May Wine of the Month Selections

Wine of the Month Club:

Women in Wine

May Wine Club Selections

Not that we’ve conducted serious analyticalresearch on the topic, but lately as we’ve perused our aisles, we’ve noticed that our shelves have been graced with quite the plethora of impressive bottlings from talented women wine makers. Now we won’t enter into the debate over whether women really do have superior taste-buds and olfactory sensors (although there is some evidence to support the theory of “female supertasters”), and we won’t get into the glass-ceiling politics behind women on this career path as opposed to that. But we will say that more than a fair share of our own favorite wines are being produced by winemakers with two X chromosomes, and we think these ladies may be on to something. So in celebration of women and all their super-tasting ingenuity, we’ve selected a roster of wines made or inspired by women this month, from all regions and all walks of life. From amother-daughter winemaking team on the Mediterranean coast of France, to an Argentine trailblazer and a few very talented Californians, these are the women at the forefront of the wine industry today: scientists, artists, cultivators and culinary masterminds wrapped into one. We couldn't think of a better month for this lineup than the one in which we honor our mothers, so be sure to share a glass with your mother or your lady, and tell her what great taste she has. Cause you know she does. And because she does, she’ll love these...

Vintner Selection

2009 Domaine Gaujal de Saint Bon Picpoul de Pinet Cuvee des

Dames

Grape variety: Picpoul Blanc

Region: Coteaux de Languedoc, France

Food pairing: Bagna Cauda (see recipe)

While the world-famous regions of Bordeaux and

Burgundy take most of France’s winemaking limelight, the small sub-appellation of Picpoul de Pinet remains relatively unknown in the Coteeaux du Langeudoc. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t pride themselves fiercely on their local varietal, Picpoul Blanc. Picpoul is a Mediterranean grape that thrives in the hot climate of Southern France, and retains its crisp acidity well. (The name literally translates to “sharp lip stinger.”) Domaine Gaujal de Saint Bon is a small estate run by a mother-daughter team of Simone and Virginie Gaujal (rather fitting for this month, we think.) Their white wine made from 100% local Picpoul Blanc is extremely refreshing served chilled on a hot day, with aromas of fresh melon, citrus and mineral and a crisp, clean palate.

Vintner Selection

2008 Torremoron Ribera del Duero

Grape variety: Tempranillo

Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain

Food pairing: Grilled Spanish sausages

The sub-appellation of Ribera del Duero is made up of some very small towns in the Castilla y Leon region of Spain. The town of Quintanamanvirgo, in which this wine is made, boasts a population of 106 people. The Torremoron winery supports most of the families in this tiny town.Bodegas Torremoron is a collective founded in 1957, comprised of 300 associated vine growers and encompassing 500 acres of vineyards. Winemaker Sandra Ayuso is the one who pulls it all together, bringing 300 growers’ grapes together to make a comprehensive blend of 100% locally grown Tempranillo. You’d think a wine hailing from 300 different growers might lack harmony, but Ayuso brings it all together in a balanced fashion, marrying the flavors with four months in French oak barrels, for a finished wine that offers notes of savory black fruit and spice box and a smooth finish.

Reserve Selection

2009 Lail Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc

Grape variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Napa Valley, California

Food pairing: Bagna Cauda or Humboldt Fog cheese

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 Sauvignon Blanc (an homage to her husband’s profession of architecture) from a single vineyard in St. Helena. With the help of well-known French winemaker Philippe Melka (Vineyard 29, Bryant, Melka Metisse), Lail produces this beautiful Sauvignon Blanc in the style of Sancerre, crisp and mineral-laden but with a decidedly Californian ripeness of fruit. Look for notes of Florida grapefruit, citron, honeydew, toast with lemon curd and just a hint of ginger spice.

More Information: 2009 Lail Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc

Reserve Selection

2008 Susana Balbo Malbec

Grape variety: Malbec (90%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%)

Region: Mendoza, Argentina

Food pairing: Beef ribs with cocoa-spice dry rub

Susana Balbo isn’t the only female winemaker in a country dominated by male winemakers, but she’s certainly among the most accomplished. She has been making wine since she earned her enology degree in 1981, and in that time has probably worked on a larger variety of wines than any other winemaker in Argentina. She was the first Argentine winemaker to be hired as a consultant outside of Argentina, and has made wine in Australia, California, Chile, France, Italy, South Africa and Spain. After 20 years of making wine for others, she finally decided to make a wine with her own name on the label, and her signature Malbec represents everything a good Malbec should be: ripe, plummy, accented by hints of vanilla and chocolate, rich and velvety but never heavy or alcoholic. Serious but fun wine, just the way Susana likes it.

