You'll Want to Know About These Wines
Today we have two new red wines we think you'll really enjoy from France and Spain.
Château Saint-Roch Chimères 2009 (Languedoc-Roussillon, France)
Château Saint-Roch was recently purchased by superstar winemaker Jean Marc Lafage, so you know this is going to be a really good wine. Saint-Roch is located near Maury, which is 15 miles from Perpignan and the Mediterranean Sea.
Winemaker Jean Marc Lafage His Friends from the Cape
The vineyards at Saint Roch are surrounded with blackberry bushes, fig trees, pomegranate trees, cherry trees and oaks, as well as thyme, lavender and fennel. Without making a case for terroir, it doesn't seem to be a coincidence these flavors are reflected in the wine.
The name Chimères is a French word meaning “utopic dream.” The name alone is reason to drink this wine.
Also it's really, really good. This wine explodes in the glass with vitality and charisma. In a way, it's shameless. Over the top. Borderline illegal. However you want to describe it, make no mistake. There is a serious "taste per dollar" going on with this wine.
And it has the style and quality we have come to expect from Jean Marc Lafage.
"From Syrah, Grenache, and Carignan grown on schist, the Chateau Saint Roch 2009 Cotes du Roussillon Chimeres delivers scents and palate impingement akin to crushed stone, with iodine and fruit pit further accenting its ripe dark cherry, purple plum, and black raspberry fruit. This displays a saturation of tine tannins and a stain-inducing intensity of sheer fruit, along with a surprising sense of lift and vivacity." (Wine Advocate)
Wine Advocate: 91 points
This full-throttled, lip-staining red is a pleasure to drink. It tastes like a Côtes du Rhône on steroids. We assume you're ok with that?
$17.99/bottle or $172.70/12 pack case ($14.39/bottle) or just $14.39/bottle in a mixed case of wine.
Herencia Altes Garnatxa Negra 2010 (Terra Alta, Spain)
Old Vines At High Altitudes
Tucked away in the southeastern corner of Catalonia, bordering Aragon and Valencia, Terra Alta has always boasted a large area of old Grenache bush vines. This area of Spain is fascinating in that the combination of its ancient Grenache vines along with its steep altitudes begs for a comparison to the expensive Priorat.
The main difference is the soil. The Priorat is largely slate, and Terra Alta is chalk, which results in a lighter, more vibrant wine.
It is here where Núria Altés, whom we met just a few weeks ago for the first time, makes her delightful wines. While the white Garnatxa Blanca has not not yet arrived in the United States, the red Garnatxa Negra is available now and it's tasting great.
"Juicy, precise red and dark berry flavors show impressive depth and clarity and gain flesh with air. Finishes sweet and long, with lingering red fruit notes and no rough edges. This is an outstanding value." (International Wine Cellar)
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: 90 points
"The unoaked 2010 Garnatxa Negra (100%) was given some lees contact to enhance the richness and texture. Smoke, spice box, incense, mineral, and pure black cherry aromas are striking. Mouth-filling and elegant with enough structure to keep the wine for several years, this superb value finishes with no hard edges." (Wine Advocate)
Wine Advocate: 89 points
$12.99/bottle or $124.70/12 pack case ($10.39/bottle) or just $10.39/bottle in a mixed case of wine. A nice value wine for every day.
P.S.
After much begging and pleading, we were able to obtain 10 more cases of the Cercius Côtes du Rhône Villages. You know, the one with the monster score everyone loved, drinking like a Châteauneuf du Pape for under $15 after discount? We didn't think we would get another pass at it, but we called in a favor. Shazaam.
We received the largest alloation of this wine in Massachusetts. Lucky us. Lucky you. Get it while you can before the party is over.
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Town Center Wine & Spirits
Cape Cod's Most Trusted Wine Merchant
Location
4550 State Highway
North Eastham, MA 02651
(Next to the Royal Thai Restaurant in the Town Center Plaza)
Tel: 508 255 3660
Fax: 508 255 6736 |
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Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m
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