new and noteworthy What's In Store!
IN THE SPOTLIGHT ******************************
AVELEDA 'Follies' Alvarinho-Loureiro '09, Minho, Portugal
Presents a pale lemon colour and a fresh aroma, with evident passion fruit, white flowersand citrus notes. On the palate this wine is extremely crisp and refreshing, persistent and soft.
OTTO'S CONSTANT DREAM Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Marlborough, New Zealand 12.99
The creators of Otto's Constant Dream (OCD) certainly have wine on the brain! What started off as a humorous wine label was transformed into an actual product by a determined team of wine-obsessed Brooklynites and New Zealand winemakers. OCD Sauvignon Blanc is bright and expressive with enticing aromas of passionfruit, pineapple, citrus fruit, and green apple. On the palate, the lively fruit notes and pleasant minerality are balanced by crisp, refreshing acidity. Incredibly food-friendly, this delicious white will pair well with vegetable platters, fish and poultry entrees, Greek salad, and much more.
HICKORY CREEK Chardonnay 2006
Lake Michigan Shore 29.99
A perfectly balanced Michigan chardonnay. An amazing surprise from this small winery. On the nose you get reminded of a cider mill with the caramel apples and crushed nut elements. On the pallet you get nice buttery smooth feel getting hints of french oak and apple. The finish is incredibly smooth and wants you to go for that second glass.
EXPRESSION 38 Chardonnay 2008, Sonoma Coast, California 24.99
This fruit was pressed whole cluster, and only the best of the free run juice was used in this wine. The juice was filled to Burgundian style French oak barrels (10% new) for primary fermentation with subsequent malolactic conversion to temper acidity and add textural plushness. Reveals a terrific nose of spicy pears and flowers. Medium-bodied, creamy-textured, and highly expressive, a perfect example of cool climate chardonnay from California. Its flavor profile boasts oaky pears, buttered apples, and creamed anise in a seductive format.
MEROI Chardonnay 2008, Friuli, Italy 63.99
A remarkably bright, rich golden hue draws one to Paolo Meroi's Chardonnay long before the aromas of this remarkable wine reels them in. Unlike many of its ungainly internationalized counterparts, Meroi's Chardonnay offers the rare opportunity to experience the wonders of the Chardonnay fruit itself, with the wood offering just a subtle, yet crucial suggestion of itself. Perhaps our favorite expression of Chardonnay from any Italian winemaker. 100% Chardonnay

BERGSTROM Cumberland Reserve Pinot Noir 2008
Willamette Valley, Oregon 42.99
The Bergstrom Pinot Noirs begin with the 2008 Pinot Noir Cumberland Reserve which sports an alluring nose of mineral, earth notes, spice box, black cherry, and black raspberry. Firm on the palate with layered, spicy fruit packed into its ample (14.1% alcohol) frame, it displays enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years, excellent concentration and balance, and a lengthy finish. It will be at its best from 2012 to 2020.
YALUMBA Patchwork Shiraz 2008
Barossa, Australia 17.99
Blackberry, cherry and plum aromas are complemented by notes of cracked pepper and black tea. Plush, gently sweet dark berry flavors pick up a bitter chocolate note with air and are framed by silky tannins. Juicy and focused on the finish, which is gently sweet and nicely persistent.
PAGOS de EGUREN Tempranillo,Castilla, Spain $9.99
This Tempranillo is everything wines produced from Spain's leading grape variety should be and more. Fantastic aromas of red fruit and spice are followed by soft, silky fruit on the palate, making it a great evening sipper or partner for creamy cheeses and hearty fare like a grilled gourmet burgers and braised short ribs.
DOMAINE de COURON Marselan 2007, Couteaux de L'Ardeche, France
Marselan is a wine grape from France the is relatively unknown throughout the USA and the world. This grape was bred in 1961 as a hybrid of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. The MarsThe wine has deep purple/ruby color and is nearly opaque. The nose is full of fresh blackberries, cherries, raspberries and black pepper with no evidence of oak or earth. In the mouth the wine is full bodied, inky, soft and succulent. Sweet cherry, ripe blueberry and juicy plum sing out on a back drop of caramel and white pepper. There are moderate well integrated tannins and a hint of minerality that highlights the fruit driven style.elan grape is named after Marseillan, a small town on France's Mediterranean coast where it was first grown.
ANDEZON 2008, Cote du Rhone, France
In 1994, Eric Soloman visited the Vignerons d'Estazarques and met a young, passionate director/winemaker named Jean-Francois Nicq. By the end of the day, he & Jean- Francois had decided on a custom bottling of old vine syrah from one of their best parcels, Andezon. This opaque-black, blockbuster Syrah could have been Australian Shiraz. What a find!
The 100% tank-fermented and aged blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache (from 40 and 60 year old vines respectively), the 2008 Les Vignerons d'Estezargues offers copious quantities of black cherry fruit, licorice, pepper, and spice. One of safest, most reliable Cotes du Rhone cuvees coming from this large cooperative south of Avignon, bottled unfined and unfiltered for the American importer.
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