January Staff Picks

Peter: ’02 Tensley Syrah, Colson Canyon $25.99 Three reasons to buy this Tensley now: 1) It’s made by Joe Tensley, an up-and-coming superstar winemaker from Santa Barbera County. Shhhhhhhhhh he is still a secret on the east coast. 2) Canopy management, low yields, low production, single vineyard and hand-crafted mean Joe is not messing around. 3) Tasting it yields wild aromas of animal fat, leather, wet earth, violets, cassis, black fruits, expresso. Unctuous texture with extraordinary concentration, complexity, richness. It’s multidimensional, multi-layered, juicy, ripe, pure and amazingly well-balanced for such a grand-sized wine. Imagine the complexity and balance of a Northern Rhône with the richness and ripeness of Washington/California. So good you can’t stop thinking about it. Sam: ’02 Thorn Clarke Barossa Valley Shiraz Terra Barossa $11.99 The Thorn Clarke winery, the marriage between two prominent Barossa Valley winemaking families, has become in the last few years one of the finest wineries in the area. The Terra Barossa range, one of four ranges, was developed for the U.S. market and named in honour of the rich soils in the region. The Shiraz is quite spectacular, especially with the 2002 vintage. The wine possesses quite pleasant aromas of mint, coffee, and cinnamon. Opening out to cherry licorice, blackberry, and cassis, the wine becomes even more delicious, with dark chocolate, juicy raspberries, and black cherries. A delightful and impressive offering. It can be drunk now or last a couple of years in the cellar, but once you try it, I don’t believe that one can keep it in the cellar too long!! Cheers. Justin: ’00 Viña San Roman Toro, Tinta de Toro $32.99 Bodegas Maurodos’s 1997 debut vintage of Viña San Roman (commonly referred to as San Roman) marked the start of what has become an explosion of international interest in the wines of Toro—a very hot and dry region of Spain west of the highly regarded Ribera del Duero. Helping drive this deserved notoriety has been a string of high quality vintages from 1998-2001; the continued efforts of quality minded producers to understand and improve their wines; and rave reviews in the wine press. The wines of Toro are made primarily from the Tinta de Toro strain of Tempranillo, adapted over the centuries to the baking-hot terroir of Toro. They tend to be full-bodied and fruity with rustic tannins and a healthy dose of alcohol. These traits fit in well with international demand for big, fruity, barrel-aged wines. The very best wines of Toro, like San Roman, manage to tame the tannins and alcohol and create balanced wines loaded with powerful fruit aromatics and flavors—and they go perfectly with the superb lamb of the region and other hearty meat fare. Since first tasted in Spain in the summer of 2002 the ’00 has evolved beautifully into a real sex kitten of a wine. Not shy in the least, the lush mixed berry aromas of blueberry, blackberry, crushed raspberry, and jammy strawberry greet you right out of the glass. Notes of nutmeg spice, vanilla, smoke and beautifully integrated toasted oak add a luxurious, come-hither complexity. On the palate the luxury continues with a smooth mouth feel and lots of concentrated, plush fruit—all perfectly rounded over fine, ripe tannins, which give this fruit bomb vim and vigor. Soft, toasty oak notes fill out the long berry, cherry, licorice and milk chocolate finish. Another triumph for stellar winemaker Mariano García and this Toro standout. How could you say no to this wine? Dr. Marty: ’99 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva $14.99 Bodegas Muga, located in Haro in Rioja Alta, saw the light early and followed its path but only partway. In the late ’80’s and early ’90’s, much of the wine world decided it wanted dark-colored, concentrated, fruit-driven, alcoholic wines, a style that became known as the international or modern style. The message reached Rioja also, and Bodegas Muga, among others, recognized the necessity that some of their production reflect this. The result was the Torre Muga line which made its debut in 1991. However, Bodegas Muga continued to produce Rioja—traditional Rioja—in the way they had since the winery’s inception in 1932. Not unexpectedly, this traditional Rioja continued to remain in the top tiers of the Rioja hierarchy. The ’99 Rioja Riserva is one of these wines. The ’99 Rioja vintage was a good one, not a great one. The latter term is reserved for the ’94 and ’95 vintages and has already been used for the much heralded ’01. As with their other Riojas, the blend is the typical Rioja blend, primarily Tempranillo with small amounts of Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. Interestingly, they are the only bodega in Rioja to use oak in all stages of vinification and ageing. There is no filtering. Reserva