November 19 · 2009

Your Wine ABCs for today are: M is for Malbec! N is for Nikolaihof O is for Ohitza To order any of the following WineFinds offers, please email your request to winefinds@corkwineshop.com and specify Lovejoy or Alberta for your pickup location.  We will confirm your order is available and coordinate payment and pickup at that time. Have a great weekend, Darryl 2007 ANDREW RICH Malbec Alder Ridge Vineyard (Reg. $26) cork club $21.25 · nonclub price $24 Many of you know that Andrew Rich is one of our favorite local producers and that I worked for him during harvest in 2002.  What you might not know is that, through his own wine club at the winery, he releases a handful of really small production wines that are usually exclusives for his own club. Fortunately, my alumni status gets us a few bones tossed our way now and then, and this Malbec is just such a little gem.  The first one we offered you some years ago, I believe, was the 2003 pictured here.  Pat recently had the chance to taste the 2007 Malbec with Andrew and has this to say about it: "The fruit comes from the Alder Ridge vineyard located in the southern end of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, which hugs the Washington shore of the Columbia River. Hot days and cool evening breezes flowing off the Columbia ripened the grapes without over-developing sugar levels. With such great fruit, Andrew was careful not to over-extract the wine in order to preserve the aromatics. Yet this Malbec still shows dense layers of dark berry and plum fruit laced with licorice and plenty of cracked black pepper that will leave your mouth watering after the first sip. New oak barrels boost the level of wood tannins to add some serious grip for a cellar-worthy Malbec. Decant for an hour and enjoy now, or cellar for 3-5 years to let the flavors further integrate." Sounds good to me.  I'm tossing three bottles in my personal cellar, which leaves about a dozen cases for you all to fight over.  Order now.  He only made 112 cases.  Limit 1 case per customer. 2008 NIKOLAIHOF Gruner Veltliner Im Weingebirge Federspiel (Reg. $34) cork club super sale at $26/bottle · $30 nonclub price Grüner Veltliner is a magical grape that has elevated Austria's stock in the wine world due to stunning single-vineyard bottlings released in the past 20 years.  Leading the pack is Nikolaihof, the first estate in the world to receive Demeter certification as Biodynamic.  So that tells us they care about the land, which in turn means they are probably very careful about what goes into the bottle, and it is so important to them they're willing to pay a third-party to verify to the world that they follow these practices.  All of that is great, and you know we're big supporters of producers following Biodynamics, but if the wine in the bottle isn't the best it can be, then it becomes irrelevant.  Well, let me just say that Nikolaihof is very relevant.  Their wines are so focused and unique, that every time I taste them I have to control myself from buying too much.  And this time, unfortunately, I did.  The orange label from Nikolaihof is the Im Weingebire Federspiel vineyard designate.  Im Weingebirge is the oldest documented vineyard in Europe (511 A.D.) and this Federspiel bottling is one the winery designates as *** (three star) indicating 'extra-dry'.  Plus 2008 happens to be shaping up as a classic vintage in the Wachau. We have a handful of other new arrivals rolling in from Austria right now (both Gruner and Riesling), but with this little gem, I only pre-ordered 6 bottles at this price.  So get them now.  The crisp green apple notes, stone fruit (nectarine) and kefir lime leaf that is coming out of the nose on this wine is intoxicating alone.  Put this on your Thanksgiving table and your guests are going to stop the conversation and ask you what you've put in their glass!  Limit 3 bottles per customer. 2005 BRANA Ohitza Irouleguy (Reg. $21) cork club $18  ·  $20 nonclub price Here's something completely different.  We put this in our offbeat picks for Thanksgiving because I really enjoy this hearty red blend from the Southwest corner of France.  You're probably looking at the name and wondering what language that is?  In fact, it's Basque, and the vineyards of Tannat (70%) and Cabernet Franc (30%) are just a few 100km from the Spanish border in the Pyrenees.  The Irouleguy A.O.C. requires the wine to have at least 40% Tannat, but the Brana family feels that Cab Franc performs better and also argues it arrived in this tiny Basque village first.  Either way, they work together wonderfully.  The wine is smooth and balanced, it shows a touch of inkiness that I often get from the Tannat grape, but the Cabernet Franc really fleshes out the meaty, gamey red berry fruit. Leather, charcoal and maybe a touch of ginger are all mingling on the palate.  I think with all the flavors of roasted birds and wild rice and squash you might have on your table next week, this is a great choice for something new and different that also won't break the bank.  Branch out a bit and try some. To take advantage of these special email-only Wine Finds prices, reply to this email at winefinds@corkwineshop.com.  Please specify ALBERTA or LOVEJOY for pickup location when you submit your request. Cork club members receive the club price, all other customers receive the nonclub price.  You can join cork club at the time of your order and receive the additional savings in this offer. All wines are first come, first serve and must be paid for within 24 hours of confirmation of your order. Wine finds prices expire 5 days from the date on this email, unless otherwise noted, and orders are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the time stamp of your email. If you have a credit card on file, we will confirm your order and use that card as form of payment.  If not, you'll need to call us or come in with payment information before the expiration to receive these prices. EASTSIDE: 2901 NE Alberta Street · 503.281.2675 WESTSIDE: 1715 NW Lovejoy Street · 503.501.5028 All prices subject to change and any typographical errors as to pricing or availability shall not be binding on seller.  Limited to quantities available and time expiration of this email offer. We will email you back to confirm your final order and inform you when it is ready for pickup.  All sales final through email confirmation only.  No walk-in or phone sales.  Please respond to this email to place an order.