January Staff Picks

Justin: ’04 Abel Mendoza “Selección Personal” Rioja $38.99 Abel Mendoza is an exceptional boutique winery located in the town of San Vicente de la Sonsierra in the Rioja Alta sub-region of Rioja. The husband and wife team of Abel Mendoza Monge and his wife Maite Fernandez Mendoza have 35 small vineyard plots spread among the towns of San Vicente, Labastida and Abalos. Their vineyards are the centerpiece of their efforts and include many old vine plots, some of which are pre-phylloxera vines. The style of their wines is modern and fruit forward, but elegantly rendered. The quality of their vineyards and vineyard work is clearly evident in the rich expression their wines show, and the old vine character comes through beautifully in their limited production Selección Personal bottling. Each year it is made from a different vineyard, depending on which they deem the best of the vintage. The 2004 Selección Personal is outstanding in quality and much like the great 2001 edition. The nose offers scents of wild strawberry, velvety black cherry, blueberry, plum, baking spices, vanilla and mineral tones. The palate is supple, silky and loaded with plush ripe fruit. Lively acidity keeps the medium to full body aloft as red cherry flavors expand on the palate and merge into a fleshy black cherry center. Fine yet substantial tannins provide structure over which fine layers of minerality, licorice, blueberry pie and white and black pepper accents emerge and ride into a long juicy finish. This is simply scrumptuous modern Rioja, and with a little aeration drinking beautifully now. Dan: ’05 Bernard Moreau & Fils Chassagne-Montrachet $46.99 The roots of this winery go back to the late 19th century when Auguste Moreau owned and farmed just a few hectares in the Côte-de-Beaune. The family expanded their vineyards in the 1930s under Marcel Moreau, and in 1977, Bernard and Françoise Moreau cemented their reputation as producers of excellent Chassagne-Montrachet. Today their vineyards total an area of 14 hectares (34.6 acres). Chassagne-Montrachet itself is located in the south of the Cote d’Or, with Puligny-Montrachet to its north, Saint-Aubin to its northeast, and Santenay to its south. While it is now known mostly for its Chardonnay, it was only after the phylloxera epidemic that Chassagne-Montrachet moved from producing mostly red wine to mostly white. The wine writer and Master of Wine Clive Coates notes that when the grower Albert Morey first purchased his plot of Caillerets in 1949 the entire climat was planted with Pinot Noir, and now it produces one of the best Chardonnays in the entire commune. This is a very elegant village Chassagne-Montrachet that benefits from about 20 minutes of air. The nose is well-defined and expressive, with a frame of hard green apple and pear anchoring a whirling cloud of marzipan, nutmeg, clove and allspice. In the mouth there is very good acidity that brightens the fresh apple and pear on the attack. In the mid-palate the wine keeps its focus while it delivers more core fruit, creamy mineral and spice. Through the finish there is great brightness and fine, delicate angularity that highlights mineral as ground-spice tones. Drink this wine with seafood such as fresh sautéed shrimp or black bass in cream sauce, or, enjoy it with simple herb roasted chicken. Adam: ’04 Cellars Can Blau “Mas de Can Blau” Montsant $38.99 With Priorat being such a Spanish power house and values there scarce, many of us find ourselves moving to the surrounding hillsides of Montsant for our fix of big Spanish reds. Here iron and clay take over from the schist soils of the Priorat. Cellars Can Blau is a recent project between Spanish Importer Jorge Ordeñez and Ángel Gil of Juan Gil. Mas de Can Blau is the top of the line from Cellars Can Blau and is decidedly modern and forward, though it does not loose any of it old world balance. Mas de Can Blau is a blend of 35% Cariñena, 35% Syrah and 30% Granacha. This is a big wine with lots of stuffing. Dark fruit, chocolate and aromas of kirsch are kept in check with the copious round tannins and resilient acidity. This wine reminds me that a wine can be both big and balanced. Enjoy this wine on a cold winter night with your favorite cut