Happy New Year to everyone, and here’s hoping it won’t be the last (So what did those Mayans know that we don’t, eh?). In the event, however, it just makes it that much easier to drink more wine and beer before the party end...

With this in mind, I just stacked out our latest find from Italy, the Pace (pronounced patch-ay) 2010 Roero Arneis. The vines are grown in sandy soils on low hills northwest of Alba in Piemonte. The Arneis grape almost disappeared in the 1970’s, being bottled at that time only by the Vietti and Bruno Giacosa estates. Since then its popularity has increased somewhat and in 1989 achieved DOC status followed in 2006 by DOCG classification. The Pace 2010 Roero Arneis exhibits lemony notes in the perfume and is mineral driven in the middle with almond and lemon nuances and a pretty finish. Superb everyday wine at $12.49/750ml.

Susanna Balbo Crios 2011 Torrontes. Green-gold in the glass, spicy lemongrass and ginger perfume with crisp fruit and tangy acidity. Very nice length on the end with luscious fruit throughout. $12.99/750ml. Jay Miller gave this 90pts in the December Wine Advocate.

New from Kermit Lynch imports:

Domaine du Salvard 2010 Unique Pinot Noir, 1.2 ha. of 10-20 year old vines rooted in sand and clay. Vinified in stainless steel and aged on fine lees before bottling unfiltered. $15.99/750ml.

Brunier Le Pigeoulet en Provence Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2010, this blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, and 5% Carignan comes from the family that gives us Vieux Télégraphe. . Grapes are hand harvested and come from the Côtes du Rhone and Côtes du Ventoux, destemmed and pressed with a pneumatic press, then vinified in temperature controlled cement vats for 10-15 days. $18.99/750ml.

Domaine August Clape 2010 Le Vin des Amis, is made entirely from Syrah hand harvested from 40year old vines planted among the characteristic round river stones in the northern Rhone valley. Whole grape clusters are fermented in open cement vats using naturally occurring yeasts for 12 days with manual punch down or pump over. The wine is then aged for 6 months in cement and 6 months in foudres. $25.99/750ml.

New from Oregon:
Cameron 2009 Abbey Ridge Pinot Noir, $51.99/750ml.
Cameron 2009 Clos Electrique Pinot Noir, $51.99/750ml.
J. Christopher Le Pavillon Vineyard 2009 Pinot Noir, $46.99/750ml.
Biggio Hamina 2009 Cougar’s Mark Vyd. Pinot Gris, $13.99/750ml.

Back in stock:
Yalumba Shiraz-Viognier 2007, $17.99/750ml.
Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz, 2009, $17.99/750ml.
Mitolo Jester Shiraz, 2009, $17.99/750ml

Our tasting schedule this week:
• Friday, Jan. 6, Pace Roero Arneis 2010 and La Cisso 2008 Vin de pays, 2-4 pm.
• Saturday, Jan 7, Laurelwood Portland Roast Espresso Stout and HUB Cascadia Secession Dark Ale, 2-4 pm.
• Friday, Jan. 13, Spanish Wines from Castile-Leon, 4:3-7:30 pm.

Denis Alary is the latest in a line of growers in the Cotes du Rhone stretching back eleven generations. Located in the village of Cairainne, his vin de pays are sterling buys that exhibit typicity and style. The blanc he calls La Grange Daniel and is made entirely from Roussanne. La Grange Daniel 2010 Roussanne Vin de Pays de la Principauté d’Orange is lush but mineral driven and packed with ripe orange, mango, and hints of macadamia nut. Finishes very nicely with the fruit tailing off slowly. $14.59/750ml.

Oltrepo Pavese is a big agricultural area centered to the south of Pavia in northwest Italy. Somewhat overshadowed by the surrounding areas of Piemonte, Trentino, and the Veneto, the area provides very good wine at very affordable prices. Perhaps best known of the DOC wines are those from the Valtellina made from Nebbiolo. Barbera is also grown and made in the area, in good vintages, with able vineyard management and low crop yields. The vines yield inexpensive, delicious reds for the many local osterie. Just such a delight is Cantina di Casteggio 2010 Barbera, a brilliant transparent red in the glass. Roses and cranberry on the nose with some tartness and lots of gulpability. $6.99/750ml. It's great with any of our pizza and panini choices in the deli. Simple pasta sauces and light meat dishes also are a delight with this wine.

Damien Gachot farms vines and makes wine from the Cotes de Nuits Villages appellation. The 2006 Domaine Gachot-Monot Bourgogne Rouge is transparent crimson in the glass, with subtle cherry notes, silky tannins, scone, and a caressing finish. $15.99/750ml.

Bodega San Gregorio is a co-op located in Spain’s north central area of Aragon. Wine growing is concentrated in the valley of the Ebro, dominated in the north by the Pyrenees and the south by the central Spanish plateau. Tres Ojos Old Vines Garnacha 2009 is from the Calatayud DO, one of four in the region. Soils are composed of limestone, marl and slate, and the vines are unirrigated resulting In lower yields. Dark ruby in the glass, with lots of blackberry aroma that follows onto the palate with pointed accents of white pepper. Satiny tannins predominate in the mouth with depth and length on the finish. $9.49/750ml.

Caves du Chateau d’Auvernier is located on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel in the west of Switzerland. The soils are very similar to those in Burgundy, with chalky topsoil overlying bedrock. The proximity of the lake moderates the climate favorably. The Caves du Château D’Auvernier Neuchâtel 2010 Blanc is made from the Chasselas Fendant Roux varietal, originating in the middle east and brought to Europe by the returning Crusaders. It’s very pale straw, almost clear, in the glass. Perfume features notes of lemon, ripe green apple, and hints of baked brioche. In the mouth its all minerals, wet stone, and crisp but lush lemony fruit that goes on and on. $20.99/750ml. Highly recommended for those of you who are tired of the oaky, flabby Chardonnays generated ad nauseam in massive and daunting quantities by our friends in California.

Other good things for the holidays:
Gorman 2008 Red Mtn. Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot Albatross, $79.99/750ml.
Gorman 2008 Bully Red Mtn. Cabernet Sauvignon, $45.99/750ml.
Gorman Pixie 2008 Red Mtn. Syrah, $45.99/750ml.
Flor de Pingus 2008 Ribera del Duero, $73.99/750ml.
Evesham Wood 2009 Cuvée J, 41.99/750ml.
Ken Wright 2010 Abbott Claim Pinot Noir, $45.99/750ml.
Siduri Clos Pepe Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2007, $51.99/750ml.
Caparzo 2006 Brunello di Montalcino, $41.49/750ml.
San Felice Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino 2006, $46.99/750ml.
This is only a sample of the vast selection of quality wines available here at the Willamette Street Market of Choice.

Our tasting schedule this week:

Friday Dec. 9^th Sweet Earth Vineyards Pinot Noir 2009, 4-6pm.
Saturday, Dec. 10^th, Surani Pietrariccia Fiano2009 and Ruggeri Corsini Rosso Matot 2010, 2-4pm.
Sunday, Dec. 11^th, Crowley 2009 Pinot Noir and Macindoe Family Cellars Melon de Bourgogne 2009, 5-7pm.

.

Good to be back and writing about wine! I like my sports but it’s no fun when something breaks. Looks to be another great skiing season, though… Yikes, there he goes again!

Didn’t neglect to keep up on good and drinkable wine at affordable prices:

Domaine du Montru Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 2010 is such a creature: Limpid pale straw in the glass, with notes of lemon in the nose and crisp mineral, citrus and hints of scone in the mouth. Medium on the end. $8.99/750ml.

From the foothills of the Pyrenees in SW France Chateau Jolys Jurançon Sec 2010 is a 50/50% blend of Gros Marseng and Petit Marseng. The grapes in Jurançon are grown in clay and limestone soils covered with small pebbles located on steep slopes. Light green in the glass, with citrus perfume, wet stone in the mouth layered with lemon and hints of ginger and a bone dry finish. $17.79/750ml.

The Vaucluse department of France is centered in Avignon but named after the village of Vaucluse. One of my favorites, L’Ameillaud Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2010 is back in stock. Basically a Cotes du Rhone. The winery is located just outside of Cairanne. Cepage is Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan. Very dark in the glass. Violets showing in the perfume. Pepper, hints of anisette, and some prune provide layered flavors in the mouth and grip on the finish. $9.49/750ml.

The run-up in pricing on Bordeaux doesn’t extend below the classified growths and it’s still possible to buy great wine from the region without having a huge bankroll. Chateau Hauts de Plaisance 2009 Haut-Medoc is case in point. Ruby red with a dark core and transparent rims, notes of rose and cedar in the perfume, layered cedar, gunmetal, and black cherry with an undercarriage of tannin that knits it all together. $14.79/750ml.

