September Staff Picks

Dominique: Sold Out ’05 Bodegas Vitivinicola do Ribeiro “Viña Costeira” Ribeiro White $10.47 Bodegas Vitivinicola do Ribeiro is located in Ribeiro, one of the 5 wine regions of Galicia, in the northwestern part of Spain and inland to the southeast of Rías Baixas. Founded in 1968, this cooperative began producing white wines from the Palomino of Sherry. However, too neutral compared with the flavorful, mineral fresh local varieties, Palomino was slowly replaced with Albariño, Godello, Loureira, Treixadura, and Torrontés. More versatile and aromatic these grapes produce wines similar to the fresh, crisp wines of Rías Baixas and Portugal's Vinho Verde but with more intensity and length. The reds of the area are generally undistinguished, but are beginning to show promise, especially from the increasingly popular local variety Mencía. Ribeiro whites are usually blends of the above white grape varieties. For Viña Costeira grape clusters are de-stemmed without crushing the grapes and then cold macerated for 4-6 hours. The must undergoes a temperature-controlled fermentation at low temperatures then rests on its fine lees in stainless steel tanks until bottling. The lees aging brings intensity, depth, structure and often increases the aging potential. 2005 Viña Costeira is a lively combination of Treixadura, Torrontés and Palomino varieties, selected from the best Ribeiro vineyards, particularly from the hillsides of the Avia and Miño valleys. It displays a green tinged straw color with light golden highlights. Very expressive and crisp on the nose, it offers intense citrus, peach and mineral aromas combined with hints of white flower blossoms. After the fresh fruity attack, the palate is extremely well-balanced, loaded with mineral notes and expands nicely, almost viscously. The finish is structured and persistent. It is a complex, tasty, harmonious and surprisingly good discovery. Serve chilled but not too cold with a platter of mixed charcuterie and cheese. Enjoy! Dan: ’04 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Meursault Premier Cru Poruzots Burgundy White $53.99 Given the tremendous red wines coming out of the 2005 vintage in Burgundy, it is easy to overlook some of the stellar 2004 white Burgundies that are beginning to show what it means to be a classically styled wine. While it is not infrequent for 2004 reds to show under-ripe stewed vegetable qualities that detracted from their overall delivery of pleasure, the 2004 whites by and large offer harmony with a nod to steely minerality. Tasting 2004 white Burgundies recently, I came upon Château de Puligny-Montrachet’s Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots, and was struck by its balance and density. The village of Meursault lies in the middle of the vignoble (French for wine growing area) of the Meursault commune. The commune is in the Côte de Beaune, south of Volnay and Monthelie and north of Puligny-Montrachet. Château de Puligny-Montrachet itself As for the wine itself, the nose shimmers with sliced green apple and orchard air, then dips into a cooling thicket of mint, fresh picked green leaves, anise, and unbroken green pepper skin. This wine shows tremendous integration of acidity and just a touch of toast on the palate, plus notes of crunchy apple and pure mineral. Finishes with very good length and impact. This is a white that delivers lots of power without effort. Sublime with seafood. Brian: ’05 Rosenblum “Heritage Clone” San Francisco Bay Petite Sirah $14.99 In the early 1970s, Kent Rosenblum was a practicing veterinarian, making wine as a hobby. In 1978, Kent, his wife Kathy, and some friends founded Rosenblum Cellars. Although the movement afoot was to establish estate wineries, Kent Rosenblum decided, rather, to purchase grapes from an array of the finest vineyards and growers across northern California. His aim was to create “soft and sumptuous wines that celebrate the distinctive terroir and character of each vineyard.” At Rosenblum Cellars, they ferment grapes from old vines in small batches, each with a specifically selected yeast (over 30 different yeasts sourced world-wide are used). Rosenblum Cellars gained a reputation for fine Zinfandel, its first vineyard-designate Zinfandel coming from the Collinane Vineyard in Sonoma County. They now produce several world-class Zinfandels and have gained a reputation as a “mecca for Zin-fanatics.” In addition to its excellent Zinfandel’s Rosenblum produces a range of other varietals, including its rich, luscious 2005 “Heritage Clone” Petite Sirah, which is made from grapes farmed in five vineyards in the San Francisco Bay appellation at the foot of Mt. Diablo from vines 80 to 100 years old. Grapes from each of these five vineyards are fermented separately in 60% American and 40% French oak and are then carefully blended to produce this distinctive wine. Call it black plum or blackberry, this Petite Sirah’s color is exceedingly rich. The nose shows notes of cassis, chocolate, pepper, anise and dark berry preserves. Liquid chocolate is immediately and boldly apparent on the palate, accompanied by notes of coffee, blackberry, and aromatic spices. This is one of those wines that can rightly be described as “chewy.” It has a slightly viscous consistency, somewhat akin to port, with great density, moderate acidity, and soft melting tannins. While a very fine accompaniment to roast lamb, prime rib, or barbecue, don’t finish the bottle before dessert. This Petite Sirah will even pair beautifully with dark chocolate desserts.

