The Wines of This Week's Tasting:
Grill Wines - Red, White + Pink for the Red, White + Blue
June 30, 2021
White
2019 Breuer Riesling Sauvage
Dry & Broad on the Palate
The Georg Breuer Estate in the Rheingau is one of Germany's finest and most sought after. Sauvage Riesling is their all-purpose dry wine made from both estate and purchased fruit,
David Schildknecht, Vinous – "Ripe pear and apple are garlanded in lily-of-the-valley on a fetching nose and a silken-textured, buoyant palate. The refreshing finish delivers invigorating crunch and tang of apple and pear skin and is brilliantly transparent to stony, alkaline, and saline nuances. A superb demonstration of what's possible even from notoriously heat-trapping and drought-prone sites in a dry, warm vintage: a wine lively but full of fruit, harboring a mere two grams of residual sugar yet billowingly buoyant at only 11.5% alcohol!"
It is a Riesling anthem expressed in a strong chorus of cool lime, slate, and overtones of pear. Its flavor concentration makes it seem weightier than its low alcohol would indicate. It fills the palate and wants any kind of seafood from oysters to trout. Very Good to Excellent 26.99, by the case 22.99
2020 Raimbault-Pineau Coteaux de Giennois Blanc
Spicy, Intense Full & Dry Sauvignon Blanc
The name is a mouthful, so is the wine. It's Sauvignon Blanc just a little bit downriver from Pouilly Fume and resembles that wine with a little less flint and a little more savory acidity. 2019 is a wonderful vintage for that area. This wine packs a punch for any sort of spicy rub or marinade on fish.
Aroma: heady & rich, very dense lime acid spice, lingering; Mouth: dense full, with a bright lemon edge, vigorous and mouth-filling; Very Good Plus 18.99; Case, 15.99
Rose
2020 Cantina Valenti Poesia Rosato
Mineral Plus
Bright pink with cadmium note. Floral aromatics with pronounced strawberry and raspberry. Refreshing minerality and a long finish. Very Good to Excellent $21/bottle, Case 17.99/bottle
Red
2019 Boucard Bourgueil
A Bistro Wine with Cut
This lunch wine of many a Parisian cafe very nicely partners the American grill. This version is light on its feet and expresses Cabernet franc's nice herbal edge. It stands up to spices and strong marinades and cut through heavy meats. Drink it cool in the summer heat.
2019 Boucard Bourgueil; Aroma: heady rather full, deep fruit, a nice Franc edge; Mouth: lighter-bodied, heady nutty cab franc, nice acid edge to cut the fat, light savory afternote; Very Good Plus 14.99; Case, 12.99
2018 Domaine Sauger Cheverny Rouge
Big, Full Throated with a Nice Edge
This Cheverny is a unique Loire wine, a blend of 2/3 pinot noir 1/4 gamay and the rest caught the local name for malbec. This unusual combination produced great results. It's surprisingly full with the finesse of pinot rounded and filled out by juicy gamay to which the Cot (malbec) gives an underlying tang. The aroma surrounds and fills your nose on opening, a promise fulfilled by the rich roundness in the mouth.
Color: very dark black-red; Aroma: very heady nose very rich savory, jumps out at you with full dark fruit; Mouth: Fleshy & grapey, fresh, l, very ripe and full & forward Dark fruit with lingering herbal acid; Very Good Plus 21; Case, 17.99
2017 Lorenzo Negro Albarossa
New Grape, New Flavors in Piedmont
The hybrid Albarossa grape is new to Piedmont. Our old friend Lorenzo Negro makes an excellent version. It is simply delicious with bright red fruit and a lively texture. It's like other great Piedmont reds but with its own unique style.
Albarossa produces a richly flavored wine with plenty of balancing acidity to allow aging. In the summer, it would be perfectly suitable to serve this with a slight chill.
Red with purple rim. Fresh red fruit, plum, and cherry accented by violets and roses. Underneath, we find dried spicy herbs with jasmine. Bright acidity, high-quality medium to full body. Textured finish with good balance. Very Good to Excellent 21/bottle, Case 17.99
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
- Len Rothenberg
