SEPTEMBER 2009 NEWSLETTER

RED WINES

OREGON / WASHINGTON – RED

2008 Phelps Creek Vineyards, Le Petit, Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge, Washington/Oregon 16.99/181.50
Wow! This has to be the most outright fun Northwest Pinot Noir in history! Winemaker Rich Cushman and his Burgundian assistant, Alexandrine Roy, have fashioned a juicy, ebullient, eminently gulpable Pinot Noir that you just can’t stop drinking. A brilliant ruby robe in the glass, the Le Petit Pinot jumps out of the glass with notes of freshly crushed raspberries, pepper and fruitwood smoke. Bright and snappy on the palate, the freshly crushed berry expression is accented by crunchy acidity, fine food-friendly tannins and a smoky mineral undercurrent. Hints of nutmeg, cinnamon and toffee sneak into the wine’s long, clean and refreshing finish. Here’s a local Pinot, well priced, moderate in alcohol and utterly delicious, that offers tremendous versatility at the table. The Phelps Creek will drink great now and over the next two years.

2008 Owen Roe, Abbot’s Table, Columbia Valley Red Wine 19.99/213.50
Each year’s release of the Owen Roe Abbot’s Table is a reason for celebration here at L&E. David O’Reilly’s most popular wine, and one of our most requested selections, the Abbot’s Table’s offers a potent mix of richness, intensity and impact for its modest price tag. The newly-released 2008 opens with an opaque purple-ruby color and aromas of black cherries, caramel, smoke and wood spice. The flavors burst as soon as they hit the palate, showing spicy notes of cinnamon, cola, cloves and sandalwood with dark fruit suggestions of sweet plums, brambly blackberries, cassis and Bing cherries. Finishing notes of vanilla, plums and caramel add complexity to a wine already bursting with personality. With its amazing richness, intensity and complexity, balanced by fine tannins and juicy acidity, this year’s Abbot’s Table is without a doubt another winner. Taste and judge for yourself, but please don’t hesitate; this superb blend (24% Zinfandel, 22% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Blaufränkisch, 4% Malbec) will sell out quickly. Pair with grilled burgers, steaks, lamb chops and other hearty fare now and over the next two years.

FRANCE – RED

2006 Château la Croix de Jaugue, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France 17.99/192.50
Located just a few miles from the town center of St.-Emilion, Château la Croix de Jaugue offers true Right Bank class and character for a very comfortable tariff. Based on a classic St.-Emilion blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the Croix de Jaugue is the rare affordable Bordeaux that emphasizes more its noble terroir than its varietal components. While you will undoubtedly sense Merlot’s silky core and the Cabernet Franc’s herbal complexity, the Croix de Jaugue conveys so much more thanks to its underlying gravel and limestone soil signature. Notes of plums, chocolate and violets are accented by complex tobacco notes, firm tannins, and that undeniably noble and appetizing Bordeaux soil expression. Delicious now with heartier fare, the wine’s balance and framing tannins ensure that the Croix de Jaugue will gain complexity for five to seven years in your cool cellar.

2006 Domaine La Bastide, Syrah-Grenache, Vin de Pays d’Hauterive, Southern France 7.99/85.50
The Domaine La Bastide is owned and run by Guilhem Durand, whose Syrah Vieilles Vignes has graced these pages many times. Durand’s Syrah-Grenache, a delicious blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache, is truly an amazing wine for the money. The Syrah-Grenache opens with an opaque plum-ruby robe and sweet aromas of Provençal cherries, licorice, sweet cinnamon and milk chocolate. On the palate, the wine’s spicy cherry fruit expression is joined by notes of tar, menthol and a dash of black pepper. Long, spicy, persistent on the finish, the Syrah-Grenache follows through with tons of lusty, kirsch-like southern French fruit accented by firm tannins and herbal garrigue. At this price, you can enjoy the La Bastide every day with roast chicken, burgers, pork chops, mushroom and eggplant vegetarian fare—almost anything but seafood. Enjoy now and over the coming year.

