Menotomy Beer & Wine | Wine Archive & Offerings

Wine Tastings Every Saturday 4-7 p.m.

Wine Archive

A list of the wines we have featured in our past tastings. Please phone for availability. Click on the country links above for a more comprehensive list of our wines.

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

While the Vouvray struck a chord with most of the tasters on April 2nd, we sold tons of the other three as well. The Glass Mountain Cabernet, in particular, was a huge hit and definitely the biggest bang for your buck! Come by the store to see how little you have to pay for this coiffable Napa Valley Cab!

Peitán Albariño ’09

“Bright gold. High-pitched citrus fruits and flowers on the nose, with hints of anise and juniper. Racy but packs a punch, offering zesty orange pith, peach pit and lemongrass flavors, with a strong note of white pepper. Very clean and spicy on the finish, which leaves notes of fresh herbs and honey. This wine's mix of depth and energy make it very flexible with food.” - International Wine Cellar, 90 Points

Domaine des Aubuisières Vouvray ’10

From the Vouvray region of France’s Loire Valley, the Aubuisières Vouvray is made from 100% Chenin blanc and is fermented and matured in thermo-regulated vats. While the Aubuisières is drinking quite beautifully now, it can be aged for another 10 years. It is wonderful as an aperitif, and can also be enjoyed with cold and cured meats, fish, shellfish, white meat and cheese.

Glass Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ’09

It has been more than a hundred years since California wine pioneer Jean Laurent quarried stone from the base of Glass Mountain in Napa Valley to build his wine cellar. That cellar stands today and serves as both a literal and figurative link to the past and Laurent‘s guiding principles of quality and values. The concept is driven by a simple philosophy: “ Place Quality First.” The Cabernet is a gem of a wine that spells value and quality. Each barrel is hand-crafted by a dedicated family of employees to create a wine of depth with generous Cabernet flavors accented by the spice and flesh of Syrah. Glass Mountain vintners taste for ripe flavors in the vineyards to bring this fruit driven wine home to you. Enjoyment will be easy to find with anything from the grill, or a hearty bowl of chili.

Venta Mazzaron Tempranillo ’06

This has an intense and deep cherry color that makes the drinker predisposed to enjoy the wealth of wild strawberry, blackberry and sweet spicy aromas that ensue. The Wine Advocates raves: “ The 2006 Venta Mazzaron is 100% Tempranillo aged in oak for nine months. Deep crimson-colored, it offers up a smoky perfume of mineral, licorice, espresso, and blackberry. This leads to a firm, structured wine with plenty of succulent fruit, spice notes, excellent balance, and a pure finish. Although it will improve in the bottle for 1-2 years, it can be enjoyed now.” 90 Points

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Add Cupcake to the list of Menotomy's go-to Sauvignon Blancs! The Rioja topped the red list on March 26th, and has been a big seller before and after this particular tasting.

Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc ’10

Cupcake Vineyards’ winery is located in Monterey County, California, but their actual vineyards are located around the world. Take the Sauvignon Blanc as a perfect example: the vineyard is located in the Sauvignon Blanc capital of the new world, Marlborough, New Zealand, which is marked by its cool weather as well as its shallow stony soils that aid drainage and limit fertility. After a cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine underwent a long extended rest sur lies to embolden the richness in the body and softness on the mid palate, complimenting the natural zestiness and acidic structure of these Marlborough grapes. This year’s vintage has hints of grapefruit, gooseberry, and citrus, and comes together with a long, creamy finish. Serve chilled with oysters on a half shell or with a rich and succulent Lobster Risotto (must we??).

Señorio de P. Peciña Rioja ’09

This wine is the utmost expression of the area´s young wines, with marked notes of liquorice, blackberries and raspberries; a very fresh, cherry-purple wine with an intense rim. In the mouth it is very pleasant, with tangy notes that accentuate its personality. Maceration after fermentation is shorter for this wine, in order to take advantage of the primary aromas from the grapes, which are fruitier and less ripe, thereby enhancing the traits of the Tempranillo grapes, which make up 95% of this Rioja; the remaining 5% is a blend of Graciano and Garnacha.

Clos la Chance Cabernet Sauvignon ’07

Fruit for the 2007 Ruby-Throated Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced From the Clos LaChance Estate Vineyard in San Martin, California. A rich, dark purple with a lighter ruby rim. A nose of cranberries, black currant with hints of vanilla and mint. A bit of tobacco and leather as well. The palate is really well structured: a clear beginning, middle and end. The beginning is fruity with tart cranberries and currants with dark cherry undertones. The middle has an herbaceous/spice component. Baking spice and oregano. The finish is lush and the tannins are soft. This is a Cab that is ready to drink now.

Chatom Vineyards Syrah ’06

It’s a happy day at Menotomy when our friend Gay Callan comes to visit us from Chatom Vineyards in Calaveras County, California. She lights up the room and is a super cool chick. Oh, and her wines ROCK. The ’04 Syrah was one of my favorite wines EVER here at 80 Broadway. While we skipped the '05 vintage, we are happy to report that we now have the '06 Syrah in stock. A full-bodied Syrah with aromas of intense black fruit, vanilla and a hint of tobacco. On the palate, this Syrah has flavors of baker's chocolate and cinnamon leading to a lingering finish of well-balanced oak, baked fruit and spice.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Shannon Ridge Single Vineyard Viognier

The grapes used to produce the 2009 Shannon Ridge Lake County Viognier were picked from the Morine Ranch block in California's Lake County. Morine Ranch's south facing slopes help create an elegant multi-layered wine with great complexity. A portion of the wine was barrel fermented in French oak to help add a rich mouth feel and creamy softness and balance. Tropical scents of star fruit and ripe peach translate to the palate with flavors of peaches, cream soda and citrus.

Duck Pond Pinot Noir '08

The Duck Pond Pinot Noir is crafted almost entirely from estate-grown fruit from vineyard sites in Oregon's Willamette Valley. A darling of the Northwest wine tasting competitions, this pretty Pinot received 88 Points from Wine Spectator, and rave reviews from Wine Press Northwest: "Pleasing as punch might best describe the style of this bottling by one of Oregon's largest producers. The Fries family loaded it up with sweet berries and cherry aromas while including apricot, peach, cinnamon, Graham cracker and some vanilla notes. They show in full force on the palate in a fruit- forward, light and juicy style that includes cherry cola and racy acidity to balance the perception of sweetness."

Shannon Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon '08

The grapes used to produce the 2008 Shannon Ridge Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon were harvested from several different blocks of the family's vineyards in High Valley and Red hills appellations in Lake County. The deep color and flavors were achieved with gentle handling, controlled fermentation and some extended maceration.

Shannon Ridge Petite Sirah '09

Saturday, March 12, 2011

A new Pinot Grigio with a crisp, fresh taste highlighted the wines of March 12th. While both of the Shenanigans were poured for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday, you know we don't bring in wines just for their labels. These two Grady family selections have graced our shelves for some time, and will continue to do so for their quality and value.

Riff Pinot Grigio '10

'Riff' Terra Alpina Pinot Grigio is a white wine made of grapes that are grown in vineyards on the foothills of the Dolomites, a part of the Alps, which Riff Pinot Grigio '10influences the climate and blesses the region with prized alluvial limestone soils. The name Riff (German for reef) refers to the Dolomite's geological origin, deposited by fossils from an ancient sea that covered the region millions of years ago. Riff is a fun and informal Pinot Grigio that shows lively aromas of citrus and passion fruit, backed by cheerful tones of green mango and lime. It's a light, clean and fresh white wine.

Shenanigans Celtic Chardonnay and Shenanigans Fine Irish Cab

Grady Family Vineyard is located in the heart of California's Lodi Wine Appellation where the climate, soil, vineyard design and careful vineyard management combine into the craftsmanship of these premium varietal wine grapes from an area that so many have come to know for quality and exceptional value. The Celtic Chardonnay is crisp, fresh and fruit forward with layers of green apple and pear and a hint of oak on the finish. The Shenanigan's Fine Irish Cab is carefully crafted from clone 337 Cabernet grapes and aged 19 months in French oak barrels to produce rich layers of plum, dark cherry and black currant fruit flavors up front leading to soft tannins and a hint of vanilla on the finish.

Chateau Joinin Bordeaux '06

90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc - Chateau Joinin is owned by the Mestreguilhem Family. Also owners of Château Pipeau, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, in Saint- Laurent-des-Combes, they are able to put their experience to excellent use in the care taken of both vines and vinification necessary to produce a very high quality Bordeaux red wine. In 2000, a new winery was built in the heart of the estate, both to serve quality and protect the environment. Today, this vineyard covers 25 hectares of red vines, largely Merlot, giving a delightfully fruity and silky wine, which can be drunk with pleasure even when still a young wine.

Saturday January 14th, 2011

90+ Cellars Lot 32 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon '08

This is a perfect blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot - a true Bordeaux- style blend. Kevin Mehra and crew sourced this wine from a renowned vineyard located at an elevation of 2,000 feet on the Sonoma Valley side of Mount Veeder, California. The steep, southern-facing slopes consist of soils called the Sonoma Volcanics. These soils result in small, concentrated grapes with pure flavors and a pronounced sense of place. In the 90+ tradition, this is a special occasion, weekend wine that you can now enjoy any day! Rich flavors of cassis feature throughout, along with a mocha flavor enhanced by smoky notes. The velvety mouthfeel and long, elegant finish add style to this classic Cabernet Sauvignon. Ideal for pairing with herb-crusted roasted rack of lamb, grilled rib eye steak and hearty cheeses.

90+ Cellars Lot 31 Carneros Pinot Noir '09

90+ has been fortunate to introduce three exceptional Pinot Noirs in a row at extreme values - and we've been lucky enough to carry all of them! The Lot 31 Pinot Noir comes from the cool and breezy hills of Carneros, a place where Pinot grapes develop to near perfection. This wine is sourced from a producer with three decades of Pinot Noir wine growing experience. On the nose this Pinot exhibits aromas of dried cherries, vanilla bean and strawberry with just a hint of cedar and dried tobacco. Rich flavors of wild berry, huckleberry and fresh earth unfold to leave a long, persistent finish. Serve it alongside a roast duck or quail.

Quatro Castas

Another beauty from Esporao. To make the Quatro Castas the winemakers blend four grapes: Alicante Bouschet, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Alfrocheiro. They're the four best grapes of the growing season. The grapes are hand-picked and hand- sorted. In the glass, the wine is a deep and concentrated bright red color. The nose is intense, with spicy character. On the palate the Quatro is richly textured, velvety, with supportive tannins leading to a long and persistent finish.

Saturday January 8th, 2011

Weingut J. Linden Mosel Riesling '09

Every once in awhile, a wine comes on to our tasting table here at Menotomy that we all agree on. We weren't even going to buy any new wines this week! But, this one blew us away and we knew it had to come in and come in now. From Germany's Mosel region, this 11.5%alc charmer is dry by German Riesling standards. Both Dan and I wrote "yummy" on our tasting notes for this one, so I think you just have to give it a try.

Camille Cayran Le Pas de la Baume Côtes du Rhône '09

The new vintage of a new favorite here at Menotomy. Le Pas de la Baume is a blend of primarily Grenache with small amounts of Syrah, Carignon and Cinsault. Wine Enthusiast gives this one it's "Best Buy" label and 89 Points: "Intense deep purple, black color. Very fresh on the nose with layered aromas of blueberry, blackberry, plum, lifted notes of violets and a hint of black pepper. Very smooth and persistent across the palate where bold and vibrant black and red fruits mingle with nuances of licorice, clove and sweet spice. Richly textured, smooth, warm, but well balanced."

Grifalco Angianico del Vulture '06

Brilliant ruby red; generous and elegant nose with all the charm of the Aglianico grape. Mineral. Stylish floral hints, fresh and bottled red berry fruit. Gutsy and determined on the palate, supported by sweet tannins. A good acidity lengthens the deep, well-defined finish. Ideal with roasted, barbecue and stewed and braised meats.

Castell del Remei Gotim Bru '06

An old favorite is making a return visit to Menotomy. This Spanish blend of 40% Tempranillo, 30% Garnacha, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot is a darling of Robert Parker who gives this vintage 90 Points. In the glass, the wine has a Bigarreau cherry color of medium intensity with purple reflections. Very expressive and attractive aromas, intense recollections of red fruits, balsamic notes and sweet spices of the stay in cask. Sweet-toothed mouth and very well-integrated tannins. Long persistence with freshness contributed by its balanced acidity. Elegant notes of red fruits jam.

Penalolen Sauvignon Blanc '09
Penalolen's Sauvignon Blanc comes from Chile's prestigious cool climate appellation, the Casablanca Valley. With this wine, Penalolen demonstrates how impressive Sauvignon Blanc can be when grown in the right place and guided by a talented winemaker. The use of pure, ripe fruit gives this wine a powerfully rich and complex flavor free from oak or residual sugar. The aromas of mandarin orange and fresh cut flowers, combined with good acidity, make this Sauvignon Blanc a classic partner for food. "Light yellow. Intensely perfumed bouquet of white grapefruit, jalape n o, mint and lemon thyme. Dry, racy, focused citrus and herb flavors offer a light touch but pick up sweeter fruit in the middle palate. This very dry wine verges on austere and shows a distinctly fat-free character. " 88 Points, International Wine Cellar

G.D. Vajra Dolcetto d'Alba '09
This Dolcetto d'Alba is ruby red in color with subtle violet hints. It is intensely perfumed on the nose, with ripe cherry and floral notes. On the palate the wine is delicate and supple yet with good backbone and fresh fruit and spice flavors on the finish. The grapes are grown in Vajra Piedmont vineyards, located at the extreme west side of the Barolo zone, in Vergne. The vines are planted on limestone and marl soils. Of the blend, 20% was aged for 6 months in big oak barrels and 80% was aged in stainless steel tanks. Aldo Vajra's wines are characterised by pristine flavors and clearly defined perfumes. These characters are attributable to the position of his vineyards which are at about 400 metres above sea level in the village of Vergne.

