We are celebrating Earth Day by showing off some of our Sustainable and Organic wines. We don’t choose wines for their eco credentials, but it is great when politics and pleasure align. Green can taste great. Stop by and join us.

2010 Yealands, Sauvignon Blanc $13
In Marlborough, New Zealand, Peter Yealand farms his estate winery using such sustainable practices like using sheep to prune and mow instead of tractors and running wind turbos that produce more power than the winery consumes. It also doesn’t hurt that the vineyards exposure to high sun and wind, coupled with cool nights and low rainfall produce a smaller, thicker skinned berries with intense fruit flavors. The wine has fresh grass, herbal aromas along with citrus, guava flavors and wet stone minerality.

2009 Feudo di Santa Tresa, Purato, Nero d’Avola, Sicily (Organic) $13
100% Nero d’Avola
The Purato is made from organic vineyards in Sicily. The winery has been growing grapes for generations and uses all natural organic methods such as cover crops, organic manure and natural herbicides, allowing them to completely eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. The bottles and labels are all from recycled material. The wine is rich with big berry and cherry flavors balanced out by dry tannins and good acidity.

2009 Moncaro, Rosso Piceno, Geos $12
60% Montepulciano, 40% Sangiovesse
Moncaro is located in Marches on the east coast of Italy where they practice sustainable agriculture, low environmental impact & organic farming and have since 1980. The Geos is a tasty full and rich Piceno. Good with food or just by itself.

2010 Würtz Rheinhessen Trocken Riesling $30 / 3 ltr.
A dry and spicy Riesling that has much more complexity than you expect from a box wine. Each box is equal to 4 bottles, so that is $7.50 a bottle. And it is organic and the packaging is environmentally friendly. Keeps in the fridge for many weeks. Great for camping, boating or just hanging out.

Some things just need to find the right space to blossom. If you are talking about Malbec, Carménère and Torrontés that place is South America. Malbec and Carménère were both blending grapes in Bordeaux, but never really hit their own renown until they hit the shores of the new world and found their niche in Chile and Argentina. Nobody is quite sure where Torrontés came from but it has made its home in South America. Stop by this Saturday when we’ll be pouring some excellent examples from the Southern Hemisphere.

 
2010 Tomero, Torrontés $12
Located in the Ucco Valley, Tomerro is named after 100 year-old system that controls the life-giving flow of pure Andes snow runoff water that irrigates the vineyard lands and enabled Argentina’s wine growing appellations to flourish in one of the wine world’s most arid regions. The Torrontés has flowery aromas of rose blossoms and jasmine with a fresh citrus flavor and nice mineral accents.
 
2009 Vistalba, Corte C $13
80% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Carlos Pulenta’s family estate is located in Vistalba at the foot of the magnificent Cordon del Plata within the Andes Mountains. The rough characteristic of the soil produces prime Malbec. The winery is constructed to utilize gravity transfer of the wines with temperatures controlled by an elaborate water system. The Corte C has spicy aromas along with cigar box and cedar, cherry fruit with a hint of chocolate.
 
2010 Viña Ventisquero, Yali Wetland Red $9
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Carménère
Viña Ventisquero, located in the Colchaqua Valley in Chile, produces their wines exclusively from sustainably-farmed estate-grown grapes. This Carménère/Cab blend has ripe cassis, plum and cherry flavors (from the Cab) and spicy notes such as black pepper (from the Carménère) along with hints of vanilla and chocolate imparted by barrel aging.
 
2009 Viña Ventisquero, Queulat Carménère $15
95% Carménère, 5% Syrah
The Queulat is Viña Ventisquero’s reserve wine from a single vineyard wine from the Maipo Valley. Full of Carménère character, the wine has aromas of black fruits, sweet spices, an earthy note and a touch of dark chocolate. The mouth offers a rich structure with fat, velvety tannins which give it that full, round finish with an aftertaste evoking chocolate and tobacco.
 
2010 Bodega Noemia de Patagonia, A Lisa Malbec $20
90% Malbec and 9% Merlot and a 1% of Petit Verdot  
The Rio Negro Valley in Patagonia has a considerably cooler climate than the other Argentinean wine growing regions, with a long, drawn out growing season. The A Lisa has lots of aromas of black fruit anise, iron and leather. The body is full and sinuous.

This Saturday we’ll continue exploring Spain, with a great line up of Verdejo, Albariño, and Tempranillo. These wines are just a handful of our Spanish favorites. They are all packed with character, flavor and complexity. The wines match up with everything from Tapas and Paella to Jamón. Stop in and see a little of what Spain has to offer.
 
2009 Bodegas Pedro Escudero, Valdelainos Verdejo, Rueda $12
A family estate founded in 1852, Pedro Escudero’s Valdelainos comes from prime vineyards in Rueda, where Verdejo excels. The wine is bursting with citrus flavors and a rich medium-bodied palate that is dry and refreshingly tart but still round enough with flavors of lemon verbena, grass, tropical fruits and lime.
 
2009 Viña Almirante, Pionero Macerato Albariño, Rías Baixas $15
Viña Almirante farms 35 hectares of estate grapes in Rías Baixas where Albariño thrives. The wine has good herbal aromas that blend with the fruity notes, with lots of citrus fruits standing out. 
 
2000 Bodegas Lozano, Gran Oristan, Gran Reserva, La Mancha $12
Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon
Bodegas Lozano is a third generation winemaking family in La Mancha, Spain’s largest wine growing region. Their Gran Oristan is no quixotic adventure. This Cabernet and Tempranillo blend sees 24 months in barrel and you can count the years in bottle. The wine has lots of cherry fruit with a dark subtle complexity.
 
