This charming wine is from the Pays d’Herault appellation in the Languedoc region in the
South of France. It’s a perfect summer white, with a blend of Grenache Blanc,
Sauvignon Blanc and Terret. Light to medium bodied, it’s dry but with plenty of
soft fruit. Minerals emerge on the finish. It’s terrific as an aperitif or just to
cool off by the pool, and will pair nicely with soft cheeses, salads, pastas,
chicken and fish dishes. Buy it by the case. $9.99
Garnet Wines and Liquors Blog
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Monday, June 1, 2015
Laurent-Perrier Millesime 2004 Champagne
We recently opened a fantastic vintage champagne that is
also an unbelievable value. Laurent-Perrier’s Millesime 2004, a blend of 50/50
Chard and Pinot Noir, merits comparison with vintage champagnes that cost much
more, and can easily outdistance other cuvees in a similar price range.
This sparkler sports a gorgeous medium gold color. Vibrant,
with lovely bubbles and terrific mousse and texture. Toasted cocoanut is found
on a nose that also includes freshly cut hay, toasty apples and vanilla. The medium
to full bodied palate has berry fruit, hazelnut, plus baked apple. The long,
dry finish includes more subtle apple flavors along with a mineral component. Swirling
produces subtle earth aromas. There is excellent acidity and great balance. The
wine is bright, crisp and drinking great at eleven years of age. A steal at
$48.97 –Christian Botta
Saturday, May 2, 2015
New York State Wines Ready for Summer!
As part of New York State Wine Week at Garnet, we held a
tasting that included two of the top producers from the Finger
Lakes region: Ravines Wine Cellars and Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard.
Wiemer has been listed on Wine and Spirits Top 100 wineries in the world for
the past 6 years while Ravines has been featured on the Wine Spectator top 100
wines list twice since 2010.
The region’s unique soils combined with the lakes’
moderating effects on weather have made it ideal for many cooler climate
varietals to thrive. The 2012 vintage featured a long, warm growing season
adding richness and depth to the reds which was perfectly showcased in the
Wiemer Cabernet Franc. A wetter than normal summer in 2013 meant ripening was a
bit behind schedule but a perfect September and October saved the day.
Rieslings fared very well and the 2013 Ravines Dry Riesling showed beautifully,
ready for the summer months ahead.
Those inclined to seek out a sweeter rendition can look for
the Late Harvest Riesling from Wiemer. Lucious yet elegant, it’s a perfect
match for lobster come June. Oskar Bynke, co-owner of Hermann Wiemer
explained that the 2014 season started off with quite a scare. Record low
temperatures in March and April led to some vine damage and vintners crossed
their fingers waiting for bud break. In mid-May that arrived and after a cooler
growing season, another beautiful fall resulted in racy rieslings showing high
acidity and bright fruit.
Oskar Bynke, right with Deborah Anaymo and Eric Elkin, Garnet's New York State wine buyer.
Rounding out the tasting were two unsung heroes from
Ravines. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot don’t always find success in cooler
climates but Morton Hallgren of Ravines proves that the right vineyard sites
and deft wine-making win out every time. Those who long for Bordeaux of the distant past will be
delighted by this balanced and nuanced blend. The Village White turns
French-American hybrid varietals Cayuga and Vignoles into a surprisingly
complex and delicious white wine.
Ravines Village White 2013
Very pale gold. Pretty nose with flowers and fragrances of
orchard fruit, peaches, pit fruit and grapefruit – a complex and deliciously
inviting nose! Lychee comes out with more air. Soft, medium bodied with
balanced acidity. Long, persistent finish that includes citrus flavors and
apples. $11.99
Ravines Dry Riesling 2013
Pale gold. A bit shy on the nose to start with hints of
petrol, white floral notes and some lemon-lime. A touch lighter than the
Village White. Dry and austere with nice acidity. Well balanced with an
excellent, mineral-laced finish. $16.99
Ravines Meritage 2009
A Meritage (rhymes with heritage) is a blend of the usual Bordeaux grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and
Cabernet Franc but made outside of Bordeaux.
