It is the Dog Days of August, with some being yipping pups and other panting beasts. To beat the canine stupor we rounded up a number of specials that will break up the doldrums and enliven the most dogged torpor. Come check them out, because like the summer, they won’t last forever.
2008 Weingut Felsner Alte Reben Grüner Veltliner
Was $27 now $15
Manfred Felsner cultivates 38 acres of vineyard sites in Kremstal using environmentally friendly farming. The grapes are highly selected using multiple passes of picking at harvest. The old vines on the estate, dating back a couple of generations, bring depth and complexity to the wine. The Alte Reben is a single vineyard Grüner that is clean and elegant, with the typical crisp varietal character and weight.
2008 Cave des Vignerons de Buxy, Rully Plantenay
Was $20 now $12
The Plantenay is a fine Chardonnay from this Burgundian collective of growers. The grapes for this Rully were grown with lutte raisonnée or ‘reasoned struggle’, a practice that uses chemicals less often and less aggressively than conventional growers The wine offers aromatic complexity with pineapple, apricot and floral notes held together by fine acidity and good minerality.
2008 Domaine Didier Tripoz, Pouilly Fuissé, Vieilles Vignes
Was $30 now $16
Catherine and Didier Tripoz took over this flagging domaine in the 1990s and have worked hard to restore it to glory. The 10 hectares of vineyard are situated to the south of the Maconnais region, close to the great vineyards of Pouilly-Fuissé. The grapes for for their Pouilly Fuissé come from older Chardonnay vines. The wine is fruit driven with apple and citrus flavors and a long elegant finish. It sees no oak ageing, and is crisp and refreshing.
2006 Vereinigte Hospitien Piesporter Goldtröopfchen Riesling Kabinett
Was $25 now $12
Vereingte is one of the United Hospitien a group of traditional wineries in the Mosel set up to provide financial security for the old, sick and disabled people of the region. The wine cellar of the winery United hospices located in an old Roman walls dating from 330 AD and is the oldest wine cellars in Germany. The Goldtröopfchen or gold droplets is a dryer Riesling with appealing fruity flavors of citrus and spicy acid and mineral notes.
2010 Cantine Pirovano Këssel Lagrein Trentino
Was $11 now $9
From up in Trentino in Northeast Italy, this lighter alcohol (12.5%) Lagrein has intense aromas of blackberry and sour cherry along with Violets and Tobacco notes along with soft fruit flavors of cherry and plum. It is a great versatile food wine.
2008 Maude Pinot Noir
Was $32 now $16
This Central Otago Pinot is fermented traditionally in open topped tanks with a portion of whole bunch included in each fermenter using indigenous yeasts. The wine is hand plunged for a month for tannin development prior to gentle pressing through a basket press, then matured in French barriques for 10 months before bottling. The Maude has a dark and brooding nose of mulberry, plum pie and ripe blackberries along with wild thyme, violets and toasty chocolate. It has good concentration of fruit flavors coupled with strong yet supple tannins.