Vol. 6 No. 3

Standard Selection - (1) Red, (1) White
McManis Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 - U.S.A.
Bouchard Aine & Fils Pouilly-Fuisse 2001 - France

Red Wines Only Featured Selections
Quinta Do Vallado Douro Vinho Tinto 2000 - Portugal

White Wines Only Featured Selections
Fattori & Graney Soave Classico Superiore 2001 - Italy

McManis Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 - U.S.A.

Due to the cavalcade of praise and the overwhelming number of requests by club members for more McManis wines, we are pleased to offer an encore with the newly released, award winning McManis Family Vineyards 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. It is hard to believe that this fine estate could pack even more flavor and hedonistic pleasure into a young Cabernet, than they did their 2000 Cabernet, which we featured last year, but they have. Already, the family's 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon has won a double gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco Fair and is about ready to be sold out. Soon you will taste why. Enjoy this ripe lush Cabernet, while the supply lasts.

For those new club members not familiar with McManis wines, McManis Family Vineyards is a relatively new estate, but its vineyards are old and well established. Located near the confluence of the San Joaquin and Stanislaus Rivers, McManis Family Vineyards is the premier producer of fine varietals in the recently established River Junction Appellation. Ron and Jamie McManis ' fourth generation family farmers, founded this family venture in 1990. The McManis' currently cultivate over 110 acres of premium wine grapes, transforming the fruit of their vines into luscious wines at their new state of the art winery opened in 1998.

Initially, the Ron and Jamie McManis were grape growers, who made no wine for commercial sale. Instead, they sold their grapes to several prominent coastal wineries. However, perceiving the need by coastal vintners for quality Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the McManis family had some of its grapes custom crushed at a premium North Coast winery. News spread quickly of the quality and tremendous value of these wines. Today, more than twenty coastal wineries are happy recipients of the McManis Family Vineyards premium Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Zinfandel, which they blend into their own wines or bottle under their own, more famous names. However, what was once the best-kept secret in California is now bottled in small lots under the McManis Family Vineyards label.

With the dynamic leadership of winemaker extraordinaire Jeff Runquist, McManis Family Vineyards turns out a bevy of excellent reds, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. In addition, tiny quantities of Malbec, Petite Syrah, Petite Verdot and Zinfandel are produced in some vintages. Some Chardonnay is also offered for sale. However, Ron and Jamie McManis will only estate bottle the best of the estate's wines, so not all varietals will be offered for sale each vintage. It is nice to know some wineries still possess a modicum of old fashioned pride. It is no wonder McManis Family Vineyards is already considered by critics to be Central California's bastion of quality and its wines the yardstick by which all other San Joaquin offerings are now measured.

Tasting Notes: This medium bodied, deeply colored Cabernet brings its welcome with it. It sports a bouquet full of lush berry scents, cassis, and cedar. Blackberry and the unmistakable smoky, flamboyant flavors of ripe Cabernet coat the mouth with each sip. And in the finish, the 2001 McManis Cabernet Sauvignon demonstrates its natural upbringing. In this case, less is more. McManis, who eschews over manipulation and the use of massive quantities of tartaric acid, which add nothing but heat and heartburn to a wine, has fashioned one pleasurable, overtly hedonistic Cabernet for good old-fashioned drinking. McManis has also decided to bottle this Cabernet unfiltered for added flavor, and there is certainly no lack of flavor in this winery's ripe, extroverted 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. We suggest serving this wine at either cool room temperature or below.

Accompaniments: The 2001 McManis Cabernet Sauvignon is a real crowd pleaser. Whether you are alone on a Monday night or entertaining a large group for a special occasion, the 2001 MaManis Cabernet knows just how to win friends and influence people. It is a wonderful accompaniment to beef, pork, pasta, and cheeses, but it is perfectly content to stand on its own and be the center of attention. Having said that, some of our favorite fare with this Cab is grilled meat. Marinated chicken, steak or barbecued pork chops are some of the tasting panels favorite accompaniments to this wine, but nobody will throw stones if you choose to forego the food and enjoy the McManis neat. Enjoy!

