   |  Newsletter ArchiveGood Food at Sunset, Free the Prisoner, and Remembering our Meritage Good Food at Sunset, Free the Prisoner, and Remembering our Meritage
#1 on our Christmas list this year was "1. Don't Go Out of Business." So thank you, thank you, thank you, one and all for patronizing Colorado Wine Company and making our first year of business so successful. Keeping our business alive and thriving is a MUCH better gift than a Juicer, which I'm sure most of you were on your way to purchase for us. We don't know if it was the Beef Jerky tasting, our new WINE sign going up, or just Christmas luck, but last week we received a bit of press we'd love to share with you. We're very proud to announce that in this Month's Sunset Magazine , we were chosen as one of "5 Great Wine Stores in Los Angeles." Also, Jen will be making her second appearance on KCRW's Good Food with Evan Kleiman to discuss holiday bubblies on December 24th. So, I guess she'll be getting Employee of the Month AGAIN . Whatever. I never wanted it anyway.
Get the Holiday Booze Yes, wine is the gift that keeps on giving, sometimes right on into the next morning with a thumping head and purple teeth, but it's almost always worth it, right? We tried out a gift bag last month and it definitely caught on, so we bought a truckload and discounted the price. Add a single gift bag (pictured below) to any wine purchase for $4.99.
The monthly 4-pack (AKA "Week-O-Wine") many of you already know about, will be taking a holiday vacation until January 2006. In the meantime, we will be hand picking some of our favorite wines in the store and offering two different types of 4-pack gift boxes for the holidays, one in the $50 price range and one in the $100 price range. Stop by the store this weekend to check them out!
My, What a Fancy Wall Last week was the inaugural week of our fledgling "Fancy Section", a collection of wines over $25. While we will always focus on our core $25-and-under wines, we were turning a lot of you away who wanted to give a one-bottle gift of $40-$60. We will be adding to this section over the next three weeks as we move into Christmas but let us introduce you to our well-dressed newcomers:
Jarvis 2000 Merlot Napa Valley, California - 44.99/btl The Jarvis Winery in Napa Valley consists of 45,000 square feet of underground tunnels which house their winemaking facility, an underground stream and waterfall, and even some of the offices. The cave system maintains a constant low temperature and steady humidity to allow the rather precise Williams Jarvis to maintain the high quality he demands of all his wines. Needless to say, this is quite a winery tour. The 2000 Merlot consists of 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged in French Nevers Oak for 18 months. This is a finessed, layered Merlot, with complex aromas of violets, dark fruit and toasty vanilla, and tastes of spice, cherry and chocolate. 90 Pts, WS
Blair Estate 2002 Merlot Napa Valley, California - $36.99/btl Established in 1961, Jerry and Cecilia Blair created Blair Estates on the Silverado trail between St. Helena and Calistoga. Only 70 cases were made of this tasty, limited release Merlot from Napa Valley. Blow off the Merlot nay-sayers and grab one of these bottles with a special dinner one night and you won't be disappointed.
The Prisoner 2004 Napa Valley, California - 27.99/btl
Winemaker Dave Swift Phinney has just the type of attitude towards wine we love at CoWineCo, saying, "In the end, it's just fermented grape juice and people have been making it for thousands of years. So drink up with your friends and family and enjoy your time together." The Prisoner was initially, as Bob Ross would say, a happy accident. In 2000 Phinney had a Zin with too much stuffing, a Cab with not enough stuffing, and series of beautiful small lots of Zin, Charbono and Petite Sirah that represented a bottling nightmare. He threw them all together just to see what would happen and the infamous Prisoner was born. Now in their 5th vintage, this is the first year this wine is fairly widely available, though we're guessing not for long. This is a jammy, luscious Wine makeup: 51% Zin, 17% Syrah, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petite Sirah, and 3% Charbono. The '03 Vintage received 93pts in WS.
Fort Ross Sonoma Coast 2001 Pinot Noir - 32.99/btl A mile from the Pacific Ocean, Fort Ross Vineyard is one of the closest, if not the closest vineyard to the ocean in all of California. This is a great Pinot for any winery, but add on the fact that this is their first release and it is truly an oustanding achievment. Forbes.com listed it as one of America's great 25 Pinot Noirs saying, "The 2001 was the first commercial vintage, and it is a knockout. It shows well Pinot's seemingly contradictory characteristics of delicate floral flavors along with a rich, dark earthiness."
