The city of Mildura is based on the northwest corner of Victoria in the Riverland wine region, not far from the border of South Australia. Mildura is home to many Italian and Greek immigrants who came to Australia during the days of free passage just after the Second World War. Many of the immigrants brought with them a farming background as well as winemaking skills.

Today, the Riverland contributes just over 25% of Australia’s total wine production. The soil is unique to the Murray River system and is known technically as calcareous earth, ranging from brown to red brown loamy sand, sandy loam or loam. The surface is neutral to moderately alkaline with increasing alkalinity at depth as textures become more clayey and calcareous. The surface soils are permeable although perched water tables (attributable in part to soil properties and topography resulting from management practices) are associated with salinity build-up and can create problems in some areas. Overall, however, the soil supports the vigorous growth and high grape yields required.

The Guilty

The Guilty 2006
Shinas Estate - Mildura, Victoria, Australia

WINE INFORMATION:
Varietal: 100% Shiraz
Vintage: 2006
Vineyard: Shinas Estate, Mildura
Vine Age: 13-38
Clones: 27
Trellis: VSP
Vines per Hectare: 1250
Yield: 3 tones per Hectare
Soil Type: Loam over Red Clay
Residual Sugar: 0.6 g/l
Alcohol : 14.8%
Harvest Date: 18th March, 2006
Brix: 27
Skin Contact: 5 days
Oak: 20 months
Coopers: 100% old French Barrels
Bottled Date: 10th February 2008
Production: 3000 cases
Cellaring: 5-10 years

TASTING NOTES: Ripe shiny blackberry red. Voluptuous cherry, vanilla and peppery spice aromas and full-bodied flavors packed with smoky vanillin oak, cherry and strawberry fruits, chocolate and mocha all wrapped up in a big, rich, velvety smooth package. A juicy wine with fine tannins, the pepper detected on the nose kicks in again to make a welcome re-appearance on the powerful finish.

Overheard by George

"My philosophy to wine making is never be totally happy with the quality of your previous vintage. There is always room for improvement."

"The continuing drought is playing havoc with crop yields. This year the Australian crop harvest will be one of the lowest in years. I'm an optimist and unlike most people I see this as a positive. When yields are light, wine quality rises. That a good thing because life is too short to drink ordinary wine." George Shinas

Que Syrah - Shiraz - This Month's Shipment

Shinas Estate is situated in the northwest region of Victoria. This region is best known for its Mediterranean-like climate. The first vines were planted in the region in 1886 and by 1898 vine planting commenced on the estate. Since 1898, eight generations of grape growing and wine producing have experienced this land. Current owner George Shinas has a passion for perfection and he uses artisanal methods to produce premium hand crafted wine.

Currently there are only two wines in the Shinas Estate portfolio, the Guilty Shiraz and the Innocent Viognier. The names for the wines come from owner George Shinas's career as a Bail Justice (judge) in his hometown of Mildura.

George Shinas minimizes irrigation of the vineyard, which reduces cropping levels and enhances fruit quality. The Winery also utilizes a horizontal trellis system, which allows for ideal fruit exposure which ripens the fruit to perfection. The fruit is left on the vines long beyond traditional periods, allowing the intense flavors that characterize the wine, to develop. In true boutique style, only the highest quality fruit is selected for harvest. Barrel aged, the Guilty has a concentrated aroma of mature fruit, French Oak and flavors that are full, rich and complex.

Chateau de Lascaux

Chateau Lascaux was founded by Jean-Benoit Cavalier in 1984. Cavalier planted small vineyard plots in the gravelly soil that is separated here and there by swaths of bay trees, herb gardens, green oaks, and pines. Cavalier feels that the herbs add an interesting complexity of flavors and scents to his wines. Sheltered by the mountains from most of the cold from the north, but at an elevation where nights and occasionally breezes are cool, Cavalier found what he considers to be an ideal Mediterranean climate. The winery is currently undergoing a major transformation in their vineyard practices and moving towards biological farming since September 2006. The grapes continue to be manually picked and table sorted.

Chateau de Lascaux is located in the Languedoc Region of France near the town of Vacquieres. To the extreme north are the "Hills of the Languedoc" and at the foot of the Hills is the Cevennes limestone plateau, where the Castle of Lascaux spreads over 45 hectares.


