WINE TASTING: Sat. Mar. 13, Concord
DOM. JEAN-MARC BURGAUD BEAUJOLAIS
SAT. MAR. 13, 2-5pm, CONCORD

Blown away by BEAUJOLAIS!
VINTAGES’ Eric Broege visited Jean-Marc Burgaud in Beaujolais last week. The wines Eric tasted with Jean-Marc were amazing, truly defied any gamay expectation. They are the epitome of authentic, artisanal wines for the same price as typical mass-produced wines.  They are agile, fine and elegant, yet cutting, precise, with power & intensity. Jean-Marc Burgaud is a benchmark for superb wine at daily drinking prices.

DOM. JEAN-MARC BURGAUD
2008 Chateau de Thulon  Beaujolais Villages $12.99
“Smells of cherry and holly berry, with high-toned, distilled-force concentration. In the mouth, this is juicy and satisfying; with faintly bitter cherry stone and holly berry notes nicely integrated into a generously juicy finish. Like so many of the better wines of this vintage, it combines a palpable sense of extract with delicacy and lift.” –WA

2008 Regnie “Vallieres” $14.99
“Saturates the palate with ripe, bright cherry fruit and persistent floral perfume; finishes with buoyancy and mouth-watering juiciness. Drink it young, but also hold a bottle or two for 2-3 years as there is an underlying density belied by the wine’s levity.” –WA

2008 Morgon “Les Charmes” $16.99
“Shows a striking nose of fresh strawberry, citrus oils, ginger, heliotrope, narcissus, and clean red meatiness. Its deep meatiness and seamlessly ripe fruit inhabit a palate of refined, satiny texture and lead to a long, savory finish.” 2008 Morgon “Cote du Py” $17.99
“Burgaud’s 2008 Morgon Cote de Py is scented with cherry, red currant, and narcissus. It combines cut and brightness of fruit with clean meatiness and stony minerality.”–WA

2008 Beaujolais Rose $11.99
EB notes: “Great! Ripe and drinkable, balanced, top notch!

KERMIT LYNCH: Wine Artistry for Everyday

KLWM wines offer everything you could ask for in a wine for daily enjoyment: strong sense of place, focused flavors and aromas, elegant balance, complexity and a satisfying finish. 

 If you missed this tasting, don’t miss these wines. They’re fantastic!
white
2007 KUENTZ BAS Alsace Blanc $12.99 (Alsace)
WOW!  Traditional Alsatian blend: 65% sylvaner, 20% pinot blanc, 15% Chasselas (Alsace) Inviting nose, focused and pure fruit; finishes very clean and dry. A marvel of charm & precision!

2007 DOM. CHAMPELOU Vouvray Sec $17.99 (Loire Valley) STUNNING!
100% chenin blanc. “A fetching nose of quince, orange, lime, narcissus, freesia, sweet corn, and green tea ushers in a luscious yet remarkably delicate palate, with a perfectly judged hint of sweetness supporting pear, quince, and citrus. Savory salinity, a hint of caramel, chalk, and citrus zest as well as a suggestion of vanilla cream inform an ear-to-ear finish of lift and refinement.” –WA

rose
2008 DOM. FONTSAINTE “Gris de Gris” $13.99 (Languedoc) PURE NECTAR!
Blend of 60% Grenache Gris & Grenache Noir; 5% 10% Mourvèdre; 15% Carignan; 10% Cinsault. “Honeysuckle, green tea, cranberry and strawberry on the nose. Juicy, finely etched red berry and citrus flavors are gently sweet and given spine by nervy minerality. Richer on the finish…” –IWC
red
2006 DOM. FONTSAINTE Corbieres $12.99 (Languedoc) DEEPLY FRUITED NECTAR!
60% carignane, 30% grenache noir, 10% syrah. Luscious blueberry fruit, well-balanced, soft sweet tannins, juicy and delicious!