Smith Wooton "Gallagher Vineyard" 2001 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley, California - 36.99/btl We're not exactly sure why there is any of this gorgeous juice still around this close to the holidays (it's sold out at the winery), but we're not complaining. We're admittedly suckers for Cab Franc but this one just knocked us out. Decant this one for at least a half hour and you'll get a delicious, serious red with an abundance of dark cherry and light spice, with a hefty dose of acid at the end to keep it food friendly and crisp. 91pts, WE.
Robert Craig "Howell Mountain" 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, California - 37.99/btl The Howell Mountain appelation is home to some of the tastiest Cabs and Zinfandels (Ridge, for one) in California, and has even attracted investment from the owners of famed Chateau La Mission Haut Brion. Named as one of 25 "five star" wineries by James Laube of Wine Spectator, Robert Craig consistently produces some of the most sought after Cabs in the world. The Robert Craig style is rich and concentrated, with approachable tannins, and the 2000 vintage created a soft touch to the finish, giving this Cab an attractive, European-style finesse.
Owen Roe Columbia Valley "Ex Umbris" Syrah, Oregon 2004 - $25.99/btl Latin for "out of the shadows", the Ex Umbris '04 is representative of classic Syrah tastes from the northwest, with notes of smoke, spice, dark plum and a hearty, lingering, complex gaminess that will keep you talking about this one long after the first sip.
Cass Mourvedre 2003 Hacienda Mourvedre/Syrah Paso Robles, California - 34.99 Cass Estate 2003 Viognier Paso Robles, California - 27.99 Another varietal that is seemingly made for Fall is Mourvedre, which makes up the majority of this red blend from Cass Wines. The Estate block where the Mourvedre is grown is located directly in front of the Hacienda inhabited by the only vineyard employee who lives on site, and he apparently babies these grapes over all others. The Estate Viognier is a full-bodied, lush example of Paso Viognier with that touch of sweetness and cream that make it an ideal pairing for rich fish and poultry dishes.
Saviah Cellars "Une Vallee" 2003 Walla Walla Valley Cab/Merlot/Cab Franc, Washington - $32.99/btl
This Bordeaux-style blend is made up of grapes from three of the finest vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley: 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, Pepper Bridge Vineyard This is a well-structured, layered red that lingers for a damn long time. Its smooth weight is surprisingly juxtaposed against intense, rich flavors....this wine may even cook you a steak to go with it. Who knows. 90pts, WS
Vallete Fontaine "El Principal" 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Valley, Chile - 39.99 Continuing the Franco-Chilean wine relationship, the Bordeaux family owners of Château Pavie in St.-Emilion teamed up with the Fontaine family, former owners of Viña Santa Rita in 1994. Jean-Paul Vallete was around long enough to vinify this 1999 vintage, but sadly passed away soon thereafter. "El Principal" is the flagship wine of Vallete Fontaine and is only comprised of the finest grapes on their land. The vines were first planted in 1994 and the 1999 result is this elegant, ripe, mouthwatering Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend. It's deep and gorgeous and ready to accompany the best lamb you can find. 90pts, WS
Domaine Boyer-Gontard Marsannay Echezeaux 2002, Burgundy, France - $41.99/btl Domaine Boyer-Gontard's 2002 Marsannay, from the "Echezeaux" site (not to be confused with the grand cru wine of Echezeaux, which is an entirely different kind of flying, all together) is really an amazing deal withing the world of red Burgundy. While many wines from Marsannay are light and delicate compared with the wines of Gevrey-Chambertin or Nuits-St.-Georges, this vintage of Marsannay is rather dark in color and concentrated. We get pretty notes of black cherry and toasted oak.
Henry Bouachon 1998 'La Tiare' Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France - $28.99/btl The wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape are the most famous of the southern Rhône Valley. They are produced in and around the town of the same name, the summer residence of the popes during their exile to Avignon in the 14th century. Red Châteauneuf can be a blend of up to 13 grape varieties, but the vast majority are Grenache-based with Syrah and Mourvedre in support. This is a light to medium-bodied, rich red with well balanced tannins and a complex bouquet with notes of spice and wet leaves.