The 2007 rosé is a blend of 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and 10% Mourvedre. The wine is aged for seven months before bottling. The color is like pale pink petals in the glass. The nose suggests anise, peach, cherry, and black currant. It is gentle and floral with a hint of spice. The flavor is full of young berries, wild thyme and a touch of anise. This wine has a medium finish with a creamy mouth-feel, with a final note a bit like menthol or anise again.

2007 Bugay Long Stem Rosé

Long Stem Rosé is made by the Garrett-Watkins winemaking team for John and Reta Bugay of Bugay Wines & Vineyards in Sonoma County. This amazing Rose is a 99% Syrah and just the slightest bit of Mourvedre. The alcohol level is 13.7% and the production is extremely limited at 265 cases.

The vineyards rest in the Mayacama Mountains amongst the hillside meadows. Only 40 of the 200 acres of the wooded parcel were planted with grapes. The family intended for the rest of the acreage to remain with nature. The 1200 foot elevation and the south-facing slope contribute to the overall terroir of the vineyards. The soil composition is made up of volcanic - rocky ash. The well-drained hillsides require vigorous root-stock to penetrate deep into these complex, mineral rich soils.

The use of a Bandol yeast in the winemaking process imparts a delicious Provencal nuance to this wine. The nose is crisp, pure and aromatic, and the flavors are a balanced blend of berries, fresh-cut strawberry, ruby-red grapefruit and refreshing citrus with a long finish.

“We believe the potential to make great wine must originate in the vineyard. Our most important role is to be mindful custodians of our extraordinary vineyards and surrounding habitat while insuring notability in our wines.” John & Reta Bugay, Proprietors

Pretty in Pink

While most people think of rosé as a basic “blush” wine, there is another drier side to pink wine that deserves to be explored. “Blush” is a term that is generally used to describe the sugary, mass-produced pink wines in North America, which are taken considerably less serious than other wines. While these sweet pink wines have caused many people to turn their cheek even to the idea of rosé wines, the dry rosés display a sophisticated series of flavors with a versatile food pairing potential, and also carry with them an intriguing story of how they are produced.

The production of a rosé can most commonly occur in one of two ways. One process, called maceration, is used when rosé is the primary wine being produced, and requires that the skins of crushed red grapes have contact with their juices for only a short amount of time during the fermentation process. This gives the wine its pink hue while removing the harsh tannins that you would otherwise find in red wines, where the skins remain present throughout fermentation.
The second process known as bleeding, or “saignée,” takes place when a rosé wine is cre-ated as a byproduct of a red wine by “bleeding the vats.” In this process, the winemaker removes lightly colored grape juice from the freshly pressed grapes at an early stage in the fermentation of a red wine. This process allows for the initial red wine to intensify in flavor, while also creating a lighter rosé wine from powerfully flavored grapes. Because of the tart acidity that the tannins attribute to the wine, the length of time that the grape skins are allowed contact with its juices in either method of production determines the hue and flavor intensity of the final product.

Just as important to the final flavor of the wine is the varietal used to produce it. An array of different grapes is used in various wine growing regions around the world, and each varietal brings its own unique characteristics to the blend. Grenache and Mourvèdre are common varietals used in France and usually present flavors of berries and citrus, while the Garnacha and Tempranillo varietals common in Spain also include a mineral flavor, and Sangiovese in Italy contains that of floral. Many rosé wines from America are made from the classic Rhône varietals such as Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah and consist mainly of the lighter and sweeter berry flavors. Its aromas are similar to its taste and usually include light floral scents, red berries and fruit. Generally, rosé wines are the perfect blend of a light, refreshing and delicate white wine with the tart berry flavors of a red.

Rosé wines have the best of both worlds with a balanced mix of qual
ities of both red and white wines. The presence of low to mild tannins and a low acidity level and alcohol content allows for pairings with both the heavier, high protein dishes that would commonly be paired with reds and the lighter more delicate dishes that would be paired with whites. This summertime wine is frequently paired with meats and vegetables just off the grill, and is also a great accompaniment to salads and greens, poultry, seafood, and spicy dishes. Served chilled, rosé is truly versatile and can be perfectly paired with almost anything.

