Erickson's Newsletter

Specials and Events

Holiday Preview, Friday and Saturday, December 5th and 6th.

Sales and sampling all weekend. I'll have more details as we get closer.

Ask us about our custom gift baskets using the wooden wine crates.

This months deal of the century.

Brand New!

2006 Ravenswood, Vintner's Petite Sirah $7.99 or $79.99 per case

A new wine in Ravenswood's "Vintner's" lineup. I was blown away by the richness of this wine for under ten bucks. Deep and brooding but the tannins aren't too strong

The Wine Spectator Top 10 of 2008

At press time (I know I'm late this month) the spectator has released the top 100 of this year. #10 is a stunner.....

2007 Seghesio, Zinfandel $18.49 per bottle or $199.99 per case

93pts Wine Spectator #10 wine of the year.

"A seductive and vigorous Zinfandel, with smoky black cherry and blueberry aromas and youthful wild berry, sage and cracked pepper flavors that have a lingering finish and zesty tannins. Drink now through 2012."

The Wine if the Year is the 2005 Casa Lapostolle, Clos Apalta from Chile. It is, of course, sold out but I do have a little left of the 2004 that scored a lowly 93 points in the Spectator. $66.99

"Offers gorgeous aromas of crushed plum and boysenberry fruit, with notes of sweet tobacco, mocha and vanilla. Delivers a plush, silky texture through the fruit-filled finish, with a fine, buried minerality. Carmenère, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2014."

That Clos Apalta is primarily made from the Carmenere grape. If you want to try a Carmenere from the great 2005 vintage I recommend

2005 Concha y Toro, Carmenere "Terrunyo" $39.99 93pts Wine Advocate, 94pts Wine & Spirits

"The 2005 Carmenere is opaque purple in color with a kinky perfume of smoky oak, violets, spice box, blueberry preserves, and blackberry liqueur. This leads to a silky textured wine with remarkable richness, concentration, and depth. This opulent effort conceals enough structure to evolve for 3-5 years but can be enjoyed now as well as over the next 10-15 years."

The #6 wine of the year is the 2004 Pio Cesare, Barolo which actually hasn't been released locally yet. I have the 2003 for $54.99 that made last year's list 93pts Wine Spectator

""Has fabulous blackberry and mineral, with hints of toasty oak. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Very concentrated, yet racy and structured. Resembles the 2000. Gorgeous. Best after 2009."

#12 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon "Don Melchor" $69.99 96pts Wine Spectator

#13 2004 Mount Eden, Chardonnay "Estate" $45.99 94pts Wine Spectator

#24 2005 Andrew Will "Champoux Vineyard", Horse Heaven Hills $54.99 94pts Wine Spectator

#40 2008 Kim Crawford, Sauvignon Blanc $15.99 91pts Wine Spectator

#49 2005 Dierberg, Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley $39.99 92pts Wine Spectator

#59 2007 Terredora, Falanghina $15.99 90pts Wine Spectator

#72 2006 Zind Humbrecht, Riesling, Auslese $20.99 91pts Wine Spectator

#77 NV Duval Leroy, Brut $34.99 91pts Wine Spectator

#83 2007 Two Hands, Shiraz "Angel's Share" $35.49 92pts Wine Spectator

#98 2005 Niepoort, Douro "Verente" 92pts Wine Spectator

A couple other nice Petite Sirah

2004 Parducci, Petite Sirah "True Grit" $20.99 94pts Wine & Spirits

"Paul Dolan and the Thornhill family joined forces to buy Parducci in 2004, converting this old Mendocino winery into a thoroughly modern one. This petite takes Parducci into a new league: It's a vibrant wine, saturated in its color and its purple-black fruit, pure Mendocino petite in the redwood-frond character of the tannin and delicious for it. There's a bluesy tension right in the middle of the wine where acidity drives all the dark tones into a brighter riff. Check this out."

2006 J. Lohr, Petite Sirah "Tower Road" $18.49

J. Lohr's first foray into Petite is a successful one. It's on the riper, more zin-like side.

Wines for Thanksgiving

With the traditional Thanksgiving meal, there are so many competing flavors in the various dishes, there's no one wine that will match everything but there are some easy rules to go by:

1. Avoid anything too heavy (most cabernet and chardonnay are out)

2. Avoid anything too oaky (see above)

3. Avoid anything too acidity particularly if you like cranberries (New Zealand sauvignon blanc is out)

4. Find a wine with fresh fruit... but too jammy. Many food magazines are recommending zinfandel this year, but be careful here. Avoid the overly ripe, alcoholic zins.

5. A touch of sweetness works. Don't be afraid of a lightly sweet riesling or chenin blanc.

Here's a small sample of great Thanksgiving wines to try:

2007 Conterno Fantino, Dolcetto d'Alba $20.99

The 2007 Dolcetto d’Alba Bricco Bastia is a delicious, fleshy wine loaded with fragrant ripe dark fruit, spices and minerals. This medium to full-bodied Dolcetto offers gorgeous length and elegance to spare. Year in year out, this is one of my favorite Dolcettos on the market." 89pts Wine Advocate

2006 Montinore Estate, Gewurztraminer, Willamette Valley $11.99

Fully dry, this wine has the classic spicy/floral varietal character.

