VVW News - December 2012

Transcription

1 VVW News - December 2012 RED WINE VALUE OF THE MONTH 2010 Dolcetto d Alba Gattera (Curto) Dolcetto is Piedmont s everyday red. Never expensive, never heavy-handed, it is the red the locals drink with great satisfaction. Here is an excellent example. Nadia Curto s Dolcetto comes from the Gattera vineyard on the lower slopes of La Morra, in the heart of the Barolo district. Gattera is a visually stunning hillside site, dominated by a magnificent cedar tree on its peak. It apparently is a great spot for Dolcetto. Curto s 2010, the product of a superb vintage, is delicious, with ripe, spicy, bright fruit flavors that present through a prism of classic Piedmont earthiness. It is the kind of red that can help you turn leftovers into a really tasty meal Dolcetto d Alba Gattera (Curto) $19.00 HALF-CASE SPECIAL 15 Percent Off $97.00 ($97.00/6 bottles = $16.17/bottle) BARGAIN PRICED RHÔNE CLASSIC 2010 Gigondas Les Deux Juliette (Grand Montmirail) Here is a throwback, a killer Rhône red that you can get for under $20! Grand Montmirail is an ancient estate in Gigondas, one that hasn t raised their prices to the pain threshold in recent years. But the quality of their reds, at least in the best vintages, is superb and comparable to the best in the region. This is their best Gigondas, a special old vines bottling called Les Deux Juliette (both the proprietor and the importer, our friend Charles Neal, have daughters the same age named Juliette). In 2010 it is spectacular tremendous depth, gorgeous flavors, superb balance. It is a great drink right now, but you should also put some away. It will age just as well as the much more expensive 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Papes. 60% grenache, from vines that are reportedly over 50 years old, plus 30% syrah and 10% mourvedre; raised in concrete except for a bit of the syrah, which is aged in barriques. Deep ruby. Explosively perfumed aromas of cherry compote, black raspberry, cola and olive tapenade, with an intense overlay of spices. Fresh, energetic red and dark berry flavors show very good depth and pick up a suave floral aspect with air. Finishes with excellent clarity and length. (91-93/100) 2010 Gigondas Les Deux Juliette Vieilles Vignes (Grand Montmirail) $22.50 HALF-CASE SPECIAL 15 Percent Off $ ($115.00/6 bottles = $19.17/bottle) SUPERB NORTHERN RHÔNE SYRAH 2010 Saint Joseph Les Coches (Louis Barruol) We ve had a number of show-stopping 2010 Saint Josephs arrive over the last six months, including Durand s Lautaret and Faury s Vieilles Vignes, but Louis Barruol s Les Coches just might be the best of them all. Barruol is a bit notorious right now, as his Saint Cosme Gigondas was just pegged number 2 in The Wine Spectator s Top 100 for 2012 (good luck finding it now). He is a supremely talented winemaker, and when we showed his 2010 Northern Rhônes at the tasting bar a few weeks back the Les Coches was the price/quality standout in a flight of superb wines. It sets a very high standard for Syrah, it is so energetic, exuberant, and full of life (sorry to be anthropomorphic - but that s where this wine takes you). It is a pleasure to drink now, and will only get better with age Saint Joseph Les Coches (Louis Barruol) $38.00 HALF-CASE SPECIAL 15 Percent Off $ ($193.50/6 bottles = $32.25/bottle) HOLIDAY WEEK TASTING BAR SCHEDULE Wednesday 12/26 Aged Vintage Port: Taylor & Fonseca Thursday 12/ Barolo Superstars Friday 12/28 Vintage Artisan Champagnes Saturday 12/29 Chateau de Beaucastel:

2 2 DANIEL & FREDERIC BRUNIER S FABULOUS 2010s Vieux Télégraphe and Les Palliéres DECEMBER SPECIAL - 15 PERCENT OFF on purchases of six or more bottles of 2010 Les Pallières and Vieux Télégraphe Regular 15% Off Les Pallières Gigondas Price Price Les Pallieres, one of the iconic estates of Gigondas, is now owned (and has been reinvigorated) by the partnership of Vieux Telegraphe s Daniel and Frederic Brunier and the well-known American boutique wine importer, Kermit Lynch. They continue to fine tune what is a complicated, cool climate, high altitude property where the harvest is usually two to three weeks after that of Vieux Telegraphe in Chateauneuf du Pape. - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2010 Gigondas Les Racines (Les Pallières)... $ $ Gigondas Les Racines (Les Pallières) ml $ $ The soft, delicious 2010 