September Wine of the Month: Bring on the Bordeaux

Of all the aisles in our store, the Bordeaux aisle may very well be the most intimidating for some of our guests. I can certainly see why, as the prices range all the way from the lowest end to the highest end of the spectrum and everywhere in between, and yet the bottles tell us so little about why we'd want to buy this Chateau over that Chateau with just a slightly different name. Which ones are Merlot-based, and which ones contain more Cabernet Sauvignon? Where does the Right Bank begin and the Left Bank end? And is there really so much difference from one vintage to the next? Relax. For September's selections, we've done the homework for you. Many of the wines chosen this month are from the much-touted 2005 vintage: a year that benefitted from a growing season so forgiving that bad Bordeaux was almost difficult to make. And given the fortune of a good vintage, we were able to select from both the well-known and the lesser-known appellations of the Left and Right Banks to find you the very best Bordeaux has to offer right now. See? No need to over-think...just enjoy!

Cheers ~ Maggie

A Recipe for You!
Chicken, Cherry, and Pepper Yakitori
Serves: 4
Wine Pairing: Chateau Lucas Cotes de Castillon 2005

Call it yakitori, satay, or shish-kebab; any way you slice it, meat-on-a-stick isn’t the most conventional pairing for Bordeaux that comes to mind. But take a Merlot-dominated Right-Bank Bordeaux from a ready-to-drink year like 2005, pair it with these skewers of marinated chicken and sweet-tart cherries, and you’ve got quite a match.
6 Chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks), boned
6 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp sugar or honey
2 cups fresh red cherries, pitted
2 yellow bell peppers
Bamboo skewers

-Over low heat, combine soy sauce, sake and sugar (or honey) and simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and cool.
-Cut chicken legs into 1-inch by 2-inch pieces.
-In a sealable plastic bag or airtight container, marinate chicken in soy sauce mixture for two to eight hours in the refrigerator.
- Cut bell pepper into 1-inch square pieces.
-Alternate chicken, cherry and bell pepper, putting two pieces of each on each bamboo skewer.
-Preheat a gas or charcoal grill, and grill each skewer about 5 minutes on each side until meat is cooked.
Serve hot.


Vintner Selection

2008 Chateau Cabannieux Graves Blanc

Grape variety: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Region: Graves, Bordeaux, France
Food pairing: Goat cheese, toast points, and apricot jam

While Bordeaux is probably best known for its red wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, many also turn to Bordeaux for some of the most crisp and elegant white wines in the world, made primarily of the Sauvignon Blanc grape, and often with just a touch of Semillon to give it an aromatic quality to balance the clean acidity, citrus and mineral notes. These white wines can come from virtually all over Bordeaux, but the Graves appellation is perhaps most notable in this category for its temperate weather conditions due to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as soil containing stones and sand carried by the river from as far away as the Pyrenees Mountains. This one in particular is just the ticket for the tail-end of summer, refreshing with citrus and white stone fruit flavors that pair perfectly with goat cheese, toast points, and apricot jam.

2005 Chateau Lucas Cotes de Castillon

Grape variety: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Region: Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France
Food pairing: Chicken, cherry and pepper yakitori

While the region of Bordeaux itself is hardly a wine-lover's secret, the satellite appellations like Cotes de Castillon are just beginning to gain recognition. Certain chateaus in this budding area have already become household names for Bordeaux drinkers (d'Aiguilhe, Clos les Lunelles, Gigault Cuvee Viva and Clos l'Eglise), and with that elevated recognition has come an elevated price tag of $25 or more. But thankfully, some small chateaux like Chateau Lucas are still flying under the radar, which (at least for the time being) allows us to bring it to you for a few less pennies from the pocket. The 2005 vintage in Bordeaux yielded an unprecedented number of great value wines; because the vintage was so good, quality was above average from the petite chateaux all the way up to the elite bottlings. Our French wine buyer, Jon Visser, found this gem full of dark fruit, earth, and minerals on the nose, with a lush palate full of plum and blackberry flavors and a long finish.


Reserve Selection

2009 Le G de Chateau Guiraud Bordeaux Blanc Sec

Grape variety: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Region: Sauternes-Barsac, Bordeaux, France
Food pairing: Raw oysters on the half-shell

Guiraud is primarily a Premier Cru Sauternes house, passed through several families and owners over the years, but it was a decision by one mid-nineteenth-century proprietor, Paul Cesar Rival, that led to the creation of Le G de Chateau Guiraud. Rival was nothing if not eccentric and determined to do what he liked, even if it didn’t make sense to anyone else. When he decided to plant what some would say is a disproportionate amount of Sauvignon Blanc, some called it a mistake, as Semillon is where the money and the prestige lie. But the existence of this Sauvignon Blanc is why we have "Le G", and because a clean, crisp glass of Sauvignon Blanc goes oh-so-much better with a plate of oysters than a sweet Sauternes and for a smaller price tag, we have to commend that decision. Incidentally, Rival also went down in history as the only man in Bordeaux to add an airstrip to his estate...and the only one to crash his plane in Yquem's vineyard. Now that's a costly mistake!

2007 Fleur de Haut-Bages-Liberal

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Region: Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Food pairing: Seared beef filet with herbed butter

Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal was thus named for both the estate's location (Haut-Bages being their position at the top of the Bages plateau between Pauillac and St. Julien), and for the family named "Liberal" who owned the estate during the 18th century when it was classified as a fifth growth. Despite the fact that it's a fifth growth, Haut-Bages Liberal enjoys quite the pedigree of soils, neighboring the vineyards of Chateau Lynch-Bages, Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and Chateau Latour. Deep gravel soils help bring about excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc for both the flagship bottling and this, their second bottling or their "Fleur", made from younger vines. Cabernet dominates the blend, lending rich, round tannins and a lengthy finish.

Cellar Selection

2005 Chateau Moulinet Pomerol

Grape variety: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
Food pairing: Coq au vin

Chateau Moulinet sits in the northwestern part of Pomerol, an area known for its clay and sandy soils. These soils differ from that in the eastern part of the commune, where gravel is more prevalent among the clay; thus the wines from the northwestern portion are lighter and (some say) more elegant in style. At our Grand Tasting last year, we showed the Chateau Moulinet among other pricier Pomerols from the 2005 vintage, and time and time again it drew rave reviews from our customers for its smoothness, delicacy, and long gentle finish. The Wine Spectator awarded this bottling 91 points, noting that it "displays subtle yet complex aromas of blackberry, mineral and chocolate-coated cherry. Full bodied with ultrafine tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very pretty and refined. Best after 2011."

2005 Chateau Haut Bergey

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Region: Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Food pairing: Blackberry-glazed roast pork loin

If you can find an under-the-radar Bordeaux estate in a great vintage like 2005, you're in luck, because so many of the 2005 wines went for astronomical prices once the vintage was touted. But Robert Parker called Chateau Haut-Bergey "one of the finest under-the-radar estates in Pessac-Leognan", awarding it 92 points and noting "aromas of scorched earth, wet stones, burning embers...and copious black currant and cherry fruit. The sumptuous bouquet," Parker goes on, "is accompanied by a full-bodied wine displaying dazzling purity, sweet tannin, and a long opulent finish. This beauty will be drinkable at a relatively early age for a 2005." Not bad for "under-the-radar!" A super-ripe wine even for the vintage (one known for great balance), this wine offers what few left-bank Bordeaux do; drinkability in its youth. However, (this being the Cellar Club, after all), other critics (Wine Spectator, for one) noted that they feel the tannins will settle and show even better after 2011. Well let you decide.


Premiere Selection

2000 Chateau Sociando Mallet Haut Medoc

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Region: Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France
Food pairing: Duck confit over greens and lentils

It's no secret that Bordeaux, particularly Cabernet-dominated Bordeaux originating from the Left Bank, is often at its best drinking after it has spent a few years (or more) in bottle. So Bordeaux cellaring and drinking is often a game for the patient. Luckily, we managed to procure at least one wine for this month's selections with a little age already on it, so those of you lacking that patient gene will be at no handicap. Chateau Sociando-Mallet is an outlier in Bordeaux, perhaps even a renegade by some standards. Passed by for recognition in both the 1855 classification of Bordeaux AND the 2003 classification of the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, confident owner Jean Gautreau was unfazed. His unclassified wines have always had a track record of outshining the classified wines anyway. As a matter of fact, in the 2000 vintage, Robert Parker had this to say about the wine. "This is a beautiful wine and certainly one of the great sleepers of the vintage….Notes of acacia flowers intermixed with wet rocks, black currants, and blueberries, the wine is full-bodied, displays no real evidence of any oak, and offers up terrific concentration, texture and length." Parker estimated it at its best after 2011, but Wine Spectator had it slated for good drinking from 2007 on. Regardless of when you choose to open it, most agree this wine has at least ten more years of ageworthiness in it yet.


2005 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Region: Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Food pairing: Dry-aged Porterhouse steak

The success of this wine could easily be attributed to the great vintage, as 2005 was indeed one for the books. Most, however, choose to attribute the success of this Grand Cru Classe to wine-consulting guru Stephane Derenoncourt, who came on board with Domaine de Chevalier in this vintage. Previous to his employ, the domaine had a reputation for rather austere wines that evolved slowly and showed little fruit or accessibility in their youth. Times are changing, even in Bordeaux, and now Domaine de Chevalier creates a blend of 65% Cabernet and a balance of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot that’s much more supple and opulent than in previous years. Robert Parker gave this wine 92 points, noting that it was "perhaps the finest wine made at this estate in many years...A classic Graves bouquet of charcoal, graphite, creosote, smoked herbs, sweet black cherries and spice box. The wine is elegant on the attack," he summed up, "but fills out beautifully with a multilayered, rich mouthfeel, silky tannins, and a plush, opulent finish. This brilliant claret may turn out to be even better than my score suggests." Though it’s beginning to open up beautifully already, this wine will likely be at its best after 2012, and perhaps for 15-20 years past that time.

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

August Wine of the Month Newsletter

Selections from Our All-Stars

If I’m a little overzealous in proclaiming that nearly every month is my “favorite” month of Wine Club, it’s only because I get so excited about each round of selections. But this month, really and truly, just may take the cake. For August, I like to break from the norm a bit. Month after month, I choose a theme or a region, I choose the wines, and I share my humble opinions. But there are over 100 bright and enthusiastic wine and food lovers who work here at Gary’s, and it only seems right that we give them a voice every now and then too. So this month, I approached my esteemed colleagues from all three stores, and asked them to share some of their favorite wine picks for summer with our Wine Club members. They didn’t disappoint. Just as our staff is wonderfully diverse and eclectic, so too are their selections. We ended up with an Albarino from a team member who’s just discovering the complexity of the grape and a red Burgundy from a team member who always has French wine on the brain; a Barolo from a proud Italian expat and a California Cab from a young lady who once made the move from Garden State to Golden State and back again. It’s all here, and it’s all straight from the heart of Gary’s. Enjoy.
-Maggie

All-Time Favorite Food and Wine Pairings
If there’s one thing our staff spends a lot of time doing, it’s trying out different foods with different wines. We asked each of our staff members who picked wine for this month’s selections to tell us their all-time favorite food and wine pairing. Each one is a sure-fire recipe for a good night!

Bunny Neuhart: Stilton cheese and honeycomb with Port

Kathy Brindle: Grilled salmon with Oregon Pinot Noir

Mike Maresca: Lavender-honey ice cream and Sauternes

Ryan Sacks: Italian sausage and peppers with Primitivo

Rich Isel: Jamon Serrano with Rioja

Cesare Martini: Rigatoni with game ragu and Barolo

Geoffrey Brooke: Wood grilled leg of lamb raised on the salt marshes of Bordeaux with a bottle of Pauillac, preferably with a side dish of frites fried in duck fat

Laura Moorin: Dim sum and Champagne


2007 Bertrand Ambroise Bourgogne
2010 August Wine Club Vintner Selection

Bunny is a new addition to our management team at Gary’s, but good food and wine are far from new to her! After a year studying culinary arts at Apicius in Florence, Italy, she came hom e to work with good food and wine every day in our Bernardsville store. Her time in Italy, however, never biased her against good French wine. “White Burgundy is my favorite expression of the Chardonnay grape.” she says. “This bottle shows surprisingly complex olfactics (good smells to the rest of us), starting off citrusy and rounding out with a little butter and spice. This lemon butter nose makes me think of seafood, and I would love to take this bottle to the beach with a lobster roll! The s crew top makes it even more picnic-friendly, so if no lobster rolls are to be had, I’ll take along a loaf of crusty bread and a triple-cream cheese like Pete Gres Charmenois.”

Food pairing: Crusty bread and triple-cream cheese


2007 Acanto Yecla
2010 August Wine Club Vintner Selection

If there’s a country on the cutting edge of high-value wines for still-reasonable prices, it’s Spain, particularly in budding wine regions like Yecla. Here, they produce a blend of Monastrell (65%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Garnacha (15%) in high altitude vineyards with limestone soils, aged in French and American oak barrels for just under a year. The resulting wine is juicy and new-world in style, and just Kathy’s cup of tea. “Wow, what a mouthful!” She says. “No wimpy salad with this baby; bring on the beef! The nose is loaded with blackberry and black tea aromas, while layers of brambly berries, graphite and cassis fill the palate. Sweet wood smoke and firm tannins round out the finish. I’ll have mine with a beef or lamb burger, grilled medium-rare, topped with manchego cheese, olive tapenade, and maybe a little tzatziki.”

Food pairing: Beef or lamb burgers with Manchego cheese and olive tapenade


2009 Pazo Senorans Albarino
2010 August Wine Club Reserve Selection

Wine Associate Mike Maresca has only been a wine-lover for a few years now, but he’s jumped in with both feet, tasting and learning as much as he can day to day on the floor at Gary’s. When this
Albarino came his way, he rediscovered a grape that he had admittedly been passing by for a while. “When I tried the 2009 vintage of the Pazo Senorans Albarino,” he says, “it reminded me why I like the Albarino grape so much. I like a wine that is distinctive and unique, even difficult to compare to other wines I’ve had. This Albarino in particular, grown in the Rias Baixas region of Spain, is unlike any other I’ve tasted, displaying lemon and tropical aromas and delivering a creamy yet delicate finish. To me, it provides the perfect formula for a nice August wine.” Couldn’t agree with Mike more. Since this wine has arrived on our shelves, several of our staff have declared it’s the best Albarino they’ve tasted in a long time.

Food pairing: Wood-smoked chicken or quail


2008 Jimenez-Landi Sotorrondero
2010 August Wine Club Reserve Selection

Just south of Madrid lies a wine region called Mentrida. Ten years ago, the wines of Mentrida were hardly worth a mention, and rarely earned one. But Jimenez Landi has come bursting on the scene with some glowing reviews and a 93 point Wine Advocate Score for this Syrah-Grenache blend that critic Josh Raynolds called a “hedonist’s delight” and “reminiscent of a top level Cote Rotie.” Bernardsville Wine Associate Ryan Sacks loves this wine for its ability to pair perfectly with one of his favorite dishes, a juicy filet of beef. “With dark fruit flavors and a nice smoky finish, it paired perfectly.” he says. “It’s big enough to stand up to grilled meat but silky enough to sip on its own as well. A very impressive wine and an absolute steal for twenty bucks!”

Food pairing: Filet mignon


2004 Attilio Ghisolfi Barolo
2010 August Wine Club Cellar Selection

When the Wall Street Journal’s “Dow Jones 2004 Barolo Index” came out, five wines were named as their favorites of the vintage. Four were above $50, and the last was the more affordable Attilo Ghisolfi Barolo. Italian-born Wine Associate Cesare Martini of our Madison store is great at chatting about our entire Italian wine section, but has taken a particular liking to this bottling. “(Ghisolfi’s) 2004 Barolo is a bit more traditional than many of the new Barolo producers, with some beautiful licorice notes on both the nose and the palate. Wild cherry fruit, roses and herbs are all present,” he says, “with a palate that’s dense and structured, very firm in its tannins, but without any roughness. Really elegant wine with the right complexity and a pleasurable spiciness.” Cesare recommends opening 2 hours before pouring and pairing this wine with pasta with a game ragu. Salute!

Food pairing: Rigatoni with game ragu


2005 Dominio de Atauta Ribera del Duero
2010 August Wine Club Cellar Selection

From one of Spain’s greatest wine regions, Ribera del Duero, the 2005 Dominio de Atauta is a robust, modern-styled expression of this region’s wine. Sourced from 60 year old Tinta del Pais vines (the local clone of Tempranillo), the wine is farmed biodynamically and bottled unfiltered. Rich Isel, a longtime Wine Associate in our Madison store and a fan of good Spanish reds, enjoys the complexity of this wine. “On the nose, there are notes of earth, mocha, and vanilla, while the palate shows dark fruits, earth, mocha, toasty oak, and minerals.” He says. Rich recommends pairing this robust yet gracious wine with an herb-crusted roast pork loin and fingerling potatoes.

Food pairing: Herb-crusted roast pork loin and fingerling potatoes


2006 Staglin Salus Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 August Wine Club Premiere Selection

Winery owners Garen and Shari Staglin brought their first vintage of Cabernet to the market in 1986, just around the time that Gary’s Wine & Marketplace was also established, and almost immediately earned a reputation as a top-notch Napa producer. Thankfully, their Salus label has managed to fly (comparatively) under the radar for all these years, despite the winemaking talent of Frederik Johannson and fruit raised by leading viticulturalist David Abreau. Black fruit aromas dominate the nose, with secondary notes of graphite, earth and bay leaf. Cherry flavors give way to rich plum, black cherry and blackberry dusted with mouth-coating dark cocoa tannins. To Cab-lover and one-time California transplant Laura Moorin of our Wayne store, it’s everything a Napa Cabernet is supposed to be. “Power. Complexity. Firmness. Aromatics. And a finish that is still singing minutes after the show is over. This is surprisingly approachable for its youth,” she notes, “but it definitely has the structure to evolve for years to come in the cellar.”

Food pairing: Cabernet-braised short ribs

2004 Domaine Humbert Gevrey-Chambertin Poissenots
2010 August Wine Club Premiere Selection

If you’ve visited the Wayne store and haven’t had the fortune of bumping into Geoff Brooke in the Burgundy aisle, it’s likely because so much of his time and energy is spent behind the scenes, hooking up the web content and helping our French buyer make decisions on when to lock in pricing on the 2009 Bordeaux campaign. But this former primatologist and longtime oenophile really knows his stuff when it comes to the great Burgundies as well. “Brothers Frederic and Emmanuel Humbert are considered rising stars of Burgundy,” he explains. “And this Gevrey Chambertin from the Premier Cru Les Poissenots vineyard really shows why. It displays great black cherry and mocha Pinot fruit with a freshness and brightness that is balanced by middleweight tannin. A wine of restraint and finesse, not power, it makes a great partner to a wide range of dishes from a classic Coq au Vin to a rich pork tenderloin with fruit sauce, or Julia Child’s classic Boeuf Bourgignon.” You can never go wrong with a Julia recipe. And you can never go wrong with a wine selection from Geoff, for that matter! After a few years in the bottle, this wine is beginning to drink beautifully now. Enjoy.

