WINTER HOURS
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Mon - Wed: 11 - 6
Thurs - Fri: 11 - 8
Sat: 11 - 6
Sun: 12 - 5
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I
was chuckling as I surfed the web this weekend to catch up on some wine
reading and came across the blog that Eric Asimov wrote last week about
California wines, their high alcohol levels and The Ojai
Vineyard. An interesting read, you can link to it here.
Even better is the reference to the LA Times article talking about the
Parkerization of wines and how this has been the downfall of California
wines - over ripe, over oaked and hard to know what to do with.
Well, good to see this is a hot topic of conversation and that many
California wineries are taking notice and starting to produce lower
alcohol, balanced and interesting wines. I know we poured some
really eye-opening wines last week and hope many of you will stop in
and try some of the new California selections we've sprinkled around
the shop. You might be surprised yourself.
This week we
have a tasty Spanish dinner that has a few seats left, so if you don't
yet have plans for Saturday night, email me immediately to get
in. (No Phone Calls, Please - Email darryl@corkwineshop.com for
your best shot at the last seats at the table).
We also have a
tasting on Friday that honors 5 terrific female winemakers who turn out
top quality wines in their respective regions.
Finally, Sara
will tell you about her favorite new arrivals and I've got a list of 3
others to entice you into the store. With the weather turning
sunny, it's a great time to get out and walk on Alberta for a little
shopping and of course, a little wine and chocolate buying.
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FRIDAY NIGHT FLIGHT · Female Winemakers · $12 tasting fee · 4 - 8 pm
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Wines from Five Female Winemakers - Friday, 1/18 from 4PM - 8PM.
There
has been a growing number of female winemakers in all of the world's
wine regions over the past 20 years. For this week's tasting, we
will focus on 5 who pioneered the way for others to follow. In
France, two standout producers are Gombaude-Guillot where Claire Laval
is the only female winemaker in the vast Bordeaux region and she
pioneers further by farming her vineyards organically. Then
there's Lalou Bize-Leroy of Domaine Leroy, the famously ousted daughter
of the famed Domaine Romanee Conte estate, who produces beautiful Pinot
Noir in Burgundy. For Italy, it is Mariuccia Bario at Cascina
Castlet in Piemonte who we look to for stunning Barbera and Cristina
Germaniani from Zerbina who stands alone both as a woman and as a
leader for wines from the Emiglia-Romagna zone. We're sure to
find a few examples from the US as well to round out the tasting.
$12 tasting fee. Drop-in tasting, no reservations required. |
UPCOMING EVENTS · Tastings
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SPANISH WINE DINNER · Saturday, Jan. 19 · 7:00 PM · $80/person inclusive
Scott
Ketterman will be cooking up some of his wonderful Basque food for us
this Saturday, in our rescheduled Pintxos and Priorat dinner.
He'll prepare a first course of several Pintxos and Tapas, followed by
3 courses inspired by the recipes he gathered while traveling in the
Basque country of Spain. We'll pair each course with wines from
Spain, including Txakoli & Godello to start and reds from Montsant
and Priorat to finish. This tasty meal is $80/person and that
includes food, wine and gratuity. We just had a couple
cancellations, so there are just a few seats left. Email me
quickly if you would like to join us and I will call you back for a
credit card needed to confirm the reservation.
BACKROOM TASTINGS · Limited to 14 People · Reservations Required with Credit Card
RENATO RATTI BAROLO with Pietro Ratti · Wednesday, Jan. 30 · 6:30pm · $20/person
14
lucky people will get to sit at the tasting room table and enjoy
stories from the always engaging Pietro Ratti, as he pours his current
release Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Villa Pattono and a few Barolo's
TBD. Renato's wines have long been personal favorites and this is
a great opportunity to taste single-vineyard Barolo from the stunning
2001 vintage plus other wines as well. As always, there will be a
special price list for wines purchased the night of the class and there
will be a futures offering for the 2004 Barolo's which attendees
hopefully will get a sneak preview into tasting (assuming Pietro clears
customs with bottles in tow!)