Les Racines is more open-knit than I remember it from last year. Abundant notes of red and black currants, raspberries, garrigue, crushed rock and peppery spice are all present in this medium to full-bodied, elegant yet substantial, authoritative Gigondas (92-94/100) - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2010 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable (Les Pallières)... $ $ Gigondas Terrasse du Diable (Les Pallières)... magnums $ $ Slightly superior, revealing more minerality and a subtle, incremental building of flavor intensity, the 2010 Terrasse du Diable offers lots of black raspberry, kirsch and floral characteristics along with an undeniable crushed rock minerality. Medium to full-bodied and elegant as well as impressively built, it is rich, pure and beautifully balanced (90-93/100) - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate VIEUX TÉLÉGRAPHE Châteauneuf-du-Pape This estate has 135 acres of contiguous parcels in the famous La Crau sector of Chateauneuf du Pape. - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme (Vieux Télégraphe)... $ $ Bright ruby-red. Fresh raspberry, wild strawberry and rhubarb on the nose, along with an attractive floral nuance. Silky and pure, the red fruit flavors showing good energy and betraying no rough edges. Open-knit and and well-balanced Chateauneuf with resonating floral and raspberry notes on the finish. (90-92/100) 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Crau (Vieux Télégraphe)... $ $ Pale gold. Bright and racy on the nose and palate, offering lively lemon, orange and pear qualities and zesty minerality. Fleshy but dry, with very good back-end cut and finishing clarity. I like the combination of power and finesse here. This wine has a sound track record for aging and I suspect that this will be a really interesting wine five or six years down the road. (91/100) 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (Vieux Télégraphe)... $ $ Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (Vieux Télégraphe)... magnums $ $ Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (Vieux Télégraphe)... 3 liter $ $ Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (Vieux Télégraphe)... 6 liter net $ Bright ruby. High-pitched aromas of raspberry, cherry and lavender, with notes of white pepper and anise adding complexity. Very fresh and focused on entry, then deeper and more brawny in the middle, offering sappy cherry and red fruit preserve flavors. This spicy finish displays superb persistence, very good clarity and intense florality. (93-95/100) Performing considerably better than it did prior to bottling, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape is one of the all-time great Vieux Telegraphes I have tasted in the last 3+ decades. I believe it is even superior to the 2007, which I had several weeks ago. The 2010 boasts a dense purple color along with a sumptuous bouquet of spring flowers, boysenberries, black cherries, black currants, nori (the sushi seaweed wrapper), black olives, licorice and pepper. This full-bodied, meaty, thick, juicy effort possesses a boatload of tannin, but it also has incredible concentration. More massive than I remember from last year, it has put on considerable weight and intensity. Forget it for 3-4 years, and drink it over the following years. Kudos to Daniel and Frederic Brunier! (97/100) - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

3 CHAMPAGNE S BEST GROWER-PRODUCER Champagne Vilmart & Cie Vilmart is a Champagne estate of unassailable consequence, a must-have for anyone interested in the possibilities of this most suavely powerful and graceful of all wines. Casks are hardly the point any more. Organic viticulture, (truly!) low yields, remarkable polish of fruit, and the deliberate patient pursuit of a vision of perfection make Laurent Champs estate a gemstone gleaming among the chalk. Often described as the best grower in Champagne or the poor man s Krug, Vilmart s wines can offer a resonance and majesty unique among small estates. With sufficient bottle-age these can take you up and up into rare altitudes of complexity. Even at ground-level they ve got lots of flavor, as though the flavors were stated in BOLD CAPS. A further key to quality is the large proportion of pre-clonal Chardonnay vines. These grapes are yellower than those from clonal vines, says