July Staff Picks

Dominique: ’04 Château Paul Mas Coteaux du Languedoc “Clos des Mûres” $11.99 Les Domaines Paul Mas is a group of four family estates covering 81 hectares of vineyards on the hills bordering the Hérault Valley int the Montpellier area of the Languedoc in the southeast of France. Each estate has its own winery under its own name: Château Paul Mas, Domaine de Nicole, Mas de La Bergerie and Domaine de L’île de Conas. Château Paul Mas covers a surface of 18 hectares. It produces AOC Coteaux du Languedoc wines from Syrah, Grenache and Carignan grapes planted in sandstone soils. “Clos des Mûres” is one of the four wines produced exclusively at Château Paul Mas; the others are “Les Faisses,” “Vignes de Savignac” and “Vinus de Château Paul Mas.” The “Clos des Mûres” vineyard enjoys a south/south west exposure and the cooling influence of the Mediterranean Sea. It is 11 hectares and surrounded by wild mulberry bushes (mûres in French), which give the wine its name. Michel and Jean Claude Mas, sons of Paul Mas, carefully craft this wine with family technique inherited from 100 years of winemaking tradition. Forty percent of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in oak barrels. The remaining sixty percent goes into oak barrels after malolactic fermentation. The wine is then aged for 9 months in a mix of French and American oak barrels made by Seguin Moreau and François Frères. The barrels are 30% new, 35% one year-old and 35% two year-old, adding roundness and complexity without overpowering the fruit with oak. The 2004 Château Paul Mas “Clos des Mûres” is a delightful, medium-bodied and fruit driven red blended from 83% Syrah, 12% Grenache and 5% Mourvèdre grapes. The nose offers a medley of red and dark berry aromas mixed with garrigue (classic French scrubland aromas of lavender, rosemary, wild thyme and chalk), wild flowers and warm earth scents. Slightly rustic yet smooth and very fresh, the palate is like a bowl of wild berries, minerals and earthy notes balanced by crisp acidity and structured with integrated tannins. The finish is bright, juicy and makes your taste buds cry out for food and more of this easy-sipping red. Domaines Paul Mas wines are often very inspiring and the Clos des Mûres is no exception. Enjoy ! Dan: ’05 Domaine de la Rectorie Languedoc-Roussillon Collioure “Côte Mer” $22.99 I recently had a wine experience that caused me to bang my fist on the table in delight. This happens to me from time to time, when I engage with a wine that perfectly brings into focus varietal character and earth. Moreover, to get such a reaction, not only must the wine show in perfect focus, but it must also be of extraordinary quality. The wine was the 2005 Domaine de la Rectorie Côte Mer. Domaine de la Rectorie is run by Marc Parce, a former literature professor and a relative of Jean-Michel Parce of Domanine du Mas Blanc. The domaine is located within the Roussillon region of southeastern France with holdings scattered around Banyuls, a town reputed for its fortified Grenache-based wines. All in all, the domaine totals 24 ha, planted mainly with Grenache as well as Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc. Those of you who are lovers of Priorat must try this wine. The nose offers intense yet elegant notes of black cherry and exceptionally pure blackberry aromas, plus ethereal notes of pounded stone. Sometimes when I say “pounded stone” people pause and ask if I’m, “just making this stuff up.” No. As a child I used to pound on a large rock in my front yard with a hammer. The smell the rock made when hit repeatedly and the rock dust that hung in the air, that is what I’m talking about (You can try it yourself!). On the palate there are more clean and dense blackberry and black cherry notes, suspended on a broad pillar of minerality. Texturally the wine is like crushed velvet on the tongue. All flavors and aromas are delivered with elegant force and persistence. Brian: ’05 Tavel “L’Anglore Tavel” $16.49 Tavel, the southernmost Rhône appellation, has a historic reputation for producing dry rosé wines. A favorite in the 18th century court of Louis IV, and enjoyed by 19th century luminaries no less than Balzac, Tavel continues in the 21st century to produce world-class rosé. Affirming Tavel’s reputation is Eric Pfifferling’s 2005 L’Anglore Tavel. Beginning in 1988, Eric began farming his seven hectares of organic vineyard. He hand-harvests his grapes and eschews artificial yeasts and the addition of sulfites before bottling, leaving a touch of cloudiness in the bottle. The wine, however, is of remarkable purity. Cranberry-colored, it has a nose of red berries, smoky meat, wild herbs, both white and green peppercorn, leather and cedar. On the palate, cranberry and strawberry flavors are accompanied by notes of pepper, white flowers, minerals and a wonderful, balanced acidity. Over time in the glass, this rosé develops an increasing richness and juiciness that is positively irresistible. For those who crave the refreshment of a rosé but long for the complexity of a substantial red, the 2005 L’Anglore Tavel is perhaps your wine. It is lovely with meaty fish or chicken off the grill. And, if you are a vegetarian or have one in the family, you will find this wine a surprisingly ideal accompaniment to a homemade veggie burger.

