April Staff Picks

Dominique: Sold Out ’04 Pélaquié Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc $7.99 The 70 hectare Pélaquié domain is located in one of the Southern Rhône Valley's best appellations, near the village of Saint Victor La Coste, just north of Avignon. Their vineyards' diversity permits owner and winemaker Luc Pélaquié to create wines of great personality in each site. Since the 16th century, the Pélaquié family has passed on the secrets of creating terrific wines from generation to generation. Over the centuries they have established a profound relationship with the vine and its fruit. They have developed complex recipes for blending the various Rhône varieties and each generation has closely guarded their cultural heritage while enriching it with their own discoveries to create wines of great lineage. Luc Pélaquié has modernized the winery without forgetting any of his family’s rich heritage. This complex blend of Clairette Blanc, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Roussane is hand harvested and fermented for 6 weeks at a cool temperature. It then spends 6 months in stainless steel tanks before being bottled. The wine is a lovely pale gold color with hints of green. The nose is elegant and subtle with hints of ripe white fruits, honey blossoms, clover, and cherry blossoms. The wine is supple on the palate with a rich offering of white fruit flavors, a dusting of cool sand and fossilized sediments, creamy pear and a nice lift of acidity that carries the wines complex forward fruit with an elegant touch of freshness. Ideal by the glass at the end of a long day, or serve with grilled river fish, chicken pasta dishes and soft cheeses. Justin: ’99 La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva “Viña Ardanza” $25.99 This beautifully balanced Rioja classic is drinking exceedingly well now. La Rioja Alta is one of the great nineteenth century Rioja houses and Viña Ardanza is one of Rioja's great Marques. It is delicious, completely reliable, drinkable upon release and exceptionally versatile with food. And, as if that were not enough, it is also ageworthy. The name Viña Ardanza comes from Don Alfredo Ardanza, one of La Rioja Alta's founders back in 1890. He owned a separate winery, Bodegas Ardanza, which merged with La Rioja Alta in 1904. The trade name Viña Ardanza was officially registered in 1942 but had been in use in prior years. The 1999 Viña Ardanza is an especially elegant edition. It is a blend of 80% Tempranillo, mostly from the Viña Ardanza estate in the Rioja Alta sub-zone and 20% Garnacha from the Rioja Baja subzone—in keeping with the usual percentage of 20-25% Garnacha. The wine is a beautiful, clear, medium ruby color in the glass. The nose is fragrant with spiced cherry, dried strawberry and soft mixed berry scents with rich notes of smokey, milk chocolaty, cedar. The palate is juicy, medium-bodied, very well-balanced and elegant. Bright acidity complements the silky, smokey dried strawberry, cherry and cranberry tones, which fill the mid-palate. Fine, mellow tannins soften with aeration and open to reveal lingering, chewy cherry notes on the long, smooth finish. This beauty is extremely versatile with food and will pair well with herb encrusted roast chicken, pork loin, lamb chops, roast beef and both soft and semi-soft cheeses. If you are looking for a rich, silky red ready for drinking tonight, this beauty is for you. Donald: ’03 Gilles Azzoni Côtes du Rhône “Raisin et l'Ange” $12.99 Gilles Azzoni works a tiny vineyard in the hamlet of Saint Maurice d'Ibie, which is in the Vivaris VDQS on the right bank of the Rhône river—just opposite from the Coteaux du Tricastin. Unlike the majority of wines produced in the Vivaris, which consist mainly of large cooperatives, Azzoni crafts a few wines from certified organic vineyards and creates stunning natural wines. The nose on this gem is packed with smoked bacon fat, well-worn saddle leather, warm blueberry syrup, black olive tapenade, dusty red terroir, and the poetic suggestion of a blooming lavender field beneath the setting Provençal sun. This Syrah driven red has a great creamy balance and the intensity of rich fruit flavors that sally forth on the palate is truly dramatic; black currant and broad shouldered fruit typical of a cold fermentation such as strawberry, cherry sorbet and blueberry flavors dominate. This is a pure, juicy and fresh wine—the real deal—and it finishes with a lingering taste of black currants. Ideal with roast leg of lamb, this organic gem is perfect for Easter dinner. Also it is a sublime match-up with grilled chicken, marinated grilled beef, a hearty garlic and olive pasta, hard aged cheeses, spicy dried sausages and smoked ham.

