Newsletter Specials
WINE OF THE MONTH!
February 2, 2012 by PWM
03 ANTONELLI MONTEFALCO ROSSO
THE SACRED RED FROM UMBRIA!
$19.95 BTL./$102.00 6-PACK
If you have never had the opportunity to experience a Sagrantino (and believe me to experience a wine crafted from the sacred Sagrantino grape can be quite a revelation) you don't want to miss out on this! Problem is there just over 250 acres under vine and that ain’t enough to go around.
Sagrantino is a grape varietal that grows only around the hilltop town of Montefalco. In fact, it is grown nowhere else in the world. Its origins are mysterious. Whether the grape is indigenous to the area or not is up for debate. Some theorize that it was brought to Umbria by the Greeks, while others say it was brought by the Franciscan (French) friars. Another theory has St. Francis of Assisi bringing it from the Middle East to be used as a sacramental wine. Among the wine cognoscenti though, it is now Umbrian at its soul.
Fabrio Antonelli makes some of the most intellectually interesting and deliciously tasting wines to be found anywhere. In his 70’s, he is the man in charge at his family’s winery in Umbria. The family can, in fact, trace its Umbrian roots back to the 1500’s. The Antonelli estate is the keeper of the flame of the tradition of Sagrantino. They pride themselves on natural and organic methods to make their wine. In fact this is a working farm with livestock and other products for sale including olives, vegetables and fruits. Five Hectacres are devoted to the growing of grapes and 60% of that is devoted to Sagrantino.
The Antonelli wine is made in the traditional manner. The grapes are harvested by hand. After harvesting, the grapes are allowed to stay in contact with the skins and seeds for up to a month. The wine goes through full malolactic fermentation in stainless steel and is then racked into large oak barrels. The wine is left in barrel for a couple of years before bottling without filtration or fining. The resulting wine is thick, dark and tannic and in need of seven or more years of bottle age to really show what it is about. After that though, it is good for the next twenty (at least). Antonelli’s Montefalco Riserva (85% Sagrantio & 15% Sangiovese) is considered by many to be among the best in the world. A ITALIAN WINE LOVER’S DREAM WINE!
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STEAL OF THE MONTH!
February 2, 2012 by PWM
09 RAY’S STATION MERLOT
ALEXANDER VALLEY, CA
$6.95 btl. / $72.00 cs.
I'm an experienced wine drinker. As such, I have what I consider an above-average knowledge of what constitutes a competitive price for an good everyday red. The wine insurance policy I have now is fair, but I know I could have done better if I just called PWM. Trouble is, I don't have time to taste wine or search for information online all day—I'm a busy professional. That's why I'm currently looking for a lizard who will explain the various wines to me and help me figure out which wine has the best taste.
I feel no loyalty to my existing everyday red. If a better wine choice were made to me by a lizard, I would have to consider it very seriously.
I'm prepared to put my trust in a lizard. When I was young, I got my breakfast cereal on the advice of a tiger. When I made a tuna sandwich, I reached for the can endorsed by the tuna fish. There was a brief time when I got my tuna on the advice of a mermaid, until I came to the conclusion that mermaids don't exist. Later in life, a small immigrant dog advised me on matters pertaining to fast-food burritos. And today, my puffed cheese snacks come with the seal of approval of a cheetah.
I want to make it very clear that I am not interested in some kind of lizard snob. I won't lie to you: My wine selection record isn't perfect, and it's important to me that a lizard understand that, and not look down his nose at me just because I've bought a screw cap or two. I want a lizard I can relate to. One who, when he's not choosing wine, does puzzles, or goes for a drive in his convertible, or maybe just watches TV.
I've had mixed luck bowing to the wisdom of amphibians and reptiles in the past. I once switched brands of beer at the behest of a trio of frogs, who made a convincing argument that the beers the bear and the dog were offering didn't have the same rich flavor as theirs. I'm not interested in a lizard's opinion about beer. That's ridiculous.
With wine, on the other hand, it has to be affordable yet delicious enough to pour for my friends, so I need the counsel of a cold-blooded reptile, one who understands the hard realities of the wine business. One who understands facts and figures and has sticky toes that are able to cling to almost any surface.
Merlot gets no respect!! Even though some of the greatest (& most expensive wines on earth are…..made with Merlot!). This Ray’s Station Merlot from Alexander Valley will change all that! It will re-set your thinking, put a smile on your face, not pick your wallet & even might get you lucky this Valentine’s Day. We will have this open all month for your perusal.
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TEMPRANILLO MADNESS!
February 1, 2012 by PWM
06 OLIVARA TORO SPEC. SELECT
#10 WINE IN ALL SPAIN – DECANTER
$14.95 BTL./80.00 6-PACK
We hava been courting the sole importer of this 2006 Toro ‘Special Selection’ from the Marques de Olivara for over half a year to get his inventory of this, their flagship wine, into our store. THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT!! The skinny: This 2006 Olivara comes with some pretty impressive credentials. Ranked as one of the top #10 wines from Spain in the 2009 end of year Decanter Magazine, over 25 gold medals received throughout Europe, and totally under the radar in the states.
