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The retailers listed below have been provided the current
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| February
23rd , 2006
New in the Market
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Sooo many wines!!! And yet more are on the way.
Atlanta is one of the nation’s busiest wine markets, number
eighth nationally by some measures. So wineries want their
products here for good reason. We drink ‘em!
Not only are more brands coming into town, seeking their places
on our shelves, as more and more stores open, but also more
varieties are coming our way.
A few years ago in Chile, I visited Cousino-Macul and tasted
for the first time a Sauvignon Gris. “Bring it on!!!” I said.
“No, no, no,” was the response, "It’s too weird for the
Chardonnay-addicted American market." I, of course, insisted
that this was rubbish, and immediately found the one from
Casa Silva to introduce to Atlanta consumers. Now, the Cousino-Macul
Sauvignon Gris also is here, despite earlier assurances it
would never be exported.
It’s not just Atlanta that’s grown more wine adventurous,
but the entire nation. Some years ago, dining in an Argentinean
restaurant in Louisville, KY, I saw a pair of couples at a
nearby table demand Torrontes with their dinners. “We want
Torrontes! We want Torrontes!!,” became the steady, drumbeat
mantra. And they said we couldn’t pronounce that one either,
and therefore wouldn’t buy it.
We—Atlanta and the nation—have grown adventurous in wine in
the decade and a half that I’ve been writing about food and
wine in this town. We’ve gotten used to pronouncing Viognier,
a grape everybody swore Americans would never take to because
they couldn’t cope with the word.
Some years ago, Jed Steele expressed to me amazement that
Atlanta was as enthusiastic about his Blue Frank, made from
an Austrian grape called Blaufrankisch (a/k/a/ Lemberger when
it’s grown in Washington State, as is the one Steele makes).
Atlanta? Heck, not too long ago, I drank the Heinrich Red,
a Blaufrankisch from Austria, in Macon, Georgia at the Tic
Toc Room, savoring it with a pecan-crusted rack of wild
boar. Ah yes, the times have changed, to slightly alter the
song.
And as more comes to the market not only from other grape-growing
parts of the world, but also from unfamiliar producers and
using unfamiliar varieties, we take to them with uncommon
fervor. Just look what’s happened with Greek wines, thanks
to Pano Karatassos’ Kyma,
which placed them at center stage.
This line-up is a cross section that is new to Atlanta, either
from producers that are new to the market, or wines that are
new to the market from existing producers.
Jane Garvey
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Where to Get: Order from retailer |
Recas Sauvignon
Blanc Reserva 2004
Recas, Romania
Score: 90 Points
Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied
dry white wine, medium pale gold. Delicate aromas of citrus,
gentle grapefruit, with flavors blending grapefruit and minerals
enclosing a big bunch of m elon in mid-palate. Elegant, refined
style of Sauvignon Blanc, i.e., not overtly grassy or heavily
grapefruity, but clearly varietally correct. Well knit. Nice
work, with a clean, long finish. Serve moderately chilled, about
55 degrees, in tulip-shaped glasses. The winery also produces
a Pinot Noir. Food Pairings:
An ideal seafood and shellfish wine. But skip strong flavors,
such as heavy garlic, with this wine, please. Delicate flavors
only: Oysters with lemon; grilled scallops or shrimp with
mild (not spicy) remoulade sauce mild curried chicken, egg,
or shrimp salad; chicken or shrimp tarragon; crab cakes; crab-stuffed
shrimp; tilapia or flounder (or similar mild fish); crab puffs;
cold Asian-style noodles; shellfish-focused dim sum; seafood
mousse.
Price: $12
Wholesaler: Rhapsody Wines (404-408-4451)
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Where to Get: Order from retailer
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Halleck Dry
Gewurztraminer 2004
Russian River Valley, CA
Score: 92 Points
Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied
dry white wine, pale yellow. Very attractive lychee nut aromas,
with a hint of jasmine/honeysuckle; ample, voluptuous fruit,
emphasizing lycnee nut and pear, with some white stone fruit
in the finish. Nice minerality. A classic. Balanced, with good
acidity. Grape: Gewurztraminer (pronounced geh-VURTS-trah-mee-nair)
is grown in Germany and Alsace, France, but appears everywhere
from Spain to Chile to the American west coast. Chill no colder
than 55 degrees, to avoid dimming the aromas and flavors, and
serve in tulip-shaped glasses. Also produces two Pinot Noirs
and a Sauvignon Blanc. Food Pairings:
Mild curried chicken salad, curry-flavoread mayonnaise on
chilled poached chicken breast, spicy Thai coconut chicken,
satay (pork or chicken) with peanut sauce, chicken or pork
with creamy mustard sauce, ginger-flavored foods, such as
raisin-studded gingered butternut squash or sweet potato puree
with roasted turkey or pork tenderloin, plain grilled salmon
or ginger-crumbed salmon, mildly seasoned Indian dishes, Reuben
sandwiches
Price: $35
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits |
Where to Get: Order from retailer |
Vina Robles
Roseum 2005
Paso Robles, CA
Score: 95 Points
Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied
dry rosé wine; bright, reddish salmon color. Intense floral
aromas with fruit emphasizing strawberry and kiwi, and flavors
that epress red fruits (strawberry) and spice in extraordinary
balance. Hefty alcohol (13.5%) but the fruit holds its own.
