Happy Labor Day weekend to all! Everything should start to return to normal shortly . . . more new wines, regular tastings, new samplers, etc. I have a grand total of two new wines to report this week, and will be AWOL next week (off for a few days of R&R on Fire Island). My current sampler follows, and I believe others are up on the store web site @ www.heightschateau.com.
NEW WHITE:
Cantele 2007 Fiano @ $12.99
NEW RED:
Stati 2008 Gaglioppo @ $15.99
Judy's Chillable Reds
I know some people who drink nothing but white wine as soon as the thermometer rides above 65 degrees (and nothing but red when that's reversed) but even as I slog through the real dog days of summer, I still crave a red come dinner time. The answer is what I'm calling "chillable reds," light, fresh reds that don't in the least take offense if you throw them in the fridge for 20 minutes or so. Here are my current choices.
Henry Fessy 2000 Regnié
Henry Fessy and brother-in-law Jean Pelissier set up shop in the Beaujolais toward the end of the nineteenth century; in 1928 Henry founded the Bel Air co-op, serving as its president for more than forty years. Today Maison Henry Fessy (bought just last year by Maison Louis Latour) has 75 acres under vine scattered throughout the Beaujolais. The Regnié, considered the "infant" of the Beaujolais crus, is yet grand in spirit, expansive, delicate, rich and generous, a wine that performs well above its price point.
$11.99/btl; $119.90/cs
Henry Fessy and brother-in-law Jean Pelissier set up shop in the Beaujolais toward the end of the nineteenth century; in 1928 Henry founded the Bel Air co-op, serving as its president for more than forty years. Today Maison Henry Fessy (bought just last year by Maison Louis Latour) has 75 acres under vine scattered throughout the Beaujolais. The Regnié, considered the "infant" of the Beaujolais crus, is yet grand in spirit, expansive, delicate, rich and generous, a wine that performs well above its price point.
$11.99/btl; $119.90/cs
Aldegheri 2007 Valpolicella
The Aldegheri winery, founded by a farming family in the Valpolicella hills near Verona and Lake Garda in 1956, today enjoys a reputation for combining the best of the traditional with the best of the modern methods and techniques; they maintain high quality through a careful and rigorous selection of grapes and a persistent attention to maintaining the unique character and genuineness of the wines they produce. Their entry-level Valpolicella is a textbook example of that wine, with a rich ruby color and a dry harmonious flavor.
$11.99/btl;$119.90/cs
The Aldegheri winery, founded by a farming family in the Valpolicella hills near Verona and Lake Garda in 1956, today enjoys a reputation for combining the best of the traditional with the best of the modern methods and techniques; they maintain high quality through a careful and rigorous selection of grapes and a persistent attention to maintaining the unique character and genuineness of the wines they produce. Their entry-level Valpolicella is a textbook example of that wine, with a rich ruby color and a dry harmonious flavor.
$11.99/btl;$119.90/cs
Le Grand Noir 2007 Pinot Noir
From Limoux in the Languedoc, this little wine is a very pleasant surprise. I normally don't give credence to a Pinot Noir under $15 retail, but this one caught me off guard. The black sheep on the label captures the wine's "off-the-beaten-path spirit," but its bright garnet color and leathery, meaty nose mark it as unmistakably Pinot Noir. It's a lovely round mouthful of wine with ripe red berries and a lively kick of spice.
$11.99/btl;$119.90/cs
From Limoux in the Languedoc, this little wine is a very pleasant surprise. I normally don't give credence to a Pinot Noir under $15 retail, but this one caught me off guard. The black sheep on the label captures the wine's "off-the-beaten-path spirit," but its bright garnet color and leathery, meaty nose mark it as unmistakably Pinot Noir. It's a lovely round mouthful of wine with ripe red berries and a lively kick of spice.
$11.99/btl;$119.90/cs
Sampler B, with 2 bottles of each wine and 6-bottle tote: $61.99