Camille Cayran Le Pas de la Beaume Côtes du Rhône Blanc '08
Planted on clay and limestone hillsides covered with small pebbles in the town of Cairanne, France. The slopes are gentle, well exposed to the sun and selected from the best of Camille Cayran's Cairanne plots where the climate is appropriate to achieve optimum ripeness, therefore producing elegant wines and reducing phytosanitary treatments. The wine is a blend of 65% Grenache blanc, 20% Clairette and 15% Marsanne; it has a very shiny color with green golden tints. It has good intensity with a lot of floral tints and white peach notes. Slightly sharp freshness.

Gryphus Sauvignon Blanc
The Gryphus has taken on a life of it's own here at Menotomy. We've never OFFICIALLY tasted it - it's never been mentioned in an e-mail (it was a bonus pour back when we first brought it in). When we looked at what we've sold this summer, it turned out to be the fourth best-selling wine of the season - with no fanfare! We thought we'd offer it this week to our Saturday-tasters and see what you think! It is bright and vigorous but with a fully ripe mouth feel. It is zippy and clean but with loads of fragrant pear aromas. In other words, the grapes can get ripe while still maintaining acid-a delicate balance sought by winemakers everywhere, but which can only be achieved naturally when microclimate and varietal are perfectly matched.

Gaba do Xil Godello '08
Godello is a relatively rare Spanish white grape. Though often overshadowed by the more well known Albariño, Godello arguably produces some of Spain's best white wines, which can be remarkably complex, yet crisp, refreshing and extremely versatile with food. This version is made by Telmo Rodriguez, one of spain's top modern producers. "Classic pears, freshly cut hay and a touch of guava and hot wax are all there. Very robust and tight for a white wine, kind of like white Burgundy in structure, but nothing like it in flavor. Crunchy minerals and an acid laden finish."

Fumanelli Valpolicella Classico '09
The Marchesi Fumanelli family have been cultivating grapes and producing prestigious wines since 1470 at the Squarano estate which is located in the heart of the most classical Valpolicella, on a gentle hilltop surrounded by vineyards, cherry and cypress trees. 40% Corvina Veronese, 40% Corvinone, and 20% Rondinella. Ruby red with hints of violet, bouquet of red fruits such as cherries and blackberries. Well balanced, optimum contrast between tannins, acidity and sweetness. A wine to be enjoyed on all occasions. Ideal as accompaniment to appetizers, soups and typical Mediterranean pasta dishes.

Domaine de Pellehaut Rosé '09
This is the one thing Neil missed while on vacation in Ireland last month. Seriously. It's the first thing he brought home upon his return. This vintage has a beautiful pinkish color, an intense, aromatic expression on the nose, with a bouquet of red fruits, strawberries and a floral touch. On the palate, it shows remarkable balance between the freshness and the aromatic splendor. Surely a rosé for pleasure, remarkably well vinified. Thanks to its freshness, this is the perfect wine for drinking as an aperitif. It will complement summer meals, barbecues, fruit salads and desserts.

Brancaia Tre 2007
This wine is no longer available. We were lucky enough to get a couple of cases of this extra special Super Tuscan. Brancaia TRE is a wine full of character giving you drinking pleasure at the moment of release. The carefully selected grapes are from Brancaia's three estates: Brancaia, Poppi and the estate in the Maremma - Brancaia in Maremma. The blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is aged for 12 months in Tonneaux. "There's wonderful intensity of fruit in this wine, with crushed raspberry and blackberry and hints of coffee and fresh flowers. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, soft-textured finish that shows loads of fruit. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2010." - Wine Spectator, 93 Points

Château Nicot Entre-Deux-Mers White Bordeaux '08
The grapes for the Château Nicot (40% Sémillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Muscadelle) are macerated for 12 hours on their skins, followed by a slow temperature-controlled fermentation. The wine was matured on its lees with regular stirring. It was then aged in stainless steel casks. In the glass it has a straw color with bright yellow and green highlights. On the nose, this wine is highly aromatic with the delicious characteristic fragrances of Sauvignon and Sémillon grapes. It is quite rich in style, but with clean and fresh fruit flavors. Entre-Deux-Mers wines, which are exclusively dry white wines, are produced throughout the area between Bordeaux's two great rivers, the Garonne and the Dordogne. Produced from vines planted in clay-limestone soils, these wines are distinguished by a thirst-quenching freshness, but also by good persistence of aromas with notes of citrus, yellow flowers and exotic fruit.

Falernia Pedro Ximenez '09
Located in Chile's Elqui Valley, near La Serena, Viña Falernia is at present Chile's northernmost wine estate. The soils in the vineyards are composed partly of rubble which has eroded from the Andes mountains and deposited by glaciers and wind, and partly of alluvial sand and silt deposited by the river. While stony, gravely soils are regarded as poor for most crops, their excellent drainage qualities make them perfect for wine growing. The grapes for the Pedro Ximenez are hand-picked into small bins and immediately pressed. The juice has been clarified by natural sediment and fermented in stainless steel tanks at 14-16º C with selected yeasts. At the end of the fermentation the wine is racked and aged in stainless steel tanks at low temperature. In the glass, it has a pale straw yellow color with a very attractive nose with floral and aromatic notes. On the palate, it has a nice medium body with balance of acidity, minerality and fruity character. It is dry, fresh and easy drinking, particularly as an aperitif. Recommended with seafood.

Domaine Massamier La Mignarde Cuvée des Oliviers Rosé '09
Situated between Narbonne, France and the ancient walled city of Carcassonne, Massamier La Mignarde has been in the Vènes family for more than 150 years. Frantz Vènes currently farms more than 180 acres in and around Minervois La Livinière, which many consider to be the best vineyard area in the region. Fresh strawberry and cactus flower aromas lead to a light, extremely lively palate with strawberry and red cherry flavors presented in a very dry, refreshing style. 80% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, 10% Grenache. Enjoy this as an aperitif or with light dishes. Also excellent with Asian cuisine.

Château de Calce Côtes du Roussillon '07
A blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir and old Carignan. In the glass, it's ruby color has shining low purple reflections. This wine releases powerful flavors of mature fruits (blackberry, blackcurrant) and of licorice. Its mouth is generous and molten, the powerful tannins keeping a note of freshness. We suggest that you use a carafe when pouring this wine.

New Age White Wine
Low in alcohol - 9.5% - this is the perfect accompaniment to a picnic or porch patrol! 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Malvasia, it's a light yellow/green color in the glass, with fruity and floral aromas of great intensity. Balanced acidity leads to soft, semi-sweet and slightly effervescent flavors and mouth feel. It is an extremely refreshing, vivacious and sensual wine. This wine should be served well-chilled as an aperitif or dessert. Try it on ice with a slice of lime! It was a huge hit at our June 23rd Teacher Tasting - come on in and give it a try.

Quinta de la Rosa White Port
We can't wait until you try this port "cocktail". You won't believe how fun it is. It's made in the style of a gin and tonic - a little bit of tonic, a lotta bit of Quinta la Rosa white port, a slice of lime (or, lemon if you wish)=FUN! On a serious note, this port is drier than your regular white port. They call it Secco (check out the "White Port" note above). Quinta de la Rosa has a small area in which to grow their white grapes, therefore their annual production is small. Most ports tend to be young (2 years-old) with a dry and light color. The Quinta de la Rosa white port is slightly different, having been stored for four years. It is allowed longer skin contact during fermentation, which results in a deeper color with more fruit aromas and a longer finish. You can enjoy this port alone (as an appertif) or as a digestif, whichever suits your needs!

Barbera da Vine '07
I think the label is fun, but you will have to look past it to get to the wine's true quality. The fruit is sourced from a number of growers with mature Barbera vineyards around the town of Nizza, in the heart of the Barbera d'Asti zone. That usually means the wine would be designated as a D.O.C.G. Barbera d'Asti. BUT, because this wine has a Stelvin closure (a.k.a. screwcap), it can't be designated D.O.C.G. It is, however, a designated D.O.C. Piedmont Barbera. A detailed selection of the best grapes is made at harvest. Following the alcoholic fermentation, a proportion (10%) of the fruit is matured in second and third year oak barriques for around 12 months while the remainder is aged in large Slovenian 'Botte'. The two components are blended to give complexity and depth.

Chateau Champ des Soeurs Fitou '08
Fitou is one of the oldest appellations of the Languedoc region of France, having been established in 1948. In Occitan (the native language of the Languedoc region) 'fita' means border or frontier, and Fitou once sat on the border between France and Catalonia. The principal grape varieties of the region are Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, with the legal addition of Cinsault and Lledoner Pelut. The Chateau Champ des Soeurs fits the bill perfectly: 50% Grenache, 40% Carignan, 10% Syrah. It is 100% Stainless Steel fermented.

Picollo Ernesto Gavi '09
100% Cortese grape fermented in stainless steel. Straw colored in the glass. On the nose it is fragrant and fruity. On the palate, crisp and zingy - a perfect complement to fish and white meat dishes. The Ernesto Picollo is from the AREA of Gavi, therefore it is called a Gavi. There is also the village called Gavi; wines from the village are called Gavi di Gavi and are generally slightly more expensive.

Camille Cayran Le Pas de la Beaume Cotes du Rhone '09
76% Grenache, 8% Syrah, 8% Old Carignan, 8% Cinsault - A pleasant nose of red fruit , "garrigue" (Provence countryside) and spices. The mouth is fruitful and supple with a long lasting finish. The tannic structure reveals a good ageing potential. Serve with grilled & roasted meat, omelet, pizzas and every day meals. This cuvée and this great vintage have been awarded with 2 first class gold medals in the same year: Médaille d'Or of Concours Général Agricole de Paris & Médaille d'Or in Orange. Le Pas de la Beaume means "the grotto entrance" in the Provencal dialect. (If you have a second, click here to check out their website - it's really fun!)

Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz/Viognier '08
A wine partnership between a Chicago native and a French winemaker, born an ocean apart, separated by a generation. Yet from the moment Anthony J. Terlato and Michel Chapoutier met, it was clear they shared a kinship, a common vision so deeply ingrained it could almost be called instinctual. Love of wine, there was that, but more important was a passion for quality and authenticity. Chapoutier was a winemaker for his family's winery in France, but in 1998 he discovered an area in the Australian Pyrenees and called Tony exclaiming, "If we plant vineyards here we can make great wines in this soil. I would like you to be my partner." Then, from 1998 to 2000, 46 acres of predominately Shiraz were planted. You can try the "fruits" of their labor this Saturday! The 2008 Shiraz-Viognier blend is an intense ruby color in the glass. On the nose, there are scents of vibrant red berry and apricot. On the palate, round and full with finely integrated tannins.

90+ Cellars Lot 2 Sauvignon Blanc '09
This is the first of what 90+ Cellars calls an "Extended Lot" wine. With most of their wines, once a vintage is sold out, they begin looking for a new winery to do business with. However, with the Sauvignon Blanc, they found that the first vintage was so popular, and so ridiculously good for the price, that they have decided to continue with the same winery as long as the quality of the wine lives up to their standards. We hope you agree! "Exuberant aromas of citrus fruit, ripe melon and guava with some underlying herbal and classic gooseberry notes. Fresh fruit and crisp acidity creates a well-balanced and elegant wine with a smooth finish. This is classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc."

Crios Torrontes '09
Please welcome (or, welcome back) another member of the Crios family to Menotomy: the '09 Torrontes. We have a fascination with Torrontes here, selling no fewer than six at any given time. (See the sidebar above for more info on the grape.) We're excited about this one as well, come in and see how you feel about it! "The 2009 Torrontes remains one of Argentina's benchmarks for this variety. Sourced from 31-year-old vines in Cafayate (where the finest Torrontes grows), it displays a fragrant bouquet of spring flowers, honey, and tropical aromas. Medium-bodied and dry on the palate, it has ample fruit backed by vibrant acidity leading to a lengthy finish. Drink it over the next 2 years. " - Robert Parker, 90 Points.

Vinum Africa Chenin Blanc '08, (South Africa)
The historical town of Stellenbosch boasts a winemaking tradition which stretches back to the end of the 17th-century. Stellenbosch is the educational and research center of the South African winelands. Stellenbosch University is the only one in South Africa with a viticultural and oenological department, and many of the country's most successful winemakers studied there. The Nietvoorbij Institute of Viticulture and Oenology is also in Stellenbosch and this organization has one of the most modern experimental wineries in the world and, at its experimental farms (situated in several wine growing districts), important research into new varietals, clones and rootstocks is undertaken. The mountainous terrain, good rainfall, deep well-drained soils and diversity of terroirs make this a sought-after viticultural area. The rapidly increasing number of wine estates includes some of the most famous names in Cape wine. The district, with its mix of historic estates and contemporary wineries, produces excellent examples of almost all the noble grape varieties.The nose hints at the wonderful elegance and vibrancy of this wine. White petals and citrus crispness integrated with light touches of cinnamon. Then the palate unfolds layers of fresh lime and gentle spices, underscored by an intensity of fruit which persists on the palate and finishes with a mineral resonance. In essence, it has immense personality and Stellenbosch-Helderberg driven personality. A complex, balanced combination of the finer attributes of good Chenin. A highly versatile wine, apt for an unusual variety of cuisines, certain to give much pleasure now - and for a good few years to come. Good Chenin ages extremely well!

Las Brisas '08 (Spain)
This blend of Verdejo, Viura, and Sauvignon Blanc delivers a fine balance of fruit, minerality and acidity. The peachy, grapefruit nose follows through on the palate, with a nice herbaceous, citrus finish. A long-standing Menotomy favorite, we're always happy to revisit this gem.

St. Antoniuskellerei Kreuznacher Kronenberg Riesling Auslese (Nahe) '07 (Germany)
Pale gold with a faint blush of green. A moderately open nose; the ripe apple/peach aroma is fresh and subtle, with a little floral note, and a hint of spice. Very nice. The palate shows more flavor; it is slightly plump and sweet, with a slightly sappy richness. Medium body, with some richness, slightly sweet, with good acidity. Since no grape is named on the label, this is likely a blend of Riesling with grapes such as Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, and - maybe - Muller-Thurgau. Even though it is only 9.5% alcohol, it has a good presence on the palate. An ideal little sipping wine, and one for lighter foods, picnics and such.

Radford Dale '05 Shiraz (South Africa)
This South African beauty is a classic, spicy, peppery Shiraz, with layers of firm, ripe tannins bound with abundant juicy, fruit. You'll find sweet, dark fruits on the nose with a sweet vanilla and coconut edge, together with some tarriness. "Smooth and round, this vivid wine delivers gorgeous blackberry and plum fruit that's shaded with perfumy floral notes and hints of cardamom and fennel seed, all of it supple and insinuating. Drink now through 2015." Score: 93. -Harvey Steiman, October 15, 2008 Wine Spectator.

