VINTAGES HEADLINES:

*Summer in Red & Rosé
*NEW ARRIVALS, France & Italy
*Wines from Rosenthal on Sale
*WINE DOG DEALS from Piedmont – $9-$13

*SUMMER IN RED AND ROSE

2004 LA SAUVAGEONNE COTEAUX DU LANGUEDOC “Puech de Glen” $35 (Languedoc) Vintages Exclusive.

 Discovered on the back roads of the Languedoc during Eric’s wine sojourn through France, this “Super-Languedoc", a blend of 90% Syrah and Grenache, presents a deep black-purple color with violet rim. Intense fruit on the palate explodes with blueberry, blackberry, crème de cassis, coffee, and bittersweet chocolate flavors. Notes of pepper reminiscent of a Cote-Rotie. Super-fine dusty minerality, and structured by excellent fine-grained tannins that are perfectly ripe.  “Puech de Glen” is a knockout combination of a top-notch Priorat red combined with a Cote Rotie. Amazing!

2004 CANTINA DEL PINO FREISA $14.99 (Piedmont) VINTAGES EXCLUSIVE. A juicy, chillable red with extracted strawberry fruit – delicious! RENATO VACCA makes a tiny amount of Langhe Freisa, a lightly sparkling red from the indigenous Freisa grape. Offering saturated strawberry-and-flower flavors, it’s curiously refreshing, and simply irresistible! The perfect hot weather red!

2002 CANTINA DEL PINO BARBARESCO Special $28 VINTAGES EXCLUSIVE Renato’s 2002 edition of his “normale” level Barbaresco reached the final round of the “Three Glasses” award evaluations. A challenging vintage, but in the right hands, you get enjoyable drinking at an unbeatable price.

2003 CASCINA GARITINA BARBERA d’ASTI “Caranti” $14.99 (Piedmont) Rich, beautiful barrique-aged Barbera at a great price! Aromas of plum, blackberry and almond. A well defined red with balance and lush fruit. Another barbecue find, also great with hard cheeses and cured meats.

ROSÉ Catch the craze for pink!  When the thermometer leaps past 80 degrees, nothing is quite a refreshing, or seasonal, as a beautiful, dry rose.  In shades ranging from delicate salmon pink to bright ruby, rosé is the season’s hip sip.Try these dry roses from Provence, Languedoc, Bordeaux, and Loire.

2005 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose, $29

2005 Mas Julien Coteaux du Languedoc Rose, $22

2005 Commanderie de Peyrassol Cotes de Provence, $17.99

2005 Domaine Faillenc “Sainte Marie” Rose des Glaciers $15.99

2005 Chateau de Roquefort “Corail” Cotes de Provence Rose, $15.99

2005 Mas de Gourgonnier Les Baux de Provence Rose, $14.99

2005 Chateau Pavie St.-Emilion Rose (Bordeaux) $13.99

2005 Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux d’Aix en Provence Rose, $11.99

2005 Chinon “Lune Rousse” Rose, $9.99

*NEW ARRIVALS: Italy

1996 GIUSEPPE CORTESE BARBARESCO RISERVA “RABAJA” “Three Glasses” New price: $85 (Piedmont)  We announced the impending arrival of this special wine last month; good news-- the price came in much lower than expected. We also got a chance to taste it again-- this is the real, chewy deal. Ten years in the making, the inaugural 1996 Cortese Rabaja Riserva is amazingly complex and fine with great freshness! Deep, red berries in the mouth. Huge, classic nebbiolo tannins ensure great aging potential, yet are extremely sweet. “Barbaresco Rabaja Riserva was released for the first time in the 1996 vintage. After three years in oak, and five in bottle, it is an unforgettable wine and earned Three Glasses for its power and equilibrium.” –Gambero Rosso.  We cannot overemphasize the rare and outstanding nature of such a wine. 1996 is the best vintage of the last ten years for long-term cellaring. Rabaja is one of the top cru vineyards; and Cortese knows that such natural perfection cannot be rushed into market or into the glass. The power and complexity of Cortese’s 1996 Rabaja Riserva can be glimpsed now, but also should be savored later on and long after that.

