November Staff Picks

Justin: ’01 Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino $39.99 I had the pleasure of first tasting Mastrojanni’s seriously good 2001 Brunello at the estate in the Castelnuovo dell’Abate section of the Montalcino DOCG a couple summers ago. Although Mastrojanni was founded in 1975, the main farmhouse dates back centuries and offers stunning views of the vineyards below. I journeyed there because they became one of my favorite Brunello producers after years of enjoying the rich, understated elegance their wines offer on a regular basis. Their style is fairly traditional, rather than employing flashy new oak barrique aging, inky dark concentration or cola sweet ripeness. Their wines gracefully beckon you to savor them, rather than shake you into sensory attention. This mellow elegance should not be mistaken for lack of depth or structure. This is Brunello di Montalcino, after all, and has plenty of spine and aging potential brought off more by well-integrated acidity and polished tannins than by extract. Most press reviews of the 2001 use the word "pretty" to describe it. I invite all to set aside those macho and brawny hankerings for a few moments to enjoy this beautiful wine. It is outstanding with food and eminently drinkable. The 2001 follows directly in the footsteps of the excellent 1999 (which was a breakaway Brunello hit at PJ's). It is outstanding and offers a touch riper and deeper fruit concentration. Yet it keeps to the same graceful and elegant style that made the 1999 such a pleasure. Medium to full-bodied, it displays pretty notes of raspberry, cherry, strawberry jam, blackberry, saddle leather and graphite with touches of smoke, tar, licorice, wild herbs and spice. At the moment it is showing a bit broader shouldered than the 1999, but will mellow beautifully over the next couple years and improve for ten more. Decant one hour prior to serving this elegant, understated and highly drinkable Brunello bargain. Dan: ’05 Gros Frères et Soeurs Hautes Côtes-de-Nuits $26.99 From what may be the best vintage for red Burgundy in the last 20 years comes this highly aromatic, beautifully structured Pinot Noir from Gros Frères et Soeurs. The Gros family is a Burgundy dynasty, going back to Alphonse Gros who was born in 1804 in the hills behind Nuits-Saint-George. Since then, there have been several divisions, with the Gros descendants dividing up family properties as well as acquiring new ones. Gros Frères et Soeurs was formed in 1963 upon the splitting-up of the Gros-Renaudot domaine. With the split, brother and sister Gustav and Colette Gros pooled their interests and took over the Grands-Echézeauz and Musigni sections of the Clos-de-Vougeot. Today, the winery is managed by Bernard Gros, who is the son of the well known Burgundian Jean Gros and brother of Michel Gros, who made wine under the Jean Gros label until it ceased to exist in 1996. The Gros Frère et Soeurs Hautes Côtes de Nuits comes from 6 hectares of land owned by the Gros family in the Hautes-Côtes-de-Nuits. Bernard has been progressively planting the vineyards since 1988. The soil is excessively rocky and the vines are high trained for better photosynthesis. The nose of this excellent Burgundy value starts off with hints of crushed cranberry and cherry followed by leather and a touch of soil. In the mouth, the wine impacts the palate with great brightness, coating the tongue with dry extract that delivers notes of sappy red cherry skin. Further along the palate, the red cherry morphs into deeper tones of black cherry coated in dark chocolate. This wine finishes with a wonderful vibrant acidity and textbook Côtes-de-Nuits fruit, plus a touch of minty cocoa. Brian: ’00 Jean Leon Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva $15.99 Could you possibly show me a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon for under $20? This, more than any other, is the question most often asked a wine consultant at PJ’s. Happily, the answer is a resounding yes—2000 Jean Leon Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva from Spain. Jean Leon’s biography reads like a movie script. Born in northern Spain, he emigrated to the United States as a stowaway, served in the army during the Korean War, befriended the young actor, James Dean, and planned to open a luxurious Beverly Hills restaurant with him. Leon opened the restaurant despite Dean’s tragic death, and then, in the early 1960s, began a quest to found a winery that would bear his name and represent his distinct personal tastes. He found, in Catalunya’s Penèdes region, on 150 hectares of chalky clay soil, the vineyard land he sought. He planted, in place of the traditional local varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay, with grafts imported from French vineyards of famed Lafitte-Rothschild, La Lagune and Corton Charlemagne. Leon’s original winemaker, Jaume Rovira, still oversees production of all the Estate’s wines, even after Leon’s death. The 2000 Jean Leon Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva furthers the winery’s reputation for crafting distinctive, high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged two years in French and American oak, with an additional two years of bottle age before release, this is a classic expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. On the nose are the full-bodied aromas of cassis, ceder, vanilla as well as hints of leather and spice. The palate is velvety and complex, with notes of cassis, black cherry, well-integrated oak and sweet spices. A firm acidity provides lovely balance and lift, while sweet but persistent tannins lead to a juicy, long-lasting finish. Try this Cab with pork tenderloin rubbed with mustard and fresh thyme, oxtail ragout or a slow-roasted brisket of beef. This is your Cab and, at this price, what a value!

