September Staff Picks

Peter: ’00 Raymond Usseglio Chateauneuf du Pape Girard $24.99 Raymond, not to be confused with Pierre Usseglio, lives on the edge of the village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape on the road to Courthezon. Half his vines are situated near that road in the lieu-dit "La Crau" and the other half on the hill across the road from the actual ruins of the new castle of the Pope. He has the good fortune to have very old vines. The average age of his Chateauneuf vines is between 50 and 60 years old, and the cuvee Imperiale is 100-year old vines. The principal selection from his various cuvees bears the name Girard, and is bottled without any filtration. Grenache comprises about 70% of the blend, Mourvedre most of the balance, with Syrah and a field blend of old vines, the remainder. Raymond’s son, Stephanie, is now joining him and their already excellent wines appear to be getting even greater. This is definitely a domaine to watch. Sam: ’01 J.& H.A. Strub Niersteiner Paterberg Riesling Spätlese*** $20.99 In the Rheinhessen region of Germany we find the vineyard of the Paterberg, extending approximately 100 acres across the southern part of the region.The vineyards here grow flush in rich, red soil enhanced naturally by the multitude of minerals found in the region. It is here that we find part of the great Strub vineyards, which have, through eleven generations, become world renowned for their fine Rieslings. The 2001 Niersteiner Paterberg Spätlese*** from Strub embodies the hype of the 2001 vintage from Germany and proves to be a great value for the money as well. The Paterberg Spätlese*** is in reality a non-botrytis Auslese, as it displays a mouthful of candied lemons, pears, caramel, and apricots, with a distinct but pleasant minerality of graphite. Full bodied and ripe, trust that it will probably cellar for another decade and a half, at the very least. The 2001 German vintage, one of the best ever, has seen a number of gems, and this is one of the last remaining. As only a few cases remain in the store, my advice is to run get your hands on some before it is gone! Cheers. Justin: ’00 Aalto Ribera del Duero $34.99 Aalto is a new winery in Ribera del Duero headed by Mariano García, likely one of the best winemakers in the world, formerly of Vega Sicilia and currently with Bodegas Mauro and Bodegas Vinedo Maurodos (San Roman). The 2000 Aalto establishes Aalto as a serious contender to Alion as the benchmark standard of "affordable" wines of Ribera del Duero. Alion's proven excellence and consistency since it's debut in the early 90s made it my reference point in Ribera and worldwide for world class wine at a relatively affordable price. However, the success of Alion brought with it increases in price, making it not quite as affordable as it once was—nearing the $50 mark in many stores. Like Aalto, Alion was created under Mariano's watch and was Vega Sicilia's answer to the more fruit and oak forward international styled wines then emerging. And in keeping with Vega Sicilia's character and reputation it is a very elegant, impeccably balanced, newer styled wine. Aalto is a little more relaxed, a little fruitier, a little more plush, but still well rounded and beautifully balanced. The word that comes to mind most when enjoying the Aalto is velvet. The color is deep, rich, opaque, velvet-ruby. On the nose it is dense, powerful and full with velvety black cherry and notes of plum, gunpowder, musk and new oak. On the palate the attack is lush, even bold, with meaty crushed cherry fruit and a super-juicy, remarkably full and round mid-palate, followed by a long, long, soft, velvet, chocolate-lined finish. It's not yet fully knit and the oak tones which overlay the lush fruit will submerge and integrate in time. The seamless spine of very fine, ripe tannins only becomes evident well into the finish. As the wine opens the nose and palate take on additional layered notes of menthol, minerality and exotic spice and the milk chocolate finish deepens, adding a cherry kirsch accent. And although it is showing well now—especially if you love bold, lush, fruit, layered with oak—I suspect I will be giving it a few more years to harmonize into a wine of both velvet fruit and velvety finesse. I can just taste it on the horizon, and superlative winemaker Mariano García has yet to let me down. Stock up now before this one starts getting more heady in both renown and price. Dr. Marty: ’01 La-Vis Trentino Rosso dei Sorni $12.99 Unless you’re an Italian wine