January 2010 Wine Club Selections

South American Selections This is one of the months I look forward to putting together most for the Wine Club. While every month is full of fun new discoveries, January's South American selections are particularly exciting for me as this is one of the regions I buy for our stores. So you can imagine how I spend all year squirreling away this special Malbec or that great Syrah for the New Year. I don't know what's most important to you in January (New Years resolutions, perhaps), but high on my priority list is keeping warm. I spend most of this month turning up the thermostat, investing in new ski socks, eating hearty, spicy foods and sipping the kind of wines that warm you from the inside out. The wine-drinkers of Argentina and Chile have become well-practiced at this notion, dwelling on the foothills of one of the world's most impressive mountain chains, the Andes. So they know a thing or two about crafting the kind of wine that will warm us on these bitter cold winter days. The white wines for this month's selections, a Chardonnay and a Torrontes, have the rich, ripe fruit and creaminess that we crave this time of year, while the reds are made of the heartier, bolder grape varieties like Syrah, Bonarda, Carmenere and Malbec that carry the kind of spicy-smooth oomph we want now. Here's hoping the New Year finds you healthy, happy and warm.

2009 Los Cowboys Torrontes Grape variety: Torrontes Region: Mendoza, Argentina Food pairing: Spit-roasted chicken stuffed with green olives For the past few years, we've been looking for a Fair Trade project that we could really get behind: one that not only provided good wine for the money, but gave some significant proceeds back to the community where the wine was made. This project fit the bill on both counts. If you haven't yet tried the intensely aromatic Torrontes grape, you're in for a treat. Crisp yet slightly creamy, the wine combines the zestiness of Sauvignon Blanc with the floral headiness of Viognier. And because the company distributing this wine gives back twice the profits required by Fair Trade standards to build playgrounds and educational and medical facilities for the Mendoza vineyard-workers' families, you can feel twice as good about enjoying a glass of this special Argentine wine. (If you're interested in learning more, visit www.doubleupfairtrade.com) More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/argentina/10047.html 2007 LaMadrid Single Vineyard Reserva Bonarda Grape variety: Bonarda Region: Mendoza, Argentina Food pairing: Argentine beef empanadas I had to reflect pretty thoroughly on the concept of not giving you a Malbec for the January Selections; it's pretty tough to beat Malbec in the realm of value and crowd-pleasing ability on this level. Chances are, you've never tried a Bonarda, let alone a single-vineyard reserve one. But I'd also be willing to bet that ten or fifteen years ago, many of you had never heard of or tried Argentine Malbec either, and we all know how quickly that has caught on! Bonarda is a grape that was widely planted in Argentina before Malbec stole the show, but was mostly used for unexciting bulk wine. While many winemakers ruthlessly pulled up all their Bonarda to make room for the Malbec boom, a few forward-thinkers like the Durigutti brothers (creators of this bottling), decided to work on crafting great wine from their beloved Bonarda grape as well. Slightly lighter and juicier than Malbec, Bonarda is easy-drinking, mellow and food-friendly ... and just may be the next "big thing" out of Argentina. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/argentina/11506.html

2007 Veranda Oda Chardonnay Grape variety: Chardonnay Region: Bio Bio Valley, Chile Food pairing: Egg and green chile empanadas Chile, as it stands today, is more known for their red varietals than their white, but that reputation could change with the help of a jet setting winemaker rooted in the Burgundian tradition. Forty-six year-old Pascal Marchand was born in Montreal, but earned his winemaking stripes in one of the most competitive wine markets in the world: Burgundy. His resume boasts wineries like Domaine des Comte Armand, Domaine de la Vougeraie and Joseph Phelps Freestone, as well as consulting gigs in Australia, Argentina, Greece, the US and finally Chile at Bodegas Veranda. From the Miraflores Single Vineyard in the cool-climate Bio Bio Valley of Southern Chile, this Chardonnay shows the minerality and restraint that Burgundian winemakers often strive for, while also displaying the kind of softly ripe white fruit that New World Chardonnays often carry. A success for Marchand, and indeed for this relatively new Chilean winery. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/chile/12025.html 2007 Polkura Syrah Grape variety: Syrah Region: Colchagua Valley, Chile Food pairing: Bison sliders with chimichurri About ten years ago, winemaker Sven Bruchfeld and his friend Gonzalo Munoz traveled the world together trying to decide how they'd make the best wine they could in Chile. They considered a number of options, but it was one day when they were drinking a local Syrah in the South of France that they decided that was their grape. They set to work, and today Polkura has finally made it to the states for us to enjoy. Now for the sake of full disclosure, Sven adds a bit of Malbec, Viognier, Tempranillo, Mourvedre and Grenache for added dimensions to his Colchagua Valley Syrah. Not much is brought to the States, and we scoop up what we can. Scoring 91 points from the Wine Advocate, this wine offers up some incredible aromatics and complexity, with bacon, dark fruit, and graphite notes ending with a very lengthy and laser-like finish. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/chile/11931.html

