Merkelbach Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett
Mosel Germany - $18

Terry Theise:
"The clearest imaginable look into pure Mosel. Vivid, toe-curling clarity of fruit and terroir make this my most beloved Mosel agency. These are just some of the keenest, spiciest, most helplessly beautiful wines you can ever drink. The iciest blade of electric, splashing acidity supports a fruit so clear, so sharply rendered that the entire experience is so vivid it makes your toenails laugh! How many wines have ever just made you LAUGH OUT LOUD, they were so happy and irrepressibly gorgeous? Who can possibly dislike wines like these???

Oh, I suppose there's someone somewhere whose temperament is so embittered he's closed all the normal pleasure receptors. I imagine him leaving a tasting where I've poured these wines, kicking a puppy as he walks to his car."

From an old, steep vineyard planted "some time before the war," and of course ungrafted. The wine is again not only flawless but actively and tangibly perfect. Tingly brilliant and with gauzy cirrus lightness, but this "flyweight" is both infinitely more complex and will live many times longer than bigger, more ostentatious wines. Absurdly vivid slate and sassafrass.

Forget what you thought you knew about Riesling - try this on Friday, it will open your eyes.

Domaine Michel Barraud
Macon-Villages Les Pierres-Vieilles Vignes - $16

Produced from old-vines Chardonnay, and blended to Michael and Harmon's exacting specifications, "Les Pierres" sees only minimal handling to achieve clarity and brilliance, and a soft bottling process guarantees maximum expression of flavor and aroma.  The resulting wine is rich, with aromas of quince and citrus fruits, a generous and full mouthfeel, and typically Macon flavors of apples, pears, and warm spices. 

The aim here is a wine that expresses its origins clearly, and without pretense.  "Les Pierres" is raised in stainless steel, which contributes to its clean, crisp and pure flavor profile.  A best-seller year in and year out, and for good reason!
 

Tres Palacios Pinot Noir, 'Reserva'
Maipo, Chile - $14


The Viña Tres Palacios winery and vineyards are located in the Cholqui sector of the Maipo Valley, 16 km (10 miles) from the city of Melipilla. Cholqui is a closed valley 9 km (5.6 miles) south of the Maipo River, although it is separated from it by a chain of hills that surrounds the area to the north, east, and south.

The Horcón de Piedra Mountain, one of the highest peaks in the Coastal Mountain Range, lies toward the eastern end of the valley. The western side is open to the influence of the Pacific Ocean 30 km (25 miles) away, and cooling breezes from the sea and inter-mountain circulation refresh the vineyards in the summer.

This 100% Pinot Noir is grown on alluvial soils over clay and gravel. The canopies are lush and protect the delicate pinot from the sunny summers of the Cholqui Valley. Weeks before harvest, the canopies are trimmed to optimize the grape cluster maturity and then picked by hand. The wine is aged 6 months in French oak casks before release.

One of the smoothest and easy drinking pinot noir's from Chile that we have tried all year. Please try it this Friday night.