February Staff Picks

Peter: '00 Olivares, Dulce Monastrell (500ml.) $19.99 As Spain's winemaking revolution continues to flourish, one of the next hot spots promises to be Jumilla. Jumilla was one of the few places in Europe spared during the Phylloxera epidemic of the late 1800's. Virtually everywhere on the continent, vineyards were devastated and, to this day, can only be planted on grafted hybrid-American rootstock. For Jumilla, the key to its vineyards' survival was their sandy soil - which is anathema to the Phylloxera insect. And as a consequence, today Jumilla not only has some of the oldest vines in Spain, but certainly the largest number of ungrafted vines. Most of the region is planted to Mourvedre, locally know as Monastrell. Jumilla's summers boast hot days and cool nights, resulting in fantastically ripe grapes with good acidity. Bodegas Olivares's vineyards are in the northernmost zone of La Hoya de Santa Ana. This is the coolest sub-zone of Jumilla, with sandy, lime-rich soils that produce intensely aromatic wines. For the Dulce, Paco Selva lets his grapes hang late into the season on a few acres of vines. Even in normal vintages, these late-harvested grapes achieve spectacular ripeness. In favored years, morning fogs cause botrytis cinerea to develop, concentrating and intensifying the fruit flavors. The 2000 shows the richness, depth and intensity of vintage port without the alcoholic heat that port often shows. Sam: '94 Montecillo, Rioja, Gran Reserva $16.99 Founded by Don Celestino Navajas Matute in 1874, Bodegas Montecillo is considered an old and valued Winery in the Rioja region of Spain. The Osbourne family acquired the winery in 1973 and has found a beautiful balance between tradition and new world style wine. This region is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and protected by mountains on all three sides which gives pleasantly cool and slightly dry weather that is ideal for the growth of Rioja main grape varietal, Tempranillo. The chalky soil keeps the vines stressed and allows for greater concentration of fruit per grape. With a reputation for quality and pure expressive wines, Bodegas Monticello received a 91 from Wine Spectator for this elegantly concentrated 100% Tempranillo with flavors of spice, licorice and ripe cherries. The red wine, aged in French oak and bottle for over four years shows such a true expression of a Riojaźs rustic and earthy qualities. This Rioja will stand up to a hearty beef or rabbit stew, balance nicely with a marinated filet mignon and dance painlessly with manchego cheese and almonds. Finely balanced for food yet elegant enough to drink on its own is how best I would describe this beauty. Justin: '96 Contino, Rioja, Reserva $29.99 The 1996 Contino Reserva is a graceful jewel of a wine—striking for both its grace and intensity of flavour and bouquet. It's brilliant, deep ruby in color. The bouquet is complex with a cherry core, milk chocolate, mineral, and balsamic notes. As it opens the cherry takes on a rich candied tone and layers of complexity emerge: showing notes of earthy forest floor and hints of nutmeg, clove and spice—yet still suffused with milk chocolaty richness. On the palate juicy, cherry, milk chocolaty fruit rushes forth with elegance and intensity; well balanced by good acidity. The overall impression is of refinement and concentration—yet with a touch of velvet plushness. The silky-smooth, yet tactile, mouth feel enhances the luxuriant effect. Jesús Medrazo, the exceptional winemaker at Contino, takes special care to achieve this added dimension. A strong sense of place unfolds through notes of the stoney, alluvial soil of the Contino vineyards—situated in a breathtaking riverbank setting in the Rioja Alavesa. Adding to the complexity are touches of wild flower, earthy mushroom, truffle and a dash of smokey, toasty oak. The fine tannins carry some heft, filling out the long finish with finesse and the promise of 12-17 more years of drinking pleasure. The smooth elegance and balance of the wine leaves you lingering over the supple bouquet; offering prized moments of repose before imbibing yet another sleek mouthful of Rioja sophistication. Certainly an heir to the legendary 1982. And not to be missed. James: '99 Casa Castillo, Las Gravas $15.99 The gravel referred to in the title of this wine ( and so elegantly displayed on the label) cover the vineyards of the Casa Castillo bodega in the region of Jumilla. It is those stones that are the inspiration for this wine made by Julia Roch and Sons. This is the first wine of the month and I think I have found an outstanding one—Las Gravas is far and above my favorite wine that I have taken home recently. It is rare to find a wine of this power and range combined with such finesse and overall drinkability. Extremely low yields of Cabernet (60%) and Monastrell (40%) were combined with malolactic fermentation and ageing in French and American oak to produce this wine boasting cherry/blackberry liqueur aromas mixed with eucalyptus , wood and mineral notes. This wine has a luscious feel that just brings a smile to your face. Given the low acidity of this wine, the fine structure and extremely long finish come as a pleasant surprise. Perfect on its own to enjoy in this chilly weather, Las Gravas can also enjoyed with roast pork, hearty stews and grilled meats. This is really a wine you ought to try.

