Fall finds the special occasion category
Fall is a great time of year for wine consumers and wine retailers. The combination of fall releases and our distributor partners working hard on their portfolios results in us finding many new things to put on our shelves. And if it is on our shelves it is available for your consuming pleasure. This week we will focus on the higher end items for smaller gatherings and special occasions. Stay tuned next week for the new finds that are more “gently priced”.
We are getting into that bubbly time of year. As we approach the winter holidays and there is a fall chill in the air bubbly sounds better and better. We just recently tried the NV Prosecco from Tenuta Sant’Anna ($20, Wine Club Price $18) and what a treat. We find that Prosecco many times can be a bit thin, kind of a “one note wonder” if you will. Not this one! It has lovely texture and good depth of flavor to go along with fine bubbles and the traditional citrus flavors. The flavors on this one though are richer and concentrated a joy to drink.
A couple of weeks ago we tasted with Rombauer and the 2015 Sauvignon Blanc ($27, Wine Club Price $24.30) that we mentioned after the tasting is now here. With the Prosecco and the SB from Rombauer it is not that they are expensive especially for what they are but higher priced than what wine consumers expect in these categories. Trust me they are both worth it. The Rombauer is lovely and exactly what we want from California Sauvignon Blanc, no detectable oak, no sweetness or creaminess to it. The aromas and flavors are all pink grapefruit and zippy acid all the way through a clean and precise finish. It will be great as an aperitif with baked brie.
The Russian River Valley in Sonoma County is one of the best growing locations for Chardonnay, and the 2013 Jordan RRV Chard ($36, Wine Club Price $32.40) shows why. The wine shows chalky minerality and bright green apple notes on the nose. The palate is lush rich and silky with more apple flavors along with hints of broiled citrus and lemon crème. Oak and butter are both there but with exquisite balance. I can’t think of anything better than this wine with the first Dungeness crab of the season.
The weather cools and we start to fix heartier foods and need the wines to go with them. Add in the traditional meals we have at Thanksgiving and Christmas and we are lead to this great lineup of reds. The 2013 Freestone Pinot Noir from Joseph Phelps Winery ($40, Wine Club Price $36) is simply delicious and is the best pairing with turkey or duck. This ultra-cool growing site on the Sonoma Coast near the town of Freestone produces wonderful Pinot Noir grapes. It is so cool there that in colder years the Pinot may not ripen, but 2013 was a warm dry vintage. It shows ripe Bing cherries and morel mushrooms on the nose leading to a silky palate loaded with more cherry flavors and a lovely long finish. Thanksgiving is normally a big crowd, and the wine is a bit spendy for that but you must find a way to work this into your fall lineup.
The runaway hit of the fall so far is the 2012 Secret Squirrel Cabernet ($30, Wine Club Price $27) from our friends at Corliss in Walla Walla. We fell in love with the wine as soon as we tried it, and apparently we were right, all that try it are coming back to buy it in size. The front label art and story on the back label are hilariously entertaining and the wine keeps up with the expectations set. It is dense and rich with mild notes of brown baking spice and ripe Italian plums, enough tannin is present to keep nice structure on the wine and lengthen the rich finish. It won’t be a secret for long.
One of the first wine clubs I joined in the early days of my wine journey was Trefethen. Located in the Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll district the Trefethens have always produced elegantly refined wines that hearken back to the days in Napa before oak and alcohol became the focus of too many bottles. I just tried their 2013 Merlot ($45, Wine Club Price $40.50) and it is wonderful wine. Expressive of the true essence of the varietal and the terroir, both coupled with a really good vintage. It is one of those wines you could identify as Napa Valley Merlot in a blind tasting. All chocolate covered cherries and good heft throughout it is a remarkable bottle. On a cool fall Sunday serve it with a dinner of oven roasted filet mignon and bleu cheese crumbles and it can’t get much better.
Watch for the crowd pleasingly priced wine recommendations next week or stop in the shop to see what else has arrived for your fall drinking pleasure.
If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.
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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2 You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.