Patrice: ’04 Château La Prade Bordeaux Côtes de Francs $16.97 The smallest of the Bordeaux appellations, Côtes de Francs was created in 1967. 450 hectares in size, it is located on the highest terrain of the Gironde, east of St. Emilion. Instrumental in getting this small but important appellation recognized was the Thienpont family. A family of negociants best known for their ownership of the Vieux Château Certan in Pomerol they purchased Château Puygueraud located in the Côtes de Francs in 1946. Having found the vineyards in ruins George Thienpont made use of the property by planting grain and raising cattle. It wasn’t until the late 70s that he started replanting grapes and didn’t produce his first wine from this region until 1983. His son Nicolas, who today runs the vineyards, purchased Château La Prade in 2000. With family expertise in wine making in the Côtes de Francs, the philosophy at La Prade is “to produce great wines in the image of a terroir: the idea is simple but the practice requires patience and humility.” The old vines planted on chalky soil at La Prade have very low yields, and produce what the Thienpont family envisioned. The rich and full-bodied the wines of both La Prade and Puygueraud are considered two of the most classic expressions of Côtes de Francs. This well-priced and accessible Bordeaux is a delicious blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Deep magenta in the glass, the wine has an enticing nose of blackberry jam and violet scents. The palate has rolling layers of juicy ripe berries laced with hints of smoke and saddle leather. Well integrated tannins combine with a textured mouth feel to give the wine depth and lead into a satisfying finish. Enjoy this sumptuous Côtes de Francs with your favorite grilled chops or steaks. Justin: NV Pedro Romero Manzanilla “Aurora” .500L $8.99 Bodegas Pedro Romero is one of the top Sherry producers. Their line-up of wines will stand up to, if not surpass, any of the older, more famous houses—from their entry level fino and Manzanilla to their stunningly good rare VORS Amontillado, Palo Cortado and Oloroso. The winery was founded in 1860 by Vicente Romero Carranza and remains 100% family owned and run. Set in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, they have been quality committed since their founding, never wavering from that goal. Sherry is made in two contrasting ways: biological and oxidative. Fino (and the sub-type Manzanilla) is made biologically, under a cover of flor yeast within the barrel, which keeps the wine from oxidizing. While Amontillado, Palo Cortado and Oloroso are made in an oxidative manner, subject to the effects of long barrel aging, such as taking on a nut brown color, and caramel and nutty flavors. Sweet Pedro Ximénez wine is used to add varying levels of sweetness to the oxidative sherries depending and house style, and to create the sweet styles (in general order of increasing sweetness) Amoroso, Oloroso Dulce and Cream. Pedro Romero is best known for their Manzanillas and Aurora is their top Manzanilla. Manzanilla can only be made in the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda and tends to be a bit lighter in weight than Fino sherry from elsewhere; and it often displays a distinctive and tangy hint of salt air. Like all Fino type sherry, Manzanilla is very pale in color, bone dry and best served well-chilled. Finos are best consumed within one year after release from the winery and within the first week after opening—otherwise they lose their freshness and crispness, and take on oxidative notes. The reason better Finos often come in .375L or .500L bottles is so that you can readily finish the bottle before it loses freshness. Aurora is a top-class, elegant and refined Manzanilla. The nose offers notes of green apple skin with fragrant touches of gardenia, almond and sea salt. The palate is crisp, silky, filigreed and delicately sharp. Green apple flavors and hints of lemon peel and tangy brine expand on the palate, and take on chalk tones on the crisp, long finish. This is an ideal hot weather apéritif, and will pair beautifully with toasted almonds, olives, shellfish, sushi, chorizo or just about any salted hors d'oeuvre or tapas. There is a reason Fino, and Manzanilla in particular, is the drink of choice in the sun-baked heat of Andalusian Spain. This is seriously good, world-class refreshment. Donald: NV Cousin Leduc Saumur Sparkling Brut $22.99 Oliver Cousin cultivates 12 hectares of vines in and around Martigne Briand, which is nestled in the fertile and generous Loire Valley. His vineyards are planted with Gamay, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Chenin Blanc. The vineyards and all of the wines Oliver Cousin crafts from them are certified organic. He plows his vineyards with his horse Joker, uses only indigenous yeasts and shuns enzymes, sugar and sulfites. Oliver Cousin is constantly experimenting to improve the quality of his wines and they often undergo an extended maceration period which adds greater varietal and terroir character to the final wine. Cousin's Saumur brut is 50% Chenin Blanc and 50% Chardonnay. He took the 2005 wine that was still in the tank after one year, and added some "juice" from 2006 to get the fermentation going again. This is what was then bottled. It isn't degorged and is totally natural, with nothing else added. This non-vintage, sparkling Saumur has notes of warm beeswax that are backed by generous hints of crystallized ginger, peach and pounded chalk infused with wet stones on the nose. The palate has sweet lemon meringue notes with juicy papaya, warm stewed pear, and a supple suggestion of honey flavors as well. The long, scintillating finish carries a pretty hint of spice and cool minerality along with buoyant acidity.