2007 CLOS la COUTALE Cahors $15.99 (Southwest France) MEATY ELEGANCE, even better the 2nd day!
70% malbec, 30% merlot. “Philippe Bernede’s 2007 Cahors continues Clos la Coutale’s long-running streak of excellence. Smelling of ripe mulberries, cassis, cardamom, carob, and black walnut husks, it offers a juicy and expansive palate. Peppery pungency & sirloin juices dominate a long finish. “–WA

2006 CHATEAU de LASCAUX Rouge $16.99 (Languedoc) DELIGHTFULLY SPICY!
60% syrah, 40% Grenache- “The Chat. Lascaux rouge smells of fresh red raspberry, smoked meat and soy, comes onto the palate brightly with ample fruit concentration covering its tannins, and finishes with lovely fresh berry tang, herbal pungency and salty-meaty savor.”-WA

2006 DOM. JOGUET Chinon “Cuvee Terroir” $19.99 (Loire Valley) EVOLVES BEAUTIFULLY in your glass! 100% cabernet franc, 20 yr old vines. “The tannins are melting, the bouquet fully expresses itself: drink now, no need to restrain yourself, it’s a wonderfully aromatic wine.”–Joguet

NEW ARRIVAL:
2008 CHAT. MASSIAC Minervois “Sentinelle de Massiac” $12.99
Dom. Massiac is owned by Bernard & France Boudovresques in the heart of Minervois. Powerful blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Carignan. Earthy, spicy and intense with aromas of clay and bacon. The vines are grown in rocky clay-limestone soil, a geologic composition common to the estate. Deep color & rich fruit with dominant flavors of black currant.

WINE DOG DEAL!
2006 CHATEAU COUPE-ROSES Minervois $12.99

Blend of old vine Carignan and Grenache along with a healthy dollop of Syrah, this southern France red is bursting with black fruits, raspberry, spices and pepper. Wonderfully expressive and smooth, this grill-ready red is perfect for the weekend and all through summer!

We recently had an impulse to open up a bottle of 1995 Campagne de Centeilles made  by Patricia Boyer-Domergue of Minervois, a wine that was imported for us directly from her cellar by Ideal Wine.  As with many mature wines, it is good to check in with them from time to time to see how they are doing and if they have a long life ahead of them or need to be drunk up quickly. What we found was quite simply astonishing– a wine full of life and vitality, but with amazingly complex tertiary flavors and aromas that only come from significant bottle-age.

This bottling is made primarily from Cinsault and the balance is Syrah.  The color of the wine at this point is similar to the color of a traditional Barolo from Conterno or Mascarello –lighter garnet fading into brick. In the nose, the wine offers fine and complex aromas of baked cherries and plums, soy, bittersweet cocoa, beef bouillion, mint, and green tea, extremely seamless and fine in its aromatic complexity. On the palate, the wine is sublime; its silky texture washes over the palate with ethereal flavors of roasted cherry, grilled pit fruit, and amazingly powdery, bitter cocoa tannins. Wow!

1995 Campagne de Centeilles quite simply restores one’s faith in the beautiful and inspiring qualities that wine can bring to our lives, and, if you can fully appreciate everything that this wine has to offer, you will have arrived.

NEW & EXCLUSIVE: YVES LECCIA wines from CORSICA
2007 YVES LECCIA Vin de Pays Rouge $28 (Corsica)
This blend of 80% Grenache 20% Nielluciu (Sangiovese) is imported by Kermit Lynch and exclusive in MA to VINTAGES.

2007 Cuvee YL “offers a pungent, generous nose of red raspberry and strawberry preserves mingled with rose petals, black tea, and fennel, leading to a rich mouthful of red fruits and flowers with fascinating fossil and marine nuances…”  -WA

The sappy, ripe fruit on a long, velvety finish. Lush, smooth, full, with intrigue and interest to burn! Amazing! Don’t miss this one!

Born into a wine growing family, Yves Leccia never questioned the choice of his future profession. After finishing his oenology degree, he took over the family wine business in the ’80s; he left in 2004 to create his own company. In 2005, Yves and his wife Sandrine created Domain le Croce with 15 h. of vines situated in the areas of Croce and Partinelone in PATRIMONIO. Natural and sustainable viticulture methods are used; grapes are hand-harvested. Vines average 20 years old.

Just Arrived! 2007 VIGNERONS du CARACTERE Cotes du Rhone 3 Liter Box $30!
What is 3 Liters? It’s four bottles of wine! In a vacuum-packed, eco-friendly  box. Drink a little; drink a lot. Maintains freshness for one month after opening. Such a deal!

