Page 20 - Staff Tastings

"The best Chateauneuf-du-Papes are among the most natural expressions of grapes, place and vintage.” - Robert Parker 

Searching for a clear cut example of what wine from Southern Rhone should taste like at an affordable price? Look no further than the 2007 E. Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape. After being aged in oak barrels for 36 months, this blend of mostly Grenache and the rest Syrah and Mourvedre is sure to impress your senses.  

Eitenne Guigal started Establissements Guigal, or Ets. Guigal for short, in 1946 after leaving Vidal Fleury where he worked for 15 years.  38 years later, his son Marcel was able to purchase Vidal Fleury which he has managed since.  Etienne and his wife Marcelle passed away in 1988 leaving Marcel and his son Phillipe to continue their family legacy in the world of wine.  Today, Guigal is one of the top names in Southern Rhone, with quality

“I make my wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is in Calon.”

This quote is attributed to the Marquis de Segur, who acquired Chateau Calon Segur through marriage in the first half of the 18th century, and is the reason for the heart being incorporated into the bottle’s label design. 

Dating back to Roman times, the property is one of the oldest in the Medoc. In 1855, the chateau was awarded 3rd Growth Classification and many sources site it producing excellent wines throughout the first half of the 20th century. Then a general void of quality seemed to run its course there until the ’82 vintage, with a solid rejuvenation in the ‘90s. 

One of the better vintages Calon produced that decade was the ’95. That summer was one of the driest and warmest Bordeaux had seen in a few decades. Being the northernmost classified estate of the Medoc in the northernmost of the four famous communes of the

A recent Saturday night was a very special occasion - we were getting together with old friends, ones we don't get to see nearly enough. The restaurant was selected, an easy pick as we all love Italian.  My task was to select a wine for the table, and I decided to bring along a bottle of Brunello.

I happened to have a 2007 Donna Olga Brunello di Montalcino on hand, put away when the wine world could talk about nothing else but the incredible back-to-back vintages of 2006 and 2007 in Tuscany. From the beginning, we all anticipated that the 2007s would be slightly more approachable, with the '06s needing additional bottle age to show their best features. The Donna Olga validated this theory and showed beautifully from the minute the cork was popped. On the palate, this Brunello is full of deep, luxurious flavors including dark berries, earth and a bit of leather which I very much enjoy.

Pinot Noir, an unpredictable and demanding grape, is considered to be the hardest to grow yet it carries the title, the ‘Nobel Grape’. Pinot Noir is a main focus of Sean Capiaux, one of California’s thriving Pinot producers.  The Capiaux Cellars label was created in 1994 by Sean with the intention of producing single vineyard wines in a natural fashion, which he has accomplished.   

Sean’s technique is one he calls “neo-classic”. He uses modern instruments for the fermentation process and a hands-on approach for everything else. The goal each season is to create truly beautiful wines that show drinkers the terroir from which their wine came.  

2012 was an excellent growing season in Sonoma County, especially for Pinot Noir. Ideal temperatures in 2012 set the stage for growers and provided a plentiful amount of juice after their harvest.  Capiaux Russian River Valley Widdoes Vineyard produced 386 cases of the 2012

In 1929 the aromatic white grape Kerner was bred in Germany by crossing the red variety Trollinger (also known as Schiava Grossa or Vernatsch in various parts of Italy) with the noble white grape Riesling. Not authorized for general cultivation until 1969, the Kerner quickly became the most planted modern German cross. That being said, there has been a trend in Germany since the mid-90s to pull out modern cross varietals and total acreage is now less than half of the amount at its height.

Funnily, it is from Northern Italy where most Americans get to sample wine from this grape. Though plantings amount to about 1/150th of those in Germany, the combination of how well Kerner grows in the striking mountainous terroir of Alto Adige, coupled with the fact that no white varietal dominates there, helped lay the foundation for it doing well. But it takes attention and care for the varietal to excel and a handful of producers seem to offer just that, Kofererhof being one of them. 

