Archive for January, 2010

This Week at Bella Vino – Jill from Perfecta Wine Company

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Hi Everyone,

We will be having our last wine tasting for the month of January on Friday. I can’t believe how fast January has gone by. I hope you’ll all be able to join us at our wine tasting on Friday (instead of Thursday) Jill will be pouring some terrific wines – one of them a 2005 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux that is delicious.

As a reminder we will be closing at 4:30 on Thursday to attend the Annual Easter Seals Wine Tasting. Hope to see you there.

Friday’s Wine Tasting – Jill

“New Wine” “New Wine” 2008 Valdivieso – 100% Chardonnay – Central Valley, Chili - This Chardonnay emphasizes fruit, made to be fresh and crisp. The fruit is sourced from cooler areas, and a small percentage is aged in Oak. Thus it is a wine about the fruit and where it was grown. ($12.99)

“New Wine” 2005 Duck Pond Cellars- 100% Merlot – Wahluke Slope, Washington  - The wine is rich with dark fruits such as plum and blackberry integrating beautifully with the French and American oak. Hints of leather and velvety texture with a bit of chocolate linger on the smooth finish. Excellent accompaniment for lamb or roast beef. Also pairs well with medium intensity foods like grilled portabellas or lasagna. ($16.99)

“New Wine” 2007 Duck Pond Cellars – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon – Columbia Valley, Washington - The vines spread their roots through sand and rock of the Eastern Washington desert seeking moisture. Their labor is intense as the sun beats down relentlessly. The grapes are small jewels, produced with great effort and concentrated in flavor. This wine embodies the elements of its creation: rich and ripe fruit flavors, powerful body and a heady aroma. Great balance lends the wine to a variety of food pairings; match for intensity. ($17.99)

2005 Chateau Fontlegade Grand Cru – 91% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon - Saint-Emilion Bordeaux, France - 91 Pts WS - Very dark in color, with beautiful aromas of blackberry, dark chocolate and raspberry that follow through to a full body, with soft, round tannins, a super velvety texture and a long, flavorful finish. ($59.99)

Our wine tasting on Friday is from 4:30 to 7:00.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

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This Week at Bella Vino – Amanda from The Imported Grape

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Hi Everyone,

I think it’s been snowing for 2 days straight! With the possibility of snow on Wednesday and Friday. That leaves us with a clear, sunny day for our wine tasting on Thursday. Amanda will be pouring 4 wines from Chile.

As a reminder, Bella Vino will be closed on Wednesday January 20. On Tuesday January 26 we will close at 2:00, Wednesday January 27 we will close at 1:30 and re-open at 5:00 and on Thursday January 28 we will close at 4:30 but will have our weekly wine tasting on Friday January 29 from 4:30 to 7:00.

Thursday’s Wine Tasting – Amanda

“New Wine” 2007 Tierra del Fuego Reserve – 100% Chardonnay – Maule Valley, Chile – Intense fruity aromas of pineapple, citrus and vanilla wiyh soft touches of burnt wood; strong and rounded in the mouth. Fresh acidity and pleasant finish. 50% aged in stainless steel and 50% aged in French oak. ($16.99)

“New Wine” 2004 Penalolen Vineyards – 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc – Maipo Valley, Chile - Deep and earthy, as the nose exhibits touches of warm dirt, stewed meat, fresh tomato and dark fruit. The palate is livelier than the bouquet, with cherry, cassis and other forward fruit flavors. Finishes smooth, with sweeping tannins. ($22.99)

2004 Marquis Lien – 50% Syrah, 25% Carmenere, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec – Colchagua Valley, Chili - 90 Pts W&S - To make this fruity, concentrated and complex wine, cultivated vines that bear no more than 12 bunches of grapes per vine were used. Only the ripest grapes are picked and sorted by hand. Aged in French oak for 12 months. ($24.99)

“New Wine” 2007 Apaltagua “Envero” Gran Reserva - 90% Carmenère, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon - Colchagua Valley, Chile - Apaltagua Winery, located in the prestigious Apalta region in Chile’s Colchagua Valley, specializes in one distinguished, but lesser known, grape varietal – Carmenère. Carmenère is considered the “lost Bordeaux” variety, as it was originally planted in Bordeaux, but was abandoned there because it was too late ripening for the Bordeaux climate. Thankfully, the Carmenère variety was imported to Chile where it not only survives (because of a longer growing season), but makes exceptionally good wines. Dark, rich fruit is complemented by eight months in French oak. All the fruit comes from the Apalta region of Colchagua, with the vines over 50 years old. A complex offering. ($18.99)

New Wine

“New Wine” 2006 Sunset Road Vintners – Independent Producers – 100% Merlot – Columbia Valley,  California - Independent Producers is a versatile, food-friendly Merlot. Offering lots of fruit, this multidimensional wine has lovely notes of raspberry, blackberry tart, and earth.  ($13.99) 

Our wine tasting on Thursday is from 4:30 to 7:00.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

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This Week at Bella Vino – Megan from Crush Distributors

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Hi Everyone,

I hope your week is going well and you are staying warm. I think we’re in for a heat wave on Friday and Saturday! Be sure to stop by on Thursday to taste some Megan’s delicious wines.

