March Staff Picks

Dominique: ’04 Valle dell’Acate Sicilia Cerasuolo di Vittoria $14.49 Wines from Sicily aren’t normally my forte. But when I discovered this Cerasuolo di Vittoria, the way I looked at Sicilian wines completely changed and triggered more interest in this sunny island. Sicily is an island of many micro-climates, smells, colors, tastes and terroirs. From the summit of Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, to its Mediterranean beaches Sicily offers a wide range of landscapes, historic sites and areas of rich volcanic soil. For the past 2000 years, the island, known predominantly for producing grain, has also cultivated oranges, olives and grapes. However, in the last 15 years, wine production has become a major economic sector. The family-run winery Valle dell’Acate was founded by the father of the current owner, Gaetana Jacono, in 1981. But the estate on which it is situated has existed for centuries. The Jaconos gradually bought more land and planted more vines with two goals in mind: to make the best use of the Sicilian terroir and to produce wines of quality. In 2001, only 30 hectares of the estate’s 100 hectares were planted with vines; by 2003 it was 50 hectares and in 2006 the whole estate was cultivated. Planted with 90% red grapes, the winery produces approximately 450,000 bottles per year, four red and two white wines. The 2004 Valle dell’Acate Cerasuolo di Vittoria is made from 60% Nero d’Avola and 40% Frappato. The Nero d’Avola is aged in new barriques for nine months before being blended with the Frappato. The wine is then bottled and ages for an additional nine months before being released. The color is an intense cherry red. On the nose, the wine offers complex aromas of ripe blackberry and raspberry, hints of licorice and cocoa mixed with spices. This soft velvety wine boasts lots of lush black fruit flavors framed by integrated tannins and surprisingly elegant acidity for a Sicilian wine. It all comes together in a ripe and youthful finish. This wine pairs well with just about everything, from savory pasta dishes, barbecued chicken and grilled meat to aged cheeses. Justin: ’04 Bodegas Leda VT Castilla y León “Más de Leda” $14.49 This wine is a great new find in affordable, full-bodied Spanish red. Debuting with the outstanding 2004 vintage has made for a smashing start. Bodegas Leda is a partnership formed in 1997 by Alberto and Eduardo García of Bodegas Mauro and Maurodos, emerging stars of the region and sons of Mariano García, the famed former winemaker of Vega Sicilia; Jesús Soto, a major wine distributor in the Ribera del Duero region; César Muñoz of Bodega César Príncipe, Leda’s winemaker; and J. Surez, the capital investor. The concept behind Bodegas Leda is a brilliant one: assemble and work with owners of very small, very old vine plots spread around the Ribera del Duero area and create a single artisanal wine of great depth and expression—rather than selling off small lots of high quality grapes to larger producers. They debuted their flagship wine, the high expression “Viñas Viejas” cuvée with the 1998 vintage. It won great acclaim in Spain, including the prestigious, Wine of the Year award in the annual Sibaritas magazine blind taste off. Succeeding vintages have continued to garner very high praise in the Spanish press. The introduction of “Más de Leda” marks the creation of the winery’s second wine. It is sourced from 50+ year old Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) vines, rather than 80+ year old vines of “Viñas Viejas,” and explains the superb quality of this beautiful young wine. Although officially a Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León because the vineyards are both inside and outside the appellation boundaries, the wine is very much Ribera del Duero in character. “Más de Leda” is a youthfully styled wine of great purity and expression, marked by simply gorgeous fruit scents and flavors. The nose is packed with deep, fragrant aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry and black plum with hints of smoke and brambly mineral tones. The attack is surprisingly fine and supple for such a full-bodied wine, but in keeping with its fruity, youthful style. The scents on the nose play out on the harmonious palate as ripe, pure flavors, buoyed by good acidity and structured by big, but soft and ripe tannins. Fresh, crushed raspberry notes linger on the long finish. Decant to serve this beauty now, and I suspect it will continue to improve in the cellar. A case of this brand new wine is my kind of learning experience to enjoy over the next five years. Donald: ’05 Leth Grüner Veltliner “Steinergrund” $11.99 The Wagram is a vast rocky outcrop that stretches all the way across the north bank of the Danube from the quaint and picturesque village of Krems to the sprawling eastern suburbs of Vienna. The Leth family vineyards possess a very unique terroir; its rolling hills that consists mainly of ancient beds of fossilized seashells are an ideal home for Grüner Veltliner as the gentle loess terraces on the Leth estate provide the Grüners’ spicy white peppery fruit flavors with striking notes of briny seacoast minerality. The history of viniculture in the Wagram spans a thousand years. The Romans were the first to recognize this region as a favorable environment to grow wine, and vines have been in this terroir ever since. Grüner Veltliner does especially well under the skilled hands and supervision of Franz Leth. The Grüner Veltliner created by Franz and his family carries the varietal's spicy-peppery flavors and elegant amounts of restrained acidity. The Leth family has been crafting a wide array of wines on their estate for over a century, and they also maintain a living museum of vines, many of which are now extinct. The Leth family has not used any herbicides in their vineyards for 25 years. They strive to keep the soils healthy and preserve vegetational diversity with as little intervention as possible. They prune severely to limit their yields and create a high concentration of pure fruit flavors from the vine to the bottle, year after year. Bright white stone fruit aromatics, honeyed pear, grapefruit skins, creamy fig, ginger and briny sea coast minerality dazzle the elegant nose. The palate is made up of many different creamy white fruit flavors and tart citrus elements that are beautifully integrated and sewn together with a deft touch of acidity. This reserve Grüner Veltliner is perfect with Wiener Schnitzel, obviously, and it also works extraordinarily well with creamy fish stew, rustic paté, stewed rabbit, and herb-encrusted roast chicken.

