JANUARY 2010 NEWSLETTER

RED WINES

OREGON – RED

2008 McKinlay, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 15.99/171.00
McKinlay winemaker Matt Kinne is back with another strong, lip-smacking Pinot Noir that once again sets the benchmark for deep, honest, authentic Willamette Valley Pinot at the affordable end of the price spectrum. Placing the gorgeous, precocious fruit of the great 2008 front and center, the 2008 McKinlay opens with a deep garnet hue and complex Pinot aromas of loganberries, cranberries, smoke and cinnamon. On the palate, the wine offers fresh red-fruited Pinot glory alongside crisp food-friendly acidity and notes of cinnamon and cloves. The finish is long, clean and lingering, showing sweet cherries, red raspberries, minerals and smoke. A very versatile and immediately delicious Pinot, the 2008 McKinlay drinks exceptionally well now and will hold for three to five years. Enjoy all its un-oaked, red-fruited purity with broiled salmon, roast chicken, grilled vegetables, duck, even burgers hot off the grill.

CALIFORNIA – RED

2005 Beringer, Alluvium, Knights Valley, Sonoma County, California 17.99/192.50 reg. 26.99
Designed in homage to the great wines of St. Emilion and Pomerol, Alluvium is a Right Bank doppelgänger whose Bordeaux-style blend makes for a deliciously plush and accessible wine. Packed with plum and chocolate flavors, the Alluvium opens to reveal latent notes of cedar, currant, tobacco, licorice and spicy oak. Silky-textured and nuanced in the mouth, fine grained tannins emerge mid-palate to balance the wine’s fleshy core of fruit and propel the Alluvium to a long licorice and tobacco tinged finish. And the best part: this flagship wine of Beringer’s Knights Valley portfolio retails for well under $20. At this price, it’ll pay to buy the wine by the case and enjoy over the next five years with rib roasts of beef, roast leg of lamb, burgers, pork chops, and just about anything that calls for a rich, smooth and forward red wine.

FRANCE – RED

2005 Domaine de Nizas, Carignan Vieilles Vignes, Vin de Pays de Caux, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 13.50/144.50
As a principal of California’s Clos du Val, the pioneering John Goelet has expanded his scope and established his first wine estate in France. Employing 50-year-old vine Carignan – the Languedoc’s lusty, workhorse varietal – the Domaine de Nizas has fused the wild, herb-driven personality of the Languedoc with the elegant texture of a fine Napa Valley Cabernet. Nizas’ Carignan Vieilles Vignes opens with an opaque black plum robe and a juniper and leather-driven bouquet. Spicy and tarry on the palate, the wine’s plush texture is complemented by a sappy core of old-vine fruit and lusty, southern French expressions of tar, lavender, juniper and oil-cured black olives. Long, tarry and intense in the finish, Nizas’s Carignan Vieilles Vignes is a lovely winter red that will pair nicely with daubes of beef, grilled lamb, burgers, and savory stews. Enjoy now and over the coming three years.

2008 M. Chapoutier, Les Vignes de Bila-Haut, Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 12.50/133.50
Wow! Northern Rhône maestro Michel Chapoutier has set his sights on the arid, savage terroirs of the Côtes du Roussillon in southern France. Employing biodynamically grown Grenache, Syrah and Carignan, Chapoutier has raised the bar for the deep, lusty wines from this historically important region inland from the Mediterranean. A brilliant plum color in the glass, the Bila-Haut opens with earthy aromas of mushrooms, leather, tar and dried herbs. Bright, spicy and brimming with purple and black fruits, the Bila-Haut continues with juicy suggestions of Provençal cherries, figs, and sun-baked plums before segueing to complex notes of game, anise, minerals, leather and oregano. Thanks to Chapoutier’s strict adherence to biodynamic principles, the wine is terrifically refined and approachable while exemplifying the natural, arid and sun-stressed conditions upon which the vines must struggle. This beauty ranked #75 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list for 2009. We think it’s worth a lot more and suggest buying it by the case and serving it now and over the coming five years. Pair with rosemary-scented lamb, ratatouille, braised rabbit or as a winter warmer when your own mistral blows.