Bodegas Carrau Tannat de Reserva '06 (Uruguay)
First came Chilean Cabernet. Then Argentinian Malbec. The next hot wine to emerge from South America? Super sexy Tannat from Uruguay. Alright, so you've possibly never heard of the grape Tannat and most likely need to look at a map to find Uruguay. Rest assured: there are some truly remarkable wines we think you'll love. If you are a tried and true Menoto-fan you probably have already tried this yummy wine as it is a favorite of ours! Originally brought to the Southern Hemisphere, from France, by Basque settlers over a century ago, Uruguay has deemed Tannat their national grape. But, it took modern winemaking techniques to tame the firm tannins and intense fruit in this red beast. Tannats now coming out of Uruguay like the 2007 Bodegas Carrau Tannat Reserva are smooth, well balanced and full of delicious fruit.

Casa de Vila Verde Vinho Verde '08
Casa de Vila Verde is one of Portugal's oldest estates. The same family has been producing wine on the estate since the middle of the 17th century. All grapes are grown at the winery, and the different grape varieties are harvested individually taking into consideration the climate, soil type and ripeness of each. Each year this special wine is produced from the best combination of the different varietals. The result is a Vinho Verde that is more complex and elegant than anything else in its category. Buzzing with energy, this Vinho Verde is fleshy and firm. It smells of rich fruit and floral aromas followed by crisp citrus flavors on the palate. Delightful grapefruit and lemon notes lead to a satisfying crisp finish. This is a great warm-weather aperitif and also a perfect match for fish and seafood. It can definitely stand up to some spice. Wine & Spirits gave this beauty 90 Points and labeled it an "Extreme Value".

Chateau du Donjon Minervois Rosé '09
Situated in the Minervois, one of the oldest wine-producing areas in the Languedoc (southern France), Chteau du Donjon has been in the Panis family for 500 years. Jean Panis took the reigns from his father, Guy, in 1996 and has taken the estate to new heights, with the historic 1998 vintage marking the beginning of a golden era that continues to this day. Pink to salmon in color, this blend of 44% Carignan, 36% Merlot, 30% Syrah, 28% Grenache, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cinsault has refreshing aromas including ripe strawberries, red cherries and red plums. Less spicy and herbal but with very pure intense red fruit flavors, the Donjon has enough weight to match with chicken, sausage or ham, but it would also be excellent with fresh fruits or fruit desserts.

Kanonkop Kadette '08
This tasty Cape blend from South Africa's premier Pinotage producer combines the estate's signature grape with the Bordeaux varietals: 50% Pinotage, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Full-bodied and supple, it displays ripe, juicy flavors of dark berry, coffee, banana, and plum interlaced with pleasant herbal and spice notes. Its distinctive smoky, tarry character makes it a perfect match for grilled meats, barbecued ribs, chili and hearty pasta dishes. Wine Enthusiast raves: "This blend is full-bodied and complex, with layered aromas of cherry, banana and warming spices, and smooth elegant flavors of cedar, cherry, tobacco smoke and red berries. Velvety, soft tannins and a clean finish give it a classy touch." 91 Points

Tenuta Migliavacca Monferrato Freisa '09
From the Piedmont, this producer was the first biodynamic one in the region. This is an excellent value wine, with delicious aromatics, great red fruits on the palate, and a satisfying finish. A very food friendly wine with good acidity, it also is smooth and enjoyable. Great every day wine with character. (Also, a great Sangria wine!)

Elena Walch Pinot Bianco '07
Winemaking is a second career for Elena Walch. In 1985 she married into one of the Alto Adige's most historically important winemaking families. Captivated by her new environment, Walch made the decision to abandon architecture and devote her energies to making the best possible wines from her estate's two "Grand Cru" equivalent sites. Elena Walch is blessed with vines in Kastelaz, a steep south-facing site high above the prominent wine town of Tramin. It is important to understand that while Alto Adige has been politically a part of Italy for over a century, culturally this northern corner of the country, separated by only a few kilometers of mountains from Austria, is a world away from Rome, or even southern neighbor Trentino, with which its wines are often (for no logical reason) lumped. Most of its inhabitants consider themselves Tyrolean first, and speak German. The cuisine shares more with that of neighbors to the north. The Pinot Bianco nose features citrus and stone fruits while in the mouth you experience a creamy character that complements the refreshing acidity - long and very nice.

Château Virgile Costières de Nmes Rosé '09
This gorgeous Rosé is composed of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. The family domaine is principally managed by two brothers, Serge and Thierry Baret,who, along with their father, cultivate 35 hectares of vineyards. The domaine, which is located 15 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, dates back to 1748. The vineyards are planted in virgile roseclay alluvium deposits from the Rhne River with a mixture of granite pebbles (known locally as gress). The vines enjoy the benefits of a Mediterranean climate on the sunny slopes above the Natural Parc de la Petite Carmargue. The park is a vast wetland famous for its pink flamingos, indigenous white ponies, black bulls, and its gourmet salt: fleur du sel. (Mary was in the Carmargue two weeks ago - maybe she'll have downloaded her camera by Saturday so you can see pictures of the area!). The Mediterranean climate in this region provides three characteristics that are beneficial to producing excellent quality grapes: 1) abundant sunshine; 2) rainfall within a limited number of days; and 3) favorable winds that keep the grapes free of moisture. The name Château Virgile refers to the noted Greek writer Virgil, which was also the name of the original owner of the domaine.

Enanzo Tempranillo
Tempranillo is the premium red wine grape variety from the Rioja and Ribera del Duero region in Spain. Tempranillo's aromas and flavors often combine elements of berryish fruit, herbaceousness, and an earthy-leathery minerality. Being low in acidity and sugar content, it is commonly blended with Carignan (Mazuela), Grenache (Garnacha), Graciano, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This bodega was founded in 1958 to protect the interests of a group of growers who made their own wine and who still make it today. Currently, Bodegas Campos de Enanzo is the largest winery in Navarra, with an annual production of 7 million litres of wine. The grapes come from over 1,500 hectares of vineyards where young vines coexist with older ones aged up to 50 years. The vineyards are planted with various grape varieties that allow us to make different types of wines, specifically conceived to be sold either as young wines or as aged wines. All of this is always guided by the utmost respect for Nature. The harvests that are collected in our vineyards are exhaustively monitored and yields are never allowed to exceed 6,500 kg per hectare. With investments of over 8 million euros during the last few years, Bodegas Campos de Enanzo is a pioneer in the use of state-of-the-art technology. One of the best Tempranillos for under $15 It's clean, fresh, rich and very juicy. Hard to believe that, that much wine is packed into a bottle for this price. Serve with a slight chill!

Vila Tinto Fundacion '08
An old Castilian family, the Vilas have been growing grapes in Argentina since colonial times. Produced from the very best vineyard parcels in the Cruz de Piedra section of central Mendoza, near Maipu, the wines are judiciously seasoned with oak before release, and represent some of the best values. Rich and polished for the price, with plenty of ripe, red fruit aromas and just a touch of oak. This versatile red will pair well with a wide range of foods, especially hearty pizza, pasta and pork dishes.

Gavi Di Gavi La Caplana
The Gavi DOCG is located in the southeastern part of Italy's Piedmont region, directly north of Genoa, and encompasses the town of Gavi and twelve other picturesque villages. Only wines produced within the village of Gavi are permitted to bear the label "Gavi di Gavi". For over a century the Guido family has tended their vines in the highest of the steep-sloped hills in the area. This combined with clayey white soil and 30-year old vines result in a wine that is full-bodied and rich, with intense fruity, aromatic and mineral notes. This dry white wine, produced from the Cortese grape, is fermented and aged in stainless steel. It is straw yellow in color with typical apple and white flower fragrances. A lovely apéritif, it is an excellent accompaniment to all kinds of hors d'oeuvres and shellfish.

Gini Toscana Sangiovese Cantine Gini 08
Sangiovese's claim to fame is its role as the heart of Chianti, Brunello and many Super Tuscan wines though it is gaining ground as a varietal wine around the globe. When grown in a suitable location the grape's soft tannins, succulent acidity and moderately intense cherry and herb flavors make Sangiovese very easy to drink as well as supremely versatile at the dinner table.

Vincenzo's Italian Wine & Calabrian Food Event Saturday May 22nd, 2010

Our Most Popular Wine Tasting Event is back!

Now you see why... Doesn't that spread look fantastic?!

Need I say more?

Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre '07
The Allegrini's take special pride in their single vineyard bottlings, one of which is becoming an American celebrity. The Palazzo Della Torre has been on American bestseller lists for years, and its appeal is easy to understand. (It's been on Menotomy's Best-Seller list since the start!) Sort of a "junior" Amarone, part of the grapes are dried and part are fermented immediately. Then the two groups are reintroduced and go through a second fermentation. The formula is a gem and this wine is consistently superb. Dense, chocolaty dried fruit emerges on a voluminous nose that beckons you in. Dark cherries on the palate with delicious, special flavor components and a smooth, rich end taste. Extra special within this price range. ense and deep ruby red in color, Palazzo della Torre is loaded with luscious aromas of currant, blackberry and licorice. Full-bodied and rich it is a classic accompaniment to grilled or roasted meats and barbecued ribs. Neil has dubbed this wine "heaven in a bottle!"

Moillard "Les Violettes" Rose '09
The town records in Nuits-Saints-Georges confirm that the Moillard family has owned vineyards in the area since a time before the French Revolution, dating back to 1789. There, they produce some of the finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir-based wines from the most famous appellations of Burgundy. In 1995 Moillard expanded its holdings outside of Burgundy and planted 200 acres in the Rhône Valley and in the Languedoc (southern France), where they produce exciting "Vins de Pays d'Oc." Today, the fifth generation of the Moillard family continues the tradition of delivering quality and excellence. Made from a traditional Rhône blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvedre and Syrah, this delicious rosé has a round, juicy, creamy texture and pleasant rose, strawberry, cherries and mineral notes. And, it is organic, the perfect Summer sipper!

Bodegas Jesus Nazareno Mozafresca '08
This particular Moza Fresca (a wine that is also known as Valenciana and Doña Blanca) is a blend of 50% Godello and 50% Doña Blanca. The wine has body, a beautiful floral nose, and a crisp apricot finish. The wine is lively on the palate and pairs well with seafoods, salads, and a variety of cheeses. A refreshing summer quaff!

Joseph Cattin Gewürztraminer '08
Winner of the Gold medal at both the Mâcon and Colmar wine contests in 2009. This Alsacian Gewürztraminer has a lovely, sweet perfumed nose of honey, sweet lychees ,rose pedal and spice. The palate is viscous with sweet melon and lychee fruit with acidity and spice balancing the sweetness well. The most suitable variety pairs well with Asian food.

Tabali Carmenère Reserva '08
Yet another dynamite Chilean Carmenère. The color is a completely saturated plasma-like ruby crimson. Rich, ripe, sweet-scented nose of blackberry syrup, incense, and sweet, smoky gravel. Soft, yet weighty, with concentrated flavors of ripe blackberry and graphite, with a long, long finish. Loads of very fine-grained tannin to provide some physical structure. Full-bodied, but with the alcohol seemingly in check. Very, very nice.

Château Graville-Lacoste Graves '08
Loaded with characteristics of limestone, redstone and grey silex, there are notes of lemon, fresh cut hay, thyme and traces of grapefruit and guava intermingling in a context of well-balanced acidity and vibrant, racy fruit appeal. It's certainly one of the best, if not the best value in white Bordeaux on the market today. There is more to the wine than pure fruit. The wine is stirred on its lees weekly in order to give body and richness, but on the finish it's crisp and dry. 60% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muscadelle. This wine is a Kermit Lynch selection and is made by a highly ambitious winegrower/winemaker/vigneron: Hervé Dubourdieu.

Château Nicot Entre Deux Mers '08
Based in Escoussans, in the heart of Haut Benauge, the Dubourg family owns the vineyard of Château Nicot. Situated a little less than 22 miles south of the city of Bordeaux, on the right bank of the River Garonne, this domaine has enjoyed an enviable reputation for over two hundred years. 40% Sémillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc, and 20% Muscadelle. Grapes are macerated for 12 hours on their skins, followed by a slow temperature-controlled fermentation. The wine was matured on its lees with regular stirring. It was then aged in stainless steel casks. The result is a straw colored wine with bright yellow and green highlights. On the nose, this wine is highly aromatic with the delicious characteristic fragrances of Sauvignon and Sémillon grapes. It is quite rich in style, but with clean and fresh fruit flavors.

Château d'Argadens Bordeaux Superior '05
Since it acquired Château d'Argadens in 2002, Maison Sichel (who also produce the Pellehaut wines) has put in place a vast renovation program with the aim of making the wine a benchmark within the Bordeaux category. After 12 months in oak barrels, d'Argadens red is a thoroughly modern Bordeaux with lots of concentrated fruit and an attractive, supple balance. Not surprisingly, it gets consistently high marks in tastings and competitions. Dark brooding red with excellent fruit on the nose. Good complex berry fruit structure and very easy drinking. Really well made, good value Bordeaux. Nicely mature and will continue drinking well for several years. 55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Château Beausejour Fronsac '05
The tiny regions of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac lie on Bordeaux `right bank` between the Dordogne and the Isle rivers. Most estates within this commune are extremely small by Bordeaux standards, producing less than 1,000 cases annually. There are two hills (or Canons) that dominate the landscape. The soil is rich with clay, similar to the outcrop that appears to the east in Pomerol, the region that Fronsac most closely resembles. In both districts Merlot is the dominant grape variety as it prospers in clay soil. It is blended to different degrees with smaller proportions of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. With this high prices and limited availability of Pomerol wines, Fronsac and Canon Fronsac are enjoying a wave of consumer interest and new investment. This wine has superb in-depth black dress and garnet on the surface. The powerful bouquet is delicate and fruity. The mouth is fruity, fresh and elegant. All is joined together to make a great bottle, made from 100% Merlot, a rarity in Bordeaux. The Beausejour results from the selection of the oldest and best exposed vineyard and is the object of specific care at all steps. Aged in French oak only from the Troncey forest.