Patrice: ’05 Naia Spanish White “Las Brisas” $7.99 Rueda, located about an hour north of Madrid, is known for producing some of Spain’s finest white wines. The climate of the area is extreme with dry cold winters and hot summers. This, combined with the naturally chalky soils, is conducive for growing fruit that will produce dry white wines with a lot of minerality. The primary varietals grown in the region are Verdejo, Viura and Sauvignon Blanc. These refreshing fruity whites can be produced from a single varietal or as blends and are often fermented in stainless steel. One popular and delicious wine from the region is the “Las Brisas” by Bodegas Naia brought into the US by Tempranillo Imports. Extraordinarily well priced, this wine is a fine example of the fruit-driven and refreshing white wines of Rueda. The 2005 “Las Brisas” is a great crisp go-to white. Bright and sassy, the wine is a 50/50 blend of Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc. In the glass, the wine is the color of pale grassy straw with a lovely nose of honeysuckle, melon and citrus. The palate is zesty and intense with flavors of pink grapefruit, citrus peel, tangy lime and green grapes intermingled with notes of crushed stones. The finish is clean and has length. Lively fruit and racy acidity make this wine a perfect accompaniment to many dishes including shellfish, chicken or spicy Asian cuisine. Sam: ’03 Bacalhoa Touriga Nacional Azeitão “Só” $17.99 When we think of Portuguese wine, many of us think of either Port or Vinho Verde. The still, non-fortified red wines of Portugal have quickly become known, however, for being fantastic values when compared to their counterparts around the world. In fact, one of the key grapes, if not THE key grape varietal used in making great Port wines is Touriga Nacional. Prior to the 1980s, Touriga Nacional was used solely in the Dão and Douro D.O.C; now, it is not only popular all over Portugal, but is also grown in the United States, South Africa, and even Brazil! Enter Bacalhoa Vinhos de Portugal, one of Portugal’s principal wineries. Established in 1922 by João Saucers and his family, the company was started in order to buy from the small growers around the region of Palmela, principally to make bulk wine. By 1982, the company began to invest in vineyards of its own to produce fine wine, under the leadership of majority owner António d’Avillez. Today, the Berardo family, which acquired controlling interest in Bacalhoa in 1995, oversees the 510 hectare vineyards and domaine of Bacalhoa. The Só winery is one of Bacalhoa’s properties in the Azeitão, located in the Vinho Regional of Terras do Sado in southwestern Portugal. The 2003 vintage, using 100 percent Touriga Nacional grapes, is aged ten to twelve months in new French and American oak and for a year in bottle prior to release. Powerful, rich, and complex, the Só exhibits the best qualities of the varietal, with barnyard aromas and nuances of spice, tar, and leather on the nose. On the palate, this wine has a gaminess to it, with loads of black plum and cedar and nuances of shoe leather on the mid and back palate, with mouth gripping tannins and just a touch of sweet blueberry pie on the finish. This terroir driven, intense wine is best enjoyed with hearty stews, smoked meats, and aged cheeses. Dan: ’01 Jean Marc Morey Chassagne Montrachet Rouge “Le Champ Gains 1er Cru” $31.99 While Chassagne Montrachet is best known for its white wines, there are producers who utilize the terrior to produce elegant and classic red Burgundies as well. The Morey family has an in-depth knowledge of the region, and uses this knowledge to produce both red and white burgundies of stellar quality. Albert Morey was one of the first in Chassagne to bottle his own wines, beginning that tradition in 1950. Albert retired in 1981 and divided his estate between his two sons, Jean-Marc and Bernard. Jean-Marc has 8.25 hectares of vineyards spread over the villages of Chassagne, St. Aubin, Santenay, and Beaune. The average age of the vines is over 35 years. Pinot Noir yields for these vines are frequently between 30 and 40 hl/ha. Regarding vinification, Jean-Marc uses only wild yeast. His Pinot Noir is destemmed before going into cement tanks for fermentation and maceration. The red wines are allowed to age on their lees while aging in barrel, adding complexity and roundness to the wine. Only about one quarter new oak is used. The nose is quite delicate, with primary notes of fresh wild strawberry and hard charcoal. This is followed by secondary notes of dry leather, just a whiff of barnyard, and a touch of dill. On the palate this wine is expansive and very expressive, displaying a wide range of variations on strawberry fruit, followed by cherry pit and more hard charcoal. The finish is long and elegant, full of persistent red fruit. Drink this wine with pungent, fatty cheeses or a simple roast chicken with herbs and potatoes.