refers to the fact that the wine spends at least one year—usually more at Muga—in wood and two years in bottle before being released from the winery. The ’99’s color is the traditional Rioja medium ruby. On the nose, there—s raspberry, cherry, some smoke and vanillin. The palate presents a firm structure of good acidity, medium body and some tannins that will soften in time. The finish is long with a predominance of cherry and raspberry. This is an easygoing, traditional Rioja that needs about 1-2 years before drinking… and when you do have it, make sure there’s some lamb on the table, too. José: ’02 J. J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese $28.99 For centuries the Prüm family has called the village of Wehlen home. Their ancestors were living in or near Wehlen as early as the year 1156. Johann Josef Prüm (1873 - 1944), the son of Mathias, founded the J.J. Prüm estate in 1911. The J.J. Prüm estate is one of the outstanding producers in Germany. Currently, Dr. Manfred Prüm maintains the winery with an uncompromising standard in quality winemaking. The 33.5 acres estate consists of nearly 70% ungrafted vines (14 hectares),  planted with 95% Riesling which flourish on the steep slopes of the Middle-Mosel. All the estate holdings are in the best parts of the top Middle-Mosel sites: Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Graacher Himmelreich, Graacher Domprobst, Bernkasteler Lay, Bernkasteler Badstube, and Bernkasteler Bratenhöfchen. And over half the vines are planted in the finest parcels in the vineyards of Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Graacher Himmelreich. JJ Prüm wines are among the most exciting and delicious Mosel Riesling wines. Plantings of the estate are entirely on steeply sloping Devon schist soil (rich in minerals). It is thought that the astonishing quality of Dr. Prüm’s wines is achieved, along with the soil, through minimal manipulation and long, slow, temperature-controlled fermentation in his world-famous cool cellar. J.J. Prüm wines are known for their longevity and slow development. They possess full-flavored pure fruit and piquant spiciness that are characteristic of Mosel wines. From the inimitably light Kabinetts to the rich and harmonious Spätlese to the succulent Auslese and the noble late harvest wines, this producer and region make some of the most unforgettable wines of Germany. Average annual production is 13,000 cases. I was impressed by the 2001 Spätlese, but the 2002 blows me away. More fruit, a stronger sensation of sweetness, a very good balance associated with minerality, I can’t get enough. So, I will urge you to jump on it now. Soon it will be too late. “Brilliant wine, as always from this address, and an example of classic Mosel Riesling. The 2002 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese is less concentrated and slightly lower in acidity than this estate's magnificent 2001, therefore more forward in style. Intensely aromatic and bursting with herb, peach, lime and slate notes riding a firm, focused structure and creamy texture. Beautifully put together and long on the finish. Best from 2008 through 2025.” —WS 93

John: ’02 Piero Broglia La Meirana Gavi di Gavi $12.99 When the Cortese grape is in the hands of a masterful winemaker, such as Piero Broglia, a wine taster will be compelled to stand up and spontaneously applaud all that is good in the wine industry, as I did when I tasted this wine for the first time. And when Gavi’s on top of it’s game, as in this flawless super value white, it’s fruity and seductively aromatic, with notes of citrus, grilled tropical fruit, wet stone, white flowers and honey. On the palate, Broglia orchestrates a symphony of harmonizing flavors and textures. Vivid ripe melon fruit accented with a zest of citrus. It shows a lush and full-bodied texture, with plenty of depth and complexity, but has the perfect counter-balance of acidity to keep it bright and lively. I paired the wine with a halibut ceviche, trying to match the richness, density and tangy edge of both the wine and fish. Needless to say, there were no leftovers. Patrice: ’02 Hans Lang Riesling Trocken Rheingau (1.0L) $10.49 Founded 50 years ago by Johann Joseph Lang, the current Hans Lang estate has 18 hectares of vineyards in the renowned villages of Hattenheim and Assmannshausen which border the Rhine. The property is planted with 75% Riesling, 15% Pinot Noir and small amounts of Pinot Gris, Gruner Sylvaner, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. The vast majority of the wines produced here are dry in style. The 2002 is a beautifully styled, bone dry Riesling, a fine example of the drier wines of the Rheingau. This wine defines what crisp and refreshing should be in the glass. The bouquet is a combination of wildflowers and citrus peel. On the palate the flavors of