Food pairing: Coq au Vin or Boeuf Bourgignon

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne

1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS

2007 Favia Quarzo Syrah NJ Wine Club

Grape variety: Syrah (3% Viognier)
Region: Amador, California
Food pairing: Spice-rubbed grilled leg of lamb
Price: $69.99

2010 July Wine Club Premiere Selection

Favia wines are a labor of love from the husband and wife team of Annie Favia and Andy Erickson. You may have heard of Andy, as he’s the winemaker for such famously high-scoring wines as Screaming Eagle, Arietta, Dalla Valle, Ovid and Jonata. (Yes, apparently everything Andy touches turns to liquid gold.) But if you haven’t yet heard of Annie, you’re missing out on a budding superstar of viticulture. Annie lets Andy do the winemaking; her passion is for grape growing. A student of enology since 1993, she has learned from some of the best in the business. She studied under John Kongsgaard, Cathy Corison, and David Abreu: three very, very well-respected viticulturalists. And now she oversees the grapes for her own Favia label.
Andy and Annie’s 2007 Quarzo Syrah, the third vintage they’ve made, is notably one of their best yet. Sourced from Ann Kraemer’s Shake Ridge Ranch in the Sierra Foothills of Amador County California, it’s named “Quarzo” for the quartz crystals that are seen glittering amongst the rugged volcanic rock on the property. Annie and Andy feel it’s an ideal place to grow Rhone varietals, and given the attention the grapes receive from steward Ann Kramer and from Annie Favia herself, its producing some of California’s best Syrah. Only 220 cases of this wine were produced, and the Wine Spectator Insider has already given it 95 points, noting “immense and expressive, offering broad, expansive layers of wild berry...fresh loamy earth, pepper, spice and nutmeg, with a rich mouthfeel that lets the berry fruit fan out and gain nuance and complexity.” Drinking beautifully now and should continue to do so through 2015 or later.

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2007 Double Diamond Bomber X Cabernet Sauvignon NJ Wine Club

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/12400.html

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Napa Valley, California
Food pairing: Grilled artisanal sausage
Price: $59.99

2010 July Wine Club Premiere Selection

In a world of unattainable cult Napa Cabernets, sometimes there comes a beacon of light. One such beacon for us: Double Diamond Bomber X Cabernet. This cult-adjacent Cabernet comes from Schrader Cellars, whose 2007 sextet of Cabernets received scores of 96+, 97+, 97+, 99 and two 100 pointers from Robert Parker. If you can find them, those seven Cabernets fetch anywhere from $300-1000 a bottle. But luckily in the same vintage, the very same winemaker Thomas Brown made a sister wine: the Bomber X. The biggest difference, other than the price, is accessibility: Double Diamond is a flashy wine that can be opened now, no brooding tannins that need to mellow or structure that needs to evolve. Just bold, well-sourced fruit that’s drinking absolutely fantastically at this very moment. Thank you Fred Schrader and Thomas Brown for making an attainable Schrader wine!

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/12400.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2007 Soda Canyon Cellars Barrel Chaser Red Blend NJ Wine Club

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/12399.html

Grape variety: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc
Region: Napa Valley, California
Food pairing: Grilled duck breast with cherry salad
Price: $39.99

2010 July Wine Club Cellar Selection

For the past few years, a question has echoed in the ears of our wine staff: “do you have any Prisoner?” The wine in question is a bold red blend made by Dave Phinney of Orin Swift Cellars. It gained a cult-like following a few years back and unfortunately has been out of the NJ market for some time (hopefully to return soon.). So you can imagine how happy we were when the Barrel Chaser rolled onto our tasting counter one day...at long last, a Phinney wine we can put in your hands once again! The Barrel Chaser is blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet, 6 % Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Lighter in style than the Prisoner, this wine is incredibly smooth and marked by ripe cherry, cassis, vanilla bean and chocolate flavors. Delicious now, but has the potential to cellar for a few years to come.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/12399.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2006 Lail Blueprint Cabernet Sauvignon NJ Wine Club

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/13823.html

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Region: Napa Valley, California
Food pairing: Soy-glazed chicken or steak yakitori
Price: $39.99
Reg: $49.99
ON SALE!

2010 July Wine Club Cellar Selection

When we talk about forefathers of our country, we have endless numbers of people to thank for pioneering different industries. But for Napa winemaking, one of the true forefathers was Gustav Neibaum, the great-great grand-uncle of Robin Lail, steward of Lail Vineyards. Neibaum founded Inglenook vineyards in 1879, making history in this still-young winemaking region. Today Robin carries the torch with Lail Vineyards where they make this Blueprint Cabernet-Merlot blend (an homage to her husband’s profession of architecture) from both estate fruit and fruit from some well-respected growers throughout the Napa Valley appellation. With the help of well-known winemaker Philippe Melka (Vineyard 29, Bryant, Melka Metisse), Lail produces a beautiful Bordeaux-style blend with flavors and aromas of blueberry and fresh garden herbs.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/13823.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2007 Joseph Phelps Innisfree Cabernet Sauvignon NJ Wine Club

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/13536.html

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Napa Valley, California
Food pairing: Hamburgers with red onion compote
Price: $24.99
Reg: $31.99
ON SALE!

