January 2009 Selections

2007 Marquis Phillips Baby Roogle Red Southeastern Australia
Hear ye, here Ye! Chris Ringland and Dan Phillips do it again. A Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon blend that is downright gulpable! Rediculously textured and supple, loaded with all the dark fruit one craves. Gratuitous and satisfying for your senses. With the purchase of the three wines of the month, the price is even lower!!
Reg $xxxx Club $xxxx

Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc Lontue Valley, Chile
Crystalline acidity, partially due to the extreme altitude and cool nights of this part of Chile brings forth mouthwatering citrus flavors and light mineral notes. A hint of fresh ginger escapes the glass to add more zest to the clean aromatic profile for this ideal candidate for oysters. Caveat emptor: This wine may make you wish it was summer all year long!
Reg $xxxx Club $xxxx

2000 Chateau Lavergne- Dulong Bordeaux Superieur, France
Good luck finding many 2000 Bordeaux these days, and better luck affording the good ones! You ship has come in this month with the best of both worlds. The 2000 vintage in Bordeaux is one of the “ageworthiest” of the last who knows how many years. With grat fruit and structure, and drinking well still, this wine is soft on the palate and wallet.
Reg $xxxx Club $xxxx

2007 Clos La Chance Unoaked Chardonnay Paso Robles, California
Chard yes way, this time. No vanilla bean, butterscotch, fruit cocktail syrupy yuck here. Clean, straightforward Chardonnay to sip and enjoy with your next poultry meal or lobster dinner… get the picture? You can love Chardonnay again, with its pure varietal aromas and flavors of apple and lemon, and that telltale scent of dried chamomile that is a giveaway for unoaked Chards… so much so that some mistake that aroma for slight oakiness– but it is thankfully not wood you are smelling! This wine is fantastic with cream sauces, butter, and cornbread, and warm baguettes…
$12.99/ btl

Andrew's Corner

The 2005 Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell Jumilla, Spain is an unsung hero amongst affordable red wines. Those who know it love it, and as always, those who don’t love it probably haven’t tried it lately. Monastrell has been grown in Spain forever, and in France for a very long time as well, where it is known as Mourvedre. Yes, the picture is coming into focus now… In Jumilla the grapes tend to grow better in the drier and hotter weather, on gnarled, very old vines. This, of course, produces teensy, very concentrated Monastrell grapes, and thusly wines that are rich and complex. Monastrell also has an inherent dark berry and spice characteristic that comes through in the wine as an almost blackberry/ clove/ allspice/ cinnamon aroma that is nice and subtle. When oak barrels are used, the additional hints of vanilla and toast can be present. Yeah, AND? Well, I challenge anyone to find a better Monastrell for $15!! Pair this wine with a well made, classic beef stew, game meats, a juicy ribeye, grilled pork tenderloin rubbed with garam masala and lavender, or any recipe that one is inclined to make for a meal. That is the beauty of wines like this, they bring the spice, complexity, and a sense of the exotic to any meal. It’s the key to the extra step up from good to great eating and drinking… pass the warm baguette, please!

(I think it’s a crying shame that this is not on the wine lists here and there by the glass!)

Sauvignon Grigio?

2006 Bertani Due Uve Veneto, Italy $16.99/ btl
Due Uve. Two grapes. Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc are now friends. You should make friends with this wine, because now there is no argument or comparison between two of the easiest drinking wines. Together they blend seamlessly to provide the ultimate drinking pleasure to fans of both grapes. This will pair with anything anywhere at anytime within the realm of rationality. This wine pulls off all the freshness one can imagine with scents of lemongrass, thyme, lemon zest, gentle mint, honeysuckle, spring breezes, you name it. With a crisp and ripe granny smith mouthfeel, this is your new favorite white wine to drink when you cant make up your mind what to have. Another wine that belongs on “by the glass’ lists in most restaurants. It also belongs on your table… next to the warm baguette!