Buy of the week:

Domaine Albin Jacumin Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007: Loaded with layered kirsch, rosemary, baked clay and enough tannin to scorch the insides of your cheeks. A masterpiece of the southern Rhone valley that keeps on improving after opening for several days of delightful quaffing. An incredible buy at $24.99/750ml. This one won’t last long at this price. 15% discount on cases of 12/750ml. Eat your heart out, Trader Moe!

This week marks the return of Reverdito’s Barbara D’Alba ’09, a superb everyday red from the family-run winery located in La Morra. The grapes are sourced entirely from the family vineyards on clay and limestone soils near the village. Intense, transparent red with pink rims, an enticing perfume of currants and red plum, with some notes of brioche interwoven with the fruit in the mouth and a lingering, lightly tart finish. $11.79/750ml. Classic everyday Piemontese wine!

Daniel Belda Ponsalet Monastrell Jove 2009 is another wonderful Spanish red that just gives and gives: dense ruby purple, earthy violet inflected perfume, very juicy in the mouth with boysenberry but underlying baked clay notes that add body and length. Grapes are grown in sandy loam with a lower layer of limestone providing good drainage. Climate is Mediterranean with cool nights and warm days, very characteristic of Spain’s Valencia region. An astonishing $7.99/750ml.

Gualdo del Re is located in the Maremma area of Tuscany in the Val di Cornia south of Florence and a short distance from the coast. The soil is is sandy with small stones and clay, ideal for growing red and white wine grapes. Vermentino does particularly well here. The Gualdo del Re Valentina 2010 Vermentino is golden yellow in the glass and packed with rich pear and honey flavors that wrap around the tongue and cling to the sides of the palate. This is no teddy bear, though: it has some very nice mineral notes to offset the plush fruit. Can’t beat that! $13.99/750ml. If you like what you taste, check out the red from this producer – the 2008 Elisio: 60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet, and 20% Merlot. $12.49/750ml.

Walter van Aalderen has been growing grapes just outside of Nizas in France’s Languedoc region since 1994. Le Cisso Tradition 2008 Vin de Pays d’Oc is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard. The finished wine is aged in old oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. Impenetrable purple in the glass. Intense cassis perfume with notes of cardomon. Chewy tannins with cassis, cardomon, and a hint of sage. Lasting and chewy at the end. $13.99/750ml.

In stock this week:

Clos Des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape 2009 "I tasted through various foudres of the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape and it is unquestionably a top-flight wine for Clos des Papes that is seductive and forward by the standards of this estate. It reminded me of the precocious style of the 2003, and Avril told me the 2009 is less alcoholic than either the 2003 or 2007, and the pH is a normal 3.75. Yields were a very small 20 hectoliters per hectare, largely because of their selection process and the drought. Every foudre I tasted was beautifully pure displaying a deep ruby/plum color, sweet kirsch and black raspberry fruit, full body, decent acidity (they never acidify here) and sweet, velvety tannins. This should turn out to be a mid-90-point wine that will take a back seat to the 2007, possibly even to their monumental 2006, but will surpass what they did in 2008, 2005, 2004, 1999 and 1998. The 2009 is a beautiful success that should drink well for 15+ years. "

95 Points, The Wine Advocate $126.99/750ml.

Yann Chave 2009 Crozes Hermitage “…one of the finest I have tasted from Yann Chave. It reveals lovely elegance along with lush black cherry and black currant fruit interwoven with hints of incense, charcoal and roasted meats. Fresh, lush and full-bodied, it is ideal for drinking over the next 5-7 years. 89-92pts. The Wine Advocate $26.49/750ml.

Brooks 2007 Rastaban Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $46.79/750ml. I tasted this August 9^th. Very untypical of 2007. Deep purple with ruby edges; smokey perfume with black truffle and briar rose; big and meaty in the mouth: black truffle, charcoal, dark plum wrapped around a core of zingy acidity and satiny tannins.

Our tasting schedule this week:

• Friday, Aug. 12, 4:30 p.m. – Taste Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah 2009 and Abbot’s Table Red Blend 2009

• Saturday, Aug. 13, 5 p.m. – Try Left Coast Brewery brews.