Desert Wines and Spirits

Saturday, May 9, 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

We are continuing our search for bargains among wines and liquors that suit your needs for the coming summer months.  This Saturday we are showcasing some new arrivals that fit nicely into that category.  It is our job to introduce you to the myriad possibilities to satisfy personal enjoyment as well as your entertainment needs.  We do this a few bottles at a time so that the focus is not lost.  As each week goes by your knowledge of beverage products increases and, chances are, you are enjoying the party.

Grandial Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine, Brut, France
Regular price 8.99, Today only 6.99
This is a wonderfully light sparkling wine produced from 100% Ugni Blanc that is surprisingly clean, refreshing and totally dry.  It is medium bodied, displaying ripe fruit and smooth textures.  It has lightly creamy flavors that end with a crisp finish.  This is a great price for this fruity, elegant sparkling wine with fine bubbles and fresh palate.

2008 Benvolio Pinot Grigio, Friuli, Italy
Regular price 13.50, Today only 9.99
The Friuli–Venezia Giulia area of Italy is in the northeast next to Slovenia.  This wine comes from the Grave section of the Friuli where well drained soils produce the quintessential Pinot Grigio.  The wine is fresh and delicate, with clean pear and apple flavors set in a crisp balanced acidic structure.  Look for subtle hints of rosewater and lychee in the long flavorful finish. 

2007 Zaza Garnacha Rosé, Campo de Borja, Spain
Regular price 10.99, Today only 9.99
Campo de Borja is part of the region of Aragon, the home of Henry VIII of England’s first wife, Catherine, and her mother, Spain’s famous Queen Isabella.  Campo de Borja once belonged to the Borja family, one of Spain’s most famous noble clans.  You’ll recognize the name when you read the Italianized version – Borgia.  This is a medium bodied, dry rosé with aromas of strawberry and a palate of ripe berry fruit.  Also discernable are melons, watermelon and rose petals.

2004 Bolla Nero d’Avola, Sicily
Magnum Regular price 14.95, Today only 9.99
Nero d’Avola is the major red grape grown in Sicily and in the southern part of Italy, as well.  Up front the wine shows cherry and raspberry fruit, some peppery spice and black licorice.  With time in the bottle, the wine has fleshed out a little from its original release and is now drinking rather smoothly.

2006 Martin Codax Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain
Regular price 12.99, Today only 9.99
This fine Tempranillo shows aromas of ripe fruit and a floral bouquet that is integrated with nuances of cedar and toasty oak.  The palate is elegant and complex; the wine is vibrant and expressive with medium body and hints of vanilla from the oak aging.  Flavors of cherries, currants, coconut and fresh raspberries capture the palate leading to a long, lingering finish.  Wine Enthusiast gave it a score of 87: “Good and meaty stuff, with bold aromas that feature leather, berry and char.  Seems saturated and ripe, and gets better the more air it sees.  Flavorwise, we’re talking about plum, blackberry and a little vanilla.  Complete on the finish, with all angles covered. Not complicated or complex; good value.”

Krohn White Port, “Lagrima”, Portugal
Regular price 15.00, Today only 12.99
White Port is made from, guess what?, white grapes, whereas tawny and ruby Port can be made from roughly 80 different grape varieties, most of them red. This one has been aged for 8 years.  Look for flavors of burnt caramel, plums, raisins, hazelnuts and baking spices.  Since the wine has had extended barrel aging and is fortified, it is no problem to keep it in the fridge for a month after opening it.  Serve it chilled, on the rocks with a slice of lemon or add a splash of club soda.

Starbucks Coffee Liqueur
Liter Regular price 25.00, Today only 14.99
Partnered in production with Jim Beam, Starbucks liqueur is very rich and thick, with a rich dark coffee aroma, and functions better when it is mixed.  It does go well with coffee and with lattes and is perfect for vodka, milk or cream mixing.  It is made from Latin American arabica coffee beans and actually tastes a lot like coffee ice cream.  It is neither subtle nor complex, but it is supremely smooth at 20 percent alcohol (40 proof).

Saturday, April 18, 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

This Saturday we are featuring an assortment of very fine Northern California wines at substantial discount; reflecting at the least a savings of 25%.  Three whites and three reds, all different varietals, will make up the tasting event.�
Next week we will once again be visited by a representative of importer Quintessential Wines.  There will be wines from France and Argentina, and, as the company represents some California wineries as well, we’ve chosen a big red from Sonoma County and another from Napa.

2008 Chateau Julien Pinot Grigio, Carmel
Special price 11.95
The winery began producing Pinot Grigio with the first Estate Vineyard harvest in 1998. It has been growing in popularity ever since.  Cold fermented using Pris de Mousse yeast and bottled directly from stainless steel tanks six months after harvest, this wine is consistently clean and straightforward upon release.  It is a pleasant fruit-forward wine with fresh melon and lively peach aromas to complement crisp citrus flavors.  Its full texture is ripe through the finish with good acidity and balance.

2007 Dry Creek Vineyard Fumé Blanc, Sonoma
Special price 9.99
At first swirl, the 2007 vintage presents intense aromas of lemon-lime, ruby grapefruit and fresh cut grass.  After a couple of minutes in the glass, more subtle hints of kiwi and guava begin to reveal a complex wine.  On the palate, this wine is truly delicious with excellent viscosity and length showing more fresh fruit flavors and a very balanced acidity.  This amazing wine won the Sweepstakes Award for white wines at the prestigious Sonoma County Harvest Fair.  Imagine this ten dollar wine outclassing all the great Northern California Chardonnays.

2005 Silverado Vineyards Chardonnay, Vineburg, Carneros
Special price 19.99
This is the second vintage for Silverado from this wonderful vineyard.  The winemaker created a food friendly Chardonnay by fermenting in stainless steel barrels and stirring the lees weekly, to retain freshness and build mid-palate texture.  Up front the wine shows apple and orange blossom aromas proceeding to vanilla and oak in the background.  Stone and mineral aromas echo on the palate.  The balanced acidity and a silky mid-palate lead to a zesty finish that leaves you wanting more.

2007 Ramsay Winery Pinot Noir, North Coast
Special price 14.99
The very excellent winemaker for this wine is Kent Rasmussen of Napa.  The Ramsay label is actually his second label but the wine in the bottle is a good indicator of what he can do with this grape.  The nose shows classic Pinot Noir notes of raspberry and cherry, with lots of earthiness and lovely toasty oak.  The mouth explodes with blueberry, Bing cherry, anise and toast.  Even more striking is the depth and richness of the mouth-feel. The wine is very fruity, with blackberry characters and a big, rich, tarry and solid balance. The warm mantle of oak is refined and quite opulent.

2001 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
Special price 24.99
The history of Freemark Abbey began in 1886, when Josephine Marlin Tychson became the first woman to build and operate a winery in California.  The historic site where Josephine’s winery, Tychson Cellars, once stood is now known as Freemark Abbey. The 2001 Cabernet displays nuances of dark cherry and nicely-integrated oak with a background of black currant and cassis.  It has a very fruitful entry, is crisp, with a long finish, and promises a long life of enjoyment.

2006 August Briggs Zinfandel, Old Vine, Napa
Special price 27.00
Owner August “Joe” Briggs started out as a Pinot Noir specialist first at Alpine Vineyards in Oregon and then at La Crema in Sonoma County.  In 2002 Joe located a small parcel of land on the southern edge of Calistoga, and built a simple but state-of-the-art winery there that is his home today. This Zin is very fragrant with rose, perfume, and black cherry as well as hints of leather and cedar. On the palate it is flashy and expressive with flavors of wild berries, currant, and mocha. The finish is long and chocolaty.  This is classic California Zin from two old and venerable vineyards in Napa Valley.

Saturday, April 11, 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

Easter brunches and dinners are not necessarily heavy meals which places the wines of Italy at an advantage in creating a balance at the table.  Of course, all this is predicated on how much one drinks.  Typically, the white wines of Northern Italy are light in body, delicate in the fruit profile and flinty or mineral infused to create a sense of complexity.  This is why everyone loves them, or should.  The reds of Northern Italy can go either way; Barolo and Barbaresco come from the same general area as Dolcetto and Barbera and there is a world of difference between the two groups.  Of the reds we will sample, Barbera would seem the better choice for an Easter brunch and Rosso di Montalcino for dinner.  The whites are good any time and would serve well as an apéritif.

2006 Rocca delle Macie Orvieto Classico, Umbria
Regular price 11.99; Our price 8.99
This delightful white wine from the heart of the Classico dell’Orvietano in Umbria is a blend of 50% Trebbiano Toscano, 20% Verdelho, 20% di Grechetto-Drupeggio, and 10% Malvasia Toscana (probably more than you needed to know).  The color is pale straw with green reflections.  The wine is quite fruity and fresh, showing some elegance and finishes dry with a slight note of bitter almonds in the aftertaste.

2006 Canaletto Muller Thurgau, Trentino
Regular price 9.99; Our price 8.50
Muller-Thurgau is grown primarily in Germany (where it is planted more than any other grape).  Wine made from this grape is usually dry to semi-dry and is lightly aromatic.  Muller-Thurgau is a variety that was created in the late 19th century as a cross between Riesling and Sylvaner.  It is early maturing and can grow well in cool climates, which makes it a good candidate for growing in Trentino which is located in the foothills of the Alps   The wine has peach-like aromatics and is fruity in the mouth.  It is light and refreshing and shows crisp citrus flavors in the finish.

2005 Cantine Riondo Spago d’Oro Pinot Grigio, Veneto
Regular price 11.95; Our price 8.99
This Veneto version of Pinot Grigio is light and fruity, showing textbook qualities we associate with the varietal: flowers, and fruit, with the typical mineral strain much in evidence.  It is dry, with good acid and has a moderate length.

2004 Tenute dei Vallarino Barbera d’Asti, “La Ladra”, Piemonte
Regular price 14.99; Our price 7.99
Tenute dei Vallarino is part of Fratelli Gancia, one of the grand old houses of Italian sparkling wine.  Its perfumed fruit coincides with complex minerality and is actually complex in a classy way.  It has good body and texture, plenty of succulent black fruit and is balanced with refreshing acidity.

2007 Fontanafredda Barbera d’Asti, “Briccotondo” Piemonte
Regular price 11.99; Our price 9.99
The wine was aged partly in new barrels made of oak from Allier, and partly in large Slavonian oak casks.  It stayed in wood for around five months and was bottled in late spring.  The nose is packed with black fruit, especially blackberries and plums, with slight spicy overtones hinting at black pepper and cinnamon.  Sweet, soft tannins come together in a closely-woven texture that merges with the fruit, while a crisp freshness provides a long, tasty finish.  It received a 90- points rating and a “Best Buy” designate from Wine Spectator magazine.  Wine & Spirits Magazine also gave it a 90-point rating.

2004 Fattoria Pinino Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany
Regular price 24.00; Our price 15.95
Rosso di Montalcino is produced from the same grape as Brunello, Sangiovese Grosso.  In is produced with a much shorter period of maturation and is ready for drinking only two years after the vintage.  This wine is harmonious, elegant and spicy and a perfect match to a large variety of meals.  It can be enjoyed while young and does not necessarily have to be aged, although it matures well with increasing age and the tannins become even more elegant.  Great price, but limited stock.

Saturday, December 6, 2008
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

Garvey Daniels of American Wines & Spirits will be joining us this Saturday to pour and talk about wines from his Italian portfolio.  All of the wines are excellent but two of the wines in particular have received considerable accolades including their listing in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of theYear.  There is something very cozy about Italian wines because they are satisfying but never overblown.  The wines function beautifully as apéritifs and provide excellent service with food.

2006 Rocca Delle Macie Orvieto Classico
8.99
The grapes for this wine are selected from vineyards in the heart of the Orvieto Classico region in Umbria.  The blend consists of Trebbiano (Procanico) 50%, Verdello 20%, Grechetto 20% and Malvasia 10%.  The wine is the result of pressing and fermentation at a constant temperature, then cold bottled.  The color is a brilliant pale yellow with green highlights and the nose is persistent, fruity, and intense.  On the palate it is dry and fresh, with a slight aftertaste of bitter almonds.

2007 Suavia Soave Classico
14.99
#75 Wine Spectator Top 100; 90 points Wine Spectator Designation: Smart Buys “Lots of lemon, white peach and mineral character, with hints of orange peel and dry almond.  Medium-bodied, with good acidity and a crisp finish, leaving a lingering citrus aftertaste. Racy, nervy and delicious. Minerally, almost flinty. Drink now. 6,000 cases made.” (08/08) According to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: “Suavia’s 2007 Soave Classico shows the complexity and character of this hillside site in its ripe yellow fruits, smoke, earthiness and minerals.”

2007 Bottega Vinaia Pinot Grigio, Trentino
15.99
The grapes for this wonderful wine come from the Dolomite Alps area of Trentino, north of Lake Garda.  This area seems to be perfect for the Pinot Grigio grape due to warm days and cool nights with constant breezes clearing away moisture.  The wine is fragrant with fine pear-like fruit and displays its usual robe of minerality.

2006 Tormaresca Chardonnay, Puglia
9.99
This Chardonnay, light yellow with golden highlights, has aromas of exotic fruit, citrus and pineapple.  It is an elegant wine with pear flavors and a delicate minerality with bright acidity that pairs well with a wide variety of food.  It received 85 points from Wine Spectator: “Shows apple, lemon and honey on the nose and palate.  A full, straightforward Chardonnay.”

2003 Cantele Salice Salentino Riserva, Puglia
9.95
The grape varieties used in this wine are Negroamaro 80% and Malvasia Nera (20%).  Garnet highlights enliven this ruby red wine from the heel of Italy.  Caramelized red fruits, spices, tea and hints of wood, unfold in the mouth and are balanced by the tannins and acidy to create a smooth and luscious wine.  It is ready to drink immediately or to keep for 3-4 years.  Serve with pasta and meat sauce and red meats including lamb.  Ideal partner for medium to well seasoned cheese.

2003 Travaglini Gattinara, Piemonte
24.75
This Nebbiolo from the Piedmont is a very hard wine to perfect but the people at Travaglini are surely among the very best producers in Italy.  Wine Spectator thought so giving it a position in its highly acclaimed top 100 wines of last year.  This wine has a reputation as the “poor mans Barolo” but over the past 10 years has began to shed its image and step out of the shadows.  Lots of dried fruits and flowers come forth accompanied with some traditionally Barolo like tobacco notes.  A super thick, full bodied and tannic wine, the finish goes on a full half minute and the wine has a coating, pleasant mouth-feel.  It needs a few years of age so you may consider opening after 2010.

Saturday, August 23, 2008
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

Let’s sample some of the more popular white wine varietals this Saturday and reacquaint ourselves with the differing elements of each.  No doubt you have had all these flavors, but can you describe that which makes them unique from each another?  Our tasting parties provide that opportunity to inform while in the act of indulging.  Not a bad thing, and an excellent way to kick off Saturday evening.

2007 Forest Glen Pinot Grigio, California
5.99
This wine is pleasingly crisp, fresh and delicately fruity with aromas of apricots and peaches, and with good body, crisp acidity, and a delicate wave of fruit flavors through to the finish.  It represents great value for a wine that suggests aperitif service and partners well with seafood, chicken and veal dishes.

2006 Rock Rabbit Sauvignon Blanc, Central Coast
8.99
This Sauvignon Blanc receives no oak contact and reflects the fresh, crisp, ripe flavors of pure fruit.  It is rather on a par with the previous wine in that it highlights the apricot and peach part of the bouquet and flavor spectrum.  The citrus component veers toward lemon and supports the “crisp” characterization of the wine.

2007 Badger Mountain Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, Washington
9.99
Badger Mountain’s vineyard is certified organic; no chemical herbicides, insecticides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers are used in their vineyard.  This works well for those wine lovers who get a nasty reaction to sulfites.  Absolutely none is allowed on the property, so the only sulfites in the wine are naturally occurring—hardly measurable.  Pretty pear and Granny Smith apple fruit aromas and a hint of mineral compliment an intriguing floral character.  The crisp, balanced mouth feel is filled with flavors of Granny Smith apple, green pear, baking spices, and a hint of minerals.  The surprisingly long finish of apple, pears, and sweet oak is enhanced by the typical crisp acidity found in Washington State Chardonnay.

2005 Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc, Sonoma County
9.99
Pinot Blanc is a genetic mutation of Pinot Grigio, which in turn is a mutation of Pinot Noir.  Even Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier are members of this family.  Pinot Blanc is similar to Chardonnay, but is more delicate in its flavor and bouquet profile and moves away from apples towards pears.  This wine was fermented in stainless, but then received a few months of French oak.  The fruit was sourced from Russian River Valley and southern Sonoma Valley.  It has an aroma of juicy melon, banana, and limey citrus.  It is light-bodied, and the tart citrus and fruit flavors are crisp and palate cleansing.

