February Wines of the Month: Wines for Romance

February is the month of romance could be more romantic than enjoying a home-cooked gourmet meal paired with one of these bottles (or two!) with the one you love? This month, in the spirit of Valentine's Day (and Nick's third wedding anniversary), we're offering these wonderful wines to delight every palate and price. Enjoy!

Sattler ‘09/’10 St. Laurent, Burgenland, Austria – Red - $21.99/$17.99

This stuff just oozes sexuality; sublime, velvet, just rolling off the tongue. A perfect wine to have with your significant other!

Even importer Terry Theise has some sultry words to say about this wine:  “Three days’ bottled when I saw it, but its juicy velvety texture was lovely and the sweet plum fruit gives a forthright tasty wine with substance and discretion. Though the texture is almost creamy, the quality of fruit is dry and leans in the Mourvedre direction.

I had a jar of some truffle goop and wanted to make use of it. Then I thought of Bouloud’s black-truffle and foie burger, and I thought I too can be decadent, so we got some ground veal and made us some slutty patties with the truffle stuff, and just to totally gild the lily we stuffed a pat of Dartagnan black truffle butter in the middle of each, to melt as the burgers cooked. Oh yeah baby, it tastes as good as it sounds – and the wine to drink with it is precisely, absolutely specifically and particularly a “basic” St. Laurent, assuming you can’t find a decent basic Chorey-Les-Beaune, or would rather pay half its price."

Mosby ’10 Pinot Grigio, Santa Barbara County, CA – White - $16.99/$14.44

Light and refreshing, the Mosby Pinot Grigio delights with aromas of ripe pear, apple, and vanilla bean. The crisp, citrusy taste is followed by a dry, clean finish with an element of wet stone.

Historically, Pinot Grigio originates from the Fruili-Venezia Guilia of Italy. Said to be a mutation of the Pinot Noir grape, the Pinot Grigio seems unsure whether it is a red or white wine grape. Hence, grigio, meaning gray.

Bill Mosby was the first winemaker in Santa Barbara County to release Pinot Grigio wine and continues to realize much success with international acclaim and we at TSG think this is the best Californian Pinot Grigio!

M. Torino ’10 Don David Malbec Reserve, Cafayate, Argentina – Red - $21.99/$17.99

With over 1500 acres of vineyards standing at the extreme elevations of 5500-6600 feet above sea level, Michel Torino is the most important winery in Argentina's Cafayate Valley set in the rugged high-dessert terrain of the country's northwest.

Brothers Salvador and David Michel founded the winery in 1892, 22 years after discovering the Cafayate as an area suitable for fine wine production.

This Malbec shows plum, red fruits, spicy black cherries and cassis with toasted oak notes on the nose and palate. Ripe fruit and linear acidity balance strong but soft, ripe tannins. Vineyards sit at elevations well above 3,000 feet with many sitting above 6,000 feet. The power of the sun at these elevations combined with very little moisture or pests leads to wines of unique purity and concentration.

Eric Montinin ’10 Sauvignon, Vin de Pays du Val de Loire, France – White - $13.99/$11.89

The best French Wine for the money!

This winery is located in the Loire Valley of France and makes this delicious wine from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes from vineyards just outside of Sancerre. It is crisp with mouthwatering acidity that keeps the palate light and fresh. The citrus lime and grapefruit nuances are well balanced by the hint of minerals and spice.

Verasol ’09/’10 Tempranillo ‘Tn’, Navarra, Spain – Red - $11.99/$10.19

“Navarra is Rioja's neighbor to the northeast. Situated along the foothills of the Pyrenees, the wines from this ancient winegrowing region tend to have a rugged and rustic quality to match its geography. This modern take on Tempranillo tames some of that rusticity but still leaves plenty of meat on the bone. Unhindered by oak aging, the pure dark fruit and minerality are allowed to shine. Punchy plum and blackberry are the primary players but a rocky soil complexity reveals itself in time. This is an honest and satisfying red that can be consumed without extraneous forethought.” - BSL

Ballarin ’09 Langhe Rosso, Piedmont, Italy – Red - $12.99/$11.04

Cascina Ballarin is a family-run estate, or as the Vibertis would prefer to put it, a family farm. Since 1928, when building work began on the house, the family has been working the land and making wine in the cellars. The vineyards are mainly located in the villages of La Morra and Monforte d’Alba.

Made from a blend of Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera; average age of the vines being 20-40 years old.  This wine spends 6 months in stainless steel and 6 months in bottle before being released. This value is a bright ruby-red; very vinous, intense, fresh nose showing a range of fresh fruit and flowers; rich, luscious taste that's smooth and medium-bodied; excellent as an everyday wine.