“Tasty, with a mix of black cherry, graphite and spice notes followed by a solid, medium-weight finish. Blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. Drink now.” –W.S.

ROSENTHAL WINE TASTING, Part II (Concord)
Fri. Dec. 12 4:30-7:30pm with Eric Broege
SAT. DEC. 13, 2-5pm with MICHAEL KANE of Rosenthal
Please join us for another taste of the distinctive, terroir-driven wines of Rosenthal Wine Merchant. For thirty years, Neal Rosenthal has carefully selected artisanal wines that profoundly express their origins and traditions. The informative and inspiring MICHAEL KANE of Rosenthal will be at VINTAGES’ in West Concord on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2-5pm to present the wines.

PAOLO BEA, Montefalco, Umbria
“Paolo Bea’s wines represent the finest of the artisan approach to winemaking. Bea farms his vineyards naturally. The wines are made in a traditional style that calls for extended periods of skin contact and several years of aging. At their best these are finessed, expressive wines of the highest level in a style that recalls the Brunellos of Soldera or the Barolos of Giuseppe Rinaldi, to name just two producers with a similar aesthetic.” – Wine Advocate

2005 BORDEAUX: Greatest Vintage
Fri. Dec. 12, 4:30-7:30pm & Sat. Dec. 13, 2-5pm, BELMONT
“Tasting the 2005 red wines from the bottle, many of them three or four times, confirmed that this is the greatest vintage produced during my 30-year career. A great majority of the wines are far superior from bottle than they were from cask, confirming the quality of this remarkable vintage. Most of the ratings that follow are on the conservative side, and I look forward to revisiting many of these 2005s in 5-10 years.” –Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

2005 COTE DE BALEAU, St. Emilion $38
“The Reiffers family has had resounding success with all three of their 2005s (Cote de Baleau, Grandes Murailles, and Clos St.-Martin). The dense purple-colored Cote de Baleau offers up notes of kirsch liqueur and black fruits in its sweet, concentrated, full-bodied personality. With ripe tannin as well as decent acidity, it will offer lovely drinking over the next 12-15 years.”

2005 BLASON d’ISSAN, Margaux $40
Second label of famed Margaux estate, Chateau d’Issan. Superb! 2005 Blason d’Issan shows plenty of characteristic Margaux aromas, charm & finesse, and offers the advantage of enjoyable drinking now and over the next 5-10 years.

2005 LARRIVET HAUT BRION, Pessac Leognan $53
“Exhibiting classic Graves aromas of smoky, volcanic, scorched earth, herbs, chocolate, and black cherries, Larrivet Haut-Brion’s dense ruby/purple-colored 2005 possesses superb depth, and silky yet abundant tannins. It is an excellent effort displaying a provocative bouquet as well as 15 or more years of aging potential.”–Wine Advocate

2005 MALARTIC GRAVIERE, Pessac Leognan $75
“Perhaps the strongest wine I have ever tasted from Malartic Lagravière, the 2005 has a dense ruby/purple color and a wonderfully sweet nose of crème de cassis, graphite, and soil undertones. Medium-bodied, smoky, with classic scorched earth, Graves-like aromatics and flavors, this wine displays impeccable winemaking, with pure fruit, medium body, and gorgeously long, rich flavors and moderate levels of tannin. This is possibly the finest Malartic Lagravière ever made. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2025.”–Wine Advocate

ROSENTHAL IMPORTS WINE TASTING
featuring MICHAEL KANE of Rosenthal
SAT. DEC. 6, 2-5pm, BELMONT store

Please join us for a taste of the distinctive, terroir-driven wines of Rosenthal Wine Merchant. For thirty years, Neal Rosenthal has carefully selected artisanal wines that profoundly express their origins and traditions — “the best of wines will always proudly tell you from where they come.”
The informative and inspiring MICHAEL KANE of Rosenthal will be at VINTAGES’ Belmont shop 2-5pm to present the wines. Michael is a veritable fountain of precise and passionate knowledge about what’s in your glass! No “tasting notes” necessary!