Hooray! The rain seems to have stopped, and the temperatures are warming up nicely. In wine country the vines are coming alive, and here at Community Wines, we are anticipating new arrivals from our producers.
If you are visiting us seeking wine for the YES Foundation auction, please don’t hesitate to call us or send us an email. If you would like, just let us know what your budget is, and we’d be happy to pick a wine for you, and get it where it needs to go for the auction.
2010 Peciña Rioja Joven (Spain) NEW!
This wine is the younger sibling of the Peciña Grand Reserva that won high praise from Eric Asimov in the New York Times. This oak-free darling is 100% Tempranillo. If you’ve always wanted to know what real Rioja tastes like, here’s your chance.
$13.50/bottle, $145.80/case w/10% discount
2010 Tami Frappato (Sicily) NEW!
Arianna Occhipinti, the island’s premier natural wine maker, brings us this robust red. Think Sophia Loren circa 1950, with that lovely Italian accent, and you’ll get the idea. Like Sophia, this wine is easy to spend time with. It is made from Sicily’s native grape, Frappato.
$17.00/bottle, $183.60/case w/10% discount
2009 Chateau d’Oupia Minervois Rouge (Languedoc, France) NEW!
This wine is a blend of Carignan, Syrah and Grenache. Not only do we love this wine, Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate does, too. Here’s what he had to say: “Château d'Oupia has produced the ideal bistro wine. Dark, ruby-colored, the wine is wonderfully clean and pure, with an exuberant personality, and gobs of rich, peppery, red and black fruit...” We think you’ll agree.
$13.50/bottle, $145.80/case w/10% discount
The Whites
2009 Tajinaste Blanco (Canary Islands)
Made from 100% Listan Blanco, also known as Palomino, this delightful white has a flavor profile of pear and apple, with an emphasis on the pear. It is delicate and sensual. The amount of effort that goes into growing these grapes is truly spectacular, and the payoff is in the bottle.
$14/bottle, $151.20/case w/10% discount
Made from 100% Listan Blanco, also known as Palomino, this delightful white has a flavor profile of pear and apple, with an emphasis on the pear. It is delicate and sensual. The amount of effort that goes into growing these grapes is truly spectacular, and the payoff is in the bottle.
$14/bottle, $151.20/case w/10% discount
2010 Jo Landron-Domaine de la Louvetrie Muscadet (Loire Valley, France, Organic)
Muscadet is the perfect wine to pair with anything from the sea -- it even works well when you’re just having salty thoughts! Some Muscadets are a little austere in their youth. Not this one -- it’s showing a little leg. The wine is full flavored and has great minerality.
$14.50 bottle, $156.60/case w/10% discount
Muscadet is the perfect wine to pair with anything from the sea -- it even works well when you’re just having salty thoughts! Some Muscadets are a little austere in their youth. Not this one -- it’s showing a little leg. The wine is full flavored and has great minerality.
$14.50 bottle, $156.60/case w/10% discount
2010 François Chidaine (Loire Valley, France, Biodynamic)
This vintage of the Touraine Sauvignon Blanc is razor focused. The wine is generously packed with citrus and minerals and is best described as refreshing. This makes a great pairing with seafood, and we particularly enjoy it as an aperitif or with our salad course. As the weather warms, you will want a bottle of this close by your side to keep you cool.
$14.50 bottle, $156.60/case w/10% discount
$14.50 bottle, $156.60/case w/10% discount
The Reds
2009 Le Claux Delorme Valençay Rouge (Valençay, France)
Here we have a harmonious wine with flavors of dark red fruits, cherries and plums combined with a pinch of black pepper. This wine is a blend of 40% Gamay, 30% Côt (Malbec), 10% Pinot Noir & 20% Cabernet Franc. This, like all of our wines, is incredibly food friendly.
$15/bottle, $162/case w/ 10% discount
2010 Vera de Estenas Bobal (Utiel-Requena, Spain)
Bobal is an indigenous Spanish grape from the Mediterranean coast. This wine has the qualities of an old style California Cabernet. It’s got grip and will hold your attention like Penelope Cruz does on the screen. It’s perfectly suited to a rich meal.
$13.50/bottle, $145.80/case w/10% discount
Bobal is an indigenous Spanish grape from the Mediterranean coast. This wine has the qualities of an old style California Cabernet. It’s got grip and will hold your attention like Penelope Cruz does on the screen. It’s perfectly suited to a rich meal.
$13.50/bottle, $145.80/case w/10% discount
Special Offer
We are delighted to offer the wines of Cowan Cellars. Try the two Pinots side by side and you will experience the difference between Pinot Noir made from grapes grown on the coast and those grown inland. The contrast is wonderful. The Isa is a white wine made like a red wine. As a special introductory offer on the Cowan Cellars Wines, we are taking 15% off the single bottle price and 20% off of purchase of three bottles or more. Please feel free to mix and match. The winemaker Jim Cowan wrote the descriptions of the wines.