Château Chantemerle Médoc '06
Powerful but balanced nose, full of ripe red fruit scents. Generous, plummy yet with a good acidity on the mouth showing the sturdy tannic structure of a long aging wine. Won a Silver Medal in Paris. Made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, this classic blend is from the Médoc region, the most northern area of Bordeaux. The Médoc is situated north of the city of Bordeaux, on the left bank of the Gironde. Médoc is divided in two parts, the Haut-Médoc in the south, near the city and the north part traditionally called Médoc. Wines from Médoc are red. They are delicate, medium colored, they are fine and elegant; often tannic when young, harmonious and splendid when matured.

Château Pesquié Terrasses Ventoux '08
Paul Chaudière - the son-in-law of Château Pesquié's owners - is a pioneer. Prompted by a concern for sustainable development since he began cultivating vines in 1985, he immediately became pesquieinvolved in "enlightened" agriculture also known as "integrated farming". In 1993, Château Pesquié was the first independent winery to be selected by the Farre network (Forum for enlightened, environmentally-friendly agriculture). Ten years later, it was one of the first independent wineries to obtain final certification. To maintain balance in the soil, fertilization is carried out using only organic, humus-based fertilizers. Château Pesquié is determined to respect animal and plant life in the Rhone Valley and prefers mechanical weed-killing (even under the rows, using a hydraulic "intercep") over pesticides.

Fontezoppa Verdicchio di Matelica '09
Year after year, Fontezoppa produces great value Verdicchio. This delicious dry white wine displays wonderful citrus notes, with hints of apricot and mango. Great lasting acidity is harnessed in a crisp, refreshing finish. These old vines, which grow between 500-600 meters above sea level very close to the Adriatic Sea, benefit from the cool sea breeze and adds wonderful subtle hints of saline making this wine a perfect complement to seafood of any kind - in particular sushi and shellfish - and even light pasta dishes.

La Linda Rosé of Malbec '09
Made from Malbec grapes, this wine has an appealing light pink color with violet hues. On the nose it displays red stone fruit and strawberry aromas. It is a dry and fresh wine with sweet sensations. The grapes used for this wine are grown in a dry climate with very cold winters, mild springs and cool summers. Large temperature fluctuations between day and night only add to the complexity of the grapes. The grapes are harvested at night. Once grapes have been selected, the de-stemming process is undertaken before placing the must in maceration tanks, where it is kept in contact with the skin and the seeds for 6 to 8 hours. Once the desired color is obtained and after de-vatting is complete, the wine is transferred to fermentation tanks with selected yeasts at a controlled temperature between 15 °C and 18 °C (59 °F - 64.4 °F). The wine is then stabilized, filtered and bottled.

Weingut Groiss Grüner Veltliner '07
Weingut Groiss is located at the mid-size Wagram district of Austria, in the vineyards of the Danube River basin. One of the great secrets of the wholesomeness of Groiss's wines is their certified organic production method which they have been following since 1995. This means they use no synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides or genetic engineering in their winemaking. Their company mission statement is quite telling: "With every sip, enjoy a piece of unadulterated nature. With each sip you enjoy the power of the earth. With each sip, you can enjoy the energy of the sun." This lovely Grüner has apples on the nose with light herbaceous and earthy notes. On the palate, apple must and some citrus zest are present with very slightly bitter notes in the background. Integrated acidity gives the wine substance; while a hint of residual sugar supports the wine's slightly rustic style and attractive finish.

Monséran Garnacha '07
From the Cariñena region of Spain, this 100% Garnacha (Grenache) offers all of the wonderfully lush and subtly spicy flavors typical of the Spanish examples of this fantastic varietal.Garnacha can be an excellent pairing with grilled meats, BBQ or other robust flavors, but is soft enough to drink alongside chicken or even a blackened halibut filet; it would be difficult to find a more versatile food wine in this price category.

Layer Cake Shiraz '09
A big red, the power-in-your-face '09 Layer Cake Shiraz does not back away from anything; ripe fruit and oak conduct a battle royal between melding into one another. About the 2008 vintage: "Layer Cake is an ode to Jayson Woodbridge's grandfather who always told him that the 'soil where wine is grown is like a Layer Cake, layered with mocha, chocolate, hints of spice and rich, always rich.' He's brought to market a 'wine of value' with exceptional quality through hand crafting and cutting yields per acre by half if not more. Always the Maverick, it appears, once again, that Woodbridge has raised the bar by raising the standards for a wine priced under $20. To know the man means the price of the wine will never dictate his passion. Jayson was not pleased with the quality of the 2007 vintage, so made the decision not to tarnish the reputation of the brand and skipped making the wine in 2007. According to Jayson, the 2008 vintage is 'Unmistakably Shiraz; the nose is best described as pure, unobstructed by excessive oak. Dark, dense and creamy, aromas of anise, tobacco, and mocha emerge from the glass. An explosion of dark berry, black cherry, exotic spices and chocolate fill the mouth."~(Importer's Notes).

Santomé Prosecco
Add another "spahkling" to the list of things we love here at Menotomy. Santomé is a pleasant, light, fresh and smooth prosecco with a distinct harmonious acidity. It is balanced, elegant and persistent with pleasant, fruity sensations in the nose that are replicated in the finish of the wine. While we recommend this as an aperitif, the softness and palatability can find a happy combination with batter-fried vegetables accompanied or raw fish.

Domaine Pellehaut Rosé '09
Last year, we had a very limited supply of this beautiful blend of Tannat, Syrah and Merlot from the Gascogne area of Southwestern France - we had eight cases that flew out of here in three weeks! Why? Because the price is great and the flavor is huge. This year, we're in plentiful supply, and we hope that you enjoy this rosé with the beautiful pinkish color; intense, aromatic expression on the nose, with a bouquet of red fruits, strawberries and a floral touch. On the palate, it shows remarkable balance between the freshness and the aromatic splendor. We'll be tasting it with you for the first time on Saturday - and we CAN'T WAIT!! (okay, we might try it Friday when it comes in...)

Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages '08
The Louis Jadot Mâcon Villages wine is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. The Mâcon Villages area is located in the southern part of Burgundy, close to the Beaujolais area. This appellation is the largest of the Mâconnais area. Forty three villages have the right to produce Mâcon Blanc Villages. The limestone subsoil of the Monts du Mâconnais are ideal for growing the Chardonnay grapes. Some small areas produce exceptional wines. The Louis Jadot Mâcon Blanc Villages is made from grapes from these different areas.Dry and easy to drink, lively and charming, this is a fruity wine with a floral scent and a hint of lemon, the Mâcon Villages should be drunk chilled and rather young (though it can be aged for up to five years). This wine goes very well with a large range of foods including "hors d'oeuvres", fried or grilled fish, sea food, goat's milk cheese, poultry.

Emeri Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc
The Spahhhkling! If you haven't tried this yet, where have you been?? This has become a go-to favorite for parties or just plain sitting on the back porch. One of only three sparkling Sauvignon Blanc made in the world, and the only one sold in the U.S. at this time, it's fresh and zingy with a light effervescence that makes it just plain fun. And, for you environmentally conscious wine lovers out there, it's important to note that De Bortoli doesn't just make wine; they take a leading role in sustainability, water recycling, waste control, greenhouse gas emissions and other key environmental issues.

Il Conte Villa Prandone Conte Rosso, $9.99
When we first tasted this $10-gem my thoughts were: "Oh, please let this be under $20 on the shelf". Wow, was I blown away when I found out we could offer this to you for 10-bucks. This is what we look for here: wines that are a bang for the buck. A blend of 50% Montepulciano and 50% Sangiovese, this is a pleasant, dry wine with blackberry and black cherry flavors. The Il Conte has taken on a life of its own.

Crios Syrah-Bonarda
One of the sister wines of our best-selling Crios Malbec, this blend from Argentina is a favorite of Neil and Lucas. Great for a cold winter night - or a barbeque!! Robert Parker is as big a fan of Susana Balbo's wines as we are: " Dark ruby-colored, it sports an aromatic array of cedar, cinnamon, violets, blueberry, and plum. Medium-bodied, spicy, layered, and well-balanced, this flavorful effort will drink well over the next 4 years. " 90 Points.

Deen de Bortoli Petit Verdot '06
One of Bordeaux' five noble grapes, the Petit Verdot thrives in Australia's sunny climates. Each individual parcel of fruit was selected by the winemaker and viticulturist based on ripeness and flavor profile. There was minimal handling throughout the winemaking process which included cool maceration on skins and lengthy, warm fermentation for gentle flavor extraction. The wine was matured in new and used French and Hungarian barrels. From Josh Reynolds of the International Wine Cellar: "Vivid purple. Musky red and dark berry aromas are complemented by tobacco and espresso. Juicy redcurrant and bitter cherry flavors are pleasingly tangy, with no apparent tannins. Clean berry skin notes linger on a long, juicy, herb-accented finish. Very interesting wine that wouldn't be out of place in a Loire Valley red wine tasting. 88 Points."

Burgáns Albariño Rias Baixas '08
We chose the Burgáns Albariño for it's Celtic-look, though it's from the Rias Baixas area of Spain. A perennial favorite - the current vintage received 89 points from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Light, bright yellow. Lively lemon and lime aromas are complemented by melon, pear and salty minerals. Juicy and focused, offering brisk citrus and orchard fruit flavors and a late note of smoky herbs. Gains sweetness with air and finishes with an appealing note of fresh pineapple. I like this wine's blend of sweetness and cut." The previous vintage received 90 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Burgáns is a custom cuvée made for importer Eric Solomon. While it's not the best Albarino on the market, in terms of bang for the buck, it has no challenger. The 2007 Burgáns Albariño is light gold-colored with a sprightly nose of mineral, spring flowers, and lemon peel. Ripe, balanced, and concentrated, this is an ideal match for flaky fish courses. Drink it over the next 1-2 years." This wine has a freshness that is unsurpassed. The mineral, stone quality mingling with the Meyer lemon simply screams for oysters on the half-shell!

M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage (Syrah)
This 100% Syrah wine is kept in vats for 10 months before bottling in the spring following harvest in order to preserve the natural fruit bouquet as much as possible. The resulting wine is a deep purple with a bouquet of red fruits, blackcurrant and raspberry. The taste is fresh and round with a finish of stewed fruits and a wonderful finesse. A red wine out of the northern Rhone Valley appellation of Crozes-Hermitage produced by the esteemed house of M. Chapoutier Wine Spectator states: "Polished, but not overly so, with a briary tug helping to define the blackberry, crushed plum, graphite and licorice notes. The long finish has a nice mix of fruit and iron. Drink now through 2011. 600 cases imported. And, the International Wine Cellar- "Bright ruby. Fresh cherry and cassis on the nose, with a dark chocolate quality adding depth. Bitter cherry and licorice flavors are youthfully firm, with dusty tannins accentuating the solid character." They say it so well!

Apaltagua Carmenère
This old favorite here at Menotomy deserves to be re-visited from time to time. This wine was once a tasting day blow-out, loved by all and taken home by most! Apaltagua Winery, located in the prestigious Apalta region in Chile's Colchagua Valley, specializes in one distinguished, but lesser known, grape varietal - Carmenère. Carmenère is considered the "lost Bordeaux" variety, as it was originally planted in Bordeaux, but was abandoned there because it was too late ripening for the Bordeaux climate. Thankfully, the Carmenère variety was imported to Chile where it not only survives (because of a longer growing season), but makes exceptionally good wines. Apaltagua, owned by the Edward Tutunjian family, has a missionary-like zeal in its dedication to the Carmenère grape. The winery produces three levels of Carmenère-based wines: Apaltagua Estate Carmenère, Apaltagua Envero, and Apaltagua Grial. The resulting wines exhibit a chocolately richness and a peppery edge, combining the best of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in one grape. All of Apaltagua's wines are made under the watchful eye of one of Chile's leading winemakers, Alvaro Espinoza. Made from 100% Carmenère grapes, this wine shows a spicy, plummy nose, and ripe, berryish fruit on the palate. Minimal intervention and gentle handling have been used to preserve the quality and character of the fruit. This wine is an impressive introduction to the Carmenère grape, and a very good value.

Domaine Sainte-Eugénie Corbières
Quickly becoming an underground favorite here at Menotomy, we thought we would introduce our little Corbières to the Wine Tasting crowd! Domaine Sainte Eugénie is located along France's Mediterranean coast, in the foothills of the Pyrénées, where clay and chalk soils dominate. The dry weather, sun and warm climate combine to create an optimal growing environment. This wine is made entirely from free-run juice. It is a blend of about 40% old vine Carignan (65+ years old), Grenache, and Syrah vines (25-46 year old vines). It is vinified for 9 months in barrels, varietal by varietal, then blended and placed in small casks for up to 15 months before bottling. The result is a marvelously complex and clean wine rivaling anything else produced in the appellation. The red fruits burst from the glass with mild hints of toast and spice that continue through the impeccably balanced finish.

Emeri Sparkling Shiraz
This wine deliciously combines fresh berry flavors, soft silky tannins and a fine persistent bead with a dry finish. Emeri picks its Shiraz at optimum maturity to ensure maximum flavor and soft, balanced tannins. Fermentation is completed mostly in-tank, along with a small fermented in bottle to add complexity. It is aged in a mixture of American oak barrels and on tank staves for a period of time ranging from 3 weeks to 8 months. "Bright colour; vibrant juicy fruit, pure blackberry and spice; juicy and fun on the palate, with a fresh and slightly savoury finish." -James Halliday's Wine Companion 2010

Vinas de Vila Tinto Fundación '08
The Vila family has been growing grapes in Argentinavila since colonial times. Its vineyards cover well over 1,000 acres, but wines bearing the "Vila" label are produced from select parcels in the Cruz de Piedra section of central Mendoza, near Maipu. Grapes are hand-harvested, and the wines are gently matured to perfection using a combination of oak staves and barrels. The emphasis here is squarely on value. Tinto Fundación, Vila's flagship blend of 50% Bonarda, 25% Malbec and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, is without a doubt one of the best value wines the world has to offer.