*2008 Cave de Chante-Perdrix, Syrah, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes, Northern Rhône Valley, France 14.99/160.00
From vines planted a mere 250 meters to the west of the St.-Joseph appellation, comes this textbook Syrah from its home turf. Chante-Perdrix’s Syrah casts a transparent ruby robe and bursts with aromas of fresh plums, black peppercorns, smoked meat and a potpourri of spices. Clean, elegant and spicy on the attack, Chante-Perdrix’s Syrah dances on the palate with bright plum and cherry fruit mixed with notes of game, smoke, pepper, saddle leather, juniper and dusty soil. Fresh, lively and sporting only 12% alcohol, this St.-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, even Côte-Rôtie doppelgänger will remind you of the glorious wines of yesteryear. This fabulous and affordable Syrah from the varietal’s homeland will win friends and influence people by itself or, better yet, as a complement to roast pork shoulder, leg of lamb, grilled eggplant and peppers, or simple grilled beef and burgers. Superb wine.

*2007 Clos Roche Blanche, Cabernet, Touraine, Loire Valley, France 13.99/144.50
Catherine Roussel and Didier Barrouillet are the darlings of the alternative, ultra-natural wine scene. Working with no appellation-designated vineyards, they’ve taken the humble terroir of the greater Touraine and, through passion, dedication and hard work, elevated it to cult status. We present the dynamic duo’s flagship red, a biodynamic blend of primarily Cabernet Franc with a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon that offers such aromatic purity, such a gorgeous burst of tobacco- and herb-tinged berry fruit, so as to make one overlook the wine’s riveting clay-limestone soil expression. This is a wine for purists, for those who seek authenticity and distinctiveness. Every sniff, every savor of this wine reveals a different angle, a different facet, a new dimension. The Cabernet Franc gains even greater complexity with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon’s inimitable cedary edge. Its inherent cool, green tones will serve the wine wonderfully as a late summer rouge, and its intensity and depth of fruit will allow it to warm even the coolest of autumnal evenings. Enjoy now and over the coming five years with roast pork, zucchini and eggplant casseroles, grilled skirt steak and hamburgers – just about anything that doesn’t swim or reside in water. Extremely limited – only 15 cases available.

2006 Joseph Drouhin, Côte de Beaune-Villages, Burgundy, France 19.99/213.50 reg. 21.99
When the dust settles, lovers of red Burgundy are going to wish they had put more wines from 2006 vintages in their cellars. 2006 is a classic red Burgundy vintage: pure, very Pinot, and true to the terroir. The problem: it followed 2005. Think of 1991, which we feel is an apt comparison. Don’t you wish you had more 1991 red burgs in your cellar? Yes! How often do they appear on the aftermarket? Very, very rarely. Drouhin’s 2006 Cote de Beaune-Villages fits the bill perfectly. It’s a pure, raspberry-scented, red-fruited wine that boasts a satiny texture, lip-smacking acidity, and the special limestone earthiness that adorns the most honest of red Burgundies. Based on a blend of fruit from villages throughout the Côte de Beaune (Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, Pommard and Volnay excepted), Drouhin’s ’06 is a gorgeous, snappy, affordable red Burgundy that can be enjoyed now with heartier fare like duck, roast chicken and pork, or will age nicely for five years in your cool cellar.

