The New Wines:
• Pithoi Nero d’Avola, Sicily
Many of the best values that we come across each week are the result of direct imports from savvy local distributors. Small European producers benefit by exporting directly to their separate markets, because they don’t require national branding. And, of course, consumers pay less, because fewer hands touch the wine. The Pithoi wines, which are directly imported by local distributor C&G, are a great example. The red, made from 100 percent Nero d’Avola, offers incredible freshness in the form of crushed red-berry fruit and licorice. A juicy exception to the often over ripe Nero-based wines you may remember. $9.29/btl.

• 2007 Pithoi Grillo (White), Sicily
Brought to us by the same Sicilian producer and just as great a deal as the red. Trademark tangerine and tart citrus fruit give this dry white personality, accented by a significant mineral note, no doubt from the volcanic soils near the winery. $9.29/btl.

The Great Deals:
• Cortecillas Rioja, Spain
A great little entry level Rioja that doesn’t fret about not being the most serious wine on the block. Instead, this little no-oak gem focuses its efforts on being bright and fresh and delicious. Read: medium-bodied, red-fruit flavors and great complexity/price ratio. $8.49/btl.

• 2007 Montaribaldi ‘Nicolini’ Red, Italy
We’ve offered red blends like this from Piedmont in the past, but until now none has impressed us as much. Perhaps it is the high percentage of classy nebbiolo that elevates the wine beyond most others of its type. Or maybe it’s the red and black cherry and coffee notes from the Barbera that give it real depth. Whatever the case, this is a truly unique and delicious red with tons to offer. $12.79/btl.

Weekly Tastings:
• Friday, Jan. 23, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. – Shawn will pour the Thomas Henry Chardonnay and Zinfandel.
• Saturday Jan. 24, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. – We’ll be joined by Earl from C&G as he pours the aforementioned Pithoi Sicilian wines.

See you in the store!

The New Wines:
• 2007 St. UrbansHof Riesling Qba: This dry Riesling is received hotly by the wine press year after year, almost always scoring 90 points or more. For those of you who might not care to reduce your wine to a number, I can say this: nervy (read: crisp) tropical fruit, lots of slate-y minerality, and quite the long, juicy finish. Certainly the best bang-for-the-buck dry Riesling that we have right now. Limited as always. $13.99/btl.

• 2006 La Cabotte Cotes du Rhone, France: Brought to you by perhaps my single favorite importer – Beaune Imports – is this gem, the quintessential entry point to red Rhone wines. If you’re a fan of wines from this area, it is hard to go wrong here: lots of juicy red and black fruit, good length, and sporting a subtle rusticity that dignifies it all quite well. Yum! $12.79/btl.

The Great Deals:
• 2006 Castelmaure Corbieres, France: From an area of southern France that is perennially reliable for its great values, comes this old-vine red. It is a blend of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, and boasts a surprising amount of complexity, structure and depth for its modest price. You can expect juicy dark red fruit, earth and spice – all in spades. $9.79/btl.

• 2007 Alandra White, Portugal: After several weeks of making customers happy with the red from Alandra, the white counterpart has arrived – and it’s really good! With a mouthfilling, soft texture and lots of aromatic white fruit, this could almost be a relative of a white Bordeaux. If I were one to rub copper teapots and predict the future, I’d venture to say that this will be a huge hit come summer. But don’t wait. It’s crisp, fresh, lovely and completely dry – all at a great price. $7.29/btl.

Weekly Tastings:
• On Friday, January 9 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. taste the Castelmaure Corbieres.
• On Saturday, January 10 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Shawn and I will be pouring the St. Urbanshof Riesling

See you in the store!

This week the obvious theme is the unrelenting cold weather, and drinking good wine is as good a way to pass the time indoors, as any. Right? Now that we’re on the same page, I can get to the guts of what’s new and great this week. First…

The New Wines:
• 2007 Thomas Henry Chardonnay, California
Imagine this anomaly: clean, crisp Chardonnay from California! I admit, this isn’t territory I tread often. But this little Chard. offers plenty of varietal-correct tropical fruit, as well as decent acidity and length. Not a bruiser by any stretch.
$9.79/btl.