Paulo Laureano Alentejo Singularis '07
Chalk up another win for value wines from Portugal! The Singularis is carefully blended with 80% Trincadeira and 20% Aragones, then staged in French oak small barrels. With its gorgeous, intense ruby color, strong aromas of dark berried fruits and spice, and full rounded taste, this organic offering is sure to be a stand-out favorite amongst our Portuguese selections. Easy drinking at a great price!

Trentadue Family of Wines
La Storia Meritage, Viognier Port
and customer favorite, Chocolate Amore Port
Back before Christmas, we blew through the Chocolate Amore Port quicker than you can say "Ho-Ho-Ho"! You loved it! This Saturday, we'll be pouring it again, along with its companion, Viognier Port. We have enough of the Amore in stock to fulfill all of your Valentine's wishes!! We'll also have samples of Trentadue's La Storia Meritage, a Bordeaux-style blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Malbec and 2% Petite Verdot. We can't wait for you to try these new wines - and hope you like them as much as the Chocolate Amore!

Yalumba Viognier
Exotic, luscious, seductive, full-flavored; musk, spice, apricots, peaches, citrus blossoms, lychees... mysterious and alluring - these are some of the enticing descriptors that the rare Viognier wines attract. It was on a visit to Condrieu, the home of Viognier in France's Rhône Valley, that Yalumba's Peter Wall first encountered Viognier. Once grown extensively south of Lyon, Viognier is now virtually confined to the tiny Condrieu and Côte Rôtie regions, with the best wines form Château-Grillet, a tiny appellation of Condrieu. In 1980, Yalumba planted 1.2 hectares of Viognier in the Barossa - Australia's first commercial Viognier plantings. The Viognier grew quietly for 10 years, allowing the vines time to form regular cropping patterns and giving Yalumba a "breaking-in" period to experiment with the variety. Today, Yalumba has the largest mature Viognier resource and the oldest commercial vines in the Southern Hemisphere. And the winery now has access to around 29 ha of Viognier from a range of viticultural regions.

Yalumba Shiraz Viognier
The Yalumba Y Series of varietal wines express the lively personality and colorful 150-year history of the Hill Smith family of Yalumba, Australia's oldest family-owned winery. These are fresh, flavorsome, fruit-driven wines; the styles of quality and consistency highlight the true regional character of South Australia's most renowned viticultural area, and confirm Yalumba's reputation as Australia's finest independent winemaker. The grapes were fermented in static potters and rotary fermentors. Warm temperatures at the onset of fermentation and also 3-5 days post ferment maceration has helped extract soft, fleshy tannins, and build wine structure. Vibrant crimson with purple hues, the Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier has a nose that is very expressive of its grape origins, showcasing aromas of violets, blueberries and Turkish delight, with hints of ground spices. Medium bodied with lots of red berry fruits, the supple tannins and generous fruit flavours are typical of this contemporary red wine blend. The illustration of a dog on the Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier label symbolises the mateship and partnership that exists between many vignerons and their loyal growers and staff. The winery dog is a long-standing tradition - most wineries have one; books have been written about them; wines have even been named after them. They are a true representation of the many partnerships that exist in Australian wineries today.

Chateau Larroque '05 Bordeaux
This wine is drinking very nicely now after 1 year in barrel and 4 years in the bottle. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Larroque Bordeaux has flavors of red berries and cinnamon, and well balanced tannins. It needs a bit of time to breathe but this wine is affordable, perfect for a dinner party!

Evodia Altovinum '08 Old Vines Garnacha
We just know that this *MB&W Value Award Winner* will especially please our customers! It has incredible depth and complexity for this price point. Usually, of course, that is our mission- and this one hits the nail on the head!

"Bright ruby. Fresh strawberry and raspberry aromas are deepened by notes of licorice, black tea and pungent herbs. Supple in texture, offering sweet red fruit flavors and showing no rough edges. A smoky note comes up with air, adding complexity to a nicely persistent, red berry-dominated finish. Extremely easy to drink, and offering excellent depth and clarity for the money." 89 Points - Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar

Castano '08 Monastrell
A dark purple in color, this wine shows luscious blackberry and blueberry aromas that are at once expansive and precise, with sexy floral and spice qualities adding to its complexity. Juicy dark fruit flavors deliver a sexy wallop of sweetness, with no rough edges, no animal, earth or herbal characters. This is a very fresh wine, and it finishes with impressive cling and length. And the price is unreal. "This cuvée from Castaño is made from 100% Monastrell (Mourvèdre). Sixty percent of this wine is fermented traditionally, while the other forty percent goes through carbonic maceration. It is released young and is meant to be an easy drinking, everyday wine.

"The resulting wine has a bright, fresh raspberry bouquet with dense, textured, cherry flavors on the palate. It is well structured with supple, integrated tannins. This wine is a great match to simple, bistro-style fare but has enough body to hold up to hearty dishes including beef, game, and strong cheeses." 88 Points - Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar

Sierra Cantabria '06 Rioja
This wine is from the Rioja region of Spain and is made with 100% tempranillo. Here at Menotomy Beer & Wine, we usually do not look toward critics to select our wines, but we think that this quote days it all: "Saturated ruby. More powerful than the '04 on the nose, offering deep cherry preserve and plum scents. Displays zestier red fruits on the palate, which is firmed by fine-grained tannins. A suave mineral quality arrives with air, adding energy to the dark fruit qualities. The nicely focused finish is spicy and long." - 91 Points, S.T. International Wine Cellar

La Colombera Bricco Bartolomeo '07
Cortese is responsible for some of the most famous white wines of Italy, but rarely produces particularly complex wines. The La Colombera Bricco is a bit of an exception. It's a light, fresh style of white with a bright acidity that supports citrus flavors with aromatic grassy and nutty notes that add tremendous complexity. This wine is made in the small village of Vho, 7 miles away from Tortona, Italy, by a family that began wine making in 1937.

G.D. Vajra Nebbiolo '07
This wine is widely enjoyed and has always received exceptional reviews. The Nebbiolo is a lighter version of Vajra's Barolo, yet has a strong personality all its own. Ruby red in color, the wine has delicate scents of violets, roses and raspberries. On the palate, it is soft and accessible, with spicy ripe tannins and wonderful balance. Nebbiolo is a fickle grape, famed as much for its pale appearance as for its tannic character, and produces some of the most perfumed and richly flavored wines. Though generally only medium-bodied, the wines possess rose- and anise-scented aromatics, with deep flavors of cherry, orange peel and subtle green herb tones. This wine was grown and vinified in the Lahnge DOC in the Piedmont area of Italy.

Malma Merlot '05
Grown and vinified in the Patagonia region of Argentina, this Merlot is characterized on the palate by marmalade with a touch of cedar and smoky notes due to its aging in oak. It is also very creamy, with vanillin, a strawberry lusciousness and a bit of firm tannic weight kicking in to make it rich on the palate. It is a beautifully concentrated wine, and consistent with the Merlot varietal. There is plush fruit quality and a bit of jamminess. It is an intense, burgundy red in color, with aromas of ripe red berries like raspberry and quince; a drying wine, with quite a nice style in the end.

Altos Las Hormigas Malbec '08, $13.99
Malbec is the main grape grown at the Altos Las Hormigas Estate in Mendoza Argentina. Their Malbec is derived from grapes harvested at the end of March. The de-stemmed and softly pressed grapes are vinified in stainless steel vats. During the 15-day fermentation-maceration process, the must is pumped and punched down for optimal extraction. 50% of the wine stays in first-use American oak, and 10% in second-use French oak. The wine is bottled without any form of stabilization or filtration in order to not to alter quality, and is sold after aging in the bottle for three months. This is a great introduction to Malbec, with its rich flavors of black berry fruit, mulberry and black cherry, along with a bit of licorice and spice. The winery's symbol is the ant because the hormiga (ant) is one of the few creatures that can survive in the vineyard's hard-to-work soils.

Schreckbichl Chardonnay
Despite the fact that it was established in 1960, the history of Produttori Colterenzio - Schreckbichl has its roots in the time of the ancient Romans. In fact, the vineyards of Colterenzio are among the oldest in Europe, and the Cornelianum estate - which belonged to Cornelius, first Roman settler and viticulturist of the region - represents the starting point of the enological culture. It developed over the course of centuries and culminated in the Middle Age.

Produttori Colterenzio's vineyards are located in diverse areas of Alto Adige. They are cultivated at many different altitudes, and in different soils and microclimates. From the area of Cornaiano and Appiano Monte (400-600 meters/1300-2000 feet) come white-berried grapes such as Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. The Settequerce region - near Terlan - and Gries, in the neighboring of Bozen, produce red-berried grapes used for full-bodied wines such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Lagrein. The sunny hills of Cornaiano host the vineyards of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Schiava and Gewürztraminer. The vineyards spread from Salorno and Settequerce to the valley of Santa Maddalena, near Bozen; these diverse areas allow the winery to use grapes cultivated in different microclimates and with different times of ripeness, thereby increasing the wines' variety and personality. This Chardonnay is ripe and fresh, with minimal oaking and a lingering finish you are sure to enjoy!

La Colombera Elisa Barbera
Father and daughter, Piercarlo and Elisa Semino, produce their Colombera wines in the hills of Tortona. The history of the vineyards goes back to the 1930's, when Elisa's grandfather began planting vines. The Elisa Barbera is an intense and complex wine, cherry flavors with blackberry and plum jam, are detectable and nicely balanced with spicy aromas. A light scent of vanilla, together with sweet spices, leaves a pleasant memory. Nicely balanced on the palate, this wine is supported by good acidity and fine tannin thickness. Warm and soft, it is a well balanced and good structured wine. Young, lively and personal wine, we suggest tasting it after a few years. Enjoy alone or with roasts or other elaborate meat dishes.

Chateau Gigognan Côtes du Rhône '04
To get to the drive for the vineyards of Chateau Gigognan, one must pass through the Z.I. (industrial zone), and the difference between the two areas could not be more striking. Through broken auto yards and factories, past a facility whose sole purpose can only be described as "making rocks," you venture over a hill, down a tree-lined lane, and are finally presented with a truly bucolic setting. Chateau Gigognan is set in the corner of a verdant field, framed by rows and rows of vines. The Chateau once belonged to the Jesuit community, and is built atop the foundation of their centuries-old monastery. Since, it has received an entirely modern face-lift that any architect could appreciate. Some of the vineyards are over one hundred years old, yet the vines are given every modern convenience that a hands-on, organic and biodynamic approach can offer. The cellars are carved from old stone, but the grapes are carried there via gravity under strict temperature control both before and after fermentation. An amalgamation of new world and old, they combine the best of both. Each grape variety hails from its own vineyard. The fruit is picked and sorted by hand before being vinified separately. Blended with Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault, the brilliant red "Vigne du Prieuré" Côtes du Rhône has generous aromas of red berries, brambles, and spicy notes. It is supple and rich, yet at the same time, very sharp. Enjoy with either red or white meat, cooked pork meats or cheese.

Nine Stones Barossa Shiraz
A dry winter and spring caused lower than average crops to set. The weather was hot and dry at vintage, with fruit showing high sugar levels. This Shiraz is a hand-crafted wine made from selected parcels of low cropping fruit. Following fermentation, it spent time in a mix of new and seasoned oak hogsheads before bottling. The style is full-bodied and powerful, with the nose shows fruitcake and mocha with ripe blackberry and smoky barrel overtones. The palate has a sweet core of multi-layered fruit flavors, together with soft and supple tannins. These suggest an early drinking style, but this wine will improve for many years in the bottle. It is sealed with screwcaps to ensure freshness and consistency.

Trentadue Viognier Dessert Wine
A decadent and sweet treat! This dessert wine is made from the white Viognier grape - and is the companion wine to the Trentadue Chocolate Amore, which you loved and bought us out of over the last two weeks!

Joseph Cattin Alsace Pinot Gris
Jacques and Jean Marie Cattin's vineyard is located in the south of Colmar. The vineyards are located on 7 different communes, a diversity of terrain that allows Cattin to produce wines - including Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscatel, Tokay, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris - from almost any type of soil found in Alsace. They pick with a manual grape harvest in September and October, press with pneumatic presses, then decant for 24 to 48 hours. Fermentation is controlled in a new stainless steel tanking room, after which the wine is racked. Setting and aging take place in bottles starting in April. Cattin is a family of vintners dedicated to producing great wines, whether the year itself is great, or not! The Cattin Pinot Gris is gold in color with a slightly smoky, fruity, apricot taste. This is not your typical Pinot Grigio, or even Pinot Gris - it's in a category all by itself.

G.D. Vajra Langhe Rosso '07
One of the things we love to do here is bring in wines from small producers. A (small) problem with this, though, is that small producers have small quantities of wine. So, when a vintage is gone, we usually have to wait quite a while before a new one is bottled and ready to drink. G.D. Vajra is a perfect example of this. This blend of Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Freisa and Merlot is the third Langhe Rosso vintage that we will be welcoming into the store, and we don't have a lot of it. Neither do its importers, Jeannie and Eileen from Adonna Imports, so get it while you can!

Il Conte Villa Prandone Rosso Piceno '09
We don't want to jump the gun - really, we don't - but we could have a new Menotomy favorite here! Of course, we'll let you decide, but here are the details: the name is "Il Conte," and it's a blend of 50% Montepulciano and 50% Sangiovese from the Marches region of Italy. Its dark, plum-like color is echoed in cherry and dark fruit on the nose. The palate, with flavors of cherry, plum and sweet berry, shows medium body, smooth structure, good acidity, and a clean finish. This is a dry table wine, surprisingly pleasant, and, like a lot of wines here at Menotomy, especially amazing considering the price!

Lamezia Greco '07 White
Greco is one of a family of grapes with ancient origins in the Southern Italian region referred to by the Greeks as Enotria: the land of the vines. And in fact, the grape may actually have Greek origins (hence the name), though it is most closely associated with Campania's Greco di Tufo wine, a highly acidic white with a strong mineral tone and notes of almond, pear, green apple and acacia.

Lamezia '03 Riserva
This cantina is a true family affair: Salvatore and Giovana Lento take care of the viticultural side of things; lovely daughters Danila and Manuela are in charge of sales and marketing; and Giovana's brother, Antonio Zaffina, makes the wines. One of the striking features of this winery is their production of traditional, hearty, Southern-styled wines that nonetheless keep the alcohol in check through carefully controlled fermentation. The whites run 11-11.5%, and even the big reds are only 13%. This wine is palatable and balanced, with very persistent notes of vanilla, roasted coffee and cocoa. The twelve months it spends in French oak barriques enhance its body, the balance and pleasantness. It is a wine with excellent structure and a strong regional regional identity.