ITALY – RED

*2006 Riecine, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy 19.99/213.50
There are wines for which no amount of hyperbole can even come close to the spine-tingling experience of actually tasting the wine. Riecine’s 2006 Chianti Classico is just such a wine. You’re going to read in the next Wine Advocate just how amazing Tuscany’s 2006 vintage is. For your pleasure, you may find the essence of the vintage’s greatness distilled into this humble example of Chianti Classico from one of Portland’s favorite estates. If somebody were to ask us just what real Chianti Classico is supposed taste like, we would (and will) furnish them with this wine. This is textbook Chianti Classico. No Cabernet, no Syrah, no French oak vanillin – just pure, organic Sangiovese goodness conveyed through the noble terroir of Gaiole straight into your glass. Leather, cherries, plums, tobacco, sottobosco, fine tannins, brisk acidity: the works. It’s all here and it’s under twenty bucks. Enjoy now and over the next decade with anything and everything Tuscan, especially eggplant and beef.
     Wine critic Matt Kramer wrote: “If asked to nominate the best half-dozen estates in Italy's famed Chianti Classico district in the heart of Tuscany, one of the first names that would come to mind is Riecine. [The 2006 Chianti] is the real, true and yes, glorious, Chianti Classico composed entirely of sangiovese. Dense and characterful, you find not only the age-worthy structure of sangiovese grown with low yields (the vineyard is currently organic and transitioning to biodynamic, by the way) but also the distinctive dried cherries and dust scent of sangiovese unsullied by any ‘alien intruders.’ This is very great Chianti Classico from a vintage that is fast being recognized as a benchmark year not unlike the landmark 1997 vintage.”

2005 Feudi di San Gregorio, Rubrato, Aglianico dei Campania, Italy 13.99/144.50
Ask any Italian wine aficionado to name Italy’s most noble grapes, and the answer will be Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Aglianico. Aglianico reaches its apogee on Campania’s volcanic hillsides, but it takes a quality-conscious producer like Feudi to coax and realize fully Aglianico’s mysterious and elusive personality. The hallmarks of great Aglianico are a dense black-purple color, flavors of plums and deep black fruits, and a finish that expresses the volcanic ash from nearby Mount Vesuvius. Feudi has captured all these traits with their 2005 Rubrato. The 2005 Rubrato sports a ripe and richly aromatic nose of black plums, cherry, tobacco and Chinese five-spice. The wine’s palate is full, rich and satisfying with nuances of black plums, cinnamon, star anise, menthol and cloves, but it’s on the long finish that Vesuvius’s special volcanic terroir emerges and expresses the wine’s unique character. This is a wonderful winter wine that’s tailor-made for grilled meats and pasta dishes with sun-dried tomatoes. Drink now or over the next five years.

WHITE WINES

AUSTRIA - WHITE

2008 Schloss Gobelsburg, Grüner Veltliner, Gobelsburger, Kamptal, Austria 13.99/149.50
The venerable Schloss Gobelsburg estate absolutely nailed it in 2008. We’re delighted to present a harbinger of the amazing wines that are arriving from this great vintage. In this humble, “entry-level” wine we find all that makes Grüner Veltliner so compelling, delicious and versatile. A limpid green-tinged lemon-gold in the glass, the Gobelsburger casts textbook Grüner aromas of lentils, green beans, nettles and oolong tea. The wine starts off bristling, then opens to reveal rich lemon curd and the loess minerality for which the Kamptal is famous. For fans of classic Grüner Veltliner, the Gobelsburger will bring you back to the style and profile of the great Grüners you fell in love with in the late ’90s and early 2000s. For those new to the genre, this wine embodies all that makes Grüner Veltliner the most versatile white wine in the world. Enjoy now and over the coming five years with everything from wine-unfriendly sautéed green vegetables (think asparagus), to lentil and bean dishes, to the myriad of seafood, poultry, and rich roast pork.

