If you like fresh and light red wines, then this is the wine for you.  The Raisins Gaulois from importer Kermit Lynch comes from the Gamay grape grown in Beaujolais, France.  There has been much hype about the 2009 vintage in France, especially from Bordeaux, and Beaujolais is one of the first regions to release their 2009 vintage.  Beaujolais is a region at the bottom of Burgundy that usually produces wines light and fresh in style.  This is not the Beaujolais Nouveau that you might see around Thanksgiving time.  This is fresh, good juice from an incredible producer, Marcel Lapierre.  He makes wines in the natural wine tradition which means less manipulation in the winery and soft culture methods.

Showing of fresh berries and light spring flowers, the 2009 Raisins Gaulois is refreshing.  A light ruby in color and tasting of fresh cherries and raspberries.  This wine has extremely low tannins, so it does not leave a dry taste in your mouth.  Instead, the finish is refreshing with a simple amount of mouthwatering acidity.  This light wine that probably won’t stain your teeth would pair nicely with light dishes, a raspberry vinaigrette, or drinks fine on its own.  Give it a try with a little chill on the bottle.

$11.99 bottle or $129.50 a case

We also have Lapierre’s 2007 Beaujolais from Morgon, one of the Crus (areas in Beaujolais) that you should get to know.

The 2009 Eric Chevalier Vin du Pays Chardonnay sports a clean, citrus and mineral nose. The mouth is smack in the center of the medium-bodied camp. The wine’s going to blast you with beautiful lemon, lime, and cement aromatics, a nice brushing of green apple on the finish and super-juicy acidity throughout. Got company? Pour them big, fat glasses of this wine and you’ll be an instant wine hero.

We bought a pretty big pile of Chevalier’s Chardonnay. It has only been out on the floor for a couple of days, but it is already flying out the door. Not a surprise, given how bloody excellent this wine is. At this price, you’ll want to load up. And don’t forget, if you buy a case we’re going to knock another 10% off our already-silly pricing.

Vietti Roero Arneis, Piedmont, Italy, 2008

This wine is a pale sunshine color. It’s got fresh floral, citrus and melon aromas & hints of almonds. The wine is dry and medium bodied with crisp acidity. Elegant and well balanced, the Vietti Arneis has great complexity, depth and a pleasant lingering finish. This wine pairs well with grilled fish, roasted chick and hot afternoons.                             — Abby

$23.00/bottle

The perfect time of year for white Burgundy – and the Verget is so good that not only did Tuta break his quill on its behalf, but I just had to write a little something about it in my column. Read on for Tuta’s review and be sure to hit the link at the bottom of the page to read the column in the Burlington Free Press for some additional praise. -  Jason

We have lined up two white Burgundies on the counter, both from Mâcon.  One of us knew which glass was which — the other tried the two wines blind.  One is a Macon-Villages at $12.50; the other is Macon-Charnay “Le Clos Saint-Pierre” at $22.50.  Both are made by the  respected producer Verget.

Mâcon lies at the southern end of Burgundy.   It has long been known for producing reliable Chardonnay — perhaps more lyric than epic in its ambition.  The region’s most famous offering is Pouilly Fuissé.  These are serviceable table wines which exist to complement food, especially shellfish.

Both the Village and the Macon-Charnay are on the crisp end of the Chardonnay spectrum.  Side by side, the Village tasted more watery than the denser Charnay.  They were clearly cousins.  The Charnay is more assertive.  It has a pleasing taste of pine and tart pear mixed with a little soft butter.

Considered together, both wines show us a way towards the ur-taste of Chardonnay.  Things are clearer as the wine warms past the serving point.  What is the taste exactly?  Tasted warm, there is a faintly oily feel in the mouth — rich in the way that shrimp and salmon feel rich.  The taste is not lemon or grapefruit,  but acidic in the mineral-laden way that some water or earth is acidic.  Both wines show us the direction of Chardonnay past sweetness towards a taste which has qualities of fermentation and weight.  But — ne t’inquiète pas –these two excellent Macônnaise wines are easy to drink without further scrutiny or any more talk.

Verget Macon Village $12.50

Verget Macon Charnay $22.50

Tuta

Click Here To Read: Retro Burgundy – The Burlington Free Press

The Tofanelli Vineyard is the stuff of legends in California. One look at those grizzly old head-pruned vines poking out of the ground and you can tell there’s something special happening there. Now there are a few bottlings lucky enough to carry the Tofanelli name, but in this case, I’m not sure who makes out with the luck. Bruce Neyers is an exceptionally gifted (some might say revered) wine guy. It’s hard to imagine a vineyard that wouldn’t feel pretty good about themselves if he came knocking on the door, looking for their fruit. Shoot, they might just bump him to the top of the waiting list.

We have fairly limited stock of the 2006 Neyers Tofanelli Vineyard Zinfandel. Stop in a pick up a few bottles before it all disappears.

Neyers Vineyards Zinfandel, Tofanelli Vineyard, Napa Valley, 2006     $32.50/Bottle

The fruit for this Cabernet is sourced from several different sites.  Together, the appellations of Napa Valley, the Mendocino coast, Paso Robles, and Lake County create a balanced, well-structured wine with supple tannins and bright acidity.

The wine is a dark ruby color and aromas of blackberry, plum, & spicy oak spill out of the glass.  This is a full-bodied red with flavors of blueberries, black raspberry, & mocha. It was aged for 15 months in French and American oak, 25% new barrels.

I like to drink this wine with anything off the grill, steak, ribs, or even veggies.

Joel Gott 815 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, California $15.50

The color is a light ruby and the wine has a bright, ethereal quality.  The nose has intense aromas of cherries and raspberries, with underlying floral notes.  There is also a streak of minerality running throughout.  In the mouth, the wine is elegant with surprising tannin and acidity, which suggests to me an ability to age nicely over the next 6-8 years.  It drinks beautifully now though, especially with a half hour of decanting.

This is a very fresh and aromatic wine with a silky mouth feel.  I like to pair it with roasted eggplant and fennel or wild mushroom ravioli topped with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Tenuta delle Terre Nere Rosso 2008, Sicily, Italy $22.50

The Boom Boom Syrah is explosive!  It is smooth, firm, & dark. It has a deep purple color in the glass and exudes meaty dark fruit flavors of blueberry and black currant.  Notes of Asian five spice & sweet tobacco intertwine with savory flavors.  It is intense yet plush in texture.  This wine is fun to drink.  It’s playful and fresh, but seriously delicious.

The Syrah pairs nicely with anything from grilled Hangar Steak with a chimichurri sauce; to pan seared duck breast with an orange glaze.  My best recommendation: if you’re looking for a red to drink with your Chinese take-out, grab this bottle and enjoy!

K Vintner’s Boom Boom Syrah 2008, Washington State $16.75

Our good friend Bruce Neyers wants to help you out. He’s sent along a bit more of his spectacular 2005 Conn-Valley Cabernet at a price that’s just as stunning as the wine. Loaded with blueberry pie, fig, raspberry jam, tobacco, earth and vanilla – and balanced perfectly, this beauty will age for a decade. But you don’t have to wait. Pup open a bottle and decant it for 20 minutes. You’ll be a happy camper.

This wine has been compared – by some highly regarded wine critics – to the legendary estate of Chateau Margaux. For those of us lucky enough to have popped open a bottle of Margaux, the comparison hits the mark. But, as you’ll see by the modest price tag, you don’t have to auction your house or harvest your organs to put a case of this wine in your basement.

All of Bruce’s wines are press darlings – and they’re getting really hard to find. Find out why Robert Parker writes that Bruce “…has one of the most important palates on the west coast…”

Also be sure to ask about our other Neyers bottlings – including the trio of super-rare magnums Bruce recently shipped to us. I’m not going to say that it was like pulling teeth to get them, but I’m also not going to say it was easy.

Neyers Cabernet Sauvignon, Conn-Valley, Napa, 2005 — $45.50