• 2007 Redman Chardonnay, Oregon
If the above Chardonnay sounds interesting and your tastes lie more in the French realm of Chardonnay-making, then by all means step up to the Redman. Produced using a small amount of new French oak and showing lots of pretty lemon curd and tart apple, this is certainly one of the most interesting local Chardonnays made in this style that I’ve had in a while. A great deal, considering. If you want a little liquid sun in your otherwise frosty week, try this lovely white.
$20.99/blt.

The Great Deals:
• 2006 Jigsaw Pinot Noir, Oregon
This is a wine that we’ve been selling for some time and for good reason. The number of decent Pinot Noir under $20 has obviously dwindled in the past couple of years. Take a second to re-visit this well-balanced gem and you’ll find no short supply of sweet cherry fruit, subtle baking spice, and a fair amount of structure for a wine in this price range.
$17.79/btl. (Save $1)

• 2007 Pazo Serantellos Albariñno
If you’re a fan of Albariño, you’ll recognize immediately that this price is unusually low for a wine made from this grape. And I’ll start off by saying that this is by no means world-class Albariño. However, it is a juicy little white that offers just enough true-to-varietal fruit flavors to make me feel good about selling it as such. Bottom line, this is well-balanced dry white wine with character and even a little minerality on the finish to keep it fresh.
Spain $7.79/btl.

Weekly Tastings:
• Friday, Dec. 19: Stop by between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. to taste the Goose Island Bourbon Barrel Stout featured in our ‘Savories’ ad starting today.
• Saturday, Dec. 20: From 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Shawn and I will abandon all shame and pour warm Gluhwein for the cold masses. Come join us for a decidedly low-brow evening where we will, for once, provide exactly zero geographic or varietal information about the wine we’re pouring. We also suggest digging out your best cable-knit sweater or other cool outerwear from the 1970s.

See you in the store!

This week, I can offer you a vinous escape from real-world events, like the arrest of Illinois’ governor and a U.S. economy that is about as hopeful “as cats fighting in a wet paper bag,” as Charles Bukowski puts it. I’ve brought in a number of exciting and well-priced reds from South America and Spain.

The New Wines:
• 2007 Fescenino Mencia, Bierzo, Spain To emphasize my opinion that Bierzo might be Spain’s Burgundy (in short: a single finicky yet rewarding red varietal defining a region that produces truly mineral-driven wines), I’ve added an 11th Mencia to the set this week.The Fescenino offers lots of kirsch-y and boysenberry-scented fruit on the nose, followed by blue fruit conserve, mint, and mineral all the way to the long finish. This is juicy red wine with enough backbone to pair with nearly any hearty meal. $11.79/btl.

• 2006 El Ganador Malbec, Argentina I’m happy to report a high level of quality in the Argentinian Malbecs that I’ve tasted lately. The El Ganador, which we’re featuring this week, is a great example. You can expect lots of concentrated blackberry, blueberry and plum fruit, along with a solid range of spice notes. A lot of wine for the money, as the saying goes. $9.79/btl.

The Great Deals:
• 2007 Valleoscuro ‘VO’ Red, Spain The very popular Valleoscuro red blend is back, boasting the unique blend of Prieto Picudo and Tempranillo. We found lots of smoky/juicy cherry fruit, sweet tobacco, and soft tannin; all of it winding out to a relatively long finish. $7.79/btl.

• 2005 Domaine de la Seignurie Cabernet Franc, France Because France’s Loire Valley might just be my favorite wine region, I’m always looking for great examples of Cabernet Franc, which is also the unrivaled red grape in that area. Co-ops produce a vast amount of red wine using the grape, but rarely do they have the depth and balance that this one does. I found lots of juicy black and red fruit, and a subtle, yet welcomed herbal note, followed by limestone-y mineral, and excellent finishing acidity. Bang-for-the-buck, Loire reds hardly get any better than this. $13.99/btl.

Weekly Tastings:
• Friday, Dec. 12 – Stop by and taste two Malbecs, the great everyday El Ganador and the more complex and thought provoking Ben Marco. Pouring from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 13: We’ll be pouring the Siete 7 from our current Savories ad. from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

See you in the store!