Patrice: ’03 Vrai Canon Bouché Canon-Fronsac Bordeaux $14.97 What do we have here? A 2003 Robert Parker 88-90 sleeper of the vintage for around $15 still in stock? Replacement cost on the marginally better 2005 (RP 89-91) on futures is almost $20! Informed consumers have long looked to the small districts of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac on the Right Bank, located on the Dordogne River just west of Saint Emilion, for seriously undervalued wine. Primarily planted with Merlot and Cabernet Franc the quality of the wines from this appellation have benefited from modern winemaking techniques while retaining their reasonable prices. However, as noted, there are signs that the 2003 vintage is the last very well-priced vintage from this appellation. After tasting this wine and seeing the price tag, PJ’s went to the hoop and bought a good supply. This has become our go-to red wine at Chez Patrice and over the last couple of months, we’ve just about gone through one case with another set to age in the cellar for a year (if we can keep our hands off it). Rolling layers of berries, plums and cherries combine with silky tannins, to make a perfect match with grilled rib-eye steak. On the other hand, you may just want to sip this wine on its own, savoring the aromas of violets and dark fruit. Swirl, sniff, sip and congratulate yourself on the purchase of this terrific value. Justin: ’04 Ramiro Wine Cellar “Condita” VT Castilla y León Red $15.99 “Condita” is a strikingly approachable and affordable full-bodied cuvée from Castilla y León. The bold orange and red label reflects the freshness and excitement of this blend of 25-50 year old vine Toro and Ribera del Duero fruit, which is bottled under the Vino de la Tierra (VT) de Castilla y León designation. Ramiro Wine Cellar was created in 2001 by chef, wine lover and restauranteur Jesús Ramiro with the collaboration of young superstar winemaker Eduardo García, son of famed winemaker Mariano García. The goal of the project was to create distinctive yet affordable wines to match Jesús’s innovative and acclaimed cuisine. In addition to Condita they also produce an older vine and more expensive cuvée, “Ramiro’s.” From the outstanding 2004 vintage, this vibrant and expressive red is a deep purple color in the glass and boasts a medley of blueberry, blackberry, black plum and black cherry scents on the nose with touches of vanilla, gunpowder and quartz minerality providing complexity. On the palate the attack is powerful and silky. Flavors of fresh raspberry, cherry kirsh, licorice and a hint of black pepper add to the notes found on the bouquet. The mid-palate is marked by brilliant freshness. Chalk, tar and cured meat tones emerge and carry into a finish of great, juicy length. Few wines these days offer such powerful drinkability at so low a price. There were only 650 cases made, so I suggest grabbing this stylish steal quickly, before it’s gone. Donald: ’04 J. L. Tribouley “Les Copines” Languedoc Roussillon $14.99 Jean-Louis Tribouley created his 10.5 hectare vineyard, nestled in the heart of the Roussillon, in ’02. Tribouley farms his arid and stony vineyards—schist and gneiss mixed with veins of granite—organically. Tribouley is a tireless advocate of natural wines, he uses no chemicals on his vines and utilizes only indigenous yeasts in his wines and pumps his cuvées with SO2 instead of using sulfites to preserve them. “Les Copines” is a blend of 70 year old Carignan vines 90% and 25 year old Syrah vines. The Syrah see some time in barrel before it is blended with the Carignan. This wine sings with deep inflections of raspberry juice and creamy black cherry soda on the nose. The palate is fully-loaded with deep ripe red fruit flavors of cherry sorbet and raspberry soda with notes of orange peel and cool mint that are backed with loads of zingy mineral tones and a pleasing dollop of creamy acidity. This wine is best served slightly chilled and is ideal with casual picnic fare, early autumnal pasta dishes, stewed rabbit or sweetbreads. Adrienne: ’04 Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero $18.97 Condado de Haza is the second Ribera del Duero winery of Alejandro Fernandez, the highly regarded and pioneering owner of Pesquera. The winery, situated on a southern-facing slope, and with a complex soil structure composed of gravel, clay, and gypsum, creates subtle nuances within the Tempranillo grape. This Ribera was aged for 15 months in fine-grained American oak, and six months in the bottle. 2004 proved to be great year for Condado de Haza as seen in this robust Ribera. With its deep, dark, almost opaque color, and its intoxicating aroma of black fruit, and kirsch, tinged with pencil lead and white pepper, the palate remains vigorous and rich, with notes of blackberry, and a floral bouquet. This wine is big, earthy and jammy, and will benefit from decanting. It will continue to improve over the next five to six years. It can be paired with many robust dishes: a fatty, succulent pork dish, a hearty meat stew, roast or grilled beef or lamb.