October Staff Picks

Justin: ’01 Muga Rioja Reserva $16.97 This charming and delectable wine is a deep, red tinged, ruby color. On the nose there are rich, loamy cherry scents with touches of minty, wild herbs and milk chocolate. On the palate supple red cherry flavors are primary and are bouyed by excellent acidity in a harmonious medium weight. Notes of smoke, saddle leather, stoney minerals, brambly herbs, spice and oaky vanillins round out the flavors. There is terrific intensity, with a lively, easy-going feel rather than the heavyness one might expect in a powerful vintage like 2001. The smooth finish features smokey candied cherry flavors with mossy undertones. Overall this is a superb Muga Reserva with great finesse, flavor and a drinkablity factor way up there. I will be buying this one by the case. Dominique: ’02 Château Le Pin Beausoleil Bordeaux $17.97 In 2003, when PJ’s team went on its annual trip to Bordeaux to taste the futures, we visited Château Le Pin Beausoleil, one of the hidden gems of the Bordeaux Supérieur Appellation. Nestled behind trees and bushes on the top of a hill, this old manor house called "Le Pin" (like the Famous Pomerol), built in the fifteenth Century, was the former residence of the dukes of this region. In 1865, before the Phylloxera, this property was surrounded by 100 hectares of vineyards, which after the devastation became desolated grassland and woods. In 1997, a young and talented winemaker, Arnaud Pauchet, transformed the old manor into a warm and welcoming Château, changed its name to "Le Pin Beausoleil", and revived the fame and the winemaking tradition of this property. In 2002, Dr. Michael Hallek, a German doctor and his wife Mingrid bought the property. By meticulously following in Arnaud Pauchet's footsteps, they managed to reap impressive results from their 6 hectares of vineyards: an optimal vintage that reflects the character and the potential of Château Le Pin’s excellent terroir. The charming 2002 Château Le Pin Beausoleil is a blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec. This well crafted wine proves that winemaking truly is an art. You'll be immediately struck by its intense ruby color, its refined aromas of ripe wild berries, coffee beans, dry figs, and nuts with hints of sweet tobacco and kirsch. The palate is well rounded, balanced, and very attractive with ripe fruity flavors enhanced by discreet and soft tannins and a lasting finish. It's good to drink now. Donald: ’01 Domaine du Grand Arc "Cuvée des Quarante" $8.99 Domaine du Grand Arc is located in the heart of the mountainous region know as the Hautes Corbières, which forms part of the terroir of Queribus in the southern-most part of the A.O.C. Bruno Schenck and his wife Fabienne fell in love with the raw natural beauty of this region at first sight. Bruno quit his job as an engineer and, after moving his family to Hautes Corbières, he studied wine waking. With a generous loan from the French government, he soon bottled his first vintage. Before long, he met an importer who took an immediate liking to his wines and began importing them to the United States. The Cuvée des Quarante is made from a blend of 25% Carignan (100 year old vines), 40% Grenache Noir (50 year old vines) and 35% Syrah (40 year old vines). The soil that produces these hand-harvested grapes is an arid mixture of clay and limestone - a siliceous terroir that is the hallmark of Queribus. After a thirty day maceration, the wine spends ten to twelve months in oak casks. 18,000 bottles are produced for each vintage. While the color is a deep and brilliant blue-black with a rich purple hue around the rim of the glass, the nose is packed with ripe berry fruit, hints of the rock thyme that thrives around the vineyards, subtle hints of vanilla and slight undertones of wood smoke. The palate is a rich silky expression of blueberries, orange peel, a dash of white pepper and smoked meats. The tannins on the lingering finish are perfectly melded to the wine's soft acidity. This is a truly remarkable wine made by a passionate individual. Offering it to you at such an extraordinary price borders on criminal. Serve with roasted chicken, duck, grilled meats and hearty stews.

Patrice: ’03 Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône "Parallèle 45" $7.99 Quick quiz: How long has the Jaboulet family been making wine in the Rhône Valley: 50 years, 100 years, or 150 years? It turns out the Jaboulet family has been a major player in the Rhône Valley since 1834! Today Michael Jaboulet is at the helm of this massive winery that produces over 26 bottlings, which vary widely in style and price. The 2003 "Parallèle 45" displays a deep cherry red in the glass with a nose of ripe raspberries and kirsch tinged with a slight gamey scent. A traditional Rhône blend of Syrah and Grenache, this wine has a lot of ripe fruit giving it a fleshy mouth feel with a dash of white pepper. We enjoyed this lively red with rotisseried Cornish game hens, wild rice and spring greens. As the weather turns cooler, the Parallèle is a great everyday wine as well as a smart buy for dinner parties. Sam: ’01 Château Margaux Margaux $129.97 When asked to name the best wine region for tradition and quality, most people think of France's Bordeaux area. No other place produces as many high quality, elegant wines, but among all the elegance, sophistication, and finesse of Bordeaux wines the Château Margaux stands out. This wine originated from one of the four classified first growths of the 1855 classification of Médoc. The Château itself is among the oldest in the region and was a residence of English kings in the fourteenth century. I had the pleasure of tasting the 2001 Château Margaux straight from the barrel during our trip to Bordeaux in the spring of 2002, and I was deeply impressed by how beautifully the wine was already showing then. Tasting it recently, I found that the wine has evolved even more. A fleshy, opulent powerhouse, it greets you with vibrant, royal purple color, and entices you with aromas of sweet cherry, cedar wood, leather, and mocha. Full-bodied and rich, with the fragrance of extracted black fruit and licorice, it melts mid-palate and provides a long, well-balanced finish. This was my preliminary choice for top wine of its vintage and, tasting it now, I feel that my first impression was justified. A must-have for the cellar, this huge, sumptuous, elegant, and refined wine is of the kind that must have inspired the expression, "the finer things in life." With proper storage, the ’01 Château Margaux can hold up for another quarter of a century, though only with great self-restraint will you keep it in the cellar that long. Chris: ’96 Rondan Rioja Reserva $24.99 It is rare to find a strong Rioja that is simultaneously an excellent representation of its style, a mature enough wine to drink, and a good value for its price. The 1996 Rondan Reserva Rioja fits the bill. After growing up in a Rioja winemaking family and learning from the best, Jose Santamaria founded the Bodega Sáenz de Santamaria in 1993. On about 150 acres of vineyard, the bodega is in Cenicero, which is part of Rioja Alta, close to Alavesa. The vineyard sites are at altitude (approx. 400 meters elevation) and the soils are clay and calcareous, covered with pebbles. The region's continental climate - cold winters and warm, dry summers - is beneficial to the development of grape skins. No chemicals are used in the vineyards and harvesting is done by hand. To protect their wines from oxygen, the bodega bottles its wines in a vacuum process. For the 1996 Rondan Rioja Reserva, the grapes are 90% Tempranillo and 10% Mazuelo, picked from 40 year old vines. Grape yields are kept to a low 40 hectoliters per hectare and the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks to produce a fresh, crisp, fruit-forward character. The wine is aged for 2 years in American oak barrels that are no more than 5 years old, so that the wood character of the barrels is kept to a minimum. There is no fining and only a light plate filtration before bottling. Only 500 cases are allocated for export to the U.S. The 1996 Rondan Rioja Reserva has effusive aromas of freshly-tilled soil, crushed tart red cherries, wild herbs and rosemary. On the palate, you will sense dried cherry as well as soft and balanced cranberry fruit with poised acidity and soft tannins. Because this Rioja is so agile and easy to drink, it is very versatile. Accordingly, this wine will pair well with all kinds of grilled, roasted and sautéed meats, especially if prepared with savory herbs.