All September Picks | Scott | Janet | Kelly | Mallory | Carl
Janet's Picks
September 2008
2005 Bodegas Ercavio Tempranillo Roble, VdT Castilla
$12.99
Oh my, do I ever love wine with big flavors and small price tags! This Spanish wine will set your senses reeling with notes of cola, black cherry, dates, cinnamon and clove. The bold flavors will pair well with BBQ or Greek- and Mediterranean-inspired dishes.
2004 Mas de Bazan Tempranillo Crianza, Utiel-Requena
$19.99
The cooler days recently have got me craving warm, earthy wines, and this one delivers in spades. The palate warms with savory notes of mushroom and sawdust, layered with bright blackberry and cherry, then finishes with balsamic and vanilla. Try it with steak in a mushroom demi-glace. Yum!
August 2008
2003 Joh. Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese
$33.99
If you've spent years thinking Riesling was just a sugary sweet wine suitable only for sorority girls, it's time to revisit! German Riesling grown on the slate soils of the Mosel Valley is the epitome of balance and finesse, and this one is no exception. Loaded with mineral, peach, apricots, and honey, the texture is rich and somewhat weighty. This wine is perfectly balanced, with the sweetness adding richness and depth, rather than being simply sweet. It paired perfectly with a simple chicken breast finished with nectarine chutney.
2005 Mas Basile Syrah/Grenache "Les Combes", Costieres de Nimes
$14.99
The first thing that grabbed me about this wine was the color: a dark, inky purple-red that just glowed in the glass. It is meaty and rich, without being overly heavy, and sings with notes of pepper, plums, blackberry, blueberry, violets, and warm earth. Try it with bratwurst!
July 2008
Ruggeri & C, Prosecco, Gold Label, Valdobbiadene
$19.99
This delightful, dry bubbly really layers the flavors with fresh, sunwarmed peach, pastry dough, almonds and a hit of brown sugar. Lively, fresh and richly textured.
2007 Bastianich Rosato, Venezia Giulia IGT
$14.99
Hooray! My favorite rose from last year is back and just as delicious. Bold cherry, raspberry, and a hint of licorice on the nose are followed on the palate by juicy red fruit and a delightful herbal note. The bright acidity makes this a spectacular wine for picnics, grilling out or sipping with friends over some antipasti. Yes, summer has finally arrived!
June 2008
2005 Argiano NC, Toscana IGT
$21.99
NC means non confunditor, Latin for “not confusing”, and there is nothing confusing about this blend of 40% Cab and 20% each of Merlot, Syrah, and Sangiovese. It all adds up to a full-bodied wine with lots of candied cherry and raspberry, along with a tomato-and-herb savoriness. Meet my new favorite pairing for pasta and pizza!
1995 Smith Woodhouse Late Bottled Vintage Port, Portugal
$31.99
Late Bottled Vintage ports come from grapes harvested in a single year, just like a vintage port, but are aged in cask rather than in bottle – which means they are ready to drink on release. This port is unfined and unfiltered, and you’d be hard-pressed to guess it wasn’t a true vintage port. There’s so much going on in here I don’t know where to start. The nose offers leather, earth and spiced plums, followed on the palate by orange peel, caramel, plums, leather, blackberry, tar, and… just OH MY!!!
May 2008
2005 Li Veli Passamente Negroamaro, Salento
$11.99
Dark, earthy and rich were the first words that came to mind when I tasted this 100% Negroamaro from Italy. The texture is smooth, with lots of dark fruit and savory notes going on. This wine is perfect for rich mushroomy sauces or a demi glace. Just say yum!
2005 King Estate Vin Glace Pinot Gris, Oregon
$19.99
Wow! This ice wine form Oregon is absolutely gorgeous! It is spicy, with intense flavors of apricot, peach, honeysuckle, honey and ginger, and enough acidity to keep it from being sticky sweet. Lovely with a simple bowl of fresh peaches topped with crumbled amaretti cookies!
April 2008
2006 Albert Mann Pinot Blanc, Alsace
$19.99
Pinot Blanc is one of those delightful white grapes that don't get nearly the respect they deserve. This gem from Alsace is just beautiful, with notes of peach, apricot, and ripe pear, layered with a hint of honey and wonderful minerality. Perfect as an aperitif or with scallops!
