Featured wines for march
Spring 2009
Bodegas Volver 2005 Tempranillo 17.99
This delicious 100% Tempranillo from La Mancha will be just the wine to get you through those last few dreary Ohio nights. The lushly textured wine is full of dark cherry fruit with soft tannins, made for an American palate. Think Napa Cabernet made with Tempranillo. You might consider watching the Spanish film Volver by Pedro Almodóvar with this wine. It will make you feel a whole lot better about your own family dynamics.
Bodegas Ateca 2007 Atteca 18.99
Made from 100% Garnacha, the winemaker’s notes says the wine is produced from vines ranging in age from 80-120 years. Black fruits abound...blackberry, boysenberry and black cherry. Prolonged licorice finish with hints of black pepper spiciness. The 2007 vintage has been rated by Tanzer 91 points and Wine Spectator 90 points. What’s really important is I agree. This is an incredible wine for the price.
Cellar Can Blau 2006 Monstant 17.99
A blend of 40% Carinena, 40% Syrah, and 20% Garnacha, this inky wine could be considered a poor person’s Priorat.
La Gitana Manzanilla Sherry 500ml 14.99
This is one of those wines that hold a lot of nostalgia for me. Whenever I drink La Gitana I think of my friend Ethan. When I first moved to town in the seventies, one of the first people I met was Ethan Thomas. Aside from being incredibly handsome, he also was incredibly smart and very, very funny. To this day, there is no one that can make me laugh until I beg for mercy the way Ethan can. I credit him with first lighting my “Spanish loving” spark. He had lived in Spain for a few years after high school and was very fluent in Spanish and absolutely loved the food. At this point in my life the furthest I’d ever been from home was Pennsylvania, I’d never flown in a plane and I certainly had no idea there was such a thing as dry sherry you drank icy cold as you munched on salty almonds. It was (and still is) an epiphany.
Lustau Moscatel Emilin 15.99
A rich concentrated dessert wine with the distinctive flavour of the Moscatel grape. Smooth and mellow with a very clean aftertaste.
Lafage 2006 Cote Sud Rouge 12.99
Lafage 2007 Cote Est Blanc 12.99
These two wines from Eric Solomon Selections will delight your budget and your palate. The Cote Sud Rouge is 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache Noir and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon with just a smidge of oak aging to add a bit of fleshiness. The Cote Est Blanc is 60% Grenache Blanc & Gris, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Marsanne. The wine is all stainless steel fermented and is deliciously zingy. Both wines satisfy a household niche...they’re under $15.00 and they make my French/Croatian partner swoon.
Domaine de Dragon 2006 Cuvee St. Michel 18.99
A few years back this was one of my red wine staples. I always kept a bottle around because it goes with everything. It’s great with pizza, fabulous with macaroni and cheese and will make an ordinary roast chicken or steak dinner seem like an elegant feast. Black and purple fruits dominate and draw me back for more. It’s like an old love...familiar, I know it’s strengths and limitations. The wine is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Syrah and 10% Grenache and offers one of the best red wine values around. But alas, I lost touch with this wine and hardly gave it another thought as I tried and became attached to others (I know, I’m kind of slutty that way).
Mas de Gourgonnier 2006 Les Baux de Provence 17.99
My love affair with this wine spans over a decade. The first time I saw the funny, squat shaped bottle, I had to give it a try. It’s been love ever since. The 2006 is a blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Carignane, 20% old-vine Grenache and 10% Syrah. It’s 100% organic with oodles of flavor and that definite Provence vibe. Why, oh why, was I born in Southern Ohio instead of Southern France?
