April 2010 Wine Club Selections

A Good Kind of Green We're hearing the word "green" thrown around quite a bit these days, in reference to everything from household cleaners to transportation. But in the wine world, calling a bottling "green" hasn't always had positive connotations. In less eco-conscious times, a "green" wine was a wine made from grapes that had been picked a little too early, before they were fully ripe, resulting in a thinner texture and tart vegetal taste on the finish. But today, we often call wines "green" as a form of praise for their eco-friendly farming practices. Here at Gary's, we've begun identifying wines that we know to be either organically, biodynamically, or sustainably farmed with "Gary's Green Selections" tags. It can be tricky to navigate the intricacies of the terminology (after all, "organic wine" has an entirely different meaning than "wine made from organic grapes"), but we think that sharing this information is at least a step in the right direction toward being ecologically-informed wine drinkers. So this month, in celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd and all things deferential to Mother Nature, we tip our hats to the wineries that, in some form or other, have "gone green" in the best sense of the word. No vegetal tang, we promise.

2008 Benziger Chardonnay Grape variety: Chardonnay Region: Carneros, California Food pairing: Frisee salad with organic poached egg If you think your own family has a wacky side, you've never hung out with the Benziger clan. They all work in some aspect of the family winery, from winemaking to marketing, and they're all nuts about Biodynamics. But one stroll around the grounds of their vineyard and you would be too: without it, they wouldn't have their own bees buzzing around their own organic fig trees, their own sheep and long-haired cattle grazing in the vineyard rows, and they wouldn't have some of the best street cred in the Biodynamic viticulture scene of any good sized California winery. They've got it pretty well figured out, and as head winemaking honcho Mike Benziger likes to say, now they just need the consumer to get on board. "It's kind of like learning to like good dirt-grown tomatoes over bland hothouse tomatoes again. It's happening." Whether you know the back-story on the winemaking or not, it's hard not to appreciate the vanilla-laced pineapple character of this refreshing Chardonnay. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/59960.html 2008 Domaine Sauvete Gamay Les Gravouilles Grape variety: Gamay Region: Loire Valley, France Food pairing: Grilled salmon with blood orange If there's a winery to be deemed off-the-beaten-path, it's Domaine Sauvete, located in the tiny commune of Monthou sur Cher outside Touraine in the Loire Valley. But off-the-beaten-path seems to suit the husband and wife team of Jerome and Dominique Sauvete. And if geographical isolation wasn't enough to set them apart, they chose the Gamay grape and Ecocert organic methods to further diversify from the herd. I'm admittedly not always a fan of the Gamay grape, which is most well-known for producing Beaujolais Nouveau, the bubblegummy young bottling made successful through ingenious international marketing efforts. But this Gamay is made in quite a different style than Nouveau: hand harvested in whole clusters, no pressing, no destemming, and aged for six months in vat before bottling. The result is richer, bright red fruit accompanied by just the slightest note of baking spice: in short, an incredibly easy drinking wine, best served lightly chilled. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/france/12992.html

2008 Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner Hefeabzug Grape variety: Gruner Veltliner Region: Wachau, Austria Food pairing: Weiner schnitzel, steamed potatoes, parsley and lemon Our Reserve White comes highly recommended by Wine Associate Ivonne Nill, who visited Nikolaihoff in 2009. Father and son winemaking team of Nikolaus Sr. and Nikolaus Jr. Saahs began farming their vineyards biodynamically in 1971, long before it was cool or trendy to do so. Says Nikolaus Jr. "We are so old-fashioned that we're almost modern again." Synthetic pesticides and herbicides are prohibited, and when there are problems they resort to spraying liquids made from stinging nettles,and valerian tea: practices supported and certified by the Demeter association of Biodynamic standards. They produce wines that are thick, dense, uncompromisingly stony in character and usually very long- lived. Hefeabzug (Hefe=yeast, Abzug=lifted from) means wine aged on the yeast lees which results in extra creaminess and complexity. Not only will you find citrus, white flowers, and lively acidity, but you may be surprised by straightforward minerality and waxiness in this truly unique wine. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/austria/12991.html 2008 Plowbuster Pinot Noir Grape Variety: Pinot Noir Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon Food pairing: Brick-baked hen, forest mushrooms Mike Hallock came to winemaking, as many do, in a circuitous manner. He was a petroleum engineer living in Denver when an "urban winery" opened up in downtown Denver, and Mike volunteered to help out. The wine bug bit him hard, and several years later, he purchased the 58 acre Carabella Vineyard in the Chahalem Mountains AVA of Willamette Valley, Oregon. He now farms the vines sustainably, using no herbicides and counting on the diversity of 11 different clones to help him make wines of elegant complexity. Plowbuster is his second label of Pinot Noir, named for the soil his vines call home. "The earth is littered with bits of steel from several generations of plows," he says. "Vine roots run so deep that irrigation is moot. There are rocky red soils only a winemaker or a geologist could love. Fortunately I'm both." An exceptional quality Pinot Noir for around $20, dark fruited, deep and earthy, and from a fantastic vintage for the Willamette Valley. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/oregon/09393.html