grapefruit, passion fruit and lemon are combined with steely acidity (no wood here) that develop only a hint of sweetness on the mid-palate. The finish is bright and cleansing. As with a sweeter Riesling this wine will go well with Asian dishes but due to its dryness will also work well with many styles of ham. At this price per liter, it’s quite a steal! Dominique: ’01 Domaine de la Casa Blanca Banyuls, France $15.99 In the deep southern part of France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon, touching the Mediterranean Sea, lays the little village of Banyuls-sur-Mer near the Spanish border. Nestled in the foothills of Pyrenees, Banyuls is a charming old fishing village with quaint narrow streets and excellent beaches. The gentle climate makes Banyuls one of the few places in France where oranges grow outdoors all year round with mimosa and olive trees. The steep slopes of the surrounding hills are covered with vineyards (Banyuls Appellation Contrôlée). The vines grow on terraced, schistous mountainside vineyards located smack up against the Mediterranean Sea. The steep slopes and very poor soil combined with constantly buffeting winds off the sea makes grape production difficult but yields terrific wines. The vines grow low to the ground and each must be planted, tended and harvested by hand. Yields are astonishingly low, at most 20 HL/HA. Casa Blanca is an ancient family domaine, consisting of 12 hectares of carefully tended vines ranging in age from 70 to 100 years. The goal of proprietor/winemaker Alain Soufflet and vineyard manager Laurent Escapa is to make intense, flavorful wines that combine the best of traditional methods (i.e. wood ageing) with the advantages of modern techniques (i.e. temperature control). Their superb wines have been praised in highly regarded magazines (GaultMillau, Hachette, Dussert-Gerber and the Revue du Vin de France) and have been awarded the prestigious Saint-Bacchus award for best of Roussillon. These are naturally sweet wines (Vins Doux Naturels) produced using the Arnau de Vianova method, although there are dry and demi-sec styles as well. Grenache is the basic varietal. The color depends on the ageing process and the resulting wines can be rich in golden, garnet, ruby, brick, mahogany and coffee brown hues. And they can provide an extraordinary palette of flavors including crystallized dried fruits, nuts, liquorice, orange peel, mocha, cocoa and more. Soufflet makes this sweet red wine in the style of a Vintage Port (sweet & complex), emphasizing the fresh fruit flavors in youth and meant for long ageing. This type of Banyuls is called Vintage or “Rimage” in the local Catalan dialect. Made solely from Grenache Noir, the grapes macerate for 2 weeks after the mutage (addition of grape spirits to stop fermentation). The wine then ages in Bordeaux barrels for 6 months, which is unusual in this appellation and perhaps the secret of the great success of this domaine's wine. The result is a deep, intense wine with layers of flavors, ranging from cooked prunes and dark berry fruits to chocolate and spice. The finish is long, lingering and clean. An ideal companion to bitter orange chocolate cake, delicious with vanilla cream or as a part of a duck recipe with orange peel. One of my favorite after dinner drinks! Scott: ’02 Maretima Sicily Pinot Grigio $8.49 Producing Pinot Grigio in an entirely different image, Maretima’s take on this varietal kept me returning to my glass for another sip. The wine continued to change through the course of dinner, and I continued to be intrigued and pleasantly surprised by what the glass offered. The nose began with a wet stone, clay and saline quality and then, after a few minutes, opened into white flowers, orange rind, and honeyed notes. On the palate, the honey and citrus notes are joined by a touch of residual sugar. This wine definitely showed some heat (13% alcohol per the bottle), but the alcohol was well integrated. The alcohol combined with acidity and sweetness, leaving all three dancing on the tongue. Hailing from central Sicily, this Pinot Grigio comes from 10-year-old vines. The grapes are manually harvested in late August and modern vinification techniques are employed—fermentation in stainless steel tanks, controlled temperatures, etc. After fermentation, the wine spends 60 days on it lees. The short lees (dead yeast cells) aging, imparts additional flavors to the wine and adds to the complexity. If you are searching for a light, carefree Pinot Grigio, I would not choose this bottle. However, if you are dining on shellfish or chicken dishes and want a wine to saunter up to your meal, this wine might just be the strut. If you are looking for a wine to change your mind about the sea of Pinot Grigio, start with a glass of Maretima. After a short while, your nose and palate will call for more!