Every year, I pay a visit to Ken Wright Cellars to taste the new vintage from the barrel. On my visit this year we tasted through five barrels. When tasting en cuve, one must bear in mind that the wines are young, many times not done with malo, and have not been racked or fined.

Freedom Hill: Light, lively, pie cherry. Hints of scone. Overall, I found this to be somewhat mono-dimensional for this vineyard. Further development should occur after racking and bottling.

Guadalupe Vineyard: Very light body, hints of bell pepper were somewhat obscuring the cherry and deep fruit characteristic of this vineyard. Somewhat awkward (to be expected at this stage) with little integration of fruit and or other characteristics.

Canary Hill Vineyard: Showing very well, despite obvious malo. Medium purple, lush cherry pie fruit with very good, dusty tannins and hints of pie crust. Very nice length.

Carter: Dark purple, cherry kirsch liquor and subtle notes of cinnamon and tangerine. Good weight and length.

Savoya: My favorite. Very good development at this stage. Integrated kirsch, blood orange, and pie crust notes with gravelly tannins and very nice length. Showing some power at the end, this should develop added complexity after racking and bottling.

Also tasted:
2011 Pinot Blanc: Linear, solid mineral underpinning to green apple fruit with crispness and snap in the finish.

2010 Celilo Chardonnay: Always one of my favorites, the 2010 is unquestionably one of the best Chardonnay sites in Washington State. Beautiful nose with nuts and apples; medium body with pinpoint focus on the integration of fruit, nuts, and chalky tannins that coat the inside of the mouth and provide length at the end.

Another wonderful white from the south in France just landed. Domaine Delsol Picpoul de Pinet 2011 is deliciously detailed with pinpoint lemon and meringue framed by bone dry acidity. Any good shellfish with this will elevate the flavors to an exquisite level. 9.99/750ml.

Just inland and to the north, the eponymous limestone Pic rises above the hermitage of Pic Saint Loup. The brothers Ravaille (Xavier, Jean-Marc and Pierre) farm 20ha. of higher altitude vineyards with vines from 30 to 40 years old, planted on red clay. The Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup Tour de Pierres 2010 is made from 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 10% Mouvèdre. Natural fermentation, 12 months aging in foudres and barriques.  Inky purple in the glass. Intense aromas of lavender, smoke and berry. Chewy, powerful tannins overlain with notes of oregano, black olive, leather and roast beef flavors. Very long on the finish. 17.99/750ml.

From vineyards planted on 12ha. located in Castello Faletto, Piemonte, Monchiero Dolcetto d’Alba 2010 is ruby red in the glass, fresh and lively with berry and lightly tart at the end. 9.29/750ml. The winery and vineyards were established in 1950 by two growers, the brothers Reno and Maggiorino, who became dissatisfied with just growing and decided to make wine as well.

Les Vignerons du Quercy is a co-op located in the district of Quercy in SW France. The 33 growers farm 135ha. in the AOC Coteaux du Quercy. The wines from this AOC are not predominantly Malbec, as they are in the better-known Cahors AOC (located within the larger district). Les Hauts Lastaur Coteaux du Quercy 2009 is made from 50% Cabernet Franc, 20% Malbec, 20% Gamay, and 10% Merlot. Vines are grown in argilo calcaire soils. Earthy, hints of lavender, black truffle, loads of cranberries, and stony length. 10.79/750ml.

Stay tuned for our Festa Piedmontese event, happening at your Willamette Market Friday, March 15. Winemakers from Azienda Agricola Deltetto, Poderi Ruggieri Corsini, Cascina Corte, and Cà del Baio will be present to pour wine and talk about their work. A master chef from the area will also be on hand  to prepare and serve regional cuisine.

Can it get much better? You bet! 15% discount on unmixed wine cases of 12/750ml. and 10% on mixed cases. To place orders or for inquiries, please call 541-338-8455, 541-510-1616, or contact me at jimc@marketofchoice.com.

Our tasting schedule this week:

Friday, Feb. 15, 4-7 pm – Fire Mountain Brewery.
Saturday, Feb. 16, 5-7 pm –  Viña Cartín Albariño 2011, Fanti Sassomagno Sant’Antimo Rosso 2010

Picpoul de Pinet is a widely planted varietal in the south of France, especially along the Mediterranean littoral. I’ve been working with the Cave de Pomerols Picpoul since my visit to the winery in January of 2006. There, over platters groaning with mounds of live, squirmy oysters, I fell in love with this limpid, green wine showing lemon highlights in the mouth and dry, mineral driven acidity underneath. The grapes ripen in loose, large round bunches with a tendency to drop overripe fruit.

Caves Coopérative is a large co-op in the Pomerols commune. It sources from 1200 ha. of vineyard lands between Mont St. Clair and the sea. Soils are mainly clay/calcareous. A few hours of skin maceration followed by pneumatic pressing and draining. Vinification in stainless steel with temperature control and double decanting. Enjoy with fresh shellfish and light seafood!

11.49/750ml at your Willamette Market and featured on the Today Show!

Welcome to the New Year; I’m confident it will be the best yet!

I’ve always liked the wines of the Savoie, and the mountains poking awesomely skyward. The two combined make interesting reading. In 1851, an Englishman, Albert Smith, made an ascent of Mont Blanc, albeit, mountain climbing was a bit different back then. Smith found it necessary to bring along 60 bottles of Vin Ordinaire, six bottles of Bordeaux, ten bottles of something called St. George (Nuits St. Georges?), 15 bottles of St. Jean (Chateau La Fleur St. Jean, between Petrus and La Fleur, in Pomerol?), three bottles of Cognac and two bottles of Champagne.

