It is de rigueur for many a West Coast Pinot Noir producer to describe his or her wine as being Burgundian. But when you taste, you find that their ideas of burgundy tend to focus on just one aspect, like the blind men and the elephant. For some, Burgundy is a wall of massive fruit, others taste acid’s sharp tusk, still others the enclosing trunk of wood. For some it’s a tale of long ropey tannins.

Much as burgundy might be a beast, it is not one that can be readily cloned in the West Coast’s warmer climates and different soils. In their focus on one character many of these pinot makers make something that is misshaped and one- dimensional

When winemaker Patrick Reuter came in the store a couple of months ago, he didn’t have a glossy brochure, and he didn’t have a sheaf of technical comparisons with the Cote d’Or - he didn’t even mention Burgundy.

A young man in jeans, he did have a just-off-the- vineyard demeanor and a writer’s sensibility and two hand-crafted PInot Noirs that for me caught the essence of what Burgundy does better than almost any other Pinot Noir producing area of the world, - to encapsulate acid and mineral drama in a sensual fruit sheath.

You would not mistake his two wines for burgundies - they were too big and fruit-forward for that, but they have the flavor and textual complexity of premier crus.

I was taken by the Red and the Black, not the novel, but Patrick’s sense that the wine mixed flavors of red and black fruits. It was fresh and direct with great intensity and just a hint of spice. Analogous to the forward directness of a Pommard or Beaune, it drank well after an hour open, and will age well for a few years

He was most proud of his Rain on Leaves, the name he gave the wine because it evoked for him more of an earth tint. To me it carried more of the steely spicy high tone of Nuits or Gevrey, an like them would need a few years before drinking.

Both wines floored me and I found myself coming back to them. Both are sure to become sought-after by collectors - there were only about 200 cases of each made. They are both bargains at their price.

Special Dominio IV Mixed Case, six of each - $409

Peter writes:
Italy is principally known in this country for their extraordinary red wines. It is not well known here that outstanding and unique white wines are produced all over Italy as well. In Piemonte they added plantings of Chardonnay back in the 1850’s and many top producers of Barolo and Barbaresco also produce very fine Chardonnay. The best of these, and the hardest to get, is the Coppo Riserva della Famiglia Chardonnay. “Riserva della Famiglia” is a designation Coppo uses for very, very limited production wines from their finest vineyards. Today, we are offering the last of the 2000 vintage, a wine that is just reaching reasonable maturity and performs like the finest Grand Cru White Burgundy. Paolo Coppo was kind enough to give us the last twelve bottles from the winery.

Flash!! 2007 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc

It is so hard for a mere retailer to get this fabled wine, that you might well think it was the contents of the Holy Grail. We constantly explain to people that it is winery policy to offer the wine to restaurants only.

Through fair means or foul, we have a few cases. Don’t worry, it isn’t hot and the corporate Wine Police won’t be knocking on your door to repossess it, but do act fast if you want some. We don’t have a lot.

2000 Coppo Chardonnay Riserva della Famiglia

Peter writes
Italy is principally known in this country for their extraordinary red wines. It is not well known here that outstanding and unique white wines are produced all over Italy as well. In Piemonte they added plantings of Chardonnay back in the 1850’s and many top producers of Barolo and Barbaresco also produce very fine Chardonnay. The best of these, and the hardest to get, is the Coppo Riserva della Famiglia Chardonnay. “Riserva della Famiglia” is a designation Coppo uses for very, very limited production wines from their finest vineyards. Today, we are offering the last of the 2000 vintage, a wine that is just reaching reasonable maturity and performs like the finest Grand Cru White Burgundy. Paolo Coppo was kind enough to give us the last twelve bottles from the winery.

2007 B Cellars Blend 23

The unlikely combination of Napa Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Carneros Chardonnay is entrancing in a way that its dry name does not convey. Succulently fruited and lightly spicy, it is full bodied and more softly interesting. Made by Kirk Venge, the son of Nils, it has just arrived in the state, and is great wine for any kind of fish on the grill or chicken on the plate.

Peter writes:

It is a challenge for us to sell the finest Italian wines when they are ready to drink, because older vintages are difficult to find. When Masi winemaker Raffaele Boscaini offered us these vertical packs of Amarone three months ago, we jumped at the chance.

This is the Masi Costasera Amarone, produced from the finest grapes grown in the finest south facing vineyards just to the east of Lake Garda. The vintages are 1993, 1995, and 1997. The 1993 is perfectly mature now. The 1995 is a great classic vintage and, while certainly drinkable now, will still age gracefully for 15 more years. The 1997 is a powerful wine that is just entering the first stage of full maturity.

The supply of these wines is extremely limited.

Special Six Pack Offer : Two Bottles of Each of the Above Wines for $504 (in wood case)