Passover is here and Easter is coming this Sunday. Folks, we hope you celebrate with friends, family and enjoy great wines. Have fun these holidays, reveling in a burgeoning spring.
Cooking on Easter, or any holiday, gives us fabulous food to pair with our wide variety of wines. I guess it depends on what foods we are preparing this year: ham, turkey, lamb or a roast. I could be totally wrong and you could be a vegetarian or a tofu junkie and if that’s the case, we still have wines for you. Or, grab some challah and a good kosher red; you’ll love it.
Alright let’s start with the whites first! We will be going lightest to heaviest to help you pair with your chosen meal.
Ken Forrester, Petit Chenin 2009. Petit just means smaller clusters on the vine – not smaller taste! Don’t let the name take anything away from what this wine gives. The palate is acid-driven with notes of dusty apple and wet wool, great characteristics of a good Chenin. $11
Kuentz-Bas, Alsace White 2007. This blend of Sylvaner, Muscat, Auxerrois, and Chasselas. These grapes are all indigenous to Alsace. Bone dry with notes of apples, under ripe peach, and flint. Killer juice!!! $17
It’s back with a new vintage – 2009 Sineann Pinot Gris. Could be one of the best Pinot Gris on the market. Very clean with notes of apples, pear, and acidity that will leave you thirsting for more. $21
Remo Farina, Bianco di Custoza 2007. 40% Garganega, 25% Trebbiano, 15% Fernanda, 20% Malvasia, Riesling Italico, Chardonnay, Sauvignon. This wine is crazy with notes of pear, lemon and elderberry. Very dry, very clean. $15
Gessami, Gramona 2007. Might be one of the coolest whites in the store. This wine comes from the region of the Penedes. A blend of Muscat, Gewurz, and Chard. Very aromatic and dry. Floral notes of honeysuckle followed by pear and ripe peach with notes of orange. $17
Chasing Venus, Sauvignon Blanc 2009. New Zealand, I feel, has turned the corner on their Sauv’s. The grassy, citrus driven Sauv is a thing of the past. Sauv Blanc has become more passion fruit and kiwi driven but still retaining it’s acid. $13
Bernard Moreau, Borgogne 2007. If you ever get a chance to try a great Burgundy you should try this. This wine comes from all Premier Cru vineyards; those wines cost at least $70 on the shelf. So guess what I did! I found a wine that will blow your mind for a third of that. Notes of apple skin, pear, marzipan, and toasted nuts. The minerality and acid on this wine is ridiculous. $26
Arnot-Roberts, Green Island Vineyard Chardonnay 2009. Duncan was the old assistant winemaker for Pax wines. His infectious gift for wine making puts him up in the mix for some of the best small case Chard on the market. Fresh tangerine, minerals and brown spices on the nose, while the palate gives notes of orchard fruit. $33
Kongsgaard, Chardonnay 2007- This is the show stopper for those of you who just want to get loose this Easter and try one of the best keep secrets and most highly allocated whites in Colorado. This is Kongsgaard. 100% Chardonnay has notes of liquid rocks, flowers, citrus, stone fruit and anything else you can think of that comes out of Chardonnay. $114
Well, I think these whites are not bad choices at all for you guys. Remember, some of these whites are exclusive to the Cellar.
For those that don’t drink white, here are the reds. Lightest to heaviest of course.
Domaine Huber-Verdereau, Bourgogne Rouge 2008. This wine comes from the Pommard appellation in the Beaune region of France. Very high toned cherry fruit backed with a stony minerality that only Burgundy has. This Domaine will be one to look for. His wines are solid. $30
Brewer and Clifton, Pinot Noir 2008. Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton started their project way back in the early 90′s, ’96 was their first production. This is the best 2008 Pinot I have had. Notes of orange rind, lavender, raspberry, morello cherries, black tea and great acid balances it all. $41
Eric Solomon and Isaac Fernandez, Creta Roble 2006. Great wine from the Ribera del Duero in Spain. 100% Tempranillo that’s aged only 4-6 months in oak to impart depth but not take away from the great black fruit tones that drive this wine. $17
Owen Roe, Sinister Hand 2008. David O’Reilly is the mastermind behind Owen Roe. O’Reilly and others show us what a little Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre can do in the Columbia Valley. Silky smooth with black fruits and pepper spice. $28
Fanetti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Reserva 2001. Fanetti is to Vino Nobile like champagne powder is to Steamboat Springs, if you know what I’m saying. Constructed of mainly Prugnolo Gentile, which is a form of Sangiovese. This wine is rad, notes of tomato leaf, cherry pith, violets and leather. This is a must have, must try…a must. $39
Turley, Dogtown Zinfandel 2007. Who doesn’t like good Zin? Well, some people just don’t like Zin. Tons of spice, layers of berry fruit and this wine is made by a young and talented guy by the name of Aaron Jordan. What’s not to like? $49
Amiral De Beychevelle, Bordeaux 2005. For the people that like bigger wines, but bigger wines that have finesse, this wine is for you. A blend of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot; this wine show notes of cedar, pencil shavings, black currant, anise and character. And oh yeah, 2005 was one of the best vintages ever. $50
That, my friends, is all I got. Well actually, there are a lot more wines than the ones I have written about. If these prices aren’t in your budget or the wines not exactly to your taste, we have other wines that fit the bill. I hope this helps with your holiday choices. We’d love to be a part of your celebrations. Thanks for thinking of us.
Cheers!!!