It’s amazing they made it to the top. Mr. Smith capitalized on his exploit by staging a huge show in London that included a diorama, St. Bernard dog, and a clutch of live chamois (goat-antelope) that caused some consternation when they used the parquetry floors as a bathroom.

Well, you don’t have to travel to Chamonix to experience alpine fever. You can get a taste of the alpine romance – dare I say sublime romance – right here on Willamette Street, chamois not included. White wines from Savoie are crisp, minerally, sometimes with notes of lemon and hazelnut. Usually low in alcohol: 11-11.5% is not uncommon for the whites.

Domaine de la Rosièr Jongieux 2011 is a fine example. Made from Jacquère grapes grown on vineyards planted around Lac du Bourget. 11.49/750ml.

Further north, and across the border in Switzerland, Chateau d’Auvernier Neuchatel Blanc 2010 represents a step up in quality, showing more intense and interesting flavors that develop as the wine breathes: on attack it coats the palate showing lime notes interspersed with baked scone flavors, subtly blended. Made from 100% Chasselas Fendant Roux, a varietal brought to Switzerland from the Middle East by returning Crusaders. 20.99/750ml.

Jean Perrier and Fils has been making wine in St. André les Marches since 1853 when Catherine Perrier started growing vines on the slopes of Mont Granier. Jean Perrier et Fils Savoie 2010 Mondeuse Cuvèe Gastronomie is made from Mondeuse grapes grown in Chignin, Francin and Jongieux on Argilo-Calcaire soils with a SE exposure. Manual harvest, pneumatic press and heat-regulated fermentation. Deep blue tending to purple in the glass. Blueberry, blackberry and hints of pepper with a fine initial attack and a medium finish. $16.79/750ml.

In the beer cellar this week

Drakes Jolly Roger Barleywine 2012, San Leandro, California. 7.99/220z. +dep.

Double Mountain Brewery, Hood River, Oregon. Yeah! Skiing Hood was never so good – all flavors! 3.99/500ml. except FaLaLa Winter at 4.99/500ml. +dep.

J.W. Lees Harvest Ales: English Barleywine Style. 2009 Sherry Cask and 2011 Calvados Cask Ale. Rated 91 (Exceptional) Beer Advocate. 9.69/9.3oz.

Our tasting schedule

• Saturday Jan 19, 4-6 pm – Blue Dog Mead

• Friday, Jan 25, 5-7 pm – Sierra Nevada Brewery

• Saturday, Jan 26, 12-3 pm – Full Sail Brewery

Wine case discount of 15% on 12/750ml. unmixed and 10% on 12/750ml. mixed. To place orders call 541-510-1616, 541-338-8455, or order at jimc@marketofchoice.com.

The holidays are fast approaching. Seems like we were just basking in the warm summer weather. What gives here? In any case, it helps to have a good supply of wine on hand.

I tasted a very nice Chardonnay from the underappreciated Loire region of France. The Domaine is situated between the Loire and Layon rivers, has been in the family for five generations, and has 42 ha. under cultivation. The Domaine des Forges 2011 Chardonnay comes from 20 year old vines grown on vertiginous slopes of ochre green to gray hued shists. Hand harvested in several passings. Pneumatic press with initial fermentation and malo en cuve. Elevage on the lies. Fine terroir driven wine expressing minerality, richness in the midpalate with ample fruit, and a lively finish. 9.99/750ml. Kudos to Claude and Stèphane Branchereau for a job well done at a price we all can afford.

Alain Jaume & Fils has long been a favorite of mine. The Domaine has been family owned since 1826. Alain Jaume has been winemaker since 1979 and is now assisted by his two sons, Sébastien and Christophe. Consistently one of my favorites, the Jaume Ventoux ‘Les Gelinottes’ 2011 sees a traditional vinification and cold maceration. It’s then aged in stainless steel lined floor vats for 6 months prior to a light filtration and bottling. Brilliant purple in the glass, supple and lively in the mouth with appealing cranberry and strawberry flavors on top of pastry dough tannins. 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. 14.79/750ml.

The 2011 Hadenfig Willamette Valley Pinot Noir No. 52 has a lovely strawberry scented perfume, silky tannins and subtle brioche with dusted sugar in the middle. Grapes are grown and harvested organically, hand picked and fermented at cool temperatures. 19.79/750ml.

My final wine comes from Italy’s Puglia region. 100% Negroamaro, the Palama Archangelo 2011 Salento shows very dark purple in the glass. Notes of rhubarb, plum, and raspberry combine attractively on firm tannins with a hint of truffle at the end. $10.99/750ml.

I still have stock on several of the Wine Spectator top 100 wines:
Clos du Papes Chateauneuf du Pape 2010 #4, 98pts: 137.99/750ml.
Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape 2010 #16, 96pts: 68.39/750ml.
Punset Barbaresco 2007 #17, 95pts: 38.99/750ml.
Bertrand Stehelin Gigondas 2010 #34, 93pts: 32.59/750ml.

This is just a fraction of the local and  international selection of wines I have available. My choices are constantly changing to bring you the best of the best, the hard to find, and the everyday table wines(that can be unusual, extraordinary, or just plain interesting)that add spice to our world.

Happy Holidays!

Our tasting schedule this week:
Friday, Dec. 14, 4-6 pm – Ninkasi Brewing Company
Saturday, Dec. 15, 4-6 pm – Pascal Janvier Cuvée du Silex, Domaine Clape Le Vin des Amis 2010, and Domaine de Durban Beaumes-De-Venise 2009
Sunday, Dec. 16, 4-6 pm –  J. Scott Vineyards, 4-6 pm
Thursday, Dec. 20, 4-6 pm – Necter Creek Mead 4-6 pm