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Staff Favorites - Joe Manekin

Joe Manekin | Send Email | Subscribe to My Sommelier Service

Joe arrived at our doors in February 2007 from far away, Washington, DC to be exact. Just so no one gets the wrong idea, though, he was merely earning a living in DC; Joe’s cultural identity, as well as his professional sports allegiances and, when he has a few drinks in him, his accent, are all Baltimore through and through. After working on the wholesale side of the business for nearly 4 years, Joe decided that he wanted to work wine retail with the best, so he emailed Cindy Westby at K&L and the rest is history. While Joe is well versed in a number of wine regions, he most enjoys the wines of Europe, though he is growing increasingly interested in the great wines of the Santa Cruz mountains. When he is not at K&L, Joe enjoys cooking, traveling, catching up on The Wire, doing occasional PR, booking and recording work for reggae band JohnStone (www.johnstonemusic.com), and writing for his wine, food and music blog, Old world Old School (www.oldworldoldschool.blogspot.com)

Reviews

San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore

Review Date: 08-21-2018

This is fun, easy drinking prosecco, with an effortless balance between ripe appley fruit and fizz. It finishes dry, not bone dry, and is just really easy to drink! Wildly popular bubbles, and with good reason.

Price: $15.99

Cutty Sark "Prohibition Edition" Blended Scotch Whisky (1L)

Review Date: 07-31-2018

This venerable, BBR (Berry Bros. & Rudd) created brand is back, and at $15 the price for a go to every day bottle of Scotch does not get any better. The quality is good, really good. As I was joking earlier today, I'd like to think of this as the Scotch equivalent of a Werther's original that grandpa grabs out of his pocket: old school, reliably tasty, not necessarily the latest and greatest but absolutely classic and delicious.

Price: $39.99

WA: 90

WE: 90

Billecart-Salmon "Sous Bois" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 10-23-2017

Containing base wine that is barrel fermented, and then given a generously long ageing on its lees, this cuvée is rich, elegant and expensive tasting. That said, given the quality of the base wine and the blocking of malolactic, there is a fine line of acidity marking this rich barrel aged Champagne, as well as a soft bead as well. A great Champagne for a meal, though for my taste I would be just as happy sipping on this and simple hors d'oeuvres as I would be enjoying it with a sumptuous meal.

Price: $99.99

Bollinger "Special Cuvée" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 06-07-2017

Oh man, is this good, soooo good! We have to be careful around here about picking favorites in the Champagne category, because the fact is that we all love Champagne and our current favorite may be bested by yet another delicious bottling before long. That said, for many of us, Bollinger is a long-time favorite amongst the grande marques, a true original and - without going into detail - a process that is ridiculously labor intensive, manual and expensive even for their Special Cuvee. With aromas of loquat, and a slightly savory, Beurre Blanc like note, the current bottling immediately drew me in in. It may be the 1/3 barrel fermented aspect of the base wine, the presence of 10-20 year old reserve wine, or my experience with the other great chalky soil based wine region of Europe, but I detected just a passing resemblance to Manzanilla here! A bright, delicious, complete and complex palate seals the deal and Bollinger continues to be one of my absolute faves.

Price: $69.99

JD: 93

JS: 93

WS: 93

Laurent-Perrier "La Cuvée" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 06-07-2017

Laurent Perrier will soon be releasing a new bottling of their NV Brut, which will go by the name of "La Cuvee." It is not simply a re-launch with a neat new package (well it's that too, of course), but a wine that sees 5% more chardonnay - reflecting their recent purchase of another house with prime Chardonnay holding - as well as an additional 6 months ageing on the lees for a total of 3.5 years lees ageing. And how is the wine? Well, tasted side by side with a bottle of LP's former cuvee, there is a notable difference. Yellow and white fruits on the nose lead to a nicely rich palate, with great presence and autolytic, yeasty qualities. It's saline, intense, and dry, seemingly with a lower dosage than in the past. I like them both, though for my money this new release is definitely a step up!

Price: $59.99

Fallet-Dart "Grande Sélection" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 06-07-2017

The mere fact that this cuvee from Fallet Dart has a whopping seven years on the lees should immediately grab your attention. That said, it's not all about the lees, you need to start with great base wine. This is absolutely the case for this delicious bottle of Pinot Noir based bubbles made an hour west of Epernay. A bright nose loaded with citric fruits leads to a focused, lively, fresh and engaging palate. Compared to their also tasty Grande Reserve, this wine comes across as drier and slightly lower dosage. Fantastic value for money, and a likely selection for house Champagne at our place. If you are inclined to do the same, it will be super affordable at under $35!

Price: $37.99

2005 Bodegas Casa Juan "Señor de Lesmos" Reserva Especial Rioja

Review Date: 12-01-2015

This may be my favorite Lesmos yet. Here we have a rare bottling from Bodegas Casa Juan, a special selection that always has a very healthy (50%) portion of Mazuelo and sees a bit more new barrel than the regular Reserva. Great fruit, with a bit more of a subtle toasty quality than normal for the winery, this is a wine that should age particularly well.

Price: $37.99

WS: 93

Caves Messias Santola "Crab Wine" Vinho Verde

Review Date: 06-12-2015

Beware the crab! This inexpensive summer sipper is a delicious, sweet-tart apple, slightly fizzy vinho verde and amongst our most popular wummer whites. Refreshing and so easy to drink!

Price: $9.99

Mas Codina Brut Reserva Cava Penedès

Review Date: 05-20-2015

Mas Codina is a humble family operation, and man do they make delicious sparkling wine! They have been slowly ramping up the amount of Pinot Noir in their otherwise traditional cava blend, in order to gain a bit more in color and mid-palate presence. These are very drinkable cavas, wines that strike a great balance between ripe, bright, snappy fruit, weight, and texture. For under $14, the detail and value of this wine is undeniable.

Price: $13.99

Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 05-07-2014

Carte Blanche is always tasty, a Champagne with a soft bead, nice toast, crowd appeal and great value. This current batch, though, based on the very strong 2008 vintage, is impressive. Brighter than usual, with great purity and tasty fruit, easily the most impressive batch we have received. I'd be happy with this at $40, but for $28 it's one of our great values right now.

Price: $37.99

Domaine Balivet "Methode Ancestrale" Bugey Cerdon (Natrual Wine)

Review Date: 08-31-2010

Wayne to one of the Doobie Brothers on an old "What's Happpenin'?" episode: "Which Doobie do you be?" Me to the Domaine Balivet Bugey Cerdon: "Which Bugey do you be?" Answer? The good kind! Fresh, semi-tart heirloom apples with some fizz. What's not to like?

Price: $23.99

Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Review Date: 07-06-2009

Very easy to like - soft textured, citrus and cream flavors. Plump, round and delicious. For someone who usually goes for a bit lean and austere, I'm always surprised I like this as much as I do. It's just delicious stuff.

Price: $53.99

JS: 92

RP: 92

Springbank 10 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Review Date: 03-04-2009

If I'm in the mood for a bit of peat, this is one of my favorites. Scottland's oldest independent, continually-operated distillery, Springbank's 10 year is a great balance of judicious peaty smoke, malty, nutty flavors, a hint of sweetness, and an amazing saline tang on the finish, which lingers a while and then seems to dissolve effortlessly. Powerful and elegant, Springbank is a true original, and every bit as elegant as people say it is.

Price: $109.99

WE: 92

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