Review Date: 9-29-2012

This is an amazingly rich wine in the mouth and in the nose. Mocha, roasted coffee bean, cassis tones bounce across the palate with bright, refreshing fruit, with integrated, silky tannins, superb complexity, excellent depth and broadness, and a finish that refuses to surrender. This is another Joe Manekin superb Gem buy that Rusty plans on having as our house red for the next several months and will be served with the wishbone and turkey wing on Thanksgiving day dinner. 14.0% ABV

Review Date: 9-29-2012

Some of the 2010 Bordeaux, lesser grouths (of course) have begun to arrive, and most are showing a bit of youthfulness and tightness. However, this lovely puppy, which we last imported with the 2000 vintage, has arrived, and with decanting and an hour or more of airing, offers delicious fruit of a white pepper to licorice spiciness in conjunction with blackberries and cedary notes on the nose and in the mouth. The tannins are integrated and silky, with this Gem showing moderate complexity and structural depth, it is a wine for near-term consumption. Rusty has informed me that this puppy will be one of our house reds for the month and will be served with the thigh portion coming from our turkey. 13.0% ABV

Review Date: 9-29-2012

Produced by one of the newer Domaines in Sancerre (founded in the late 1990’s), this wonderful, single vineyard offering gushes forth a ton of lush melon-like to lime zest fruit with iron-filings mineral notes in the nose and on its fleshy, yet mouth-watering palate with a clean, crisp finish, nice complexity, and a style that demands to be served with lobster or crab. The Beaner has ordered me to make this our house white for the month and for the only white wine Gem to be served with Thanksgiving dinner. 12.5% ABV

Review Date: 8-31-2012

Produced from Merlot (80%) with the balance being Cabernet Sauvignon, this well balanced, flashy red shows blackberry to plum-like fruit on the nose with a dusty mineral note, all of which dances across the palate with amazing balance, depth, and structure. This near-term wine should be consumed over the course of the next several years. Rusty has designated this Gem as one of our house reds for the month. 13% ABV.

Review Date: 8-31-2012

Sauvignon Blanc 85%) and Sémillon. This lush and brightly fruited white shows a lovely fig-like to dandelion set of aromas that comes across the viscous, yet crisp and clean palate in a grand way. An amazing Gem that the Bean has designated one of our house whites for the month. 12% ABV.

Review Date: 8-31-2012

Medium-deep ruby in color, the high profiled, opulent nose is loaded with ripe cassis, currant, and blackberry fruit notes that carry over well into its complex, layered, well-structured, silky mouthfeel. Only 25 cases of this magnificent Gem was imported from this outstanding Brunello producer that Greg St.Clair discovered several years ago on one of his many “buying” trips to Italy that he takes each year. This Gem will be one of our house reds, according to Rusty, for however long it is around. 14.5% ABV

Review Date: 8-16-2012

This is an immensely rich, full-bodied Cab that has incredible balance and structure, with tons of cassis to blackberry fruit with undertones of anise and white pepper on the nose and in its amazingly complex set of flavors. This Gem is a perfect red to pair with a grilled steak or beef stew, and will be our house red for the next X number of weeks, according to Rusty. 14.5% ABV

Review Date: 8-16-2012

Although the 2010 Rhône Valley vintage is not as great as the 2009, there were some exceptional village wines made by some of the great, smaller producers (typical!) and some really nice drinking Côtes du Rhônes. This is a perfect example of a “really nice drinking” CdR from one of the small producers that we directly import. A blend of Grenache (65%) and Syrah, this deeply-colored Rhône Valley red is loaded with white pepper to anise-like spiciness on its nose and its ever expansive, broad palate. Rich, lush, almost Hermitage-like, the tannins are well integrated in a very serious, complex wine that drinks well now, but will age and continue to improve over the next few years. Rusty has informed me that this Gem will be one of our house reds for however long it is around. 14% ABV

