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Zintastic Wines... Here Comes Thanksgiving and then....! |
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SPECIAL THIS
WEEK: Order a case of any of the wines featured (solid case or mixed
case) in this email by next Wednesday, November 22nd and receive 15%
off! Call or email us today!
REMINDER: Christmas is fast approaching, and so is the New Year! Be sure to order your wines for your holiday parties as soon as possible, or at the latest by December 13th for best rates on shipping. It’s not even ZAP time yet, but I’m just feeling so Zinful! Actually, as I was contemplating some delicious winter meals, I thought, WOW! – wouldn’t Zinfandel be a great complement to the hearty winter meals we enjoy at this time of year – chilis, stews, soups, roasted meats and even meatloaf! So – here’s some great ideas for Zintastic meals and wines! Many winemakers have said that the 2004 vintage was one that tested a winemaker’s ability to make balanced, flavorful wine without excessively ripe flavors. I am happy to say that at Dashe Cellars, though very judicious selection in the vineyard and their ability to have our vineyards harvested exactly when needed, that they were able to attain the balance and elegance they want in our wines. This classic Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel has all of the black raspberry fruit and elegant texture that is the hallmark of Dry Creek Valley wines, with a balance and depth of flavor of which we think you’re going to jump on that Zinwagon and enjoy like crazy! $28.00 The 2005 vintage is Joel Gott’s second bottling of a Mohr-Fry vineyard designate. The fruit is sourced from 50-80 year old head pruned vines in Lodi and has been farmed by the Mohr-Fry family for generations. I’m thinking of a big pot of minestrone and a nice crusty loaf of bread to go along with this classic Zinfandel just busting out with aromas of black cherry, blueberries, clove, and cola. The flavors are fresh - ripe berry and spice with juicy and soft tannins with a full mid palette and long finish. Mmm Mmm Good! $26.00 We have two great single vineyard selections from Graziano Winery that we think are just wonderful for the price! In 1978, after a successful career in the aerospace industry in Southern California, Robert Parker & family came north to the Redwood Valley to begin a second career & life growing wine grapes. He planted his Zinfandel vineyard in 1979 and became organically certified in 1991. The vineyard is located on the western slopes of the Redwood Valley, where shallow, rocky clay soils and great exposure produce very intense, ripe grapes. This wine received 18 months of extended barrel aging in French oak, which softens and adds complexity to this Zinfandel. This wine displays classic Zin aromas and flavors of ripe raspberries, pepper, and sweet toasty oak. This 2003 vintage of the Graziano Parker Vineyard is a full- bodied wine which exhibits excellent balance and fine structure – this wine is almost seamless from start to finish, in fact, you’ll wish it didn’t finish – a bottomless bottles would be great for this wine! This is an absolutely delicious wine. Superb with braised beef short ribs or grilled meats. $25.00 The fruit for the Graziano Graziano Vineyard wine comes from a vineyard farmed by winemaker Greg Graziano’s cousin, Eddie Graziano. The vines are 32 years old and have been in the Graziano family since 1918 - first planted to grapes by Greg and Eddie’s grandfather, Vincenzo Graziano. This yummy 2003 vintage displays elegant black cherry fruit, spice, smoky notes and an earthiness which all combine to give this full-bodied wine a wonderful complexity in both aroma and flavor. The finish is lengthy and harmonious with bright fruit and a light touch of toasty oak. Enjoy with grilled steak, barbecued ribs, hearty, spicy pastas and flavorful cheeses like aged sharp cheddars, bleu and Stilton. $25.00 Wines made by famed winemaker Heidi Barrett's are so difficult to come by, we feel especially thrilled to offer this great Zin made by Heidi. To quote Heidi about the 2004 Lamborn Zinfandel, "Wonderful nose of raspberry, black cherry, and plum, with black pepper and spicy undertones. Accented with toast and medium oak notes, the very soft tannins make this wine silky and rich across the palate, with flavors consistent with the aromas. This classic zinfandel, with its elegant balance, has a lingering finish that will enhance any meal!" $35.00 In 2004, the harvest heat wave resulted in very ripe flavors and intensity, and as I mentioned above, was a challenge to winemakers. Vince Tofanelli feared, as