Rogers & Company Newsletter
February 2010
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Greetings!
Even in these days of economic recovery, wineries are popping up all over the place. I've even heard a figure that seven new wineries open in Washington State every month. Since I spend countless hours pouring over every wine publication in print and innumerous blogs and sites on the web, I can't help but think, "I hope these wineries have something special to offer". Otherwise, why would I buy their wines over someone else's?
What I hope they offer is a wine, regardless of price, that makes me feel like I'm drinking something unique. Something that can only come from this winery or region that can't be replicated. Wine that's not just 'impressive', but captivating. That's when I know I'm onto something good.
I'm looking for terroir. That unique French term meant to sum up in seven letters the impact of soil, climate and topography of a vineyard, and the sense you get from drinking a wine that tastes like it came from one place and one place alone. I like Matt Kramer's phrase "Somewhereness". Perhaps that makes more sense. It's the cocoa powder-like tannins of wines from Rutherford, the
chalkiness of great Champagne, the "forest floor" earthiness of Pinot
Noir from Russian River Valley.
So here are a number of wines from our portfolio that have a real sense of "terroir" and that I think you'll really enjoy. As always, prices are per-bottle pre-GST. Please visit our website Rogers & Company for all the tasting notes, scores and updated catalogues.
By the way, I'm often asked if I wouldn't mind if my newsletter was forwarded to other wine lovers. Please do! It's the best advertising. I'd very much appreciate that.
My best,
Chris.
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La Giustiniana Gavi di Gavi "Cru Lugarara" 2008 [750ml/12case] $23.95
 When Enrico Tomalino took over winemaking duties at this beautiful estate in 1978, he recognized that even though the property had produced grapes since 900 AD, there were three distinct soil types and he designated them three different "Cru" or vineyards.
The calcareous soil of the Lugarara Cru, which is formerly an ancient seabed, renders an elegant expression
of the Cortese grape - the refined scent of anise, an herbal steely
flavour, and pronounced acidity make this dry white an ideal
accompaniment for anything from the sea, especially grilled calamari, ceviche or sashimi.
Is it coincidental that wines grown on an ancient seabed, which is now in the Italian Alps goes great with seafood?
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Pieropan Soave Classico "La Rocca" 2007 [750ml/6case] $43.95
 This is one of my top three favourite whites in our portfolio (Peay Chardonnay and Hunter's Sauvignon Blanc being the other two) and possibly the greatest wine you might never have heard of.
In April 2008 this single-vineyard beauty was rated by Decanter magazine to be one of "Italy's 50 Greatest Ever Wines" in any vintage and one of only four whites to receive multiple top-5 votes.
"There is Soave, and then there is Soave La Rocca, Pieropan's
pioneering single-vineyard bottling made from 100% Garganega. According
to Andrea Pieropan, the secret to its lush but refined version of the
local classic is a combination of both soil and strict vineyard
management. 'La Rocca's vineyard has limestone and clay soils,
unusual in Soave, that give the wine its body and exotic fruitiness. To
maximise ripening, grapes are late harvested - picking begins towards
the end of October,' says Pieropan."
Decanter, April 2008
Decanter has awarded this vintage 5 of 5 stars (Aug 2009) with this review:
"Rich, round exotic fruit complexity and minerality."
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Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie
"Les Pierre Blanches" 2008 [750ml/12case] $19.95
 Pierre-Marie Luneau Papin's love of Muscadet is infectious. He is a young, dynamic winemaker who produces the finest range of Muscadet available. He is so passionate about his vines and wines that he'll even bring rock samples from his vineyards to tastings to help explain why his wines are so good. Rightfully so, many consumers don't pay Muscadet any attention, but to overlook Pierre-Maries wines would be foolish.
"Les Pierres Blanches" is produced from vines that average 50 years in age, are harvested by hand (a rarity in Muscadet) and handled with the utmost care through a long, cool fermentation and "sur lie" (on lees) aging. Pierre-Marie employs state of the art technology in his winery that would rival any from the new world. By aging his wines on the lees (lees are simply dead yeast cells), he is able to add a layer of complexity and creaminess to this un-oaked wine. The lees also release enzymes that prevent oxidation which perhaps explain why this wine can age so well. In good vintages this wine can age for more than a decade gaining in complexity to the point where they can easily be confused with white Burgundy.
"Les Pierres Blanches" is medium bodied, crisp in acidity yet has a fullish, almost creamy mouth-feel. Other than Champagne, I can think of no other style of wine better suited to oysters. If you like other lightly or unoaked white wines like Chablis, Gavi or Pinot Grigio then you should consider trying this wine.