Review Date: 8-16-2012

Our German wine buyer, Eric Story, continues to amaze me with the German wines that he has put together for our private label. The semi-halbtrocken that he created last year with one of our favorite German producers rocketed out of here within weeks of its arrival. This QBA, which I feel is a bit drier, has a gorgeous, perfumed fruit aroma of white peach and wet river stone that carries over to its refreshing, bright, near-dry mouthfeel. Eric feels that this Gem would be a great wine with salads, sandwiches, cured or grilled meats, but according to the Bean, who is of a much higher authority, this is just a wonderful wine to consume with anything, and it will be one of our house white Gems for the month and thereafter. 11.5% ABV.

Review Date: 7-31-2012

This has to be one of my favorite Riojas that we have available. Medium deep ruby in color, the perfume of this lovely Gem is loaded with currants and cassis tones that carry over nicely to its complex, silky mouthfeel. Although drinking well now, you will be able age this Rioja another four to eight years, easily. Rusty has informed me that this Gem will be one of our house reds for however it is around. (Jim Barr)

Review Date: 6-29-2012

I don’t think that I have experienced such an incredibly wonderful vintage as I have with the 2009’s, not since the 1990 productions were released. Although the alcohols are the highest that I have ever seen in Bordeaux, particularly those productions from the Right Bank (Merlot got too ripe), there is so much fruit and structure in these reds, it hides that level of heat. Even the lesser “growth” chateaux are outstanding, and they will not need as much aging. More importantly, they do not cost as much as the Grand Cru and Premier Cru level wines. The 2009 Malmaison is a perfect example to what I am referring. Medium deep ruby in color, the nose offers a cassis to blackberry core of fruit that carries over to its ever expansive palate impression. This Gem is nicely integrated, well balanced, rich with fruit that is framed by a toasty, cedary tone, and finishes with a long, fairly complex set of flavors. Rusty has informed me that this Gem will be one of our house reds for the next three to five years. (Jim Barr) 13.5% ABV

Review Date: 6-29-2012

Deeply colored, the bright nose offers a black cherry to plumy note, almost in a jam-like fashion without being overdone. Rich, fairly concentrated fruit with just an edge of tannin, this Gem has excellent structure and depth of flavor with a long, warm finish. This wine could be drunk now with about an hour or two of decanting and airing, but will age another three to six-plus years. Rusty has informed that this, too, will be one of our house reds for the next few years. (Jim Barr) 14.0% ABV

Review Date: 6-16-2012

Produced for us by the Women in the Vineyards, this refreshing, bright Sauvignon Blanc (which has 6% Riesling in it) is clean, crisp, and mouthwatering on the palate and in the finish. There is a wet river stone mineral note in its presentation, but it provides lovely lime-zest to dandeleon qualities on the nose and in its fresh finish. This Gem will also be one of our house whites for the month, according to The Bean. 13.5% ABV

Review Date: 5-31-2012

This is a wonderful drinking Côtes Du Rhone red at a ridicously low price. Medium-deep ruby red in color, the nose offers scrumptious amounts of anise, strawberry to white pepper fruit with just a hint of cedary oak. Bright and flashy in the nose, this production from the owners of Chateau de Beaucastel provides wonderful drinkability and is simply a great deal. Rusty has informed me that this Gem will be one of our house reds for however long it is around. 13.5% ABV

Review Date: 5-24-2012

Those of you who know me know that one of my favorite red wine varietals is Cabernet Franc (the other is Pinot Noir), which I also make every vintage. This Chinon Rouge from Noblaie is a perfect example of what Cab Franc is all about. It offers you structure, substance, complexity, and immense drinkability. Medium-deep ruby in color, the opulent nose is loaded with white pepper to anise spiciness with notes of slate minerality and blueberries, that carries over nicely to a broad, viscous tasting wine with silky, integrated tannins, and a bright, refreshingly long finish. Rusty has told me that this Gem needs to be one of our house reds for however long it is around. 13.0% ABV (Jim Barr)