Delicate, flavorfully sweet and beautifully balanced, rosé wines are a budding favorite among wine drinkers, and are becoming increasingly more recognized as a wine worthy of drinking regularly. With a sophisticated range of flavors, intricate means of production and versatile potential, rosé wines present an exciting alternative to the wine drinker as a subtle, refreshing and innovative wine.

- Jennifer Worsham


The above cartoon is used with permission from artist Ric Erickson from Metropole Paris, http://www.metropoleparis.com/

Espelt 2007 Corali

The Espelt bodega cultivates the most extensive and innovative vineyard in Empordá. Espelt opened its winery in 2000, situated in the North of Catalonia, not far from the famous El Bulli Restaurant.

Empordá is a specific DO in Spain that is becoming more well known because of the fine wines being produced and the interesting landscape. Espelt uses a large variety of different grapes (16 types) all farmed and harvested with a biodynamic cultivation. The vineyard soil is mostly sand and porous granite, which in turn provides some mineral nuances expressed in the wine.

The 2007 Corali Rosé illuminates its bright pink color, with hints of coral. The aroma is intense and smooth with ripe red fruits and the initial taste is silky and smooth, with a fine balance, that is maintained in mid-palate with a long, bright finish. The Wine Advocate gave this wine a rating of 90 points in February.

Grapes: 100% Garancha, Soil: Granite, Sandy, Production: 750 cases, Alcohol: 13%

The Empordà Region in Spain

This is a glorious region in Spain, that I hope to visit later this summer. The area is encircled by the Pyrenees mountains and overlooks the Costa Brava sea. This unique location, between the mountains and the sea, creates unusual weather conditions and an exotic climatology of strong contrasts.

Abundant sunshine, minimal rainfall, mild winters and warm summers moderated by the salty sea breeze all enhance the wine to create unique characteristics in each vintage. Similar to the mistral in France, “the Tramuntana” is a fierce wind that blows strongly from the North and is said to help keep the vines dry, regulate the ripeness of the grapes and keep them free of disease.

The viticultural foundations that survive today in the Empordà-Costa Brava wine region began when the Greeks arrived on the coast of Northeast Catalonia in 700 BC. There are a total of 2,500 hectares of vines (6177 acres) distributed over the 36 small towns in this region.
Empordà-Costa Brava's main town is Figueres.

Figueres, the town that Salvador Dali was born in 1904, is a commercial hub that is most famous for the artist designed old theatre that was converted into a large museum called, Teatre-Museu Dalí. Known as the “Temple of Surrealism”, the museum is a popular site for international visitors and also where Salvador Dali lived in his final years before his death in 1989. Empordà-Costa Brava is a region rich in beauty, history, wine and art.

California Grenache: Peter Mathis

MATHIS SONOMA VALLEY 2004 GRENACHE

Having been familiar with Peter's wines from Ravenswood, we jumped at the opportunity to put the first release under his own label on our winelist. And the wine is an absolute winner!

From Peter's website, "The tannins are ripe and round with sweet viscosity throughout, and just enough backbone (from the Petite) and acidity (from the Carignane) to make it an ideal accompaniment to food. The wine should continue to put on weight and add fruit complexity for 4 to 5 years, and should hold up well in to the latter part of the next decade. The aroma is dominated by ripe black cherries and dried cranberries, followed by a spice kissed apricot, pomegranate, blackberry and strawberries in the mouth. The ’04 Mathis Grenache is immediately easy to appreciate but rewards those who allow for some breathing time." We agree with all of the above!

Tasting it again a few weeks ago, I realize that this wine will really age nicely and continue to mellow in flavor over the next few years. The fruit flavors are gorgeous, and the wine is enveloped with fruity aromas. The full, ripe, sun drenched berry flavors with a dash of pepper & vanilla are layered with some Spring flavors of mint and English peas. The wine has a perfectly balanced lingering finish, a velvety feel on the tongue and a wild party in the mouth! A sign that really indicates that Peter is his own boss, are his special corks that are stamped with the saying, “I GROW IT - I MAKE IT.” Definitely a collector’s item.

