French and Spanish Wines, August 31 5:30-7:30
We hope you will join us tomorrow night from 5:30-7:30 for a free tasting of French and Spanish wines imported by European Cellars (a.k.a. Eric Solomon Selections).
There will be two whites, a rose, and three reds. Specifically they are:
Domaine Lafage Cote d’Est Blanc 2016- Roussillon, France. Grenache Blanc, Chardonnay, Marsanne. “Côté d’Est, as the name suggests, comes from vineyards planted on the gentle slopes facing the Mediterranean just a few kilometers inland from the sea. Benefiting from the thermal breezes that refresh these vineyards every afternoon in the summer – which preserves a high level of natural acidity in the grapes – this is a lively blend of Grenache Blanc with smaller percentages of Chardonnay and Marsanne. Floral and aromatic, it is an excellent example of the open and friendly whites you can find all along the Catalan coast from Perpignan to the Penedès.” $13.99
Burgans Albarino 2015- Rias Baixas, Spain. Albarino. “A custom cuvée made for European Cellars by Martin Codax, the Burgans Albariño is named after the hill on which the cooperative is located. Burgans is a cuvée made from a small selection of vineyard plots in the Salnes sub-zone of Rias-Baixas which have a characteristic pit-fruit quality and richness in addition to the bracing minerality for which the sub-zone is famous.” $14.99
Mas Donis Rosat 2016- Montsant, Spain. Garnatxa, Syrah. “Hand harvested, saignée of fermentations of Garnatxa and Syrah after a short time on the skins, fermented in tank. Eric Solomon visited the cooperative and he was taken by how similar the soils and grapes varieties were to the Priorat where he had just started working with an unknown estate and a lesser known winemaker, Daphne Glorian. Tasting through the various tanks and barrels at Capçanes, he created a cuvée of Garnatxa and Syrah that he named Mas Donis – a wine he jokingly said was his “best Côtes-duRhône.” With time and experimentation Mas Donis has evolved to show a more Priorat-inspired profile. A serious wine at an extremely friendly price. The Mas Donis Rosat is a saignée from tanks of Garnatxa and Syrah bled after a few days in the skins.” $12.99
Bodegas Hazana Rioja 2014- Rioja, Spain. Tempranillo, Graciano. 10 months in French and American oak. “Hazaña is a recently introduced custom cuvée made in partnership between Eric Solomon and Rafael de Haan. Named for the ancient, poetic tales of heroism, Hazaña is made at Viñicola Real in the classical style of Rioja. The fruit comes from the vicinity of Logroño at 500 meters above sea level and on red clay and chalky limestone soils. A blend of Tempranillo with up to 15% Graciano, it is aged in French and American oak before release.” $13.99
Domaine Janasse Cotes du Rhone Reserve 2014- Rhone, France. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsault. Hand harvested, 20% whole cluster, fermentation in tank, 12-15 day maceration. 12 months in foudre. “Domaine la Janasse was one of the first properties represented by European Cellars and for many years we sold their dependable and quaffable bistro-styled Côtes-du-Rhône. A few years ago while tasting in their cellar we sampled a portion of this cuvée out of foudre and the Côtes-du-Rhône Reserve was born. It’s a more serious effort than the regular Côtes-du-Rhône bottling that showcases the estate’s ability to marry richness with finesse.” $15.99
Lafage Tessallae Carignan 2014- Cotes Catalanes, France. Carignan. 12 months in concrete tanks (80%) and demi-muid (20%). “Carignan has had a rather tumultuous history in the south of France. Once seen as a necessary grape to spur the recovery of the region after the plague of phylloxera in the late 19th century, primarily for its ability to produce high yields, it has been largely replaced with “nobler” varieties such as Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. This is unfortunate – for as challenging as the variety is to love when the vines are young – they are superb with half a century under their belt. Jean-Marc Lafage luckily resisted the call to uproot and replace this variety, and he possesses Carignan vines well over 70 years old on the schist soils of Aspres and Maury from which he started making the Tessellae Carignan at the urging of Eric Solomon.” $17.99