(WT062310-01) 08 SANCERRE VIEILLES VIGNES, MORIN  $24.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (FRANCE LOIRE) Sleek and penetrating, with finely etched sauvignon cut and calcaire terroir. Melon and pear too. Old vines intensity, assertiveness. Sancerre on steroids./ Well textured, with fine acid frame. Rewardingly pungent. Fine and lasting. Calcaire echoes on the finish. 16.7.

How many:   

(WT062310-02) 09 ALSACE PINOT BLANC, THE FURST  $11.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (FRANCE ALSACE) Rich and fruity, plump and ripe. Melon, pear, apple, white peach. 09 lift and beauty./ Great acidity, cut, and astringency. Good strength, dryness. Cool and racy for 09. Bombastic, salacious, full of joy. Acid and minerals join and extend the aftertaste. Yes! 16.4+.

How many:   

(WT062310-03) 09 GATO NEGRO VALLE CENTRAL CABERNET SAUVIGNON ROSE  $5.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (CHILE) Cabernet compact and vinous. Red fruits including raspberry./ More expressive on the palate. More fruit, flavor, body. Satisfying vinosity. Full and serviceable food rose. 15.5.

How many:   

(WT062310-04) 09 TOSCANA ROSE, MELINI  $7.49
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (ITALY) Very pretty, dainty, delightful cherry-berry aroma set. Dried-flowers overtone./ Fruit and flavorful. Cherry-berry indeed. Juicy. Easy. Well balanced. Delicious. Won the hearts of the group. 16.5.

How many:   

(WT062310-05) 09 COTES DU RHONE LE PAVILLON ROSE, CHATEAU BEAUCHENE  $8.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Full, strong, peels-drenched. Fruity too. Strawberry, peach, rose. Large./ Yes, assertive and well extracted. Peels astringency and a bitterness beg for food. The body and power of Cotes du Rhone rose. 16.4.

How many:   

(WT062310-06) 08 CHINON CUVEE TERROIR, CHARLES JOGUET  $27.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (FRANCE LOIRE) Big, deep, meaty. Dark and dense 08 style. Blackberry, spice, underbrush, chocolate, licorice, wood, tobacco, game./ Lots of fruit. Full textured. Well extracted. Fine tannic grip. Good balance. Give it time. Age 1-2 years and drink through age 5. 16.4+..

How many:   

(WT062310-07) 07 COTE CATALANES CUVEE JEAN PULL, DOMAINE DES SOULANES  $17.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (FRANC MEDITERRANEAN) Ah! Ripe cherries, vanilla creme, baking spices. Big, black fruit core, with pronounced carignan grip./ Deep, concentrated, and solid. Med warmth and ripeness. Good acidity. Generous and distinctive. 16.5+.

How many:   

(WT062310-08) 08 COTES DU RHONE LA BOUVEAU, DOMAINE SAINT DAMIEN  $13.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Wow! Very spicy and ripe for 08. Lots of cherry-berry, peppercorn, cedar, incense, dried orange peel, flowers. One complex Cotes du Rhone!/ 08 dark and compact, but very spicy, broad, gamy,and flavorful. Lots of 07-like ripe fruit traits. Very popular with the group. 16.5+.

How many:   

(WT062310-09) 08 TIERRA NOBLE MENDOZA MALBEC  $10.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (ARGENTINA) Oh, boy! Super ripe and fruity 08 style, with plenty of spice and vigor too. Dark berries, Latakia tobacco, and tar-licorice. Big-time malbec./ Rich and fruity, with good oak flavor and oak extract feel. Full bodied, full textured. Welcome trace of bitterness at the finale. This delivers. 16.4.

How many:   

(WT062310-10) 07 CHRIS RINGLAND EBENEZER DISTRICT BAROSSA VALLEY SHIRAZ  $18.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (AUSTRALIA) Extreme power, lots of oak, cedar, blackberry, dill, tar, dark chocolate./ Rich, ripe, sweet fruit countered by ample barrel extracts. In its demonstrative style, it speaks volumes. 16.3.

How many:   

(WT062310-11) 08 BICKENSOHLER VULKANFELSEN GEWURZTRAMINER KABINETT, WINZ. BICKENSOHL  $13.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (GERMANY) Lots of rose. Just gushes rose and lychee. Plus notes of lemon peel, loquat, ginger. / Sweet and soft, peachy gewurz approach. Flavorful. Spicy, floral nuances. Nectarine on the finish. Delightful. 16.1.

How many:   

(WT062310-12) 08 BICKENSOHLER HERRENSTUCK GEWURZTRAMINER SPATLESE, WINZ. BICKENSOHL  $14.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (GERMANY) Firmer, less giving. Spatlesen take longer to come forth. Or perhaps it's the site that makes the difference./ Yes, firm. With aeration come lychee, orange peel, peach, ginger. More of the extract of 08. No sweeter than the kabinett; in fact, seems drier. Good astringency. Needs time to fill out. 16.0+.

How many:   

(WT062310-13) 09 ERBALUCE DI CALUSO, LEGUIE  $21.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (ITALY) Soft and scented. Right. Delivers./ Yes, full of extract and flavor. Apple, and what else? Fine. Erbaluce through and through. 16.6.

How many:   

(WT062310-14) 09 PUGLIA ALTA FALANGHINA, CANTINE TEANUM  $16.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (ITALY) Wow! Ultra Falanghina! And it's not from Campania either. Big surge of quince and citrus and citrus peel./ Again, comes right out with body, flavor, feel, extract. Full-textured indeed. A tribute to the variety. 16.8.

How many:   

(WT062310-15) 09 SAN SEVERO FAVUGNE ROSATO, CANTINA TEANUM  $12.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (ITALY) All montepulciano. Whoa! Expressive! Lots of banana and red fruit peels../ Full. Still reductive and showing fermentation aromas and flavors (banana). Lots of peels extracts. Needs more time to develop varietal expression. 15.2+.

How many:   

(WT062310-16) 08 PUGLIA NEGROAMARO OTRE, CANTINE TEANUM  $21.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (ITALY) Fresh and peppery. Right./ Huge spread of sweet and spicy fruits. Most vigorous. 16.6.

How many:   

(WT062310-17) 08 PUGLIA AGLIANICO OTRE, CANTINE TEANUM  $21.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (ITALY) Fruity and forthcoming, expressive./ Bright and vigorous. Good acid, tannin, race. The quality of this Teanum red wine pair is impressive, as is the falanghina from here. Good source. 16.7.

How many:   

(WT062310-18) DOLOMITI MOSCATO GIALLO, CASATA MONFORT HALF LITER  $28.99
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (ITALY) Intense citrus blossom. Mock orange blossom nectar./ Thorough, saturated moscato perfumes with great acidity and astringency to balance the ample sweetness. 17.8.

How many:   

(WT062310-19) 02 PASSITO DI ERBALUCE DI CALUSO, CANTINA CANAVESE HALF BOTTLE  $59.95
06/23/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes
- (ITALY) Smells like a bitter aperitif or an herb liqueur. And a good one. Citrus peel theme is strong, as are the botanicals./ Very sweet, with bitter herb and citrus peel foils. Campari. Jagermeister. 17.6.

How many: