Print August/September 2016 Newsletter
Volume 9, Issue 5 – August/September 2016
Inside this issue:
August/September 2016 Selections, Domaine Tempier, Couly Dutheil, Dampt Chablis, Purus Organic Vodka, Thimble Island, The Pundit, and Betsy’s Corner
Special points of interest: Wine of the Month Club
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August/September Selections
Chateau du Trignon Plan de Dieu 2011 Cotes du Rhone Villages
Five generations of winemaking are in each bottle of this wine. It also contains Grenache and Syrah—two grapes that quite often define the Rhone Valley. You want this for your grilled steak or portabello mushrooms. The winery describes it as having aromas of “Morello cherries, liq-uorice and tapenade…that is complex, fleshy with a long finish”. Experience the Rhone!!!
$15.99 reg $14.38 club
Chateau Laulerie Bergerac White 2015
$11.99 reg $10.08 club
Laroque Pinot Noir 2015
The very much loved grape Pinot Noir is undoubtedly also one of the most difficult to grow so it is great when we can find a really good one at a good price. This one comes from the Carcassonne Region in the Languedoc Region. It is juicy, fresh, full of cherry, blackberry, and plum flavors This wine is so easy to drink. Like many reds, you can put a chill on this and enjoy it on a hot summer day.
$11.99 reg $10.05 club
trio 34.51
Sherry. Not Sweet.
Orleans Borbon Manzanilla Fina NV
Sherry is one of the most underrated and not-well-understood wines in the world. This is not sweet; it is an incredibly light dry style of Sherry that comes from Sanlucar de Barrameda in Spain. The aromas will remind you of aged champagne: toast, yeast, lovely yellow citrus. It will go well with shellfish or anything else that would go with a high quality white wine from a great wine region. It comes in a half bottle with a screw cap which means easy to take on a picnic and easy to store. You should have several bottles in the fridge!!
$9.99/375ml bottle
Tempting Tempier
Domaine Tempier Rosé Bandol 2015
Even when you drink Domaine Tempier rosé in the winter you will feel the sunshine upon your face. Bandol is located in France on the Mediterranean coast midway between Barcelona and Genoa. There are those who would say that the trip from there to the shelf took too long. At least you won’t need a passport to enjoy this magnificent rosé. Tempier has an undisputed reputation as being the King of Bandol. Actually you could say queen because Lulu Tempier gotthe vineyard from her father as a gift when she married Lucien Peyraud. Once that happened they realized what an amazing gift in fact it really was. The terroir of this particular place was so special that it helped establish the Bandol AOC—so yes, this is the winery that literally put Bandol on the map as a wine region. Many other wineries have followed but Tempier has its devotees. It is organic and composed of 55% Mourvedre, 25% Grenache, and 20% Cinsault. The yields are very low and thus the wine is very concentrated. The winery describes it as “the presence of Mourvedre gives this wine its strong character, balance and complexity. An intense fruit and floral nose makes this an attractive rosé. The palate is rounded and full with fruity aromas of peach and pomegranate, followed by delicate spice notes and a pleasant freshness created by acidic balance”. If you are a rosé fan, your time has finally arrived.
$39.99 / bottle
Marriage made in Chinon
Couly Dutheil Chinon Rouge “La Coulee Automnale” 2014
Once upon a time Rene Couly married Madeline Dutheil and a great wine house in Chinon was born. Located in the spectacular region of Loire France, this re-gion is very diverse. While most people think of white wines from this region, the red wines should not be overlooked. This Chinon is made from 100% Cabernet Franc—a grape that is quite often blended in Bordeaux but here stands alone and is a star. At an alcohol level of around 13% it is far more elegant than many wines and works well with food. Putting it in the fridge for a short time would also make it an enjoyable summer wine. This wine is ruby colored with dark fruit flavors and well rounded tannins. A good choice when you want a red wine during a red hot day.
