Offering # 3 -- France

Greetings!

Our third offering features French wines from the importer Charles Neal. You remember the French, those folks who helped us out in a couple of scrapes with the British in the 18^th and 19^th century? And with whom we got all huffy in the early 21^st century? It’s nice we’re all friends now. Some of these wines are from obscure regions and unfamiliar grapes, but rest assured they are all quite tasty and represent excellent values.

2008 Chateau Tour de Mirambeau Entre deux Mers

Our first wine is a white Bordeaux, made from nearly equal parts of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle grapes. The wine has a lovely citrus aroma, medium body and a nice crispness to it. This is a great cocktail wine, but it has enough going on to pair well with any white fish. Please don’t serve it too cold.

$14.00 per bottle/$151.20 per case

2009 Domaine Chiroulet Les Terres Blanches

This white wine is from Gascony, home of the Three Musketeers (the Dumas characters, not the candy bar). It is grown on what the winemakers call the white ground or, in French, the “terres blanches.” For wine geeks, this is a big deal. White ground usually means limestone, old sea beds and other things I won’t bore you with. This wine is made from 50% Gros Manseng, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, and 20% Ugni Blanc (what the Italians call Trebbiano). Pour this wine in a glass and you’ll be hit with the scent of grapefruit. It’s a crisp and delicious wine.

$12.00 per bottle/$129.60 per case

2009 Chateau le Roc La Saignée

This lovely rosé is from the southwest of France. Rosé’s reputation was marred by the high crimes committed by Mateus in the 1970s. Since then, rosé has been stuck with the label sweet. Made from 60% Négrette, 30% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is not sweet! To quote importer Charles Neal, this dry rosé is “bursting with raspberry and strawberry fruit, with plenty of weight on the palate.” To quote my wife, “Yum.”

$11.00 per bottle/$118.80 per case

2008 Maison Angelot Gamay

My friend John described this as a picnic wine. He’s right. A picnic: warm day, lots of sunshine, cool red wine. Many members of the church of the vine abstain from white wine, but that doesn’t mean they have to feel left out on a warm day. Here’s a great example of a red that drinks well with a slight chill. Although light in color, it doesn’t lack for elegance. This wine is made from the Gamay grape.

$13.00 per bottle/$140.40 per case

2008 Domaine Chiroulet Cuvée Classique

This is a red wine from Domaine Chiroulet, made from a blend of 50% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Tannat, and 10% Cabernet Franc. The nose on this wine reminds me of the dark cherries we’re starting to see and enjoy at the farmers market. It has the comforting smell of a cigar box, and to quote Charles again it “glides across the palate.” It’s important to know that this wine needs a little time to open up. All of you “I’m not a morning person” people should understand. Like you, this wine is much better an hour or so after you open it up. So, pour some in a glass, decant if you can, cook your dinner, and by the time you’re done this wine will start to show its stuff.

$15.00 per bottle/$162.00 per case

2007 Domaine Les Terrasses d’Eole Mountagniero

This southern Rhone wine, made mostly from Syrah, is a crowd pleaser. It’s a beautiful purple. The problem with serving this wine is the lapping sounds people make when they drink it. It is so easy to suck down, I’ve considered selling it with straws. It comes from Provence, near Mount Ventoux, one of the stages in the Tour de France. On second thought, maybe I should sell it with a Camelbak.

$11.00 per bottle/$118.80 per case

If you would like to purchase one of each of the above selections, the total, with tax, is $82.84.

If you would like to purchase a mixed case (two of each of the above selections) the total, with tax, is $149.11, which is a bit more than $12.00 per bottle.

Also, many of the wines from our last two offerings are still available. Please scroll down for more information on them.

To purchase any of our selections or arrange delivery please contact us at communitywines@gmail.com or call 415-454-1244.

Fine print:

10% discount on any full or mixed case.

We do not, at this time, accept credit cards, but happily take checks or cash.

We offer free delivery within Marin. Note: someone 21 years old or older must be home to accept the wine. For delivery outside of Marin, call me.

Payment requested at time of order.

If you are interested in hosting a tasting at your home, please let me know, and I’ll explain the details.

Please feel free to forward this offer to your friends and family.

If you know people who might like to purchase wine wholesale, please send them my way.

We’d like to thank our friends who gave of themselves and worked tirelessly to try these wines and give us feedback. It’s hard work, but someone’s got to do it. Merci beaucoup to John, Margaret, Mary K., Mary B., Maureen, Kathy, Kathleen, Christina, and Brian. 

Offering # 2 -- Italy

Greetings!

Community Wines is off to a great start. So many of you sampled our Spanish selections and have shared your feedback. We’re glad you’ve enjoyed them! For our second offering, we are sticking with southern Europe but moving east. We are pleased to present six Italian wines from importer Oliver McCrum. This offering features three wines from Sicily (two whites and a red), a red and a rosé from Abruzzo and, finally, a red from Piedmont in northern Italy. These wines are some of the best values we have found to date, and we are pleased to share them with you.

Sicily is an island with a host of indigenous grapes, and most of them are unknown outside of their home. That is, until now! First, a red made from Nerello Mascalese, by Cantina Corbera, a co-operative winery in western Sicily. There is a lot of fruit flavor, a touch of smokiness and no sweetness in this win. It is dark and smells like the plums that grow all over Marin and Sonoma counties. It is easy to drink and a great value.