Laurent. And they have an incredible aroma. And Laurent, like every great producer, has a wife who says he s a maniac for his vineyards. - Terry Theise, Importer Vilmart & Cie. is not only one of the greatest grower-estates in Champagne, but one of the finest champagne producers of any type in the region. Some people say that Vilmart s wines are too oaky, but I often think that this is because the wines are released very young. In addition, none of Vilmart s wines go through malolactic, and so they can be very closed and slow to develop, especially as they contain a majority of chardonnay. When tasting a Vilmart wine in maturity, there is generally a harmonious balance and a great deal of complexity. Regardless of the cuvée, these wines consistently show far better with at least one year of post-disgorgement aging, and as Vilmart puts the disgorgement date on every bottle, this is easy to keep track of. Vilmart & Cie. traces its history back to 1890, when it was founded by Désiré Vilmart, and from the beginning, Vilmart has always been a récoltant-manipulant, making champagne exclusively from estate-owned vines. Since 1989 the estate has been in the hands of Laurent Champs, the fifth generation of the family to take the helm of the house. The majority of Vilmart's 11 hectares of vines lie in Rilly-la-Montagne, although there are a few plots just over the border in the neighboring village of Villers-Allerand. Vilmart is a member of Ampelos, an organization that promotes organic and sustainable viticulture, and Champs has never used any herbicides or chemical fertilizers since taking over the estate. All of Vilmart's wines are fermented and aged in oak: foudres for the non-vintage wines (casks ranging in size from 2,200 to 5,500 liters), and 225-liter barrels for vintage-dated ones, although Champs has recently begun to also use 600-liter demi-muids. The malolactic is avoided, giving the wines a crisp structure and excellent longevity, as evidenced by the remarkable freshness and vigor of wines even from warm vintages such as 1999 and Peter Liem, ChampagneGuide.net HOLIDAY SPECIAL - 15 PERCENT OFF on purchases of three or more bottles of Champagnes Regular 15% Off Price Price Champagne Grand Cellier (Vilmart)... $ $ The new disgorgement is a delicate, almost serene edition of a wine that s often quite vivid, that really shows its facets of saffron, brioche and lobster stock. This is classier and more fondue than usual, with lingering vanilla and jasmine and even elderflower notes. It conveys a courteous repose. The new cuvée blends , as always 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. (+) - Terry Theise, Importer Rosé Champagne Rubis (Vilmart)... $ $ Bright, orange-tinged pink. Sexy, high-pitched aromas of blood orange, strawberry, potpourri and minerals; smells like an elegant, stony red Burgundy. Dry and precise, with very good depth and focus to its sappy red fruit, orange zest and floral flavors. Shows a touch of vanilla on the impressively long, clinging finish, with the strawberry note repeating. (93/100) 2007 Champagne Grand Cellier d Or (Vilmart)... $ $ Pale yellow. Intense, high-pitched tangerine and melon aromas, with exotic floral, vanilla and spicecake notes that expand with aeration. Stony and energetic but densely packed, offering potent orchard fruit and honeydew flavors that strike a deft balance of vivacity and power. The broad, smoky finish leaves spice and smoky mineral notes in its wake. (93/100) 2004 Champagne Coeur de Cuvée (Vilmart)... $ $ Light, bright gold. Exotic aromas of poached pear, smoky minerals and iodine are complemented by a sexy floral nuance. On the palate, incisive, tangy flavors of candied citrus and orchard fruits, ginger and minerals gain flesh and weight with air. Finishes on a seductively sweet note, with outstanding juicy persistence and strong mineral cut and grip. (95/100) 3

4 AGED VINTAGE PORTS FONSECA AND TAYLOR, FLADGATE DECEMBER SPECIAL - 15 PERCENT OFF on purchases of three or more bottles of Vintage Ports Regular 15% Off Price Price 1986 Port Guimaraens (Fonseca)... $ $ Port (Fonseca)... $ $ One of the most spectacular 1994s, this opaque purple-colored wine is an exotic, flamboyant, ostentatious port. Extremely fragrant and pungent, with a flashy display of jammy cassis, pepper, licorice, and truffles, this port is an attention-grabber. Awesomely rich, and full-bodied, with superb length, richness, and overall balance, it possesses a huge mid-palate, layers of flavor, an unctuous texture, and a blockbuster finish. This wine will drink fabulously well at age ten, but keep for up to thirty years (97/100) - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 1994 Port (Taylor, Fladgate)... $ $ When tasting young vintage ports, Taylor is always the most backward. Yet potentially, it has the capability to be the most majestic. This classically made, opaque purple-colored wine is crammed with black fruits (blueberries and cassis). It reveals high tannin and a reserved style, but it is enormously constituted with massive body, a formidable mid-palate, and exceptional length. It is a young, rich, powerful Taylor that will require years of aging. Compared to the more flashy, forward style of the 1992, the 1994 has more in common with 1977 and (97/100) - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 1992 Port (Fonseca)... $ $ Port (Taylor, Fladgate)... $ $ Taylor's 1992 Vintage Port is unquestionably the greatest young port I have ever tasted. It represents the essence of what vintage port can achieve. The color is an opaque black/purple, and the nose offers up fabulously intense aromas of minerals, cassis, blackberries, licorice, and spices, as well as extraordinary purity and penetration. Yet this is still an unformed and infantile wine. If Chateau Latour made a late-harvest Cabernet Sauvignon, I suspect it might smell like this. In the mouth, the wine is out of this world, displaying layer upon layer of concentrated black fruits backed by well-integrated tannin and structure. This is a massive, magnificently rich, full-bodied port that will be far more flattering in its youth than were such Taylors as the 1983, 1977, or It possesses awesome fruit, marvelous intensity, and lavish opulence, all brilliantly well-delineated by the wine's formidable structure. This monumental year port is a must purchase for port aficionados! (100/100) - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 1977 Port (Taylor, Fladgate)... $ $ This house must certainly be the Latour of Portugal. Their ports are remarkably backward yet still impressive when young. Of all the vintage ports, those of Taylor need the longest time to mature and even when fully mature seem to have an inner strength and firmness that keep them going for decades. The 1977 has consistently been at the top of my list of vintage ports in this great vintage, although the Dow, Graham, and Fonseca are equally splendid. It is a mammoth, opaque, statuesque vintage port of remarkable depth and power, but is should not be touched before (96/100) - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate PRE-ARRIVAL SALES 2010 Red Burgundies 4 VINCENT GIRARDIN MEURSAULT 2010 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Serpentieres (Vincent Girardin)... $ Santenay Les Gravières (Vincent Girardin)... $ Volnay Vieilles Vignes (Vincent Girardin)... $ Pommard Les Vignots (Vincent Girardin)... $ Beaune Les Greves (Vincent Girardin)... $ Bright red-ruby. Slightly reduced, wild aromas of black fruits, leather and fresh blood. Dense, thick, creamy and very ripe, but with harmonious acidity giving shape and lift to the wild dark berry flavors. This distinctly fat wine finishes long and lush, with a strong tannic underpinning and very good chocolatey length. (90-92/100) - Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar

5 2010 Volnay Les Santenots (Vincent Girardin)... $ Bright red-ruby. Wild perfume of blackberry, bitter chocolate, violet and fresh blood. Juicy, intense and sharply delineated; tighter than the Epenots and showing a strong element of gamey reduction. Finishes with firm but suave tannins and slowly building saline and mineral flavors. Expressive already but quite taut. The sand and gravel soil is responsible for the saline quality, notes assistant winemaker Eric Germain. (89-92/100) - Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 2010 Pommard Les Grands Epenots (Vincent Girardin)... $ Good deep red with ruby tones. Wild black fruits, bitter chocolate and violet on the nose, with hints of leather and earth. Fat and ripe but vibrant, with very good balance to the fleshy dark fruit and chocolate flavors. Finishes with suave tannins and excellent