Long, crisp, clean finish. Great staying power and structure.
Grape: Syrah, from the Huerohuero Vineyard. Outstanding value!
Slightly cool, about 55 degrees, in tall tulip-shaped glasses,
such as Riedel’s Zinfandel glass. Food
Pairings: What doesn’t it go with? Steak, maybe, but
that’s about it. Shellfish mousse, grilled shrimp with mild
remoulade, fried chicken and catfish, chili, Brunswick stew,
barbecue, smoked meats of all sorts; chorizo, salami, ham
and other cured meats, empanadas, paella, couscous (not too
much harissa); eggplant dishes; pizza; Chinese fare, … the
list is endless.
Price: $16
Wholesaler: Ultimate Distributors |
Where to Get: Order from retailer |
Red Skye
“Sunset Red” 2001
Sonoma County, CA
Score: 87 Points
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry
red wine, deep purple red. Fruit medley frames the aromas, with
lots of blackberry/boysenberry flavors, a touch of caramel (from
American oak) and a hint of smokiness. Flavors add some white
pepper to the fruit mix, which acquires a pleasing jammy character
as the wine opens. Round fruit-driven tannins, with a clean,
moderately long finish. Notch of vanilla at the end. Grapes:
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, both from Sonoma, and Cabernet
Franc from Napa Valley. Bronze medal San Francisco Chronicle
Competition 2005. Good value. Serve moderately cool, about 65
degrees, in tall large-bowled glasses.
Food Pairings: Dishes combining
meat and dark fruits, such s dark meat turkey or rabbit with
sun-dried tomatoes and prunes, pot roast with vegetables,
lightly curried red meats or turkey, roast Cornish hen brushed
with blackberry jam/wine glaze. Winery likes it with roasted
pork loin and mushroom Dijon peppercorn crust, garlic mashed
potatoes and oven-roasted vegetables.
Price: $14
Wholesaler: Choice Brands (404-422-3287) |
Where to Get: Order from retailer |
Charles Creek
“La Sonrisa" Cabernet Sauvignon '01
Napa Valley, CA
Score: 89 Points
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry
red wine, deep inky purple red. Aromas of blackberry and some
red raspberry set the tone and carry through the palate and
finish. Some caramel emerges in the aromas as wine opens. Powerful,
big fruit flavors. Alcohol is high, and the finish delivers
some heaet, but rich foods blunt it. Fruit is voluptuous, also
softening alcohol. Good, firm, fruit-derived tannins. Lost of
structure. Name means “the smile of the owl,” although “tecolote”
must be a native word, not standard Spanish. Grapes: Cabernet
Sauvignon and Merlot (3%). Excellent value. Cool temperature,
about 65 degrees, in tulip-shaped large-bowled glasses. Consider
decanting. Potential near term keeper, 6-9 years.
Food Pairings: Red meat wine.
Rich pates, steak plain or with Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
sauce, prime rib, stews, meat with dark fruit, braised short
ribs with caramelized onions and mashed potatoes, grilled lamb,
buffalo or venison, roast pork with dark fruit chutney, lagged
mild cheeses, such as a raw-mild mild cheddar. Winery suggests
dark chocolate for dessert, but it didn’t work for me. Your
call.
Price: $34
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits |
Where to Get: Order from retailer |
Morande Edicion
Limitada Golden Reserve “44 Barricas” Red Wine 2001
Loncomilla Valley, Chile
Score: 93 Points
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry
red wine, deep purple red. Compelling delectable aromas focus
on red fruits, red raspberries, with flavors that deliver well-integrated
black raspberry voluptuous fruit, oak and acidity. And American
oak at that, although neutral, 2-year-old oak. Tannins are firm
but round. Serious alcohol, 145, but finish not affected by
heat. Tasted three times, once at the winery, a second after
the bottle was open 10 hours and still going strong, and for
this review. Consistently excellent. Worth the money. Grapes:
Carignan (from old vines); Cabernet Franc; Merlot, a Rhone/Bordeaux
jumble. Protected from the ocean, with very dry, poor soils,
the Loncomilla Valley is on the eastern side of the coastal
Maule Valley range, near Talca. Get out the good glasses, with
large bowls, and serve at cool room temperature, about 65 dedgrees.
Cellaring potential, about 5-8 years.
Food Pairings: Rich pates
and terrines, steak with blue cheese sauce, roast dark meat
turkey, grilled duck breast rare with dark fruit-duck stock
reduction sauce; grilled lamb, roasted or grilled Cornish
hend or pork tenderloin with dark fruit jam glaze, rabbit
or dark meat turkey with dark fruits, sun-dried tomatoes;
grilled protobello mushrooms; dishes with teriyaki; and, yes,
dark chocolate
Price: $66
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits
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