FRANCE - WHITE

2008 Domaine de Mirail, Colombard, Vin de Pays de Côtes de Gascogne, Southwestern France 9.50/101.50
Yes, this is the dreaded French Colombard, the base for many California jug wines. But, for a moment, put aside your memories of Paul Masson and cast your mind to southwestern France – the esteemed Bas Armagnac region to be exact – where Colombard is celebrated and still a major player. In Gascony where the climate is cooler than California’s Central Valley, the Colombard gains complexity, distinctiveness and verve. The result is a wine that is tasty, amazingly versatile at the table, and an extraordinary value. Pale green-gold in the glass, Mirail’s Colombard opens with ripe aromas of passion fruit, pineapple, mango and sweet basil. Crisp on the attack, the wine adds the complexity of juicy ginger and citric verve of ripe lime and grapefruit before segueing to a clean, satisfying, limestone-tinged finish that belies its price tag. Enjoy young with roast chicken, duck, mild fish dishes, seared sea scallops and bean stews.

*2008 Ferraton Père & Fils, Côtes du Rhône Blanc, Samorëns, Rhône Valley, France 9.99/107.00
Ferraton is a venerable Northern Rhône domaine that has partnered with the prestigious Chapoutier estate to produce top-quality wines from the entire span of Rhône Valley. Employing sustainable agriculture and a classic Southern Rhône blanc recipe of 60% Grenache Blanc and 40% Clairette, Ferraton has produced a clear winner and a terrific value to boot. Very pale gold in the glass, the Samorëns opens with classic aromas of ripe pears, white peaches, Seville oranges and white flowers. On the palate, the wine is unusually zesty – thanks in part to blocked malolactic fermentation – and features notes of juicy white peaches, Mirabelle plums and a zippy mineral undercurrent. Long, crisp and very satisfying on the finish, this has to be the white Southern Rhône value of the year. Enjoy with paella, periwinkles, bouillabaisse, grilled ahi, sea bass and sautéed summer squashes.

*2008 Jean Sipp, Pinot Blanc, Alsace, France 12.99/139.00
With vineyards in Kirchberg and around the famous village of Ribeauvillé, Jean Sipp is a rock star in Europe and is consistently bestowed with honors by Gault-Millau and the Guide Hachette. Over the past decade, the Sipp domaine has established itself as Portland’s reference standard for authentic, affordable Alsatian wines. Sipp’s Pinot Blanc is the gateway to the domaine’s exemplary portfolio, and in the classic 2008 vintage offers again superb varietal character and value. This is simply an outstanding value in full-bodied, rich, Alsatian Pinot Blanc. The nose is loaded with buttery pineapple and nectarine notes accented by smoky Alsatian minerality. Crisp, yet with latent richness, Sipp’s Pinot Blanc follows through on the palate with complex suggestions of buttered pears, muskmelon, litchi and a complex mineral core. Great for sipping on its own, the Sipp will also pair beautifully now and over the coming three years with seared scallops or prawns.

*2007 Jean Sipp, Riesling, Réserve, Alsace, France 15.99/171.00
Here’s what the wine world needs: an authentic, comfortably priced, dry Alsatian Riesling that will bring joy to the those who adore the genre. 2007 is a grand, classically proportioned vintage in Alsace, and Sipp’s Riesling captures its elegance in spades. Pale gold with green glints, Sipp’s Riesling Réserve opens with lemony Riesling fruit punctuated by jasmine, honeysuckle, petrol and perfumed minerality. Bracing and dry on the attack, Sipp’s Riesling Réserve broadens mid-palate to show ripe lemon, lime and passion fruit notes before focusing on the complex mineral undercurrent that defines the wine’s long incisive finish. This is a fantastic value in dry, mineral-driven Alsatian Riesling. Enjoy now and over the next decade with roast pork, charcuterie, pâtés, shellfish and grilled vegetables.