Wine Tasting Schedule
***Due to the pickup in business for the holidays, the weekly Sunday tastings will be without a theme for the rest of the year, but will always include 4 wines for $10 from 1pm-4pm, with cheeses provided by Auntie Em's Marketplace . They WILL however continue to promote world peace, make you smarter, offer you a carpool to work, remember your anniversary, and turn back the clock 10 years.***
Employee of the Month This Friday the 2nd 5:30-8:30pm $15/person 5 wines, gourmet cheeses provided by Auntie Em's Marketplace Reservations recommended: info@cowineco.com or (323) 478-1985 Jen, Drew and I have eached selected some of our favorite wines in the store to pour Friday night. Jen and I each get two choices and Drew only gets one. Why does Drew only get one? Because one of the perks of owning a store is being able to bend the rules to make yourself look good and others less so. It's great. Anyway, everyone attending the tasting on Friday will vote for their favorite wine of the night and whomever of us gets the most votes, gets Employee of the Month. Except if Drew wins, in which case we'll decide that it was just a stupid idea and throw away the votes before anyone else sees them. Wines Fiddlehead 'Happy Canyon' Sauvignon Blanc 2003, Santa Ynez, California Anglim 'Bien Nacido Vineyard' Viognier, Paso Robles, California Opolo Pinot Noir 2002, Paso Robles, California Chasseur Cazar Syrah 2004, Sonoma Coast, California James Judd Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Paso Robles, California
Acme Brand Wine Tasting This Sunday the 4th 1:00-4:00pm $10/person 4 wines, gourmet cheeses provided by Auntie Em's Marketplace Wines TBD
Miracle on Colorado Boulevard Friday, December 9th 5:30-8:30pm $15/person 5 wines, gourmet cheeses provided by Auntie Em's Marketplace Reservations recommended: info@cowineco.com or (323) 478-1985 We'll be pouring some of our favorite wines to go with your Christmas feast and roast beast. Wine TBD
Acme Brand Wine Tasting Sunday, December 11th 1:00-4:00pm $10/person 4 wines, gourmet cheeses provided by Auntie Em's Marketplace Wines TBD
Caparone Tasting with Marc Caparone Friday, December 16th 5:30-8:30pm $15/person 5 wines, gourmet cheeses provided by Auntie Em's Marketplace Reservations recommended: info@cowineco.com or (323) 478-1985 Caparone is one of the oldest wineries in the whole central coast of California. For 25 years Dave Caparone and his son, Marc (pictured above), have been producing old world-style reds primarily from Italian varietals (they were the first to commercially bottle Sangiovese in California in 1988). Dave is easily considered one of the most experienced winemakers in Paso Robles (not too long before we last visited, owner/winemaker of Caymus Vineyards, Chuck Wagner visited to get Dave's advice on a potential new vineyard site), and his son Marc has apprenticed under him for 15 years. We are damn proud to host winemaker, Marc Caparone tonight. If you want to taste a fantastic mix of old world style reds with the ripeness of California fruit, this is the one you should get off the couch for.
Wines
Caparone Merlot Caparone Nebbiolo Caparone Sangiovese Caparone Cabernet Sauvignon
Sunday, December 18th 1:00-4:00pm $10/person
4 wines, gourmet cheeses provided by
Auntie Em's Marketplace
***There will be no weekly tasting on Friday, December 23rd***
Remembering Our Meritage A friend of ours lost money on this bet recently so we thought we'd clear up a common misunderstanding so none of you wander into your local sports bar and interrupt the football game to bet someone about the pronunciation of "Meritage." A "Meritage" wine is not French and does not rhyme with "triage", it rhymes with "heritage" and is a marketing term dreamt up in 1988 by a group of American vintners. This proprietary name was chosen from 6000 entries and is a combination of the words "merit" and "heritage", used to identify wines made from the noble Bordeaux varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc most commonly, but can include Petit Verdot and Malbec or for white Meritage, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Vert. The Meritage Society believes strongly in these blends having the same status as noble single varietals and wish to separate them out from the more basic "table wines" of the wine world. Isn't it odd that "table wine" has a pejorative connotation? Do we put our fancy pure varietals on something besides a table? I think we should put a moratorium on new marketing names for wines. It's confusing enough already.
See You Soon, John and Jen
(two quotes today to even things out) ~ anonymous "Men are like fine wine. They all start out like grapes and it's our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something we'd like to have dinner with." ~ anonymous |