Cellar Selection

2007 Viader “DARE” Cabernet Sauvignon

Grape variety: Cab

ernet Sauvignon

Region: Napa Valley, California

Food pairing: Cedar-smoked pork loin

Argentine-born winemaker Delia Viader has always lived by the motto, “Dare to be different.” An innovator from the time of her very first plantings on Howell Mountain in 1989,

Delia was among the first to bring the Bordeaux style of vineyard cultivation to California. Against some pretty vehement criticism, Delia decided to plant her vines in rows going up and down the steep mountainside, following the path of the afternoon sun to optimize exposure. Today she honors that tradition of “daring to be different” with her “Dare” label of Cabernet Sauvignon. With the help of her son Alan, she has crafted a bottling flavored with dark, ripe black cherries, currants, cassis and tobacco, with a finish of caramel and a hint of cedar imparted by its 21 months in French oak. An approachable but nicely finessed bottle now, this should drink well for three to five years more.

More Information: 2007 Viader “DARE” Cabernet Sauvignon

Cellar Selection

2008 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars “Hands of Time”
Napa Valley Red Wine

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah (3%)

Region: Napa Valley, California

Food pairing: Beef and fingerling potato kebabs

Many wine enthusiasts know that Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was founded by Napa pioneer Warren Winiarski, and that their Cabernet famously won the Paris tasting of 1973 against the most highly regarded Bordeaux. What many don’t realize is that in subsequent years, Warren has mentored and ushered into careers dozens of Napa’s finest winemakers, including Paul Hobbs, Dick Ward, John Kongsgaard, and their present talented winemaker, Nicki Pruss.

The Hands of Time Meritage blend was made to commemorate all the hands that took part in making Stag’s Leap what it is over the years, overseen of course, by Nicki herself. Like all of Stag’s Leap’s wines, it strikes an artful balance between ripeness and restraint, softness and structure, and is a real pleasure to enjoy.

Premiere Selection

2008 Buccella Merlot

Grape variety: Merlot, Cabernet (6%), Malbec (2%)

Region: Napa Valley, California

Food pairing:Organic dry-aged ribeye steak

Annual Auction trip to Napa, February 2011. Eight a.m. on the second day. Gary, Brian, and I are getting ready for a full day of back-to-back winery visits when the first vintner on the docket cancels at the last minute. It looks like it’s shaping up to be a bad morning. That is, until Bill Deem calls. How fast can we get down to Napa?
Forty minutes and one quickly scarfed Bouchon muffin later, we’re all sitting around a conference table in a nondescript industrial park, tasting the 2008 Buccella Cabernet, Merlot, and Reserve Cab called Cuvee Katrina Eileen. We had fallen in love with Buccella’s heady, hedonistic but gorgeously balanced Cabernet when we bought the 2007 vintage, but we had never met proprietor Bill Deem or his full-time winemaker Rebekah Wineberg, and we had never tasted their Merlot. We did, however, know consulting winemaker Celia Welch (of Scarecrow fame) quite well, and we knew that any project she worked on was one to keep our eyes on. So this was a tasting not to be missed. To say that was one of the most fortuitous changes of plans we’ve ever had would be an understatement. On that annual trip, we spend the week tasting easily hundreds of Cabernets, and for a Merlot to blow us away it truly has to be something special. Their Merlot, sourced from the famed Hyde vineyard in Carneros (known mostly for Chardonnay) is as lush as they come, and could hold its own with any Cabernet. Prior to February, I didn’t even know that the famed Hyde vineyard in Carneros produced Merlot at all. Now I’m wondering why they don’t plant more of it. This relatively new wine is notoriously hard to find on the East Coast, only 233 cs made, so we consider ourselves very fortunate to share some with you.