2010 Cowan Cellars Isa (Lake County)
In Friuli and across the border in Slovenia, several producers make wines that have come to be known as “orange” wines. These are skin-fermented white wines, usually from grapes indigenous to the region, often somewhat oxidized and occasionally, buried in amphora in the ground to age. They are not for everyone but they are distinctive and, in a world where very few wines surprise, these do. Curiously, the wine does not taste much of sauvignon blanc; rather, it comes across as savory, with some grip in the mouth and more texture than most sauvignons. I think it tastes a bit like tangerines but there is also something wild and unique about it. And it certainly has a darker color. Others tell me it pairs well with hard cheeses but I like to drink it with a wide variety of dishes; its savories seem to accompany almost any food except red meat.
In Friuli and across the border in Slovenia, several producers make wines that have come to be known as “orange” wines. These are skin-fermented white wines, usually from grapes indigenous to the region, often somewhat oxidized and occasionally, buried in amphora in the ground to age. They are not for everyone but they are distinctive and, in a world where very few wines surprise, these do. Curiously, the wine does not taste much of sauvignon blanc; rather, it comes across as savory, with some grip in the mouth and more texture than most sauvignons. I think it tastes a bit like tangerines but there is also something wild and unique about it. And it certainly has a darker color. Others tell me it pairs well with hard cheeses but I like to drink it with a wide variety of dishes; its savories seem to accompany almost any food except red meat.
Regularly $27.00/bottle Special Introductory Price $22.95
2010 Cowan Cellars Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast (Sonoma County)
A drive along the Pacific Coast Highway near Cazadero will take you to within inches of the Pacific Ocean and within three miles of this vineyard, in the same area as the noted Hirsch Vineyard. This bottling is translucent and brilliant; dominated by red fruit scents, it is silky and feathery across the palate, with intense cherry flavors augmented by earth and truffle notes; a medium length, refreshing finish. This reminds of Chambolle when it is young and the weightless nature of the wine gives it a feminine delivery. For me, the kind of wine to have with lighter fare, and even some seafood; for the vegetarian cuisine we often have for dinner at my house, perfect. Should be fresh and lively at release and gain depth and complexity over a decade in the cellar.
Regularly $36.00/bottle Special Introductory Price $30.60
2010 Cowan Cellars Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast (Sonoma County)
A drive along the Pacific Coast Highway near Cazadero will take you to within inches of the Pacific Ocean and within three miles of this vineyard, in the same area as the noted Hirsch Vineyard. This bottling is translucent and brilliant; dominated by red fruit scents, it is silky and feathery across the palate, with intense cherry flavors augmented by earth and truffle notes; a medium length, refreshing finish. This reminds of Chambolle when it is young and the weightless nature of the wine gives it a feminine delivery. For me, the kind of wine to have with lighter fare, and even some seafood; for the vegetarian cuisine we often have for dinner at my house, perfect. Should be fresh and lively at release and gain depth and complexity over a decade in the cellar.
Regularly $36.00/bottle Special Introductory Price $30.60
2010 Cowan Cellars Pinot Noir Bennett Valley (Sonoma County)
This wine is from a new vineyard in the Bennett Valley AVA. Early mornings are often foggy among the vines and the temperatures always seem to be cooler than anywhere else along the road where it is situated. Even so, the sun can be intense here and choosing a picking date is challenging. We try to watch the acids in the grapes so that when we pick, these wines will have the verve and structure needed to accompany food, and, the aromatics that make pinot such an enticing drink. The finished wine is 13.4% alcohol, remarkably dark for a pinot but fresh and alive. This wine is ready to drink now but there is sufficient structure to age it, if one wished. Lots of black cherry scents and flavors here with some spice notes and a smooth delivery.
This wine is from a new vineyard in the Bennett Valley AVA. Early mornings are often foggy among the vines and the temperatures always seem to be cooler than anywhere else along the road where it is situated. Even so, the sun can be intense here and choosing a picking date is challenging. We try to watch the acids in the grapes so that when we pick, these wines will have the verve and structure needed to accompany food, and, the aromatics that make pinot such an enticing drink. The finished wine is 13.4% alcohol, remarkably dark for a pinot but fresh and alive. This wine is ready to drink now but there is sufficient structure to age it, if one wished. Lots of black cherry scents and flavors here with some spice notes and a smooth delivery.
Regularly $36.00/bottle Special Introductory Price $30.60
We look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy the beautiful spring weather!
Brad and Francie
Fine print:
10% discount on any full or mixed case.
We do not, at this time, accept credit cards. We happily take checks or cash.
Our minimum order is three bottles plus a $5.00 delivery fee (within Marin).
We offer free delivery within Marin for six bottles or more.
Note: someone 21 years old or older must be home to accept the wine.
For delivery outside of Marin, call me.
Prices are subject to change.
Payment requested at time of order.
To purchase any of our selections, arrange delivery or gab about wine, please contact us at communitywines@gmail.com or call 415-454-1244.
Also, please feel free to forward this email to friends and family.
Brad Widelock Community Wines 415-454-1244
10% discount on any full or mixed case.
We do not, at this time, accept credit cards. We happily take checks or cash.
Our minimum order is three bottles plus a $5.00 delivery fee (within Marin).
We offer free delivery within Marin for six bottles or more.
Note: someone 21 years old or older must be home to accept the wine.
For delivery outside of Marin, call me.
Prices are subject to change.
Payment requested at time of order.
To purchase any of our selections, arrange delivery or gab about wine, please contact us at communitywines@gmail.com or call 415-454-1244.
Also, please feel free to forward this email to friends and family.
Brad Widelock Community Wines 415-454-1244