persistence. (89-91/100) - Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 2010 Pommard Les Rugiens (Vincent Girardin)... $ Corton Les Perrieres (Vincent Girardin)... $ Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers (Vincent Girardin)... $ Dark red. Sexy aromas of black raspberry, meat, animal fur and violet. Dense, saline and tight-grained, with lovely energy and finesse to the concentrated dark raspberry flavor. Less black and powerful than the Beaune Greves but also more refined than the Cote de Beaune wines. Finishes long and saline, with fine tannins. (90-93/100) - Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 2010 Charmes-Chambertin (Vincent Girardin))... $ Red-ruby. Cherry, flowers and sweet oak on the nose. A seamless, sappy, fresh wine with terrific sucrosite. Silky and fresh, with no heaviness. In fact, this offers outstanding finesse for Chames. Finishes lively, fresh, firm and long, with a note of chocolate. (92-95/100) - Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 2010 Echezeaux (Vincent Girardin)... $ MAUME GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin (Maume)... $ Gevrey-Chambertin En Pallud (Maume)... $ Gevrey-Chambertin Champeaux (Maume)... $ Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux-Saint-Jacques (Maume)... $ Mazis-Chambertin (Maume)... $ LAURENT PONSOT MOREY-SAINT-DENIS 2010 Bourgogne Rouge Pinson (Ponsot)... $ Gevrey-Chambertin L Abeille (Ponsot)... $ Chambolle-Musigny Cigales (Ponsot)... $ There is no reduction here and the elegant and ultra-pure nose is classic Chambolle with its mineral-inflect, airy and refined array of red berry fruits. The equally pure, detailed and again stony medium weight flavors are lacy and indeed almost delicate yet there is beautiful flavor authority. I particularly like the sense of energy along with the fine delineation and balance. A lovely villages (89-91/100) - Allen Meadows, Burghound.com 2010 Morey-Saint-Denis Alouettes (Ponsot)... $ Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes (Ponsot)... $ Griotte-Chambertin (Ponsot)... $ An ultra-elegant and exceptionally pure nose of wild raspberries and both red and black currants introduces seductively textured and silky middle weight flavors that are utterly delicious. As appealing as this appears at present there is a very firm lashing of supporting tannins that provide shape and detail to the gorgeously persistent finish. This should be great in time as it has everything that it needs (92-95/100) - Allen Meadows, Burghound.com 2010 Chambertin-Clos de Beze (Ponsot)... $ Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes (Ponsot)... $ This is almost mute and even aggressive swirling liberates only the briefest glimpses of wild red berries and earth notes. There is superb size and weight to the imposing and overtly muscular flavors that also enjoy an incredible amount of dry extract that confers a supple and seductively textured mouth feel to the highly concentrated mid-palate. The presently buried tannins are intense and markedly firm though not hard on the explosively long finish that seems to go on and on. This should be something very special if given sufficient time to reach its apogee (95-97/100) - Allen Meadows, Burghound.com PRE-ARRIVAL TERMS: Minimum order three bottles. Half-payment due with order; balance due upon arrival. 5

6 6 TASTING BAR SCHEDULE - DECEMBER 2012 For more complete information, please visit and click Tasting Bar. ARTISAN CHAMPAGNES FRIDAY 11/30 & SATURDAY 12/1 We are in the heart of Champagne season now. Here is an engaging and diverse lineup of the very best artisanal bubbly, eight wines including Pierre Peters benchmark Blanc de Blancs, Paul Bara s iconic Rosé, and a fabulous new vintage of Vilmart s Grand Cellier d Or. Champagne Les Sept Crus (Agrapart); Champagne Ambonnay Grand Cru (Eric Rodez); Champagne Cuvée de Reserve Grand Cru (Pierre Peters); Champagne Verzenay Grand Cru (Jean Lallement); Champagne Ambonnay Grand Cru (Henri Billiot); Rosé Champagne Bouzy Grand Cru (Paul Bara); 2002 Champagne Henri III Grand Cru (R.H. Coutier); 2007 Champagne Grand Cellier d Or (Vilmart). CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIR VS. RED BURGUNDY TUESDAY 12/4 & WEDNESDAY 12/5 This is always an interesting comparison. The same varietal, planted on different continents, produces distinctly different wines. This tasting showcases eight