K&L Wine News: August 2012 Online Newsletter and Staff Picks

We've posted the latest electronic copy of our printed newsletter in PDF format online, available for view or dowload at http://www.klwines.com/staff/3005pdf/August12.pdf -- here are some of our highlighted recommendations this month:

2011 Domaine Begude Pinot Noir Vin de Pays d'Oc Rosé ($12.99) This elegant and crisp Pinot Rosé hails from Domaine Begude, a small family -owned property located high in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the Limoux region of the Languedoc.

Chiara Shannon: What's not to love here? With fresh watermelon and strawberry aromas and flavors lifted by hints of tomato leaf and chalky minerals, this 100% Pinot Noir rose is fruity and refreshing without skimping on complexity. Served chilled, this is delightful on its own or accompanied by a fresh nicoise salad. It would also make a cleansing counter pairing to a more substantial dish, such as a provencal chicken or sausage stew with tomato and fresh rosemary.

2010 Eyrie Vineyards Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Gris ($13.99) 93 WE A blend of grapes from all four of their Dundee Hills vineyards, Eyrie's estate Pinot Gris was a trailblazer for the varietal in Oregon with its first bottling in 1970.

Bryan Brick: On a recent week long trip to Oregon scouting out wines with my counterpart in San Francisco Mike Jordan we found tons of great stuff. We met with something like 30 wineries and were impressed by pretty much everyone; however few of our visits rivaled the one we had with Jason Lett at Eyrie Vineyards...From what may be some of the oldest Pinot Gris vines in the Willamette Valley this Pinot Gris is head and shoulders above all that we tasted on our trip...more

2009 Bodegas Norton "Privada" Mendoza ($17.99) 93 WE | 91 RP | 91 WS Bodegas Norton is back in a big way with their Privada bottling from the very solid 2009 vintage made of nearly equal parts Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Joe Manekin: Though I'm not a "brand hater"...the larger guys need to continually prove themselves and earn a spot here. And this year, Norton really earned it. Their 2009 privada bottling is all pure, fresh, focused red fruits, with a satisfying texture and persistent finish. For the price, you could not ask for a tastier new world Malbec Cab blend.

 2010 Sarno Fiano di Avellino ($24.99) Tenuta Sarno's organically farmed vineyards are situated on 4.5 hectares and are planted on rich soil deposits of calcareous clay and limestone characteristic of the region- a phenomenon attributable to the great eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1944.

Chris Miller: Citrus, foral notes and minerals blossom on the mid-palate of this rich, textured white. The long , elegant fnish gives way to notes of honey and toasted hazelnuts. Hands down, one of the best Fiano d'Avellino I've ever tasted.

2002 Domaine Moillard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru "Malconsorts" ($74.99) *Outstanding* 89-94 BH With Pascal Marchand consulting and a movement to biodynamic growing, the estate wines from this negociant are getting better and better. 

Susan Thornett: We don't often get beautiful, direct-from-France, well-aged Burgundies so it is a real pleasure to have this 02 Malconsorts available to sell. It needs some time to open in a decanter as it is still a little young. Lots of forest-floor and rich mushroomy goodness on the nose, the structure is quite firm and well balanced, do enjoy this one with food!

Bestsellers

Want to see which wines are most popular with our customers? We constantly update our lists of bestselling wines, online at: http://www.klwines.com/bestsellers.asp  

We offer five excellent wine clubs and a new exclusive Personal Sommelier Service, that allow you to sample outstanding wines from all over the world. Due to our bulk purchase power and longstanding relationships, the quality and value offered by these clubs are tremendous. Unlike winery clubs where you typically taste the same wines year after year, our clubs offer phenomenal variety that is strictly selected by our panel of buyers. See for yourself.

Wine of the Week: 2010 Adegas Cooperativos de Monção "Muralhas" Rosé Vinho Verde ($9.99)

2010 Adegas Cooperativos de Moncao "Muralhas" Rosé Vinho Verde ($9.99)

When a Personal Sommelier customer emails me a picture of one of her recent personalized selections with the subject "AMAZING WINE!" and places an order for more, I get that warm and fuzzy feeling of a job well done.  

Of course, she's not the only one who has gone gaga over the 2010 Adegas Coopertivos de Monção "Muralhas" Vinho Verde Rosé ($9.99).  In our last rosé-themed staff tasting in Redwood City, this unabashadly pink, slightly fizzy rose from the Monção subregion of the Vinho Verde DOC in Northern Portugal, emerged as a clear favorite, eliciting comments from otherwise professional K&L staffers like "I wouldn't mind taking a bottle of this to the dome," "not too much wrong with that for $10!" and "this just makes me happy."

Made from a blend of traditional Portuguese grape varietals including Alvarelhao, Pedral and Vinhao, this rosé has a lovely vibrant pink color and enticing bouquet of sun-kissed raspberries and ripe melon. Racy acidity and a bit of spritz makes this slightly off-dry, fizzy wine finish clean and with the perception of dryness.

Pick up a bottle.  Served chilled, this lower alcohol (only 11% abv) and incredibly food-friendly rosé just might amaze you, too.

No Way Rosé

I didn’t think I would need to start this post with a defense of rosé, but after conducting a little poll on Facebook, I’ve discovered that there are still a handful of you who cringe whenever someone suggests: “drink pink.” Which means our job—rescuing rosé from the cloying clutches of White Zinfandel—is not done. We will not rest until “no way rosé” is a thing of the past.

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