aficionado, you’ve probably never heard of these grapes. Both are indigenous to the Trentino-Alto Adige area, and both make great wines on their own. Their names are Teroldego and Lagrein. What happens when they are blended together was the question I had. And the answer, a positive one, came with this wine: La-Vis Rosso dei Sorni. Trentino-Alto Adige is the northernmost region of Italy. Leading via the Brenner pass into Austria, Alto Adige is the northern province and Trentino the southern one. Both share a gorgeous region of the Alps drained by the Adige River. This wine hails from the Trentino village of Lavis, north of the city of Trento. It’s in the heart of the Avisio hills which includes the vineyards of Sorni--ergo, the name of the wine, Rosso dei Sorni. The Cantina La Vis was founded in 1850 by the Cembra family and was taken over as a co-operative in 1948. It has 800 winegrowers who produce 10% of all the Trentino DOC wines. This wine is a mixture of Teroldego and Lagrein. Harvest took place at the end of September-early October. There was complete malolactic fermentation and the completed wine spent three months in barriques prior to bottling. The wine’s color is a bright ruby. Cherry, raspberry and floral notes with mint and chocolate in the distant background provide the aromatics. Perfect balance is on display with just right acid levels, soft tannins and a medium body. Related to all this is a fine, silky texture which opens the door to a long finish dominated by cherry and berries. This is not a big, flashy wine but rather a friendly, easy rider which would be great as your everyday red wine. Pizza, pasta, fish, chicken and pork—you name it—would love to take a ride with this wine.

John: ’02 Kir Yiannis “Akakies” Rosé $11.49 The vineyards that comprise the Kir-Yianni estate were part of a large farm that was purchased by the Boutari family in the 1960s. In addition to being the main source of fruit for the flagship Boutari Grande Reserve Naousa wines, it also ushered in the era of single vineyard winemaking and contributed greatly to the revival of one of Greece's most important wine producing regions. During the 1980s Yiannis Boutaris, the company's head of winemaking and vineyard management, began a program of experimentation with several Greek and foreign varieties, determined to achieve international standards of wine production on the property. In the mid-1990s, a decade in which the Boutari company had become a fully diversified beverage conglomerate, a small, but state-of-the-art, winery was built in order to complete the transition from vineyard to estate. Shortly thereafter, Yiannis, eager to pursue his dream of artisanal production, exited the Boutari Group to focus on winemaking at the Yianakohori estate and other properties in Makedonia. This tart rosé from Xynómavro supports Mihalis' assertion that the variety "has a green side." The acidity in this wine, however, is exclusively married to flavors of wild strawberry. A light and true rose color is extracted during a 12 hour maceration. The wine has some body, but for all its depth—and it exhibits plenty—it is still somehow light as air. Xynómavro produces some of Greece's most appealing rosés, but this treatment is unique. Patrice: ’99 Pecchenino Dolcetto di Dogliano “Bricco Botti” $12.99 Orlando and his brother, who are third generation family members, currently run the estate originally founded in 1910 by Attilio Pecchenino. Orlando Pecchenino, a trained oenologist from the Instituto D’Alba handles all of the vineyard and cellar work. He is a strong advocate of organic growing methods, using no insecticides and low yield harvesting. The Pecceninos believe in producing wines that express the unique character of the terroir, while trying to introduce some of the more modern and sophisticated techniques of winemaking. The family is in the process of building a new cellar in the hope of doubling their annual production of wine. The current production is about 7,000 cases of wine per year. The 1999 Bricco Botti Dolcetto di Dogliano is a great internationally styled wine for a bargain price. The color is opaque magenta. On the nose are fragrant violets and crushed black currants. This is a rich wine with flavors of very ripe, jammy fruit, dried cherries, and prunes tinged with smoke and earth. The tannins are on the rustic side but add backbone to the wine. The finish is lengthy at 25+ seconds. The ’99 Bricco Botti is a great accompaniment for tomato based pasta dishes. We enjoyed it with some fresh tagliatelle