ITALY – RED

2007 Compagnia di Ermes, Cesanese di Olevano Romano, Lazio, Italy 13.50/144.50
We were delighted when you made the 2006 vintage of this rarity fly off the shelves! The 2007 vintage has just landed, and we think it’s even more delicious and compelling. Cesanese is a varietal indigenous to the hillsides of Lazio, the region that surrounds the city of Rome. On these hillsides the superior clone of Cesanese makes wines of depth, character and specificity. A deep black-ruby color in the glass, the Compagnia di Ermes Cesanese casts distinctive aromas of jasmine, cherries, pomegranate, nutmeg and tobacco. The palate is bright, rich and focused, adding notes of cinnamon, currants and menthol. Spicy, zesty and bursting with exuberant, fresh red fruit notes, the Cesanese transitions its bright fruit palate to a long finish marked by round, framing tannins, brisk acidity and a persistent and delicious undercurrent of limestone soil. Lazio is rarely held in the pantheon of grand Italian wine regions, but this Cesanese makes an undeniably bold assertion for its inclusion. Enjoy now and over the coming three years with bucatini all’amitriciana, carbonara, pizza, lasagna and spaghetti with homemade meatballs.

2007 Rigoloccio, Cabernet e Alicante, Maremma Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy 13.99/149.00
The bounty and diversity of Italy knows no bounds. This intense, full-bodied red is an innovative blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Alicante grown atop an old pyrite mine which imparts to the wine a fascinating mineral undercurrent of gunflint and iron. Brilliant ruby in the glass, the Rigoloccio casts notes of plums and black cherries accented by overtones of red peppers, cloves, red cedar and flinty minerals. Bright, focused cherry fruit stains the palate before segueing to complex notes of walnut skin, dried herbs, pepper and five-spice. This wine’s fruit remains in perfect harmony with its bristling acidity and plentiful, fine tannins. Enjoy this Tuscan rarity now and over the coming five years with marinated flank steak, burgers, pastas with spicy sauces and cured meats.

2006 Canalicchio, Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy 18.99/203.00
There’s something special about Sangiovese as expressed in Tuscany’s Montalcino district. Rosso di Montalcino is Brunello’s little brother – a wine made with all the great character that comes from Montalcino soil and the Brunello clone of Sangiovese, but intended to be more precocious, accessible and enjoyable in its youth. Canalicchio 2006 Rosso is a textbook example of old-school Rosso di Montalcino. It displays the Sangiovese’s classic ruby robe gradating to an amber rim, followed by an intensely perfumed nose of black cherry and plum fruit. Suggestions of walnuts and pencil lead transition the wine from its plum and cherry fruit core on the palate to notes of earth, leather and baker’s chocolate on its lingering and satisfying finish. Gorgeous now, the wine is poised for another three to five years’ evolution. Pair with grilled Porterhouse steak, burgers, roast lamb and potato or eggplant-rich vegetarian fare.

2006 Allegrini, Palazzo della Torre, Veronese IGT, Veneto, Italy 18.99/203.00
Allegrini’s genre-defining Palazzo della Torre is a longtime favorite of L&E staff and customers alike. A blend of Corvina and Rondinella, with Sangiovese added for structure and complexity, the Palazzo della Torre undergoes a second fermentation. The second step gives the wine added body, dimension and richness. The result in the classic 2006 vintage is a wine that offers impressive notes of cherries, raisins, chocolate, leather and dusty terroir. Rich, yet deftly balanced on the palate, the 2006 Palazzo adds notes of cola, sarsaparilla, shiitake mushrooms and cloves. Superfine tannins and lip-smacking acidity emerge on the back-palate and frame the wine’s concentrated fruit expression. The great Allegrini winery is one of the leading lights in the Valpolicella region of the Veneto, and this wine is the perfect fusion of the freshness of a great Valpolicella and the hearty complexity of their exemplary Amarones. Drink now with hearty potato and tomato casseroles, braised pork, and hard cheeses, or cellar it five to seven years for further complexity and evolution.
Galloni, Wine Advocate - 90 points