Beautiful transparent ruby color. Oak on the nose with hints of spice, earth
and more than a little rich currant alongside some asphalt and other mineral
aromas. Complex nose! Medium bodied with a citrusy element, dry cranberry and
savory cherry fruit on the palate. A long finish completes the picture. $23.99
Wiemer Dry Riesling 2014
Medium gold color. A hint of fresh cream with green pear
and honey on the nose. Some effervescence on entry. Juicy wine with great
balance, bright acidity and a long finish. Light to medium bodied with
excellent texture. Refreshing! $18.99
Late Harvest 2013
An 18-Carat gold hue to this wine, ie gorgeous. Rich, ripe
fruit aromas on the nose. Round, medium-full body. Good persistence with
minerals and soft stone fruit flavors. Luscious without being over the top.
$27.99
Cabernet Franc 2012
Another gorgeous robe, this one the color of the ruby
slippers from the Wizard of Oz, befitting the deliciously complex wine that
follows. Plenty of earth on the nose along with soft cranberries. Very
inviting. Hints of oak from neutral/used barrels. Very aromatic and ripe but at
the same time elegant. An expansive, dry palate with good fruit and mineral
flavors. Finishes well. $24.99
-Christian Botta
& Eric Elkin
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Garnet Sales Staff Afghan Kebab House Wine Tasting
On a blustery Saturday night in
February, the Garnet sales team headed over to the Afghan Kebab House on Second Avenue and
Seventy-First to take advantage of this friendly restaurant’s corkage-free BYOB
policy and delicious cuisine, sampling some of our favorite wines. The food was
great and so was the company. But the wines took center stage as we paired
mainly old world styled wines with the hearty, spicy Afghan meal.
Ferrari Blanc de Blanc NV
This Italian Blanc de Blanc (100%
chardonnay) has nice weight with 12.5% alcohol. It’s dry and slightly earthy with flavors of ripe
yellow apples. Good texture and mousse. Excellent as an aperitif, this delicate
sparkler is elegant, feminine, and balanced. ($22.49)
Peter Schandl Pinot Blanc 2011 Halbtrocken
A light to medium-bodied off-dry
charmer, this Austrian pinot blanc has hazelnuts on the nose, with good acidity
and just a hint of sweetness on the palate. There is a hint of beefy bouillion
on the nose, as well. Perfect with the spicey appetizers, it’s a beautiful
soft-textured wine with rich but subtle fruit on the palate and a very long
finish. ($23.99)
Crasto 2012 Superior Douro
A beautiful purple robe is followed
by violets, slate, and earth on the nose. Soft and full-bodied but with good structure.
Dark fruit flavors include plums and red currants which are supported by sweet
tannins. This mildly spicy wine has an expansive finish and it was great with
the lamb shank. ($26.99)
L’Heumeur Vagabonds Domaine Le Clos du Serres 2011
An inky purple color suggests that
this will be a full-bodied wine. Red currants along with fresh meat, cumin, and
floral aromas make up the complex nose. Black currants on the round, silky
textured palate. The tannins are mostly resolved but the remaining soft tannins
hold everything together and cut through the fat of the lamb shank. Ready to
drink, rich, and satisfying. ($27.99)
Domaine de la Morderee Lirac Dame Rousse 2012
Pepper, garrigue, and thyme on the
nose. Tons of thyme along with red and black currants on the palate.
Beautifully balanced and complex. Full-bodied with very good acidity. Lavender develops on the nose with more air
time. Drinking very well right now. ($23.99)
Bedrock Old Vine California
Zinfandel 2013
Winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson is
the son of Zinfandel legend Joel Peterson, the founder of Ravenswood. A pretty
wine, the 2013 Bedrock Old Vine Zin has lots of oak and berries plus a saline
note on the nose. Full-bodied with tons of berry fruit and oak on the palate. Fine
tannins appear on the finish and dovetail nicely with the velvety, soft
texture. A little out of place in this tasting that featured mainly European
and more old-world styled wines, the Bedrock Zin was nonetheless elegant and
complete and the favorite of one of the tasters. ($29.99)
Tokaji Royal 2008 5 Puttonyos Tokai
The designation ‘puttonyos’ refers
to the traditional baskets that are used to measure the botrytis-infected
grapes that are added to the blend to increase sweetness. Six puttonyos is the
maximum, although that level is rare. The wine has a beautiful golden amber
color. There is apricot on the nose along with an orange peel note that carries
through to the palate. Less sweet than expected, the wine has excellent acidity
that keeps the wine refreshing. The nose and palate develop more nuance as they
open up in the glass. Lighter than a Sauternes at 11.5% alcohol. An endless, resonant finish lasts until the
next sip. ($52.99)
-Christian
Botta
Friday, March 6, 2015
A Super Red Burgundy From Marsannay
I recently tried a terrific red Burgundy that is a wine
that you won’t want to miss out on. The Domaine Bart 2012 Marsannay “Champs
Solomon” is a single vineyard wine that according to Pierre Bart may be
upgraded to premier cru in the not too distant future. As it is, the site is
one of the top vineyards in Marsannay and Bart is a top producer there, which
combined with the small but high quality vintage of 2012 makes for a very nice
bottle indeed.