2010 July Wine Club Reserve Selection

For some reason, everyone seems to think that you have to pay big money to get a good Napa Cab from a well-known producer: not necessarily true, particularly when you have a great vintage like 2007 on your hands. Case in point: Joseph Phelps Innissfree 2007. Produced primarily from Phelps estate fruit (the same estate that makes the $150 Insignia Cabernet), Innisfree is baby-Phelps only in the regard that the wine is meant to be consumed young and fresh, while the flavors of ripe blueberry, blackberry and currant are at their best. No harsh, drying tannins here: this wine is big, juicy and ripe, oozing with sweet tannins and carrying a noticeably lengthy finish for an under $30 wine. Is Innisfree good every year? Yes. Is it better than ever in the 2007 vintage? You got that right. Well done, Phelps team.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/13536.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2008 Bergstrom Old Stones Chardonnay NJ Wine Club

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/oregon/12746.html

Grape variety: Chardonnay
Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Food pairing: Lemon-roasted chicken
Price: $22.99

2010 July Wine Club Reserve Selection

Only the second vintage of this wine that Josh Bergstrom has ever made, the Bergstrom Old Stones Chardonnay is one of the best expressions of crisp, balanced Oregon Chardonnay that we’ve found at this price level. No wonder, as the young winemaker spent some time in Burgundy learning how to make Chardonnay from the masters. His inaugural vintage of Old Stones Chardonnay 2007 (a tough year for Oregon wine) earned the distinction of 2nd best value wine in Oregon from Portland Monthly magazine. More importantly, we think it’ll earn a reoccurring place on your table, offering vanilla-laced pear notes balanced by judicious oak and good acidity. An excellent pairing for lemon-roasted or grilled chicken.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/oregon/12746.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2008 Plungerhead Old Vines Zinfandel NJ Wine Club

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/11564.html

Grape variety: Zinfandel
Region: Lodi, California
Food pairing: Korean beef ribs
Price: $11.98
Reg: $15.99
ON SALE!

2010 July Wine Club Vintner Selection

The Sebastiani Family must have a wicked sense of humor, because when they decided to seal bottles of this great Lodi Zinfandel with the inventive new Zork enclosure (a cork that needs no corkscrew: just pull at the z, unwind, and pop the top), they noticed that the Zork looked rather like, well, a plunger. So they simply couldn’t resist naming it after their loyal winery employee Eddie Plongerheid and coming up with the silly little graphic on the front label. Hey, it’s humor and invention that keeps us young, and they’ve certainly been playing with both! The warm, often hot, climate of Lodi is particularly suited for producing good Zinfandel, a hearty grape that loves the sun and needs plenty of it to ripen to full-bodied, spiced plum perfection.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/11564.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2008 Eighteen Eighty Three Chardonnay NJ Wine Club

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/13820.html

Grape variety: Chardonnay
Region: Monterey, California
Food pairing: New England lobster roll
Price: $14.99
Reg: $18.99
ON SALE!

2010 July Wine Club Vintner Selection

Eighteen eighty three was a good year for the Wente family. It was the year in which C.H. Wente founded his northern California winery, beginning what would become more than a century-long family foray into winemaking. Wente is still a family-run winery, and to pay homage, they produced this special bottling called “1883” to honor their founder.
Produced in the cool coastal vineyards of Monterey, this Chardonnay carries ripe white fruit flavors of apple and tropical mango, balanced by a hint of vanilla-spiced oak. I love Chardonnay as a pairing with a summer favorite of mine, New England lobster rolls. The buttery oak matches the buttery lobster and roll, while the clean acidity refreshes the palate nicely.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/13820.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2005 Craggy Range Sophia Bordeaux Blend

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/new_zealand/13236.html

Category: New Zealand
Size: 750 ml
Brand: Craggy Range
Region: Hawkes Bay
Varietal: Merlot / Cabernet Franc
Style: Red Wine
Food Pairing: Grilled dry-aged rib-eye steak
Price: $54.99

2010 June Wine Club Premiere Selection

As it stands today, the Hawkes Bay wine region of New Zealand is known primarily for its Sauvignon Blanc, and to a lesser extent for its Viognier. And Craggy Range makes the former. But they, along with a few other ambitious neighboring producers, are confidently waging an uphill battle to make the Gimblett Gravels sub-appellation world-famous for Bordeaux blends. Now I say it's an uphill battle not because the wine they're making isn't stellar, but because it's rather difficult to shift public perception. However, they've determined that the terroir in this particular 800 hectare strip of land is unique for its gravelly soils, which were exposed after a massive flood in 1860 altered the course of the old Ngaruroro River. Gravelly soils have long been recognized as a key factor in producing great Bordeaux, particularly in the Merlot-dominated Right Bank, so it wasn't such a stretch for winemaker and Master of Wine Steve Smith to concentrate his efforts here. A blend of 62% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, and just a 4% touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is hand-picked, de-stemmed, and aged for 19 months in French oak before achieving what Neal Martin of the Wine Advocate called "scents of red cherries, wild strawberry and (of course) gravel, and a full bodied palate ripe with layers of thick black fruits." The finish is still rather tight and backward in its youth; we'd suggest giving it a little time in the cellar if you can manage. 93 Points Wine Advocate.

