March Wines We Love!!!

March Wines We Love!!!

The Wines!!!

Sparking

Finca La Linda Extra Brut $14.99 - Blend of Chardonnay and Semillon from one of our favorite Argentine wineries, Luigi Bosca! Aromas and flavors of tropical fruit, honey and apricots. Charmant method for creating the bubbles. Tropical fruit, honey, apricots. This is a tasty sparkling wine from the Southern Hemisphere - perfect for Easter!

White wines

Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Noble House Riesling 2006 (Germany) $13.99 - New vintage of an old favorite! This is just delicious! Yes...it has a sweet side to it...but that is balanced by acidity...so this finishes clean and fresh! This has an unusual, almost pink flesh layer on the top of the wine & it smells buttery, which to me is unusual in a Riesling. Aromas of white rice, apricots, ripe peaches, honeysuckle & melons. Flavors of pineapple, peaches, apricots & minerals. Food pairing – Ham if you are having it for Easter Dinner! Rieslings are about the most food-friendly wines on the planet! Also goes well with smoked fish, spicy Asian fare, etc.

Jelu Torrontes 2007 (Argentina) $12.99 - BRAND-NEW to Maine! I'm pretty certain we've never done a Torrontes at a tasting.....that's the grape and it is the dominant white grape in Argentina! This is really floral, kind of muscat or viognier like aroma. Lots of apricot and some pineapple. That fruit is the first thing you taste, but then you get a hint of spice midway a la gewurztraminer and then the finish is very clean and dry. Totally not what you expect from that first smell. Really cool.

Ermita de Nieve Verdejo 2006 (Spain) $12.99 - Delicious! This is a perfectly bright, fresh and crisp wine. Great value! Aromas of grapefruit and herbs such as chives and freshly mown grass. Flavors of tangerines & tropical fruits. Well-balanced & integrated acidity. Finishes crisp, clean & dry. Rueda is best known for producing dry wines from the Verdejo grape. Food pairing – oysters, sharp goat cheeses, green olives, lighter poultry dishes, smoked fish, etc.

Manifesto Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (California) $15.99 - BRAND-NEW to Maine! This is made by Jamie Whetstone who used to work with Helen Turley (one of the "CULT" winemakers in California!). Mid-thirties, good guy, talented wine maker. He's trying to make a great wine for the money that's easy to drink and good with food. Plus he's plowing some of the profits back into charities. It's bright, stainless steel and one of the best and freshest California Sauvignon Blancs I've had. Kind of grassy, but, not as tropical and grapefruity as a New Zealand one. More "Old World," strangely, given that it is from California!

Vincent Raimbault Vouvray Sec 2005 (France) $17.99 - New vintage of an old favorite! Great vintage. Intense acidity and minerality balanced by the rich Chenin Blanc mouth-feel. Really tastes like moist stones and limestone with intense aromas of green apple, white flowers & a touch of vanilla. First sensation is bright young peach & apple fruit followed by a citrusy mineral dominated mid-palate & a big limestone sort of finish. Some similarities to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. A faint hint of sweetness that softens the wine a bit & makes the mid-palate & finish a little bigger. Food pairing - A big mouthfull of Loire that screams for Maine shrimp. Just the perfect shellfish and seafood wine! Fun wine to drink. 100% Chenin Blanc.

Red Wines

Chateau la Baume Costieres de Nimes 2005 (France) $12.99 - A dense powerhouse of a Rhone blend (25% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 50% Carignan). Fifth generation wine maker. Lots of concentrated dark fruit with some moist earth and wood. Also, this definitely has that Southern French garrigue thing going on on the mid-palette. This wine is just opening up because of the power of the vintage, but is a gem that was worth waiting for. Not at this price forever - what with the Euro. Moderate-priced wines like this will soon be a fond memory.

Echeverria Cabernet Family Reserve 2004 (Chile) $17.99 - BRAND-NEW to Maine! Really big and intense. Just a hint of Carmenere in the blend. Very juicy and polished lush wine. Drinks way better than the price. Hand harvested into small wooden crates to protect the fruit. Echeverria family's best parcels. Vinified in small batches and aged in oak. This is a SERIOUSLY big Cabernet at a modest price!

Bodegas Olarra* Cerro Anon Rioja Crianza 2004 (Spain) $15.99 - This is a delicious wine! We just tasted it recently…It’s Jessica’s favorite Rioja under $20. Great value! Aromatic. Notes of red and dark berries and spices. Soft. Smooth. Round. Long, pleasing finish. 80% old vine Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, 10% Graciano. Aged for 14 months in American oak …the oak helps soften the wine, doesn’t dominate the flavors. Bottle aged for at least 8 months at the winery. Organic farming. Food pairing - Excellent sipping wine and with grilled meats, chorizo, roasted duck, chicken or pork.

Lange Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2005 (Oregon) $24.99 - A wonderful, lovely, pretty wine from a small family-owned winery! Organic, sustainable farming. Bright fruit & spice aromas & flavors – black cherries, raspberries and spice. A hit of loamy earth. Plus, an unusual & pleasant bacon fat note in the flavors. Well-integrated and balanced. Medium- bodied, this is a classic Oregon Pinot Noir! Lange makes rich and dark Pinot Noirs. This is a great example of their work! Food pairing – salmon, duck, roasted chicken, grilled pork, mushroom dishes, etc. Drinks well on its own!

San Savino Collemura Rosso Piceno D.O.C. 2005 (Italy) Reg. $12.99 Sale $10.99 - This is a wine that needs to open up and BREATH! Right out of the bottle, if you just open it, it'll be tart and inconsequential.....now....if you open it up and decant it and get it some air....well....this is an awfully good $10 bottle of wine! Red berry, red cherry to black cherry aromas.....with some notes of spice and pepper....rock-solid pizza or lasagna wine!

Tay's Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (Chile) $9.99 - BRAND-NEW to Maine! I really thought this was more expensive when I tasted it. I'm not sure how they packed this much flavor into a bottle at this price! Come try it! Dark fruit, plums, vanilla, spice, mocha, chocolate and a wonderful texture!

Pulmary* Donaria Malbec 2005 (Argentina) $22.99 - We love this wine! The winemaker was at our October ’06 tasting! She makes fantastic wines! Full-bodied. Loaded with flavors and aromas. Aromas of red fruit & herbs. Flavors of red and dark berries, black cherries, herbs and spice. Nice balance of tannins, acidity and fruit. 817 cases made. Organic. Food pairing – harder cheeses, beef, lamb, pork. Drinks well on its own, but a better food wine.

Belle Vallee Cellars Southern Oregon Red 2005 (Oregon) $14.99 - BRAND-NEW to Maine! We just tasted this a couple of weeks ago with the family that owns this winery! Blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. 2,950 cases made. Barrel aged in 60% new oak for 15 months. This has wonderful dark cherry and dark berry fruit with nice spice at the finish (that'd be the Cab. Franc). Food pairing – Drinks well on its own! Excellent with grilled meats and with harder cheeses and mushroom dishes.

Dessert

El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Spain) $16.99 - Max Trietler says, "Wow, this is a Pedro Ximenez with cut!" Ned asked me to include that comment in this description because Max is actully a bigger wine geek than Ned! And, he's been in the business longer. It's a much deeper PX with better acicity and a beautiful complex hazelnut finish. Sweetness not the first thing you notice, not syrupy or cloying. Best I've tasted and at a great price.