$19.99/ bottle
This Month’s Cellar Selection
Domaine Vincent Dampt Chablis 2015
This is an old school cellar selection because before there was California Chardonnay there was Chablis—the original Chardonnay so to speak. This wine is 100% Chardonnay from a region that has a soil named Kimmeridgian. A soil that is marl, limestone, clay and that contains fossilized marine remnants such as oysters; in other words the perfect canvas for the paint that is Chardonnay. This wine goes thru malolactic fermentation and is aged on the lees. If you don’t like oak then this wine is for you because it doesn’t see any. This wine is all about restrained citrus fruit, acidity and the terroir of Chablis. You’d be hard pressed to find a better Chablis at this price.
$23.99/ bottle
P.O.V.
Purus Organic Vodka
There are so many vodkas on the market you might think there’s no need for another one. You may not need it but you may very well want it. If you love Barolo and Barbaresco or are a fan of the Piedmont Region of Italy then this vodka is for you. Way up in the northwestern corner of Italy far from the sunny beaches lives the Sacchetto family. They have been farming for several generations and have now released this organic vodka made from wheat. They use fresh water from the Alps and the vodka is distilled five times. While it may be enough for some people to do that, this family then runs the vodka thru 1.7 million square meters of active charcoal to produce a vodka that is as pure as it can be. Many people have an opinion—or at least a point of view about vodka. Many think it is tasteless and odorless yet if you line up several vodkas next to each other you can definitely smell and taste the difference. Purus Organic Vodka certainly is different from many others. Above and beyond making a vodka that is high quality they also adhere to environmentally sensible practices such as 100% recyclable glass bottle, tree-free label, sustainable cork closure, water-based adhesives, and soy based inks. In other words not only can you feel good about drinking it, you can also feel good about buying it. We suggest you enjoy it chilled straight from the freezer, or in a martini. A high quality tonic such as Fever Tree or Q would certainly up your Vodka Tonic game. It may not change your life but it may change your attitude for a short while.
$19.99/ 750ml bottle
No Needle Needed
Thimble Island Ghost Island Double IPA
The Thimble Islands of Connecticut are an anomaly. They are tiny little islands (basically rocks) many of which have very few expensive houses on them. The islands are part of the town of Branford which is where this brewery is located. As local breweries have gained in popularity, Connecticut has certainly not been left behind. This double IPA at 8% was first brewed in 2014 as part of their “Uncharted Series” and has become very popular. It has been dry hopped with the addition of Citra hops which gives it grapefruit and other citrus-like flavors. One of the most elegant and freshest
beers you will taste. IBU: 100+ according to the brewery.
$11.99/6-pack
Rhone+Reason
Tenet Wine “The Pundit” Syrah 2014
This wine is a collaboration be-tween Ch. Ste. Michelle in Washington and the Rhone Val-ley in France. The collaborators are Michel Gassier and Phillippe Cambier. The objective is to leave the old ways behind and explore new thinking about what can be done in Washington. This wine is full of “ripe cherry and plum aromas…silky finish with flavors of red cherry and black-berry, hints of toasted vanilla, and a tantalizing slate element”.
$21.99/bottle
Betsy’s Corner
Patrick Bottex Bugey-Cerdon NV
and monks have traveled and settled. Bugey Cerdon only produces sparkling wines. We also know that it is probably one of the best kept secrets in the wine world. But just like you discovered Riesling and Moscato, this should be your next discovery. In addition to having bubbles it also has a slightly sweet taste. This slightly sweet taste in no way diminishes the great quality of this wine. Only 4000 cases were made from approximately 5 1/2 hectares. 80% Gamay and 20% Poulsard make this pinkish/redish wine that is completely old fashioned. It is made via the method ancestrale which some believe is even older than method champenoise. In fact unlike method champenoise you cannot add dosage to the wine! They bottle about halfway thru fermentation and after a while the fermentation stops so the winery is left with a wine that has less alcohol, is slightly sweet and pleasantly ready to drink as soon as it is released into the market. The alcohol level is 8%. You won’t find this in many places and even among the best wine shops you would be hard pressed to find it.