Reviews

Neal Martin Wine Advocate 93 Points

The 2005 Sophia is a blend of 62% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, hand-picked, de-stemmed and aged for 19 months in French oak of which 80% is new. It displays a less ostentatious nose but has even better delineation with scents of red cherries, wild strawberry and gravel, the palate full-bodied and ripe with layers of thick black fruits on the backward finish. It needs serious cellaring.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/new_zealand/13236.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2005 Greenock Creek Shiraz Apricot Block

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/13648.html

Category: Australia
Size: 750 ml
Brand: Greenock Creek
Region: Barossa Valley
Varietal: Shiraz
Style: Red Wine
Food Pairing: Wood-smoked pork butt
Price: $79.99

2010 June Wine Club Premiere Selection

Owned by Michael and Annabelle Waugh, this winery, as Jay Miller of the Wine Advocate puts it, "remains one of South Australia's most iconic wineries. Start with great terroir, add in old vine material and meticulous winemaking, and end with extraordinary results." Certainly sounds like a recipe for success. The 2005 Shiraz that they lovingly named "Apricot Block" spent 28 months in seasoned American oak hogsheads rather than the more typically favored French Oak barriques, lending a spicier, scorched earth and pepper character to the already meaty old-vine grapes. Layers of blueberry, bacon, cedar and violets make this wine layered and intensely flavored, and not surprisingly, earned it 95 points from the Wine Advocate. A mere 15% alcohol makes it darn-near restrained for an Aussie Shiraz, and the well-balanced nature of the wine makes it one for the long haul, probably at its best now through 2020. A heady wine with gobs of fruit and hints of wood spice like this one goes impeccably well with dry-rubbed and slowly wood-smoked pork butt. Yes, it takes a few hours of dedication, but what else would you rather do on a lazy summer Sunday...mow the lawn?

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/13648.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2007 Boarding Pass First Class Shiraz

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/10334.html

Category: Australia
Size: 750 ml
Brand: R Wines
Region: McLaren Vale
Varietal: Shiraz
Style: Red Wine
Food Pairing: Grilled kebabs of smoked bacon-wrapped scallops and figs
Price: $34.99

2010 June Wine Club Cellar Selection

Sigh. How I love First Class. Not the airline variety, of course; my wallet and I are blissfully unaware of what we're missing beyond that curtain...but luckily a Boarding Pass First Class Shiraz from winemaker/importer extraordinaire Chris Ringland (the Grateful Palate) is considerably more attainable.Obviously, this is a step up from the regular Boarding Pass Shiraz, sourced from 10-15 year-old vines and aged in 100% American oak, showing notes of spiced peaches, chocolate, vanilla, blackberry and fruitcake. Don't let the playful packaging fool you; what's inside the bottle is so vibrant, rich in texture, and lengthy on the finish, you would swear you were about to fully recline while being served a hot hand towel and a complementary sundae. (I bet they do get sundaes up there, don't they?)

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/10334.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2007 Seresin Pinot Noir Leah Vineyard

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/new_zealand/13239.html

Category: New Zealand
Size: 750 ml
Brand: Seresin Estate
Region: Marlborough
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Style: Red Wine
Food Pairing: Grilled duck breasts with blueberry-sage sauce
Price: $36.99
Reg: $45.99
ON SALE!

2010 June Wine Club Cellar Selection

When native Kiwi Michael Seresin isn't directing the camera work on Harry Potter films, he's at home in New Zealand tending to his other passion: overseeing his 45 hectare wine estate in Marlborough. Several biodynamically and organically farmed "micro" vineyards make up the terroir of the estate, but it's the Leah bottling that combines grapes from his clay-rich hillside Raupo Creek vineyard with his alluvial Tatou vineyard and Home vineyard to create a very serious and tightly-focused Pinot Noir. Critic for the Wine Advocate Neal Martin noted that this particular Pinot Noir is atypical for Marlborough as it seems to embrace a certain "broodiness" (think dark plum and cherry fruit and a little smokiness). Whether or not that dark smoky quality invokes crankiness to you or not, this is certainly a wine to uplift your mood, particularly when served alongside some equally smoky and fruit-smothered grilled duck or other poultry.

Winemaker's Notes:

The nose exhibits aromas of cherry, mocha, new leather and subtle toast with hints of spice. The palate is tightly focused and concentrated with succulent dark fruits layered over smoky oak, with fine mouth-coating tannins and a persistent finish.

