It was a pleasure to welcome for the first time Matias Ovalle the export manager for the last six years of COUSINO-MACUL winery in Santiago, Chile. Their vineyard was actually located in the suburbs of Santiago years ago and as the city grew it came to surround the shrinking vineyards. Cousino-Macul was forced to plant new vineyards in the Maipo valley and so now most of the wines come from the Maipo valley although there is still a small amount made in the original vineyards.
Last night Matias poured a selection of the COUSINO-MACUL wines like the " new " Riesling 2006, $16.49 and the 2005 " Lota " 75% Cabernet Sauvignon/25% Merlot, $81.99. Both were creamy smooth : no bite, no burn, like finely spun grape liquids made to soothe, please and comfortably entertain one's palate and one's mood. They both showed really well last night and we sold both well. We also tasted the Antiguas 2006, $18.99 Cabernet Sauvignon and the Antiguas 2007, $13.49 Chardonnay. The Chardonnay was again really grape-spun cream and liquid sunshine filtered through these Chardonnay grapes. The Cabernet Sauvignon was a velvet smooth taste tempered by many accents and exclamation points of both plum and prune dark grape notes in a elegant wood framework. It will taste great with a meal slightly-chilled - anything grilled whether meats or vegetables - great combination.
We had eight of our favorite wholesaler reps pouring for us from Billington ( William Davis ), Arielle ( Henry Wine Group ), Lisa Giufre ( Elite Imports ), Marci Weinstein ( Constantine Imports ), Rick DeLauder ( BALLAST STONE, South Australia inquireballaststone.com.au, " Steeple Jack " wines ), Sal Furfari ( Bacchus imports ), Christian Bonny ( Pinnacle House ) and Lindsay Pike and Howard Greenburg ( Washington Wholesalers ).
We poured an assortment of " value " world/international wines from Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, California and Washington State which included organic wines as well as many sparkling wines. Some of the bottles are visible in the hands and arms of many of our happy , satisfied customers. I don't have time to list them all just now but we had poured around forty wines with many of them selling for less than $15 a bottle. We had many complements on the selections and a number of our customers telling me that it was excellent and the best-yet in a number of cases.
This is our way to be an integral part of our community. To treat our regular customers and to make new ones. It is also a way to teach our customers about wine by having them try a number of them at one time around a theme. This one was international " value " wines and it gave us lots of latitude to provide you all with an interesting selection from Marche white Grechetto CONTI DEGLI AZZONI , $14.49, a smooth Grechetto cream-smooth dry flavor that really sings with food and imported by the Italian Hug Company, Plaistow, NH to Mancia indigenous Spanish dry red with no bite or edge just full, smooth brighter-berry, cheery flavors, $13.99, from Bierzo 2007, LUNA BEBERIDE ( Wines of Spain, Aurelio Cabestrero ), to a dry Italian red blend of Tuscan 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 called DOGAJOLO Carpineto, $14.99 ( a rustic, earthy, dusty-dry red www.carpineto.com ) , to the FREY 2005 Sangiovese organic Mendocino dry California red, $20.99 ( no sulfites added, www.freywine.com ) that was just like a medium-t0-light-bodied Italian red that's best when slightly-chilled and served with the food. We also tasted the 2007 Steeple Jack " BALLAST STONE, $7.99 unwooded Chardonnay that one of my customers came to me and said they had to buy because it was like no other Chardonnay! I agree, it's got something special going and for the price we are thrilled to sell it. We tasted the Italian Piemonte dry red Dolcetto D'Alba, $27.49 " Tossana " 2006 that was really elegant and refined and a pure delight to sip and imagine what it would taste like alongside a nice meal? Good, great, fabulous I am sure ! Then in bubbly we tasted perhaps ten or so and values we tasted the really soft, touch-off-dry Pasqual TOSO brut, ON SALE $9.99 from Mendoza, Argentina www.tgicimports.com and the more tart, firmer, more sinewy/athletic Kiwi New Zealand LINDAUER brut, $12.99 ( Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend ) , an Allied Domecq product that will really marry well with a number of salads and more casual meals when you want to be outside relaxing/chilling. For a splurge we offered the 2001 CLOVER HILL Tasmanian brut blend of 60% Chardonnay, 34% Pinot Noir and 6% Pinot Meunier, $38.49 ( www.taltarni.com.au - we also poured TALTARNI'S " Brut Tache " dry rose, $21.99 that was creamy-dreamy-smooth - NO BITE AT ALL -silky Aussie sparkling rose ) that really has come together beautifully now after all these years in the bottle and is quite special. It's worth the money and everyone should now purchase a bottle or more for a " new " and " exciting " experience. You won't be disappointed. It needed time, might even need a bit more ( another 1-2 years ) to show all it's charms and magic and liquid fireworks! Don't be in a rush with it.
Enjoy these pictures of the event last night before the 3rd Presidential Debate. The debate started at 9 PM and ourtasting ended at 8:30 PM so people had time to get home in time. A couple of our local customers headed over next door to the Cleveland Park Sports Bar & Grill to catch it there. We tasted them on a few wines before they left just a few minutes before 9 PM.
Call Mike Martin or me ( Tony Quinn ) with any questions/orders at : 202-363-4265 ( sales@clevelandparkwine.com, www.clevelandparkwine.com ). Cheers, TONY
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