March Staff Picks

Peter: NV Contini Antico Gregori (.500L) $54.99 My candidate for “the most exiciting dessert wine of the year.” Founded by Salvatore Contini in 1898, one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries in Sardinia. The winery remains family owned and managed by two brothers Paolo and Antonio Contini, who are also the wine makers. The Contini brothers follow the ancient family traditions of wine making with skill and dedication. Many tasty bottlings are available, but the most special one for me is ANTICO GREGORI. ANTICO G. is 100% Vernaccia, made from a selection of the best old vine grapes grown in the alluvial soils of the Tirsh Valley. The maturation technique is similar to the solera method in sherry. The original wine base goes back to the beginning of the last century and small amount of newer wine (a minimum 10 years old) is added from time to time but only from the best grapes in best vintages. Flavors very exotic—caramel, honey expresso, sweet apples... A stunner! Sam: ’98 Bodegas Muga Rioja “Torre Muga” $45.99 Bodegas Muga, one of Spain’s most highly regarded wineries, represents a certain standard and quality against which other Spanish wines, in particular other Riojas, must measure up against. This is particularly true of their top wines, the “Prado Enea” Gran Reserva and the “Torre Muga”. Having already reviewed the 1995 Prado Enea, I stumbled across a bottle of 1998 Torre Muga and thought that this would be a fine selection for this time of year! Torre Muga is a delicious tempranillo based blend which includes small percentages of mazuelo and graciano. It is aged for 6 months in 16,000 liter oak tanks and then for 18 months in new barrels of American and French oak. The name of the wine comes from the tower sitting atop the Muga winery. The wine itself has a vivid red blood red color, quite gorgeous, with entrancing aromas of smoke and almonds. An elegant yet lush and rich Rioja, it boasts a sumptuous bouquet of black cherries, plum, cassis and chocolate, combined with its vanillin and spice-driven finish and overall vivacity. Sweet yet powerful tannins suggest a long cellar life; but it is a terrific wine and once you have tasted one bottle, it is doubtful in my mind that you would want to wait too long to try it again. A perfect accompaniment to a rare beef or veal dish. Cheers. Justin: ’00 Mauro Tudela de Duero Spanish Red $30.49 This is another superb effort from Mauro, located just outside the Ribera del Duero appellation. The ’00 edition is less dense than the ’99 and more approachable now. It reflects the lovely fruit and soft tannins which highlighted the 2000 vintage—an abundant, but uneven year. It is 90% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), 8% Syrah and 2% Garnacha and was aged in a mix of French and American oak for 14 months. The wine displays a deep, clear, magenta-tinged ruby color. Lush scents of cherry, raspberry, milk chocolate, soil and spice greet you immediately out of the glass. As it opens additional flavors emerge: blueberry, charcoal, smoke and hints at tobacco leaf. On the palate it is medium to full-bodied featuring red berry and cherry fruit in a robust yet elegant package. Spicy, cinnamon and milk-chocolate flavors harmonize with the fruit and merge into a well-balanced, well-structured finish of fine, ripe, mouth-coating tannins. It’s perfect with grilled meat. Decant before serving or cellar for a few years. Either way, it’s a fruity, milk-chocolaty treat endowed with Mauro’s signature full flavor and easy flowing style and grace. José: ’01 Finca Sandoval Spanish Red $25.99 Victor de la Serna, a top Spanish wine writer, had the idea to start a vineyard-and-winemaking project from scratch and found a site in Manchuela, where he felt planting top-notch Syrah vines had much more potential than did the dominant, large-berried local red variety, Bobal. Finca Sandoval is primarily two young (1998) vineyards, with an area of 10.8 ha (26 acres), planted planted in Syrah vines supplied by the Chateauneuf-d-Pape nursery, Pepinieres Gillibert, which is a partner of the Chateau de Beaucastel joint venture with Tablas Creek Nursery in California. The vineyards are in the Casa Blanca area, roughly equidistant from five winemaking villages (Ledaña, Iniesta, Villarta, Villamalea and El Herrumblar) in the Manchuela appellation. This is in the Cuenca province, 140 miles southeast of Madrid and 65 miles west of Valencia, at an altitude of 2,250 feet on a high Castilian plateau. The vineyards are softly undulating with a northeast orientation. Soils, with a dominant clay-limestone component, belong to four different types: sandy-cley, very shallow and very poor (which gives us grapes for the most powerful and structured wines); very