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August 2006 Collector´s Club
2003 Meroi Chardonnay
This is another of the wines from the Small Vineyards direct order
shipment, and it is one of the finest Chardonnays I´ve tasted in quite some time.
It´s a big wine, though not oaky or heavy-bodied; it has an elegance that I´d
expect from a white burgundy. It does not taste like a white burgundy, however - it
reflects the area it comes from, Colli Orientali del Friuli, the eastern hills of
Friuli. It´s a powerhouse wine; try it with roast chicken or halibut.
It´ll hold in your cellar for another five years, and there´s a bit left at
$49.75. We bought as much of the wine as we could get, and pretty much cornered the
Northwest market!
2005 Tenuta Ponte Greco di Tufo
This classy, crisp, and elegant white wine (another of the Small
Vineyards direct shipment) is made from the Greco Bianco grape near the village of Tufo
(hence, the name) in the Campagna region of southern Italy. It runs $15.00, and
it´s ready to drink. Try it with shrimp or other shellfish; it´d also be
good with Asian cuisine. There´s a bit more available.
2005 Pazo Serantellos Albariño
This wine comes from the Rias Baixas region of northwest Spain, and
it´s an outrageous steal - it´s all of $7.75, and there´s quite a bit of
it available. At our monthly club tasting (last Thursday of each month,) it was the
runaway favorite - somewhat literally, as we sold a lot of it! It´s a perfect
deck wine - lovely rich sweet pear fruit, with good acidity. Have it with cold cuts
on a porch this Summer!
2002 Castel Pietraio Chianti Colli Senesi
This Sangiovese-based wine from the hills around Siena in Tuscany has
a bit of age on it already, and is ready to drink. We picked up the last of this
vintage for inclusion in this club (it was $18.00, what we have left is $9.75.) This
will go well with pork dishes and game meats. A very nice Chianti!
2004 Etang de la Ferrandiere Syrah
This wine is from the Languedoc region of Southwest France, very close
to the ancient city of Carcassone. It´s a lighter bodied, peppery version that
will match well with light dinners, hamburgers or pizza. It´s all of $9.75, and
there´s a fair amount around.
2005 Bodega Privada Malbec
Here´s a nice, affordable ($7.00) Argentine wine that will also
go well with deck foods. There´s a lot of it available. It was quite popular
at our club tasting. It could stand another few years of cellaring to soften it up a
bit, but it certainly could be enjoyed now.
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