ARGENTINA – RED

2006 Tierra Secreta, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 10.99/117.50 reg.13.99
The Uco Valley lies in the southern sector of the Mendoza region. Here the soil is thinner, the terrain rockier, and the resulting wines are the most intense and complex in the entire Mendoza. From vines grown at 3,000 feet above sea level in the Valle de Uco, Tierra Secreta has fashioned a black-plum colored Malbec that offers intense flavors and richness at an unbelievably affordable price. Dominated by notes of plums, cherries and cassis, the Tierra Secreta Malbec accents its palate staining core of fruit with spicy notes of coconut, cinnamon and licorice. Lushly textured and ready to drink, Tierra Secreta’s Malbec finishes with reprises of black fruits and licorice accented by fine, ripe tannins and a lovely whisper of gravelly soil minerality. This is the Malbec deal of the year and a most affordable wine to serve this winter by itself as an attention-grabbing red, or as a complement to hearty winter braises, roasts and stews.

2008 Achaval-Ferrer, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 19.99/213.50
Our second Malbec entry raises the stakes. Over the past decade, the Achaval-Ferrer winery has established itself as one of Argentina’s most revered and highly reviewed estates. Differing from the Tierra Secreta’s juicy and approachable deliciousness, Achaval-Ferrer’s Malbec is tighter, more terroir-driven, and poised for a long and rewarding evolution in the bottle. Opaque black-plum in the glass, Achaval-Ferrer’s Malbec casts mineral, leather and pepper notes from the glass. On the palate the wine exemplifies Malbec’s serious side, conveying notes of cedar, graphite, plums and earthy mushrooms alongside brisk acidity and framing tannins. In fact, this wine works more like a fine, old-school Cahors from southwestern France than a modern-styled fruit-driven Malbec. We suggest serving it now with game, goose, duck, and rich potato gratins, or lay it down five to ten years in your cool cellar to allow the wine to gain the complexities of age. World-class Malbec!

WHITE WINES

FRANCE - WHITE

2008 Chapoutier, Belleruche Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc, Southern Rhône Valley, France 10.50/112.50
Using the same biodynamic techniques and attention to detail that he affords his finest Hermitages, Michel Chapoutier also crafts superb white and red wines under the Belleruche moniker from the Côtes-du-Rhône in the Southern Rhône Valley. As big fans of the vastly underrated Southern Rhône blancs, we are enthralled by Chapoutier’s 2008 Belleruche, a classic blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourbolenc. A lovely pale gold color, the wine offers stony aromas of white peaches, figs and Rainier cherries. Vibrant on the palate, the wine plays its pit-fruit core off a gripping chalk and stone soil expression and honeyed suggestions of green melon. With Châteauneuf-du-Pape blancs entering the upper register, it’s comforting to know that a key player like Chapoutier can craft this terrific, terroir-driven look-alike at such an affordable tariff. We suggest enjoying it now with sheep’s milk cheeses, hearty potato gratins, Provençal seafood stews, and lamb shanks braised in white wine, garlic, and rosemary.

2008 Esprit de Labastide, Le Perlé Blanc Sec, Gaillac, Southwestern France 9.50/101.50
Situated between Bordeaux and the Languedoc in southern France, Gaillac is one of the France’s oldest documented viticultural areas. Employing the indigenous varietals Mauzac and Lion de l’Oeil blended with a dollop of Sauvignon Blanc, Gaillac is offering some of France’s most distinctive, affordable and food-friendly white wines. Labastide’s Le Perlé Gaillac blanc opens with appetizing scents of green melon, kiwi accented by Sauvignon Blanc hints of iris and grass. Zesty and vibrant on the palate, limestone minerals play with suggestions of lime peel, melon, chamomile and grapefruit. the wine finishes clean and refreshing, with further hints of citrus fruits accented by chalky minerals. This is such a delicious and enjoyable wine, we wonder why Gaillac hasn’t received more attention and fanfare over the years. Enjoy this expressive and delicious French blanc young with the entire spectrum of seafood, as well as sautéed green vegetables.