John: '01 Wegeler, Riesling Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spatlese $33.99 In 1900 Geheimrat (Privy Councilor) Julius Wegeler bought his first vineyards in the Mosel valley, specifically in the Bernkasteler Doctor. He paid 100 gold marks per square meter a then utopian amount of money. Capable of producing some of Germany’s greatest Riesling, the wines have always been very expensive. For example, a 1959 Wegeler Doctor Spätlese in 1963 sold for $10.25 while 1959 Ch. Petrus could be purchased for only $7.95. Today the wines are produced by cellarmaster Norbert Breit who was primarily responsible for the turnaround at the Wwe. Dr. Thanisch estate. The Bernkasteler Doctor vineyard is situated on a peak which is open to the west and well protected to the east by the Hunsrück mountain range. It faces south, south-west and is very steep with grades up to 70%. The vineyard had medium-deep, loamy soil with soft weathered devon slate. Today with approximately 2.6 acres, the Wegeler estate is the largest owner in the Doctor vineyard. Heavenly aromas of slate, peach skin, smoke and honeysuckle. Silky texture and ripe juicy stone fruit coat the palate with the perfect spritz of citrus tang to keep it lively. Amazingly concentrated and balanced. Patrice: '00 Newton, Red Label Chardonnay $17.49 If you are looking for an elegant California chardonnay that is competitively priced you might want to try the 2000 Newton Red Label Chardonnay. All of the Newton Chardonnays are naturally fermented that allow them to evolve in harmony with their Californian terroir. The wines begin their fermentation in French oak and remain there until bottling. No acid is ever added. The result is a classic Californian chardonnay. The 2000 Newton Red Label has all of the usual suspects in terms of taste one would expect to find in this type of wine including oak, butter, and vanilla. What sets it a part from the average chard is its abundance of complex ripe fruits along with the appropriate level of acidity to balance out these other strong flavors. Pineapple, melon, pear, mango and other exotic necars make it the definitive wine to have with shrimp. Works well with roast chicken also. Enjoy! Dominique: '96 Hacienda Monasterio, Crianza $24.99 Our story begins one morning during the month of December, when the weather started to turn very cold and the quest for the perfect wine to warm up increases dramatically. I was browsing around the shop, looking for an attractive and unique bottle, the one that is usually right under your nose, winking its label at you. Initally, its price caused me to pass it by, an "under-twenty" wine was my target; so I decide to leave it for a special occasion, and continued my tour. After a half-hour of hesitation (too much to choose from at PJ’s!), I realized that I kept coming back to the Hacienda Monasterio ‘96, so I finally settled on a bottle. This wine exhibits deep dark plum/blackberry character with ripe tannins and vibrant acidity. I found it very intense and concentrated, and wouldn’t you know that it really warmed me up that evening, and since the weather hasn’t changed for the past few weeks, I keep buying more and more. This wine has a little piece of Spain in the bottle. “…The 1996 is unquestionably an outstanding wine. It possesses 13.5% alcohol, and plenty of guts and richness.” —Robert Parker, 90 Dr. Marty: '00 Finca Son Bordils, Negre $14.49 Once upon a time, before the depredations of phylloxera, there were about 27,000 hectares of vines in Mallorca, the main producer in the Balearics. This has now shrunk to 2100 hectares, and one of the main reasons is tourism. It‚s more profitable to sell the land for holiday villas. Furthermore, prospective vignerons have left the villages to work in the hotels of Palma and Pollensa. However, there are still wines made here, some quite good, and this is one of them. The Finca Son Bordils was founded back in 1433 by the Bordils family. They operated the property until the early 1900‚s , and, after being sold twice, it was purchased and refurbished in 1991 by Pedro and Ramon Coll who retained the Finca Son Bordils name. The present wine is composed of 50% Merlot, 35% Manto Negro (a native grape of Mallorca) and 5% each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. All grapes are estate grown, and the final blend aged in a combination of new French and American oak barrels for 3-6 months. Deep ruby in color, the nose displays cherry, plum, vanilla and smoke. It is full and round on the palate. The finish is long with sweet, black fruit. What to eat with this? The dish can contain mayonnaise which was first made here but how about coca mallorquina, the Mallorcan version of pizza which often contains onion, peppers, tomatoes, anchovies and sardines.