Friday January 29, 2010 Downtown Tasting

Domaine A. Cailbourdin Pouilly Fume “Les Cris” 2006
on sale at $11.96, reg. $27.99
(100% Sauvignon Blanc; Loire Valley, France)
“Ripe gooseberries can be discerned in the aromas... Citrus zest, anise, fresh herbs and wet stones on the nose, with a suggestion of white flowers.... Firm on entry but soft in the middle, with gentle acids framing lime.... Ripe but juicy and taut in the mouth, with a strongly mineral flavor of liquid stone lifted by grapefruit and spring flowers.... There is a steely, flinty character in this medium-bodied, dry, impressively-extracted, fresh, vibrant Pouilly-Fume.” (We cut and pasted this from reviews of several vintages by Stephen Tanzer and Robert Parker.)

Laurent Miquel, Chardonnay-Viognier 2008
On Sale at $6.96, regularly $9.99, For two weeks thru 2/1/10
Laurent Miquel makes wine in the town of Cessnon-sur-Orb in the hills of the northern Languedoc in sunny southern France. This Chardonnay-Viognier (vee-own-yay) blend is part of their Pere et Fils line, named after Laurent and his father, Henri. I love the interplay of its floral, peach, and pear aromas; its round palate and fresh, lively acidity; and its soft, dry finish.

Masciarelli, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2006, $9.99
(100%  Montepulciano; Abruzzo, Italy)
East of Tuscany on the Adriatic coast lies the province of Abruzzo. There they make an easygoing, well-priced, everyday wine called Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. In Italy this construction always means the grape of the town/region. So Barbera d'Alba means the Barbera grape of the town of Alba, and Vino Nobile de Montepulciano means the “noble wine”of the town of Montepulciano (Sangiovese grape).
“One wine that I have never known anyone to dislike is Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. It is about as fun to drink as it is to say. It is fruity yet earthy, juicy yet dry, naughty yet nice. You get blackberries and black truffles for less than $10 a bottle. Seriously, I recommend keeping a half case of it alone on hand.” --Megan Headly, C-ville Weekly, 12/15/2009

Bodegas Borsao, “Vina Borgia” Campo de Borja 2008, $7.99
It is the flagship of the winery and our most international wine. It has a very clean look, with an intense cherry red colour and violet tones. In the nose, one can appreciate a deep aroma of mature fruit with floral tones. In the mouth, it is a wine with body and pleasant tannins in perfect harmony with its tartness that gives us a wine rich in red fruit hues with spicy tones typical of the high quality Garnacha. In addition, it has a retro-nasal aroma that brings back the olfactory sensations of its youth and a long, complex aftertaste.
Varieties: 70% Garnacha, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Tempranillo.

Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona, Toscano IGT Rosso, $11.99

Bodegas Castaño, "Solanera" 2005 On Sale $9.96, reg. $16.99

Bodegas Castano Monastrell Dulce Yecla (500 ml) on sale at $, reg. $29.99
(100% Monastrell; Yecla, Alicante, Spain)
On the Plaza de Toros in Spain’s hot, eastern inland town of Yecla, Ramon Castaño Santana and his three sons are changing expectations of Yelca from rough, high-alcohol plonk to polished, elegant wines...This begins with the same sentence as the Wine of the Week because it comes from the same winery, Bodegas Castano. The 2003 Monastrell Dulce is produced from ungrafted pre-phyloxera vines in the style of Banyuls with fermentation stopped by the addition of alcohol.
“Dark and dense it releases an enormously fruity impression which will overpower anything else 
brought within smelling range: aromas of sun-dried raisins (plums, sultanas, fig bread, caramelised milk pudding) and crystallized with a background of cocoa powder and thoughts of toffee. A plethora of scents which give it great complexity. On the palate it is dense, sweetish, generous with  a surprising acidity which gives it freshness and does not feel exhausted, but leaves us with a long-lasting aftertaste of raisins. Tannins are there, but do not intrude. An exciting wine, seductive and provocative. Its perfection will be reached with desserts where chocolate predominates, caramelised puddings, blue cheeses (Stilton, Roquefort,Cabrales, Gorgonzola, Valdeón…) and with cream cheeses such as Torta de Casar or de la Serena.” --winery       

“Inky, saturated violet. Deep scents of boysenberry, dark chocolate, licorice candy and molasses. Very rich on the palate, with broad, sweet dark fruit flavors enlivened by juicy acidity. An interesting forest floor note reminiscent of young vintage port joins the chewy dark berry flavors on the long finish, but the wine remains bright. 90 points.” –Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar
Also 92 points.–Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate