Desert Wines and Spirits

Saturday, March 6, 2010

4 to 6 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

There is hardly another class of wine offering value than the Malbec bottlings of Mendoza, Argentina.  By “value” I mean considerable quality easily discerned, at very reasonable prices, or, “bang for the buck”.  Of course there are those producers that feel they should offer a densely made Malbec bomb at $100.00 or $150.00.  Unfortunately, these wines have to compete with similar bigger-than-life reds from California, which puts them at a disadvantage.  Happily you will not have to deal with this quandary on Saturday when we will maintain a sane pricing pulse rate.

2009 Elsa Bianchi Malbec

List price 9.99; our price 8.99

The classic Malbec aromas of ripe plum and violets are evident in the nose, with hints of vanilla.  The beauty of the Malbec in Argentina is its ability to combine a rich, weighty mouth feel with a soft silkiness normally associated with lighter wines.  Elsa Malbec takes the promise of the nose through to the palate, with pleasing fruit that mimics the aroma.  The soft, supple palate leads to a lingering finish.

2008 Alamos Malbec

List price 10.00; our price 8.99

The 2008 Alamos Malbec has a dark, blackish purple color.  The nose shows ripe black fruits, black pepper spice and floral notes.  The mouthfeel is full yet soft and supple, with black raspberry and currant flavors mingled with notes of sweet spice and a touch of leather. The finish is long and persistent with soft, sweet tannins.

2008 Zolo Malbec

List price 10.99; our price 9.99

The grapes are selected from Zolo’s best vineyards located in the wine-growing region of Mendoza.  These terroirs provide a wonderful expression of fruit and variety concentration.  This wine has an attractive and intense violet color, with black fruit, berry and raspberry flavors and a finish displaying complexity and elegance.

2008 Kaiken Malbec

List price 10.99; our price 9.99

In this wine, mature red fruits and chocolate are vividly present, mixing harmoniously with the oak, while violet aromas enhance the wine’s complexity on the nose.  The wine is velvety, with excellent structure and abundant, mature tannins providing a nice silkiness.  The wine is a faithful exponent of Malbec’s potential in Argentina, with unique characteristics, blending both intensity and softness along with a long and persistent finish.

2007 Pizzella Family Vineyard “La Posta” Malbec

List price 15.00; our price 13.50

Wine Spectator gave this delightful wine a 91-point rating: “Ripe and flashy, with a showy layer of mocha leading the way for spice cake, raspberry and boysenberry fruit flavors laid over a lush, creamy finish.  Dense but lithe, with the fruit echoing through the finish”.

2007 Kaiken “Ultra” Malbec

List price 19.95; our price 16.99

Showing outstanding and concentrated fruit, this wine has beautiful aromas of red berries, black cherry and a hint of cigar box cedar.  The full-bodied wine is round and velvety in mid-palate, with soft tannins.  An added touch of vanilla and toast, followed by a long and smooth finish makes this a very elegant wine.  80% of the Ultra was aged in French oak for 12 months which accounts for the considerable elegance of the wine.  Given its ripe core of spicy fruit, excellent concentration of succulent flavors, lengthy finish and balance, it should evolve for another 1-2 years and drink well through the rest of the decade.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

4 to 6 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

Thanks to all who attended the event last Saturday featuring Mike Grgich and his fine wines.  Mike was gratified by the number of fans who crowded in to meet with him and taste the wines currently in release.  Melanie did amazingly well keeping up with the pouring duties and discussing the provenance of the varietals.  Our apologies to you who got to the counter after we ran out of Fumé Blanc and Zinfandel; the matter is rectified with the arrival of both now in the store.In the meantime, new arrivals are available on our shelves and really ought to be part of our sampling schedule.  This Saturday’s event will feature imports from Argentina, Germany Italy and Spain.Next Saturday, the 27th we will concentrate on Zinfandels and the following Saturday, the 6th of March, we will present Argentine Malbecs for your discerning pleasure.

2008 Banfi Principessa Perlante Gavi, Piemonte, Italy

List price 17.50; our price 13.99

Principessa Perlante captures the fresh, fruit-forward bouquet and elegant structure of Gavi with a delicate natural effervescence.  As well as an elegant apéritif, it is also an ideal accompaniment to all shellfish, and marries well with fish, veal and grilled chicken.  Its combination of delicacy and flavor makes it a most appropriate accompaniment to the nuances of Asian cuisine in general and Japanese dishes in particular.  Also, you might try it with Italian food.

2008 Alamos Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina

List price 10.00; our price 8.99

Built up by the Catena family in Argentina, Alamos produces terrific value wines year in and year out.  The wine is full-bodied, with red apple and pear fruit filling the mouth.  Some bright yellow stone fruit and just a hint of toffee from brief oak aging add some richness and texture.  The wine has a truly fresh flavor profile, and would work well as a bridge wine for those who prefer crisper, brighter, Chardonnay while their companions perhaps favor richer, oakier flavors.  Delicious and versatile, this is a “smoking” good deal on Chardonnay!

2000 Bert Simon Serrig Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany

List price 24.90; our price 19.99

In 1968, as a young enologist, Bert Simon acquired the Baron von Schorlemer vineyards Serriger Herrenberg and Serriger Würtzberg.  Both vineyard sites of about 40 acres are monopole sites of the estate and almost all the vines are planted on steeply sloping hillsides.  This is a cool climate Riesling with aromas of minerals and bright citrusy fruit, with floral nuances in the background.  I love the citrus and honeysuckle fruit flavors playing off of the minerals, with a bright, tingly acidity to support it all.

2003 Conde de Valdemar, Reserva, Rioja, Spain

List price 16.50; our price 12.95

The Martinez Bujanda family, producers of Valdemar wines, founded their original winery in 1889.  They own 820 acres of vineyards, which makes Valdemar one of the largest estates in the Rioja.  A new winery was built in 1984 to take advantage of modern technologies, integrating both new and time-honored traditions of winemaking.  A blend of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Mazuelo, the wine is clean and bright with complex aromas of stewed black berries and spicy touches of black pepper and mineral notes.  It has a fleshy ripe berry character with fine tannins extending throughout the long and very persistent finish.

2006 Monte Antico, Toscana, Italy

List price 14.00; our price 10.99

The wine is 75 percent Sangiovese, 15 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  It is made from 25-year-old vines, mostly from Pisa, Maremma and Chianti Classico areas.  The quality of the 2006 vintage in Tuscany shines brilliantly through this wine.  The superb 2006 Sangiovese year has produced an aromatic wine with beautiful plums, berries and fresh acidity; #61 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2009.

2006 Masi Valpolicella “Campofiorin” Ripasso, Veneto, Italy

List price 15.00; our price 12.99

Masi’s 2006 Campofiorin reveals a soft, floral expression of red fruits framed by silky tannins.  This medium-bodied, restrained wine shows a lovely balance.  Campofiorin is essentially a Valpolicella made in the ripasso style which involves a secondary fermentation on the skins and stems of the estate’s Amarone.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

4 to 6 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

Next Saturday we will enjoy the company of George Horn representing Classic Wines of California. Always the perfect gentleman, George will present his favorite wines to you and happily discuss his reasons why. He believes in cost-to-quality value which will prove apparent as you taste your way through the following flight. Whether the choices are from France, Argentina, Chile or California, the quest is the same: bang for the buck.

2008 Patianna Estate Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino

List price 15.95; our price 13.99

When patriarch Barney Fetzer died of a heart attack in 1981, his 11 children took over, growing the business from 200,000 cases a year to 2.2 million by 1992, the year Brown-Forman bought the name and its brands. They smartly kept the vineyards and split the pieces among themselves. In 1997 Patti Fetzer Burke laid claim to 126 acres in the Sanel Valley near Hopland, a pristine former pear ranch bordering a mile or so of the Russian River, already planted in spots to her beloved Sauvignon Blanc. This wine’s aromas, Honeydew melon, white peach and citrus with a hint of wild fennel, are characteristic of Patianna’s grapes, grown by means of biodynamic protocols in gravelly, sandy loam soil. Luscious, vibrant flavors of grapefruit and lemon flavors, accented by a subtle mineral quality, carry through the wine’s expansive finish.

2008 Carmenet Vineyards Pinot Noir, California

List price 12.00; our price 9.99

Carmenet Winery was founded in 1982 by the Chalone Wine Group. The name Carmenet (Car-men-ay) was an archaic French term for the family of grape varieties used in traditional Bordeaux blends. In 2002 the brand was sold to Foster’s Group who later sold it to Franzia Wines. This really is a lovely Pinot Noir with good fruit and spice, excellent fruit and a full long finish. Quite the value!

P.K.N.T. Carmenère, Silver Collection, Rapel Valley, Chile

List price 6.95; our price 4.99

The PKNT Winery is located in the Central Region of Chile, the very heart of the country which includes its capital city, Santiago. The wine producing valleys of Cachapoal, Colchagua and Maule are located here. This wine is dark in color, smooth, deep, spicy, forward, delightful and unique; all for 4.99. Besides the berry notes there are hints of exotic spices that tantalize all the way to a long velvety finish. It is ideal with Tex-Mex or spicy food.

2007 Filus Winery, Malbec, Mendoza Argentina

List price 11.00; our price 8.99

This wine comes from a 68 year old vineyard in the Alto Medrano region of Mendoza. The low yield vines produce a wine that is violet in color with purple tones. The nose is intense and complex with the ideal balance of fruit and oak, resulting in a firm structure. Plum and blackberry fruits combine with toasty notes and sweet tannins for a long and persistent finish. The wine won a bronze Medal at the San Francisco Wine Competition.

2006 Chateau Lagarosse Cotes de Bordeaux

List price 18.00; our price 13.99

This blend of Merlot (80%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) is a harmonious blend of layered bright and rich berry fruit flavors. Château Lagarosse has been producing wine since the Roman period and continues to seduce the palate with a silky smooth texture and lingering finish.

2008 Masked Rider Gunsmoke Red, California

List price 9.99; our price 8.75

This young 2008 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Petite Sirah (38%), Merlot (15%) and Cabernet Franc (7%) shows aromas and flavors of fresh fruit, plums, black currant, herbs, and espresso notes, complemented with touches of earth. It is smooth in the mouth, with round tannins and a tasty finish.