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August 2003 Collector´s Club
2000 Rustenberg John X Merriman
Unusual name for a wine, no? This 68% Merlot - 32% Cabernet Sauvignon blend
from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa is a long-lived, muscular wine that will
repay careful cellaring for up to ten years. Should you consume it young,
I´d really recommend decanting it - it made an enormous difference in our
recent club tasting! Aged, it will pair well with dishes such as Beef
Wellington. There´s a good amount available at 22.50.
1999 La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu
I love a good, crisp Chablis! This wine hails from the northernmost region of
Burgundy - it´s actually closer in soil type, style, and climate to the
Champagne region than any area in Burgundy. It´s made from Chardonnay,
although it´s quite a different style from what that grape is typically
associated with. It´s good right now, especially with shellfish, but it
will also age quite well for up to, well, quite a while! There´s not a
lot - of any Chablis - but there should be enough to go around for a while at
$20.00.
1998 Boscaini Santo Stefano Vino Ripasso
This is, for all intents and purposes, a Ripasso-styled Valpolicella. The
Ripasso method takes the dried, shriveled grapes previously pressed for Amarone and
adds them to the already-fermenting Valpolicella wines to make them heartier and more
full-bodied - something of a baby Amarone. It´s a dark, rich, brooding
wine with a very hearty character and old-world style. It´ll hold well
for several years, and is ready to go now. Not a lot left of this vintage at
$16.00.
1998 Baron Langwerth von Simmern Erbacher Marcobrunn
Rheingau Riesling Spatlese
You know, I think that´s the first time I´ve had a wine name that ran
over one line? To translate: Baron L. von S. is the vintner, Erb. Marc. is the
vineyard (the Marcobrunn vineyard near Erbach in the Rheingau region), Spatlese is
the weight of the grape at harvest (and usually an indicator of a moderately sweet
wine, since it´s a late harvest), and Riesling is the grape. This can be
aged for up to another ten years or more, or can be consumed this summer, on a hot
day with a cheese plate. We bought the last of this, and there´s a few
bottles left at $15.00.
2001 Villa Trasqua Solaris Rosso di Toscana
Yay! An affordable Super Tuscan! It´s all of $13.00, and it´s
a fun quaff. The wine is a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot, and it´s
imported by West Seattle´s Small Vineyards Imports. Definitely New World
in style, it is ready to drink with that nice red pasta dish you´re
contemplating for the household menu. There´s a good supply.
NV Rotllan Torra Moscatell
And now for dessert! This is a fortified sweet wine from the Priorato district
of Northeastern Spain, near Barcelona. It´s a really delicious sweet wine
that´ll go well with a nice custard dessert. It´s ready to go, and
not really built for aging. There´s a good supply at $18.75. Enjoy!
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