recent vintage bottlings from the $30s to the $60s, and in this range neither California nor Burgundy is innately better. Any preference is subjective, but the two are easy to tell apart. When California wine marketing folks claim their Pinot Noir are Burgundian, it is just marketing Pernand-Vergelesses Les Boutieres (Delarche); 2010 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains (Domaine Eden); 2010 Pinot Noir Arroyo Grande Valley (Talley); 2009 Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits Clos du Prieure (Liger-Belair); 2009 Santenay Les Gravieres (Vincent Morey); 2008 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley (Scherrer); 2010 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains (Mount Eden); 2009 Volnay Les Santenots (Girardin). ARTISAN CHAMPAGNES THURSDAY 12/6 Our second of four artisan Champagne flights this month starts with Veuve Fourny s two Blanc de Blancs. Their Brut and non-dosage Brut Nature are essentially the same wine, with different levels of sweetness. Next up are three contrasting vintage bottlings, followed by Vilmart s rosé in the anchor position. Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature (Veuve Fourny); Champagne Blanc de Blancs (Veuve Fourny); 2008 Champagne Gastronome (Pierre Gimonnet); 2006 Champagne (Chartogne-Taillet); 2002 Champagne Ambonnay Grand Cru (Eric Rodez); Rosé Champagne Rubis (Vilmart) RED BURGUNDY FAVORITES FRIDAY 12/7 & SATURDAY 12/8 We haven t poured a flight of 2009 Red Burgundies in months, as our attention has turned to the newly-arriving 2010s. But we still have a superb selection of wines from this excellent vintage, and in a few years you will probably wish you had more 2009s tucked away. We ve selected eight of our favorites, from both the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits, to enjoy in this last flight of Red Burgundies this year Savigny-les-Beaune Les Narbantons (Mongeard-Mugneret); 2009 Beaune Clos du Roi (Camus- Bruchon); 2009 Beaune Les Sizies (de Montille); 2009 Nuits-Saint-Georges (Confuron-Cotetidot); 2009 Volnay Les Pitures (Jean-Marc Boillot); 2009 Vougeot Les Cras (Mongeard-Mugneret); 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux-Saint-Jacques (Maume); 2009 Charmes-Chambertin (Vincent Girardin). CALIFORNIA RHÔNE VARIETAL REDS TUESDAY 12/11 & WEDNESDAY 12/12 We don t treat California reds made with Rhône varietals as a category that we need to have in stock. We buy the wines we really like as they come along. So sometimes we have a lot, and sometimes we have hardly any. We ve found a number we really like recently, and have the critical mass for an interesting tasting flight Syrah Dry Creek (Provisor); 2009 Grenache Dry Creek (Unti); 2007 Red Wine California (Lacuna); 2011 Syrah North Coast (Bedrock); 2009 Version Red Paso Robles (Adelaida); 2009 Grenache Old Hill Ranch (Bucklin); 2010 Esprit de Beaucastel Paso Robles (Tablas Creek); 2003 Syrah Melville (Ojai). VIEUX TÉLÉGRAPHE & LES PALLIERES: 2010 THURSDAY 12/13 Daniel and Frederic Brunier are at the peak of their careers, and they took full advantage of the superb 2010 vintage to turn out fabulous wines at both of their iconic Rhône Valley domaines. This flight features Les Pailleres two 2010 reds and Vieux Télégraphe s 2010 white and two reds Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Crau (Vieux Télégraphe); 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Telegramme (Vieux Télégraphe); 2010 Gigondas Les Racines (Les Pallieres); 2010 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable (Les Pallieres); 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (Vieux Télégraphe). ARTISAN CHAMPAGNES FRIDAY 12/14 & SATURDAY 12/15 Artisan Champagne we can t get enough of it! This tasting is the fifth flight in our holiday series of tastings, showcasing another group of superb Champagnes from our 2012 selections. You get a lot more for your money with these rare, small-scale bottlings than you do with those from the big names. Champagne Cramant Grand Cru (Lancelot-Pienne); Champagne Extra Quality Brut (Ployez-Jacquemart); 2004 Champagne Le Mesnil Grand Cru (Pierre Moncuit); Rosé Champagne Ambonnay Grand Cru (Henri Billiot); Champagne Verzenay Grand Cru - Reserve (Jean Lallement); 2006 Champagne Fleuron (Pierre Gimonnet); 2002 Champagne Bouzy Grand Cru (Paul Bara); Champagne Grand Cellier (Vilmart).

