Featured World Wines

IL POGGIONE 2004 BRUNELO DI MONTALCINO
While there may be a lot of new flashy players on the block, when Il Poggione shows up it’s a whole new game. There’s a lot to say for the tried and true fundamentals and Il Poggione brings an “A Game” to the table. Their 2004 is definitely one of the top Brunellos of the vintage and we simply love it. It received a hefty 95 points from the Wine Advocate.

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is awesome. This finessed, regal Brunello flows onto the palate with seamless layers of perfumed fruit framed by silky, finessed tannins. The wine remains extremely primary at this stage, and its full range of aromas and flavors have yet to emerge, but the sheer pedigree of this Brunello is unmistakable. The elegant, refined finish lasts an eternity, and subtle notes of menthol, spices, licorice and leather add final notes of complexity. The estate’s 2004 Brunello is a wine to buy and bury in the deepest corner of the cellar. Brunello is never inexpensive, but this is the real deal, and in relative terms, it is one of the world’s great values in fine, cellar worthy wine. Incredibly, there are 18,000+ cases of the 2004 Brunello, so it should be fairly easy to source in various markets. The Brunello is made from four vineyards ranging from 250 to 400 meters in altitude, all in Sant’Angelo in Colle. The wines from the various vineyards were aged separately in French oak casks prior to being assembled and bottled. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2034."

$50.98 750ml [302582] 

PRODUTORI DEL BARBARESCO 2005 BARBARESCO
A team you can count on! In our opinion, Produttori del Barbaresco is one of the true gems of Piemonte. Their Barbaresco (not to mention their exceptional single vineyard wines) remains one of the best values in the category and a benchmark from vintage to vintage. When others may not always live up to their reputation, Produttori continues to deliver consistent quality. This 2005 is simply outstanding, especially in light of the price. It’s a classic from start to finish and it will only improve with time.

$29.98 750ml [301400]

Batič 2005 Rosso Reserve, Vipavska Valley
We came across this excellent red and decided to feature it despite the fact that the slick paper used on the labels became scuffed by the cardboard inserts in the boxes during shipping. The damage is cosmetic only; the wine inside the bottles is first rate. The Batič family has been growing grapes and making wine in the Vipava Valley since 1592. Their winery lies on 18 hectares of land on the westernmost edge of Slovenia, 15 miles from the Italian border. Historically, the Vipava Valley has undergone continuous changes of authority. It was under the command of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Italy, Yugoslavia and now Slovenia, a member of the European Union. Father and son team Ivan and Miha Batič farm organically, as their ancestors did. They have an almost spiritual dedication to land, vine, wine and local tradition.

In the best years Batič produces a Bordeaux Blend simply called Rosso. The 2005 vintage is only the third example of Rosso produced since 1997. This is a serious - almost voluptuous - cuvée of a selection of their verybest Merlot (about 70%), Cabernet Franc (about 20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (about 10%) from their best situated and oldest vines. The wine displays aromas and flavors of both red and black fruits. It has good body and a long finish. Matured for more than 12 months in local Slovenian barrels, it will age gracefully for another decade or more. Although the wine is young and benefits from thirty or more minutes of air, it is so good that it’s hard to resist to drinking this now with lamb and beef dishes.

$34.98 750ml [372410] 

Previously Featured...

The Juan Gil Story
Jumilla, Spain, the home El Nido, Clio, Wrongo Dongo and more.

Jumilla is one of those small Spanish wine regions that labored in near obscurity for generations, but there is a wealth of indigenous vines and sunshine and Jumilla is quickly becoming a star.  The Juan Gil family are clearly among the best of the region and their El Nido “Clio" is the most requested Spanish wine in our store, but don’t forget the less pricey Juan Gil that they built their name upon.  The Juan Gil Jumilla gets consistent accolades including a listing in Wine Spectator top 100 list for 2009 for the 2006 bottling.  

In looking at the vineyard, you see the magic of Jumilla—old vine Mourvedre (here called Monastrell), grown in field of limestone rocks that look like a quarry bed. These gnarled, head-pruned vineyards yield little, on average vineyards in Jumilla yield 0.6 tons/acre--among the lowest yields in the world.  The limestone helps keep the vigor down while elevating the natural acidity and brightening the aroma.  Châteauneuf-du-Pape enjoys a similar limestone subsoil which can be crucial in warmer regions as the added acidity helps keep these wines from tasting over-ripe.  Jumilla is also a high altitude growing area with the Gil family’s properties grown at 700m (about 2,300ft), providing a mix of warm days and cool nights that winemakers look for all over the world.

