November 2009 Wine Club Selections

The Global Pinot Family of Wines Each November, I like to dedicate a month of Wine Club to celebrating a very special, very fickle, and very delicious family of grapes: the Pinot family. The Pinot family consists of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris/Grigio, and Pinot Blanc, along with the more obscure Pinot Meunier, often used in sparkling wines. Undeniably, some of the best Pinot grapes are grown in the US, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, and several of those are represented here. But to spend a month with this family of wines and not venture to the equally stellar growing regions of New Zealand and Burgundy seemed a missed opportunity. (When it comes to drinking good wine, we never want you to miss an opportunity.) The Pinot family of grapes began with Pinot Noir and mutated to include a variety of colors and flavor characteristics, but they all have one very important thing in common. Pinot grapes are rather finicky, delicate, temperamental grapes to grow. So every region, and more importantly every producer that grows them, needs to do everything just right. Whether the Pinot gracing your table hails from Burgundy or Martinborough, Santa Barbara or Sonoma Coast, we hope you enjoy every sip of this "go perfect or go home" family of grapes. Cheers ~ Maggie

2008 Snowline Pinot Gris Grape variety: Pinot Gris Region: Columbia Valley, Washington Food pairing: White pizza with garlic, basil and ricotta The Pacific Northwest had the geological potential to end up a harsh and arid environment where little could thrive. But a few big rivers running off of the snowy Cascade Mountains, coupled with cool coastal breezes, make this landscape just hospitable enough for the cool-climate-loving Pinot Gris grape. You may know it better as Pinot Grigio (it's Italian cousin), but this wine, when made in Oregon, takes on a vibrant and refreshing character of floral and tropical white fruits. Coming from a family of skiers, I have a feeling this bottle will become a mainstay throughout the winter season, accompanying many a white pizza, warm goat cheese salad, and roast chicken after a day on the slopes. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/oregon/10594.html 2008 Over the Edge Pinot Noir Grape variety: Pinot Noir Region: Martinborough, New Zealand Food pairing: Roasted parsnips and fennel I spend a lot of time explaining to customers why a good Pinot Noir under $20 is so hard to find; the grapes are fickle, expensive, and hard to grow, the wine has to be treated with such care every step of the way, etc., etc. So it comes as a bit of a surprise to me, even kind of blows my theory out of the water in some respects, when a good Pinot comes along for about $13. Sign of the times, I suppose, and I'll be the last one to object! Over the Edge is a Martinborough New Zealand Pinot Noir that displays all the "varietally correct" characteristics of ripe cherry and raspberry fruit, just a hint of earth, and a balance between juiciness and fresh acidity, but what's really special about it is the bright, sweet-fruited flavor. If you're not committed to putting American wines on the table for Thanksgiving, this would make a great pairing for your turkey, cranberry sauce, and roasted vegetables. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/new_zealand/11330.html

2008 Robert Foley Vineyards Pinot Blanc Grape variety: Pinot Blanc Region: Napa Valley, California Food pairing: Leek omelet or country pork pâté The Pinot Blanc grape is actually a genetic point mutation of Pinot Noir, wherein one cane of the vine will produce white fruit while all the rest produces the usual red. Somewhere along the line a few winemakers decided they liked this particular mutation, probably for the crisp acidity and light apple and melon flavors, and began growing and bottling it on its own. Bob Foley is no stranger to unconventional grapes, as Wine Club veterans may know, so while everyone else in the Napa Valley grows Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay for their white wine, Bob is happy to make his one and only white bottling this refreshing Pinot Blanc. You could say his inspiration comes from Germany or Alsace, but I have a feeling it comes more from a desire to drink something light, crisp and smooth as he listens to rock ballads. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/08833.html 2007 GF Going Forward Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Grape variety: Pinot Noir Region: Sonoma Coast, California Food pairing: Tea-poached duck with beets This is a rather exciting project for us here at Gary's: the inaugural release of our own private label under the GF line called Going Forward. While some private labels out there have gotten a bad wrap (sometimes rightly so, for using rather uninspiring bulk juice), we wanted to do something a little different: a private label project in which over delivering on quality is the main focus, and partnerships with some very high-end winery groups make it all possible. For the Going Forward line, we plan to create a "house style" from the same producer and vineyards year after year, lending a stylistic consistency that's top-notch. And our inaugural release of 2007 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir hit the nail right on the head. Having our Pinot Noir made on the dramatically cool western reaches of the extreme Sonoma Coast is demanding and difficult, but leads to a wine that's amazingly easy to drink and well worth the trouble! Full, ripe red cherry on the nose, with a well-structured palate full of cherry, forest and black tea, and balanced acidity. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/11064.html