Federico II '03 Cabernet Sauvignon
Wow! WOW!! (And did we say, "WOW!!!!"?) One of the best old school Cabs in Italy: pure terroir on a stick. Forget about those highly extracted, overly-oaked Cabernets that seem to dominate the lower price point market. This wine has none of those "qualities"!

Cchia '03 Amarone Della Valpolicella
Amarone della Valpolicella - or "Amarone," for short - is created in Italy's Venetian region. Originally, there was only one legal region, or DOC, for the Valpolicella name. These wines are made with the Corvina Veronese, Rondinella and Molinara grapes. Two sub-groups emerged, though: recioto, which is a sweet dessert wine, and amarone, which is a dry red wine with great body. Both recioto and amarone are made with grapes that have been dried on racks to bring out their flavors. In 1991, these two were granted their own DOCs. The land area encompassed by these three DOCs is the same, but the types of wine are quite different. Amarone is the fourth biggest seller in Italy, behind Chianti, Asti, and Soave. This fine wine has flavors of licorice, tobacco and fig, and goes well with game and ripe cheese. While some styles of Amarone can be very bitter (that's where the name comes from), new styles are fruitier.

Borgo Boschetto Pinot Bianco '08
"Pinot Bianco", the Italian name for Pinot Blanc, should not be confused with Pinot Grigio! This light and lively varietal is yet another of the many derivatives of the Pinot Noir grape. Grown throughout the northern reaches of Italy, most notably in the Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardy and the Veneto, it is known for producing fruity wines of medium acidity and a somewhat neutral nose. Believed to have originated in France's Burgundy region, the grape has found an important place in northeastern Italy, especially in the Alto-Adige, Veneto and Friuli provinces. This Pinot Bianco is straw-yellow in color, crisp, dry, and medium-bodied. There is a fleeting aroma of green almonds, and on the palate, a light fruitiness and crisp acidity. A judicious use of oak adds vanilla and cream tones and imparts a Chardonnay-like texture and finish. Also knows as Pinot Blanc, the grape creates a lighter flavored white wine with citrus, melon, pear, apricot and perhaps smoky or mineral undertones combined with characteristic high acidity. This wine is best enjoyed while young, and please - not too cold!

Branco '09 Pinot Grigio
For the third vintage running, Igor's 2007 Pinot Grigio has garnered the prestigious 'tre bicchieri' award. Wine Spectator gives it 91 points, and it is now considered to be one of the ultimate expressions of the varietal. This medium- to full-bodied wine reveals subtle cooked apple, fresh pineapple and minerals on the palate with clean acidity and a flavorful finish.

Pretty Sally '03 Cabernet Sauvignon
Pretty Sally Estate was established in 1996 with a single mission: to produce world-class wines that over-deliver. Their commitment to excellence begins in the vineyard; only exceptional grapes can produce great wines. Detailed vineyard management is coupled with expert winemaking to produce their single-vineyard wines from their Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The winery describes the process that created their '03 Cabernet: "2003 was another great year at the Pretty Sally vineyard. The sun was warm and abundant during the day with our daily afternoon cool breeze from Port Phillip. We continue to experience lower than normal rain levels but our reservoir provided all the needed water with minimal back up from our well. We dropped fruit to low yields of around 2.3 tons/acre, resulting in grapes with extraordinary concentration. This year, harvest was completed right on schedule as the grapes had reached very good sugar levels while maintaining good acidity. Picking was done in a single session with on-the-spot selection. The fruit was fermented in temperature- controlled stainless steel tanks. After maceration, wine was barreled in all new French oak for 19 months. Following our winemaking philosophy of minimal intervention, the process was allowed to follow its natural course, yet always under meticulous scrutiny to avoid any flaws. The wine shows the natural evolution of the vines and the terroir. Dark red. Rich, spicy cherry on the nose, along with dark chocolate, vanilla and oak accents. Firm on the palate, with minty dark berry flavors and strongly oak-spicy notes of pepper and clove." We love that Pretty Sally does not release until they feel that a wine is at its best. Hard to find an '03 Cabernet at this price!

Allegrini Soave '07
We've presented a couple of Soaves to you over the last few months, and they've been very well received. This selection is a blend of 80% Garganega and 20% Chardonnay, and it's quite lovely. Allegrini uses the cold maceration technique to pursue fuller flavor extraction from the skins, giving the wine a rounder body and longer aging ability. It offers a fresh bouquet of herbs and flowers on the nose, and the crisp, citrus aroma lingers on the palate, framed by great acidity and minerality. Highly recommended with fish dishes, risotto, and poultry.

Domaine Camp Galhan Amanlie '07
Camp Galhan is a family domaine that has been making wine since the beginning of the 1900s. The winery gets its name from Galhan, a Roman camp that was located next to the present winery on the high slopes above the Gardon River north of Nîmes in France's Languedoc-Roussillon region. Amanlie - named after the winemaker's daughters Amandine and Emilie - is a blend of 80% Viognier and 20% Chardonnay. The nose is dominated by the Viognier, which gives aromas of apricot, peach, and white flowers. On the palate, Amanlie has more tropical fruit flavors, including mango and pineapple, and a bright mineral finish. With its lush, exotic-fruit flavors, this wine is an ideal match for scallops, crab, and lobster.

Hill & Dale Pinotage '07
South Africa's signature grape, Pinotage, is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, which is also known as Hermitage in South Africa. Just like the grapes, the names are blended to form Pinotage. Pinotage is one of those grapes that most people either love or hate. Many of the latter are turned off from these wines by the presence of unpleasant aromas and flavors that have variously (and understandably) been described as having burnt rubber, vegetable, or ash-like qualities. We think this one is different. It is a medium to full-bodied wine, with a good concentration of raspberry fruitiness. Soft, ripe tannins add to a very pleasant, lingering finish. This versatile wine will complement game casseroles, red and white meat, spicy fish dishes - even dark chocolate.

Quinta de Cabriz Dao Red '07
How, you may ask, does this Portuguese red fit into our holiday theme? Quite simply, this wine is just plain SCARY - scary in how good this blend is for the price! It's also flying up the Menotomy sales list like the speediest witch you've ever seen. Deep ruby red with purple notes and a pronounced nose of ripe blackberry fruits, spice and some oak. The wine is dry with good acidity. It is smooth, fresh and balanced and is a lovely example of modern day Portuguese wine that is round and supple with a dark berry fruit finish. While it's an excellent sipper on it's own, be sure to give it a try with beef, burgers, hearty dishes, lamb, steak, and spicy meat dishes.

Pichot Bourgogne '07 Aligoté
Aligoté has been planted in Burgundy for hundreds of years, although the total vineyard shrinks yearly as vignerons replace it with the more marketable Chardonnay. In the days before wine laws banned such activities, White Burgundy was often a blend of the white varieties available, including Aligoté, Chardonnay and the local pair, Pinots Blanc and Beurot (aka Pinot Gris).

Castello Monaci Maru '06 Negroamaro
The name comes from negro (black) and amaro (bitter), which describe characteristics of the grapes. The wine itself is very dark and does have a hint of bitterness to it, but in a good way. "The 2006 Negroamaro Maru reveals an exotic expression of dried figs, plums, cherries, spices, herbs and tobacco. It is an absolutely delicious wine to drink now and over the next few years. Castello Monaci makes a range of beautiful wines that highlight the unique qualities of Apulia's indigenous varieties."--Antonio Galloni of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Corvo Rosso - Nero d'Avola '07
While the nero d'Avola grape is not new to Menotomy customers, the Corvo Rosso is. It's made from a blend of red, indigenous Sicilian grapes, mostly nero d'Avola combined with smaller amounts of pignatello and nerello mascalese. Literally translated as "the black grape of Avola", the grape appears to have been selected by growers near Avola (a small town in south east Sicily) several hundred years ago. Initially, it was confined to the southern tip of the island but more recently has spread throughout the island; however, its best samples are still produced in this part of Sicily due to excellent climate and soils. Nero d'Avola is treated like Syrah, making mostly big, red wines with aging potential. It also gets made into a lighter style for younger drinking which might be compared to some of the New World Shiraz rosés. In the past, it was exported to quietly "beef up" wines from more northern climes but is now enjoying success as a proudly Sicilian variety.

Naia Verdejo '08
Viña Sila, the 40-hectare Bodegas Naia winery, is situated along the southernnaia bank of the Duero River in Rueda, one of the top regions in Spain for white wine. Most of the vineyards that produce fruit for Naia are twenty-six year old vines. A small percentage of fruit with a low yield comes from eight small plots in five hectares of choice parcels. All contain un-grafted, pre-Phylloxera Verdejo vines in sandy soils. Many are over 100 years old; the average age is 90. The vines produce fruit with unparalleled depth and concentration. Rueda has an "extreme continental" climate: very dry, with a low average rainfall of 300-500 mm/year, long, cold winters and short, hot summers. A dramatic difference between day and night temperatures is a vital factor in the production of grapes with proper phenolic ripeness levels, and skins with aromatic depth and flavor complexity. The vineyard's soils are alluvial sediments of the ancient Duero riverbed, and have a top layer of gravel two meters deep sitting on top of clay. Winemaker Eulogio Calleja used 100% Verdejo grapes that are aged sur lie (on the lees) for four months to accentuate the varietal characteristics of the Verdejo grape. The result is bright and aromatic, minerally, and fruity, with a steely acidity. Aromas include ripe peach, fresh apricot and honeysuckle, with traces of lime and orange zest. A zingy acidity on the palate begins with tart white peaches, developing into rounder, sweeter flavors of honeydew and melon. It is superbly refreshing - a real palate cleanser - and pairs well with shellfish (oysters, clams, and mussels), fish steaks (tuna, swordfish, marlin, mahi mahi, and Chilean sea bass), with lime or ginger marinades, and chicken prepared with wild, fresh herbs.

La Fortuna Malbec '07
Here's a Chilean twist on the French grape Malbec. It has aromas of red fruit, leather and dark chocolate in a juicy, balanced style with soft tannins and a medium to full body. It serves as a perfect reminder of why South American Malbecs are so popular! Medium-weight, with gutsy blackberry and black cherry fruit lain over briary tannins, it finishes with a hint of cocoa. This organic, vegan, sustainable, free-trade wine certainly gets an MB&W Green Label!

Esporão Verdelho
Esporão is a huge estate in the Alentejo, with 600 hectares of vines and two wineries; one entirely dedicated to reds, the other, to whites. An impressive 9,000 tons of grapes are crushed here each vintage, and visitors really get a sense of the immensity of the estate as they travel through seemingly endless vineyards on their way to the winery. In 1989, the first wine was released under the Esporão label, and, with its high profile on export markets, has been a sterling ambassador for the wines of Alentejo ever since. It comes as no surprise that a winery headed up by Aussie winemaker David Baverstock produces wines in a new world style, rather than old. They are largely labeled by variety, and display forward fruit as their dominant feature. In many cases, this is accompanied by a helping of new American oak. This Verdelho is clear, with hints of green sprinkled in the golden core. The nose is lime and peach, with touches of honey and cream. In the mouth, this wine is soft and creamy, with supporting acidity remaining a background element. Melon and honey notes are mimicked from the nose. Very tasty - and a great new wine.

David Hook "The Gorge" Shiraz '07
With its charming sandstone cellar door open daily for wine tastings & sales, this is one of the district's most outstanding boutique wineries. Winemaker David Hook specializes in unique grape varieties such as Viognier, Barbera and Merlot, as well as the traditional Hunter varieties of Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz - to name just a few. He established the original vineyard at Belford over 20 years ago, and numerous awards are testimony to his excellence as a winemaker. "Hunter shiraz are medium bodied wines showing red berries, spicy fruit and soft mild tannins. The wines have the ability to age more than their constitution often suggests. This wine is deep red in colour with purple tinges. The aroma is dominated by sweet berry and spice. The palate is medium bodied, showing fruit richness with peppery undertones. The finish is long soft and supported by the wines soft fruit tannins" - DavidHookWines.com.au

Dominio De Heredia '08 Rioja
When Oscar Martinez started making wine at Bodegas Altanza in 1998, he was hardly new to the process. Oscar is the third generation of a well-respected family of winemakers in Rioja. Altanza, in the center of Rioja Altaa around Fuenmayor, encompasses 120 Has. Tempranillo is the only varietal planted in the Estate, and yields are kept low - well below the 6,500 kg/Ha limit in Rioja. All grapes are handpicked in small cases and quickly taken to the winery. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 82F for at least 15 days, then a minimum of 15 days for maceration. Only native yeasts are used. Malolactic is done in large Allier oak vats that are also used to store the wine prior to bottling. This lively, fresh, delicious red is only slightly filtered before being bottled. It is made from 100% Tempranillo that sees 5 months in a combination of 70% French and 30% American oak. It sports plenty of bright cherry fruit with notes of spice, cedar and earth, has a fine balance, and a lift to the finish. This is a classically styled Rioja that expresses both the distinctive Rioja terroir and the vivid flavors of Tempranillo. For those unfamiliar with Rioja, this wine is in the weight range of a Pinot Noir, but its texure is a bit dustier. The wine is made from 25+ year-old vines all from all 120 hectares.

Domaine La Berangeraie '06 Cahors
These are powerful, rustic wines, and compared to Argentine Malbec, are a very different expression of the grape. Though they used to be called "black wines," because of the intensely dark color that own-rooted Malbec provided them, they rarely attain that level of darkness since they are mostly grafted onto other rootstocks to prevent phylloxera. That said, the combination of fig, black plum and cassis, almost buried in a mix of earthy, herby, prickly other aromas, quickly allays any fears one might have about these being shy or delicate wines. This wine is typical of good Cahors, in that it sings with rustic intensity. Firm tannins and great acidity frame the fruit and earth into a manageable - if somewhat unruly - package, and one really gets a sense that it is produced from a single, specific region! Try it with a steak, roast duck, or an earthy dish of roasted root vegetables with plenty of herbs and fat.