Patrice: NV Campbells Rutherglen Muscat $14.97 Established over 130 years ago, the Campbells winery produces a number of distinctive wines from the Rutherglen region in Victoria, Australia. An immigrant from Scotland, John Campbell released his first wine in 1870. Over the years, four generations of family members have built up and improved upon the wine making techniques of this facility that today produces bottlings of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Chardonnay and Riesling. Under the current leadership of Colin and Malcolm Campbell, the winery is perhaps most famous for their cellar fortified Muscat and Tokay. These fine dessert wines are produced from rich Rutherglen fruit using the winery's ancient soleras with stunning results. The non-vintage Rutherglen Muscat is not only delicious but a terrific bargain. This wonderful dark amber “stickie” has a nose of marmalade, date and caramel. Complex layers of toffee, honey and fruitcake dominate a palate that is kept bright by ample acidity. Enjoy it with dried fruits and nuts or on its own. Will satisfy your sweet tooth! Sam: ’01 Casa Castillo Jumilla “Las Gravas” $17.97 There has probably never been a more aptly named property than Casa Castillo, which translates as “House of the Castle.” This majestic structure, overlooking a property of over 400 hectares of beautiful mountain terroir, is not far from the Mediterranean coast and is located in the very heart of Jumilla. Located within this property, between olive and almond trees, are about 175 hectares of prime vineyards grown in a chalky soil with considerable amounts of gravel and stones. Hence, the name of Casa Castillo’s most famous wine, “Las Gravas.” Many of the vines date back to the founding of the winery in 1910, when phylloxera forced a small group of French vintners to make its fortune in this region, where the disease had been for the most part resisted. The property has been owned by the Roch family since 1941. Julia Roch and her grandson, Jose Maria Vincente manage the land today. Las Gravas is one of three wines that the family makes. It occupies a middle position between the 100% Monastrell Jumilla and the Syrah driven Val Tosca. For the 2001 vintage, the Las Gravas is a blend of 50% Monastrell, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah. Aged 14 months in mostly aged French oak barrel before being bottled unfined and unfiltered, the 2001 vintage was a more difficult one than normal for the Roch family, as a hail storm arrived during the harvest destroying a portion of the crop; as a result, only 700 cases were made. I was quite intrigued to try the Las Gravas, which was why I chose it this month, and was very impressed by what I found in it. This dark, opaque wine opens up in the glass after a moment, releasing gorgeous aromas of eucalyptus, menthol, leather, black cherry, tar, and sweet spices. On the palate, there is first the soft kiss of milk chocolate on the attack, combined with a complex bouquet of black fruits, crushed red flowers, raisins, and cocoa, with well-integrated tannins and silky acidity. Earthy and dense, the wine finishes brilliantly, with a bit of plum and spice on the back palate that lingers pleasantly. Sumptuous and even a bit decadent, this Las Gravas is a testament to the brilliance of Señor Vincente! Dan: Sold Out ’04 Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie Corbières $10.49 The appellation of Corbières is located in the South of France, in the Languedoc. The region is known for its hilly topology and varied soil types. Wines from Corbières are notable for their rusticity and low prices, packing herbs, minerals, and fruit into dense mouthfuls of juice. Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie is owned by the husband and wife team of Dominique and Marie-Therese Gilbert. Their property is relatively small, consisting of a mere eight hectares of rocky vineyards from which they make red, white, and rosé wine. Overall the climate is very dry (in part due to Mediterranean breezes that sweep in from the south east), and this dryness engenders low yields on the part of the vines. Indeed, aside from the grape vines that penetrate the limestone terroir, the two most common forms of vegetation are those dry land stalwarts, scrub brush and olive trees. The 2004 Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie Rouge is composed of Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault. Its nose is highly aromatic, displaying an array of herbs (particularly thyme), lavender, and evergreen. Laced throughout the herbal aromas are notes of fresh crushed blackberry and pounded stone. The wine displays a dense minerality in the mouth, and this minerality anchors well delineated notes of blackberry, cracked black pepper, game, and aromatic lavender. The finish is medium-to-long and thick with minerals. Drink this with dark meat game birds, be they roasted, stewed, or grilled. It works especially well with Coq au Vin.