Newsletter
July 15, 2016 – August 14, 2016
Grape Without Border
2015 Riviera Ligure di Ponente Rossese (Bruna)
Sale Price $17.99 – $183.50 case of twelve
Brol Grande
2013 Bardolino Classico ‘Brol Grande’ (Le Fraghe)
Sale Price $14.99 – $152.90 case of twelve
Matilde Poggi is a serious winemaker who makes for the most part unserious wines from the Corvina grape variety. Her regular red Bardolino and her Chiaretto (see inside) are so charming that you may forget that you’re drinking such exquisitely made wine. A few vintages ago she started producing a single-vineyard wine that is deeper, darker, and sappier than her regular Bardolino. She is so serious about Brol Grande that she skipped the 2014 vintage entirely and held back the 2013 until now. In summer we advise chilling this slightly to allow the fresh plummy fruit to shine. Have this deep, charming red with grilled tuna or salmon.
Barbera
2013 Barbera d’Alba (Oddero)
Sale Price $14.99 – $152.90 case of twelve
Barbera qualifies as a suitable summer red because it has very little
tannin. The 2013 from Oddero is a ripe, gentle Barbera from grapes harvested in the hallowed commune of La Morra in Piedmont’s Alba district. Aged for a year in large, older barrels, it is just now released. The result is a rich, round red with peppery flavor mingled with red berry fruit and a lovely herbal finish. Have this with a tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad. Toss in some grilled corn and you have a summer feast.
Chinon
2015 Chinon (Clos de la Lysardière)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
Fronton de Oro
2014 Gran Canaria Tinto (Fronton de Oro)
Sale Price $17.99 – $183.50 case of twelve
A few years ago we adored this Listan Negro-based red from Fronton de Oro on Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands. Then a change in importers and a lack of supply halted that brief run. Now we’re ecstatic to have the Fronton de Oro Tinto back. For a wine grown off the coast of Africa this is astonishingly graceful. The combination of volcanic soil and high elevation help retain a freshness and an intriguing earthiness. Have chilled with a spicy fish and rice combination.
Kalterer See
2015 Kalterer See (Colterenzio)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
First let us try to decode the label. The Kalterer See (Lake
Kaltern in English) is also known as the Lago di Caldaro in the Süd Tirol/Alto Adige region of Northern Italy. Surprisingly this region produces more red wine than white, with the overwhelming majority of the red grapes being the Schiava variety. Heard of it? It is mostly consumed locally and to the north in Austria where its light, refreshing crispness is quaffed with the mountain fare. So why does it say Auslese/Classico/Scelto on the label as well? These are all terms for the finer grade of this wine, which in the 2015 vintage from Colterenzio is about as good a Schiava as you’ll get in these parts. This along with the Rossese (above) are red wines that require chilling and will produce wonderful
summer food-matching results.
Listed prices are honored through August 14th, 2016. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 40, No. 8
2015 Bardolino Chiaretto ‘Rodon’ (Le Fraghe)
2015 Chinon Rosé (Olga Raffault)
Luberon lies in the easternmost part of the Rhone valley, just south of Ventoux. We’ve been fond of bargain red wines from Ventoux, and the whites from Luberon have a comparable appeal. The 2015 le Novi jumps out of the glass with its aromas of pear and tangerine. Cool and crisp peach flavors are followed by a wave of cleansing acidity. Enjoy it with a light salad of seafood or simply a piece of goat cheese.
Château de Lussac offers an elegant right-bank Bordeaux composed of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and a dash of Petit Verdot. We were charmed by its spicy nose, persistent raspberry fruit, and kiss of vanilla in the finish. This will pair nicely with a chicken stuffed with herbs. 
Grechetto is generally used to make value wines that are quaffed for pleasure and texture or relegated to a supporting role in wines such as Orvieto. But a handful of distinguished producers find a middle ground price-wise while allowing Grechetto to shine like a star. Case in point is Leonardo Bussoletti’s Colle Ozio, an equal blend of two varieties of Grechetto. He selects Grechetto di Todi (also known as Pignoletto) for its aromatics and Grechetto di Orvieto for its concentration and mouthfeel. This certified biodynamic white sees no wood but is left on the lees for six months, then in the bottle unfiltered for another six months, resulting in a rich and elegantly layered wine of woodsy spice, herbs, and almonds. Considering its limited production (7500 bottles) and accolades (Gambero Rosso’s Three Glasses), it’s amazing that this wine is as affordable as it is.
Vouvray has taken a beating from spring frosts and hail in recent vintages, but the 2015 vintage yielded a good-sized crop of classic wines. Domaine Le Capitaine has produced an amazing Demi-Sec in 2015. There is ample fruit and a beautifully balanced soft chalkiness from the soil. This lovely white will be a great match with crab cakes.
As much as we like Albariño, we have been in a bit of a drought lately. Fortunately, the Galician rain has come in the form of Benito Santos. Each of his three organic Albariño vineyards is located next to an ancient church. This bottling is from the Saiar vineyard. The 2014 is a bracing slap-in-the-face North Atlantic white with a salty minerality mixed in with subtle crunchy fruit. This is the lobster/clam/scallop white we have been waiting for.
The folks at La Tosa make an intriguing mix of wines. Some are fizzy, some are still – and that includes both red and white. For the moment we’ll concentrate on their terrific 2015 Gutturnio Superiore TerredellaTosa, a blend of Barbera and Bonarda. This forest-scented dry red has real length and a gorgeous spice and fruit flavor. This is the kind of red that we crave with a pasta and fresh tomato sauce laced with garlic. Also worth noting is that this wine has no added sulfites.
This semi-hard Italian blue cheese aged in beer and malt is something quite different. Made with pasteurized cow’s milk and aged at least 50 days, it will appeal to those who like stronger blues. From La Casearia Carpenedo, the maker of cheeses such as Perlagrigia and Ubriaco, both of which have been featured in our selection from time to time.
2015 Touraine Sauvignon (Le Grand St-Vincent)
2015 Bordeaux Rouge (Château Grand Rousseau)
2015 Custoza (Gorgo)
2015 Vernaccia di San Gimignano (Casa alle Vacche)