Recipe for Red Wine:

Marinated Pork Chops

4 thick bone-in pork chops
2 Tbl. vegetable oil
½ cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic- minced
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbl. mustard
½ tsp. sage
¼ tsp. black pepper

Combine soy sauce, garlic, sugar, mustard, sage, pepper and ½ of the oil in a bowl and mix well. Add the pork chops, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (turn once during marinating). Heat remaining oil in a large fry pan and sauté pork chops over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.

Bouchard Aine & Fils Pouilly-Fuisse 2001 - France

Bouchard Aine & Fils is a name that enjoys an enviable tradition, as one of Burgundy's oldest and most respected negociants. It is a name that has promoted quality Burgundy wines in France and abroad for more than 250 years and become a worldwide reference for many Burgundy wines. Moreover, Bouchard Aine & Fils is legendary for its early vision of the brand as the reference and symbol of quality.

The history of Bouchard Aine & Fils dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, when Michel Bouchard, a cloth merchant from the neighboring Dauphine region, often traveled via Beaune on his way north to Flanders. His wealthy customers from the northern provinces asked him to bring them some of the famous wines from Burgundy; what started out as a service soon became his primary business. Bouchard settled in Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy, where he and his eldest son founded the Bouchard wine company. From eldest son to eldest son, the Bouchards have kept alive the family tradition of the name Bouchard Aine & Fils (meaning the eldest son), forming a dynasty from one generation to the next.

As a negociant Bouchard Aine & Fils exercises its longstanding expertise in wine selection, winemaking, and wine ageing (sometimes referred to as elevage), which it has developed across nine generations. This remarkable house maintains a unique partnership with growers and estates for sourcing both grapes and wine, always adding its high-class style of winemaking to each of its Burgundy offerings.

Before the advent of modern marketing, there was the early vision of the brand, which Bouchard Aine & Fils and a number of the great Champagne houses just to the north of Burgundy pioneered. They created the brand as a consistent style and quality that consumers could recognize as synonymous with the house. In doing so, Bouchard set its course as a reliable purveyor of fine Burgundy wines, whose styles remain faithful to their respective varietals and preserve the unique characteristics of each wine's appellation of origin. For more than a century, the crest and vertical strip, key elements of the brand, have appeared on every bottle of premium Bouchard wines. Since its inception in the 19th century, this brand label has served as a unique, attributive and outstanding quality signature.

Bouchard Aine & Fils offers a complete selection of premium wines from all the major vineyards and villages of Burgundy, including an exemplary collection of premier crus and grand crus.

Tasting Notes: The 2001 Bouchard Aine & Fils Pouilly-Fuisse sports a bright, straw-colored robe that underscores the very clean, modern style of wine making practiced by this house. In the aroma, scents of vanilla cream and citrus, along with a restrained minerality, dominate the nose. Meanwhile, in the mouth, the savor of pure, clean Chardonnay fruit combines with hints of steel and orange peel. In short, the 2001 Bouchard Aine & Fils Pouilly-Fuisse is classic Pouilly-Fuisse ' an elegant, understated Chardonnay that pairs the austerity of real French Chablis with the rounder, fleshier, more varietal character of New World Chardonnay. Considering how refreshing and easy to drink this Pouilly-Fuisse is, we suggest you have at least two bottles on hand because like all respectable Pouilly-Fuisse the Bouchard goes down real easy. We suggest serving the 2001 Bouchard Aine & Fils Pouilly-Fuisse well chilled, allowing it to come up to just under cool room temperature by the second glass. Then, and probably only then, can one fully enjoy this wine's ultimate finesse.