QUPE WINERY with Robert Lindquist · Tuesday, Feb. 5 · 6:30pm · $20/person
Qupe
is a small Central Coast California winery, located in Los Olivos, that
has been focused on producing wines, mostly from Rhone varietals, for
almost 20 years. Sharing a winemaking facility with Jim Clendenen
of Au Bon Climat, Robert has encountered a lifetime's worth of wine
stories and will share them with us as he pours three whites, including
his stunning Viognier, and three of his single-vineyard Syrahs.
This is a great opportunity to get to know a winemaker committed to
biodynamic farming and collaborative winemaking on a level we don't see
nearly enough.
Email darryl@corkwineshop.com
if you'd like to sign up for any of the above reservation events.
Include a phone number so we can call you back to get a credit card for
confirmation. You will receive an email or telephone to confirm space
is available and to hold your reservation.
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SARA'S CORNER
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Here
are some new arrivals I am in love with. Very rarely do I give
wines a "10" on my rating scale. This week, however, two amazing,
dynamic, and organic wines scored perfectly.
2006 D. VENTURA Vina Caneiro Ribeira Sacra · $25/bottle ($22.50 cork club price)
The
Ventura family has seven acres total of Mencia in the Ribeira Sacra
zone, just south of Bierzo in Northwestern Spain. They farm all
of their incredibly steep, terraced vineyards organically. This little
winery does three different bottlings each vintage and the Vina Caneiro
is their oldest vine offering of 80 year old vines. The nose is pure
and remarkably complex. It shows deep plum and violets, crushed rose
petals, and ripe, dark fruit. Buried beneath the floral notes are
flavors of earth and animal, with a dark cherry finish and lingering
hints of stone and mineral from the slate soil on which the fruit was
grown.
2004 CHATEAU DE VAUDIEU Chateauneuf du Pape · $40/bottle ($36 cork club price)
This
producer is one of the region's oldest true Chateaus, and although this
wine is a traditional blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, it is
fairly modern in style, showing sophistication rather than rusticity.
On the palate, ripe, red fruits and cherry notes are balanced with
leather and peppery herbs. Most impressive, however, is the incredible
expression of stone and citrus that carries from the front of the
palate to the back, leaving your tongue tingly and longing for another
satisfying sip.
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NEW ARRIVALS
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The
cases keep flowing in the door and here's 5 new arrivals that you need
to put on your shopping list for your next trip to cork:
2006 COLOME Torrontes · $13.50/bottle ($12.15 cork club price)
Many
of you have tried the Malbec that comes from the Colome winery in the
Salta region of Northern Argentina. Well, as a whole, the most
promising aspect of Salta is what it does with the Torrontes grape,
which can make a white wine that is floral, light and refreshing.
Then again, if you're Paul Hess and live on top of the world, you can
do whatever yo uwant and this wine is a perfect example of that.
Tasting more like a rich and round Semillon from Bordeaux, this is a
mouthful of golden raisins, petrol and a full finish. A perfect
choice for spicy Thai food for those grabbing to go from down the
street.
2004 SNOWDEN Lost Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon · $33/bottle ($29.70 cork club price)
The
Lost Vineyard sits above Napa Valley's famed Auberge du Soleil Hotel,
where the landscape is quite wild and primitive. The wine is
stunning, balancing dark berry fruit, smoky notes and a good nutty
finish that lingers on the palate. A delicious choice for steak
and pommes frites.
2004 ATALAYAS Ribera del Deuro · $20/bottle ($18 cork club price)
This
is our new favorite in old-world style Tempranillo from the Ribera zone
in Spain. Dark and chewy, with a structured mouthful of
blackberry fruit and nutty oak tones from American barrel aging.
If you've got some sliced Jamon and aged Manchego, throw in a bottle of
Atalayas and some Marcona almonds for a balanced afternoon snack.
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