One of our customers brought a bottle of this to us from a trip he took to Spain several years ago and it just blew us away. Produced from vines over 40+ years of age, planted at over 3,000 feet elevation, hand harvested, and aged in new French oak. A glass-coating opaque purple color (a trademark of the 2006 vintage in Toro), it surrenders an inviting perfume of violets, spicy black fruits, and an earthy minerality. Displaying nice complexity as well as succulent fruit, this lengthy effort is an outstanding value that can be enjoyed now and over the next decade. And, by the way this should sell for over $25 a bottle!! LIMITED!!
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WHITE BURGUNDY ALERT!
January 31, 2012 by PWM
09 CAVE LUGNY MACON VILLAGES
WORLD CLASS CHARDONNAY
$9.95 BTL./$102.00 CS.
I have been enjoying the wines from the local co-op in Lugny for over twenty years and they have never let me down. Produced from 100% Chardonnay from the southern end of Burgundy’s Cotes d’Or. The 2009 vintage has been highly touted by all of the major wine presses and if this 2009 Macon Villages Vieille Vignes (Old Vines) is any indication you better clear some room in your cellar.
The 2009 Cave de Lugny Macon Village VV smells of fresh apple, Persian melon, and pungent hints of flowers and herbs. Luscious and subtly creamy in the mouth, it nevertheless retains an underlying firmness and suggestions of chalky minerality which, along with invigorating hints of fruit skin, citrus and herbs, lend interest to the finish.
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AMAZING BASQUE WINES!
January 8, 2012 by PWM
09 AZTOBIZA TXAKOLI BLANCO
10 GURRUTXAGA TXAKOLINA ROSE’
STRAIGHT OUT OF SAN SEBASTIAN!
$9.95 PER BOTTLE!
While these two gems may not be your first choices in the heart of winter, to be able to land these two choice wines and offer them at below half off was just to good to pass up. If you have the whereforall to stash a six pack of each away for summer you will be greatly awarded. Txakoli (pronounced [tʃakoˈli]) and Txakolina (the Rose') are slightly sparkling, very dry, with crisp acidity and low alcohol content produced in the Basque Country in Northern Spain. They are poured almost exclusively in the Basque town of San Sebastian, one of the foremost gastronomical capitals in the world.
Bodega Aztobiza’s 2009 Txakoli is made from 60% Hondarribi Zuri, 20% Mune Mahatsa, and 20% Txori Mahatsa fermented in stainless steel. Light straw-colored, it offers up an enticing nose of mineral, sea salt, baking spices, citrus, and floral notes. Crisp, concentrated, and vibrant, it will pair beautifully with anything from the sea, chicken or Asian cuisine. - 90 points, Stephen Tanzer.
The 2010 Gurrutxaga Txakolina Rosado is salmon pink with an enticing nose of sea salt, strawberry and ripe watermelons. Crisp, lively, bone dry and surprisingly mouth-filling with a slight natural spritz. Ideal for anything grilled, spicy or just for drinking on a sunny day!
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BACCHUS GONE WILD, OREGON STYLE!
November 4, 2011 by PWM
’07 LA DOLCE VITA PINOT NOIR
WILLAMETTE VALLEY OLD VINES
$9.95 BTL!
No need to adjust your reading glasses, the price is actually $9.95!! La Dolce Vita’s vineyards are among the oldest (29 years) in the whole of Oregon. Owners Brent & Mary Freeman had been selling their fruit to Archery Summit since their inception, but in 2004 they decided to start bottling their oldest block under their own label..La Dolce Vita. They hired one of Oregon’s best winemakers (we promised not to put his Saintly name in print) and at $35 a bottle they produced excellent wines.
Problem is, when you sell your grapes you get immediate satisfaction after harvest (translated: you get paid) yet when you bottle you’re your own wine this payday can be quite a ways out. With no tasting room, virtually no distribution or marketing their Pinot Noirs, as good as they were languished in their warehouse. After bottling their delicious 2007 Estate Pinot Noir they decided selling grapes wasn’t such a bad gig!!
We blew through the last of their 2006 over the holidays @19.95 a bottle, they have now given us the keys and an even better price on the last of their 2007! Total production was a little over 330 cases & we have about 75 cases. The medium ruby-colored 2007 Pinot Noir from La Dolce Vita Vineyard features an earthy, mineral-accented perfume along with aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, and mulberry from the darker side of the fruit spectrum. Typical of the vintage, on the palate it has plenty of spice, lively acidity, and enough structure for 2-3 years of further evolution. This lengthy, pure effort will offer prime drinking from 2011 to 2017.
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SPAIN’S #1 FIZZ-FEST! CHEAPER THAN WATER!
May 5, 2011 by PWM
NV CRISTALINO ROSE’ CAVA BRUT
½ BOTTLES!
$1.95 BTL./$23.40 12-PACK
How cool is this! We sold over 500 cases of the NV Cristalino Cava over the holiday season & to show their appreciation they gave us 112 cases of their NV Cava Rose’ which we can sell for $1.95 per bottle!! Crazy Huh?
Beautiful scents of raspberry and cherry on the nose with fresh, clean strawberry and cherry flavors in the mouth and a consistent bead. The finish is clean and crisp and invites another sip.
Cristalino Brut Rose Cava is an excellent match for fried appetizers such as calamari or light desserts such as creme brulee. It is also excellent on its own or with fresh fruit.
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