Wine & Words

Prices marked are the regular retail, followed by the Feature Price with a 20% discount. At these prices, you might want to stock up for future feasts. If you need a full case of any of the wines, let us know about a week in advance so we can be sure to have enough in stock.

Saint-Hilaire Brut (Limoux, France) Regular $18.25/ Feature Price $14.60

Wine historians believe that the world's first sparkling wine was produced in southwestern France in 1531, by the monks at the abbey in Saint-Hilaire. In the early 18th Century they made the hospitable mistake of showing a guest, one Dom Perignon, all their winemaking secrets. Dom Perignon then went back home to Champagne and further refined the process, but the original is the one we’re featuring this month. The wine, made from the Mauzac grape (known locally as “Blanquette de Limoux”) is dry and fresh, with a mouth-watering acidity that cries for another bite of food. You can start your feast with this one, end the feast with a toast…or just feast on these “stars in a bottle” with some cheeses and a loved one.

Valckenberg Madonna Auslese 2006 TRY (Rheinhessen, Germany) Regular $14.95/ Feature Price $11.96

Because of its unassuming airs, low alcohol content and many styles, Riesling is one of the best feasting wines there is. Many of us grew up on a sweet, mass-produced Riesling known as “Liebfraumilch.” Admit it; you liked the tall blue bottle (called a “flute”) of Blue Nun. Well, the original Liebfraumilch (“milk of Our Lady”) came from the church cloister vineyards of Peter Josef Valckenberg. Valckenberg founded his winery in the city of Worms on the banks of the Rhine in 1786, and his wine was a huge hit all over Europe. Around the year 1900 in London, Valckenberg’s Original Liebfraumilch sold for the same prices as Chateaux Margaux! This 2006 Madonna Auslese (“late-picked”) from the same producer, honors that tradition of well-made, sweet white wines that are now popular around the world. The 10% alcohol level leaves a bit of residual sugar, making this a sweet style Riesling to go with spicy foods…or just because you like it that way. It’s way better than Zeller Schwartze Katz!

Daniel Crochet Sancerre 2005 Regular $21.50/ Feature Price $17.20

This classy Sauvignon Blanc has been a feasting stand-by with us for several years. We’ve finished what we had from 2004 and now we get to start on the outstanding 2005 vintage. Overall warm and dry, 2005 fluctuated between hot and cool periods. Well adapted to the vine's cycle and the grape's needs, this climate was almost ideal. The classic pairing with Sancerre is chevre, fresh goat cheese. That’s because the rich acidity of the wine cuts through the creamy tang of the cheese. This style of Sauvignon Blanc, though, is a great pair for any rich, but light dishes. And it looks great in a crystal glass by candlelight!

Talmard Macon-Montbellet 2005 Regular $22.40/ Feature Price $17.92

Whenever someone tells me they are having a dinner party and want a “nice white wine” to go with it, I always head for the white Burgundies. You can’t go wrong with this elegant Chardonnay that’s not hyped up with oak or winemaker tricks. It’s straight up, crisp, well-balanced wine that will be a grace note to any feasting table. Winemaker Paul Talmard’s property is in the commune of Montbellet in the southern Burgundy region of Macon. From here Talmard makes bright, clean wines that are consistently good year after year…but especially good in 2005. This one is a house favorite.

Domaine Ostertag Pinot Blanc Barriques 2006 (Alsace, France) Regular $25.50/ Feature Price $20.40

No holiday feast selection would be complete without a wine from Alsace, the far-eastern region of France that is on the headwaters of the Rhine River and smack on the border with Germany. By law the wines from this region have to have the name of the grape variety on the label, and this is usually Riesling or Gewürztraminer. Pinot Blanc is a minority grape of the region that has to be handled very well to produce rich, outstanding wines. André Ostertag does not confine himself to the traditional Alsatian way of treating the varieties he has in his vineyards. For a start, he produces biodynamically and passionately so. His Pinot Blanc is fermented and matured for 9 months in oak barrels with lees stirring and malolactic fermentation, all of which contribute to its creamy softness without ever producing an ‘oaky’ wine. When our Tryon sales rep, Sarah Koestline, brought this one for Mary and me to try, we just looked at each other with one of those “Oh, my god” smiles. This one is delicious. Yeah, it’s pricey, too. But if you want to pour something that will make your guests sit up and take notice, you shouldn’t miss this one.

