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This Is What You Want
Three big, rich, juicy, spicy, strong red wines
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Greetings!
I thought of today's email title while tasting with one of my wine suppliers last week.
This tasting started with a winery-to-go-unnamed's line-up of wines made with passion and care. "Food wines...not overdone...you can drink more than a glass of this," is the pitch. Yes, but they were lacking something. The soul was there, but the yumminess was missing. Then I was poured one of today's featured wines (the McPrice Myers). YEEEEOW. Mid-taste, I knew it: this is what you, my customers, most love to drink (evidenced by sales and feedback). "This is what my customers want!" I said matter-of-factly.
By evidence of my most successful featured wines, (many of) you like them big, rich, juicy, spicy and strong. It's cool if bottle age will improve the wines, but the wines should be ready to enjoy anytime. Lucky for you and me, I'm pretty good at picking out these wines! The featured three "Red Wines You Want" are just below. You want them...a majority of you do, anyway.
Thursday & Friday tastings this week: Syrah, from classic Rhone style to hot Aussie Style is tomorrow (Thursday). This Friday, we pour wines from Austria. Check out the right hand columns for tasting info. Good response from the two featured import wines last week (Artadi Rioja "Vinas de Gain" and Serrera Torrontes). I'm doing it again. This week a groovy, young white Burgundy and a red Bandol drinking at its peak. The imports are aimed at Napans, but recommended to all who love excellent wine and a fine value. Notes on these two are below.
Burnin' Down The House. Dan
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Three Red Wines You Want
A lot of you do, anyway.
 T-VINE Grenache
"Frediani Vineyard"
Napa Valley 2007 $31/bottle
"Best Grenache I've ever made," Winemaker Greg Brown told me in winter 2008 as I tried out of barrel. Yes, it was very good at the time, but mediocre cookies are delicious straight from the oven, too. It's released now, I tried it recently, and Greg's right (of course), it's special. Very ripe, sweet and SPICY nose. Tastes of raspberry jam, hard cherry
candies, a little bit of oak and black & white pepper. I was surprised how powerful and tannic this was at first. A 30 minute decanting fleshed it out and softened the tannins. Best from
mid-2010 thru 2014.
BEDROCK WINE CO. "Lorenzo's Heirloom"
Dry Creek Valley 2008 $33/bottle
Think "Heirloom Tomatoes" as you consider "Lorenzo's Heirloom" and your on the right track. These are 100+ year old vines planted by European immigrants in Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley. This is a field blend, in other the words the grapes - Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah & Cinsault - are harvested and fermented together. Dry farmed: the vines reach deep into the ground to find the water they need to grow their grapes.
This wine ain't shy! Super-concentrated ripe, black berries &
cherries. Sweet spice and dark chocolate. Dense and very rich. A big,
intense California red wine lover's dream.
 McPRICE MYERS
"Beautiful Earth"
Paso Robles 2007 $37/bottlePerhaps you've bought, and enjoyed, McPrice Myers wines from Back Room before. If so, you know they are super-concentrated, well made and maintain to keep character (and soul, brothers & sisters) while sportin' tons of fruit & flavor. Well, here's a goody: This BIG RED is
a blend of 70% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre. All
Paso Robles fruit. Rich, robust and spicy...just how (many of) you like
them! Black fruits with plenty of jam & liqueur notes. Christmas
spices & black licorice. Very warming (boast salmost 16% alcohol
& holds it well). It's a meal in itself...consult with your doctor before trying this diet please.
THE THREE RED WINES YOU WANT
Mixed case, 4 of each: $365 (10% off)
HALF CASE, 2 of each: $190 (5% off)
3 ways to
order: Call Toll-Free at 877-322-2576,
Order online here, or just reply to
this email.
Thank
you!
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Two Imports I Really Like
RAYMOND DUPONT-FAHN Bourgogne
"Chaumes des Perrières" 2007 $32/bottle  Look at a vineyard map of Burgundy, between the villages of Meursault & Puligny, and you'll find (if you look hard) this slice of A.C. vineyard surrounded by Premier Crus. The reason for it's lowly vineyard status may be political, geological, or both, but the proof is in the bottle, and this is unbelievably good White Burgundy for the price...twice the price for that matter, but I'll stick with $32 (and can discount). Very tasty, rich and true to its place. Lemon zest, cream, very stony, pears, body and structure. I've had three Napans who love their Burgundy buy on my suggestion and come back for more. This is a no brainer...expect supply to run out soon.
BUNAN Bandol Rouge
"Moulin des Costes" 2003 $28/bottle On France's Cote d'Azur is Bandol. Sun-soaked and as cozy as bed at 5 AM, Bandol wines are not just rich, spicy and good, they're comfortable, too. I love 'em, especially once they've reached the point of perfect drinking. The location of this point is subjective, and I think this Bunan Bandol 2003 has reached it.
Mourvedre dominates the blend, with Grenache, Syrah & Cinsault
giving support. Round & rich with black fruits, dark soil, spice, a full
body and a long, strong finish. A cashmere mouthfeel and a long expansive finish made stop and appreciate the best things in life. I visited Bunan in 2001 and had wild boar for lunch with Laurent Bunan and Bandols from the 90s. A glorious pairing. I can't provide you the boar, but I got the wine. Back Room Wines Email readers mention this feature and receive 10% off these two wines through Sunday. Discount is good for both walk-in & mail order purchases.
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"Just enough rain to settle the dust"
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Cool temps and a little rain, about a tenth of an inch, hit Napa last weekend (Sonoma had more, especially towards the Pacific). No big deal for the grapes. A few more days of gray & damp would have caused concern, but we're back in the 80s today and will approach 90 by the weekend. So, big reds continue to hang. With more good weather, harvest will extend to almost Halloween!
Yes, a drawn-out vintage, but grapes are coming in now...we stopped by Failla winery on Sunday and watched Ehren Jordan & team crush "Hirsch Vineyard" Pinot Noir. Very cool. Ho-hum, looks like another stellar vintage! You know, we can say that about every Napa vintage since 2000.
Drink more Montepulciano
Dan
Daniel Dawson
Back Room Wines
Corner of First & Main Streets (First Street Entrance)
Downtown Napa, California 94559
Phone: (707) 226-1378 Toll Free # is 877-322-2576
email: daniel@backroomwines.com
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Taste wines from Austria
This Friday,
September 18
5 to 8 P.M.
3 Grüner Veltliners,
(dry) Riesling,
(dry) Muscat & Blaufränkisch.
$15/tasting
Here's the line-up
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SYRAH,
Rhone style to Aussie
This Thursday, September 17
5 to 8 P.M.
Flight of five Syrahs.
Northern Rhone to Barossa Valley.
Try the range of styles...perhaps you have a favorite one. Perhaps not!
$15/tasting.
Here's the Syrah tasting line-up
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