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Has
your passion for and knowledge of wine been increased in the
last twelve months? Have we taken you outside of your "wine
comfort zone", in relation to price, region or varietal?
All of us at Enoteca Della Santina certainly hope so.
Furthermore, we trust that our members, old and new, realize
that wine is an integral part and not the center of the meal.
Yeah, yeah, yeah!! On the other hand, don't take this too seriously,
just drink the stuff and have fun doing it. All kidding aside,
Europeans have mastered this concept by using wine to enhance
food and bring people together around a table in celebration.
We hope our wine will enrich your holiday and bring some fun
to your dinner table.
We believe this shipment might be the best selection of wines
we've put together. In addition, we are extremely excited about
the new year and what the glut of wines on the world market will
do to prices. In any event, we will continue to search for value
wines from around the world and have fun doing it.
As always, we welcome and look forward to your comments and questions.
Please feel free to contact us at 707-529-0158 or via email at
ndellasantina@mindspring.com. We try to keep everyone updated
on the club through email, so if you haven't given us your email
address yet, please email it to us at the address above.
Tanti
Augurri e Buone Feste! - Best Wishes and Happy Holidays from
all of us at Enoteca Della Santina
Rivola,
Abadia Reduerta, Sardon de Duero, Spain 2001 - $14
Oh! Just another incredible Spanish wine that's cheap!! Spain
is definitely one of the hottest wine regions in the world right
now. Rivola comes from Sardon de Duero, a growing region near
the infamous Ribera Del Duero. There have been vineyards on the
Retuerta Abbey's estate since 1146. This Vino de Mesa Castilla
y Leon red table wine is a blend of 60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet
Sauvignon. The grapes are grown predominately in limestone soils
with some sand pebbles at elevations averaging 2,300 ft. Moreover,
this wine was aged for eight months in French and American oak
and bottled unfiltered.
Raspberries and cherries combined with a hint of cedar from the
oak dominate the nose of the wine. In the mouth, the wine has
a silky texture and a touch of vanilla, combined with a nice
acid balance. This wine is perfect with roasted meats or even
a spicy red sauce over pasta. Salute!
Celebre,
Ata Rangi, Martinborough, New Zealand 1999 - $29
Thad and I are rarely truly blown away simultaneously by a wine.
In this case, I was simply speechless and Thad, of course, couldn't
stop talking. We visited New Zealand earlier in the club with
a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc from Omaka Springs. However, this
blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot is stunning.
Ata Rangi, a Maori word meaning "dawning sky" or "new
beginning," is a world renown vineyard owned and managed
by Clive Paton, his wife Phyll, Clive's sister Alison and her
husband Oliver Masters. Clive planted the original home paddock
in Martinborough in 1980, and in doing so, was one of the handfulls
of people who pioneered grape growing in the region.
Celebre is a juicy, flavorsome, wintry comfort - food kind of
wine. It is pressed into French oak barriques (25% new) and aged
for nineteen months. The wine displays cassis, dark plum, licorice
and slightly gamey complexities on the nose while rich sweet
fruit follows through to the palate with hints of cigar box and
cedary oak. Open this wine a minimum of thirty minutes before
drinking, and pair this wine with lamb and call it a perfect
night.
Cabernet
Sauvignon, Atalon, Napa 1999 - $25
Read my lips, "no California wines." All right, so
we lied. We never expected to find value in California at the
beginning of the year but how quickly the market can change.
Atalon, a derivative of the French word for "benchmark,"
is one of Jess Jackson's prized projects. The winery was founded
in 1997 by the Jackson family to explore the valley and mountains
of the Napa Valley appellation under the direction of veteran
winemaker Tom Peffer. Eighty percent of the grapes come from
the infamous Beckstoffer vineyard in today's Oakville district.
The remaining grapes are sourced from Atlas Peak, Rutherford
and Mount Veeder.
The wine has won recent acclaim from wine critics including the
great Robert Parker who scored the wine 91 points and described
it as "reminiscent of a Pauillac such as Grand-Puy-Lacoste
… an outstanding value." Stephen Tanzer also loved
the wine, scoring it 92 points and calling it "An outstanding
value."
Atalon is incredibly dense, thick and silky. The wine explodes
with fruit from ripe cherries to sweet black cassis. The finish
is dominated by currant and spice flavors with cedar and vanilla
notes. Open this wine thirty minutes before drinking and pair
it with a grilled steak, venison or lamb.