Juan Gil “Wrongo Dongo” Jumilla 2008
We tasted this wine in Spring of last year, months before it landed in America.  It tasted great as a pre-release, but it’s showing even better today.  If you want a succulent and un-fussy introduction to Spanish wines, this would be a great place to start.  The wine has a violet-purple color and equally impressive saturation of black plum, raspberry and fine spices on the palate.  In fact the richness and texture are off the charts for $6.99.  It also doesn’t hurt that the new label is pretty mod and cool looking—much better than the funny yellow guy of past years.

$6.99 750ml [377132] 

Juan Gil Jumilla 2007
While the newly released 2007 does not have a rating yet, every vintage from 2002-2006 received 90 points or better from The Wine Advocate.  Look for a brightness of fruit here like raspberries and blueberry jazzed up with a thread of fresh, natural acidity.  There is also more serious edge here as the wine shows earth, toasty oak, and a hint of mocha/coffee--a modern classic in that we’re happy to see back in the store with the new 2007 vintage.

$13.99 750ml [373831] 

Atalaya Almansa 2007
Here is an intriguing newcomer from the Gil Family.  The first vintage of Atalaya recently received 91 points from Robert Parker and The Wine Advocate, “This purple-colored wine has an expressive bouquet of violets, spice box, leather, game, blueberry and black cherry. On the palate it comes off as borderline kinky and definitely sexy with lots of easy-going flavor, superb depth, complexity and a 45-second finish. Although it can be enjoyed now, it will evolve for another 2-3 years.”  While the “kinky” and “sexy” descriptors make us snicker a little, there is definitely something hedonistic and flashy about this wine.  Could it be the Garnacha Tintorera in the blend?  Native to the hills of Almansa adjacent to Jumilla, Garnacha Tintorera is one of the rare grapes whose juice runs red rather than simply picking up its color from contact with the skins and is well known for powerful color and deep flavors.

$12.99 750ml [380659] 

Bodegas El Nido “Clio” 2007, Jumilla
A big part of the success of the Juan Gil winery and the families many projects is the talented partners they work with across Spain.  El Nido is a project the Gil family put together with their dynamic and creative American importer, Jorge Ordonez.  The Gil Family and Jorge Ordonez extended the partnership to include one of Australia’s most talented winemakers, Chris Ringland.  “Clio” is a Jumilla with a twist as the blend includes 30% Cabernet Sauvignon in addition to the core of Monastrell at heart of the other Jumilla wines.  The 2007 is the 4th vintage-- the previous three scored very highly in the Wine Advocate: 97pts for 2004, 95pts for 2005, and 95pts again for the 2006.  All we can say is get the 2007 while it lasts.

$41.99 750ml [377064] 

Bodegas El Nido “El Nido” 2007, Jumilla
The super-premium “big brother” of “Clio” reverses the blend with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon.  There is very little produced in a normal year and production was down severely.  We won’t get much and it’s definitely a splurge, but the track record is impressive: 99 points for the 2004 “El Nido,” 98 points for 2005, and 97 points for 2006, all from the Wine Advocate.

$124.95 750ml [379659] 

New Wines—New Partnerships
More from the Gil Family and Friends

In May of 2009, we met with the Gil family’s importer Jorge Ordonez and got our first taste of three new exciting white wine projects, Shaya, La Cana, and Avanthia.  Just as El Nido was built out of a very modern cross-continental partnership, these three new wineries include the Gil Family, importer Jorge Ordonez, a cast of local winemakers, local vineyard owners, and flying international winemakers.  In fact the Gil family is a bit uncomfortable with the spotlight  and prefer to let the talent of the winemakers and vineyard managers come to the fore.  All the same, we found the common threads in these projects intriguing and the wines are certainly delicious.

Shaya Rueda 2008
This a very bright and zesty white wine.  The Rueda region’s Verdejo grape has a flavor profile that is similar to Sauvignon Blanc in its citrusy core of ruby grapefruit and intense lime fruit.  The Shaya Rueda definitely shows its citrus side but also brings aromas of blossoms and hints of riper apricot and tropical fruit on the palate.  Australian winemaker Belinda Thompson artfully integrates a thread of slate minerality from some very old vines that adds interest from the nose to the long finish.

