An August tradition for New Yorkers is to bail Gotham’s heat for the beach until September. So we came up with a handful of wines that will help transition us into a new season without returning to red wines just yet. The medium to fuller style of wines pair beautifully with richer autumnal cuisine while the first two play well by the pool or served as a table aperitif.
Luis Pato is a celebrity amongst Portuguese winemakers. The Pato family is steeped in wine history and his wines are revered by his peers. A true pioneer, he broke away from the Bairrada DOC to further innovate under the Regional Beiras denomination in 1999. Thus leading to a splendid white from the Vinho Regional Beira Atlantico, Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas 2012 $14.99. Made up of the indigenous varietals: Bical (50%), Cerceal (25%) and Sercialinho (25%). The juice is vinified and matured in steel vats so the wine is electric citrus, sharp and complex with a few years for ageability. It’s excellent as an after work refreshment, or with or grilled octopus and fresh veggies.
Keeping in step with the maritime influenced vineyards our next choice comes from Sicilia. Grillo is a grape native to the largest Mediterranean island and Cantine Corbera nails it with their Le Contrade Isabella, also priced at $14.99. This is another refreshing dry wine but this one has a more fragrant nose, showing white and yellow flowers, stone fruit and a hint of pina. This wine is clean on the palate and an instant hit with the Sea Grape staff, becoming one of favorite new wines of the summer.
Our next stop is in the Southern Rhone of France from the village of Sablet where Domaine Les Goubert offers Cotes Du Rhone Villages Blanc. This is when our selection starts to take a turn. Fresh fruit aromas are tuned down with a hidden “shutdown” nose. My instinct tells me with time it may show a lemon creme aroma. The mouth feel is soft and medium in weight, as the wine opens up there’s a touch of overripe apple and white tea. Overall, it’s a pleasant wine that will show more over time but ample in quality and character. A 2012 vintage comprised of 65% Clairette, 20% Roussanne, 14% Bourboulenc, and 1% Viognier and for $20.99 you can have one of only 5,900 bottles produced.
The production gets even smaller with this gorgeous Gewurztraminer that fell onto my lap one afternoon this past spring. Hailing from the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County, California this golden nectar fills the glass with bright white peaches and lychee with lingering notes of honeysuckle and a dash of spice. Handley Cellars has been producing high quality wine since 1982 and all of this Gewurz is grown in a single vineyard of the 30 acres of CCOF certified organic estate. In 2012 the berries were blessed with good weather and they were able to crank out 209 cases, so that’s about 2,500 spicy curry dishes for the United States to pair with for this year.
For every wine tasting there is a grand finale and in the world of white wine there is no grander champion than chardonnay, the most noble of the white varietals and from no other place but Burgundy could the finest expression be displayed. Vincent Daux is the vigneron for Domaine De L’Ecette’s Grand Vin de Bourgogne 2010. From the small town of Rully in the Cote Chalonnaise, this 100% Chardonnay is rare but not elusive and available for under $30. Le Gaudine is a single vineyard old vine wine that is sensuous and generous. Full bodied, straw colored, leaning towards gold, with aromas of honeyed blossoms and distant spiced vanilla. Secondary apple and dried apricot are unctuous on the palate. The acidity is nearly buried by the roundness of the fruit but persists throughout as it dips into a smooth finish. It’s a bottling that has aged superbly and drinking at its peak.
These wines will also be featured at Sea Grape’s 2nd Edition Wine Class August 19th in the back room of Cowgirl, please check our store for details. As a gentle reminder there’s no chance we’re out of the dog days yet. So keep sluggin back that cold Rosé and fresh White, and enjoy the Perseids meteor showers. Salud.
