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October 2003 Collector´s Club
1999 Domaine Brana Irouleguy
You could certainly be excused for not having heard of the Irouleguy region before -
it´s not very large, has few vineyards, and little is exported.
It´s on the French side of the Pyrenees, and part of the Basque region.
The wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and the local Tannat, all
grown on south-facing hillsides (which limits the growing region even more).
It´s a powerhouse for $19.75, and will hold quite nicely for up to seven years.
Drink it with something fairly hearty!
2001 Syncline Reserve Syrah Pheasant Vineyard
Another monster from the Syncline folks; this is the first reserve wine (of any type)
they´ve made. Winemaker James Mantone told us that this vineyard produced
a wine that he felt had to be kept separate. It´s big, it´s
powerful, and it can be consumed young (which I´d recommend) or kept for
another four years. It´s $28.00, and, like all Syncline wines, is VERY
limited.
2000 Amador Foothill Sierra Foothills Hollander Vineyard
Syrah
I suppose all that title stuff really isn´t necessary, since "Syrah"
pretty much covers it for this wine - a nice, big, classic Californian style of
Syrah. Originally $30-ish, at $19.75 it´s quite a bargain.
Unfortunately, there´s very little of it left, and the distributor won´t
be re-stocking. It´s ready to drink, and will live for another five years
or so.
2002 Buty Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley
I´m always glad when Caleb Foster and Nina Buty-Foster release their white
wines (ok, any wine - they´re all good), especially this one. At $18.00,
it always sells out, and it´s always delicious. Caleb trained at Woodward
Canyon and in New Zealand, and it shows. He gets the rich concentration of the
best of Walla Walla and the definition of New Zealand. It´s ready to
drink, and there´s a reasonable supply. Try with halibut or chicken.
2002 Rulo Combine
A new white blend from our friends at Rulo, this wine is a blend of Viognier and
Chardonnay - two wines that winemaker Kurt Schlicker has done very well with over the
last few years. It´s ready to drink, and it´s $14.50.
There´s 325 cases of this made, so don´t dawdle picking up more -
it´ll be gone soon. Try this with lighter fare, such as pasta in white
sauce.
2000 Finca El Retiro Malbec
Our last wine for the month comes from Argentina´s Mendoza Valley, and is all
of $8.50. The Malbec grape seems to have found a home in Argentina; they do
better with it than just about anywhere else in the world. There´s not a
lot of this one left around.
Once again, we´re sponsoring the West Seattle Helpline´s annual
wine tasting event. It´s Thursday, October 23rd at Capers, at the West
Seattle Junction, and tickets are $35.00 and available at the shop. See you
there! Needless to say, that´s one of the rare Thursdays where there
won´t be a tasting at the shop!
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