“Very lush on the palate with dark fruits, chocolate ganache and a shot of great espresso. Though it is decadent there is still enough acidity to lift this wine off its feet. Possibly California’s best Merlot.” (Brian Maxwell, Wine Buyer)

More Information: 2008 Buccella Merlot

Premiere Selection

2008 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot

Grape variety: Merlot

Region: Napa County and Sonoma County, California

Food pairing: Black tea poached duck breast with black cherry reduction

High at the top of Spring Mountain, on the crest that straddles Napa and Sonoma Counties, sits a 235 acre estate originally planted to grapes in 1869. The original stone winery built in 1890 was mysteriously destroyed by a fire during prohibition, but today it has been rebuilt on the original foundation and restored to its glory. Today 83 acres are planted, all above the fog line allowing for sun exposure from sunrise to sunset. And because the winery spans two counties (a brick inlay on the crush pad literally represents the county line), winemaker Sally Johnson gets the best of both worlds when blending her grapes.
Merlot is the really the pride of Pride, produced each year from roughly half Sonoma county fruit, half Napa, all from their estate. Robert Parker called it a “sexy, full-throttle, heady Merlot”, full of “abundant aromas of black cherry and mocha-infused fruit intermixed with hints of white chocolate, roasted herbs and coffee.”

More Information: 2008 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot

Recipe

Hot Veggie Bath (Bagna Cauda)
Serves: 4 as an appetizer (approx. 1 cup)

Wine Pairing: Lail Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc or Domaine Gaujal de Saint Bon Picpoul de Pinet Cuvee des Dames

This simple dipping sauce or “bath” for raw vegetables and crusty bread is adapted from a recipe in the famed revolutionary chef Alice Waters’ classic “The Art of Simple Food.” One of the most influential female chefs of all time, she taught us to delight in the simple things rather than fussing them up too much. I take the liberty of adding fresh parsley to this classic dish, but it’s equally good without.

5 salt-packed anchovies
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Zest of one lemon
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Assorted raw vegetables and crusty Italian semolina bread

-Soak anchovies in water for 5 minutes, then debone and finely chop.
-Heat water to simmer in a double boiler. In the top pot,
combine all ingredients. Heat and stir until butter is melted. Salt to taste.

-Serve warm as a dipping sauce for bread and vegetables.

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

April Wine Club Selections: A Good Kind of Green

We’re hearing the word “green” thrown around quite a bit these days, in reference to everything from household cleaners to transportation. But in the wine world, calling a bottling “green” hasn’t always had positive connotations. In less eco-conscious times, a “green” wine was a wine made from grapes that had been picked a little too early, before they were fully ripe, resulting in a thinner texture and tart vegetal taste on the finish. But today, we often call wines “green” as a form of praise for their eco-friendly farming practices. Here at Gary’s, we’ve begun identifying wines that we know to be either organically, biodynamically, or sustainably farmed with “Gary’s Green Selections” tags. It can be tricky to navigate the intricacies of the terminology (after all, “organic wine” has an entirely different meaning than “wine made from organic grapes”), but we think that sharing this information is at least a step in the right direction toward being ecologically-informed wine drinkers. So this month, in celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd and all things deferential to Mother Nature, we tip our hats to the wineries that, in some form or other, have “gone green” in the best sense of the word. No vegetal tang, we promise.

Vintner Selection

2009 Pullus Pinot Grigio
Grape variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Podravje, Slovenia
Food pairing: Truklji (Slovenian farmer dumplings)

Sharing the same position in latitude as Piedmont and Bordeaux, Slovenia may be one of the best kept secrets in winemaking. The producer of Pullus, Ptujska Klet, is the oldest winery in Slovenia. Its cellars dating back to 1239 lie in a labyrinth beneath the city of Ptuj, and since Slovenian independence was established in 1991, the winery has embraced modern practices of international winemaking including organic methods of grape growing.
And yes, it’s supposed to be pink! Because your run of the mill Pinot Grigio is often pale gold in color, we often forget that it's actually made from a red-skinned grape. (Grigio/Gris means gray, as in the outer color of the skin.) Extended contact with the skins while this wine ages on the lees lends a rosey hue to this unique Slovenian Pinot Grigio, and on the mouth offers a creamy quality, with notes of pear, melon and fresh flowers.
More Information: 2009 Pullus Pinot Grigio

2009 Domaine Fabrice Gasnier Les Graves Chinon
Grape variety: Cabernet Franc
Region: Chinon, Loire Valley, France
Food pairing: Organic country or pheasant paté