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Hunter's Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008 [750ml/12case] $21.95
"Double Gold" Medal 2009 San Francisco International Wine Competition
I mentioned it in the La Rocca section, so here it is.
Jane Hunter and her late husband Ernie were pioneers in Marlborough and now Jane Hunter is the most highly awarded female winemaker in the Southern hemisphere. She was recently named to the "Order of the British Empire" last year for her contributions to the New Zealand wine industry.
This wine is pure and elegant, has textbook aromas of gooseberry and red bell pepper and nectarine. It's soft and minerally in the mid palate with good weight and a clean finish.
"Hunter's goes from strength to strength, consistently producing
flawless wines with tremendous varietal character. Given the quantity
and quality of its production it is a winery of world standing, and
certainly among the top dozen in Australasia. Hunter's Sauvignon Blanc
is unchallenged as one of New Zealand's benchmark Sauvignon Blancs. "
James Halliday. Wine Companion. 2001 Edition.
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Champagne Gaston Chiquet "Special Club" Brut 2000 [750ml/6case]
ETA mid-March 2010 est'd $67.00
Whenever I'm asked, "What's you favourite style of wine?" I find people are surprised when I say enthusiastically "Champagne!" I
think of Champagne as just another wine, not relegated to wedding
anniversaries or Valentines Day.
Champagne is the perfect wine for any
oily foods like grilled sardines, any spicy foods like Thai noodles,
any salty foods like Ruffles potato chips or any seafood like oysters
or calamari.
This is one champagne that completely
over-delivers on quality, flavour and price, and at 9 years old, it's
complex and minerally. Grower-Champagne importer/guru Terry Thiese
awards it 2 of 3 stars, says it has 2-3 years still until it's at its
apex and describes the flavours as " Talc,
chalk, mirabelles, apple-biegnet, wintergreen, pistachio; splendidly
bright, splendidly verdant and shady - yes, both - with mint and spice
on the finish. Pure terroir." For an entertaining and passionate read, I recommend downloading Terry Thiese's catalogues off the net. He's just brilliant.
"The
2000 Brut Special Club is even better than the 2000 Brut Millesime.
Here, the Chardonnay also comes from Ay, which adds an additional
dimension of weight and density. The wine offers up an exotic array of
pineapple, passion fruit and dried apricots, with incredible depth,
creaminess and nuance. Menthol and wild flowers linger on the long and
deeply satisfying finish. The 2000 Special Club is firing on all
cylinders today; in fact it is one of the finest wines I have ever
tasted from Chiquet. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2020."
93 points, Wine Advocate, December 2009
To further emphasize the quality of this wine, the 2000 Dom Perignon scored only 94 points from The Wine Advocate and retails at LCBO for $219.95 per bottle.
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Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape "Cuvée du Baron" 2007
[750ml/12case] $42.95 [375ml/12case] $21.95
The one-of-a-kind terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is what gives these wines such character. Ancient glaciers and then rivers have left behind fields of "galet" stones which are large, smooth quartzite rocks that absorb the sun's warmth throughout the day and radiate it at night. This pushes the ripeness of these grapes up a notch and provides the savoury, plushness and low acidity of this style of wine.
2007
was a great vintage in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This blend is mostly Syrah-based with the balance being Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsault. It's dark and meaty, with deep rich flavours and
spiciness. Built to age.
"Medium
red. Alluring bouquet of fresh red berries, kirsch, minerals and rose.
Elegant, delineated red fruit flavors are firmed by tangy minerals and
framed by dusty tannins. Becomes spicier on the focused, long finish.
This will age on its balance."
91-94 pts, International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 2009
"Ripe
and very silky, with creme de cassis, black cherry and raspberry
ganache notes that stretch all the way through the fine grained
finish. There's lots of spice, melted licorice and buried minerality
as well. Drink now through 2023."
90 points, Wine Spectator, July 2009
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Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco DOCG 2005 [750ml/6case] $48.95
The rolling hills of Piemonte are a sanctuary for Nebbiolo and its one-of-a-kind character. There's something in the soil, something in the fog, something in the air that perfectly suits Nebbiolo. It doesn't grow well anywhere else.
This 2005 is a perfect intro to the wines of Barbaresco, the small village eternally overshadowed by Barolo to the southwest.
This is textbook - roses, tar and truffles on the nose; a gentle, very dry midpalate of red fruits and a very, very long finish. If you're a fan of Pinot Noir and Grenache looking to expand your horizons - this is one for you!