7 LOIRE CABERNET FRANCS: 2009 TUESDAY 12/18 & WEDNESDAY 12/19 For Loire Valley reds, 2009 is one of the candidates for vintage of the decade, along with the 2005s and the freakish 2003s. The 2009s are gorgeous, stylistically right down the middle, with beautiful, ripe Cabernet Franc fruit, balanced structures, and an appropriate modicum of Loire Valley earthiness. Consider the first three or four in this flight for current drinking, and the latter three or four for cellaring Anjou Rouge (Domaine du Fresche); 2009 Chinon Les Petites Roches (Charles Joguet); 2009 Chinon (Bernard Baudry); 2009 Chinon Les Grezeaux (Bernard Baudry); 2009 Bourgueil Nuits d Ivresse (Breton); 2009 Bourgueil Les Perrieres (Breton); 2009 Chinon Clos de la Dioterie (Charles Joguet). PULIGNY-MONTRACHET PREMIER CRUS: 2008 VS VS THURSDAY 12/20 We wine geeks like to compare and contrast in order to learn, and that is the point of this flight of Puligny- Montrachets. We ll compare Vincent Morey s La Truffière and Carillon s Les Perrieres, with the three most recent vintages, 2008, 2009, and 2010, from each Puligny-Montrachet La Truffière (Vincent Morey); 2009 Puligny-Montrachet La Truffière (Vincent Morey); 2008 Puligny-Montrachet La Truffière (Vincent Morey); 2010 Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrieres (Francois Carillon); 2009 Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrieres (Louis Carillon); 2008 Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrieres (Louis Carillon) RHÔNE VALLEY RED FAVORITES FRIDAY 12/21 & SATURDAY 12/22 Similar to the situation with Red Burgundy, we have had our tasting bar focus on the newly-arriving 2010s in recent months, to the neglect of the 2009s. But we still have an impressive selection of the gorgeous 2009s, both the Syrahs from the north and the blends from the south. This tasting showcases seven of our favorites Crozes-Hermitage Silene (J.L. Chave); 2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Cristia); 2009 Cote-Rotie Les Roses (Louis Barruol); 2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (Vieux Télégraphe); 2009 Cornas Chaillot (Thierry Allemand); 2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Beaucastel); 2009 Cote-Rotie La Barbarine (Yves Gangloff). AGED VINTAGE PORT: TAYLOR & FONSECA WEDNESDAY 12/26 Back in the 1980s and 1990s, we had a Port tasting every winter. For many years it was a well-attended, often raucous event. But over time fashions change, and interest in cellaring and drinking Port has substantially diminished here in California. Attendance at our annual Port tastings eventually fizzled, and we discontinued it years ago. But it sure was fun back then, so we are going to give it another go this holiday season, with a flight of aged superstars from our back room. Three vintages each of Tayler, Fladgate and Fonseca, including Taylor s 1992, a member of the Robert Parker 100 point club Port Guimaraens (Fonseca); 1994 Port (Fonseca); 1994 Port (Taylor, Fladgate); 1992 Port (Fonseca); 1992 Port (Taylor, Fladgate); 1977 Port (Taylor, Fladgate) BAROLO SUPERSTARS THURSDAY 12/27 This is a followup to the very interesting flight of 1999 Barolos we poured back in November, which showed that while the 1999s are not fully mature, they are very promising adolescents. This