2009 Bodegas Arrocal, Ribera del Duero $15
Tempranillo
Arrocal is an organically estate winery in Ribera del Duero which operates by gravity flow (the grapes going in at the top and the wine coming out at the bottom). In between it is aged for 6 months in French and American Oak. The Arrocal has plentiful blackberry and blackcurrant aromas including baking spices and floral qualities. Soft, silky and impressively pure, with vibrant dark berry flavors and fine-grained tannins.
 
2005 Bodegas Valsacro, Dioro, Rioja $25
Tempranillo, Grenacha,
A reserve wine but not a Reserva, the Dioro undergoes a four-stage selection process: an initial field selection of the fruit followed by a second table selection as the grapes at the winery, after fermentation wine best tanks are transferred to new French oak barrels for 12-14 months of barrel age, and finally the best of those barrels are chosen for the Dioro. It is a big and complex modern style Rioja. “Perfumed, oak-accented nose displays cherry-vanilla and blackberry preserves, with a sexy floral note and building spiciness. Full-bodied and velvety, offering palate-coating flavors of macerated cherry, dark berries and vanilla bean. Finishes very long and sweet, with persistent spiciness and a hint of smoke. ” Tanzier

Saturday, April 7^th

2pm

Bodega Palacio de Los Frontaura Y Victoria is a family-owned winery located in the town of Villabuena del Puente, in the D.O. Toro in Spain. The estate specializes in Tinta de Toro, the native variety Tempranillo. They also have vineyards in Ribera del Duero. The wines are big and bold blending the tradition of the region with modern wine making techniques. This Saturday we’ll be pouring some of these full bodied wines. Lucia Ramos Pérez from the winery will be on hand to tell us more about them. Come give them a try.
 
2010 Vega Murillo, Toro Verdejo $12
Different sweet notes of ripe fruit can be distinguished of good intensity. More intense and complex notes appear which are identified with touches of papaya, cherimoya and quince pulp, lightly floral (roses). In the background, golden apple and pear. On the palate is dry but with great softness in the mouth. The finish is round and full-bodied.
 
2010 Vega Murillo, Tinto, Toro Tempranillo $12
Cherry and berry flavors are sweetened with notes of vanilla in this fresh, soft red. Light leaf and licorice flavors add interest, and crisp acidity keeps it all lively.
 
2010 Nexus Cosecha, Ribera del Duero Tempranillo $20
In appearance this wine is cherry red in color with medium high robe. On the nose the aromas are very intense, predominating aromatic qualities of balsamic and fruity notes with hints of menthol. On the palate is balanced, long and intense with pleasant and refine tannins which lend complexity to the wine. A fresh, intense and well-structured wine.
 
2007 Dominio de Valdelacasa, Toro Tempranillo $20
Intense red in color, attractive on the nose, it displays aromas of compoted fruits, fresh almonds, white flowers with mineral graphite notes. Fresh, expressive and harmonic on the palate, this wine reveals a perfectly mature and attuned tannin that reminds us of red fruits and licorice with the subtle coconut of its sojourn in the barrels.

Swing by the shop and see what we are tasting today:

2009 Château Haut-Colombier Blaye        $15
90% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc
Côtes de Bordeaux
30 year old vines aged in 1/3 new oak, all for 15 bucks. Pencil lead, leather and dark fruit. Tasting good now and should get better.

This Saturday we have a great line up of Bordeaux that should not be missed. Some are from the big and early drinking 2009 vintage and some are from earlier vintages that are starting to stretch out a bit and strut their stuff. If you are a fan of leather, black current and pencil lead you won’t want to miss it.
 
2007 Château Moulin de Mallet Bordeaux $10
80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc
Family-owned since 1898, Moulin de Mallet sits high up on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Dordogne Valley facing the slopes of Saint Émillion. The estate has been modernized and the vineyard is run by Mr. Couderc and his viticulturist and oenologist son. The Mallet is vat-aged, and displays a whole array of fresh, red and black fruit aromas of black currant, blackberry and cherry.
 
2006 Château Mayne-Vieil, Fronsac $16
90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
From 40 year old vines, this Fronsac spends 3 weeks on its skins before aging in tanks for 18 months.   The Mayne-Vieil is a very concentrated wine that showcases the fruit, with lots of earthy aromas, tart red fruits flavors and riper plum with a silky tannin finish.
 
2009 Château Sorbey, Medoc $16
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot.
Chateau Sorbey is the second label of Chateau Julien of the Haut-Medoc and Chateau Cap Leon in Listrac. The Sorbey is from the same vineyards as the wines of Chateau Julien. It has a rich ruby color with notes of red and black fruits and some spice from oak aging.
 
2009 Château Cap León Veyrin, Listrac-Medoc, Cru Bourgeois $30
55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot.
Chateau Cap Leon Veyrin with Chateau Julien and Chateau Bibian is owned by the Meyre family who have managed the estate since 1810. Today Alain and Maryse Meyre run the Château together with their children Julien and Nathalie. The wine comes from 30 year old vines and is aged in oak barrels for 12 months. The Cap León Veyrin has aromas of red fruit, cassis and blackberries with notes of vanilla and licorice. It tastes great now but should develop over the coming years.
 
2006 Château Mangot, St Émillion Grand Cru $30
85% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc. 6% Cabernet Sauvignon
The Mangot estate covers some 37 hectares in a single stretch in Saint Etienne De Lisse. Its hillside terraces face due south and are sustainably farmed. The wine is aged in separate batches for 14 months in French oak, 40% of which is new. The Mangot has full aromas of cedar, minerals, licorice and an earthy note, followed by dry tannins and lots of dark fruit flavors that are concentrated, rounded and full on the palate.