ROSENTHAL WINE TASTING, Part II (Concord)
Fri. Dec. 12 4:30-7:30pm with Eric Broege
SAT. DEC. 13, 2-5pm with MICHAEL KANE of Rosenthal
Please join us for another taste of the distinctive, terroir-driven wines of Rosenthal Wine Merchant. For thirty years, Neal Rosenthal has carefully selected artisanal wines that profoundly express their origins and traditions. The informative and inspiring MICHAEL KANE of Rosenthal will be at VINTAGES’ in West Concord on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2-5pm to present the wines.

PAOLO BEA, Montefalco, Umbria
“Paolo Bea’s wines represent the finest of the artisan approach to winemaking. Bea farms his vineyards naturally. The wines are made in a traditional style that calls for extended periods of skin contact and several years of aging. At their best these are finessed, expressive wines of the highest level in a style that recalls the Brunellos of Soldera or the Barolos of Giuseppe Rinaldi, to name just two producers with a similar aesthetic.” – Wine Advocate

WINE DOG DEAL! 2005 Dom. Monpertuis “Cuvee Counoise” $11.99!
Delightfully fresh and juicy red made from Counoise, one of the 13 lucky grapes that can be grown in Chateauneuf du Pape. Wild berry and cherry liqueur flavors and aromas. Delicious!

CHATEAUNEUF du PAPE and Rhone Valley Wine Tasting
Traditional wines– the heart & soul of the Rhone

Sat. Nov. 1, 2-5p West Concord & Belmont stores
Belmont: featuring a selection of Clos du Mont Olivet
Concord: Mont Olivet, Monpertuis, and Vieux Donjon

2006 VIEUX DONJON Chateauneuf-du-Pape $69
Established in 1966, the 14 ha estate is run by Marie & Lucien Michel. Their rouge is a blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault. “Powerful, seriously-endowed effort for the vintage, displaying more structure and muscle than most wines in this forward, fruit-friendly year. Classic Provencal characteristics of garrigue, licorice, lavender, pepper, and kirsch soar from the glass… In the mouth, it is masculine, tannic, medium to full-bodied, and powerfully built. Potentially one of the longest lived wines of the vintage, it will require 4-5 years of bottle age, and should evolve for two decades. 92+ pts.“–WA

2006 DOM. MONPERTUIS Chateauneuf-du-Pape $45
Seven generations have farmed lands in the Rhone valley, with 17 ha in Chateauneuf. Blend of 70% Grenache and from Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and other varieties. “Ruby-red. Spicy raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by fresh lavender and rose, with a suave mineral quality building in the glass. Vibrant red fruit flavors are concentrated and impressively brisk, picking up silky tannins on the close. The finish is strikingly fresh and long, repeating the vivid red fruit character. 93 pts.”–IWC

CLOS du MONT OLIVET Chateauneuf du Pape
Tradition combined with vision is the foundation of Thierry Sabon’s winemaking philosophy-under his guidance the family’s cuvées have reached new heights, with lower yields, more dynamic blending and earlier bottling.
“From one of the archconservative bastions of traditionalism in Chateauneuf du Pape, these are classic old-style Chateauneuf du Papes bursting at the seams with sweet cherry notes, roasted Provencal herbs, licorice, and resiny, loamy, earthy scents. These wines age surprisingly well; certainly the 1990 Cuvee du Papet in my cellar is one of the most monumental Chateauneuf du Papes ever made. 2006 looks to be a very good vintage for the Sabon brothers.” — Wine Advocate

2006 CLOS du MONT OLIVET Chateauneuf-du-Pape “Cuvee Papet” $68 “Ruby-red. Intensely perfumed, floral-dominated bouquet of red and dark berries, kirsch, rose and incense; if the ‘05 smells like Chambolle, this one is more Vosne-Romanee. Velvety flavors of raspberry and blackberry betray no rough edges, and offer a deep, sweet personality. Leaves a wake of floral pastille and dark berry liqueur on the extremely long finish. 95 pts.“–IWC

2007 CLOS du MONT OLIVET Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc $39 The 2007 Blanc has just arrived with great expectations, following the much-acclaimed 2006 Blanc from this estate. Beautiful, compelling blend of all six allowed white Rhone varietals.
“Perhaps the most remarkable progress has been with the dry white wines. Each year the wines exhibit much more aromatic intensity, and far more personality and character. Moreover, they have gotten so good that I have actually been buying many of them because of their exceptional flexibility with food.”–Wine Advocate

2006 CLOS du MONT OLIVET Chateauneuf-du-Pape $35 “Explosive, spicy raspberry and dark cherry liqueur aromas and flavors show striking purity. From a five-year-old Allier barrique: Darker fruits, with solid grip. From a three-year-old Vosges barrel: Red berries, cinnamon and vibrant cherry flavors. The final blend should be superb. 93 pts.” -IWC

2006 CLOS du MONT OLIVET Cotes du Rhone “Serre de Catins” $19.99 This unique, single-vineyard 100% Grenache cuvée hails from a warmer slope just past the border of Châteauneuf. Always a knock-out, “Serre de Catin” in 2006 starts out quietly but comes on strong with powerful, punchy red fruit. Dried garrigue, warm earth, wildflowers and cranberries in the nose, followed by a mouth full of pepper and baking spices. Could be a “Wine Dog” deal simply because the 2006 price is still the same: $19.99!

2006 CHATEAU SAINT COSME!
Fabulous COTE ROTIE & GIGONDAS
NOTE: These wines from Chateau Saint Cosme are very limited; please email or call VINTAGES 978-369-2545 to reserve.
“The brilliant young Louis Barruol continues to augment his impressive negociant line of wines from the northern Rhone as well as his handful of southern Rhones while also concentrating on the fabulous estate wines from Gigondas, among the best two or three wines of the appellation. Barruol represents all that is good that is happening in France and other countries – a young man taking over for his parents and revolutionizing what was being done, cutting yields, cleaning up the cellars, and looking at how to make the most expressive wines possible from not only Gigondas, but from purchased fruit and wine. As for his northern Rhones, he consistently does a fabulous job with Cote Rotie. Using 100% stems, he gets none of the vegetal character that can come from stem use. As Barruol says, the 2006s are wines of great charm, seductiveness, and beautiful fruit, with freshness and vibrancy, whereas 2005 represents density, structure, tannin, and a certain austerity. To Barruol’s credit, I taste through 60-70 domaines in Gigondas, and his wines… were among the finest.” –Wine Advocate

2006 CHATEAU SAINT COSME Cote Rotie 94 pts. $80/bottle ($68 case price)
“The 2006 Cote Rotie, which comes largely from the Cote Brune vineyard Vialliere with another part from Les Plans, looks superb. Dense ruby/purple with sweet tannins, beautiful acidity, fabulous flavor intensity and penetration, and again, great aromatics, this is a terrific Cote Rotie that should ultimately eclipse the 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025. 92-94 pts.” –Wine Advocate

2006 CHATEAU SAINT COSME Gigondas 92 pts. $35/bottle ($29.75 case price)
“The 2006 Gigondas, which one would call Tradition or Classique, looks to eclipse the 2005. Dense black cherry fruit and cassis, a deep ruby/purple color, floral black cherry and blackberry fruit notes, with plenty of tannin, good acidity, and freshness characterize this wine, which is structured and potentially long-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020+ 92 pts.”–Wine Advocate