Liner & Elsen Wine Merchants - Portland, Oregon

FEATURED RED WINES:


	2007 Domaine Bressy-Masson, Rasteau, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Southern Rhône Valley, France 15.99/171.00 Until Rasteau finally gets its justly deserved Appellation Contrôlée status, we can marvel at the astonishing quality the wines offer for the pittance they still command. Rasteau is revered for its bold Gigondas-like reds, and Bressy-Masson again delivers with this gorgeously scented, mineral-driven masterpiece. An opaque black-plum color, Bressy-Masson’s Rasteau rouge opens with high toned licorice and garrigue-tinged plum and blackberry fruit. On the palate, the wine reveals a brilliant undercurrent of wet stones and limestone soil. Deft, balanced and utterly delicious, Bressy’s Rasteau behaves more like a fine Châteauneuf-du-Pape than a humble Côtes du Rhône Villages. Fresh and vibrant, the wine is just coming into its own and will continue to evolve for five to seven years in your cool cellar. Pair with grilled lamb, eggplant, burgers and rich poultry.
	2007 La Luna del Rospo, Barbera d’Asti, Silente, Piedmont, Italy 12.99/139.00 We featured to great acclaim Rospo’s 2006 Barbera Silente, which was a smashing success and a wonderful throwback to the days when Barbera was a wine for the people rather than for the critics. Dare we even say that this 2007 is even more authentic, pure and delightful? It is. Here we have Barbera in all its minerally, unfussy organic glory. The wine smells like the limestone earth on which the vines grow; it shows just enough plum, boysenberry and cassis fruit to buffer an intense minerality, appetizing herbal top notes, dusty tannins and bristling acidic spine. All this adds up to the most natural, pure and delicious expression of Barbera we’ve had in moons. Notes of cinnamon, sarsaparilla and button mushrooms emerge with aeration and add to the Silente’s already complex palette of flavors. No doubt, this is the Barbera sensation of the year. It will complement everything from the mushroom spectrum, all kinds of grilled meats, eggplant, egg pastas and just about everything but leafy vegetables and seafood. Enjoy now and over the coming four years.
	2005 Château Clément Termes, Mémoire, Gaillac, Southwestern France 14.99/160.00 ~~reg. 19.99~~ Gaillac is one of the France’s oldest documented viticultural areas. Employing Bordeaux and Rhone varietals blended with local specialties, Gaillac is also one of France’s most exciting and dynamic winemaking regions. Château Clément Termes’ Mémoire is a dense, deep, black-purple Gaillac that employs in equal proportion the indigenous Braucol (a.k.a Fer Servadou) and Syrah. Fusing the rustic, tannic wildness of the Braucol with the leathery, animal notes of the Syrah alongside hints of sexy vanillin oak, we have a unique southern French wine expression that won the Médaille d’Or at the Concours des Vines du Sud-Ouest in Toulouse. Rustic, hearty and tannic, the Clément Termes begins with scents of plums mixed with vanilla and earth. The wine transitions with blackberry fruit infused with perfumed soil, wood bark, smoke, tar and leather. It finishes long and complex. Enjoy now and over the next five years with rustic roasts and grilled meats, or hearty vegetarian fare featuring rosemary.
NATURALLY FARMED

FEATURED WHITE WINES:


