July Staff Picks

Dominique: ’05 Les Hautes de Noëlles Côtes de Grandlieu Muscadet Sur Lie “Les Granges” $10.49 Once again summer has come with extreme temperatures, resulting in a need for refreshing, zingy, mineral white wines. Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Verdejo or Pinot Grigio can all do a nice job, but I decided to choose the perfect oyster wine: a Muscadet sur lie. The crispest white of all Loire Valley wines comes from the region surrounding the town of Nantes in the estuary of France’s longest river. Muscadet wine has been an AOC (appellation of controlled origin) since 1936. Muscadet was one of the first wines in France that included the name of the grape on the label. There are four Muscadet wines with subtly different flavors according to the soil, the climate and the geographical location. The first is Muscadet (the generic regional name,) which is produced in the entire region. The other three are produced in three specific sub-regions: Muscadet of Sèvre and Maine in the south-east of Nantes, Muscadet of Côteaux of the Loire in the east and Muscadet of Côtes de Grandlieu in the south-west. Serge Batard is the proud but modest owner and winemaker of a beautiful 17 hectare domaine called “Les Hautes de Noëlles,” located in the village of Saint Leger Les Vignes. Produced in the Côtes de Grandlieu sub-zone, his intense Muscadets, “Les Hautes de Noelles” and especially “Les Granges”, offer the purity, minerality and vivid acidity one expects from this seaside appellation with riper, more concentrated and balanced flavors than wines from any other producer. Prolonged lees, aging and bottling without racking give the wines extra texture and richness. Moreover, he vinifies his parcels separately, harvesting by hand and blending just before bottling for maximum control and optimal quality. The “Les Granges” seems to get better every year. This 2005 is the best Muscadet I ever tasted in my life. This ultra refined wine is the result of rigorous grape selection from the oldest vines of the estate's best vineyard. “Les Granges” presents typical flavors of lemon blossom, white peach, and wet stone with hints of “sur Lie” character. Despite its richness and intensity, it is the purity of its stony minerality and the racy acidity lingering through the finish that add charm to this wine. With greater depth than is typical of Muscadet, this beautiful, refreshing wine is perfect to enjoy all summer long. Justin: ’01 Marques de Murrieta Reserva $17.99 This is a majestic Rioja Reserva from the great 2001 vintage, offering beautiful fruit, elegance and depth—a Rioja version of the iron fist in a velvet glove. It comes from the great centenarary Rioja house, Marques de Murrieta, founded in 1840 and known for their extremely age-worthy wines. After a few years hiatus from the US market their wines are back with this excellent effort, coupled with their famous Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, which was my Staff Pick last month. The wine is a deep ruby color with a bright rim. Fragrant cherry scents are forward on the nose with notes of soft spiced strawberry jam, vanilla and hints of leather and tar. On the palate, deep black cherry flavors mark the well-structured attack, backed by firm acidity. Although powerful, the overall effect is of elegant restraint. As the wine opens in the glass, the cherry flavors broaden with milk chocolate, orange peel nuances and soft oak tones. The finish is long and lingering with very fine tannins, mingled with hints of strawberry, cherry and cocoa powder. It will pair superbly with roast pork, barbequed ribs, grilled burgers and steaks. Although it is drinking extremely well now, it will improve for 15 years or more. Yet at this price, it is simply too good to resist opening in the near term. Even if your stylistic preference doesn't run toward the traditional, this wine is a must-try. Dan: ’02 Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese $53.99 Though the weather in Germany in 2002 began hot and finished stormy (rain beginning in October didn’t fully subside until November) top producers who picked correctly managed to craft wines of remarkable balance and nuance. Producer Robert Weil, whose wines come from vineyards in the Rheingau, made superb wines and their Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese is a particular standout. Indeed, the Rheingau managed to avoid major flooding in ‘02, allowing it to take advantage of the highest average temperature since 1860, when meteorological record keeping began in the region. The Rheingau is Germany’s most important wine producing region. It consists of 7,981 acres, 90% of which lie on the right bank of the Rhine, between Wiesbaden and the Mittelrhein boundary at Lorchhausen. The rest of the Rheingau vineyards reside on the banks of the Main, a short distance before it joins the Rhine. The appellation Kiedricher Gräfenberg has been used to designate Weil’s finest wines since their first vintage in 1868. Its southwest facing slopes contain deep and medium deep soils, consisting of stony, fragmented phyllite mixed with loess and loam. Weil’s wines express an exquisite mineral perfume on the nose that reminds me of chalk dust and damp pulverized slate. This feature is exemplified in many (if not all) of their wines and has ample presence in the ’02 Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese, which is an excellent example of a complex, masterfully made Rheingau Riesling. The minerality on the nose hovers just beneath delicate notes of complex citrus, white flowers, and hard peach. On top of these notes is a round, elegant aroma of petroleum jelly that slowly dissipates but never disappears with time open. This note is typical in the development of Rieslings in the bottle over time. On the palate, the wine unfolds around a splendid core of acid, revealing cherry pit and chalk notes, as well as luscious honey-soaked poached pear. The petroleum aromatics find their way onto the palate and work to accentuate the wine’s minerality. This wine will elevate pork chops with cabbage and spatzel or veal sausage with sauerkraut. Or, if you like, enjoy it on its own as a wine of meditation.