$12.99 750ml [380760] 

La Cana Albarino 2008, Rias Baixas
The La Cana is a wine that will surprise you with its zip.  It shows a mix of nectarine and apricot that is pure Albarino, but it is fresher and crisper than most with a subdued note of minerality on the mid-palate and finish that is just enough to make the wine-geeks happy.  The winemaker here is Alister Gardner from New Zealand and while the flavors are purely a reflection of Spanish soils and grapes, the wine’s artful balance of fruit and acidity holds the same excitement of many New Zealand wines.

$14.99 750ml [380768] 

Avanthia Godello 2008 Valdeorras
The partnership at Avanthia includes the Valdeorras winery Godeval as well as Jorge Ordonez and the Gil Family.   Housed in a 13th century monastery, Godeval single handedly worked to bring the Godello grape back from the brink, making the first modern Godello based wine in 1985.  Avanthia is a special 400cs production that brings together the talents of Godeval with Jorge Ordonez, the Gil Family, and winemaker Alister Gardner.  On first take the Avanthia is some-what like a White Burgundy with its cream-chiffon lemon fruit and gentle mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and gentle oakiness.  There is something riper underneath and wine turns gradually towards peach and papaya flavors.  As with Alister Gardner’s winemaking on the La Cana, there is a mix of ripeness and crisper flavor profiles—an intriguing winemaking tightrope of sorts.  The Avanthia is not inexpensive, but it is pretty serious wine.

$26.99 750ml [380789] 

A Bit About 2005 Barolos

Over the years we’ve learned to take our time and make our own informed decisions about specific vintages and the corresponding wines that apply rather than relying solely on an array of wine journalist opinions. This involves traveling, attending proper tastings and talking with numerous growers and winemakers in order to form more accurate opinions. We do this in an effort to offer you the best in selection and education as is possible.

This past year we tasted a couple hundred Barolos, which afforded us an excellent snapshot of the 2005 vintage for Barolo. What is very clear is that the rains that hit at harvest affected a large percentage of the growers. More specifically, those who picked after the rains were far less likely to have richer more complex wines while those fortunate enough to have harvested prior to the rain made good to outstanding Barolo. Considering the prior outstanding string of vintages and the upcoming 2006s and 2007s, we bought very carefully in 2005 to ensure the best for our customers. This month we’ve chosen to mention a few excellent 2005 values.

CAVALLOTTO 2005 BAROLO “BRICCO BOSCHIS”
We wrote about this wine in our December newsletter as one of our top Italian Wines of 2009 but felt it deserved another mention. The Cavallottos have been making great wines for a long time and their 2005 Barolo is quite an accomplishment considering the weather challenges of the vintage. Things we especially appreciate about the Baroli of Cavallotto are that they not only capture the intriguing fruit and elegance of Casiglione but also are somewhat approachable for drinking on release yet age incredibly well.

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - “The 2005 Barolo Bricco Boschis is gorgeous and linear in its expressive aromatics and focused core of fruit. Medium in body, the wine reveals outstanding balance and depth, with gorgeous inner perfume and a long, refined close. Sweet notes of menthol, raspberries and spices linger on the finish. The 2005 doesn’t have the sheer exuberance of the 2004 and the firm tannins might make this wine hard to fully appreciate in its infancy, but with some time in bottle, this, too, will very likely develop into a gem. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025.”

$54.98 750ml [301146]

GIULIANO CORINO 2005 BAROLO “GIACHINI”
Giuliano Corino ranks among our favorite of the more modern style winemakers in Barolo as he manages to produce Barolos with a combination of rich, up-front fruit and personality, exceptional balance and thoughtful use of French oak. Additionally, his wines have become huge customer favorites here at Hi-Time and we were reminded of this at the recent Italian tasting at our wine bar. A number of customer ooos and ahhs compelled us to include this wonderful wine in our February lineup.

WINE SPECTATOR 96 POINTS - "A wine with very attractive aromas of ripe blackberry, fresh forest mushroom and raspberry. Full-bodied, with amazing fruit concentration and powerful tannins. The power and richness of this wine are superb. A fantastic effort for the vintage. Best after 2014. 560 cases made."