	2009 Domaine Berthet-Rayne M&A, Cairanne Blanc, Southern Rhône Valley, France 13.50/144.50 Cairanne blanc is a genuine rarity, and – along with Châteauneuf blanc and Rasteau blanc – a Southern French expression that we especially relish. A new entry on our radar screen, Berthet-Rayne’s Cairanne blanc casts a gorgeous lemon-gold color from the glass alongside yellow plum, Comice pear fruit and stony minerality. Rich and textured on the palate, the wine’s complex mix of Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Bourboulenc seemingly unveils each varietal’s character one layer at a time. Bone dry and brimming with the Southern Rhône’s distinctive wet stone minerality, the wine over the course of time reveals a beguiling array of characters including honeydew melon, gardenia blossoms, beeswax, thyme, white tea and white pepper. On the finish, the wine’s smoky, stony mineral nature steps up in concert with its melon core and subtle herbal notes. This is a must-try for all fans of Châteauneuf blanc and authentic, terroir-driven southern French white wines. Enjoy now or over the coming three years with grilled bronzini, grilled eggplant and dishes emphasizing garlic, capers and anchovies. Fantastic wine!
	2009 Conti di Buscareto, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Marches, Italy 10.50/112.50 Verdicchio is central Italy’s most distinctive white varietal. It scales its greatest heights in the mineral-rich soils of the Castelli di Jesi zone just miles from the Adriatic Sea. Green-gold in the glass and showing the varietal’s special expressions of lentils, green beans, snap peas and Bartlett pears, Conti di Buscareto’s Verdicchio also captures the grape’s crisp, minerally edge, which we always seek and is especially pronounced in best wines from the Castelli di Jesi zone. On the palate, the Verdicchio combines high toned pear and key lime notes accented by a complex, smoky mineral undercurrent before yielding to a long, rich finish reprising notes of snap peas, green lentils and dissolved minerals. Serve this distinctive and classically-styled Verdicchio now or over the coming two years with light pork preparations, freshwater fish dishes, and recipes featuring zucchini and summer squash.
	2009 Arregi Getariako, Txakolina, Basque Country, Spain 13.50/144.50 On the rocky Biscay coast west of San Sebastian in Basque Spain, stubborn traditionalists fight the harsh local climate to produce one of the most racy and exciting white wines in the world, Chacolina (Txakolina in Basque). Pale straw in color, Arregi’s Txakolina offers distinctive aromas of lime zest, freshly cut fennel and chalky minerals. Fresh and still containing a healthy dose of dissolved CO2, Arregi’s Txakolina sports enough head-spinning acidity to handle the most wine-challenging vegetables, even asparagus and green beans. Supporting the high acidity is a rich and resinous fruit expression reminiscent of freshly squeezed lime juice, crisp green apples, gooseberries and kiwi. The finish leaves the palate coated with delicious dusting of saline minerals while reprising the wine’s key lime juice and fennel expressions. This is a staff favorite that always makes points with fans of crisp, mineral-driven wines such as Chablis, Riesling, Vinho Verde and Grüner Veltliner. Also fabulous with seafood tapas, this is a must-try selection that should ideally be enjoyed this spring and summer to capture its youthful vigor.

FEATURED ROSE WINE:


	2009 Château Barbanau, L’Instant, Côtes de Provence Rosé, Provence, France 14.99/160.00 Sun-drenched Provence led the way in introducing fine dry rosé wines back into the conscience of American fine wine drinkers. Alas, many of the genre’s pioneering estates are now priced well out of our reach, but, thankfully their quality and distinctiveness is being carried forward by a new generation of quality-conscious vignerons. Enter Château Barbanau – here is the pale salmon-colored and herb-tinged, raspberry fruited expression that resurrected the genre. This is just gorgeous rosé! Pale enough to offer superb refreshment, yet showing enough skin character to convey the essence of freshly crushed red raspberries, blush peach skin and juicy pink grapefruit. Add to this medley hints of herbes de Provence and freshly-ground white pepper, and you have the rosé sensation of the season – and a great value to boot. Buy a case and enjoy this all summer long by itself after a long day, or paired with…well…everything!
NATURALLY FARMED

WEB EXTRAS FOR JULY:


	2008 Château St. Martin de la Garrigue, Côteaux du Languedoc Blanc, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 15.99/171.00 Here’s another winner from Kermit Lynch’s Château St. Martin de la Garrigue! Fashioned from similar grapes as the Berthet-Rayne’s Cairanne blanc above, and fitting for its name, St. Martin de la Garrigue’s blanc comes across as wilder and more garrigue-scented. Lovely lemon gold in the glass, St. Martin de la Garrigue’s blanc offers tropical notes of guava and pineapple alongside garrigue scents of thyme and juniper. Fully and ample on the palate, the wine counters its waxy tropical and melon fruit kernel with sappy herbal notes and a complex suggestion of sweet cinnamon. Flinty minerals and a resinous tactile impression segue the wine to a long lemon balm, pineapple and herbal finish. This is a real attention-getting wine and a great choice for a summertime barbeque featuring grilled prawns, whole fish, summer squashes and chicken. –A Kermit Lynch Selection
	2006 Penfolds, Shiraz, Bin 28, Kalimna, Barossa Valley, South Australia 11.99/128.00 reg. 26.99 This is the deal of the month. A beautifully crafted Shiraz from Penfolds, one of Australia’s most regarded wineries. Jay Miller (The Wine Advocate) writes, “the 2006 Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz was made primarily from Barossa Valley fruit. It was aged for 12 months in seasoned American oak hogsheads. Aromas of soy, pepper, lavender, blueberry, and licorice lead to a medium to full-bodied, fleshy wine with layers of spicy black fruit, enough structure to evolve for 4-6 years, and a lengthy finish. Drink this nicely priced wine from 2013 to 2021.” Wine Advocate–90+ points
NATURALLY FARMED

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OUR LOCATION:
2222 NW Quimby St. (off 22nd Ave.
Portland, OR 97210
503-241-WINE (9463) 800-903-WINE (9463) Fax 503-243-6706
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