September 23rd and 24th Wine Tasting

Borgo Boschetto Pinot Grigio – $12.99

FYI Alert: Pinot Grigio is more than just the Italian name for Pinot Gris. Although the two names refer to a single grape variety, the wine styles they represent are clearly distinct from one another. Pinot Grigio wines can carry more of citrus quality and less weight while most Pinot Gris from Oregon and France can show more stone fruit with more weight. They can both display a beautiful minerality.

This wine is one of the leading wines of the North East of Italy. It has a straw-yellow color with slight ash-grey hues. Its bouquet is intense, pleasant and particular. To the palate it has a solid structure and a good persistence. It goes well with rich soups, rice dishes made with light meat, white meat or chicken. The difficult thing about Pinot Grigio is they can sometimes lack character, so we are very selective of what we buy when it comes to these wines. I trust we haven’t disappointed you.

Jean Manciat, Mâcon-Charnay Franclieu 2015 – $17.99

Jean Manciat’s 5.5 hectares (14 acres) vineyards can be toured on foot in a few minutes. A “hectare” = 2.471 acres or roughly 2.5. When Manciat took over his family estate, he immediately left the coop (coop grape farming and winemaking is common in all countries) in Charnay. He replanted extensively, but kept as many of the old vines as possible. The yields average less than 50 hectoliters/hectare (the coops routinely harvest twice as much per hectare) and the picking is done by hand, a tradition totally lost around here except at the best Mâcon estates. 100% Chardonnay from Manciat’s tiny estate in Charnay. Manual harvest, spontaneous fermentation, vinification and élevage entirely in stainless steel. The farm is organic.

Kevin: I have tasted 5 vintages of this wine and this is the best I’ve encountered and through negotiations the price has not gone up.

Chateau de Chantegrive, Graves, Bordeaux 2009 – $27.99

Review in 2012 “A major sleeper of the vintage, this blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is another “best ever” performance. Notes of tobacco leaf, hot rocks, sweet kirsch and black currants are impressively displayed in this medium to full-bodied, velvety textured, very seductive style of wine. Drink it over the next decade.” The Wine Advocate Robert Parker

Kevin’s Note: Please keep in the mind; winemakers, winery owners, and critics consider the 2009 and 2010 the greatest vintages ever for Bordeaux wines. From time-to-time, Bordeaux wineries will release older vintages such as this wine, but they naturally become more expensive the older they get. This is an amazing wine, and we are happy to share it with you this weekend.

Antucura Vista Flores Malbec 2015 – $15.99

Antucura means “Sun Stone” in Mapudungun, the Mapuche language that was spoken by the inhabitants of the Valle de Uco, a region located in the centre-west of Mendoza city. Vista Flores is located in the Valle de Uco and is considered one of the most important wine areas of Argentina. It is a beautiful place, located at the foot hills of the Andes Mountains, where our vineyards find unbeatable temperature and soils to produce exceptional quality grapes most every year. We believe this attribute is present in our fruit and in each glass of our wines.

Tasting Notes: Intense and brilliant color with aromas of violets red fruit. The overall palate denotes a full, soft and lush character with sweet tannins leading into notes of cherries, sour cherries and blackberries. This is a serious Malbec.