2006 Bodegas Trapiche Malbec Vina Cristina y Bibiana Coletto Grape Variety: Malbec Region: Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina Food pairing: Smoky morcilla or chorizo sausages Though the Trapiche winery is probably best known for value-priced Argentine wines, their single-vineyard Malbecs have really become the stars of their portfolio. The project was designed as a tribute to their independent grape growers and an exhibition of how the character of the Malbec grape can vary at different altitudes and terroirs within Mendoza. Each year, the Trapiche winemaking team chooses the best three Malbec lots of the harvest and honors them with their own single-vineyard bottlings. In the great 2006 vintage, growers Cristina and Bibiana Coletto impressed the winemakers and critics alike with the fresh, licorice and fig-laden flavors of their Malbec grown in the El Peral, Tupungato sub-appellation of Mendoza. Juicy, ample and balanced with both acidity and spice, this should drink well now through 2012 or longer. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/argentina/12139.html 2007 Tikal Amorio Malbec Grape variety: Malbec Region: Mendoza, Argentina Food pairing: Barbecued lamb with chimichurri Tikal is owned by Ernesto Catena, a member of the most well-known winemaking family in Argentina. But the credit for crafting this serious Malbec goes to young winemaker Luis Reginato, who has also been trusted to create wines for the Luca and La Posta labels. Malbec is really his specialty, and for Tikal's Amorio bottling, he sources high-altitude fruit from Mendoza vines, many of which are 40 years old or older, and rests the wine in 60% new oak for 12 months, followed by no fining or filtration. The resulting Malbec is pretty intense stuff: full of grilled toast, blueberry, tobacco and black cherry. Few people have been able to describe this wine without using the word "sexy," perhaps because the name "Amorio" means "love affair." Ernesto Catena chose that name to allude to the undying passion he and the Argentine people have for the Malbec grape. The original artwork of this passionate dancing couple was created by Ernesto's close friend and artist, Ariel Mlynarzewicz. And no, we can't pronounce Ariel's last name either. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/argentina/10965.html

2007 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta Grape variety: Merlot, Petit Verdot, Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon Region: Santa Cruz, Colchagua, Chile Food pairing: Char-grilled beef asado with chimichurri If the winery doesn't mind saying so themselves, since its launch in 1997 Casa Lapostolle's Clos Apalta has been causing quite a stir. I can't argue with that assertion, as last year's placement as Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year made our holiday season extra-hectic. Produced in very limited quantities from fruit grown in Lapostolle's prized Apalta vineyard in what they've dubbed "the Pomerol of Chile," Clos Apalta is likely one of the most recognized and sought-after labels from Chile. There's everything you'd expect for a wine of this fanfare: a gravity-fed winery, 100% hand-harvested and de-stemmed fruit, all kinds of parcel-specific small French oak vat ageing...you get the picture. And after two years of meticulous ageing, the blend of Merlot, Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot is released to the anticipating wine market. It may seem like a lot of hubbub to make over one wine, but what's in the bottle is consistently stellar stuff. The Pomerol of Chile? I hesitate a bit to concede: not because the quality isn't there, but because that addition of Carmenere adds such a unique dimension that Chile should be proud to call it their own. But you make your own call on that matter. Drink now or hold for 4-8 years. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/chile/72653.html 2006 Vina Alicia Nebbiolo Grape Variety: Nebbiolo Region: Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina Food pairing: Truffled pasta or risotto Earlier this year, a colleague sent me a transcript from the Parker chat-board in which oenophiles were ranting and raving over the boutique Vina Alicia wines from Argentina. Raving because, well, they should: these are extremely small-batch specialized wines fashioned by a family that has spent much of their lives crafting wines for the Luigi Bosca label, but has recently started their own little project at their home in Lujan de Cuyo. Ranting because, well, they're darn near impossible to get their hands on. Apparently the wines are available by subscription only in Argentina, and very few cases make it into the U.S. I knew how they felt. I had first tasted Vina Alicia's Nebbiolo a few months prior, just before they changed distributors. I was pleasantly surprised by how impressive a bottling it was for, well, such an unconventional project. (Nebbiolo outside of Piedmont? Are we allowed to do that??) A short time later I was ready to place an order and stash it away for my Wine Club friends...only to find the wine out of stock, transferred to another distributor, and now months away from making it to the states again. So I sighed, picked up the phone, and started making calls. Persistence, friends, is a virtue. Remember that with every sip. Now don't open this bottle expecting Barolo. Think of this as Barolo's flashier, more precocious cousin. A color of purple I believe only Argentina can achieve, the wine is ready to drink young with floral aromas, plumy undertones, ripe tannins and complexity that I believe will allow for interesting development for a few years to come. Parker called Vina Alicia's Nebbiolo maybe the finest I've tasted outside of Italy's Piedmont. Opinion most definitely seconded. More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/argentina/11958.html