Choosing from Hundreds of Wines
This Thursday, January 8, from 6 to 8pm, were celebrating at Vino Verite for our tasting— for us, it’s our new years day. We are celebrating a great first year that we’ve been open on Capitol Hill. We owe great thanks to everyone who has come in, given us advice and praise, and bought wine on their terms. That’s why we opened on the Hill.
You’d think that since we run a wine shop, we’re bringing home pricey, rare bottles of wine on a regular basis.
Not true. In fact, we like “everyday” stuff just like the next person— and we don’t want to pay a lot for it either.
So we thought it would be fun to expose folks to what we, as guys who run a wine shop, love to pick out— yes, it’s tough to choose our favorites given that the goal is to choose great wines, each of which we have tasted and liked. But we want to pour a lineup that we are proud of and which represents our diverse tastes and moods.
So here’s what we take home on average, and what we’ll pour this Thursday— and if not these very wines, wines just like them:
Delmas Blanquette de Limoux
Blanquette de Limoux’s claim to fame is that sparkling wine was “discovered” here first in the 1500s— somewhat by accident. Secondary fermentation in the bottle is what produces true, elegant bubbles, and Blanquette de Limoux consistently produces beautiful sparkling wine. The grape is Mauzac, which tends to be on that tart-fruit side, so the fermentation and aging process brings some tempered qualities to its nature. It has everything we’d want in a bubbly: crisp fruit, a hint of yeast on the nose to intrigue anyone, but enough crisp acidity and creamy texture to please just about any guest and pair with any appetizer.
2005 La Chablisienne Chablis “La Sereine”
Chablis gets a bad rap sometimes— mostly because we’ve all had a glass of hastily made Chablis from California which may have tasted like Kool Aid and definitely gave us a headache. But the French have always done it right— the fruit should be up front, but texture, structure, and balance should prevail. Therefore, it’s always easy to pick this bright, subtle, and classy Chablis from La Chablisienne.
2005 Henriques Cotes du Roussillon “La Linea”
Most cars have five gears these days, and many even have an all-wheel drive option. In the wine world, the Henriques La Linea represents fifth gear and the grip of four wheels. Dark berry with alluring spice, this has great texture and a long, beautiful finish. We wait for wines of this power and complexity to come along at this price level. It’s like having an expensive meal all in itself, swirling in your glass.
2005 Domaine des Tours Vin de Pays de Vaucluse
One of our “secret weapon” wines: by this we mean that one does not need to know about wine, nor about grapes, nor soil conditions— sometimes, it’s great just to know the longer story about the label. Domaine des Tours is a “secondary label” of Chateau Rayas, which produces reds that top $200 a bottle. In France, the law is still king, and wineries are only allowed to make certain amounts of top level wine from top level vineyards and regions. The result can be passed on to us mortals: great wineries make stunning wines under other labels, sometime using the same grapes and always using the same expertise. This label is by far one of our favorites, and it’s a funky and intriguing wine. If you’ve ever heard someone use the word “terroir” and wondered what it meant, this wine is the answer. When we treat ourselves, this is often what we bring home.
2001 Rotllan Torra Priorat Reserva
We love regions that are famous for the right reasons, but always hunt for the standout wines which are priced for regular consumption. In most cases, the region’s prices are for a reason— the wines produced are of striking quality and complexity. Priorat is a favorite, and the wines of this region are some of the most powerful in all of the European Continent. The soil is has a great deal of broken-up rock in its composition, so the heat of the sun is stored and radiated at night as well, feeding the roots of the vines and ripening the grapes to become powerfully concentrated and full. Furthermore, Priorat a tiny place, and the only region to be awarded the prestigious “DOC” status other than Rioja. Similar to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, these wines aren’t for everyone, especially those searching for a “delicate” experience. But in the winter, a Priorat can’t be beat— it’s like curling up in a window nook and reading something heavy like Woolf, Coetzee, or Tolstoy.
2004 Andre Brunel Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Considered by some to be the most famous vineyards in the world, one has to envision how most of the vines are grown: around the base of each vine is a pile of palm-sized rocks. The idea is to protect the soil from erosion and over-exposure, but the rocks also gather the heat of the sunlight during the day, and deliver it to the roots during the night: the result is powerful, fascinating wine. We admit Grenache to be a favorite grape, and “CnDP” (as it’s called online) is a great example of its charms. There can be great variation to the flavors it delivers, but dark berry, chocolate, raisin, tea, licorice, and leather are all in the realm of possibilities.
2004 Chateau Bel Air Sainte-Croix-de-Mont
Another secret weapon— a dessert wine from the Sauternes region, a well-known region that tends to fetch hundreds of dollars for certain vintages. Nearby the famous Sauternes is a small village topped with a church called St. Croix du Mont, and it is as beautiful as one might imagine, with the vineyards circling the small mountain. This wine has the zest and beauty of sweet Bordeaux (made from the Semillon grape) but priced for dinner-party delivery. In short, your guests (or date) will think you are a wine-god, and you still have money for the week.
We hope to see you from 6 to 8pm to try some of these gems. And as always, if the light’s on, knock and come on in.
—Haj