holiday lineup showcases the best of the vintage, with top of the line bottlings from superstars Paolo Scavino, Giovanni Corino, Luciano Sandrone, and Domenico Clerico Barolo Bric del Fiasc (Paolo Scavino); 1999 Barolo Vecchie Vigne (Giovanni Corino); 1999 Barolo La Vigne (Sandrone); 1999 Barolo Percristina (Clerico); 1999 Barbaresco Rocche dell Annunziata (Paolo Scavino). VINTAGE ARTISAN CHAMPAGNES FRIDAY 12/28 Here is our final Champagne flight of the season, seven magnificent vintage bottlings exclusively from artisanal producers, featuring an early release 2008 from Jean Milan, four of our remaining 2002s, and sensational 2004s from Moncuit and Vilmart Champagne Symphorine (Jean Milan); 2002 Champagne Blanc de Blancs (Ployez-Jacquemart); 2002 Champagne Premier Cru (Gaston-Chiquet); 2004 Champagne Nicole Moncuit (Moncuit); 2002 Champagne Blanc de Blancs d Ay (Gaston-Chiquet); 2002 Champagne Special Club (Paul Bara); 2004 Champagne Coeur de Cuvée (Vilmart). CHATEAU DE BEAUCASTEL: SATURDAY 12/29 We have a tradition of having a killer vertical tasting as our last flight of the year, and for 2012 it is Chateau de Beaucastel. No Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer has a better track record than Beaucastel, either in terms of consistency or longevity. This flight includes three of the four most recent vintages (we already poured the 2009 earlier this month), followed by five more vintages back to the Champagne Cramant Grand Cru (Lancelot-Pienne); Champagne Extra Quality Brut (Ployez-Jacquemart); 2004 Champagne Le Mesnil Grand Cru (Pierre Moncuit); Rosé Champagne Ambonnay Grand Cru (Henri Billiot); Champagne Verzenay Grand Cru - Reserve (Jean Lallement); 2006 Champagne Fleuron (Pierre Gimonnet); 2002 Champagne Bouzy Grand Cru (Paul Bara); Champagne Grand Cellier (Vilmart).

8 HOLIDAY CHAMPAGNE SALE 15 PERCENT OFF on 3 or more bottles through 12/31/12!"##$%&'(")&*&#+'#,-.&!+/ 437 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94306!"#$%&'()$$&*)"( +,$,&-.$%)/0 -)"1 -)(.&)(%.2&') -0#*"%&3.,&456 Return Service Requested SPECIAL HOLIDAY HOURS: Monday 12/24 CLOSED Tuesday 12/25 CLOSED Wednesday 12/26 11a.m.-7p.m. Thursday 12/27 11a.m.-7p.m. Friday 12/28 11a.m.-8.pm Saturday 12/29 11a.m.-7p.m. Monday 12/31 CLOSED Tuesday 11/1 CLOSED Wednesday 1/2 11a.m.-7p.m. Thursday 1/3 11a.m.-7p.m. Friday 1/4 11a.m.-8.pm Saturday 1/5 11a.m.-7p.m. VVW News December 2012 DIRECTIONS: From I Exit at Page Mill Road and head east on Page Mill into Palo Alto. Turn left (north) on El Camino Real. Turn right at the first traffic light on El Camino, which will be S. California Avenue. We will be on your right about halfway down the first block. From US Exit at Oregon Expressway, and head west on Oregon Expressway into Palo Alto. Turn right (north) on El Camino Real. Turn right at the first traffic light on El Camino, which will be S. California Avenue. We will be on your right about halfway down the first block. PARKING: Free parking along S. California Avenue, in the Palo Alto Public Parking Garage on Cambridge Avenue, and in the Palo Alto Public Parking Lot on Sherman Avenue. HOURS: Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 11 am - 7 pm 11 am - 7 pm 11 am - 7 pm 11 am - 8 pm 11 am - 7 pm info@vinvinowine.com (650) FAX: (650)