2005 Domaine du Gros Nore Bandol Grape Variety: Mourvedre Region: Bandol, France Food pairing: French country pate with crusty bread Sometimes, "green" methods are employed for the purpose of quality control and less so for the want of being "green." Take Gros Nore in the Bandol region of Provence. Here they grow mostly Mourvedre with dashes of Cinsault and Carignan with strictly self-imposed low yields and manual viticulture, all for the sake of keeping the true expression of the grapes intact. It can't be an easy decision to make: growing seasons here are long and hot, leading to a necessarily strong backbone for both the wine and the workers! But after maturation in large oak foudres, they end up with a big, inky wine that's just full of cassis, dark cherry, licorice, leather, and a characteristic Mourvedre gaminess that's absolutely hedonistic next to roasted meats. Drink now if you like it in it most monstrous stages, or allow it to mellow for a few years and become even more interesting and savory. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/france/12448.html 2007 Duemani Altrovino Grape variety: Cabernet Franc / Merlot Region: Tuscany, Italy Food pairing: Tomato-braised oxtails Let's get something clear right out of the gate: this is one of my favorite Tuscan wineries of the moment, and no, its selection had nothing to do with the cool green-dotted label. (Appropriate though, no?) Duemani is one of the most refreshingly edgy new projects to spring up in Tuscany in the past decade, imported by the equally refreshing and edgy (but make no mistake--still seriously wine-minded) importers, Acid Inc. They've been certified organic and Demeter certified biodynamic since 2004, growing the not-so-traditional varietals Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah in Tuscan soils rich with clay and fossilized shells. This 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc carries both deep color and deep aromas, with rich layers of blackberry, currant, spice and licorice backed by ripe tannins. It may not be Old World in style, but it's certainly in keeping with the most Old World principal of all: sustainability of the vineyard. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/italy/11437.html

2006 Gouges Nuits St Georges Premier Cru Clos des Porrets St Georges Grape variety: Grenache, Syrah Region: Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone Valley France Food pairing: Duck Confit over Lentils Arguably the most famous domaine in the Nuits St. Georges appellation, Domaine Henri Gouges has been in production since 1919. Most notably, Henri Gouges fought alongside the Marquis d'Angerville in the "war against fraud" in Burgundy in the 1920's and 1930's, leading to the delineation of crus. Today, Henri's two grandsons, Christian and Pierre, own and manage the domaine, paying close attention to ecological preservation of their land for future generations of Gouges to come. The premier cru vineyard "Clos des Porrets St-Georges" is unique within Burgundy in that it's a monopole vineyard, owned entirely by one domaine that gets to keep all the grapes for their bottling. Their 2006 vintage carries some very interesting garden herb notes: black tea, cardamom and mineral alongside black cherry and cassis. A bit of leather comes through on the nose now; give it a few years, and that will develop more deeply into the earthy character typical of Nuit St. Georges. A lovely bottle to open now (rated 92 points by The Wine Advocate), it'll certainly reward patience, drinking at its height of complexity in five to ten more years. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/france/12330.html 2004 Kenefick Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Grape Variety: Grenache Region: Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone Valley, France Food pairing: Slow-roasted leg of lamb A really great vineyard source in the Napa Valley often starts out providing fruit for other wineries' bottlings before (if ever) they decide it's time to bottle their own. Before the proprietors of Kenefick Ranch ever decided to make their own wine, their vineyard had already gained recognition in the Valley, providing fruit for big names like Joseph Phelps, Lewis, Plumpjack, Arietta, and Behrens & Hitchcock. Comprising 125 acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Petit Verdot, it's the varied terroir that makes the site special. Soil types range from rocky red volcanic soil to deep, fine grey sands, allowing the different grapes to grow and ripen at their own pace. And the sustainability of the vineyard is kept up through participation in the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. Members in this consortium help reduce water and energy use, minimize pesticides to build healthy soil, protect air and water quality, recycle natural resources, and provide employee education and awareness: all principles that are quite important in a Valley that's become so densely populated with vineyards. The 2004 vintage was a good one in the Napa Valley, and indeed a good vintage for this vineyard-cum-winery. Both Wine Spectator and Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine gave it 93 point ratings. The Connoisseur's Guide noted, "Oriented to the kind of high ripeness that adds a dried berry note, to what is otherwise a reasonably varietal aroma of black cherries, whiffs of green olives and herbs and a dusting of cocoa powder, this impressive wine is full in weight, supple in initial palatefeel and oriented to sweet oak, berries and red fruits in its deeply cast flavors. It delivers a full measure of drinking pleasure and is a fine successor in both kind and convincing character as the equally big and generous 2003." More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/california/62547.html