of beef or hearty stew. If big, bold and beautiful is your thing this is your wine. Brian: ’98 R. López de Heredia “Viña Tondonia” Rioja Reserva $33.97 It is no secret that we at PJ’s are passionate about Spanish wines, particularly those of the “Old World.” And perhaps no winery in all of Spain better embodies old world character and charm than the historic R. López de Heredia winery in Haro in La Rioja Alta. Founded in 1877 by Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, the winery is now run by third generation siblings Maria José, Mercedes and Julio Cesar. Unswerving traditional winemaking techniques hold sway at López de Heredia. Grapes are hand-harvested from their Tondonia and Bosconia vineyards. No pesticides or chemicals are used. The wine is fermented in large old, American oak vats and aged many years in old American oak barrels—all made and restored by coopers on premise. The wine is hand-racked multiple times during its barrel-aging and is left unfiltered at bottling. The ’98 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia is a classic Rioja blend of Tempranillo (75%), bolstered with Garnacha(15%), Mazuelo (5%) and Graciano (5%). Each varietal lends its own character, from Tempranillo’s berry, earthy tobacco and cured meat notes to Graciano’s deep color and acidity, crucial to the lift and aging potential of this Rioja. There are indeed notes of tobacco and cured meat on the nose, along with minerals, red cherry, strawberry and rose hips. All these characteristics reappear on the palate, joined by gentle tannins and a perfectly integrated, racy acidity that make one always long for another sip of this supremely elegant wine. As good as the ’98 Tondonia is now, however, it will increase in complexity and improve aromatically and on the palate, with some years aging. Whether you drink it now or in years to come, it is a super accompaniment to cured meats (try hard chorizo from Rioja!), manchego cheese and a seafood, chicken and sausage paella. Jessica: ’06 Tait Wines “Ball Buster” Barossa Valley $13.97 At the age of thirty, following a considerable amount of time spent refining his barrel-making skills under the close watch of his father and grandfather, Giovanni Tait left Italy to pursue work in an Australian cooperage. Inevitably, Giovanni developed an interest in wine production and aging and went to work for Australian wine producer B. Seppelts and Sons. While working for Seppelts, Giovanni began to entertain the idea of having a winery of his own—with his sons in tow, he eventually did just that. Located in Southern Australia’s Barossa Valley, Tait Wines produces premium quality wine while employing traditional winemaking methods, such as basket pressing, open fermentation, and extended maceration. Using only fruit from low-yielding, 50-80 year old vines, the flavors are highly concentrated and the wine is incredibly aromatic. Since the founders passing in 1997, Tait Wines continues to produce wines with Giovanni’s vision in mind, but with added Aussi attitude, courtesy of Bruno Tait. Bruno’s serious attention to detail and fun, non-pretentious approach to wine combine to create fantastically big, juicy, gulpable wines that recieve high marks in the press (Robert Parker scoring this wine 90+ pts) and please the novice wine drinker as well. Keeping Bruno’s over-the-top personality in mind, enter the Ball Buster. After a couple bad jokes and a few laughs, my friends and I unscrewed the top and got to drinking it. Comprised of Shiraz (78%), Cabernet Sauvignon (12%) and Merlot (10%), this wine certainly packs the juice to back up its attention-grabbing name. Aged for twelve months in used French and American oak, the wine is an intense, deep dark purple. On the nose, we simultaneously noticed blueberry muffins, followed by cinnamon, subtle woodsy characters—cedar and earth—and blackcurrants. The color, along with heady alcohol content , had us prepared for something a little less smooth on that first sip…but it was absolutely delicious. Full-bodied and richly flavorful, yet extraordinarily soft and well-rounded, this wine maintains Giovanni’s respect for tradition, yet has enough spunk, a la Bruno, to stand up to a new generation of wine drinkers. Cheers mate!

