Earth Day Week!
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