doused with a tangy tomato basil sauce. Robert Parker awarded the wine a "91" and at $12.99 it is hard to say no. Dominique: ’99 Château de Chamboureau Savennières “Cuvee D’Avant” $13.99 Savennières is the name of a little village, and the wine region that surrounds it, situated in the south-west of Angers (Anjou) on the northern bank of the Loire River. It became an AOC in 1952 and the AOC regulations for Savennières were last updated in 1996. The 1996 decree gives wine-growers the choice of making dry, semi-dry, moelleux (medium sweet) or sweet white wines. A wine-producer can therefore make wine based on what nature has to offer. This is why to some extent all types of vintages (and wines) exist; even if the majority is dry wine (90% of the total production), there are also very good semi-dry, moelleux and sweet wines, made out of the main grape variety: Chenin Blanc. The Soulez family has been established in Savennières since the early 20th century, owned the Chateau since 1949 and was actively involved in achieving recognition for the Savennières and Savennières Roches-aux-moines wines. Pierre Soulez's company was established in 1982, and he runs the estate with his brother Herve, who is responsible for the vineyard, and Hugues, a grandson, who is the in-house oenologist. Soulez harvests his grapes by successive passages through the vineyards, in order to pick only the fruit which has been attacked by Botrytis Cinerea or has become Sun-Dried. On his 6.5 hectares of vineyard, the intrinsic richness of the juice then balances the natural austerity of the Chenin Blanc and the acid brought by the very poor soil (Siliceous Clay schist with volcanic debris), giving wines that may be approached after several years. The wines are fermented in French oak barrels (Voges) that have been used several times. The use of small barrels represents a recent return to the tradition of “bygone” days, to which reference is made on the label by the name: “Cuvee d’Avant.” Fermentation is followed by aging with the occasional lees stirring , with no racking until May after the Harvest. Thereafter racking and fining achieve the necessary clarification, and bottling takes place in September. Naming the great domaines in Savennières is like reciting poetry. Historically, the best-known Domaine is the Coulée de Serrant, followed by the Domaine aux Moines, le Château de Chamboureau, le Château d'Epiré, le Domaine du Closel, then the “Clos”: Clos du Papillon, Clos des Perrières, etc. But beyond the names, there is the landscape which is one of the most harmonious vineyard landscapes in France, with this beautiful association of the Loire river, the great Domaines with their distinctive old architecture and their large trees, the vineyards and culture. These different aspects together as a whole are remarkably harmonious and this is what should be found in the wine: great pleasure derived from your taste buds, aesthetics and culture. Have a nice journey in the “Garden of France.” José: ’00 Quinta do Dorado Vinho Verde Alvarinho “Seleccao” $17.99 Quinta do Dorado is the result of a young Galician's quest to bring the world the finest Alvarinho ever produced. And for Marcial Dorado, this meant finding the perfect vineyard. After searching for old Albariño vineyards along Spain's Mintildeo river, Marcial realized that sublime parcels existed across the Miñ...in Portugal (where the grape is known as Alvarinho). Overlooking the town of Melgas he discovered a 70-year-old vineyard, the likes of which he could not find in Spain. He purchased the vineyard and, to aid him in his quest, he hired enologist Marcos Lojo Abal, the man behind what is perhaps Rias Baixas' greatest wine: Gran Bazan "Ambar." The old vineyard, culled with two strict bunch selections, provides exquisite fruit. Marcial utilizes a couple of techniques adopted from Burgundy's best white wine specialists: malolactic fermentation and extensive lees stirring. Malolactic steals very little acidity from the Quinta do Dorado, but it greatly enhances the perceived richness and limits the need to filter or use SO2. The lees stirring regimen, which lasts 9 months, provides additional aromatic complexity and depth. The wine has brilliant aromatics and an intense, rich palate. It is best to serve at a cool room temperature that will allow the fat, weighty texture of the wine to shine through. Only 4500 cases were produced, and Marcial has no intention of growing the brand much larger. It is truly an amazing turnaround for the diminished reputation of Vinho Verde.