Crios Syrah/Bonarda (Mendoza, Argentina) Regular $16.25/ Feature Price $13.00

Susanna Balbo’s Crios line has always been a good seller for us. People are attracted to the pictograph of three hands on the label (Susanna and her two children) and the story that the wines are her “crios” (“offspring”). But they come back for more after they taste what’s in the bottles. This one is new for us, and we were attracted to it as a feasting wine because both Syrah (originally from France) and Bonarda (originally from Italy) come from traditions of great cuisine. Not well-known outside Argentina, Bonarda is surprisingly second only to Malbec in red grape plantings. The key to producing great Bonarda is finding very old vines growing in the warm, sandy soils of eastern Mendoza, then limiting vigor through severe pruning and irrigation techniques. Luckily, Susana’s husband, Pedro Marchevsky (who she met when they were both working at the famous Catena winery), owns and manages such a vineyard, with 40-year-old vines at 2,300 feet elevation. Susana has worked her usual magic on this blend. The wine is ripe and luscious, adaptable to a wide range of feasts and very mellow as a simple fireside companion.

Asara Cabernet Sauvignon (Stellenbosch, South Africa) Regular $24.90/ Feature Price $19.92

This is a new one for us from our friends at Turner Wine Imports. South Africa has a long winemaking tradition dating back to the 17th Century. The tradition fell on hard times while South Africa was being boycotted by most nations because of apartheid. When Nelson Mandela was elected president in 1994, one of the first orders of business was…well,
business. Foreign investment kick-started the dormant wine industry and great wines burst upon the international scene. This Cab is typical of southern hemisphere winemaking, with deep, rich fruit and a long finish that doesn’t rely too heavily on oak. It will go with the hardier elements of your feasts (meats, stews, strong cheeses) as well as making a very good sipping companion on a cool evening.

Sesti Montelecchio (Montalcino, Italy) Regular $26.50/ Feature Price $21.20

This has long been one of our favorite Italian reds, but we drank the last bottle of the 2004 vintage some weeks ago. The new vintage is now in (well, at press time it’s not quite here yet but on its way) and we’re excited to be able to feature it for your feasting table. This wine has a habit of overshadowing (even outclassing) much more expensive competition. In fact, when English wine writer Jancis Robinson did a tasting of 11 top Italian estates (including Gaja, Sassicaia and Ornellaia), the standout for her (and the only one she wrote up in her newsletter), was Sesti's Montellechio. But this shouldn't surprise, really. What's in the bottle here is not only pure Brunello di Montalcino material, but actually Brunello from one of the best and most historic vineyards in the zone. It's just bottled early (after a year in large oak botti, versus four years for the Brunello) to be more approachable. This is Italian red wine at its best, at a price that still allows you to afford the feast.

Château de la Maltroye Bourgogne 2005 (Burgundy, France) Regular $26.50/ Feature Price $21.20

I’ve already mentioned the fact that 2005 is a classic vintage for Burgundy. This 2005 Pinot Noir has all those classic features…except the price. This is an amazing value in a wine that is rich with layered flavor and complexity. Its relatively light alcohol level (12.5%) shows that it is not a California fruit bomb. Rather, it behaves well at the table, with glints of ruby in the glass that bring out the royal notes of your feast. Like all Pinot Noirs, its hint of mouth-refreshing acidity causes it to go well with a wide range of foods. This one is sure to please.

Tasting Opportunities…