Patrice: ’04 Peter Lehmann “Clancy’s Blend” Shiraz $12.99 Claret is to France as ... is to Australia. Go to the head of the class if you guessed Peter Lehmann’s Clancy’s Blend. The three dominant grapes in Bordeaux are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. In an innovative twist on claret, the winemakers at Peter Lehmann substitute full-bodied Borossa Shiraz (Syrah) for Cabernet Franc, resulting in a wine that is true to Australia’s sun-baked terroir but pays homage to the structured wine of Bordeaux. We’ve successfully paired this wine with good, blue veined cheese, barbecue or roast lamb. In the glass, the wine is fat and almost black. Swirling the wine elicits jammy aromas of blackberry with hints of anise and violets. On the palate, its clear this wine hails from Australia with its rich layers of cassis, plum and raspberries followed by grace notes of cedar and cracked pepper. The cabernet lends the wine class and structure, leading the wine away from where so many inexpensive Shiraz wines fail. In past vintages, we’ve sold this wine at up to $20 and thought it a great buy for our clients. This year, given the strength of the 2004 vintage in Australia, we couldn’t wait to try this wine and we were not disappointed. Between holiday parties and presents, we don’t expect this to last… Donald: ’03 Muga Rioja Reserva $17.97 Bodegas Muga is one of our favorite producers of Spanish wines here at PJ’s. Muga uses very traditional winemaking methods, resulting in traditional style wines, and they also produce remarkable examples of limited production, modern cuvées. Regardless of the style, Muga’s wines are known and cherished for their superior quality at all price points, consistency from vintage to vintage, their ability to age, their elegance and finesse of lively fruit aromatics and flavors. The 2003 Muga Reserva is an affordable standout Rioja from an intense vintage. Made from a blend of 70%Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 10% Mazuelo y Graciano grapes that were grown on Calcareous Clay and Alluvial soils, this wine spent six months in big, traditional oak vats, two years in smaller oak barrels and another year in bottle, before it was released. Bright ruby red, the 2003 Muga Reserva presents a creamy texture and lively red aromatics—sweet rose scents and black fruit— that linger with lighter notes of vanilla, coco butter and wood smoke. Full-on concentrated red berry and sweet/savory spice flavors dominate the palate and are carried along by silken tannins and even acidity. This wine has great power and an elegant structure making it ideal to pair with grilled beef, roast pork dishes, boar sausage or lamb chops. Adrienne: ’04 Philippe Foreau Vouvray Sec $22.99 Do you want a luxe white for fall? Something, cool, velvety and bright, with beautiful acidity and gorgeous minerality? This ’04 Vouvray produced by Philippe Foreau is just the answer. Made from 100% Chenin Blanc grapes, one of the most sturdy and widely-used grape varieties, this Vouvray is elegant and nuanced. Admittedly, the Chenin Blanc grape has not garnered much acclaim in the New World, where it is the third most produced variety, but in France, this remains a stunning fruit. In the Loire Valley, surrounding the largest river in France, sits the town lending its name to this delightful varietal. Here, Philippe Foreau runs a fabled domaine and is the third generation of the Foreau family to produce Vouvray wine. Located in the northeast corner of the territory, with vines aged approximately 35 years, these are prolific grapes creating around 3,300 liters of wine per hectare. At the organic vineyard, harvests are done by hand when grapes are at the peek of ripeness. The grapes are then crushed pneumatically and barrels of varying age are used in a relatively brief fermentation process of two months. This wine is simply beautiful, crystal clear with a light, buttery yellow tone. With aromas of pear, apple, and honeysuckle, tinged with stunning minerality, this wine is crisp yet delicate. Outstanding acidity on the palate as well as flavors of grapefruit, lemon curd, and toasted meringue are balanced succinctly by a buttery mineral accent, followed by a luxuriating finish. I enjoyed this wine with a fall feast: a warm salad of slow-roasted chicken, hearty dandelion greens, and toasted bits of country bread. But it would also be an excellent choice with pork tenderloin stewed with dried apricots. And there could be nothing finer than to sip this Vouvray while enjoying a creamy veined, blue cheese. Matt: ’04 J.M.B. Sorrel “Le Vignon” Hermitage $51.99 When one thinks of the ultimate expression of the Syrah grape, one needs to look no further than Hermitage in the Northern Rhône Valley. Smaller than most of the other appellations in the Rhône Valley, Hermitage is only 146 hectares/360 acres in size. J.M.B. Sorrel owns one hectare (less than 3 acres) of prime, South facing slopes above the Rhône River. The fruit from the 70 year old Syrah vines was hand picked and yields were kept at a minimum. J.M.B. Sorrel and his wife are attorneys in the town of Tain L’Hermitage and being financially independent allows them to focus on quality. The 2004 Hermitage does justice to the rich wine heritage of the region. Deep ruby red in color the wine has complex nose of red cherries and a pleasant peach note. The nose is also laden with dried mushrooms, bacon fat and damp earth. The combination of fruit and earth notes on the nose creates a very interesting bouquet that demands attention. On the palate, this wine has good acidity and intense flavors of deep red berries, earth and roasted meat. This Hermitage has low tannins that are ripe and superfine. It is full bodied with a finish of red berries and roasted meat that goes on and on. The most remarkable characteristic of this wine is its balance. J.M.B. Sorrel showcases his ability to balance the undeniable power of Hermitage with the elegant style, for which he is known. This is a bottle of Hermitage that is ready to drink now and will last for five to seven years more; it also represents a bargain with most Hermitage costing over $100 a bottle. I would recommend decanting this wine and allowing 30 minutes or so for it to open up—you will be rewarded. Pairing it with grilled red meat with chimichurri sauce or pasta in a bacon tomato sauce, will make the floral and earthy qualities of this wine shine.