Patrice: NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé $79.99 Founded in 1818, the Champagne House Billecart-Salmon was created by Nicolas Francois Billecart and his bride Elizabeth Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Ay, France. Today this legendary Champagne House is managed by Francois Roland Billecart whose mission is to maintain the family's original vision of "Champagne Spirit" by producing a Champagne that has finesse, balance and elegance. At Billecart-Salmon they have been able to realize this vision by combining their traditional wine making techniques with state of the art technology and equipment. Billecart-Salmon is particularly known for the extraordinarily high standards they hold for the quality of grapes used in their wines. Although they cultivate about 25% of their own fruit they are also supplied by approximately 35 different crus predominantly from the Epernay area. Their collection of four Champagnes is described by Billecart-Salmon as a reflection of elegance, harmony and balance and includes a Brut Reserve, a Demi-sec, a Brut Rosé and a vintage Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru. Over the holidays I was fortunate enough to receive a bottle of the Brut Rosé as a gift. This lovely Champagne is a delicate blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. A small percentage of the Pinot Noir is vinified as a red wine resulting in its gorgeous pale shade of pink. Slow rising, very small bubbles add a tickle to the palate of red berries and flinty minerals. Fruitier and brighter than most champagnes, the citrus and red berry flavors fuse with the more traditional elements of toast and a touch of biscuit. The texture is velvety and the finish is fresh and persistent. This seductive and delicious Brut Rosé is terrific as an apéritif or with fresh fish. We enjoyed it with oysters on the half shell and grilled wild tuna. Romance in a bottle, this Brut Rosé serves as a perfect engagement or anniversary gift—not to mention February 14th! Donald: ’04 Tabatau “Lo Tabataire” $15.99 Bruno Garcia, the winemaker and visionary behind Domaine du Tabatau spent a decade making wine at the famed Mas Daumas Gassac before he and his brother Jean-Paul Garcia created their own domaine a little more than a decade ago. Bruno and Jean-Paul grew up in a family of winemakers and are able to trace their wine-growing heritage a century back through a handful of generations. A rugged terroir consisting of a clay-limestone soil that is 250-300 meters above sea level, a constant dry Mediterranean climate and violent cold winter winds from the nearby Pyrenees Mountains add a decidedly rustic edge to a highly elegant, organic, and refined interpretation of traditional Southern French winemaking. This old vine blend offers up creamy notes of wild blackberry fruit and branch, blueberry compote, black cherry jam and deft inflections of windswept rock thyme. The palate is fully loaded with juicy black and red fruit flavors, a touch of saddle leather and notes of sun baked stones. Matt: ’04 Arzuaga Ribera del Duero Crianza $20.99 Founded in 1993, Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro owns 150 hectares in Ribera del Duero, near the western edge of the appellation. The state of the art winery includes a luxury hotel and restaurant and is in good company, located next door to the world renowned Vega Sicilia. The 2004 Crianza is a blend of 90% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) 5% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It saw 16 months in French and American oak of which only and small percentage was new. Arzuaga is a young Bodega that offers understated power and elegance. Deep purple in color this wine has an intense nose of earth, black cherry, plum and cloves. Aromas of leather and smoked meats are apparent as well. All of these note combine to give the overall impression of a complex wine that is more concentrated than a typical Crianza. The wine is medium- to full-bodied with flavors of blueberries and black cherries. These flavors evolve into a deep, earthy, meaty and spicy finish that carries through the palate. There is a hint of toast and cedar from the oak, which works to establish balance between the earth and fruit notes. The tannins are firm but ripe and superfine, and there are good levels of acidity which help the wine perform very well when paired with a hearty meal. Of all the possible pairings I think a braised lamb shank or oxtail in an aromatic herb and spice sauce would showcase this wine best. Adrienne: ’06 Paul Mas “Clos des Mûres” Coteaux de Languedoc $11.99 The Clos des Mûres vineyard is a specific, 11 hectare plot of land within Les Domaines Paul Mas. Surrounded by the wild mulberry bushes (les mûres) by which this wine gets its name, the vineyard is located on the sunny hills of the Languedoc valley in the south of France. The Château Paul Mas is part of the Domaine, a collective of four winemaking families in this area, who have been practicing traditional winemaking techniques for generations. Michel and Jean Claude Mas have inherited Les Clos des Mûres, a vineyard that is tucked along the Mediterranean coastline, an ideal climate for growing grapes. With hot days, and cooling sea breezes at night, the Mas brothers are able to grow hearty old vines of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre to make their sought-after wine. This cuvee goes through a unique aging process. 40% of the blend does its malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, while the 60% remaining is put into oak barrels after this fermentation is complete. A beautiful everyday type of wine, the intense dark ruby color floods the glass. With a complex nose of dark cherry, smoky tobacco, and yeasty, freshly baked bread tones, the aromas are heady and intoxicating. The palate is well-balanced and smooth, with gentle tannins. Red fruit gives way to a long finish with touches of toast and dark chocolate. This elegant wine can be served with many weeknight dishes such as a gratin of celery root and potatoes, a robust pasta dish or a grilled steak with roasted string beans.