Desert Wines and Spirits

Saturday, December 11, 2010
4 to 5:30 pm

$5.00 per person
Home of: ExecutiveGiftService.com
611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite #1, Palm Springs, 92264
760-327-7701, 800-925-0030

It is definitely that time of year and what better selection could we offer than sparkling wines from California and from the Champagne district of France. Once again, Lisa Wherry will present an excellent array of wines from the Young’s portfolio to examine not only the stylistic differences between French and California sparklers, but between the grape blends that make up these bottlings, as well. Moreover, this is, simply put, a fun event and a great way to orient oneself towards the festive days ahead.

2007 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs, Napa

List price 29.95; our price 26.99

The aromas are sweet and inviting with fresh lemon and lime, followed by pineapple and green apple. The generous nose is accentuated by a salty minerality that leads way to the yeastiness of fresh-from-the-oven bread. It delivers delicious flavors of green apple, fresh honeydew melon and lemon custard. The palate finishes with a pleasant acidity that is crisp, long and lingering. It received 89 points from Wine Spectator

Taittinger Cuvée Prestige, Reims

List price 43.00; our price 39.99

Taittinger is the third oldest Champagne house, and the origins of the house can be traced back to 1734. The Taittinger headquarters are in Reims, situated above 4th century Roman cellars with miles of tunnels and cellars used in the aging process in making Champagne. The House style is elegance with creamy richness. Cuvee Prestige is made of 40% Chardonnay grapes, and is a delicate wine with flavors of fresh fruit and honey. It is firm and on the dry side, with light oak, citrus and candied berry notes. Elegant yet well-toned, it shows intensity and character from beginning to end and stays persistent through the long, lovely finish.

2007 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Noirs, Napa

List price 35.00; our price 29.99

The long growing season of 2006 produced a fruit forward Blanc de Noirs, delivering generous aromas of strawberry, apple, and lime, followed with hints of spiced orange, cinnamon, and toasted hazelnut. Red apple and baked pineapple flavors give way to mid-palate notes of strawberry yogurt and brown sugar, leading to a zesty, crisp finish. This lively sparkling wine will retain its fruitful character and mature gracefully for many years to come.

Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne, Reims

List price 29.99; our price 26.99

Gift packing with bottle in bucket:

List price 33.00; our price 29.99

This is the best bargain in Champagne and is perennially rated 90+. In fact, Wine Enthusiast Magazine gave it a 92-point rating and made it an “Editor’s Choice”: “Toasty aromas leap from the glass in this deliciously mature wine. It is soft but still very dry, with acidity tamed by both fine, mature fruit and a creamy texture that sits well in the mouth. This is a very fine, tasty wine.”

Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve, Reims

List price 45.00; our price 39.99

This is a fully developed wine, with a radiant bouquet that is captivating yet subtle. Although notes of fully ripe fruit, such as nectarines and cherry plums, are apparent initially, the finish hints at nougat, honey and cereal grains. This wine is smooth and generous on the palate. Three years of maturation have given it body and substance. As the wine opens up, it is full and intense with notes of warm bread blending harmoniously with some ginger and coriander. The grapes used to produce this blend are selected from the top Crus in the Champagne region (34% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, and 33% Pinot Meunier). It has received high ratings: 94 from Wine Enthusiast and 93 from Wine Spectator.

2004 Iron Horse Russian Cuvée

List price 32.00; our price 27.00

This is the same base wine as their Classic Vintage Brut, but with a richer dosage, which makes it more opulent, slightly sweeter and heightens the fruit. It was originally designed for the historic Reagan-Gorbachev summit meetings ending the Cold War. Here we have a blend of 68% Pinot Noir and 32% Chardonnay aged 3 years on its yeast. It reveals lots of persistent effervescence, tiny, well-formed bubbles, a light straw color, and a distinctive perfume of orange rind and honeyed citrus. In the mouth, it shows a full-bodied mouthfeel and displays good intensity. Even though it is made from the same blend as the Classic Vintage Brut, the Russian Cuvee is much longer, richer, and more intense.