GERMANY -- WHITE

*2008 St. Urbans-Hof, Riesling QbA, Mosel and Saar Valleys, Germany 13.50/144.50
What’s a mystery to us is how Nik Weis’s great St. Urbans-Hof domaine continues to fly under the commercial radar and offer brilliant wines at such terrific prices. With consistently outstanding reviews from the critics and a stellar portfolio of vineyards in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Ockfener Bockstein, Leiwener Laurentiuslay and, of course, everyone’s favorite German vineyard, Wiltinger Schlangengraben, Weis is fashioning some of the most compelling wines from the Mosel and the Saar valleys. Urbans-Hof’s QbA shows the classic, restrained profile of the 2008 vintage. The wine casts a gorgeous pale lemon-gold color from the glass and slate-tinged aromas of pear, nectarine and sweet meadow flowers. On the palate, the wine is all about minerals: it’s crisp, crunchy, superbly balanced, but most of all, dominated by perfumed slate minerality. The wine finishes clean, crisp and elegant and will make for a terrific apéritif and an excellent partner to roast pork, grilled and sautéed summer vegetables, potato casseroles and all things seafood. Enjoy now and over the coming five years.

ITALY – WHITE

2008 Terredora Dipaolo, Falanghina, Irpinia, Campania, Italy 15.99/171.00
Falanghina is one of southern Italy’s most historic and noble white wine grapes. Terredora Dipaolo is Campania’s largest winery and vineyard holder. Its commitment to excellence is evident in this brilliant pale-gold Falanghina, which shows an especially beguiling fusion of white flowers and subtle tropical fruits. The Terredora Falanghina begins with captivating aromas of starfruit, pear blossoms and freshly cut pineapple. The wine’s palate is fresh and snappy, mixing pineapple and quince fruit with brisk acidity and a subtle mineral undercurrent. On the finish, the Falanghina turns up the volume on its minerality, as dissolved volcanic dustiness merges with the wine’s acidity to lift its fruit profile and make it especially versatile at the table. Drink this superb Falanghina now with sushi, clams, mussels, squid, vegetarian fare and seafood pasta dishes sporting lots of olive oil and garlic.

*2007 Inama, Soave Classico, Veneto, Italy 13.99/149.50
Crisp, clean, authentic Soave is just the answer for warm summer evenings, and, goodness gracious, this is one killer Soave! Crafted from 100% hand-harvested, indigenous Garganega grapes grown in Soave’s Classico zone, Inama’s artisanal 2007 Soave casts a lovely straw gold color from the glass. Swirl it and the wine opens to reveal exotic aromas of sweet gardenia blossoms, chamomile and lemon zest. Brisk, lively and bursting with character on the palate, the Inama Soave is marked by suggestions of sweet lemon curd, dissolved minerals, honeydew melon and almonds. The wine finishes crisp, juicy and balanced by a dose of ripe, gooseberry-like acidity before segueing to lingering notes of sweet almond, kiwi, lemon basil and a lashing of smoky dissolved minerals. Drink this superb, authentic Soave now or over the next year with brook trout, halibut, sautéed vegetables or shellfish. You will discover why Garganega is one of the world’s most under-appreciated fine white varietals, and why this bottle is one of its textbook expressions.

2008 Garofoli, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore, Macrina, Marches, Italy 12.50/133.50
Verdicchio is central Italy’s most distinctive white varietal. It reaches its apogee in the mineral-rich soils of the Castelli di Jesi zone just miles from the Adriatic Sea. Garofoli’s exemplary portfolio has been a longtime favorite with staff and customers. With their 2008 release, Garofoli’s Macrina Verdicchio has captured the crisp, minerally side of the Verdicchio grape along with the varietal’s inimitable expression of green snap peas. Pale straw-gold in the glass, the Macrina offers a nutty, green melon nose featuring suggestions of pine nuts, honeydew melon and smoky minerals. On the palate, the wine expresses complex hints of Bartlett pear and kiwi fruit, snap peas and lively acidity. On the finish the salty mineral core comes to the fore, leaving one’s lips seemingly dusty with a delicious, tactile layer of fine minerals. Lemon notes and hints of chamomile and smoke linger as one sip transitions to the next. Serve this beautiful, authentic and classically-styled Verdicchio now or over the next two years with roast chicken, pork and dishes featuring zucchini and summer squash.