"Once again, the Produttori have turned out a gem in their 2005 Barbaresco. A beautiful, perfumed Nebbiolo, the wine flows effortlessly from the glass with captivating notes of crushed flowers, raspberries, sweet herbs and spices. This classic, mid-weight Barbaresco possesses plenty of clean, bright fruit framed by elegant tannins, showing notable harmony. Simply put, this is a classic wine Piedmont lovers won't want to miss. Ideally, the wine should be cellared for a few years, but readers will have a hard time exercising such patience. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025."
91 points, Wine Advocate, October 2008
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Kenwood Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2007
[750ml/12case] $21.95 [375ml/12case] $14.95
The Russian River Valley, so named for the immigrant fur-trappers that settled this land, is the confluence of the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean. At night he river pulls fog off the Pacific and through Petaluma Gap, bathing the vineyards and dropping the temperature 30-40 degrees farenheit, increasing acids in the grapes, making them vibrant on the palate.
This daily fluctuation, combined with the enviable Goldridge Loam soils combine to provide the very characteristic "foresty" quality of this style of Pinot Noir.
2007 was a warm vintage in the RRV and the wines show it in their elevated cherry character, framed by fresh acidity and that underlying forest-floor/mushroom earthiness.
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Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Cab/Merlot 2006 [750ml/12case]
ETA early March 2010 est'd $49.95
This second wine of Monte Bello doesn't stray too far from its big-brother in form or feature. All the hallmarks of Monte Bello are evident - the minerally mouth feel, attributed to the lime stone ridge that is Monte Bello, the very pure fruit flavours of the sun-drenched Santa Cruz coast, to the way it interprets new American oak maturation into a very "French" finished wine. This is elegant, polished and classy. Enjoy it now as you would young Bordeaux or allow it to reveal even more complexity with 10 or more years in a cellar.
"Complex red fruit, spice, mineral notes. Plush, sleek, fine. Soft, fresh acids, Lovely style. Classy and elegant. From 2011."
4 of 5 stars, Decanter February 2010
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Frog's Leap Rutherford Merlot 2006 [750ml/12case] $47.95
 Of all the sub-appellations within Napa none has a reputation so tied to its soils like Rutherford. The fine dry soils impart to its wines a quality we refer to as "Rutherford Dust". The term was coined by André Tchelistcheff, the great winemaker and today the "Rutherford Dust Society" is headed by Frog's Leap's own John Williams.
This gorgeous Merlot was farmed at the Red Barn, the estate vineyards of Frog's Leap, under strict dry-farming and organic techniques. It is 100% Merlot, a rarity in California where Cabernet is often blended in for structure. It's packed with bright red raspberry and blueberry flavours, a pleasingly fresh chlorophyllic tinge, a lush mid-palate and a long finish. I love this wine. I love all the Frog's Leaps wines.
I recommend putting a few of these away in the cellar. The 1984, we drank last year, proves that this wine ages very gracefully.
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Kenwood "Jack London Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
[750ml/6case] arriving next week est'd $34.95
[375ml/12case] $19.95
 I'm a geography nerd, so I find this fascinating. Millions of years ago, what is now Glen Ellen, California was a hotbed of tectonic activity. Geologists have calculated that a volcanic eruption blew this area of the mountain range straight up in the air and and when it landed it laid a 300 foot deep bed of iron-rich rock back down in exactly the same spot. This rock has since turned to soil, and it is what gives the Jack London Vineyard Cabernet its particularly herbaceous character. Notes of sage, cigar box, and bay leaf linger throughout the dark, earthy fruit profile.
Like all Kenwood Cabernets, this wine will age very well, as is evidenced by the 1994 which is still just a baby.
"Opulent blackcurrant nose, rich, vibrant and pure. Sumptuous and
full-bodied, yet spicy and vigorous, beautifully balanced. From 2010."
5 of 5 stars, Decanter, Jan 2009
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Stratus Riesling Icewine 2007 [200ml/12case] $38.15
"Very stylish new icewine. It has a lovely cool fresh pear-apple fruit, mint leaf and spice cake notes as well. Very elegant, amazing delicacy (only 11% alcohol), with great fruit purity. Excellent to outstanding length."
David Lawrason, Winery to Home
The Germans may have invented Eiswine, but the winemakers of Niagara have made it their own. This classic Icewine was made with the deft touch of winemaker J-L Groux.
The Stratus style leans towards elegance and finesse. This is achieved through stainless steel fermentation and maturation. Choosing not to use barrels allows the sense of Niagara's limestone soils to shine through as notes of sweet lime and citrus. Stratus
Icewines are less cloying than most, they show fine acidity and balance, and because of their high natural acidity and sugar levels will benefit from being cellared for years to come.
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Chris McLean
416 961 2294x 29
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