Accompaniments: Although seafood and fine fruits de mer may, indeed, be the tried and true accompaniments to Pouilly-Fuisse, they are not the only partners that make the 2001 Bouchard Aine & Fils Pouilly-Fuisse shine. Salads, pastas (especially those with cream based sauces), stir-fries, chicken, pork, and cheese pies all provide other splendid accompaniments to the Bouchard Pouilly-Fuisse. Yet, the glory of Pouilly-Fuisse is its propensity to stand on its own, providing the ultimate aperitif or an excellent 'starter' to a gathering of old or new friends, and the Bouchard Aine & Fils is no exception. So, whether it is winter, spring summer or fall, the Bouchard Pouilly-Fuisse can turn an ordinary evening into an extra ordinary night, with or without food to accompany it. Enjoy!

Recipe for White Wine

Pasta Primavera

1 lb. pasta - freshly cooked
½ cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup carrots - sliced
1 cup asparagus 1' spears
1 tomato - chopped
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 tsp. basil
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 cup mushrooms - sliced
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steam broccoli and asparagus until cooked, but crisp. Drain well. Heat oil in a large fry pan and sauté garlic and mushrooms for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato pieces and cook for 3 minutes more. Add cream, milk, cheese, basil, broccoli and asparagus. Heat 5-7 minutes. Add drained pasta to Primavera mixture and toss over medium heat for a few minutes until pasta in well-coated.

Quinta Do Vallado Douro Vinho Tinto 2000 - Portugal

Quinta Do Vallado is an old estate, whose origins can be traced to the beginning of the 18th century. Actual historical reference dates to 1716, but the glory days of this fine estate began in 1818 when the Ferreira family of Port wine fame purchased this historical property. The Ferreiras have meticulously maintained Quinta Do Vallado for the last six generations, producing excellent table wines (meaning unfortified wines, not inexpensive plonk) as well as fortified wine from the estate's vineyards.

Today, Quinta Do Vallado comprises approximately 132 acres. Much of the current production is devoted to the estate's highly sort after red, Vinho Tinto, although Port is still made from the Quinta's grapes as well. Nearly all of Portugal's finest red varietals are grown at this estate, including Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca, Sousao, and the legendary Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesca, which are known for the production some of Portugal's finest reserve wines.

All the wines from Quinta Do Vallado are only very lightly filtered, so like fine Port, even the estate's table wines are apt to throw sediment. Careful pouring or decanting is recommended, especially as this property's wines age and mature.

Tasting Notes: For those club members who are old enough to remember the old candy commercials for a truly 'serious and sophisticated candy', the 2000 Quinta Do Vallado Vinho Tinto is the enological equivalent. Indeed, the 2000 Vallado is a serious red wine drinker's wine; its deep brooding purple color and its bold somewhat rustic profile recall the best of the wines of yesteryear. No smoke and mirrors, acid balancing, oak chips or other insundry tricks of modern commercial winemaking are employed here. Instead, in the nose and on the palate the rich earth and spice tones of Quinta Do Vallado's native grapes are entwined with copious quantities of full but very dry fruit. A serious, delicious old style red is the result ' a wine that is broad in the mouth and long and very dry on the finish. In other words, the 2000 Vinho Tinto tastes like Port, without the sweetness or headiness of the latter, which comes from the addition of Portugese brandy. Enjoy this medium bodied wine cool (about 64° Fahrenheit) after at least thirty minutes breathing time in a decanter.

Accompaniments: As one can imagine, the 2000 Vallado Vinho Tinto can hold up to many bold and spicy foods. The Quinta Do Vallado is an old fashion food wine in the best sense of the term. You need not worry about a serious marinade or a rich garlic-laden tomato sauce ruining the flavor of this wine. In our experience such fare is likely to embolden the Quinta Do Vallado. We heartily endorse grilled meets with this wine, especially freshly made sausage, even those that a pack a moderate amount of heat and spice. Zucchini Parmigiana is another of the panel's favorite choices with the Quinta Do Vallado. In other words, full flavored stick to your ribs kinds of foods, including spare ribs for that matter, provide wonderful companions to the 2000 Quinta Do Vallado Tinto. Enjoy!