2007 Henri Perrusset, Mâcon-Villages, Burgundy, France 13.99/149.50
Henri Perrusset is a longtime staple of Kermit Lynch’s wine portfolio. Year-after-year he crafts Mâcons of unusual richness, distinction and minerality. Perrusset’s 2007 Mâcon-Villages deftly balances the crisp limestone minerality of the great 2007 white Burgundy vintage with the Mâcon’s textbook kernel of buttered corn and hazelnut-tinged lemon fruit. In fact, the wine’s intense flinty minerality, superb cut and fruit core serve to make the Mâcon perform more like a much pricier Rully than a humble Mâcon-Villages. But that’s to be expected from Kermit Lynch, and this wine will delight fans of authentic, uncompromising white Burgundy. Enjoy this beauty now and over the next three years with sautéed Petrale sole, grilled swordfish, and trout amandine.
--A Kermit Lynch Selection

ITALY – WHITE

2008 Tre Monti, Vigna Rocca, Albana di Romagna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy 12.50/133.50
Here’s the geek white wine of the month! Albana is a vine indigenous to central Italy’s Romagna district, and yields white wines of an unusually deep golden color, intense palate richness, brisk acidity and a long, resinous finish. Deep Sauternes-like gold in the glass, Tre Monti’s Albana casts rich aromas of nut oil, brown sugar, lemon zest and yellow rose petals. Full-bodied, resinous, yet crisp and perfectly balanced, the Albana coats the palate with perfumed quince, apricot and persimmon fruit lifted by brilliant acidity and the resinous texture that calls to mind the great blanco gran reservas from Lopez de Heredia. Complex notes of cinnamon, beeswax, almond skin and preserved lemon highlight the wine’s beguiling and impressively long finish. A category unto its own, this is a white wine for the adventurous among you. We suggest enjoying this immensely satisfying rarity now and over the coming year with fried seafood, fried chicken, hard cheeses, and savory rice dishes.

2007 Tenuta Olim Bauda, Gavi di Gavi, Piedmont, Italy 15.99/171.00
Dino Bertolino’s Olim Bauda estate has captured the essence of Gavi, and offers it at a most affordable tariff. Olim Bauda’s Gavi begins with a rich green-tinted, lemon-gold color and aromas of lemon curd, lemon balm and flinty minerals. The Gavi’s attacks first with crisp, juicy lemon fruit, but then broadens on the mid-palate with notes of Bartlett pears, hay, chamomile and menthol. Olim Bauda’s Gavi finishes crisp and lip-smacking, with delicious notes of limestone minerality, citrus zest and almond skin, the last of which gives the wine a splendid tactile grip as it lingers pleasantly on the palate. Drink this classic Gavi young to capture the wine’s freshness, crispness and zip. Enjoy with golden trout, snapper, vegetarian frittatas, squashes, clams and halibut.

PORTUGAL – WHITE

2008 Esporão, Vinho Branco Reserva, Alentejo, Portugal 12.50/133.50
We continue our fascination with the distinctive dry white wines of Portugal with this lovely branco reserva from Esporão. Based on a blend of Antão Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro, Esporão’s Branco Reserva opens with a limpid straw-gold color and opulent, Condrieu-like aromas of honeysuckle, white peaches and green melon. Rich and gripping on the palate, the wine fills the mouth with resinous tangerine and blood orange fruit notes accented by barrel hints of coconut, vanilla and caramel. With each sip, the wine gets deeper and more complex, adding distinctive suggestions of Grand Marnier liqueur, Darjeeling tea and honeydew melon. On the finish, the wine balances its distinctive tangerine and bitter-orange fruit expression with persistent schistose minerals and complementary barrel notes of pine resin, coconut oil and vanilla bean. We’re beguiled by the Esporão’s exotic fruit complexity, and will take it home ourselves to enjoy with salt cod fritters, pork or potato tapas, and sheep’s milk cheeses.