Marquis, Chateauneuf Du Pape, France 2000 - $16
Yep! You're not seeing things. This is a Chateauneuf Du Pape
for only sixteen dollars. We tasted this wine earlier in the
year and loved it. Now, with a 33 percent discount, we really
love it. This wine is a 3000 case blend of 90% Grenache and 10%
Syrah. Moreover, our good friend Robert Parker tasted this wine
in the barrel and rated it an 89 - 91 points.
The wine has a dark ruby color and a nose packed with a jammy
bouquet of strawberries, black cherries, raspberries and pepper.
It is full - bodied but balanced with some nice acidity. Pair
it with roasted meats or a hearty pasta dish. Enjoy!
Joseph's
Hat, Ashanti, South Africa, 2000 - $15
It's about time!! We've been looking for another affordable South
African red wine since the second shipment when we presented
the Brampton Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is a blend of Pinotage
and Cabernet Sauvignon from the area of Paarl, which is just
about sixty kilometers northeast of Cape Town and just north
of Stellenbosch (arguably the center of the South African wine
industry).
The wine is very reminiscent of the Rhone region of France, as
the flavors of the terroir dominate the wine. Tannins and acid
give the wine a tartness while cherry and plum fruit gives the
wine a nice balance. This is a quintessential example of a food
wine, perfect for pairing with a hearty stew or roasted wild
game. More importantly, give this wine a few minutes to open
up and then enjoy!!
Moscato
D'Asti, Bera, 2001 - $0 Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!
It's fun to play Santa, especially when it involves wine. This
is a little gift from Thad, Nicole and I to say thank you for
your membership in Enoteca Della Santina. In addition to the
elegant Nebbiolo Della Langhe from the previous shipment, Allessandro
Bera makes this fresh and vivacious Moscato D'Asti. Made from
Muscat grapes, this wine is "frizzante", which translated
means lightly sparkling. It's loaded with flavors of ripe melon,
pears and apples. Interestingly, the wine is somewhat sweet in
the mouth but it finishes dry in the back palate. Traditionally,
this wine is had in the heat of the summer months. However, it's
perfect during the holidays with fruit desserts, cheeses or even
a nice slice of panetone (Italian sweet bread). Buon Natale e
Buon'Anno Nuovo - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Re
- Order Form
Wine
4 bottles 6 bottles case
Rivola,
Abadia Reduerta, Sardon de Duero, Spain 2001 - $14
Celebre, Ata Rangi, Martinborough, New Zealand 1999 - $29
Cabernet Sauvignon, Atalon, Napa 1999 - $25
Marquis, Chateauneuf Du Pape, France 2000 - $16
Joseph's Hat, Ashanti, South Africa, 2000 - $15
Brentino, Maculan, Veneto 2000 - $14
Nebbiolo, Bera, Piedmont 1997 - $16
Pinot Bianco, Torre Rosazza, Veneto - $18
Ribera Del Duero, Valderiz, Spain 1998 - $22
Pinot Grigio, Montresor, Verona 2001 - $11
Bordeaux, La Charmille, France 1999 - $8
Merlot, Villa Pillo, Tuscany 1997 - $14
Chateau Camou, Baja, Mexico 1998 - $32
Dolcetto, G.D. Vajra, Barolo 2000 - $16
Cote Du Rhone, Renjarde, France 2000 - $11
Chianti Riserva, Carpineto, Tuscany 1997 - $19
Salitage, Australia, 1999 - $17
Tormaresca, Antinori, Puglia 2000 $10
Rasteau, Mistral, France 1998 $14
Chianti, Agripeccioli, 2000 $7
Malbec, Santa Julia, Argentina 2000 $10
Barolo, Stefano Farina, Piedmont 1997 $26
Mapemma, Argentina 2000 $31
Gemola, Vignalta,"Colli Euganei," 1997 $28
Cabernet Sauvignon, Greystone, Australia 1999 $17
Sauvignon Blanc, Brampton, South Africa 2000 $9
Vacqueyras, Cailloux, France 1999 $18
Palazzo Della Torre, Allegrini, 1998 $16
Rioja, Sierra Cantabria, Spain 1999 $9
Vina Alarba Grenache 2001 $8
Omaka Springs Sauvignon Blanc 2000 $15
Rully, Red Burgundy, France 1998 $18
Ben Marco Malbec 1999 $20
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