Beyond '08 Sauvignon Blanc
This South African white wine has a very nice, overall zippy character. It's packed with zesty flavors, a combination of grapefruit and citrus, plus gooseberry, green pepper, and lime, all backed by pronounced herbal notes and a minerally tang. A refreshing mineral quality and bright acidity lift the finish. Displaying an elegance typical of a cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc, this racy, livewire bottling offers tremendous bang for the buck, consistently earning "Best Buy" and "Best Value" accolades - and it's delicious with most fish preparations, pasta dishes with fresh vegetables (especially asparagus), or salads.

Peter Lehmann Clancy's Red '06
Lehmann's Clancy's blend has become a firm favorite with lovers of red wine around the world. They follow the pioneering Australian tradition of blending Shiraz with Cabernet Sauvignon, but give it their own touch, incorporating Merlot to give a soft, approachable and richly enjoyable red wine. Successive vintages of this wine have gained major recognition around the world for being an exceptional wine at a very fair price. America's leading wine magazine, Wine Spectator, has selected Clancy's in its prestigious Top 100 Wines of the Year listing on no fewer than four occasions since 1997, and selected the 2004 vintage to appear in its inaugural list of the world's Top 100 Wine Values. And - this wine is Vegan!

La Fortuna Sauvignon Blanc '09
You may remember from previous newsletters that wines are often fined with animal products. This crisp, mouth-watering Sauvignon Blanc happens to be certified vegan, fair trade and organic! That certainly deserves a "green label" from Menotomy! We think you'll love this wine, whether you are a die-hard vegan or not! It has refreshing tropical and citrus fruit flavors and a clean, well-balanced finish - delicious when served as an aperitif or with creamy pasta or grilled fish. La Fortuna vineyards are planted with vines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Carmenere, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. All the fields are managed under a strict organic protocol and the grapes are certified as such by IMO form Switzerland, a world-recognized organic surveyor. La Fortuna's 200 hectares of vines are planted within areas specifically chosen to obtain the best of each grape variety variety.

90+ Shiraz Viognier '07
Yet another fantastic wine from 90+. In fact, this was our initial favorite of the bunch, but it was sold out when Mary initially placed the order. We are very excited to introduce it to you! The nose is all spice and savory dark and red berries. The palate is full and textured with a wonderful explosion of spicy dark fruits, dried citrus zest and integrated oak, all combining beautifully with an abundance of soft, sweet tannins. The Viognier produces lively lifted aromatics of light citrus conserve with great mid palate texture.The Viognier and Shiraz were co-fermented and aged for 14 months in new French oak. The wine maker truly mastered this blend in which the Viognier component plays a significant rather than subsidiary role.

Spanish Quarter White Blend
An interesting Chardonnay-Albarino, and a perfect blend for hot weather! This wine is a lively straw-green color with a fragrant floral nose of exotic fruits and hints of fresh citrus. The rich, luscious palate has highlights of ripe peach and tropical fruit, with a long, clean citrus finish. The 2007 Spanish Quarter White is a blend of chardonnay and albarino, creating not only a nice sipping wine for a pre-feast gathering, but also a wine that complements a wide variety of foods, including breast of turkey, oyster dressing and green bean casserole. The chardonnay brings tropical fruit and citrus flavors as well as a rounded mouth feel, while the albarino contributes intense floral aromas and peach flavors. Blended together, they prove to be a terrific match! The resulting flavors are of tropical fruit, peach, and pear plus bright citrus and a bit of spice. Some pleasant pungency surfaces on mid palate and, as the two varietals coalesce, the fruit becomes more apricot-y and nectarine-like, with just a hint of flint.

Spanish Quarter Red Blend
Cab tempranillo
The Spanish Quarter Red is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo, yielding an easy-on-the-palate wine that pairs well with drumsticks, sweet potato casserole and corn bread dressing with sage. It's a deep, purple-red in color with a nose of dark cherry, blackberry, and hints of exotic spice and chocolate. The full, silky palate reveals layers of juicy ripe berry fruit, dark chocolate, and a touch of sweet oak on the finish.

90+Point Lot 2 Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand has emerged as the premiere and most internationally recognized wine region for quality Sauvignon Blanc. The opportunity to buy from this region, recognized for its long history of producing highly rated Sauvignon Blancs, could not be passed up. This lot is an exceptional value and will go fast! The nose is exuberant with citrus fruits, ripe melon and guava, with some underlying herbal and classic gooseberry notes. Fresh, sweet fruit and crisp acid gives balance, an elegant structure, and a smooth finish - a classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Contessa Emburga Sauvignon Blanc
Its color is bright straw yellow, with golden tonalities introducing the thick, intense scents. A tidy and dense nose anticipate a palate in which acidity and softness join harmonically. It has an intense bouquet of exotic fruit, and a balanced taste with a pleasant final note of dried apricot.

Langhorne Crossing White Blend '06
This blend of Verdelho (76%), Riesling (17%), and Chardonnay (7%), is a crisp, fresh, dry white wine displaying attractive fruit salad aromas and tropical fruit flavors. It is best drunk while young, when the lively citrus and tropical fruit characters prevail; it will develop more complex flavor with bottle maturation. A lovely accompaniment to Chicken Salad, Waldorf Salad, and fish, chicken and pasta dishes.

Donna Laura "Ali" Sangiovese di Toscana '08
Donna Laura, based in the Castelnuovo Berardenga area of Chianti Classico, crafts this versatile Sangiovese. It's aged in stainless steel tanks for a year before bottling, giving the wine a dark-toned fruit flavor. Pure, true terroir-based Sangiovese delivered at an affordable price is the calling card of this terrific new Tuscan producer. Donna Laura produces three cuvées of exceptional flavor and intensity. Owner Lia Tolaini-Banville utilizes two distinct Sangiovese clones to achieve both earthy, peppery depth and a lively fruit aspect. This cuvées, Ali (named for Lia's daughter), boasts dark-toned fruit, evenly moderated in the mouth by a slight spice and nice acidity.

Esporao Defesa Rosé '08
This Portuguese Rosé was a huge hit here at Menotomy last summer. A lively pink color, it presents an intense fragrance of mulberries and cherries. In the mouth, it is fruited and balanced, persistent and fresh. It accompanies lightly seasoned plates such as shrimp salads beautifully, and is also a wonderful aperitif.

Bleasdale Langhorne Crossing Red '06
You know how we love our blends here at Menotomy. Unfortunately, we lost one of our favorites recently when we were no longer able to bring in the Promised Land Shiraz/Cab blend from Australia. Never fear! This lovely Bordeaux-sbleasdale redtyle red will soon fill that empty place in your heart! This bright red is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Malbec (a surprise from Australia!), 15% Shiraz and 6% Petit Verdot. It has an expressive bouquet of red and dark berries, along with subtle floral and mineral nuances. Sappy, smooth and fruit-driven, with palate-coating raspberry and blackberry flavors, it has no obvious tannins, and finishes with good clarity and length.

Domaine Houchart Côtes de Provence '09 Rosé
A deep ruby color with aromas of cassis and red currant, this Rosé is a great combination with food. It has a good length and good structure in the mouth with fruity and floral notes, including plum. A perfect blend of 35% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 20% Cinsault, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Mourvedre, plus 5% other grape varietals, this Rosé is fresh and dry, with good acidity and excellent persistence. It's an overall pleaser, an ideal wine for Spring and Summer. The Domaine Houchart Winery, located in Châteauneuf-du-Pape (my favorite wine growing region!), is owned by the Quiot family. Their 200-acre estate lies at the foot of Mont Sainte Victoire near Aix-en-Provence.

Flonheimer Bingerberg Riesling Spätlese $12.99
Our sole German selection this week is a delicious, off-dry Riesling, sure to tickle your tongue and delight your senses. With distinctive aromas of green apple, papaya and ripe melon to beguile the nose, it's uncommonly long on the palate with an impressive finale. For the last several years, it's been featured in Legal Seafoods' wine list - try it for yourself!

Muga Rioja Blanco '07
This wine was rated a 90 by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. "Pale chartreuse color. Smoky orange and white peach aromas are brightened by dusty minerals and baking spices. Fleshy and focused, offering moderately deep citrus and orchard fruit flavors and a late boost of tangy minerals. Gained weight with air while maintaining vibrancy, finishing long and silky, with notes of ripe pear and orange." Robert Parker gave this wine 89 points.

Si Soave '09 $9.99
*MB&W Value Award Winner*
Soave is the top selling still white wine in Italy. Yes, more popular than Pinot Grigio! Soave is created in the Venice area from the Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave grapes. Soave is an extremely popular export, with around 50 million liters a year being produced. It's known to be delicate and light, perhaps a hint of almonds. Think perfume and gentle flowers. Gentle acidity. The only "grade" of Soave is Superiore, which requires 8 months aging and a minimum alcohol level of 11.5%. Legend has it that Dante, the famous Italian poet of the 13th century, gave soave its name (meaning "smooth"), because of its mildness. This wine certainly earns the MB&W Value Award!

Apaltagua Reserve Chardonnay '09
A Menotomy favorite!! The Apaltagua Chardonnay will knock your socks off - even if you think you don't like Chardonnay! With aromas of grapefruit and peach, and delicate pineapple notes, this lightly oaked Chardonnay is fresh, crisp, and juicy with a long and pleasant finish. The grapes come from personally selected vineyards in Chile's cool Casablanca Valley.

Tilia Bonarda
A great barbeque wine! The nose shows ripe red fruits with hints of violets and anis. The mouthfeel is sweet and juicy: raspberry and cherry fruit flavors, with spicy black pepper notes. The finish is soft and sweet, with round, velvety tannins.

Mi Amore Albana di Romagna '07
*MB&W Value Award Winner*
Made from Albana grapes, this wine is the color of light straw - yellow, with greenish hues. It is intensely fruity on the nose, like fresh fruit salad. These hints and a pleasant sweetness on the palate make this Italian wine a delicious match with cheese, pastry or dessert. The Albana grape is an ancient varietal that dates back to 435 AD. "Out with the Old and in The New" is not a rule to live by!

Masciarelli Trebbiano d' Abruzzo
*MB&W Value Award Winner*
Over the past ten years, the Masciarelli Wine Estate has developed a well-deserved reputation as the cutting-edge winery in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Azienda Agricola Masciarelli is the largest organically farmed Estate in Italy, with a vineyard located on 1000 prime acres spreading from the cool, mountain Villa Gemma and Marina Cvetic vineyards at San Martino, to the warm, low lying Valori and Iskra vineyards in Teramo and in Italy's newest DOCG, Contraguerra. It's famous as Italy's 2004 Winery of the Year, an honor bestowed just on the heels of Gianni Masciarelli's Winemaker of the Year award in 2003. The winery offers a genuine piece of Italian vinous art - a nice marriage of old and new world styles. Static decanting of the must, soft pressing, controlled temperature fermentation and ageing in stainless steel results in a delicious experience, with hints of apple, apricot, and iris; a perfect complement to seafood salads and light fish dishes. Another fantastic value here! (I "tested" it out at home on my husband and girlfriends but kept mum on the price point. Everyone loved it and was shocked to learn that something so delicious could be so affordable!

Chono '08 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Chono vineyard is established in alluvial soils, with a texture of sandy loam and a profile of gravel and stones that ensure excellent conditions for drainage. Fertility is low, and yields are properly controlled to obtain a good concentration on the fruits. Combinations of high and low temperatures during summer, which range between 15° and 32° Celsius, permit perfect ripening conditions for the fruits. The Maipo valley gave the wine strong tannins and a good structure, which harmonizes nicely with ripe fruit aromas of berries and cassis. The grapes were picked by hand according to their ripeness during the two last weeks of April. A cold maceration for four to five days, as well as malolactic fermentation, was done naturally in barrels and stainless steel tanks. For up to ten months, 60% of this blend (85% Cabernet sauvignon, 15% Syrah) was racked in French and American barrels, then bottled unfiltered and stored for an additional three months before it was released. The result is well worth the wait. Its dark ruby coloring is set off by reddish-purple glints. There are characteristic Cabernet aromas, blackcurrant and fresh herbs with a back note of dark chocolate. Medium-bodied but intense, typical varietal flavors follow the nose, built on a solid structure of acidity and soft tannins.

Chono '08 Carménère
The grapes for this wine - Carménère, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, and Syrah - were hand picked in the second week of May. Carménère grapes account for 85% of the whole, with the latter three each contributing 5%. Each parcel of the vineyard was harvested according to the ripening of the fruits, followed by two days of cold maceration in stainless steel tanks. The fermentation was temperature-controlled at a range of 27° to 30° Celsius for over three weeks, and a natural malolactic fermentation took place in barrels as well as in stainless steel tanks. For ten months, 60% of the wine was kept in new French and American barrels, with the remaining 40% kept in tanks to enhance its fruitiness. The wine was bottled unfiltered and stored for three months before its release. There are wild flowers and violets at the nose, and boysenberry is the dominant fruit, gaining complexity with layers of spice and licorice on the palate. The fruity sensations evolve lush and ripe on the palate, and are packed in sweet tannins that speak of the extraordinarily sunny climate on the foothills of the Andes.

Masciarelli Montepulciano D' Abruzzo
*MB&W Value Award Winner*
Harvest starts at the end of September and lasts until early October; fermentation and aging takes place in stainless steel. This wine has a few characteristics that make it a bit dirty and interesting in an old world way, but has enough fruit to appeal to fans of new world wines. A slightly smoky, dusty nose is underscored with dark berries and leather, and there is very good concentration in the palate: cherries, blackberries and chocolate all have a strong presence. There is an abundance of fruit, but it is a touch young tasting, keeping this wine very dry. It has a medium length finish with smooth tannins and a hint of chocolate. An excellent accompaniment to a relaxing night of pizza, pasta or burgers with good friends.

Chateau Pesquie Terrasses
Dark red color, nose blossoming into jammy berry aromas set off by a touch of spice. This medium to full-bodied wine with a powerful mouth feel with elegant and onctuous tannins, is enhanced by very round cherry and black current notes finishing with spicy flavors.