When the young and ambitious Fabrice Gasnier took over the family domaine in Chinon from his father several years ago in his early twenties, he was eager to try some new farming methods. So he quickly employed organic viticulture, gaining plants and vines that were healthier than ever before...but it still wasn’t enough for Fabrice. So he went to visit an old winegrowing master in his region, this time an expert in the homeopathic method of biodynamie. The master convinced his young Jedi to give biodynamics a go, using composts and moon-based planting and pruning, and several years later, Gasnier can show us the difference in pictures of his vines underground. Roots that years ago descended only a few feet now plunge ten feet into subterranean preserves, showing incredible thriving plants. And the wine itself? Red fruited at first followed by savory garden herbs, just as the savory cousin to Cabernet should be.

Reserve Selections

2009 Francois Chidaine Vouvray les Argiles
Grape variety: Chenin Blanc
Region: Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
Food pairing: Pan-roasted scallops in cream sauce

Francois Chidaine has worked alongside his father Yves crafting Chenin Blanc in Vouvray for many years, but the two hold separate estates and somewhat separate viewpoints. Francois farms his vines, some of them between 40 and 80 years old, biodynamically. Yet he eschews the idea of mentioning biodynamic viticulture on the bottles themselves, even though the estate has been Demeter certified since 2003. The 2009 vintage was an
especially ripe-fruited one, but Chidaine’s wines managed to retain a
distinct quality of acidity atypical of the vintage, credited largely to his cool, water-retentive soils. Wine critic David Schildknecht noted an iris perfume and very vivid notes of lemon and pineapple on the palate, with hints of herbal and mineral essences. “Salt, iodine, and shrimp shell reduction will also feature saliva-inducingly...for this long-finishing blend that should be worth following for 8-10 years.” I’m sure I’m with him on all but the shrimp shell reduction.
More information: 2009 Francois Chidaine Vourvray les Argiles


2008 Quivira Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
Grape variety: Zinfandel
Region: Dry Creek Valley, California
Food pairing: BBQ beef brisket

The first sentence you’ll read on Quivira Vineyards’ web page is this: “Biodynamics maintains that nature is very powerful...if you let it reign.” And let it reign they do. As they’ll be first to admit, biodynamic farming is time-consuming, expensive, and at times rather unusual. But the winemaking team of Hugh Chapelle, winemaker and Ned Horton, assistant winegrower, feel that healthy soil leads to the best expression of terroir. So their winery is not just a winery but an entire self-sustaining system that includes vineyards, compost piles, chicken coops, vegetable gardens, trout streams and beehives. This home-grown approach works out well for their Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, a deep dark wine full of black fruit and plum flavors, rich spice tones, and a lasting finesse. As the weather warms up, try this with your first barbecue endeavor of the season.

Cellar Selections

2006 Quinta Sardonia Sardon del Duero
Grape variety: Tinto Fino
Region: Sardon del Duero, Castilla-Leon, Spain
Food pairing: Free range lamb chops

A brand new and enthusiastically forward-thinking project on the outskirts of the Ribera del Duero, Quinta Sardonia has been a biodynamic winery from the start, cultivating entirely without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. With young vines of Tinto Fino (the local varietal most closely related to Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, and very small amounts of Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, Peter Sissek (also of Pingus fame) produces a Bordeaux-style wine fermented in stainless steel and aged in French oak. The vineyards are plowed under and house-made compost is applied; harvest is done entirely by hand, and yields are kept very low (about 6000 bottles made in total.) The wine is already being proclaimed by some as “Spain’s next cult wine,” and Jay Miller of the Wine Advocate gave it 93 points, noting “an aromatic array of cedar, Asian spices, incense and blackberry” with a savory and supple palate.
More information: 2006 Quinta Sardonia Sardon del Duero

2007 St. Innocent Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir
Grape variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Food pairing: Wild pan-roasted salmon with fennel

