Saturday Perrin Family Wine Tasting and Tom Tiburzi Winemaker at Chandon 

We have two tasting events for you on Saturday as we will be tasting a lineup of wines from the Great Perrin Family. We will also have special guest Tom Tiburzi the winemaker for Chandon with some wonderful California Sparkling Wines. Tasting is this Saturday April 28 and starts at 1pm. We will release the wines available for tasting and pricing in tomorrows newsletter.

PERRIN & FILS
The Perrin family has taken particular care that this Côtes du Rhône meets their stringent standards of excellence. As proprietors of Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and producers of La Vieille Ferme from the Côtes du Ventoux and Luberon, the Perrin family has demonstrated exceptionally high standards for nearly a century.

Jean-Pierre and François’s father, Jacques Perrin, was a gifted winemaker who brought world renown to the family domaine, introducing innovative techniques in the cellar, such as flash-heat exchange for maximum extract, integrated pest-control and organic farming practices in the vineyards. Now the next generation of winemakers has joined Jean-Pierre and François – Pierre, Marc and Thomas – to continue the proud family tradition.

Perrin & Fils aspires to establish its reputation specializing in vineyard-designated communal wines from the Southern Rhône. And as the company’s head vineyard scout, Pierre Perrin must unearth diamonds in the rough. ‘I am a discoverer of crus,’ he says. ‘It’s our job to how the complexity and specificity of the terroirs in the Southern Rhône.’

Chandon 

When the founders of Chandon came to the Napa Valley from France they found the best vineyard land, they saw the unique climate and soil, and considered many grape varieties. Yet after much experimentation, they reconfirmed the superiority of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier, the traditional varietals of French Champagne.

From the vineyards to the glass Chandon marries the best of French tradition with new world innovations to ensure the highest quality in the bottle. The winemaking team showcases the rich fruit flavors of California's regional character by using centuries-old champagne methods and traditional grape varieties. The special art of skillfully assembling as many as 60 unique base wines from 25 vineyard sites allows us to create each sparkling wine cuvée. Regardless of the style, at their core Chandon sparkling wines reflect California's regional character yet remain true to the practices of méthode traditionelle.

Tom Tiburzi, Chandon Winemaker, Sparkling Wine

Tom’s love affair with wine began long before coming to Chandon. The son of an Italian immigrant chef and retail wine-and-spirits merchant, food and wine are in his blood. Tom worked in the family stores since early childhood, and along with family and friends, made wine at home using a shared press in the garage. After earning a degree in Environmental Studies and Biology from the University of California at Berkeley, and an early foray into microbiology, Tom reconnected with the family’s passion and parlayed his scientific training into a professional winemaking career. He’s now spent the last 18 years mastering the art of sparkling winemaking at Chandon.

His expertise in the science of sparkling winemaking along with his creative blending skills have played a key role in the creation of Chandon's diverse sparkling-wine cuvées. Currently, Tom continues to demonstrate his exceptional talents as he oversees Domaine Chandon's sparkling program, carrying on a tradition of crafting the finest and broadest range of sparkling-wine styles in America.

 

 

La Posta Single Vineyard Malbecs

We showcased the La Posta Pizzella Vineyard Malbec a couple of weeks ago and now we have the La Posta Angel Pallucchi Vineyard Malbec in as well. Both of these are great values for Single Vineyard Malbecs and just beautiful medium- full bodied wines. 

La Posta Winery
La Posta is a created brand that encompasses a handful of single vineyard wines from select growers in Argentina, as well as a couple of blends that include grapes from those same growers. In other words, there’s not a La Posta winery, per se. But they find some of the most talented winemakers in the region and have them develop some great single vineyard wines for a great price.

Paula and Pablo Pizzella are relative newcomers to Mendoza Province, but their early success growing cool-climate Malbec grapes is quickly drawing attention (especially ours). Both parents are physical education teachers, and along with their three children get plenty of conditioning working this beautiful 10-hectare vineyard together. Their viticulture approach can be best described as “meticulous” with exacting uniformity and balance as the goals. The ranch in Altamira (La Consulta) where the vineyard is located is named Finca Coquena after the god and protector of goats, sheep, and llamas in the Andes mountains. 

La Posta Pizzella Vineyards Malbec 2009

Beautiful red/purple color with aromas of black cherries, dark fruits, dark chocolate and baker's spice. On the palate, the wine shows dense dark berry and plum flavors along with hints of sandalwood and spice, and even a hint of violets in the finish. Don't be concerned if you find yourself inhaling deeply from your glass, over and over—it is just your nose's way of telling you that it wants its fair share!

