June Staff Picks

John: ’98 Sansonina Merlot $51.99 Sansonina is a 100% Merlot in a region where the red of choice is more likely to be Amarone or Valpolicella. This wine is in fact a special project of Nadia Zenato and her mother Carla who happen to make outstanding wine from the Veneto region. The name Sansonina is derived from Samson, a nickname earned by the property’s former owner due to his dynamic character. In the Bible Samson was a virile, masculine hero, but his strength came from his long hair, a typically feminine trait. Sansonina maintains that masculine-feminine dualism. With typical feminine determination and sensitivity, Carla and Nadia have succeeded in producing a powerful and elegant Merlot. Intense and rich with berry and mint aromas along with a subtle balsamic touch. On the palate the wine is concentrated, and rich with an abundance of sweet fruit and a persistent finish. Justin: ’01 Pesquera Ribera del Duero Tinto Crianza $22.99 This is an outstanding and classic Pesquera Crianza. It is distinctive for it’s exceptionally ripe and flowery red and black fruit. And also for it’s elegant and unusually approachable manner, which manages to stay in keeping with Pesquera’s classically reserved, more claret-like style of Ribera del Duero. The color is a deep rich ruby. After decanting the aromas start to come forward, displaying ripe, flowery, chocolaty cherry, blackberry, raspberry and cassis notes with hints of straw, licorice and briary, lead pencil minerality. On the palate the attack is tight at first, but opens, showing a sweet, ripe, juicy red plum, cherry and berry filled middle—accented by a complex array of meaty, toasty, violet, balsamic, spicy and smokey notes. It shows great intensity, balance and the structure to age. Although the finish is still tight with an astringent edge, it is long, laden with very ripe tannins and has excellent lift. Overall, this is a knockout Pesquera. The best vintages of Pesquera Crianza typically reach their peak at around 10 years after the vintage. Both the overlooked ’91 and the ’95 with its elegance and dusty tannins are really showing beautifully now, while the powerhouse ’94 and big-boned ’96 are still unwinding. Even so, I suspect the '01 will remain approachable for all of it’s first decade with a little coaxing from the decanter. But I think it will be far better when it reaches its height in around 7 years or so—a virtual explosion of supple, flowery cherry and berry fruit, inflected with beautiful leather, straw and mineral notes; all in a seamless, well-balanced package. It has been a long time since I have deemed a wine case-worthy. This is one and I am betting on it. José: ’02 Casa Castillo Jumilla Syrah “Valtosca” $19.99 The Casa Castillo winery is property of the Vincente-Roch Family. The parcels are on the north facing slops of the Sierra del Molar in Jumilla. The conditions appear to suit Syrah very well. The grapes were selected from parcels also used for "Las Gravas", whose soils are dark limestone with a major percentage of clay and gravel. The vines yielded 1.05-1.06t/acre, (2,500-2,700 KG/HA). The grapes were macerated for 10 days at low temperature. The fermentation temperature neverrose above 82F. The wine was passed into 500L French oak barrels where it completed malolactic fermentation and spent 10 months in barrique before being bottled unfiltered. The Val Tosca Syrah 2002 Syrah has the color of black cherry and exhibits black fruit aromas of great intensity. On the palate it is a very juicy wine, with great balance, body and a fresh and pleasing finish. Scott: ’01 Maréchal Bourgogne Rouge “La Gravel” $17.99 Drinking a delicious bottle of Burgundy can be a religious experience. Recently, when tasting Claude Maréchal’s Bourgogne Rouge “La Gravel”, I was awestruck by the pure red berry fruits within the bottle. The wine is a grand example of Pinot Noir and a nose-opening, lip smacking entry into Burgundy. Burgundy is easily restrictive due to many factors: high prices, the difficulty in coaxing the finicky Pinot Noir grape and vintage variations. At the same time, this bottle defies the norms and delivers a beautiful wine at a low price. Maréchal sources the grapes throughout the Côte de Beaune. Chemical fertilizers are avoided, and consequently, the richness of the land is preserved. The vineyards are also pruned to manage yields and concentrate fruit, and the grapes are picked by hand to ensure tender care with the delicate Pinot Noir. Furthermore, indigenous yeasts are used to maintain identity of place. Vinification occurs in the traditional method of open vats. The result is a bottle with amazing complexity, yet a weight lighter than many of the reds produced today. Rich aromatics of ripe, red cherry, leather, truffle and wet soil rise upward with each swirl of the glass. On the palate, red cherries, stony minerality and herbs are supported by good Pinot acidity. I personally prefer to save the concentrated, tannic wines for the winter months. Maréchal’s Bourgogne Rouge is the perfect wine for spring and summer and will complement almost all grilled meats—from fish to poultry to red meat.