2006 Orchid Hill Viognier, Paso Robles
17.95
Orchid Hill is a 51 acre vineyard located on sloping limestone hills in the Templeton Gap area of the west side of Paso Robles Wine Country.  The wine has a rich aromatic perfume of exotic scents.  It is rich, but well balanced with acid, and offers up fresh flavors of peach, mango and fruit cocktail.

2006 Pierre Sparr Gewurztraminer, Reserve, Alsace, France
14.99
The vineyards of Alsace date back to the Roman Empire.  During the middle age, the wines from this area were highly regarded and shipped all over Europe.  Most of the vineyards stretch over the eastern foothills of the Vosges Mountains which rise out of the broad plain of the Rhine to form a natural barrier between Alsace and the rest of France.  In recent centuries the area has ping-ponged back and forth between France and Germany, depending upon who won the last war.  Inhaling this wine is like smelling a bouquet of roses along with exotic fruits.  It is rich, fleshy and semi-dry and displays depth and persistence and a lasting finish.  The grapes come from 28 year old vines and produce a wine that fares well with rich spicy dishes, duck & turkey, Asian food, strong cheeses and fruit tarts.

Home of: ExecutiveGiftService.com
611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite #1, Palm Springs, 92264,
327-7701

The rapid rise in popularity of Pinot Grigio in the US says a lot about the evolution of American taste in wine varietals.  The movement away from Chardonnay was inevitable after this grape became expressed in ponderous wooded styles.  The resulting gravitation to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio have brought about a welcome change with Chardonnay producers towards lighter and crisper wines that refresh instead of overwhelm.  Lesser known varietals such as Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Albarino, Marsanne and Rousanne have benefited from the desire to break away.  You might say even Roses have moved back in the collective consciousness, as well, as a result.  So, let’s try some Pinot Grigios from Italy and compare them to others from California…

2007 Salmon Creek Pinot Grigio, California
5.99
This winery makes a delicately and refreshingly crisp Pinot Grigio with nuances of peach, melon, and mint.  It is an amiable quaff to be served very cold on a hot day. The wine is straw colored with green highlights. The bouquet is floral with hints of pear. Befitting a proper Pinot Grigio, the wine is dry and of good body. The aroma is replicated in the flavor profile and finishes most pleasantly.

2006 Voga Pinot Grigio, Venezie
9.99
The unique and trendy bottle delivers a soft and rich, crisp wine with fresh, ripe apple and pear aromas and delicious, juicy flavors.

2006 Mont St. John Pinot Grigio, Madonna Estate, Carneros
13.99
Years ago this property produced one of the best Petite Sirahs made in California from a very old vineyard.  Unfortunately, they couldn’t show a profit and replaced the vines with Pinot Noir which did show a profit.  Also planted were the grapes for this versatile wine which is both complex and interesting, and has delightfully fresh, fruity aromas.  It displays wonderful nuances of melon and pear that mingle on the palate and has a clean, crisp finish.  Still, I miss the Petite Sirah.

2006 Luna Vineyards Pinot Grigio, Napa
14.99
Uncork and enjoy a wonderfully expressive nose of pear, peach and apricot.  This is a delicious wine with a forward surge of lemon zest and pine nut flavors.  On the palate, there are flavors of citrus, fig, pear, pineapple and a faint underlying hint of oak.  Barrel fermentation begot a full body to the entire mid-palate. Notes of honeysuckle and orange marmalade close out the finish.

2006 Bottega Vinaia Pinot Grigio, Trentino
15.99
The grapes for this wine come from an old vine, low yield vineyard in the Dolomite Alps north of Lake Garda.  The wine is exceptionally fragrant with intense aromas not usual for a Pinot Grigio.  The flavors are pear toned and backed with perfect acidity for service as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to food.

2006 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, “Valdadige”
19.99
Nearly 30 years ago, importer Tony Terlato discovered this company’s wine and built it into the number one imported Pinot Grigio in the US as well as the number one Pinot Grigio served in restaurants.  This wine of the Alto Adige has a clean and intense aroma, is medium bodied and has flavors of golden apples and minerals.  It is clean with a fresh crisp character and firm structure.