Fattori & Graney Soave Classico Superiore 2001 - Italy

Fattori & Graney is a prime example of why The International Wine of the Month Club features the wines of small growers and producers more often than the products of large commercial ventures. Occasionally, the big guys do indeed turn out some pretty fine wines, even in Italy, and we are not opposed to offering these wines to our club members, but by and large the wines from huge concerns in Italy (no names will be mentioned to protect the guilty and prevent a lawsuit) lack charm and individual character. Moreover, the cost of mass produced wines too often reflects the price of advertising and marketing, more than the cost of making the wines. At Fattori & Graney, there is no such smoke or mirrors, nor is there a marketing guru, just good old-fashioned hard work. This makes Fattori & Graney one of those rare little jewels from one of the least likely of locales: Soave.

Nestled in the hills to the northeast of Verona in the Soave area, Antonio Fattori and his British-born wife, Sarah Graney, produce two dazzling, award-winning wines: Pinot Grigio and Soave. From the volcanic soils of Soave, this formidable team produces a Pinot Grigio that rivals the best of the Fruili/Alto Adige and an excellent estate bottled Soave that manages to impart real personality and expressiveness, rare commodities not normally associated with the vast majority of more commercial offerings from the Soave DOC. Fattori & Graney is one of only two dozen Soave producers to actually estate bottle its Soave: the others sell off their wines in bulk to the 'big guys'. Then again, those 'big guys' haven't won the 'Due Bicchieri' (Two Glasses) Award from the internationally acclaimed wine review 'Gamberro Rosso' like Fattori & Graney.

Tasting Notes: 'What a darn good quaff, and then some,' commented one taster. And that exclamation pretty well sums up the tasting panel's reaction to the 2001 Fattori & Graney Soave Classico Superiore. This wine is everything you could ask for in a Soave: it is light, lovely, and thoroughly captivating. Moreover, the Fattori & Graney Soave Classico possesses a light pretty color and a haunting nose of spring flowers, which afford it real sensuality and a beguiling seductive quality. On the palate, the wine beams with a light, luscious burst of fruit that is never sweet, but is utterly satisfying. In addition, floral tones, infused with fresh citrus, meld with a hint of almond to round out the flavor profile. The rest is history; this Veronese classic goes down so easily you will hardly notice a finish or where your last sip ended and the next one began. Before you know it, you'll be reaching for another bottle. Serve the Fattori & Graney moderately chilled, and enjoy.

Accompaniments: 'Party! Party! Party!' The Fattori & Graney is one mighty fine party wine, but you had better make sure you have plenty on hand. Running out of this little crowd pleaser could cause bodily harm to the host. Yet, if food figures into your party plans, we suggest light, uncomplicated fare. Soft cheeses, fruit, and vegetable crudités make splendid accompaniments to the 200l Fattori & Graney Soave Classico Superiore. For a more formal gathering, we will also vouch for mushroom caps infused with blue crab, seafood canapés, and shrimp and scallops in a light cream sauce over angel hair pasta. A well-prepared filet of flounder or sole (poached or baked) provides another classic complement to Fattori & Graney's lovely Soave. Have fun at the party!

Double Trouble in California's Vineyards - Part I
This feature article will be published in four parts. Look for Parts II, III, and IV in subsequent newsletters.

Vitis Vinifera, the European species of vine, is responsible for nearly all of the world's wine, including California's finest varietal offerings. When the first vinifera vines were brought to North America from Europe, no one suspected the existence of vine parasites or the host of other indigenous maladies laying in wait for them - a series of diseases which would ultimately destroy the vineyards of Europe and severely curtail the production of vinifera vines in the United States for centuries.

Although most North American vine blights can now be controlled or eliminated, using a combination of healthy vineyard practices and chemical intervention, the twin scourge of Pierce's Disease and phylloxera continue to pose problems for California vintners. Pierce's Disease and phylloxera, both fatal maladies, are still wreaking widespread devastation in the Golden State, causing prices nationwide to remain high for many California wines. In order to combat viticultural disaster, many vintners are ripping up vines and re-planting vineyards to ward off the worst-case scenario ' total destruction of their vineyards.
TO BE CONTINUED

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