Peter Mathis is the head winemaker at Ravenswood, where he began his career in 1990. 2004 was his very first release of his wine under the new Mathis label. Luckily for us, Peter has always been intrigued and inspired by the wines from the Southern Rhone Valley. He also has a specific passion for Grenache; "its unique, bold and juicy quality and almost unparalleled ability to express truly bright fruit characteristics" convinced him to plant it on his Sonoma Valley property in 1999.

Peter has 7 acres of vines on Mountain Avenue in Sonoma Valley. His 2004 vintage has 9% Carignane, 4% Petite Sirah and 1% Alicante Bouchet in its blend; and it is all grown on the same property. The blend was aged for 30 months in neutral French barrels and was bottled in September 2007. Just over 500 cases were produced of his first vintage. If you are lucky, you may find this wine available from $36 - $55 per bottle. JUICY & DELICIOUS! FOR SURE!

A Trilogy of Grenache

In the first Wine Club shipment, I decided to select my favorite Rhone varietal; Grenache. My reasoning was that I would be able to taste my way through Grenache all winter, earnestly trying to find the right combination of wines to share with you. Frankly, I was not ever disappointed, not even with the ones that I wasn’t overly crazy about. I find this grape really intriguing in its diversity of flavor. When you really take the time to ‘taste’ up close, you can taste the earth, the sun (in a sun-dried kind of a way), sometimes the sweetness of eucalyptus, rosemary with hints of vanilla - lavender. Most often the California Grenache wines were round, ripe with full deep blackberry and cherry fruit. The Spanish Garnacha wines had some levels of cranberry tartness and sour cherries with a dusty rose essence. Being a lover of black licorice, there is no wonder that those flavors easily came through in the Montsant versions. And the French, they too, truly understand what to do with this grape. Undertones of mushrooms, deep forest green, maybe some moss … Not all the wines I tasted were 100% Grenache, not all were old vine, not all were aged in oak for years — but they ALL evoked deep thought, a Cheshire cat smile and purely simple Grenache joy. Perfects sips of grape heaven. A Votre Santé!

Celler de Capcanes, Mas Donis Barrica

Celler de Capcanes, founded in 1933, is situated in the village of Capcanes and has served for many years as the village cooperative winemaking facility. The town of Capcanes was mainly responsible for getting the Montsant wine region its own DO status. In the 1990’s, the co-op began making kosher wines for the Jewish population of Barcelona, and from that exposure in the much larger city, the property began to attract a greater level of interest. Wine expert and importer Eric Solomon approached the Celler of Capcanes and asked for a custom cuvée to be made from some of the better vines of the property.

The 2005 Old Vine Mas Donis Barrica is a blend of 85% Garnacha (from 60+ year old vines), and 15% Syrah. The varietals are vinified separately, stirring the lees twice a day. The Garnacha is aged for nine months in a combination of oak barrels and stainless steel tanks, and the Syrah is aged for three months in a blend of American and French oak barrels. Depending on the season, the grapes are harvested from early September to mid October by hand. The alcohol content is a whopping 14%.

The 2005 vintage is medium bodied with a nice lingering finish. It is medium ruby to pale burgundy in color, and the aromas are filled with berry fruit and lilacs. The first taste brings light, herbal grassy hints to the deep, berry-sour cherry flavors. There is an under layer of old world leather. The wine’s tannins are sweet and fresh with an overall ripe flavor. Only a small amount of this wine is imported to the US.

Montsant, Spain

Montsant is quite similar to the famous Priorat region of Spain both culturally and historically. LOCATION -Located in northeastern Spain, not far from the Catalan capitol of Barcelona, the region lies just to the west of the Priorat and shares the same hilly, rocky landscape. Montsant was recently granted their own official DO (Denominacion de Origen) status as a wine region in 2001. TERROIR - The 2,100 acres of this region encircles the Priorat region and is just a few hours southwest of Barcelona. The terroir of Montsant is quite rugged and stony with hand carved terraces that climb the steep mountainsides. ALTITUDE - The vineyard parcels in Montsant are planted 300 and 700 meters above sea level. Being so close to the sea, the CLIMATE is Mediterranean and is very warm with moderate amounts of rainfall. The soil in the lower altitudes is rich and fertile, whereas the soil in the northern altitudes is very poor, with high levels of slate and granite. The vineyards in the higher altitude are terraced with many old vines that take on the minerally stony qualities of the soil in the grapes. As in the neighboring Priorat region, the best wines are red. These wines are generally very concentrated with deep color and because of the rainfall and warm climate have a high alcohol content. GRAPES - The traditional grapes of Montsant include Garnacha, Syrah and Carignane.

