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December 2005 Collector´s Club
2001 Domaine du Galet des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape
I love good Southern Rhone wines. The reason you´ve seen
so few of them recently is that 2002 and 2003 weren´t the greatest of years for the
region; the first was practically rained out of existence and the second was baked.
I´d thought we were through with the wines from the earlier vintages, but once in a
while I get some good news. Here it is. This delicious '01 will age for up to
another ten years in your cellar and, for $35.00, it´s a surprising value for this
appellation as well. The down side is that I don´t have much left.
2004 Rulo Combine
Most of you have a pretty good idea of how I regard this winery.
Kurt Schlicker constantly makes outstanding wines that are very fairly priced.
Up to now, his Combine has been a Chardonnay-Viognier blend. For this vintage, he
elected to change it to a Sauvignon Blanc (86%)-Viogner (14%) blend, and I hope he
continues. It´s $14.50, and there´s plenty for now. This crisp
wine will make a great accompaniment to roast chicken, and it´s ready to drink.
1999 Chateau Prieure-Les-Tours Graves
I love getting good Bordeaux at great prices! This comes from
the Left Bank appellation of Graves, and is grown on (wait for it...) gravel soil.
It´s a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. It could stand
a few more years in your cellar, but should you decide to consume it young, I´d
recommend decanting. Would you believe it´s $7.50? There´s a bit
more to be had - this wine comes from our Grand Re-Opening stash!
2002 LaPorte La Combe de Veillant Chateaumeillant
Long enough name for you? This is a Pinot Noir from the upper
reaches of the Loire Valley; not a common appellation, for certain! To be precise,
Chateaumeillant isn´t an appellaton; it´s a Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure
region, one step below the Appellation Controllee grade. Possibly why it´s
all of $10.00. There´s not a lot left of this one.
2004 Ken Forrester Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc
South Africa has been putting itself forward these days as a great
place to produce world-class Chenin Blanc, a grape that has been unjustly ignored for far
too long. This one runs $14.00, and is delicious. I can´t speak to its
ageability, but Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley has aged for 10 years or more quite
well. Anyone up for an experiment?
2002 St Francis Winery Red
At a recent tasting here, this wine stole the show. At
it´s regular price of $12.00, we couldn´t keep it in enough supply for all who
wanted it that night. Guess what? It dropped in price to $9.75. Hard to
argue for this delicious easy drinker! There´s plenty around.
Lots to report these days - the new shop, after far too many delays for my sanity,
will be open Any Day Now! We´ll be celebrating with great sales all through
December, and we have a series of wine classes starting in January. For a taste of
things to come, we´re hosting a Champagne Seminar on Wednesday, December 14th at
7:00 PM. Cost will be $35.00, with a 10% discount to all club members.
We´ll be trying bubbles from the different regions inside Champagne, and different
levels of sweetness as well. Limited space, so sign up quickly!
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