$59.98 750ml [301162] 

MARCARINI 2005 BAROLO “BRUNATE”
We’ve found that the single vineyard Barolos of Marcarini are all too often overlooked or passed on for other more popularized houses. It may be due in part to the fact that since these wines are very classic in style, they are rarely, if ever, showy in their youth and subsequently in need of extended cellaring to really show their depth. We were reminded of this at a dinner during a recent trip to Piemonte. We ordered a bottle of the 1998 Brunate and were stunned at just how great it was. These wines pick up weight as they evolve in the bottle and reward the patient. Here’s what Antonio Galloni had to say about the 2005,

WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS - "Readers who want to understand why Brunate is considered one of Piedmont’s great vineyards should check out Marcarini 2005 Barolo Brunate. The wine reveals another dimension of density and richness vis-a-vis the La Serra, with subtle balsamic notes that gradually emerge to round out the dark red fruit. Everything about this wine is beautifully balanced. The wine gains power on the close, where the strong, muscular finish sees notes of dark fruits, and spices make a second appearance. The tannins could use another year or two in bottle to soften, but this remains an outstanding Barolo in a very tricky vintage. To be sure, the style is relatively subdued, as is the case with virtually all Barolos in 2005, yet this wine offers commendable harmony. Brunate is simply Brunate, and that’s all there is to it. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025."

$49.98 750ml [303138]   

PODERI COLLA 2005 BAROLO “DARDI LE ROSE”
Beppe and Tino Colla collectively know as much about Barolo and their region as any alive today. They have remained steadfast in their commitment to producing outstanding classically made Barolo that requires time in the cellar to be truly appreciated. In our opinion their wines have long been under-appreciated, especially by a large percentage of the wine press. Like Marcarini, these wines are usually more restrained and closed when they are first bottled and blossom over time in the cellar. The 2005 was an exception here as it was quite open when we originally tasted it. A first rate 2005 and one of our favorites for sure.

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS -  "Poderi Colla remains an excellent source for traditionally made Barolos and Barbarescos. The estate’s 2005 Barolo Dardi/Le Rose possesses one of the most intriguing, beguiling aromatic profiles I encountered in this vintage. Dark, mentholated spices, plums, prunes and minerals are among some of the nuances that waft out of the glass as this sublime Barolo reveals the breadth of its pedigree. Medium in body, the wine possesses gorgeous overall balance and wonderful harmony, particularly in the way the tannins and fruit are woven together in a fabric of uncommon elegance. This Barolo is absolutely singing today, the only question is whether or not the wine will close down in bottle. Proprietor Pietro Colla believes it will, and I am inclined to agree. Regardless, this is a great effort from Poderi Colla. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025."

$59.98 750ml [303160]

Montenegro

Plantaze 2007 Vranac “Pro Corde” Lake Skadar, Montenegro
Crna Gora, or Montenegro, as it is called outside of its borders, is a small country across the Adriatic from Southern Italy. There is a long tradition of viticulture in Montenegro dating back to at least the second century BC. Montenegro, which has only 650,000 inhabitants, just became independent in 2006.

Vranac is an ancient red grape varietal native to the Balkans. While not much is known about the origin of this grape variety, it is widely assumed that it is a relative of Plavac Mali (Croatia) which is the descendent of a naturally occurring hybrid of Zinfandel (Crljenak Kastelanski) and Dobricic.

Like Plavac and Zinfandel, Vranac displays a dark ruby color and a fairly full body. This red tends to be strong and savory, sometimes pretty rustic. The Pro Corde by Plantaze Winery is a reserve quality example of an extremely well-made Vranac produced with selected grape material from this sizable estate. Pro Corde is Latin for “good for the heart”. Vranac Pro Corde carries this name due to its increased content of pranthocyandiols, which are anti-oxidants found naturally in grapes.

This crowd pleaser sports a deep, almost purple color with deep rich black fruit flavors. Black berries and supple cherry tones dominate the aromas, bursting into a pleasurable harmonious experience on the palate. At the same time there are smoky or savory elements, like some Rhone reds. The Plantaze 2007 is drinking very well now. This is great with smoked meats, sausages, grilled vegetables and, of course, a nice cut of steak.

$14.98 750ml [372413]