This is a full-bodied and well-structured wine that is incredibly full of life and born to be enjoyed with food and friends. Goes great with everything from hamburgers and chicken to pizza and mild cheeses. An awesome value to boot.

Stephen Tanzer 89 Points: Bright ruby-red. Dark fruits, chocolate, roasted herbs and licorice on the nose, with attractive spicy lift. Sweet and seamless but energetic, with good lift to the spicy blackberry and violet flavors. This dense, smooth wine finishes with serious broad tannins and very good length. (A second bottle, meriting 87 points, was fatter and softer, showing more nutty oak and a suggestion of prune.)

La Posta Angel Pallucchi Vineyard Malbec 2009

Great Importers to Great Winemakers Wilson Daniels

The Iconic Import Company has scoured the land in California and found some wonderful grapes to produce some wines to call their own. Check out theses fabulous wines from Wilson Daniels.

Free Shipping on orders of 6 bottles or more mix and match on these featured Wilson Daniels wines. 
Use Promo Code: FSWilson
Free Shipping offer ends April 30, 2012

Wilson Daniels 

Lots of people talk about it; Jack Daniels and the late Win Wilson acted on it. It fueled their lives and the foundation of their iconic wine company Wilson Daniels. Founded in 1978, Wilson Daniels is a family-owned importer representing a highly selective portfolio of the most prestigious wine properties from all corners of the globe (Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Domaine Leflaive, Schramsberg, and J. Davies  to name a few.) Wilson Daniels strives to maintain the high standards set by founders Win Wilson and Jack Daniels, with a keen focus on developing partnerships with family-owned and operated wineries that possess profound respect for terroir. 

The vision for their company was simple and reflected their joie de vivre: to be the purveyors of the world’s finest wines.

Jack and Win lived in the moment, embracing life’s greatest pleasures: wine, food, travel and friendship. They were always game for a good adventure, willing to take a chance on the unknown and explore the world around them in search of new discoveries.

Now Three Decades Later, a new adventure begins. Wilson Daniels wines from California’s flourishing Central Coast region. These wines are inspired by Jack and Win’s passion for the good life and unyielding determination to represent the best. Wilson Daniels wines, made from grapes grown in California’s flourishing Central Coast, carry on the legacy of discovering the best and sharing good times with every glass.

The Wilson Daniels Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are made from fruit from Santa Maria Valley, a cooler-climate region known for producing Burgundy varietal wines with finesse. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc are made from fruit from warmer Paso Robles, resulting in full-body, robust Bordeaux varietal wines.

Wilson Daniels wines are food-friendly and offer exceptional quality and value. They are the legacy of Jack and Win, discovering the best and sharing good times with every glass.

These wines will be available for tasting these week.

La Crema Monterey Specials

We also have for you today La Crema Specials. We have the 2010 vintage on La Crema Monterey Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Both of these wines received 90+ points last year by the Wine Critics. We have a Special Price of $14.95 on the Chardonnay and $18.95 for the Pinot Noir. Both are extremely great prices and great values for these wines.

Free Shipping on 12 Bottles or more mix and match on the La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir and Chardonnay 2010.
Use Promo Code: FSLaCrem 
Free Shipping Offer Expires April 30, 2012

La Crema Winery

Since 1979, La Crema Winery has been a pioneer in producing Burgundian varietals from the cool Sonoma Coast. They handcraft their wine, one barrel at a time, at their family-owned estate located in the Russian River Valley. Balance, finesse and great fruit intensity come through in every glass of La Crema wine. 

Several winemakers developed the La Crema Winery style through the years, including Dan Goldfield (Dutton-Goldfield) and Jeff Stewart (Buena Vista).

Continuing this tradition by handcrafting wines of distinctive flavor which achieve elegance and balance. To achieve this goal, winemaker Melissa Stackhouse uses several unique steps in placing the fruit from the vineyards to the bottle. It begins in the vineyard, where careful canopy management and hand harvesting assure fully ripe, undamaged grapes are brought to the winery. At the winery, Winemaker Melissa uses artisan winemaking techniques to handcraft wines of distinctive flavor, elegance and balance.

The Monterey appellation begins just north of the Monterey Bay and extends south to Paso Robles. Persistent gusty ocean winds are funneled down a 90-mile-long valley that runs north to south between the Santa Lucia and Gabilan Mountains. We source fruit from the east and west benches flanking the narrow Monterey Appellation as well as from the Arroyo Seco sub-appellation where well-drained alluvial soils prevail.

With one of the longest cool-climate seasons in the United States, abundant sun and scarce rainfall combine with strong winds, lowering yields and providing extended hang time on the vine, providing the desirable combination of vivid natural acidity and full maturity in the fruit.

These wines will be available for tasting these week.