Reviews

Neal Martin Wine Advocate 89 Points

The 2007 Leah Pinot Noir is atypical for Marlborough as it seems to embrace the broodiness of Martinborough. Dark plum and mulberry fruit, very good definition and purity. The palate is medium-bodied, very pure, lacking a little backbone and structure, although this is their entry-level Pinot Noir. In that sense, this does a very competent job, although there is a slight reduction on the finish.

Wine Spectator 88 Points

Crisp in texture, with real refinement to the currant and mineral flavors, lingering gently against a light burr of tannins. Drink now through 2013. 2,750 cases made. –HS

International Wine Cellar 91 Points

Good dark, bright red. Musky raspberry, minerals and chocolate on the nose. The juicy palate offers a pliant texture and lovely subtle sweetness to the complex flavors of fresh raspberry and underbrush. A firm edge of acidity contributes to this wine's definition and energy. Finishes structured and fresh. Both of these pinots were fermented with wild yeasts.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/new_zealand/13239.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2006 Dead Letter Office Shiraz

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/07346.html

Category: Australia
Size: 750 ml
Brand: Henry's Drive
Region: South Australia
Varietal: Shiraz
Style: Red Wine
Food Pairing: Kansas City ribs
Price: $23.99
Reg: $29.99
ON SALE!

2010 June Wine Club Reserve Selection

You know the song, "Return to sender...address unknown..." But did you know that there actually is such a thing as the Dead Letter Office: a branch of the postal service wherein postal clerks are authorized to open undeliverable mail and read ONLY the info necessary to find the proper recipient of the communication? It's this unique branch of service that Henry's Drive proprietor Kim Longbottom sought to honor with her latest label of Shiraz. Just in its third vintage, the grapes for this bottling are sourced from the Henry's Drive vineyards in both Pathadaway and McLaren Vale. After ageing in mostly American (and some French) oak, the 2006 gained notes of berries, plum, chocolate and roasted coffee, with layers of fleshy and pepper-spiced tannins that lend a lengthy finish.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/07346.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2008 Hesketh Scissor Hands Riesling

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/10952.html

Category: Australia
Size: 750 ml
Brand: Hesketh Wine Company
Region: Clare Valley
Varietal: Riesling
Style: White Wine
Food Pairing: Pesto-marinated shrimp on the barbie
Price: $19.99

2010 June Wine Club Reserve Selection

I'm not sure where the name came from and whether or not it has anything to do with the 1990 Tim Burton movie (thought the topiaries on the label seem to confirm a connection). But Hesketh's Scissor Hands Riesling hails from a family who definitively prefers to do things differently, even referencing a line from poet Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" on their website. Indeed, an Australian Riesling is off the beaten path for most: what many of us working in the wine retail business would call a "hand-sell", or something one might not automatically come in looking for and would only discover by word of mouth. But Hesketh is one of our favorite little finds in Australia, and their Riesling carries clean, dry acidity and hints of lime, green apple and orange blossom that make it a perfect summer quaff.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/10952.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store

2008 Sherwood Estate Pinot Noir

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/new_zealand/13686.html

Category: New Zealand
Size: 750 ml
Brand: Sherwood Estate
Region: Marlborough
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Style: Red Wine
Food Pairing: Grilled wild mushroom pizzas
Price: $12.49
Reg: $16.99
ON SALE!

2010 June Wine Club Vintner Selection

While Dayne and Jill Sherwood have rooted their family winery in the picturesque Waipara region of South Australia, they knew that if they were going to make a great everyday Pinot Noir they'd have to source from some vineyards in Marlborough. And that's just what they did, accessing grapes from their own Sandy Creek, Stoney Range, and Rowley Crescent vineyards. Displaying ripe, sweet plum notes and a little tangy cranberry, we think this is one of the best values in under $15 New Zealand Pinot Noirs. The Wine Advocate seems to agree with us, noting "The palate is very well crafted with fine tannins, well judged acidity allowing the joyous fruit to really express themselves: raspberry, a touch of blueberry and dark cherry. Given the price, this is exceptional value and comes highly recommended. Bravo!"

Reviews

Neal Martin Wine Advocate 91 Points

The wonderful 2008 Pinot Noir has a lovely cranberry and raspberry leaf nose with superb definition. The palate is very well crafted with fine tannins, well judged acidity allowing the joyous fruit to really express themselves: raspberry, a touch of blueberry and dark cherry. Given the price, this is exceptional value and comes highly recommended. Bravo!

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/new_zealand/13686.html

Gary's Wine & Marketplace - Madison | Bernardsville | Wayne
1308 Route 23 North • Wayne, NJ 07470 • 973-633-3900
E-mail: info@garyswine.com • Toll Free: 1-888-99-GARYS
http://www.GarysWine.com • Buy Wine Online • NJ Wine Store