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"Our
cellar delivered to your door"
Finally
it has arrived!!! Welcome to Enoteca Della-Santina. We are excited
about the response of our members and the future of our club.
Since Thaddeus and I started talking about our new adventure
back in May, a few challenges and exciting changes came our way.
Thaddeus started a new company, while my wife Nicole and I had
our second son, Marco Giovanni Della Santina. We remained committed
to our vision and slowly put everything together. We thank our
early members for their patience as we gathered sufficient numbers
to begin shipping. Please enjoy the selections and share them
with your friends. Better yet, have them sign up for the next
release and you can drink their wine. All kidding aside, Thaddeus
and I would like to extend a special offer to our founding members
- a ten percent discount on the next shipment for each new referred
club member. For example, sign up two people and get twenty percent
off, five and get fifty percent or ten and get the next shipment
free. More than ten, Thaddeus and I will probably have to take
you to dinner.
Getting back to the business of wine, Thaddeus and I are wine
lovers and drinkers, not wine journalists. We want to explore
wines, not rate them. Our goal is to sift through the immense
wine haystack for the proverbial needle. Like we stated before,
we are looking for great wines that offer great value, regardless
of the varietal or the region.
Our first release consists of six wines from all over the world.
New Zealand offers a refreshing and unique twist on Sauvignon
Blanc. While the Malbec from Argentina, with its big ripe fruit
and oak overtones are a great example of the new world style.
The European wines we chose test the old world wine traditions.
The Spanish Grenache with its spicy fruit is our everyday selection.
Furthermore, Italy seems to showcase its regional varietals whether
it is Primitivo from the state of Puglia or Valpolicella from
the Veneto. Last but not least is the Rully, a great example
of Pinot Noir from Burgundy.
Please enjoy the wines and remember that any of these wines,
subject to availability, can be re-ordered in quantities of four,
six or 12 bottles. Fax us at (707) 933-0737 or place your order
at (707) 935-7613. E-mail us at ndellasantina@mindspring.com.
In the future, the newsletter will be sent with the wines and
via e-mail. Enjoy e Salute!!!
Omaka
Springs Sauvignon Blanc 2000 - $15
Please do not drink this wine if you have a cold or allergies.
You don't want to miss the nose on this wine. It has hints of
citrus and tropical fruit without the herbaceous scents that
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc can have. The fruit fills up your
mouth but the acid and alcohol contrast to keep the fruit from
getting flat or flabby. It is a great contrast. Moreover, this
is not a delicate wine. This wine can easily be paired with cheeses
and appetizers as well as all kinds of white fish, oysters and
crab, or simply, as a sipping wine while you're cooking.
Vina Alarba Grenache 1999 - $6
Grenache is one of those varietals that are found in almost every
wine region of the world. The Rhone region of France, with great
wines like Chateanuf Du Pape, is one area where great Grenache
is found. However, even in California, tons of it is grown from
Bakersfield to Lodi, with most of the juice ending up in box
wines. Grenache vines can yield large tonnage but the fruit tends
to be pretty bland. More than likely, this region in Spain produced
the Spanish equivalent of box wines for a while but someone limited
the tonnage and worked this vineyard to produce a very nice inexpensive
and quality wine. The vines are over 50 years old.
The wine needs to be open for about 20 minutes to come together.
It has a great nose of plums and spicy pepper and is a medium
body wine without much oak influence. We really like the balance
and the fruit. You can drink it with appetizers or with a simple
meal. It is not often you can find a wine for this price that
has so much going for it.
Vincent Dureuil- Janthial Rully Red Burgundy 1998 - $18
This is a first - class introduction to Red Burgundy. This Rully
is exactly what the wine club is looking for, incredible quality
for a great price. Thaddeus and I have much to learn about Red
Burgundy. We know that burgundies can be extremely expensive
and that there are many producers from several small regions,
villages and even growers. Rully is the region where this wine
originates. In general, this region is not highly regarded but
luckily for us, this producer stands out from the rest.
Red Burgundy is Pinot Noir. However, it differs tremendously
from jammy California Pinot Noir. This wine is a medium bodied
food wine. It has a wonderful floral fruity nose. It needs a
20 minutes to an hour to open up. Without food it has a tart
finish, which is found in many Burgundies. But with food that
disappears and the fruit and spice come through. We would not
serve this wine with Beef Wellington but it could be served it
with hearty comfort food. Chicken or salmon with a heavy sauce
would be great. The earthiness of Red Burgundy pairs incredibly
well with mushrooms of all sorts…maybe some Penne con Funghi
from Della Santina's!!!
Le
Ragose Valpolicella Classico Riserva 1997- $15
Welcome to Italian wine. Where's the pasta?? This is truly old
world wine showing its finesse and timeless qualities. Valpolicella
comes from the region around Venice called the Veneto. It is
a combination of several grape varieties including Corvina. Most
importantly, this wine is classified as a classico riserva because
it is made in the ripasso style as is its big brother Amarone.
This Valpolicella is first pressed during the initial crush.
The juice is later re-passed over the skins of the same grapes,
which have been dried through the winter months exposed to the
elements.
The wine exudes the classic Valpolicella characteristics of cherries,
anise and black currants. There is a perfect balance between
the acid and the fruit allowing it to be paired easily with all
types of food including pastas, poultry, lamb and veal.
Terre
di Don Peppe Primitivo di Manduria 1997 - $16
Can anybody say zinfandel?? Yes, primitivo is a clone of zinfandel.
However, this wine definitely shows its Italian roots. The state
of Puglia in south - central Italy is home to the producer of
this wine; the large co-operative of Locorotondo. Moreover, this
region has seen a recent boom in vineyard planting and wine production,
including for example, the purchase of large amounts of land
by the Mondavi family.
The greatness of the '97 vintage shows itself once again in this
wine. It exudes flavors of black pepper, cherries, anise and
caramel. However, what makes this wine different from California
zinfandels is the balance of this subtle fruit with the acid
and the tannins. Therefore, this primitivo becomes and a great
food wine. Put it with duck, rabbit or lamb and this wine shines.
Ben
Marco Malbec 1999 - $20
It's a brave new world and this is exactly why the term new world
wines was created. Several areas of South America have the perfect
microclimates and soil conditions for growing and producing great
wines. Argentina is obviously one of these spots.
Malbec is a varietal once used primarily in the blending of wines.
It can be found in the great Bordeaux wines of France or the
meritages of California. In Argentina, it has found a perfect
home. This wine is extremely extracted and loaded with fruit.
Ripe cherries and plums dominate the wine as strong oak flavors
soften it in the palate. The high alcohol gives the wine a velvet
quality as it coats the entire mouth. Drink the Ben Marco with
a steak, lamb or just simply drink it alone, it's incredible.
Enjoy e Salute!!!
Re
- Order Form
Wine 4 bottles 6 bottles case
Vina Alarba Grenache 99'
Le
Ragose Valpolicella Classico Riserva 97'
Omaka
Springs Sauvignon Blanc 00'
Terre
di Don Peppe Primitivo di Manduria 97'
Vincent
Dureuil - Janthial Rully Red Burgundy 98'
Ben
Marco Malbec 99'
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