2007 Samsara Pinot Noir Grape Variety: Pinot Noir Region: Santa Barbara County, California Food pairing: Roast turkey w/ wild mushroom gravy "We don't make wine, we grow it." This is the mantra of Chad and Mary Melville, creators of Samsara Pinot Noir and Syrah in Santa Barbara County. Samsara is a Sanskrit word for the eternal cycle of life, and it's this natural cycle that Chad and Mary aim to be mindful of as they guide their wine along from vine to barrel to bottle. They believe most of the work must be done in the vineyard, and that once the grapes reach the winery, they've got to let the juice do its own thing. Part of their "hands-off" approach includes using native yeasts and whole-cluster fermentations. Stems help to absorb the overt fruitiness of the wines. To us, many California wines are simply about fruit and lack the complexity that we hope to impart. Making Pinot Noir in the comparably warm Santa Barbara County, that's particularly important for creating balanced, flamboyantly ripe yet also smoothly spicy wines like this one. Yet don't think that their hands-off approach means they're not paying attention; these adept winemakers spend so much time with the wines that each barrel ends up with its own name by the time they bottle! More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/10702.html 2007 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Grape variety: Pinot Noir Region: Santa Hills, California Food pairing: Pork loin with cherry reduction I actually surprised myself by choosing two Santa Barbara County Pinot Noirs for November's Cellar Selections. Don't get me wrong; I'm a big fan of wines rom this region, but with the proliferation of Pinot producers in Sonoma and Oregon, the odds were in favor of the latter two. But these two Santa Barbara/Santa Rita Pinots impressed me too much, in the end they just had to go out to our Club. Brewer-Clifton has been focusing on the best site-selection for Pinot Noirs since their first production in 1996. Though only just over a decade old, the winery already has a reputation for being special and rahter hard to find (with total production topping out between 7,000 and 8,000 cases a year.) This year we managed to get our hands on a few extra cases for our best customers, and are pleased to offer a wine from the stellar 2007 vintage that's full of beautiful notes of dark raspberry and cherry, rose petal and blood organe. Enjoy. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/09905.html

2005 Maison Champy Clos de Vougeot Grape variety: Pinot Noir Region: Burgundy, France Food pairing: Grilled or roasted quail I'm always hesitant to speak in absolutes, but according to my records, Champy is THE oldest maison in Burgundy. And it's not easy to be the oldest in Burgundy. Founded in 1720 and sold a number of times in its now nearly three-century history, the winemaking is now overseen by enologist Dmitri Bazas. Bazas is so particular in his winemaking that he insists on choosing the ageing barrels even for the wine that the maison chooses to buy from other growers. As old as the winery is, you may be surprised to learn that their house style is rather modern in comparison to other Burgundy houses. Lots of new oak expresses itself upon initial release, which ages nicely into exotic spice accents after a few years of cellaring. (As one critic wrote, think "sandalwood and cardamom:" two of my absolute favorite scents to smell in...well..anything! Our French buyer managed to procure just a few cases of this Grand Cru. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/france/11187.html 2007 Rochioli Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Grape Variety: Pinot Noir Region: Russian River Valley, California Food pairing: Pan-roasted salmon with blood orange zest and reduction Few California wineries can boast three generations of stewardship, but that's just what Rochioli brings to the table. Established by Joe Rochioli Sr. in 1938, the 161 acres of vineyards in the Russian River Valley have since been passed to his son and Joe Jr. and grandson Tom. There's a relatively limited amount of their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to go around (about 10,000 in total per year), but a small amount ends up on our shelves to share with our customers. The 2007 vintage was an amazing year for the Russian River Valley, wherein the overall estate wines showed complexity that would rival most vintages single-vineyard bottlings. This one in particular is on the fuller-bodied side for Pinot Noir. It scored 91 points from the Wine Spectator, which noted Vibrant, spicy aromas of redcurrant, strawberry and fresh rose. Lithe red berry flavors are impressively precise and tangy, offering very good focus and slow mounting sweetness. Finishes on a deeper cherry note, with excellent clarity and length. While those bright tangy berry flavors are still fresh, you'll want to drink this one now, while you wait for the Champy Clos de Vougeot to mature to perfection. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/10080.html