Monthly Archives: February 2011

Wine of the Week 2/27 – 3/5

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Pieter Cruythoff Chenin Blanc 2010 $5.95
Chenin Blanc is the perfect every day wine that offers uncomplicated quality for the novice and connoisseur alike. Packed with upfront melon fruit, the nose charms with an abundance of guava and gooseberries as well as the signature hint of honey. The palate follows through with fruit flavors balanced by a crisp acid to ensure a fresh and fruity style of wine.
Enjoy well-chilled as a lovely crisp glass on its own but ideal for al fresco dining and with light summer fare. Beautiful with salads, anti pasti and seafood.

Grapes: 100% Chenin Blanc
Region: South Africa

Resonata Nero d’Avola 2009 $6.95
Dense ruby red with violet reflections.
Lush and ripe bouquet full of mulberries, blackberries and spice. Harmonious and well balanced with good berry fruit in a spicy background.
Food paring: Excellent with lamb, grilled and barbecued meats, dishes with olives or capers and seasoned cheeses.

Grapes: 100% Nero d’Avola
Region: Sicilia, Italy

Wine of the Week 2/20 – 2/26

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Nuna Reserve Torrontes 2010 $11.95
Made from 100% hand-selected Torrontes from the best parcels of the estate. The grapes are carefully chosen and fermented in small lots to preserve the vineyard identity.

The Torrontés exhibits a fragrant, floral, honey-accented perfume followed by a full-bodied dry wine with a smooth texture and ripe flavors. An aromatic white wine.

Pairing suggestions: spicy and savory food, especially Chinese or Thai cuisine.

Grapes: 100% Torrontes
Region: Argentina

Don Ramon 2008 $7.95
Ruby dark garnet in color, with an effusive creamy cherry cough drop and aquarium nose; flavors turn more toward deeper, darker black cherry and raspberry on a medium to medium full bodied frame, with moderate tannins and balanced acidity. A subtle earthiness underneath the bright fruit adds some depth and complexity, making for a harmonious glass of red wine, and very good.

Grapes: 75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo
Region: Spain

Wine of the Week 2/13 – 2/19

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Yalumba Unwooded Chardonnay 2009 $9.95
Pale straw with light green hues, the Yalumba Y Series Unwooded Chardonnay displays aromas of honeydew melon and nashi pear, with hints of grapefruit and pineapple. The palate is silky with flavors of ripe nectarines, guava and grapefruit with a fresh acid finish. Serve with Thai chicken salad or gnocchi with sautéed prawns and a burnt butter sauce.

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Australia

Monte Antico Toscana Super Tuscan 2006 $13.95
#61 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2009 – According to James Suckling on his WineSpectator.com blog: I came across an incredible value in my office in Tuscany today. Tasting a range of wines from $10 to $25 with Neil and Maria Empson of Empson & Co., I found some excellent wines. But what was the most impressive for the money was the Monte Antico 2006. Its suggested retail is $11, and it could sell for less (like here). And it is in the market now. Granted, I have not tasted it blind yet. But it’s in the very good to outstanding range. The wine is 75 percent Sangiovese, 15 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. It is made from 25-year-old vines minimum, mostly from Pisa, Maremma and Chianti Classico areas. Of course, the quality of the 2006 vintage in Tuscany shined through on this wine. This is a superb Sangiovese year. The aromatic quality of Sangiovese is mind-blowing for most wines from Tuscany. The 2006 Monte Antico has beautiful plums, berries and fresh acidity.
-90 points Wine Spectator

Grapes: 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot
Region: Toscana, Italy

Wine of the Week 2/6 – 2/12

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Conde Villar Vinho Verde $8.95
The Conde Villar Vinho Verde comes to us from the famous Quintas Das Arcas estate located in Portugal’s northwest corner. It’s made from three traditional grapes – 40% Loureiro, 30% Trajadura, and 30% Arinto. The high percentage of Loureiro gives the first hint of the quality here: Lourerio is the hardest to grow of the three and gives the wine a boost in aromatic complexity.

The 2009 Conde Villar shows Vinho Verde at its vibrant, youthful, best. The Loureiro in the blend delivers a burst of intensely fresh citrus and green pear fruit, lime skin, and floral aromas. Take a sip and you’ll discover more citrus fruit, wet stones, and a touch of yeasty freshness. The finish is bright, crisp, and dry with lingering mineral/yeast and lime notes. A perfect wine to sip on its own on a warm, late-summer, night or to enjoy with shellfish, salads, or grilled veggies.

Grapes: 40% Loureiro, 30% Trajadura, and 30% Arinto
Region: Portugal

Shotfire Barossa Shiraz 2008 $15.95
Deep red in color. The lifted nose has plums and sweet spice – cardoman and cinnamon, with choc mint oak characters. The palate is full bodied but refined with some expressive berry fruit, plums, liquorice and complex spicy oak. There is a great depth of fruit which will ensure the longevity of the wine and also gives it wonderful mouthfilling sensation. The tannins are velvety and combined with the rich fruit and spicy oak gives the wine great length of flavor.

Grapes: 100% Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley, Australia