a winemaker, that the wines might become too “cooked” and jammy, but by selective harvesting on multiple days, the grape’s natural acidity was preserved and, much to our delight, the wines show concentration, complexity and elegance. This is a marvelous wine - a ripe and complex vintage - showing a variety of characteristics ranging from peach, strawberry and uncooked rhubarb to earthy black tea and pepper. The wine opens up in the glass to reveal blackberry/raspberry fruit notes layered with pipe tobacco, allspice and cedar. A bright acidity, along with firm tannins and a broad range of flavors ensure that this is a wine that can be paired with many different foods. Roast duck sounds good to me with this wonderful Tofanelli Zinfandel! $35.00 Have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving! Cheers! Vintage 2003 of the Fiddlehead Seven Twenty Eight Fiddlestix Pinot Noir represents a wonderful marriage of winemaking, place and vintage. Fiddlestix has grown up to show layered expression in the aromatics and on the palate. This wine tones the tannins, tones the fruit and tones the wood contribution. It integrates judicious use of new oak, and shows the “pretty”, sought after expression of pinot noir resulting from a vintage that allowed controlled crop levels and picking throughout an even growing season. This delightful Pinot Noir showcases unmistakable Fiddlestix fruit: dark and juicy, fabulous perfume with a sexy palate and a smooth and silky length. Supple tannins, broadly textured, saturated with the essence of sweet plums and black cherries and that fabulous cola spice. Alluring aromatics are ever evolving in the glass. Remarkably harmonious, immediately enjoyable to the palate. Serious and delicious. $44.00 Jerome Aubin has made a wonderful 2004 Syrah from the beautiful Columbia Valley in Washington. 100% of this Columbia Valley is sourced from Boushey Vineyard, close to the town Grandview in the mid-Yakima Valley, at 900-1200 feet elevation. Syrah grapes are grown on a particular south-facing slope called “Grande Cote” characterized by good air drainage and cooler climate compared to other regions. The owner, Dick Boushey, is one of the most reputable grower in Washington State, serving for years as a leader in Washington’s budding wine industry. The long growing season (harvest in October) and the unique soil greatly enhance the wines complexity. Concentrated blackberry jam aromas are joined in the nose by hints of caramel, black pepper spice and spit-roasted meats, and the flavors do a fine job of repeating these diverse and complex elements in a rounded, open, slightly frontal wine. Absolutely delish! Only 100 cases produced. $27.00 Let’s zip on up to Washington for a fantastic Chardonnay from Waterbrook Winery! Subtle layers of citrus, floral, spice and a nuance of oak lets the fresh lively fruit character shine in this refreshing and versatile 2004 Chardonnay. There is a luminous straw color, bright citrus nose with delicate floral undertone from a blending of their signature Viognier. This Wine Enthusiast Best Buy is fresh fruit-forward, with a focused touch of toasted oak allowing for a refreshing and resonating finish. $17.00 Ta ta da da da! NEWSFLASH!!!! The 2004 Bacio Divino Pazzo is about to be released! This fantastic blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Viogner is put together by famed winemaker Claus Janzen, along with Nils and Kirk Venge. Unlike wines that typify a certain terroir, this wine is a blend in the classic sense. They choose the most expressive barrels of each varietal and utilize the ‘art’ of blending to produce a final wine that is superior to each of its components. Balance and acidity are the keys to this wine! Sangiovese fruit usually exhibits abundant cherry flavors in the nose and palate, and Pazzo is brimming with this fresh fruit. Matured in various French and Hungarian oak barrels, the blend of wood spice and vibrant fruit make for a wonderful drink. This wine should be considered for current consumption. Pazzo is intended as a casual wine, moderately priced for a Napa Valley appellation. This sold so fast last year – don’t wait! $34.00 Also from Charles Creek the 2003 Las Pasiones Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma. The mountain vineyards (bordering the famous Monte Rosso vineyards) that parented this elegant Cabernet have everything going for them - stunning vistas, rocky soils and southern exposure. The color is bright garnet. Opening with a nose that is rich with violets and anise, gradually giving way to cedar and the warm smell of forest floor. This wine continues to unfold in