Can anything get a celebration started better than the pop of a cork from a Champagne bottle? Not in my opinion! I love to keep a few bottles on hand not just for celebrations, but to make any occasion special.

My latest discovery may be summer’s best champagne value - P Moncuit Cuvee Delos Blanc de Blancs Brut. At less than $40, it can easily be purchased by the case to ensure that a beautiful Sunday or quiet weeknight can be your next celebration!

Pierre Moncuit passed his Champagne vineyards onto his children, Yves and Nicole, in 1977. It is Nicole who took up the winemaking reins while Yves handles the commercial operations. Together, they produce Champagnes that deliver exceptional quality, especially for the price. Nearly all of their holdings are in Mesnil, and they differ from other Champagne producers who routinely pull up vines when they reach

About two weeks ago I was listening to Ask Burghound #2. One of the questions Allen Meadow’s addressed was about climate change and its effect on Burgundy. He mentioned how Chablis has been one of the biggest benefactors as frost is now much less prevalent than it used to be. How the Grand Cru that was most admired from the 2nd half of the 19th century through the 1st half of the 20th was Vaudésir, being a big amphitheater that shields the vines from wind and collects heat. And how these days much of the praise you hear is for wines from Les Clos, Preuses or Valmur.

This made me think about Vaudésir and look at what we had in our inventory. Turns out we have Burghound’s Highest Scoring Vaudésir to date, the only one to receive 95pts, Billaud-Simon’s 2010. Founded in 1815 with family holdings expanding in the 1930s, the Domaine owns 20

Beringer is one of California’s most interesting producers, dating back to 1876 when brothers Jacob and Frederick became pioneers in Napa and began producing world-class wines. Always taking pain-staking care to highlight the unique characteristics of the individual vineyards, the winemaking team respects the expectations set by the estate’s long history.

The estate now offers tours, tastings and an on-site chef that features estate grown produce in her recipes. This comprehensive approach to wine enjoyment enhances the Beringer experience for those lucky enough to visit. Those there on a weekend can even enjoy live music varying from Blues to Flamenco.

Laurie Hook now heads this winemaking team and adds a modern elegance to the Beringer portfolio. She particularly admires the Chardonnay from the Big Ranch Vineyard, which boasts Dijon clones, and 2012 is the debut vintage of their Luminus Chardonnay.

Aptly named as Luminus is from Latin

When most people refer to cellar treasures they naturally think of back-vintage Bordeaux or Burgundy, of course, as they improve with age and can even increase in value. But it’s the savvy collector who knows that Spain has long been a great source for cellar-worthy wines. Bodegas Muga is one that comes to my mind. Muga Prado Enea is one of the great Gran Reservas that is still produced. Gran Reservas are made only in vintages considered worthy. Other producers that make great Gran Reservas include López de Heredia and La Rioja Alta, and of course CVNE’s Imperial and Viña Real and Marques de Murrieta are a few others to explore.

Bodegas Muga was founded in Haro in 1932 and is still in family ownership, farming an impressive 250 hectares in La Rioja Alta. The winery is located in the “golden triangle” of bodegas, its neighbors being La Rioja Alta and Lopez de Heredia. The Muga family controls all aspects of production within the vineyards. The

As the King of Grapes, you might think you know all of the places on the globe to find great Cabernet Sauvignon vines growing but my guess is that South Africa would be fairly far down on that list. Winemaker, Jose Conde , might just change that! He is the only winemaker to have been awarded the American Express Trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon more than once. In fact he has won it three times, twice for wine produced at his Stellenbosch Vineyard.

His vines are up to 22 years old and grow in decomposed granite soils though the variation in the four different vineyard blocks give nuances to the grapes and resulting juice.  He employs traditional methods like open tank fermentation, basket pressing and maturation in small French oak barrels. The wines are bottles unfined and unfiltered after 22 months in the barrel.

On a recent balmy evening, one where not sitting on the porch swing might have been considered a sin, we opened a bottle of the 2011