2007 Isola d'Oro Nerello Mascalese $9.00 per bottle/$97.20 per case w/ 10% discount

Our next selection is also from Cantina Corbera, a white wine produced from the Inzolia grape. This wine has some zip, and it will clean your palate. We drank it with pasta tossed with olive oil, garlic and some fresh herbs, and it was delicious. It is the color of bottled sunshine and just looking at it makes me think of summer. In fact, it makes me want to go to Sicily. Let’s go!

2008 Isola d'Oro Inzolia $9.00 per bottle/$97.20 per case w/ 10% discount

Our last Sicilian selection is a white wine made from the Cataratto grape by Feudo Montoni. This is a light white wine that is ethereal in nature. It is easy to gulp down glass after glass. Every white wine only drinker (WWOD) we have poured it for has enjoyed it. (Are you a WWOD? It's okay!) This wine has a lovely hint of citrus. It is uncomplicated and delightful alone or with food.

2007 Feudo Montoni Cataratto $10.00 per bottle/$108 per case w/ 10% discount

Next we have what is known in the wine trade as a spaghetti red. I don't really like the term because it seems to imply cheap red wine of dubious quality. This wine is anything but that. This wine from Abruzzo, a region east of Rome, is made by the Vallevò co-operative from Montepulciano grapes. As Oliver McCrum, the man who imports this wine says, "In a sense this is an importer’s highest achievement; it’s pretty easy to find good wine at $50 a bottle, but very difficult at less than $10." This is an honest full flavored bottle of wine. Whip up a pot of pasta or a pizza, pull the cork, and see what you think.

2007 Vallevò Montepulciano d'Abruzzo $9.00 per bottle/$97.20 per case w/ 10% discount

When the weather gets warm, we drink a lot of rosé at our house, and even though it hasn't been that warm yet, we've already drunk of lot of our next selection. The wine is dark for a rosé, somewhat cranberry in color, and it smells like summer. It also produced by the Vallevò co-operative and made from Montepulciano grapes. In Italy (attention language geeks!), rosé is often labeled Cerasuolo.

2008 Vallevò Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Cerasuolo $9.00 per bottle/$97.20 per case w/ 10% discount

La Casaccia produces our last selection from Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is made from the Barbera grape. This is an excellent example of a balanced wine. What does that mean? It means that the fruit and the acid in the wine are in harmony. This is the type of wine that northern Italians drink with their daily fare, which is usually made from something that goes moo or oink. We usually drink it with French lentils or a mushroom based dish. (Don’t tell the northern Italians.) It goes well with hearty dishes.

2007 La Casaccia Barbera del Monferrato $16/bottle/$172.80 per case w/ 10% discount

If you would like to purchase one of each of the above selections, the total, with tax, is $67.58.

If you would like to purchase a mixed case (two of each of the above selections) the total, with tax, is $121.64, which is a smidgen more than $10.00 per bottle.

Offering # 1 -- Spain

Spanish Selections

The sparkling wine, called Cava in Spain, is from the producer German Gilabert. This wine is the perfect start to any gathering. I know that many people feel that sparkling wines need an occasion, but they don’t! This wine is great as an aperitif and is a delight to drink with appetizers. $17.00 NV/ $184 per case w/ 10% discount

Next up is a lovely white from the Rueada region. This producer is Vevi, and the wine is made from two grapes, Verdejo and Viura and that’s enough V’s for any one sentence. This wine is light and refreshing. You won’t taste any butter or oak in this bottle, unless you add them yourself. $14.00 2008/ $151.20 per case w/ 10% discount

This first red is a real charmer. There is no pretense to this wine from the Campo de Borja region. It is made from the Grenache grape and is truly built for comfort. This dry red, produced by Bielsa, is soft and delicate, plush and elegant. This was the first wine I bought from this importer, and I think it is a great example of what a price to quality ratio means. $12.00 2008/ $129.60 per case w/ 10% discount

This next red is a bit more serious. It is made from the Mencia grape, native to Spain, and is grown on hillsides so steep that they have little platforms on tracks to move the grapes down to the winery from the vineyard. The producer’s name is Guimaro and the wine comes from the Ribeira de Sacra. This is the kind of wine that you want to get to know. It drinks well with medium to hardy fare. This was a wine that I was taken with from the first taste and have returned to it many times. $17.00 2008/ $184 per case w/ 10% discount

My wife fell so hard for my next selection that I was almost jealous. This wine is made from the Carignane grape, known as Samsó in the Monstant region. Carignane is frequently found in California Zinfandel blends. This bottle, produced by Clos De Noi, is pure Carignane. What I love about this wine is the perfect balance between its masculine and feminine qualities. This wine has character. $17.00 2008/ $184 per case w/ 10% discount

Last but not least is a wine from the Alicante region produced by Primitivo Quiles. This wine is made from the Mourvèdre grape as it is known in France and the United States. In Spain Mourvèdre’s name is Monastrell. This wine is like someone you meet at a party who you want to see again -- easily approachable and welcoming. I’m not one to judge a book by its cover, but I must admit to having a soft spot for the old style label. $14.00 2008/ $151.20 per case w/ 10% discount