This Month's Cellar Selection

2006 Banfi Rosso di Montalcino Tuscany, Italy $23.99/ btl
Maybe the Sangiovese based Rosso di Montalcino wines are meant to be consumed whilst one waits for the Brunellos to be released, and this wine is no exception. That doesn't mean that this cherry and tea inflected beauty wont age well. It has all the acidity a good Sangiovese should have, and the tannin to back it up… needless to say it is very drinkable now, and softens quite nicely in the glass over the course of a fine meal. Paired with something delicious like, say, beef stew, this wine does wonders for the palate! Pass the warm baguette, please… and thank you.

Beef Stew, Classic and Easy

Don’t buy the beef stew pre- packaged from your grocer, it is a bunch of (s)crap. Use short ribs, the result will be a better sauce and more tender and succulent meat.
1 cup flour
2 lbs short ribs
2 cups WHITE wine
1 lb onions, diced
1 lb fingerling, new red, or other very small potatoes, whole unpeeled
1 lb baby carrots whole
1/2 lb celery rough chopped
FRESH herbs: sage, rosemary, and/ or thyme
1 Bay leaf
Extra Virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
2 quarts beef broth (use a good one, spend the 2 extra dollars)

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil to coat lightly, then coat with flour. In a heavy pot on medium high heat, brown the meat on all sides, and be glad when some sticks to the bottom. Throw in half the onions and sauté, and when the bottom of the pan starts to look a bit dark, deglaze with the wine, add 1 quart of broth, reduce heat to low, and cover. Walk away for at least an hour and a half. Return and add potatoes. Have a glass of wine.

Taste stew and adjust seasoning. Add your herbs at this point, and STOP adding when it smells really good. Everything that is left, goes into the pot. Reduce until the liquid is, well, stewy, and the potatoes are done. The short ribs at this point should almost fall apart when you look at them sideways (if not let it simmer some more). Remove bones from the pot, adjust seasoning, add more fresh herbs for the aromatic effect if you feel like it, cover the pot, turn the heat off and let it rest while you have another glass of wine.
Don’t be shy, use garlic and truffle oil if you so desire… garlic near the beginning, and truffle oil during final resting phase…

Pass the warm baguette, please.

Row, Row, Row

2006 Twenty Rows Merlot Napa valley, California $21.99/ btl
Merlot has received a bad rap of late. The grand red grape of Bordeaux’s famed St. Emilion and Pomerol departments has been eschewed by wannabe wine snobs that have poo– pooed merlot as a pedestrian wine. When well made it can bee deep, dark, and graceful all at the same time. Elegant notes of deep dark plums, black cherry, and spice in this wine will remind even the most jaded wine aficionado why Merlot is every bit as relevant as Cabernet Sauvignon. Lest we forget, some of the most sought after and expensive wine in the world is made from this underappreciated berry known as Merlot. Merlot is also one of the most versatile wines to pair with food; meats, cheese, and poultry in any form. Try this wine with crow and the last of the Merlot haters will soon be eating their words!

Bookers Bourbon

Bourbon is from Kentucky, NEVER from Tennessee. Let’s not ever forget that very important distinction, for everything else is simply whisky. Many would settle for Jim Beam, and that is fine, but the ultimate Jim beam experience is from the owner’s special recipe. Booker Noe is the proprietor of the Jim Beam Distillery, so there must be something incredible about this top bottling called Booker’s. Weighing in at an average 126 proof, there is a reason why good spring water and/ or an ice cube are in order! Sweet smokiness, subtle maple and hints of cherry wood make this smooth sippin’ bourbon a necessity.
$51.99/ btl

Holy Smokes! 2009? Already? You betcha. I haven’t been sipping enough great red Burgundies due to the economy, but this year I resolve to seek and drink more excellent “burgs” that over– deliver the bang for the buck.
The 2006 Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Rouge @ $22.99 per bottle is exactly that. It isn’t heavy or overly astringent and certainly not short on character and contemplative nuance. No, this is Pinot Noir just the way I like it, clean, and complex at the same time. Dusty cherries, hints of woodsy smoke, tangy berries, and even that subtle porcini scent all bring me such immense pleasure.
It really feels like the New Year, now that I have the time to stop and smell the aromatics! Nicolas Potel makes the Pinot Noirs that one should enjoy whilst putting ones feet up, with legs covered in a favorite blanket and the phones turned off. This Bourgogne Rouge is a “leave me be... I’m relaxing...” kind of wine, and “pass the warm baguette, please…”