Domaine La Garrigue

As I continue to search for the right French Grenache for our first Wine Club shipment, last weeks tasting brought back a flood of emotions regarding our trips to the Rhone Descouvertes over the past few years. A combination of tender memories and a longing to return to my heart of heart favorite destination has been genuinely inspiring.

The Rhone Descouvertes is an incredibly organized wine tasting event held in the Rhone Valleys every other year. Both times that John & I went, we were invited by the Hospice du Rhone. We were to join them to prepare a dazzling meal paired with California Rhone wines for French Rhone Winemakers. This was an exceptional ten days. The wine tasting in 2005 started in the Northern Rhone in Ampuis/Condrieu and then headed south to Cote Rotie, Cotes du Rhones, Gigondas … We arrived a few days prior to the tasting to get organized for our meal, review the kitchen (very small), determine the menu, shop for food (see what was available and what was in season in March), prep in unfamiliar surroundings and then finally cook the meal for 40 impressive guests. Creating food for the wines of John Alban, Steve Beckman and Mat Garretson is a daunting task. We are enthralled by their talents and it humbles us to even attempt to create the perfect pairing that will showcase their wines. And then to actually serve our interpretation of country French food to actual Country French wine aficionados added to the already high level of stress. All in all the meal was lovely success – and our guests seemed appreciative and satiated. After the meal, the rest of the trip was a whirlwind.

Each day the Inter-Rhone organization set up a large tasting area – some were in school gymnasiums, parking lots, church halls, under tents in the vineyards, wineries and almost anywhere they could fit 500 people or more. Some days there were 1 – 2 locations and other days, 4 – 5. The valleys were dotted with large red arrows on the round rounds leading the way to the next tasting. The effort to start with white wines in the morning and pace myself throughout the day did not last long nor did the note taking efforts in the early days look more than scribbles upon return. Many of the locations were paired with a local caterer. Some meals were large buffets highlighting the specialties of the town others were small bites (tea sandwiches, tiny desserts …) and always cheese. These were educational days, networking and occasionally seeing other friends in the business.
When the day of wine tasting was finished the evening wine drinking and party began. Some nights we went to dinner at a restaurant and then ended up at a Descouvertes event and some evenings were spent in French winemakers homes with hospitality in abundance. One of the restaurants that I had almost forgotten about was Les Florets – a countryside restaurant with a long history.

Les Florets is one of the most famous restaurants and hotel in the area. It is located in a a beautiful wooded valley that is located near the rocky Dentelles du Montmirail behind the wine village of Gigondas. The property has a beautiful outdoor stone terrace under large grand trees with a view of the wooded hills above the valley. When we were there in March the terrace was closed and it was definitely too chilly to dine al fresco. I remember sitting against one of the walls of the country-style dining room (lots of knick knacks and flowered? wallpaper). Dinner was lovely – we feasted on a multi-course prix-fix tasting menu including game birds of duck and pheasant, braised rabbit and lamb, and wintery vegetables. Dinner concluded with a cheese course from the trolley.

Interestingly enough, I am telling you this story because one of the wines that we tasted last week was a Grenache blend from Vacquerayas, from the Domaine de la Garrigue – one of the oldest Domaines in the region and owned by the same family that owns the Les Florets restaurant. The Bernard family’s vines were planted in the late 1940s after the Germans left the area after World War II. Though, from reading historians’ notes, “the garrigues” or “the ruins” date back to centuries prior where the Romans were known to make wine here.