Bella Vino will be closed on Wednesday January 20. On Tuesday January 26 we will close at 2:00, Wednesday January 27 we will close at 1:30 and re-open at 5:00 and on Thursday January 28 we will close at 4:30 but will have our weekly wine tasting on Friday January 29 from 4:30 to 7:00. Whew! I’ll remind you next week!

Thursday’s Wine Tasting – Megan

2006 Italo Pietrantonj – 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy - This wine is full of dried floral and fruit notes complemented by soft leather and earthy aromas. Montepulciano’s deep color, its fulsome perfume and soft but thick body create a wine great for many food pairings and occasions. ($16.99)

“Returning Wine” 2005 D Cubed – Zinfandel – Napa Valley, California - 88 Pts WS - Supple and elegant, but well-structured, with wild berry and licorice aromas and zesty cherry, smoked sage and lingering cracked pepper flavors. Enjoy this with good friends and a nice Rib-eye steak or some rich risotto. ($29.99) 

2007 Arabella – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon – Ashton, South Africa - Brimming with abundant blackcurrant aromas, this full-bodied wine is a mouthful of juicy plum flavors. Delightfully versatile, it makes a delicious partner to a wide variety of foods. ($12.99)

“New Wine” 2006 Stephen Test - 100% Syrah - Dry Creek Valley, California - 91 Pts WS - Fresh, ripe, intense and vibrant, with a tasty core of wild berry, spice, cedar and mineral that’s complex, showing a trace of heat. ($32.99)

Our wine tasting on Thursday is from 4:30 to 7:00.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

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This Week at Bella Vino – Southern Wine and Spirits

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a great holiday season and can now sit back and enjoy this winter weather! I’m dreaming about summer already. We have some great wines to pour on Thursday that will surely warm you from the inside out! Actually, I will be pouring the wines from Southern Wine and Spirits, solo, so drop by and visit with me!

Thursday Wine Tasting – ME

“New Wine” 2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle – 100% Sauvignon Blanc - Horse Heaven Vineyards, Washington State – This Sauvignon Blanc from Horse Heaven Vineyard delivers aromas of citrus and green apple with lively herb spice notes. Partial stainless steel fermentation to preserve the Sauvignon Blanc’s vibrant varietal character and fresh, crisp quality. This wine represents the classic Washington style of Sauvignon Blanc with a crisp citrus character and a soft mouthfeel. ($17.99)

“New Wine” 2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle - 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Syrah, 1% Malbec - Columbia Valley, Washington State - The Indian Wells Cabernet is a warm climate ripe, jammy New World style of Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine really typifies the Wahluke Slope region with up front, dark fruit aromas and flavors with hints of vanilla. Vineyards in the area are more than a decade old now and showing character and complexity. ($18.99) 

2006 Tintara – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon – McLaren Valley, Australia - This Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of blackcurrant, cassis and mulberries. The flavors are blackberry, mulberry and spice with a structure of nice chewy tannins and flavours that will develop with cellaring. This wine is the classic double threat of being drinkable now, and cellaring extremely well to develop complexity in the bottle over time. ($19.99)

“New Wine” 2006 Fetish Winery “The Watcher” - 100% Shiraz - Barossa Valley, Australia – 91 Pts WS - Supple, generous and deftly balanced to show plenty of ripe cherry and plum fruit, shaded with sweet spices. But there’s not a lot of weight, and this finishes with elegance and restraint. Best from 2010 through 2020. ($23.99)

New Wine

“New Wine” 2007 A to Z – 100% Pinot Noir - Willamette Valley, Oregon  - The 2007 A to Z Pinot Noir is true to variety and vintage with bold aromatics and a palate to please. This wine has moderately-deep color and a tannin profile to match. The dark spices on the nose and palate complement the flavors you would expect from a good Oregon Pinot Noir: blackberry, raspberry, black cherry and earth. The oak profile is restrained and the natural acidity from the 2007 vintage gives the wine precision and tautness. ($24.99)

Our wine tasting on Thursday is from 4:30 to 7:00.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

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