poor silty-cley soil, deep clay-limestone and clay-dominanted clay-limestone soil, which is the richest type of soil they have and produces the relatively least structuresd wines. They harvest and vinify separately each type of soil at very low yields. They also take advantage of a small vineyard planted in the native varieties of garnacha (grenache) and Monastrell (mataro/mourvèdre) as well as small lots from the neighboring villages to create more complex blends that reflect local tradition. “...a blend of 93% Syrah and 7% Mourvèdre that was aged primarily in French oak, of which 55% was new. Its dense saturated purple color is accompanied by a lovely perfume of camphor, licorice, black currants, blackberries, and subtle hints of sweet toast. Layered and medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannin, and a long, concentrated finish, this impressive 2001 will drink well between 2005-2012. Additionally, it is realistically priced.” —WA 91 Elena: ’02 Les Grandes Vignes Côtes-du-Rhône Red $8.49 Côtes-du-Rhône is not usually synonymous with images of renewable resources, organic farming or cooperative production. However, a recent tasting has revealed that all nature-minded oenophiles now have somewhere to turn for their bio-friendly French wine. Les Vignerons d’Estézargues, which makes Les Grandes Vignes, is a cooperative located outside of Avignon. Established in 1965, they are the only "organic" style winery in France. Under Jean-Francois Nicq, Les Vignerons d’Estézargues uses natural yeasts, no enzymes, no filtration, and minimal sulfites added only during the bottling process, assuring natural, full flavored wines. The 2002 vintage was made using 100% Cinsault, again, not your usual Côtes-du-Rhône grape. D’Estézargues has shown that smaller yields grown in Chateâuneuf-du-Pape quality soil can result in a pleasantly extracted, well-concentrated, mildly alcoholic wine with silky tannins. On the nose, Les Grandes Vignes displays elegant notes of violet and vanilla and smoky chocolate. The palate is fruity yet elegant, with soft tannins and a smoky, floral palate and clean finish. This pairs beautifully with a beef bourginon made from one bottle, with another bottle on the table to drink.

John: NV Lingenfelder Riesling Brut Sekt “Satyr” $30.99 Sekt is Germany’s contribution to the world’s quality sparkling wine. Most Sekt is usually made by tank or charmat fermentation, with the second fermentation introduced in large pressurized containers from which the finished product is filtered, still under pressure, and then bottled. Using the grape as the only source of sugar in the production process, Lingenfelder feels he is “making a sparkling wine closer to the vine, bringing it back to nature.” He has not only accomplished this but has also produced a truly unique, and incredibly wonderful wine. Creating a more “natural” cuvee lead to naming it Satyr. In Greek mythology, Satyrs were creatures of the wild, part man and part beast, who in classical times were closely associated with the god Dionysus. Their Italian counterparts were the Fauns. Satyrs were at first represented as uncouth men, each with a horse’s tail and ears and an erect phallus, and they later came to be represented as men having a goat’s legs and tail. While the wine has a more elemental orgin, in the glass it shows an elegant, fine persistent mousse, the nose of a wonderfully aged Riesling, ample fruit on the palate, and clean, crisp acidity. This is clearly Riesling—Lingenfelder Riesling— and it’s as good in its way as most NV Champagnes. It fully merits its price. Patrice: NV R.L. Buller Premium Fine Tokay (375ml) $11.49 If you are a fan of dessert wines but are sometimes put off by their costliness you may want to try some of the Australian offerings from R.L. Buller. From the famed Rutherglen region these fortified wines are fine examples of "stickies" from Australia. They are notably well priced. The NV Premium Fine Tokay (made from the muscadelle grape) is a dessert unto itself. Deep amber in color the wine has a nose of baked apples, nutmeg, allspice and dried fruit. On the palate it is richly loaded with figs, dates, crushed nuts and caramel. Ample acidity keeps it from becoming too weighed down in its own deep flavors. Although I prefer to enjoy this wine alone as my after dinner treat it will also pair well with chocolate based desserts. Enjoy! Dominique: ’02 Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano “Elisabetta Geppetti” $15.49 For centuries northern Tuscany held the wine throne, surely because the southern part was a swamp. Slowly, during the 20th century, the area was drained, the poverty disappeared and cases of malaria decreased. Then, 30 years ago, along came Sassicaia (and not long after