2006 Montinore Estae, Muller-Thurgau, Willamette Valley $6.99

This lightly sweet white from a grape related to riesling has fresh, bright citrus and pear fruit.

2008 Beaujolais Nouveau

Released the third Thursday of every November...... the 15th this year.

Any number of Pinot Noir's can work well like:

2007 Castle Rock, Pinot Noir Sonoma $11.99

2007 Belle Glos, Pinot Noir, "Meomi" $36.49 (new from the Caymus family of wines)

2006 Elk Cove, Pinot Noir Willamette Valley $23.49 (wines from the great oregon 2006 vintage are running out)

2007 Terredora, Falanghina, Italy $15.99 90pts Wine Spectator

"A vivid white, with peach, lemon, mineral and light honey. Full-bodied, with lots of fruit and a long, flavorful finish. Very delicious. Very good value as well. Drink now."

Don't forget dry rose.

2007 Chateau Guibot, Costieres de Nimes, $8.99

And wines with a little sweetness can be nice too.

2003 J. J. Prum, Riesling, Wehlener Kabinett, Sale $18.49 Reg. $24.99 90pts Wine Spectator

"Extremely fragrant, expressive and beautifully put together, offering peach, lime, slate and a hint of quinine flavors. Firm and balanced, it should age well into the next decade. Drink now through 2015."

And one great Idaho wine I've written about before:

2007 Cinder, Viognier, Idaho $15.49

Sale Wines

2005 Teruzzi & Puthod, "Terre di Tufi" Sale $14.99 Reg. $20.99 89pts Wine Spectator

"Pleasant, with lemon, apple and light vanilla character. Medium-bodied, with a fresh finish. Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Chardonnay, Malvasia and Vermentino."

2001 Monte Antico, Rosso Toscana 1.5L Sale $14.99 Reg. $22.99 88pts Wine Spectator

"Lovely plum and berry character, with loads of ripe fruit. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long finish. Delicious. Best ever under this label. A super Tuscan value. "

1999 Il Fueduccio, "Ursonia" Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Sale $21.99 Reg. $34.99 89pts Wine Advocate

"The 1999 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Ursonia has classic Montepulciano plum and blackberry jam aromas in addition to its full ruby color, but the palate, at the moment, is a bit tightly wound and austere, though the length and persistence suggest that it is a wine with some way to go. Drink: 2006-2012."

More Malbec!

2007 Amancaya, Malbec/Cabernet $18.49 90pts Wine Spectator

"Concentrated and focused, with alluring cedar and roasted vanilla notes weaving through the dark currant and plum fruit, followed by a nicely structured finish. More Cabernet than Malbec. Rock Solid."

2007 Dona Paula, Malbec $12.99 90pts Wine Spectator

"Dark and winey, with warm currant paste, cocoa powder and Turkish coffee notes backed by solid grip on the fleshy finish. Nice hint of grilled sage adds dimension too. Drink now through 2009."

2007 Achaval-Ferrer, Malbec $21.49 91pts Wine Spectator

"Rich, with delicious raspberry and macerated currant fruit enlivened by a strong violet aroma and a piercing mineral streak. The long, dark, juicy finish is very vivid and racy. Drink now through 2009."

2007 A-Lisa, Malbec $20.99 90pts Wine Spectator

"Racy and delicious, delivering vibrant raspberry and blueberry fruit stretched over sweet vanilla and graphite notes, with a really fresh finish. Malbec and Merlot. Drink now through 2009. 2,500 cases made."

2004 Sagelands, Malbec, Colombia Valley $15.99

Normally a "winery only" item but we managed to talk them out of a little bit. A chewey, cabernet-weight wine.

More new odds-and-ends

2005 Chateau Fongabon, Puiisseguin Saint-Emilion $19.99

A great little petite-chateau Bordeaux from an awesome vintage.

2007 l'Ecole No. 41, "Luminesse" Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc $16.49

I wrote a couple months ago about the pleasures of Walla Walla Semillon. This is a new bottling from l'Ecole and it's barrel fermented like a chardonnay. It's a great alternative for those who like big, creamy whites but want to try something new.

Collector's Corner

2007 Amon-Ra, Shiraz $79.99

No reviews yet but the last two vintages got 98pts and 97-100, but the biggest difference is the production. The just kept making more and more since I first bought the 2001. With the 2007, they've cut waaay back and only 7 6pks came to Idaho for both Boise and Sun Valley.

2005 Abeja, Cabernet Sauvignon "Reserve Two" $75.99

A true reserve from Walla Walla, only made in the best vintages. An oaky cab-lover's dream.

Last call's for the vintage on:

2005 Caymus Special Select, $129.99

2006 Orin Swift Prisoner $29.99 or $69.99 for wax-finished magnums

2005 Fidelitas, Cabernet Sauvignon "Champoux Vinehard" $54.99

Cheers,