NEW ZEALAND – WHITE

2009 Mud House, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 14.99/160.00
Emphasizing the bold, grassy expression of the Sauvignon Blanc grape, New Zealand’s Marlborough region has positioned itself as one of the world’s premier spots for this beloved varietal. Mud House has captured the essence of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with its just-released 2009 vintage. Pale green-gold in the glass, Mud House’s Sauvignon Blanc explodes with intense Sauvignon Blanc aromas of passion fruit, Thai basil, freshly cut grass and smoky minerals. Bracingly crisp and crunchy on the palate, the wine continues its bold statement with opulent expressions of grapefruit, passion fruit, key lime zest and salty minerals. Finishing long, crisp and clean, we suggest enjoying this Kiwi beauty now and over the coming year with briny oysters, mussels, chowders, sautéed green vegetables and fresh chèvres.

WEB EXTRAS: Read the reviews online at our website

• 2006 Fattoria di Fèlsina, Chianti Classico Riserva, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Tuscany, Italy 26.99/288.50
  
• 2006 Fattoria di Fèlsina, Chianti Classico Riserva, Rancia, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Tuscany, Italy 39.99/427.00
  
• 2006 Fattoria di Fèlsina, Fontalloro, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Tuscany, Italy 49.99/534.00
  

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

HOURS: Mon.-Sat. 10a.m -6p.m.
CLOSED: Jan. 1-4

Happy New Year from the Staff of L&E
We close at 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve; re-open on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Visit us online!

THIS MONTH'S WINES

RED WINES:
2008 McKinlay Pinot Noir
2005 Beringer Alluvium Knights Valley
2005 Domaine de Nizas Carignan Vieilles Vignes
2008 M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut
2007 Compagnia di Ermes Cesanese
2007 Rigoloccio Cabernet e Alicante
2006 Canalicchio Rosso di Montalcino
2006 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre
2006 Tierra Secreta Malbec
2008 Achaval-Ferrer Malbec

WHITE WINES:
2008 Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc
2008 Esprit de Labastide Le Perlé Blanc Sec
2007 Henri Perrusset Mâcon-Villages
2008 Tre Monti Vigna Rocca Albana di Romagna
2007 Tenuta Olim Bauda Gavi di Gavi
2008 Esporão Vinho Branco Reserva
2009 Mud House Sauvignon Blanc

WEB EXTRAS:
2006 Fèlsina Chianti Classico Riserva
2006 Fèlsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia
2006 Fèlsina Fontalloro

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

Jan. 1 We are closed; We reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Happy New Year!

Jan. 15 Wow! Start 2010 with four decades of German Rieslings

Feb. 5 Great wines from Tuscany.

SATURDAY TASTINGS:
Weekly; Starts at noon, no fee

Jan. 2 We are closed; We re-open on Tues. Jan. 5

Jan. 9 Stella Schulte from Columbia Beverages will pour Tenuta Olim Bauda Gavi di Gavi, Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc, Dom. de Nizas Carignan, Allegrini Palazzo della Torre, and Canalicchio Rosso di Montalcino.

Jan. 16 Visit Italy at L&E: Tre Monti Vigna Rocca Albana di Romagna, Compagnia di Ermes Cesanese, Rigoloccio Cabernet e Alicante. Plus: A trio of wonderful wines from Fattoria de Felsina.

Jan. 23 We’re pouring Esprit de Labastide Le Perlé Blanc Sec, Esporão Vinho Branco Reserva, Henri Perrusset Mâcon-Villages, and M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut.

Jan. 30 Taste some New World delights: Mud House Sauvignon Blanc, Tierra Secreta Malbec, Achaval-Ferrer Malbec, McKinlay Pinot Noir, and Beringer Alluvium Knights Valley Cabernet.