2003 CAN’TELE “AMATIVO” $36 THREE GLASSES AWARD (Puglia) A Super-Puglian blend of Primitivo and Negroamaro. Super smooth with deep, dark fruit. Paolo Can’tele was in town recently and we enjoyed discussing two of his great passions: wine, and American rock music! “Amativo” is Can’tele’s flagship red that showcases the ripeness and elegance of their native grapes, primitivo and negroamaro. And it’s ready to drink now. Dress up a barbecue, pair with anything grilled; this is a smooth-drinking beauty that you’ll have no problem finding reasons to enjoy.

2001 CEUSO di MELIA “Vigna Custera” Sicilia Rosso $40 THREE GLASSES AWARD (Sicily)

“A sumptuously rich wine and the best release ever – a little masterpiece.”
Vincenzo Melia, who manages the Ceuso estate, recently visited our shop for a Saturday afternoon tasting. Mr. Melia is the most renowned expert on Sicilian wine, from history, topography, geology, climate, varietals, etc. He also happens to be a top agronomist and winemaker! The 2001 VIGNA CUSTERA is a blend of 50% nero d’avola, 30% cabernet, and 20% merlot grapes from the estate vineyards at Alcamo. Vigna Custera was aged one year in barriques. “The wine itself is a dark, almost opaque ruby. There are intense, complex aromas of ripe Morello cherry and plum, but wild berry fruits also come through, fading elegantly into oak toast, cedar wood and tobacco. The well-structured palate is full, rich and powerful, the tannins are soft and the finish signs off elegantly with blackberry jam and tobacco.” – Gambero Rosso

*ROSENTHAL WINE SALE 20% off!
Save 20% on any quantity of the following wines from highly-regarded importer Neal Rosenthal.

RED BURGUNDY
Domaine Fourrier
2003 Gevrey Chambertin Vielles Vignes $55 – now $44
2003 Chambolle Musigny Vielles Vignes $55 – now $44
2003  Morey St.-Denis “Clos Solon” $55 – now $44

Dom. Louis Boillot
2002 Volnay Premier Cru “Le Brouillards” $65 – now $52
2002 Volnay Premier Cru “Le Caillerets” $75 – now $60

Dom. Lucien Jacob
2003 Hautes Cotes de Beaune $22 – now $17.60

WHITE BURGUNDY
Jean-Marc Pillot
2002 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru “Morgeot” $74 – now $59.20
2002 Chassagne-Montrachet "Les Vergers" $78  -- now $62.40

Jean Dauvissat
2002 Chablis Grand Cru “Les Preuses” $95 – now $76

RHONE VALLEY
2003 Dom. Montpertuis Chateauneuf-du-Pape “Tradition” $68 – now $54.40
2001 Dom. du Gour de Chaule Gigondas $33  -- now $26.40
2001 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets $75 – now $60

ITALY
2000 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso Riserva $65 – now $52
1999 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso Riserva $55 – now $44

2001 Triacca Sforzato de Valtellina "San Domenico" $54 – now $43.20
2001 Triacca Valtellina Superior “Sassella” $28 – now $22.40

2003 Bisson Vermentino "Vigne del Intrigos" $28 – now $22.40

2004 Brovia Langhe "Freisa La Villerina Secca" $24  -- now $19.20

*BOW-WOW! WINE DOG WINES from Piedmont $9-$13
New! CASCINA CHICCO “GUIDOBONO” from Piedmont. The Cascina Chicco estate is one of the most highly-regarded in the Roero district. Their “GUIDOBONO” wines are specially-priced bottlings for our market.  While the quality alone is impressive, we were blown away by the knock-out VALUE of these wines! Tasting is believing. The Guidobono Nebbiolo and Barbera are two of the best wines for the money we have ever tasted!

2004 GUIDOBONO Langhe Nebbiolo $9.99 Nebbiolo is the premier grape of Piedmont; Barbaresco and Barolo are its highest expressions. Not as complex, but surprisingly enjoyable.

2004 GUIDOBONO Langhe Barbera $8.99 Juicy, rich fruit with a crisp finish.

2005 GUIDOBONO Langhe Arneis $12.99 (white) A refreshing white with body, not a lightweight.

enjoy the weekend!

Eric & Carolyn
VINTAGES-Adventures in Wine
53 Commonwealth Ave. West Concord, MA
978-369-2545
open Mon-Fri 10-8; Sat 10-7
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© 2005 Vintages - Adventures in Wine