St. Innocent winemaker and president Mark Vlossak is a big believer in the best wines
being hand-made, and with over twenty years experience making wine in the sustainably-conscious Willamette Valley of Oregon, he took note from Burgundy and Alsace on how to make his own domaine even better. “From my first trip to France in 1998,” he says, “I
observed that the greatest domains in both
Burgundy and Alsace had one thing in common; they farmed
biodynamically.” Knowing that the Momtazi Vineyard in McMinneville was being farmed biodynamically and had a track record for great fruit, he
approached Moe Momtazi to make a St. Innocent bottling of Momtazi Pinot Noir. Vlossak loves the vineyard for its sunny hillside exposure that creates Pinot that’s darker and more intense in fruit profile and tannins than other Willamette appellations. And in a notoriously light and acidic vintage, that was particularly important in making a naturally balanced and delicious wine.
More information: 2007 St. Innocent Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir

Premiere Selections

2006 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Vigna Chiniera
Grape variety: Nebbiolo
Region: Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
Food pairing: Sottocenere or other truffled cheese

Those of you who have been in the club for some time now may recall that in April of 2009, we sent you a bottle of 2004 Elio Grasso Gavarini Vigna Chiniera, noting that 2004 was one of the finest vintages for Barolo in recent years. It’s not often that I choose to repeat a wine only two vintages later, but the 2006 vintage was such a good one that I couldn’t resist. If by any chance you've hung on to that bottle of 2004, you now own two of Barolo’s best-made wines from two of its greatest vintages in recent history.
Now the 2006 vintage was one of such ideal conditions and purity of fruit that, just like in 2004, any winemaker worth their salt should’ve made pretty great wine. But Elio Grasso of Monfote d’Alba, a sub-appellation of Barolo, made his 2006 Gavarini Vigna Chiniera (all from organically grown grapes) with a hefty dose of traditionalism to boot. His wines tend toward the old-school style of Barolo, carrying more tobacco-laden tannins than the hedonistic fruit that’s popular today. “We have a philosophy of our relatives who worked in the vineyards before us,” he stated to one reviewer, “and we need to respect that. We need to be honest with ourselves. If I was going to change, I would have changed 30 or 40 years ago. I’m 60 years old...why would I change now?” Fair enough. Though the wine does carry those traditional Barolo tannins, the 2006 is such a beautifully balanced vintage with uplifting acidity and floral undertones, that the tannins, even while young, don’t feel heavy or overbearing. Antonio Galloni, reviewer for the Wine Advocate, noted “This is supremely beautiful Barolo where expressive aromatics, generous fruit and silky tannins come together with unusual grace and elegance. The 2006 is the best Gavarini since the 1989, and who knows if it might one day match that legendary Barolo.” While it’s obviously a beautiful wine now, this will likely be at its best five to even twenty years from now. 95 Points Wine Advocate.
More information: 2006 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Vigna Chiniera

2007 Vineyard 7 & 8 “7” Cabernet Sauvignon
Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Napa Valley, California
Food pairing: Short ribs in red wine reduction

When you first meet Vineyard 7 & 8 proprietor and director of operations Wesley Steffens, it’s not likely that he’ll tell you he once worked in Thomas Keller’s kitchen at the French Laundry before working his way up from cellar rat to cellar master at Harlan Estate and finally landing at his family’s own winery to run the show. But all that time he undoubtedly spent painstakingly picking and cleaning and carefully slicing vegetables from the famed French Laundry garden must have instilled him with some sense of gravitas when it comes to proper farming, because shortly after his family winery established themselves, they allied themselves with Pete Richmond of Silverado Farming Company, a vineyard consulting company known for an unparalleled approach to using the latest in sustainable farming practices. With rigorous concentration on vineyard sustainability from winter pruning to hand-harvesting in the Fall, Pete, Wesley, and winemaker Luc Morlet make quite a team of perfectionists, and the ratings have begun to reflect that notion.
“The 2007 “7” Cabernet was one of my first two Cabernets produced at Vineyard 7 & 8, “ Morlet says, “As with the Estate Cabernet, the focus of this wine is to show a wine with a true sense of place for the Spring Mountain District. Intense and rich, the “7” Cabernet displays a complex bouquet of black and red berries, intermixed with roasted and mineral notes. The youthful tannins are true to their mountain origin and will age beautifully over the next decade or more.” Robert Parker agreed, noting that the deep, fleshy, “exuberant and opulent style would please both Joe the plumber and the connoisseur” alike. It’s become a favorite of ours, and hope it will be one of yours as well.
More information: 2007 Vineyard 7 & 8 “7” Cabernet Sauvignon

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