Onellaia) from Bolgheri and the revolution of the super Tuscan began. While Bolgheri has become the Italian wine fashion favorite (resulting in astronomic prices), Morellino di Scansano DOC in Maremma, has been quietly improving their wines. Maremma is located in the extreme south of Tuscany on the border with Lazio. Grosseto is the main city of the area. The climate here is warmer than in northern Tuscany and produces richer, more powerful wines. Morellino (the local name for Sangiovese) does better here than in Bolgheri, and it is also warm enough to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Not to forget that 20 years ago some of the bulk wine from Maremma was quietly used to increase the quality of some well known Tuscan wines. The 2002 Morellino di Scansano from Fattoria Le Pupille, owned by Elisabetta Geppetti and her husband, is an excellent example of the fine wines this region can offer at an excellent value. Since 1982 she has put all of her energy and serious commitment in this winery. She studied with the famous Giacomo Tachis (Antinori’s winemaker) and she is now considered one of the most talented producers of the area. Despite the quantity it doesn’t affect its quality and taste. Fattoria Le Pupille also produces several excellent reserve and single vineyard wines, including the Morellino di Scansano Riserva, Morellino di Scansano Poggio Valente (95% Sangiovese grosso) and Saffredi, which is produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Alicante. The Elisabetta Geppetti 2002 Morellino di Scansano is a blend of 85% Sangiovese and 15% Alicante and Malvesia Nera grapes. It is a dry red wine from vines planted around the medieval village of Pereta, which cover a total surface area of 28.5 hectare; the vineyards have a south/south-western exposure and are situated at 250m above sea level. The soil varies in composition but is predominantly sandy, with plenty of stones and low clay content. The vinification took place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. Two thirds of the production remained in stainless steel tanks for malolactic fermentation while the other third was placed in small oak barrels for about five months. The wine was bottled in April of the following year after a light filtration and clarification with egg whites. I was really attracted by its dark, bright rich ruby color. Freshly crushed cherries and berries aromas perfume the atmosphere as soon as you open the bottle and especially when you pour it. Although this wine is predominantly Sangiovese (85%), the addition of Malvasia Nera and Alicante add a rich and warm earthiness to both the aromas and flavors that dramatically enrich the overall complexity. Bright wild cherry flavors broaden into ripe plums followed by a welcome touch of oak and earthy flavors. Very balanced, but not light or thin in any respect. The robust flavors of fruit have a good backbone of tannin. The more I tasted it the more it was growing in my palate. The fresh juiciness of the first glass will invite another one right after. Although you can drink this wine now (an hour in a decanter is recommended), an additional year of bottle age will reward your patience. Scott: ’01 Justin Paso Robles Syrah $23.49 An artisan vineyard, Justin is one of the good guys in a land of old-day bandits and the hot midday sun. In Paso Robles, the sun bakes the grapes, and varieties that prefer the heat perform well in this region. Syrah and Mourvèdre are two such grapes that like it hot. Both bud late and need sun and heat to fully mature. Justin has taken these two varieties and has combined Syrah’s berry and spice characteristics with Mourvèdre’s volume. The blend of 85% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre falls within the US labeling laws by meeting the 75% minimum requirement. The result is a grand California Syrah and arguably one of California’s best. Although the price speaks to large production and economies of scale, the number of this bottling is small—3,900 cases—in the grand scale of California production. The juice ages seventeen months in wood of which only 14% is new. This aging further develops the tannins and adds a touch of oak flavoring. In the glass, the wine is a deep, inky color consistent with its youth. A lush roasted black peppercorn, mineral, black cherries, blackberries and shoe polish intensely emerge from the glass. A sweet blackberry fruit tart supported by dark chocolate, shoe polish and sweet cola notes fills the mouth. In addition, a fair dose of tannins is apparent but is well integrated. This wine calls for wild game or deep, red meat dishes. Why not buy a little Paso Robles heat for the winter months? Wine Spectator rated this wine 90 points and calls it a California “smart buy.”