• 2004 Günther Steinmetz, Brauneberger Juffer, Spätlese Feinherb, Riesling Devon, Mosel Valley, Germany 13.99/149.50
• 1995 Fattoria di Fèlsina, Chianti Classico Riserva, Rancia, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Tuscany, Italy 49.99/533.50
• 2007 Domaine Michel Juillot, Bourgogne Blanc, A.C. Burgundy, France....12.99/139.00 reg. 16.99
• 2004 Conti Sertoli Salis, Capo de Terra, Valtellina Superiore D.O.C.G., Lombardy, Italy 19.99/213.50 reg. 22.99

*WHAT’S THIS? In response to your requests, we’re adding this symbol to identify wines that are naturally farmed.

LINER & ELSEN
2222 NW Quimby St.
Portland, OR 97210
800-903-9463
503-241-9463

Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
CLOSED: Labor Day, Mon. Sept. 7

RED WINES:
2008 Phelps Creek, Le Petit Pinot Noir Columbia Gorge
2008 Owen Roe Abbot’s Tabl, Columbia Valley
2006 Ch. la Croix de Jaugue St.-Emilion Bordeaux
2006 Dom. La Bastide Syrah-Grenache Vin d'Hauterive
2008 Cave de Chante-Perdrix Syrah Northern Rhône Valley
2007 Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet Loire Valley
2006 J. Drouhin Côte de Beaune-Villages Burgundy
2006 Riecine Chianti Classico Tuscany
2005 Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato Aglianico dei Campania

WHITE WINES:
2008 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Gobelsburger Austria
2008 Dom. de Mirail. Colombard, Vin de Pays de Côtes de Gascogne.
2008 Ferraton Côtes du Rhône Blanc Samorëns Rhône Valley
2008 Jean Sipp Pinot Blanc Alsace
2007 Jean Sipp Riesling Réserve Alsace
2008 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling QbA Germany
2008 Terredora Dipaolo Falanghina Irpinia Campania
2007 Inama Soave Classico Veneto
2008 Garofoli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Macrina Marches

WEB EXTRAS:
2004 Günther Steinmetz Brauneberger Juffer Spätlese Feinherb Mosel Valley
1995 Fattoria di Fèlsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia Tuscany
2007 Dom. Michel Juillot Bourgogne Blanc A.C. Burgundy
2004 Conti Sertoli Salis Capo de Terra Valtellina Superiore D.O.C.G. Lombardy

FRIDAY TASTINGS:
First and third of the month
5:30-7:30, fee

Sept. 4 What’s the real deal for 2007 Oregon Pinots? Come and taste for yourselves: Domaine Drouhin, Beaux-Frères, Broadley, Ayres, Bergstrom, Cameron, and more.

Sept. 18 Fabulous white Burgundies from the Macon: St. Véran, Macon, Pouilly-Fuissé, and more.

Oct. 2 A Terrific Turley Zinfandel Tasting.

SATURDAY TASTINGS:
Weekly; Starts at noon, no fee

Sept 5 It’s an all-star lineup from France: Ferraton Père & Fils Côtes du Rhône Blanc, Joseph Drouhin Côte de Beaune-Villages, Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet, Cave de Chante-Perdrix Syrah, and Ch. la Croix de Jaugue Saint-Emilion.

Sept. 12 Momma mia! What a lineup: Inama Soave Classico, Garofoli Verdicchio Macrina, Terredora Dipaolo Falanghina, Riecine Chianti Classico, Fèlsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia, and Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato Aglianico.

Sept. 19 We’re gonna wow you! Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner, St. Urbans-Hof Riesling, Günther Steinmetz Brauneberger Juffer Spätlese Feinherb, Jean Sipp Pinot Blanc, and Jean Sipp Riesling Reserve.

Sept 26 From home and abroad: Phelps Creek Vineyards Le Petit Pinot Noir, Owen Roe Abbot’s Table, Dom. de Mirail Colombard, and Dom. La Bastide Syrah-Grenache.