons for this being on our shelves: I plan to drink it all summer, it’s my new house pour at Chez Mike D. Dry, un-oaked, sliced pineapple, tangerine, honeysuckle, fresh squeezed lime . . . you get the picture. Give it a shot.

Clos LaChance 2002 Zinfandel, El Dorado County, $15.50

Here’s another small production gem from Brenda and Bill Murphy’s San Martin winery. Sourcing fruit from the Twin Rivers vineyard in the Sierra Foothills, this sports jammy aromas of black plum, blackberries, dried flowers and spicy red pepper. On the palate there are intense flavors of dried cherry, plum, black pepper, marzipan and sweet blackberry preserves. Smooth yet firm tannins make one wonder, “warm chocolate lava cake with double chocolate sauce . . . what brash little red might I enjoy with dessert tonight?”

Walter Hansel 2002 Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, $31.75

I’m honestly so delighted to finally have this producer on our shelves. Since 1986 the Hansel family has been handcrafting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the vineyards behind their family’s farm. Their philosophy is completely non-interventionist. All the grapes are hand-harvested after NINE passes through the vineyard removing unripe bunches. Most wineries do two passes. Yields are miniscule and all the juice is moved by gravity. We’re talking serious old school. Robert Parker describes them as one of California’s top Burgundian producers who somehow manage to fly under the radar. Their Pinot is ripe and meaty with notes of blue and black berries, crushed rocks and flowers, and that ethereal sweetness that comes with outstanding Pinots. We have 11 bottles left for you to wrestle over.

Next week, both at our tasting and on the shelves – bargains galore as the affordable “picnic” wines make their way onto the shelves daily! Don’t miss our May 3 tasting at Louis Benton; Overachievers Unanimous: Bargain Reds that cost $15 or less but drink like much more than this! $20 gets you into this great tasting complete with food and chocolates!

Be sure to visit Wine Wednesdays for complete details.

Mike D, wine guy & Amy Ruis, the owner gal

What: Wine Wednesday
When: March 8, 2006 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Louis Benton Steakhouse
Cost: $25 per person
RSVP: (616) 301-1885 or askus@artofthetable.com

March 8 already!?

A bit of spring today reminds me of the beauty and blue skies of northeast Italy! How I long to go to the Veneto again someday! So Wednesday we will “travel” to taste The Very Best of Northeast Italy!

Mike says, “At this tasting we’ll be exploring some of the so-called ‘lesser’ wine regions of Italy. I think the Italians would beg to differ on that count, and the wines will prove that Barolo and Brunello aren’t the only big-shot wines in Italy.

We’ll look at regions such as the Veneto, Alto Adige, Friuli and Custoza. This will be a really exciting tasting because of the unusual varietals, flavors and the really affordable prices!!” (Remember, it doesn’t have to be expensive to be great!)

There is still room for you and friends so let us know if you would like to join us!

New Wines In-Stock

With hints of sunshine and weather slightly warming, we’re thinking Spring at the store and I’m on the lookout for new and exciting wines for the season. Here are a few of the twenty or so wines we’ve brought in over the last two weeks:

Trevor Jones ’04 “Virgin” Chardonnay, South Australia, $19.50
Year in and year out this is one of the best drinking Chardonnays out there bar-none. Rich, creamy and totally yummy, this un-oaked Chard is fresh and ripe with seductive aromas of nectarine, mandarin orange, melon and spicy pear. On the palate it sports tangy grapefruit, pineapple and peach notes, with silky textured hints of yellow melon. Pair this seductive wine with grilled swordfish with charmoula (but we’re not limiting you to that choice).

Marquis Phillips ’04 “Holly’s Blend”, South Australia, $11.00
Well-made Aussie Verdelho with a smattering of Semillon, this is super round and expressive with generous aromas of green melon, nectarine, passion fruit and spice. Rich and juicy on the palate, its flavors echo the aromas with additional notes of peach and sassafras. Try with Moroccan chicken with apricot couscous and green olive sauce.

Citizen ’02 Zinfandel, Alexander Valley, $15.50
A new winery making awesome wine at attractive prices, this vibrant red sports racy aromatics of red cherry, wild berry, sage and spicy cedar. On the palate it’s silky smooth with notes of juicy black plum, blackberry and zesty brambleberry. Pair with crispy stuffed poblano chilis smothered with bandera sauce. (Editor Amy’s note: I paired it with our new Maya Kaimal Vindaloo sauce with jasmine rice and it was all that!)

Patricia Green ’04 “Shea” Pinot Noir, Yamhill Valley, $34.00
This limited production Oregon Pinot boasts sweet and smoky aromatics of blackberry, raspberry, tar, tobacco and exotic spice. On the palate it has firm, fine-grained tannins underneath of plush flavors of black cherry, black plum and smoky spice. Pair with grilled Wagyu flank steak over wild porcini ragout.

Cheers,
Amy and Mike

What: Wine Wednesday
When: March 15, 2006 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Louis Benton Steakhouse
Cost: $25
RSVP: (616) 301-1885 or askus@artofthetable.com

The encouragement (from Amy)

As is customary at Art of the Table, we try to come up with creative topics for wine tastings each week and we think we have blown creative out of the water (as far as wine tastings go!) We are itching for this tasting.

Disclaimer: Yes, it’s a blind tasting and I think when some of us read “blind tasting”, we hit the panic button. What you need to know is – there is no need to panic!

We’re an easy going group. It will not be like a stuffy class in which you analyze, get called on for the answer and become red faced because you got it wrong. It will be all fun. Really. Now that you know that, sign up for next Wednesday as you’re sure to have fun and learn a lot!

The official word (from Mike, the wine guy)

It was great to see so many new faces along with familiar faces at the Northeast Italy tasting on Wednesday! We had a blast and are really looking forward to next weeks tasting,

“Cosentino…or not!?” It’s a blind tasting pitting Mitch Cosentino’s wines against similar wines, hint, they’re almost all Napa Valley.

Mitch Cosentino employs a distinctive style which gives his wines intense extraction and concentration of fruit. We’re going to go through three flights of two and for each flight you will identify which wine is Cosentino and then for additional points you will identify varietal.

A special quiz will be given during the tasting with which you can accrue points (and of course effort does count!). At the end of the night the taster with the most points will win a $40 bottle of a Cosentino red wine. Additionally, correct answers will also allow tasters additional discounts on their wine purchases this evening. This will be fun, interactive and the wines will be awesome. I can’t think of a better first date or fun night out. Make a special effort to attend this unique and unpredictable event!

And wouldn’t you like to know…we have some new wines on the shelves at Art of the Table…

New Wines In-Stock

Patricia Green 2004 Four Winds Vineyard Chardonnay, $22.75
Just in the door this morning, we got one of the five cases of this gem that made it to Michigan this year. Patty notes that the fruit was picked especially late this vintage and displays unusual intense richness while maintaining piercing acidity and zip. She used 100% neutral oak barrels so as not to overpower the fruit, which she says has “nice aromatics of lemon candy and sliced apples.” I haven’t tried it yet but our friend Leslie tried it at the winery recently and said it’s gorgeous and yes, super hard to find. Get it while you can!

Carchelo 2004 Monastrell – Jumilla, $10.25
On the shelf for a day now, this is one of those overachievers that drinks twice its price. Suzanne and I tried this about a month ago and were both blown away at its quality and purity of fruit. Blackberry and more blackberry, smoked meat and tar with whiffs of black rose petals eeking through. You get the picture, this one’s for real and not to be taken lightly. Buy it by the case and fool your friends.

Cheers!
Amy and Mike