Sam: ’03 Charles Melton Rosé “Rose of Virginia” Barossa Valley $12.99 As we approach another summer, we notice that, “Hey, this is the season for rosé!” And so we come to an Australian rosé from Charles Melton, a wine which he named for his wife, Virginia. The 2003 “Rose of Virginia” is an assemblage of Shiraz, Pinot Meunir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grenache with just a tiny bit of Riesling added. The grapes are crushed and de-stemmed into stainless steel vats, and left on the skins. After a few days, the juice is then drained and the free-run then continues its fermentation for eight weeks. With very fragrant rose-petal and bright potpourri aromas, this is a very entrancing rosé, reminding one of a very light Pinot Noir or Beaujolais rather than your archetypical rosé. I am not, admittedly, a huge rosé fan, but the Melton Rosé is a truly special wine, with flavors of raspberry, fresh mountain berries, and bright spices. The fruit is so perfect and so refreshing here that it seems to just dance on the tongue! Is this the perfect wine for this summer’s barbecues? Absolutely! Patrice: ’03 Concha y Toro Sauvignon Blanc “Terrunyo” $22.99 From the Casablanca Valley in Chile this lovely wine is demonstrative of how much a winery like Concha y Toro can do with a New World Sauvignon Blanc. The pale grassy yellow color is classic for a crisp refreshing wine of this varietal. The clay and granite subsoil also provide the flinty mineral aromas one might expect from a New World Sauvignon Blanc. What makes this wine extraordinary is the depth and intensity of the fruit. Passion fruit, peaches, and tangy citrus leap from the glass from the nose to the palate. The richness of the fruit is very flavorful with the right amount of acidity to keep it very fresh. Aged in stainless steel tanks for six months the bright fruit is not in competition with woody undertones. The finish is pleasantly lingering. With the warmer weather upon us this wine will do very well with grilled chicken dishes or summer salads. Enjoy! Dominique: ’02 Goisot Saint-Bris, Fié Gris, “Corps de Garde Gourmand” $17.99 Saint-Bris, a sub-zone of Côte d'Auxerre, lies just west of Chablis. It shares the famous chalky soil and the cool northerly climate that is typical of Chablis. Indeed, in the 19th century, prior to phylloxera, Saint-Bris was under the Appellation Chablis (and Goisot’s Chardonnay shows why). It is only in 1974 that St.-Bris-le-Vineux received the appellation “VDQS”, but due to the efforts and the hard work of its producers, it became an “AOC” in 2003 and the 100th Burgundian appellation. The terroir gives the wine a very distinctive character, the cooler climate producing a more refined, firmer, and more minerally wine than those from further south in Burgundy. For Ghislaine and Jean-Hughes Goisot, great wine begins in the vineyard. Environmentally-sensitive viticulture (i.e., they farm organically) and soil management stimulate the natural defenses of the vines, providing a better protection against problems caused by weather or disease. Restricted yields intensify grape character and flavor. They now own 60 acres of vines, planted with Sauvignon Blanc (along with its little known ancestor Fié Gris) and Chardonnay (along with Aligoté). The “Corps de Garde” wines from Goisot are their reserve-level cuvées. Fié Gris is the ancestor of Sauvignon Blanc in this area (It is also sometimes referred to as Sauvignon Rosé). Its yields are very low; its density and length superior to Sauvignon Blanc; and its aromatics are simply enchanting and exotic without being excessive. They have been compared to a very fine Alsatian Pinot Gris, but with more finesse and class. The Goisot's tiny plot of young vines is consequently available only in very limited quantities. Goisot does not produce a non-Corps de Garde cuvée from Fié Gris. I first tasted the Fié Gris “Corps de Garde Gourmand” by Goisot in 1997 and have never ceased liking it since then. It has become one of those unavoidable wines from Burgundy that I always look for on a wine list or retailer's shelf: it's a classic! It has elegant aromas of rose petals, peach and citrus peel. The palate is rich, complex and very well-balanced. The attack is fresh, floral and fruity. The mid-palate expands generously with layers of white fruits, minerals and good acidity. The lush finish is very long and pure; no rough edges can be found. Tasting it always makes for a pleasurable moment. It is with such a wine that St. Bris became an AOC.