The deep ruby red wine has a nose
of flowers, berries and the telltale signs of the 25% new oak that this cuvee
receives. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied with excellent grip (the
combination of tannins and acidity that provide structure). There are plenty of
subtle berry flavors along with a nice earthy note.
I drank the wine with some medium
rare hanger steaks and after the food was finished, the smokey, earthy notes
and tannic structure came to the forefront, suggesting that this wine will work
nicely for mid-term aging. Burghound, aka Allen Meadows, one of the top if not
the top Burgundy critics, calls this wine an “outstanding top value,” although
he suggests holding the wine until 2019.
However, it will certainly be all
gone from stores by then! And you don’t have to wait four years to uncork this
beauty. See for yourself – a taste of a top Burgundian terroir is yours for the
astonishing price of… $26.99!
-Christian
Botta
Monday, February 16, 2015
Tasty Cab Franc for a Song
A new red wine arrival at Garnet is getting some notice.
Domaine Laroque’s 100% cabernet franc bottling is tasty and priced for everyday
enjoyment and/or parties. The wine sports an opaque purple robe and has earthy,
woodsy cab franc scents on the nose. There are hints of raspberries and
minerals, too. A dry entry is followed by a juicy mid-palate with delicious
red fruit and a solid finish. Domaine Laroque 2013 is a
very pleasant and quaffable medium-bodied dry red wine that will go with all kinds of
cuisine including meat dishes, fish, pasta and hard cheeses. Good balance and
good value with an elegant personality – just $9.99!
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Delicious Red Zins Provide Cold Weather Comfort!
Baby it’s cold
outside! And when the temperature drops, it makes you want to snuggle up with a
hearty red wine. One of my favorite wines to cozy up to is red Zinfandel from California, made from
one of the heartiest and most robust of the red grapes. Zins offer plenty of
body along with rich berry flavors, spice and a smooth structure, perfect for
sipping in front of an open fire or at the table with full-flavored, winter
fare.
To view featured Zins, click HERE:
To view featured Zins, click HERE:
The Four Vines 'Truant' 2011 is a wine with much to recommend it. At only $10.99, it’s a notch
above the competition in finesse and smoothness, with a core of spicy berry
fruit and a judicious use of oak. Medium to full-bodied, it’s a Zin that
bridges the gap between cheap and cheerful and the big boys.
Another
favorite of mine is the Mettler 2012 Old Vines Lodi Zinfandel 'Epicenter.' A
powerful, full-bodied wine, it has a darker fruit tone than many Zins, with
rich blackberries that resonate with an earthy, gravelly complexity. The wine
has great balance and pairs well with a variety of full-flavored dishes. A
particularly memorable meal I had included the Mettler Lodi Zin and a
spit-roasted Peruvian chicken! Another steal at $16.99.
It will come as no surprise that the 2012 Ridge Three Valleys is both an
excellent value and a wine to savor on a special occasion, as well. There are aromas
of ripe raspberry and black pepper, and dark fruit comes on as it opens up in
the glass. The tannins are sweet and contribute to the soft mouth-feel. The
richness of the fruit is balanced by nice acidity. As we've come to
expect from Ridge, it’s a delicious and balanced wine that works well with a
variety of foods or on its own. $24.99.
-Christian Botta
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