Archive for December, 2015

Over the past several years, Domaine Sainte-Anne, located in Saint-Gervais in the southern Rhône valley, has become one of our favorite producers. Their regular Côtes-du-Rhône is our #1 go-to everyday red wine, and going up from there, the wines just get better. We’re always up for trying something we haven’t had from the Steinmaier family’s operation, and so it was that we picked this up selection during a recent visit to one of our friendly neighborhood Plum Markets. We hadn’t tried this particular bottling since 2008, and based on our recent tasting of the regular Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, I had the feeling that it might be another tannic beast. It is all that and them some; here’s my Rhône-down on what I found whilst sampling a few glasses and taking in a solid 3-2 Detroit Red Wings victory over the Nashville Predators last Saturday evening.

2011 Domaine Sainte-Anne Rouge Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Notre-Dame des Cellettes, 14.5% alc., $18.99: Deep and dark in both color and flavor profile, with a huge core of black fruit and lots of earth and tar. Seriously tannic, with a pretty good acidic bite to boot. This has all the goods, it just needs LOTS of time in the cellar; I wouldn’t even consider opening another for at least five years, and waiting a decade might be an even better option. Having said that, Kim said the last two glasses were pretty good the next day, so it had opened, and maybe you just need to decant this for several hours if you want to try it now! 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre, aged in cement tanks after a relatively short maceration period of 8-15 days. Find this wine

Imported by AHD Vintners, Warren, MI

Reporting from Day-twah,

Bastardo

I don’t know what a perfect wine is, and these days, I don’t much give a damn. I do know that this “reclassified” First Growth, gifted to us by our friend, John Blackwood, more than 10 years ago, is as fine a wine as we could want to enjoy with Christmas dinner. I knew when John gave this to us that it would need considerable time in the cellar, and I decided last night that, at 20 years of age, it was time to see what it had to offer, and it proved to be a lovely match for perfectly grilled (I get it right every once in a while) medium rare Niman Ranch rib eye steaks, mashed potatoes with mushrooms in a red wine sauce and a mélange of multi-colored organic carrots, haricot verts and garlic.

1995 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Leognan, 13% alc.: Still clean and dark in color, showing no bricking as of yet, and exuding copious amounts of saddle leather and mahogany aromatics, which follow through beautifully on the palate with subtle earth underneath. Rich, intense and still on the way up, this gives immediate pleasure from the moment it’s poured after half an hour in a decanter, and it continues to open and become ever more generous as long as there is some left (I savored two and a half glasses over four hours or so). Harmonious and immensely satisfying, yet structured for many more years of further development. If you have some of this, it’s more than safe to drink now, but I’d love to try another in about 5 years to see where it’s at. Thanks a million, Blackie, this baby rocks, and so do you, my friend! Find this wine

Imported by Wine Markets International, Inc., Woodbury N.Y.

Reporting from Day-twah,

Bastardo

With the memory of the delightful 2013 Chateau Thivin Brouilly “Reverdon” still fresh in my mind (yes, I keep purchasing more and enjoying it again and again), I’ve been keeping an eye out for other Cru Beaujolais with which to whet our proverbial whistles and I’ve been pleased with the four in this report. The Foillard and Breton Morgons are two that we’ve quite enjoyed a number of times previously, but hesitated to purchase until recently because of price issues. They’re both worth every penny of the tags on the bottle, but I’ve been focused more on budget-friendly selections for the past couple of years. I finally decided that it was time to see what the current models has to offer, and wasn’t disappointed in the least with either.

The Château des Jacques, a Louis Jadot property, is something that I happened upon in a Costco bin. While not a big fan of the parent négociant, in this case, I figured “how bad can it be,” and was pleasantly surprised with what I found in the bottle. But the best find has undoubtedly been the Domaine Moulin d’Eole, which was recommended by Jason Kugel at Plum Market.

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I am a little late posting this, caught up in all the hustle bustle of a busy term and school and life, but better late than never, especially when there are some seriously good wines on this, the last release of the year. The release is titled “Gather Round, Wines for Holiday Entertaining”. It delivers an array of tasty stuff at varying prices and styles. Hope everyone finds peace and can spend time with friends and family over the holidays. (Click images to enlarge.)

WINES FROM THE “HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING” SECTION.

747030 LA VITE LUCENTE 2013, Tuscany, Italy $34.95
Quite the perfumed nose showing plush aromas of blackcurrant, plum and damson enhanced by a backdrop of mineral and earth. It carries a fruit focused palate with lively acidity and some tannin. A note of sweetness appears on the finish. Find this wine

127324 THE FOREIGN AFFAIR CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 Niagara Peninsula, Ontario $34.95
Several wineries in Niagara have recently jumped on the Appassimento band wagon, but Foreign Affair have been using this technique since the inauguration of the winery back in 2004. This cabernet, from a very good growing season, shows a strong presence of minerality and forest floor supported by layers of blackcurrant, clove and cinnamon. The palate is ripe, lots of currant flavour and dusty tannins on the finish. Find this wine

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