September 2007
Wines of the month - Paul DeRose
My Summer Vacation
Hope you all had a chance to get away over the summer and visit some of your favorite places. For me it was a summer resort in the Virginia wine country followed by the beach. Both were fun, but predictable, as we had been to each several times before. Even though I think old favorites can be great, I do get the urge once in awhile to explore new territory. New things are more risky and failures can be disappointing, but the risk and novelty involved can also make the successes more exhilarating. My exciting new discoveries this summer were not places, but wines (you knew it was coming).
Summer is the one time of year that I break away from my usual wine diet (mainly consisting of big reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel and forceful whites like Chardonnay) for more than two solid months. I do this in part, because most of my old favorites are too heavy to drink during the dog days of summer. Although, I must admit that I also look forward to this one time of year when I throw caution to the wind and go in search of undiscovered treasures that just might become my new favorites.
Listed below are my favorite summer discoveries. Tasting notes for some of these can be found at www.wineoutpost.com
WHITES
2006 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc – New Zealand ($18)
2005 Hofer Freiberg Gruner Veltliner – Austria ($17)
2006 Bollig-Lehnert Piesporter Goldtropfchen Kabinett - Germany ($17) *
2005 Marco Felluga Pinot Grigio - Italy ($16) *
2006 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier - CA ($13)
2005 Glatzer Gruner Veltliner - Austria ($12)REDS
2006 Afton Mountain Vineyards Pinot Noir – VA ($20)
2005 Diochon Moulin-a-Vent – Beaujolais ($18)
(actually try any 2005 Cru Beaujolais, e.g., Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent, etc., as 2005 may be the best Beaujolais vintage in 20 years)
2000 Notarpanaro (Taurino) – Italy ($16)
2006 Epifanio Ribera del Duero – Spain ($14) *
2005 Drei Donna Sangiovese – Italy ($12)* indicates available in Montgomery County