Saturday, December 4, 2010
4 to 5:30 pm

$5.00 per person
Home of: ExecutiveGiftService.com
611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite #1, Palm Springs, 92264
760-327-7701, 800-925-0030

The Folio Fine Wine Partners selection of Italian wines is a spectacular offering compiled by Michael Mondavi. Representing the company this Saturday will be Patti Lee who will expertly and charmingly provide us with all we need to know about these wines and about the Italian wine scene. The wines we will be sampling are from Tuscany, from the Veneto and from the Friuli-Venezie Giulia.

2009 Danzante Pinot Grigio, Friuli-Venezie Giulia

List price 9.95; our price 7.99A crisp lemon-blossom bouquet leads into vibrant flavors of citrus, melon and peach and a clean, well-balanced finish.
Pinot Grigio is considered a natural mutation of the noble Pinot Noir grape, with berries often tinged cinnamon brown or even slightly grayish purple. It originated in Burgundy where it is called Pinot Gris (gray) and has been planted in Italy since the last century. Now Pinot Grigio is planted widely throughout northeastern Italy, especially Friuli, Trentino and Alto Adige, where it produces superior wines in the cool alpine climate.

Villa Sandi Prosecco, Valdobbiadene, Veneto

List price 14.50; our price 10.99

Fresh with nice complexity, the bright and zippy Villa Sandi has a nice undercoating of ripe core fruit flavors. It appears a very pale straw yellow and shows a fine, persistent perlage. The aroma is fruity and flowery with hints of ripe golden apple and wild flowers. The dry, fresh and flavorsome sensation on the palate is followed by a fruity and harmonious finish with zippy, crisp citrus notes.

2007 Masi Campofiorin, Valpolicella Veneto

List price 16.00; our price 13.99

Ripasso (ree-PAH-soh) is a process used in producing some Valpolicella wines to give them richness and body. After the wine is fermented in the usual way, it’s placed in casks containing the lees from a prior batch of recioto or recioto Amarone a concentrated wine made from slightly raisined (passito) grapes. This process, which lasts from 2 to 3 weeks, adds color, tannins and complex flavors. This is the new vintage release from Masi and it is delicious. It has a deep ruby red color. On the nose are cherries and intriguing aromas of mild spices. It is bright and well rounded at the same time on the palate; focusing on baked cherry and plum flavors with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. There is an excellent balance between the supporting acidity and soft tannins. The full bodied finish delights with hints of cocoa.

2006 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany

List price 24.00; our price 19.95

This Chianti Riserva from the Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi leads off the with a suite of fragrances exhibiting considerable complexity, opening to dark fruit such as plum and blackcurrant, then enriched by a pungent spiciness that infers cinnamon and clove. In the mouth the wine offers dense, impressive body, and fine-grained tannins that marry beautifully with its alcohol. The result is a solidly-built, but not heavy or extractive, wine, with a seamless, long-lingering finish.
Wine Spectator Score: 91 points.

2006 Masi Amarone, Costasera, Valpolicella, Veneto

List price 57.95; our price 49.99

The passito grapes offer a strong bouquet of baked fruit, plums and cherries, which provide the fruit flavors on the palate and are accompanied with attractive hints of coffee and cocoa. There is excellent balance between supporting acidity and soft tannins that melt into an intriguing softness. Imposing structure and a good alcoholic level gives this Amarone an attractively long finish. It is full-bodied, round and juicy, with loads of fruit and a soft, caressing palate. High ratings!

2004 Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany

List price 59.95; our price 54.99

Grown in Tuscany’s most exceptional growing areas, Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi wines boast more than 700 years of family history. This powerful Brunello was #15 on Wine Spectator’s 2009 Wines of the Year: “Shows a complex nose of blackberry, tanned leather, sandalwood and cedar. Fascinating, full-bodied, with super-silky tannins and a long, long finish. Concentrated yet balanced. Beautiful and complete. Best after 2011”. This incredible ’04 Sangiovese spent three years in oak and is definitely built for the long run.