The climate in the Southern Rhone is extremely warm in the summer, with consistent temperatures in the 90’s during July and August. Because of this, rich, full-bodied, and spicy wines are to be expected. The soil is similar to that of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, with massive rocks dotting the vineyards. The old bush vines of Garrigue are planted on these rocks and for most of the vineyards, there is not visible soil present, just rock. The wines are made in the traditional winemaking methods with minimal manipulation. The importance of the land itself, the rocky hillside and the hot temperatures are what the winemakers count on the show off the terroir in their grapes. The winemaking process again takes a minimalist approach with long macerations and fermentations (no stainless steel is used) and seldom pumpovers.
The 2004 vintage from Vacquerayas has a 20% blend of Mourvedre which shows up in the strong black pepper-vanilla finish. The wine is a deep purple with herbal and floral aromas and flavors. The mid palate of the wine comes through as very fruity with wild berry tastes that bounce in a berry-cherry flavor spectrum. The wine has a light, dark chocolate-lavender dry finish. Carefully crafted, this wine can afford to be aerated and/or decanted to let the strong pepper aromas tone down. Only 1000 cases were produced for the American Market and once again imported by the famed importer Eric Solomon. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate published a 91 for this wine with applause for its uniqueness and quality considering the extremely reasonable cost. Though this wine was enjoyed by our tasting panel, it did not make the cut for the club. The 2004 vintage is rare to find now, though I have spotted some of the 2005 vintage around.

2005 Las Rocas Garnacha

During our Grenache wine tasting last week, we tasted and totally enjoyed the 2005 Los Rocas de San Alejandro.  This is another wonderful value oriented Garnacha from an old vineyard in Calatayud, Spain.  The Garnacha vines are over 80 years old and account for about two-thirds of Calatayud's production.   This is an arid area on either side of the Jalón River with low yielding vineyards consisting of a brown limestone and slate soil content.   The climate has large temperature differences between night and day. Because of this, harvest is generally much later than in other parts of Aragon and the result is a more balanced end product.  Other products that thrive in this soil include olives and cherries.  This wine is relatively new and well received with a recent score of a 90 from the Wine Advocate.  In the early 2000's French winemaker, Jean-Marc Lafage teamed up with wine importer Eric Solomon to create their own label called, "Las Rocas" from the luscious Garnacha found here.

All of the above details show-off the terroir in the wine.  The aromas, the flavors and the finish are mostly a result of the characteristics of the land.  I found lovely aromas of berries, cherries black pepper and wet earth.  Because the wine is not aged on oak, the flavors include full forward fruit of blackberries, anise spice, pepper, and taste of minerals rather than wood.  The wine has a medium to generous finish which seems balanced with a bit of depth.  

If you see this wine on the shelf at a wine shop, give it a try!  Enjoy this with tapas, or charcuterie, a hearty chicken stew or a braised pork shank.

Artazuri 2005 Garnacha, Navarra, Spain

The Garnacha from Navarra delivers a very different character than Grenache from the Rhone Valley. Instead of the typical deep earthy aromas , the Artazuri Garnacha smells refreshingly fruity - sun-ripened fruits like cherries & berries are not only in the nose but in the forward flavors as well. The wine is medium to full bodied, peppery and a tad spicy.  This wine has some similarities to a big fruity California Zin. The finish is lingering, gentle, velvety and the sweet & sour cherry essences stay to the very end. This is a great food wine, I can see this being a complement to the red wine usual suspects - this is a wine that can be enjoyed through the meal, even a second bottle will go down nicely.

About 3000 cases of this wine is produced by famed Artadi (Rioja) Winery winemaker, Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle. Artazuri is made with 100% Garnacha grapes from 60 - 85 year old vines. Juan Carlos is one of the truly talented winemakers to actually receive 100 points from Robert Parker for his Artadi Wines. When he realized the possibilities of the Grenache vines in the small town of Artazu, in the south of Navarra, he knew that his work was needed. The vines in the past were only used to produce Rose and he knew that the grapes were ready to offer something special with his magic touch.  

This wine is apt to end up on winelist at the restaurants, by the bottle & the glass!  I will let you know when.

Navarra Wine Region - Garnacha

The other day, we tasted some very interesting wines from the Navarra wine region - not the 1st Spanish wine region to come to mind, but one of the oldest.  In recent years, Navarra is coming back strong as an important winemaking area in Spain, blending old and new techniques and utilizing grapes from all over the world.  Where the famous running of the bulls takes place, neighbor to Rioja - Navarra's winemaking dates back to the Middle-Ages. Old presses and stone fermentation vats were found in recent archeological discoveries.