your glass, becoming more complex and seductive with every sip. This wine is luscious and approachable now and will only give more pleasure with age. 521 cases made. Gold Medal, 95 points – California State Fair Wine Competition. $39.00 Heidi Barrett fans – here’s a great wine for you! The 2002 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley. Smelling of cocoa, dried currants, vanilla and touches of dusty earth in its very well-concentrated and deeply filled aromas, this showy young Cabernet follows with like-minded flavors that are surprisingly open and easy to taste given the wine’s tender age. While it shows enough tannin for proper structure, the wine is never tough or coarse, and its mannerly style makes it one for drinking in three or four years while its astringent cousins take more time to come around. Two puffs and 91 Points – Connoisseurs’ Guide. $55.00 The 2003 Centennial Harvest Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel was made in celebration of the Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel Vines turning 100. The fruit explodes in our 2003 release with intense raspberries, cherries and blackberries. Deeply concentrated with layers of bright, ripe fruit and subtle hints of chocolate; it's a deep purple experience. With elegance and finesse, this Zin is smooth as silk yet, once again, appropriately balanced with a flavorful finish. Planted in 1903, the vines are head pruned, dry-farmed and are planted on St. George rootstock. The gravely soil combined with a slight slope consistently produces the most exuberant and expressive Zinfandel grapes in the Napa Valley. These unique grapes create one of the most robust Zinfandels from the Napa Valley region. Ripe with fresh berries, the 03 has a powerful nose of fresh raspberry and cherry. Smooth as silk, its mid and back palate fill in with jam and chocolate. Beautiful now, or hold for deeper result to 2009. $45.00 Planted in 1900, the Gamba Estate Vineyard in the Russian River Valley rests on gently rolling benchland nestled among some of Sonoma County’s most prominent Old Vine Zinfandel vineyards. The 106-year-old Gamba Vineyard is organically dry farmed and maintained using labor intensive, traditional hand farming methods. Natural low yields, together with desirable soils and microclimate, allow them to produce Old Vine Zinfandel wines of intense flavor and exceptional varietal character. Very dark color with super spicy and jammy flavors of blackberry and boysenberry. $45.00 The 2003 Limerick Lane Collins Vineyard Zinfandel starts off delightfully with a dark ruby color with aromas of raspberry jam, plum, coffee, allspice and pepper with a hint of warm vanilla. Mouthwatering flavors of raspberry, plum, peppery spice, vanilla and jam lead to a long juicy finish. This wine has lively acidity and balanced tannins, which shows beautifully now and will cellar gracefully for 10-12 years. Completely estate grown, the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. It is yet another prime example of non-interventionist winemaking, attention to detail and careful production techniques used at Limerick Lane Cellars. $29.00 The 2004 Eyse Howell Mountain Zinfandel is dark ruby colored, with deep aromas of black fruits, wet forest floor and mushrooms. I would buy this wine just for the scent. It’s a combination of fresh herbs that spikes toward peppercorn and juniper. Decant it for a few hours and it becomes even more peppery - and juicier! Air also pulls the flavors out of potent tannins, the chocolate richness of oak and the luscious fruit so that they develop more savory detail. It is full on the palate with flavors of wild plums, blackberries, black cherries, white pepper and an intriguing spicy earthiness. This is truly a great example of Howell mountain terroir. There is so much going on it’s hard to get your head around it, which may be how it seems so sexy. Pair with lamb, cassoulet or peppered steak and sit down and contemplate life. This Howell Mountain Zinfandel is a very complex wine, with firm tannins and well-integrated acidity. It really would benefit from aging, but if drinking today, we recommend decanting. The wine will age beautifully for the next 7 – 10 years. $38.00 *********************************************************************************************** We’ve told you the story
of Owen Roe’s 2004 Sinister Hand before, but we just have to reiterate
how delightful this wine is. A delightful blend of 36% Grenache,
32% Syrah, 22% Mourvedre, 10% Counoise come from Steve Elerding’s
Vineyard in Alderdale in the Mid-Columbia Valley where the Rhone