Yalumba '08 Viognier
It was on a visit to Condrieu, the home of Viognier in France's Rhône Valley, that Yalumba's Peter Wall first encountered Viognier. Once grown extensively south of Lyon, Viognier is now virtually confined to the tiny Condrieu and Côte Rôtie regions, with the best wines form Château-Grillet, a tiny appellation of Condrieu. In 1980, Yalumba planted 1.2 hectares of Viognier in the Barossa - Australia's first commercial Viognier plantings. The Viognier grew quietly for 10 years, allowing the vines time to form regular "cropping patterns and giving Yalumba a "breaking-in" period to experiment with the variety. Today, Yalumba has the largest mature Viognier resource and the oldest commercial vines in the Southern Hemisphere. And the winery now has access to around 29 ha of Viognier from a range of viticultural regions. At Yalumba, environmentally-friendly, sustainable activities are recognized as an intrinsic aspect of wine quality. In order to substantiate this aspect of quality, Yalumba has implemented a brand stewardship program that reflects authenticity, due diligence, product safety and credible environmental management. By addressing those activities that have a significant environmental impact, Yalumba ensures its employees and other stakeholders a healthy and productive life in an environment that is safe, aesthetically pleasing and ecologically functional. This wine is bright straw with green tinges, and has aromas that typify this exotic variety, namely jasmine, white peach and honeysuckle. These aromas are mirrored in the palate that displays richness and texture from wild fermentation and lees aging. A clean, persistent finish is complemented by some exotic spices.

Garnacha De Fuego '09
For the the uninitiated, Garnacha is the same grape that's known as "Grenache" in France, California, and many other areas of the world. In fact, Grenache / Garnacha is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world, though it's most commonly associated with the hot, arid regions in the south of France, the southern Rhone Valley and much of Spain. If you're unfamiliar with the Garnacha of Spain, it may be helpful to know that Grenache is usually one of the base grapes of Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Jelu '09 Malbec
We just can't resist this Malbec: It's a perfect example of how well this lovely red grape can do in Argentina. The grapes are put through cold maceration, followed by warm fermentation temperatures and prolonged skin contact with a judicious use of micro-oxygenation. The finishing touch is a 9-month ageing in French and American oak. Made on a Practicing Organic estate in the Mendoza region, this full-bodied wine shows dark berry fruit and a spicy edge on the finish. Known as "Côt" throughout much of France, Malbec is the dark-skinned variety that put Argentinian wine on the map - and likewise, Argentinian Malbec saved the grape from near obscurity... thank goodness!

Emeri Pink Muscato
If you're looking for an easy drinking wine to enjoy during warm weather, Bortoli's new Emeri Pink is a great choice. Its pale, translucent pink color sets the tone, continued by aromas of strawberry and musk. Sweet fruit flavors are carried on the back of a heap of soft, pinkish bubbles, and the palate comes up with tropical characters: pineapple and guava, cherry and melon, and a healthy amount of ripe currant. Its fresh finish is just what you'd hope for in this very "Summery" wine!

Terrazas '08 Malbec
This value-priced version of a rich Malbec comes from a winery located in the cool foothills of the Andes. A brilliant deep reddish purple color invites the eye, and the full nose with an intense fruit bouquet continues the journey. Its outstanding fruity mouthful and good acidity make for a very friendly wine - round, soft, and fresh. The edgy taste offers both stone fruit - plums, cherries - and raisins, making this an excellent accompaniment to barbecued marinated meats in the Argentine tradition, as well as pastas and rich sauces. Another Globe "plonk" wine!

Lento Greco
The greco grape's color is a delicate straw yellow, and the grape itself is thought to be of Greek origin. Greco has a balanced nose, with notes of ripe apricots, a hint of citrus and apple, and an equally harmonious taste, with a fresh note of acidity followed by a whisper of a fruity taste. With its distinct personality and strong character, Greco is a great complement to seafood risotto and white fish.

Dragone Bianco
A blend of Greco, Malvasia and Trebbiano, the Bianco is a pale straw-yellow in color, and is rich of flowers and fruits perfumes. In the mouth it is elegant, harmonic and soft, with a good structure and a taste that fulfills the bouquet's promises.

Dragone Rossodragone
A blend of Magliocco, Nerello and Greco Nero, the Rosso is an intense ruby red. A wide and enveloping nose, rich in red fruit notes, mingles with a clear structure and persistent, final notes and balanced tannin content. These characteristics produce a round, velvety wine - very pleasant, and a great accompaniment to roasted lamb, ribeye or meatloaf and a perfect companion to eggplant parmigiana and red sauces.

Lamezia Riserva '03
Bright ruby red, with an intense nose and light spicy notes, Lamezia Riserva is palatable, balanced with an excellent structure, and very persistent notes of vanilla, roasted coffee and cocoa. The grapes are gathered when perfectly ripe and their stalks put away. The winery then starts a fermentation process, and an intense maceration, for about 18 days. When the wine is two years old, it is put in oak French barriques for 12 months, enhancing the body, the balance, and adding to the pleasantness of this wine with its strong regional identity.

Gaba do Xil Godello '08
Telmo Rodriguez is one of Spain's pioneer winemakers, advocating native grape varietals tied to the climates and conditions of their sites. Perhaps most impressive, while Telmo Rodriguez makes rare and limited wines of astonishing character and quality, his everyday wines have been equally praised, and widely recognized for the tremendous value they offer. Godello is a rich, aromatic Spanish white grape. It also has an attractive mineral frame. Lemon-melon-pear are the main flavors in this Rodriguez offering, particularly canned pear. The texture is slinky-creamy with mineral and a nip of fresh acid in the finish.

La Linda Rosé of Malbec
Made from 100% Malbec grapes, this wine has an appealing light pink color with violet hues. On the nose it displays red stone fruit and strawberry aromas. It is a dry and fresh wine with sweet sensations. Picture yourself in the backyard on Sunday, swilling this delight from Argentina!

Petit Bourgeois Cabernet Franc '07
This red wine develops the harmonious notes of red fruits so representative of the Loire vineyards. Aromas of strawberries, red currants, and cherries "sweeten" the hints of spice. This presents very pure, fresh and herbaceous Cabernet Franc, supported by a well-integrated structure and refreshing minerality. Light, discreet, and elegant, this charming fruity wine asks for cuisine of the same sort. Fowl or other white meats are perfect as are a wide range of prepared cold meats. This is a really bright, vibrant red for early drinking - particularly attractive served chilled!

Domaine De La Maurelle Gigondas
Gigondas has a reputation for being a sort of "country cousin" to the more sophisticated Châteauneuf-du-Pape. However, speculative wine lovers can find wines of fascinating complexity and great value at Gigondas. In this rustic, traditional Rhone, hints of tobacco and dried herbs mingle with briary blackberry and plum fruits. It's an intense, dark-red color with a nose dominated by ripe red fruit and a hint of savory spices. Domaine De La Maurelle is a satisfying red designed to complement almost any cuisine. Full-bodied with velvety tannins, it's at its best with red meat. Grenache dominates the blend, and the 15-month aging process in used oak provides a spicy counterpoint to the ripe fruit. This is a Menotomy favorite and the first wine that Neil fell in love with.

Casa Julia Sauvignon Blanc
This Chilean Sauvignon Blanc from the Maule Valley in Chile is both intense and aromatic, offering lot of tropical fruits and citron blossoms. The mouth is herbaceous and tasty, acidic and fresh.

Casa Julia Cabernet Sauvignon
This exceptional Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon has a very nice aroma, with notes of leather and dried fruits. An appealing mouth feel, with a medium body and balanced tannins, culminates in a tasty finish reminiscent of dark red fruits and berries.

Jelu '09 Torrontes
The Santa Sylvia vineyard has been recognized as a potentially world-class site for wines. The Jelu project was created to promote the terroir of the Zonda Valley of Argentina, where both the weather and the terroir are extreme. Temperature variations of 50 degrees in one day are quite common during the summer months. The soil in this property is alluvial; it sits on an old riverbed, and the once-flowing water left minerals and other deposits such as gold. These factors combine to give the wines a unique character. On the nose, this wine blends distinct lemon zest with a heady floral scent and creamy lemon flavors. This is balanced with bright, citrus flavors on the palate, with a rich texture and sufficient balance.

Sauvion Vouvray '08
Vouvray is the largest white wine appellation of the Anjou-Saumur-Touraine region. It produces a splendid array of wines, from the dry and austere, to the richest of dessert wines, to excellent sparkling wines. Vouvray is made exclusively from Chenin Blanc, which has been grown in the region since the 4th century. On average, 60% of each vintage is made into still wine, and 40% made into sparkling. The cool climate ensures good acidity, which is balanced by the distinctly fruity character of the Chenin Blanc and the mineral qualities imparted by the soil. The Vouvray vineyards are subject, in good years, to botrytis cynera, the mold responsible for most of the world's great sweet white wines. In these years, harvest is delayed until well into November (the latest harvest in France) and there may be several pickings in order to harvest the grapes at their moment of optimum ripeness. In other years, only dryer (sec and demi-sec) wines are made. Together with Muscadet, Vouvray is the most popular Loire wine in the USA. It is grown in Touraine amongst the hundreds of romantic châteaux, and is the perfect introduction to Loire wines: easy to drink, fresh, soft, velvety.

Maquis Lien '05 Maquis Lien '06
The distinctive 2005 Maquis Lien is made from a finely tuned blend of 38% Syrah, 32% Carménère, 15% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, and 7% Malbec. It is a generous red wine that reflects the character of the Hurtado family's special plot of land. To make this fruity and concentrated blend, winemakers Ricardo Rivadeneira Hurtado and Alejandro Jofré have developed vines that bear no more than 12 bunches of grapes per vine. Only the ripest are selected for hand-sorting at the winery. The Lien is barrel aged for 12 months in French oak. Fewer than 2,000 cases of the 2003 Lien - the winery's inaugural release - were produced. In Chile's native Mapuche language, lien means "silver metal," a reference to colonial Spanish coins that were once melted to make fine jewelry, like the lizard on the Maquis label.

Crios Malbec '08
Let's revisit a new vintage of an old favorite! Consistently among our top selling reds here at Menotomy, the Crios Malbec from Susana de Balbo's Dominio del Plato winery in Mendoza, Argentina, is a favorite amongst the staff as well. The past three vintages have been rated 90 points or higher by, among others, Robert Parker and Wine & Spirits magazine. If you're thinking that the 2008 vintage might be too young, remember that the Earth's southern half is a full season - and vintage - ahead of us here in the Northeast. And the vintners have expressed their approval of "early" drinking as well! Crios means "offspring," and is meant to express that these are wines that have not quite "grown up" yet, that they should be enjoyed while still young and vibrant. And you'll be among the first to try the '08 vintage! There are obvious flavors of cherries and spice, a jammy fruit quality that stays strong throughout, and delightful hints of spice piping up in the background.

La Colombera Bricco Cortese '07
From the town of Tortona in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, this white offers abundant pear fruit with just a hint of minerality. It's made from the Cortese grape, an Italian grape revered in the northern parts of the country but seldom seen elsewhere. The best examples come from the DOCG of Gavi, in the region of Piemonte. Cortese di Gavis are light, crisp and have pleasant aromas of almonds, citrus fruits and freshly mown grass. It is also grown in the hills around Monferrato as well as in Lombardy, where it's part of the blend Oltrepo Pavese.

Trapiche Oak Cask '07 Pinot Noir
It's difficult to find a good Pinot Noir at a value price - many of the best ones are over $15. Some of our favorite Pinot Noirs here at MB&W come from Oregon and California, but when we set out to find a great Pinot Noir at a value price, we found success in the Mendoza region of Argentina! Trapiche Oak Cask Pinot Noir flavors are of up-front fruit with slightly spicy finishes. This incredible value could very well become your new everyday drinking wine!

MAN Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon '09
This "MAN thing" began with three friends and an idea: make a wine that they themselves would love to buy. Good quality, excellent value, cool packaging. Not exactly an epiphany, but a good idea - and it motivated them to action. Showing an early aptitude for the art of marketing, they named the winery after their wives, using the initials of their first names. (At least, that's how they explained to Marie, Anette, and Nicky that they were going to be "busy" most weekends.) It would have been easy to slap on yet another cute and furry label, but one of the that would have violated Founding Tenet #3 - cool packaging. The world does not need any more MAN's Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc, reflects the extreme terroir. Tenet #1 is followed to the letter - gutsy, bold and juicy, this red wine has red-berry fruit aromas and a touch of oak spice, classic Cabernet cassis and red-currant fruit flavors with silky tannins, and a long finish. It complements a wide range of foods, particularly red meats and pasta. And, finally, it fulfills Tenet #2 - a fantastic value!

carlos basso cab Carlos Basso Reserve '08 Cabernet Sauvignon
Mendoza Province is one of the driest places on earth. The mammoth Andes mountain range catches any cloud blowing in from the pacific, meaning there is very little rain. Yet Mendoza produces 70% of Argentine wine and Argentina is the fifth biggest producer in the world. Mendoza's capital is a garden city of tree-lined streets and sculpted parks. Every leafy town in the province is surrounded by hundreds of vineyards and farms producing everything from olives to peaches. How? Those same mountains that stop the rainfall catch the snow. The snow melts on the peaks (including Mt. Aconcagua, the tallest mountain outside the Himalayas) and is carried through a complex system of rivers, dykes and dams. This miracle of water supports people and industry. Mendoza city has grown into a green oasis of calm amidst a hot and sweltering desert. This area is the perfect climate for growing some really fantastic wines and this Cabernet is no exception. Full bodied, intensely scarlet colored wine with fresh and fruity aromas accompanied with black pepper and currants.

Yard Dog Red
Fresh, with a silky texture and no rough edges to the sweet red berry flavors, Yard Dog finishes with notes of spicy cherry and sweet mocha. Vibrant on the nose with raspberry, red currant, rhubarb, and a hint of bitter chocolate, it's very fresh on the palate. Excitable aromas of currants lifted violet and notes of cherry and leather heel the exuberant berry aromas. Finishing with notes of spicy cherry and sweet mocha, this blend - 55% Petit Verdot, 30% Cabernet Sauvingnon, 15% Merlot - has won numerous accolades and a huge amount of press.

Castillo de Monseran '06 Garnacha Carineña
Castillo de Monseran is the largest producer of old-vine grenache in North Central Spain (the birthplace of Goya). This region is known for producing fantastic wines from old vines of Grenache, or as the Spanish say, "Garnacha." This fruit-forward grenache has the wonderful black cherry flavors typically found in great Garnacha. This is one of the best value reds in the store, with plenty of fruit and spice and a satisfying dry finish. Great everyday red!