Patrice: ’04 Nora Rias Baixas Albariño $10.97 Looking for a well-priced, crisp and refreshing white wine to serve this summer? One of my perennial favorites is the Nora Albariño from the southern part of the Rias Baixas region of Spain. The 2004 lived up to the expectations set by previous vintages of this wine. In the glass, it is the palest shade of amber. The nose is filled with the scent of honeysuckle, green apples and peach. On the palate the wine has ripe, juicy peach and citrus fruit with some tangy acidity to keep it refreshing. The notes of steely minerals keep it lively but not too sharp…. No oak here. The finish is invigorating. We enjoyed the 2004 Nora with a light summer meal of fresh pasta tossed with fresh herbs, olive oil and cherry stone clams. This wine will pair very well with any shellfish combination or spicy Asian dish. The low price point also makes it a terrific choice for casual outdoor entertaining. Sam: ’04 Maurodos Toro “Prima” $13.99 Since the initial vintage of 1997, Bodegas Maurodos has been producing the lush, delicious San Roman, one of Toro’s most excellent efforts, under the watchful eye of proprietor and winemaker extraordinaire Mariano Garcia. San Roman, in particular the 2001, has become a favorite here at PJ's—especially with the wine staff! Starting in 2002, Mariano Garcia started to create a new wine, called Prima, using young vineyards located in three different areas of Toro. The vines are no more than twenty years old and planted in the sandy clay soil typical of Toro. The Prima is made from 100% Tinta de Toro grapes (the local version of Tempranillo), which are hand-harvested and aged for almost a year in French and American oak barrels. Harmoniously intertwined in the Prima are two elements that make it a classic wine. First, it is made by one of the best in the business and, second, it came out of the fantastic 2004 vintage, one of Spain’s best since 1994. The wine offers a gorgeous, deep, ruby-red color with tinges of purple glistening as one swirls the wine in the glass. Taking a whiff, enticing aromas of warm raspberry tart immediately grab one’s attention, but they give way to more complex aromas of black cherry backed by truffles, spice box, minerals, cedar spice and even a bit of toasted oak. On the palate, the initial rush of black fruits, particularly that of plum, cassis, and blackberry liqueur, quickly lead to a lot of bright acidity, well-integrated oak tannins and a bit of licorice and pepper lingering in the mid-palate. Although the finish is tight at first, once the wine opens, it lasts for over a minute with rich fruit and spice tones. This is the second consecutive month that I have chosen an inexpensive red wine from Toro as my Staff Pick. And for good reason, as the wines of Toro represent a new frontier, offering the greatest values in full-flavored, high-quality wine in the world. The Prima is one of these: a big wine that could probably use another year of cellaring and can be enjoyed over the next 6-8 years. Enjoy a glass of this wine with roasted pork loin, braised leg of lamb, or spicy beef empanadas. Donald: ’03 Goisot Burgundy Pinot Noir $16.99 For Ghislaine and Jean-Hughes Goisot, the greatness of their wines begins in the vineyard. They farm organically and employ the strictest soil management to stimulate the vines' natural defenses against harsh weather, insect infestation and mold spreading diseases. Through highly restricted yields, they produce intensified, character-driven wines with rich flavors. Their organic methods produce distinctive wines that mirror the soil. Goisot's Fié Gris (an ancestor of Sauvignon Blanc also known as Sauvignon Rosé) is a favorite of PJ's staff and customers. I described its numerous charms just a few months ago on these pages. We are almost sold out of it now so I encourage you to purchase a few bottles ASAP. At my request, PJ's recently procured 10 cases of the Goisoit's extremely rare and very affordable Bourgoune Rouge. This wine has not been available in the US in over a decade and you simply must take advantage of this unique opportunity to savor a terrific organically grown Pinot Noir from one of the best producers in all of France. There are deep raspberries, hints of bitter chocolate and sun-baked savory herbs on the nose. Very poised on the palate with rich muscular red fruits, boyant acidity and even tannins. The heavy concentration on the mid-palate expresses the aberrant heat of the 2003 vintage and yet this wine has much of the grace and subtle finesse you would find in a more “classic” vintage. If you like the earthy Pinot Noirs from Pommard and Santenay you will enjoy this immensely. I highly recommend this pure rich red with filet mignon.