In the 1980's Garnacha grapes took up about 90% of the available vineyard space.  The wines produced were primarily robust rose wines.  Currently that percentage has decreased to about 40% and now the wines are being treated with more respect and some fine

winemakers are showing off what they can do with properly yielded & handled Garnacha. 

Navarra is in a unique geographical situation.   The vineyards are sheltered from the Atlantic rains by a chain of mountains and are irrigated by the waterways of the Rio Ebro.  The poor clay and stone soils work for the winemakers as they are the ideal soil to grow grapes. Rolling hills allow growers to plant at a variety of altitudes and with varying degrees of exposure to the midday sun, thus allowing winemakers to experiment with their blends. The weather is optimum as well: long, hot summer days are balanced by cool nights, which provides the best ripening for the grapes.

In France - Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil

Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil, 2005 Cairanne

One of the most interesting aspects regarding the background of this wine is that winemaker Catherine Le Goeuil uses only organic methods to produce not only one of the great values to come out of Cairanne, but also a lovely example of a French Grenache. Her decision to become biodynamic in the vineyard has improved the quality of her wines, and apparently the birds are enjoying the natural environment so much that they sing much louder about it. These organic wines are first reflected in her 2000 vintage and she has found her methods to be successful and fruitful. These organic wines are a true reflection of the climate and terroir of the Cairanne region. Using her love for flowers, she emphasizes the aromatics of her wines - creating floral fruit and earthy fragrance.

Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil is located in the petite village of Cairanne, (a relatively unknown village) in the heart of the valley of the southern Rhône. This town is one of the original four Côtes du Rhône Villages. Wine has been made in Cairanne dating back beyond the Middle Ages. Most of the vines at Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil are over 40 years old and some date back even further. These vines are maintained to be low yielding to ensure the high quality and concentration of fruit. The grapes are harvested completely by hand.

The 2005 was full-bodied, well balanced, and aromatic. I languished on the full berry flavors, and I liked the way the wine felt on my tongue. This spicy Grenache was delicious, ripe, with an intriguing peppery undertone. I tried to picture Catherine in her garden tending to her flowers and how that may affect the flavors in the wine. But, I was overcome with the notion that she probably has very little time for her flower garden, tending to her vineyards the old fashioned - yet newly fashionable way. Her property and the wines from her estate are getting great press - as one of the "hottest" properties of the Southern Rhone Valley.

Will this wine make it in the shipment - too soon to tell!

Prospect 772

"The Brat"

How can you call a wine "a brat" that is so damn good? A blend of yes - you guessed right, my favorite varietals - Grenache (53%) & Syrah (47%) from the Sierra Foothills. Big, bold, juicy fruit, luscious & lingering - this wine can actually speak to you! It calls out with velvet excitement, balanced dimensional flavors and true Rhone aromas. Brings me straight back to my Chateauneuf-du-Pape dreams.

Prospect 772 Wines is a relatively new wine company with longtime inspiration. This is wine gang with a huge amount of experience, history and the proprietors, Ron & Wendy (above) are finally realizing their dreams in a delicious way.

Though we probably met many times over the years, I really met Ron in the Rhone three years ago with a bunch of his cronies, including Jeff Cohn - winemaker for Prospect 772 (more about Jeff later) at the Rhone Decouvertes. We were all like a band of gypsies traipsing through France, drinking to our hearts content, lavishing in the artistic Rhone winemakers efforts from the barrel, the bottle and the glass. Each day brought a new adventure of some very serious wine tasting and of course the night brought the serious and very fun wine drinking (and not to mention eating). This is when I first heard about Ron's wine project, with the same passion and enthusiasm that we saw at their debut celebration this past November, where we got to first taste The Brat and The Brawler (Syrah with 4% Viognier). That night they were also blessed by a wonderful review (see below) from James Laube of the Wine Spectator.

Beginners Luck? I think not. This is a true love story about a boy & a girl & their friends & their love of grapes.

91 points ~ Wine Spectator, November 2007
Savory, with supple flavors that build, with spice, dried berry, anise and sage, supported by firm tannins and ending with a hint of spice and cedar. Grenache and Syrah.

Drink now through 2011. 150 cases made.
–James Laube Wine Spectator

http://www.prospect772.com/home.html