varieties seem to have found a home. The area is just off the
Columbia River and so both the summer heat and winter cold are
moderated resulting in a long growing season that highlight the edgy
personalities of each of the Rhone varietals. This Rhone-styled
wine is very dark with enormous fruit flavors and pepper with excellent
texture – it will work well with a variety of foods especially spicy
fare and dark meats. This year’s version has more Grenache and is more fragrant and polished than the previous vintages. It will stand proud against all comers from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Violet perfume and dark fruits meld nicely with peppery Syrah. A keeper for ten years plus! $30.00 The 2003 Olivet Lane Chardonnay has just been released. Wow! You’ll think you’re in a tropical paradise as you sip and enjoy this wine. Start off with the lovely deep gold hue. Honeyed aromas of peach, pineapple, and butter continue into rich, well-balanced flavors of baked pineapple and oak. The wine also has a wonderfully creamy texture, making it a perfect complement to shrimp scampi. $24.00 - solid case $19.00 Tis the season for new releases – here’s another one! The 2003 Paraduxx Napa Valley Red Wine has just come out and is it ever wonderful! The 10th bottling of this boldly elegant Napa wine incorporates Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc to create a unique wine in the tradition of the world’s great blends. This tasty wine is medium bodied with ample tannins and structure to evolve well for several years. Aromas exude ripe fruit with flavors of strawberry jam, rich blackberry, cedar, dill, and oak. Very limited. $49.00 <>
Something different? How about 2004 Poizin, "the wine to die for".. and its companion, "Antidote" Seriously?? Yes, Seriously, here is a Zin that matches every description that Zin enjoys, except for the fact that it comes in a bottle with a BIG RED SKULL AND CROSS BONES on it! The "Antidote" is in a little blue (375) bottle and contains Pinot Gris... just the right "cure" for the P'Zin! Makes a fabulous gift, or even better picnic or patio party gift. Now the only thing.... The wines are AWSOME.... so it is... Finally .... Just plain good fun, great friends and good wine. Summer time is here, enjoy.. 2004 Poizin, 28.00 Antidote17.00 Enjoy! ************************************************************************************* NOT WINE BUT REALLY FINE! For those of you out there who, like me, feel the need to dribble, drip and spill red wine all over the place, there is a great product for us - it's called Wine Away and it really works! I can assure you, it's saved my carpet many times. Wine Away is made from fruit and vegetable extracts, making it safe to use around children and pets, and has a pleasant citrus aroma, and contains no bleach or phosphates. Also works on other red stains (even blood!). 8 oz. bottle $6.95 ******************************************************************************** Some of you may be aware of
Chateau Musar. It was established in 1930 by Gaston Hochar, who
was made the
Decanter Man in 1984. The winery is in Lebanon, and the wines are
considered very special by those in the
know. The whites are made from Merwah (resembles Semillon) and
Obaideh (the native Chardonnay) and the red
is made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane and Cinsault. We have
Chateau Musar Blanc from 1995 back to 1954 and Chateau Musar Rouge from
1994 back to 1956. They range in price from $22.00/bottle to
$1360/bottle. |
WineStars Super SPECIALS!
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NEW
RELEASE!!!
James Henry Cellars Chardonnay, Russian River Woolsey Road Vineyard Winemaker--Helen Turley |
$46.00 |
| Helen Turley has another winner! James Henry Cellars Chardonnay 2003, Russian River Vallay, Woolsey Road Vineyard. This is the wine formerly referred to as Canepa Cellars, still made by Helen Turley but with a different grape source. The Woolsey Road Vineyard in the Russian River Valley has long been known for extrordinary soil and climate that contribute to the "Burgundian" style imparted to this Chardonnay. Rich fruit and balance charm your palate and remind you over and over with flavors that will excite and wow you over and over again. Tropical fruit, lemon, toasty oak. It's all there, waiting! Drink now, or lay it down for a few years.. Enjoy! |
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Canepa Cellars
1999 Chardonnay Gauer Vineyard "Adobe III" Winemaker--Helen Turley
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Sold Out! |
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---------Only 608 cases made -------- |