Bernhard Eifel ’10 Riesling ‘Max E’, Mosel, Germany – White - $16.99/$14.44

Eichelmann, Germany’s equivalent of Robert Parker, considers Bernard Eifel one of the top 20 estates in the Mosel, and Riesling Max E is solid proof!  This wine of this microscopic production, all estate fruit Riesling fires on all cylinders!  A mere 110 cases were imported from a 300 case production run.

All fruit is harvested by hand from top, steep slope vineyards in Trittenheim. It is a Halbtrocken (semi-dry) style Riesling that is super crisp and elegant. Bright and vibrant lime, green apple, quince, and passion fruit come together with great mineral and crushed rock components. It is an outstanding expression of Riesling, and an amazing value to boot.

La Kiuva ’10 Arnad Montjovet, Vallée d’Aosta – Red - $17.99/$15.29

La Kiuva is a tiny co-op in the Vallée d'Aoste consisting of just 60 growers comprising 25 hectares of vines and producing 8000 cases of 3 different wines. In this way it is more akin to a fine small winery with each grower tending their small plot like in Burgundy with the co-operative's agronomist ensuring the highest quality of viticulture.

The DOC of Arnad-Montjovet is named for two small villages in the Vallee d'Aoste where the main grape grown is Picatendro, the local clone of Nebbiolo, which yields small bunches of tiny, ripe grapes that mature well in these northern climes and give intense fruit and depth to the local wines.

This wine is 75% Nebbiolo plus a range of the local grapes including some Pinot Noir (France is minutes away). Dark cherry fruit is melded with an alluring spiciness and refreshing acidity. This is a rustic yet delicious, classic Piemontese Nebbiolo.

Domaine des Homs ’10 Minervois “Paul”, Languedoc-Roussillon, France – Red - $15.99/$13.59

In the heart of the renowned Minervois wine producing terroir, the Domaine des Homs occupies the site of a roman farm where vines and olive trees were cultivated. The name derives from old elm trees which have now disappeared. The 20 hectare domaine has been owned by the de Crozals family for three generations, a well established family of Languedoc wine producers.

Jean-Marc and his wife Anne both graduated at the Suze-La Rousse international wine university. They have brought their technical and commercial knowledge and experience to the domaine while maintaining family traditions and have built up, over the years, the reputation of the wines of the Domaine des Homs.   The vineyards and wines are produced with organic methods.

The cuvée Paul named after Jean-Marc’s son, with its pleasant red fruit aromas, will be ready to drink in its second year. It can also be left to age in the cellar to give pleasure in two to three years’ time.  It can be enjoyed with red meats of any kind.

Block 9 ’10 Pinot Noir, California – Red - $13.99/$11.89

This family started Block Nine in response to changes in the Pinot Noir market. Demand for moderately priced Pinot Noir has spiked over the last few years. Large, mass marketed brands brought most of the Pinot to the market leaving consumers with few choices of smaller production Pinot Noir from California.  These guys do nothing but Pinot Noir!  A staff favorite!

“Earthy, gamy, plum and cola aromas jump from the glass of this medium plum/garnet-colored wine. Complex notes of herbs, sweet cherries and sassafras follow through on the palate.” – 88 points, Robert Parker

Deep Sea ’08 Chardonnay, Central Coast, CA – White - $19.99/$16.99

This rich and fat Chardonnay represents the Conway family’s ongoing search for maritime influenced vineyards of merit and singularity. These wines reflect their origins and the impact of California's coastal climate.  The wine is golden and clear. The nose shows a mix of fresh citrus, with a background of pear and apple, fresh dough and honey, all layered with some minerality. The smooth entrance shows a soft, balanced wine with notes of citrus, apple tart, and just enough oak to add another layer of complexity that includes vanilla and toffee, complemented with crisp acidity.

Coturri Vineyards NV Sandocino #32-3, Mendocino and Sonoma, CA – Red - $23.99/$19.99

When Violette’s owner Richard Kzarian needed a wine at a price point and flavor profile that restaurants could use to sell by the glass. Glass pours at good restaurants are a very important part of marketing. It’s great to have one’s wine on the wine list. But without the server talking about the wine it will just sit there. Also, if a larger audience tastes by the glass, it allows more people to taste a winery’s production. Richard and Tony sat down at Coturri Winery and blended a number of wines. They found if they stayed within a single vintage we were limited on what they could make. Once they opened it up to cross vintages the results were very good.   Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot. This “lot” was blended by Tony’s son Nick.