2000 Poggio Antico Altero Brunello di Montalcino
$67.99
Had a transcendent wine experience lately? Treat yourself to this amazing Brunello! Made in the traditional style, this is a meaty, rich, complex wine with lots of leather, earth and cherry, and a finish that lasts for a week! I served this with a lamb shank and thought I'd died and gone to heaven...
March 2008
2003 Vina Santurnia Crianza, Rioja
$16.99
Rich and earthy with notes of strawberry and black cherry, along with some dark chocolate and intriguing flavors of blasamic reduction. Delicious with steak!
2005 Livia Fontana Langhe Arneis
$18.99
This white from Piedmont is just delightful. There is a beautiful minerality undre flavors of golden apples, herbs, fennel, and almond. Great with a simple grilled chicken or light pasta dish.
February 2008
2005 Castano Solanera Vinas Viejas
$19.99
65% Monastrell. 20% Cabernet, 15% Tintorera (also known as Tempranillo). The Monastrell vines that produce this wine are over 100 years old, and the complexity really comes through in the glass. Blackberry fruit wraps around a core of tar and earth, with fig and clove notes on the finish. This is a wine to pair with boldly flavored meats like lamb or an herb-rubbed steak.
2004 Masseria Frattasi Aglianico di Caudium, Aglianico IGT Beneventano
$26.99
And my fascination with Aglianico continues! The nose opens with notes of dark berry, pepper, violets and woodspice, and the palate delivers in spades. Sweet blackberry, black cherry, mincemeat spice, raisins, vanilla, lavender and earth, make you want to disappear into a dark corner and get to know this wine much better.
January 2008
2005 La Aldea Monastrell, Jumilla
$9.99
This is a wine to warm you from the inside out with its spicy flavors of licorice, clove, dried fig, and blackberry jam - all of this at a price that won't break the bank!
2006 Colosi Nero d'Avola, Sicilia IGT
$17.99
Nero d'Avola is another one of those unique Italian (Sicilian, specifically) grapes that you never hear of growing anywhere else. This version is smooth, with notes of fig, anise, blackberry, and an intriguing hint of dried cranberry. Pasta Bolognese anyone?
December 2007
Bertrand Delespierre Brut Premier Cru Champagne
$51.99
This small-production grower Champagne is a rich, full-bodied wine with notes of roasted cashew and croissant, along with a touch of honey and almond on the finish. I can't wait to toast the New Year with this!
2003 Terrabianca Campaccio, Toscana
$37.99
This Supertuscan is 70% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet and all delicious. The palate sings with lovely spice notes over cherry, strawberry, and a rich earthiness. It has lightness on the palate without lacking depth or structure. Try it with pork or chicken in a cherry glaze or mushroom sauce.
November 2007
2001 Rottlan Torra Torroja del Priorat Reserva
$21.99
Priorat is one of my favorite regions of Spain, but the wines tend to be rather expensive; I was very pleased to find this affordable choice. The nose entices with notes of spicecake, earth, plums, and chocolate. The palate delivers a soft, approachable texture wrapped around flavors of plums, dates, and chocolate infused with cinnamon and nutmeg. This is wonderful with middle eastern-inspired dishes, as well as with basic roast chicken. 50% Grenache, 25% Carignane, and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon.
1997 Tomas & Giesen Taurasi
$24.99
It's always a treat to find an affordable wine with some age on it (that I did not have to cellar myself). This wine is full of savory notes of earth, leather, mushrooms, and dried black fruit with a haunting suggestion of rose petals and violets. Try it with a beef roast or stew. 100% Aglianico (one of those weird and wonderful grapes grown only in Italy).
October 2007
Veuve du Vernay Sparkling Rose
$9.99
This is a sparkling wine I could drink all day long! Full of beautiful ripe strawberry and raspberry, the bubbles are silky, and the minerality under the fruit keeps it from being too tutti-frutti.
Antica Osteria Rosso
$8.99
This is a blend of 50% Montepulciano and 50% Sangiovese. It has pretty cherry and raspberry notes, paired with lovely savory and mushroom notes. Perfect for pizza and pasta!
September 2007
2003 Vieux Clocher Cairanne "Secret de Terroirs"
$9.99
70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre. Plum and blackberry notes layered over dried figs, along with hints of earth and violets, make this delightful wine a match for everything from steak to grilled chicken.
2005 Juan Gil
$14.99
Yowza! Here's my favorite grape Monastrell again. This is a big wine, dense and dark, with lots of spice, fig, and smoke notes. It just begs for a big steak, especially with a red wine reduction!
August 2007
2003 Esporao Touriga Nacional
$17.99
Touriga Nacional is one of the primary grapes used for making port, so this is a great chance to taste it on it's own. Lots of red fruit and spice on the nose is followed by spicy fig, anise, black plum and licorice. It has beautiful balance and structure. Try it with steak or lamb.
2005 Bastianich Rosato
$14.99
Not just a juicy sipper on the patio, this fabulous Italian rosato has lots of personality. It is loaded with tart cherry and rhubarb, and dried herbs with a pretty, creamy texture on the mid-palate. A perfect match with grilled salmon or an antipasto plate.
July 2007
2005 P 15 Picada
$9.99
This fascinating wine comes literally from the far ends of the earth-Patagonia, Argentina. It is a wonderfully spicy wine that starts out on the nose with smoke, earth, licorice and dried herbs followed on the palate with lots more dark earthy notes, cocoa powder, black fruits and almost a chili powder spiciness. Need something to go with your marinated steak on the grill? This is it!
Malibran Prosecco Valdobbiadene D.O.C.
$14.99
The beauty of prosecco, a sparkling wine from Italy, is that you can afford to drink everyday. This one shows notes of lemon and orange peel over a stony minerality, with a beautiful creaminess on the palate- most unusual for a wine at this price. Hey, it's OK to crack open a bubbly just because it's a Tuesday!
June 2007
2002 Pierre Soulez Savenniers Roche-aux-Moines
$29.99
Chenin Blanc is one of the most underrated grapes out there, yet when treated with care, makes multi-layered wines that can age for years. Sauvenniers is an appellation in the Loire Valley in France that produces crisp,dry,serious Chenin Blancs. Roche-aux-Moines is a small (less than 18 acres) area within Savennieres-essentially a Grand Cru. This wine comes from one of only three producers in this very special area. This is a complex, multi-layered wine with notes of stony minerality, honey, apricot, white peach, and quince. It has a pleasant weight on the palate with a long, savory finish.
2005 Prestige des Lauzeraies Tavel
$17.99
Tavel is an appelation in the Rhone Valley of France where only Rose is made.These are some of the few rose's that are still interesting after 2 or 3 years. This is a dry fuller bodied style, with beautiful cherry-almond flavors. First impression?...............Cherry Twizzlers! Perfect with grilled salmon, ham, or pate.
May 2007
2005 Pala Crabilis Vermintino di Sardegna (Italy)
$13.99
This white wine from the island of Sardinia has everything an acid freak like me needs! It has a stony minerality layered with apple and ripe pears, then a note of honey on the mid-palate, followed by a bit of brine. If you aren't dying for shrimp in a lemon caper sauce by now...
2003 El Palacio Rojo (Spain)
$19.99
This dense wine is from the area of Jumilla, Spain. This area is quickly gaining a reputation with one of my favorite grapes, Monastrell. This wine is earthy and rich, with loads of dark fruit, dried fig, spice, and something reminiscent of a balsamic reduction. Savory and rich.
April 2007
2005 Carchelo Monastrell (Spain)
$7.99
This is a lot of wine for the money! Made from old vine Monastrell (the Spanish name for the Mourvedre grape), it is a rich, full-bodied wine with lots of fig, raisin, and date notes along with some pretty earth and spice. Yum!
2004 Barranc des Closos Priorat (Spain)
$19.99
This is an exciting and unusual find. Priorat is a region in Spain that is justly famous for its red wines. This white Priorat is a blend of white Grenache, Macabeo, and Muscat. Its gorgeous aromatic nose is followed by flavors of tangerine, citrus, peach, and mineral. This would pair beautifully with grilled chicken, fish, or pork.
Seattle Cellars Staff
Janet
Janet has twenty-plus years of restaurant experience in her home state of Ohio before moving to Seattle five years ago. She completed her International Sommelier Guild Diploma course in 2005 and has worked in wholesale and retail arenas.
A self-proclaimed “acid freak”, Janet loves the crisp, clean whites and mostly French and Italian reds. She wins the prize for most inventive descriptions of wine!
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