Vol. 6 No. 4
Standard Selection - (1) Red, (1) White
Chateau Recougne Terra Recognita Bordeaux Superieur 2000 - France
Saracco Prasue Langhe DOC Chardonnay 2001 - Italy
Red Wines Only Featured Selections
De Angelis Rosso Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio 2001 - Italy
White Wines Only Featured Selections
Prager Riesling Federspiel 'Steinriegl' 2000 - Austria
Chateau Recougne Terra Recognita Bordeaux Superieur 2000 - France
Château Recougne is an outstanding 130-acre Bordeaux property that has been completely restored by the Milhade family. Perched on a well-drained hillside near the border of Lalande-de-Pomerol, the estate's siliceous clay soil is rich in iron oxides, providing the ideal situation for the cultivation of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From this lovely chateau flows the finest red Bordeaux Superieur we have ever encountered.
Chateau Recougne is an illustrious old estate with more than 400 years of recorded history. Laying claim to the reception of 'Who's Who' among 16th and 17th century French nobility, Chateau Recougne is said to have received the name 'Recougne', meaning recognition, from France's most popular sovereign, King Henri IV. This honor was bestowed upon the estate in recognition of the property's outstanding red claret. Given the unchanging terroir as well as the Milhade family's expertise, it should come as no surprise that Chateau Recougne still produces highly acclaimed red Bordeaux that is deserving of even further recognition.
The Milhade family is well known in Bordeaux for their loving restoration of historic Bordeaux wine properties and an uncompromising devotion to the production of high quality, opulent, full-flavored Bordeaux wines. At Chateau Recougne, the Milhades have invested heavily in modern equipment and new oak barrels. In addition, they have adopted quality practices and techniques that are normally found only at the highest echelon of Classified Bordeaux Chateaux. Moreover, the Milhades are not afraid to exclude or declassify half of their crop in order to make top-notch wine at Chateau Recougne. The greatest expression of this estate's acumen is its reserve bottling, known as Terra Recognita. Terra Recognita is produced only in the finest vintages from the choicest old vines. It is aged completely in small oak barrels, a high percentage of which are new. In other words, there is no compromise made in quality; Terra Recognita is the ultimate expression of Chateau Recougne's terroir and the very best wine of the Bordeaux Superieur Appellation.
Tasting Notes: If anyone still doubts the quality of this still relatively undiscovered chateau or the greatness of the 2000 vintage in Bordeaux, the 2000 Chateau Recougne Terra Recognita Bordeaux Superieur will dispel any such further notions. This latest offering from Chateau Recougne is a blockbuster of a wine. Comely and deeply colored, profound scents of blackberry, cassis, cedar, and complex earth tones pour from the glass in a majestic olfactory display, which likens the 2000 Terra Recognita to the most illustrious Grand Cru Medoc, Pomerol or St. Emilion offerings rather than any other Bordeaux Superieur wine we have ever tasted. Long and smooth on the palate, the wine's aroma and flavor meld into one seamless stream of pleasure. All of this goodness is deftly framed by the judicious use of new oak barrels, which causes the finish on the wine to explode and linger for nearly thirty seconds after swallowing. Without a doubt, the 2000 Chateau Recougne Terra Recognita is a tour de force in winemaking for the up and coming Bordeaux Superieur appellation, but more importantly for the consumer it offers oodles of pleasure now, and will continue to do so for up to a decade. As balanced and opulently wrought as this fine claret already is, we expect it to improve further. However, this may mean that future shipments will have to contain warning labels, so that none of our faint-hearted or constitutionally challenged club members should succumb to its appeal unaware. Allow the Terra Recognita to breathe for at least thirty minutes, before serving it at cool room temperature. Salut!
Accompaniments: The 2000 Chateau Recougne Terra Recognita is one of the rare few young Bordeaux reds that can shine on its own. Yet, fine cuts of veal, beef or lamb that have been simply prepared can add to the ultimate pleasure of bringing any fine red Bordeaux to table, and in this regard the Terra Recognita is no exception. Duck, quail, and ostrich, provide other excellent accompaniments, especially when served with fruit-based sauces or highly charged reductions. Traditional Bordelais dishes, such as lamprey or kidneys, offer more fine complements to Chateau Recougne's top cru. Sweetbreads constitute another classical pairing. Yet, a plate of well-selected cheeses and a good friend can provide all the company you need with the 2000 Chateau Recougne Terra Recognita. Why not check out our International Cheese of the Month Club at www.cheesemonthclub.com for an expert selection of cheeses? We'll let you choose your own friends. After all, you're over twenty-one. A votre sante!
Recipe for Red Wine:
Braised Veal Chops
4 thick veal chops
2 Tbl. butter
3 Tbl. shallots
½ tsp. tarragon
½ tsp. fresh basil
1 cup red wine
Brown veal chops on stove in butter and then place in a large baking casserole. In the same pan as chops, sauté shallot until lightly browned in veal drippings and add spices and wine. Cook for about 5 minutes and pour mixture over the veal chops. Cover chops and bake in preheated oven at 325° for 30 minutes. Baste a few times during baking.
Saracco Prasue Langhe DOC Chardonnay 2001 - Italy
Paolo Saracco is an oenologist and the proprietor of this family-owned estate in the Langhe Hills of Piemonte, which lies in the extreme north of Italy as the Alps fall out of Switzerland. His pursuit is the expert production of small quantities of two of the world's greatest white varietals: Chardonnay and Moscato. From 50 acres of steep Langhe vineyards, which are world renowned for Italy's most illustrious DOC's and their long lived, full-bodied reds, Barolo and Barbaresco, Saracco turns out a moderate amount of delicious Moscato d'Asti and a mere 500 cases of a splendid Chardonnay called Prasue.
Dating from the early 1900's, Paolo Saracco is the fourth generation of his family to run this property, but the first to bottle and sell the estate's entire production. Utilizing his outstanding oenology skills, he completely modernized this traditional property and made this winery a force to reckon with. With Paolo Saracco at the helm, we have much to look forward to from this estate in the years to come.
Tasting Notes: A cheerful, sunny wine, the 2001 Saracco Prasue Chardonnay is splendor in a glass. From its bright, sunshine-like robe to the last lingering vestiges of its sprightly finish, the 2001 Saracco Chardonnay will kill you with charm. Soft, clean scents of spring haunt the nose, while lush bright fruit, along with cream and butter, dominate the wine's flavor. This is not overly complex fare, but it is indeed oooh so delicious. In fact, the Prasue reminds us of some of the wonderful modern-style white Burgundies we have recently tasted, especially those from St. Veran. We advise serving the Saracco Prasue lightly or moderately chilled. Since it is easier to let a wine warm up in the glass rather than cool down, and nearly every Chardonnay gains a little something extra by airing, we suggest chilling the Prasue to about 40? F, then allowing it to blossom slowly in the glass. Enjoy!
Accompaniments: 'Whatever you want. It goes with whatever you want, unless it's something like Steak and Onions or Rack of Lamb' now that might be a bit too much. Otherwise, I like it with most things,' stated one aficionado. There you have it. Although we, too, believe the 2001 Saracco Prasue is a versatile wine and it truly does complement many different types of foods, seafood and pastas received a unanimous nod from the tasting panel. Some of our favorite accompaniments are Hot Crab Dip, Crawfish Bisque, Shrimp and Cheese Grits, Grilled Salmon with Asian vegetables, and Sea bass, served with a red pepper and mushroom cream sauce. All provide wonderful complements to Paolo Saracco's lovely Langhe Chardonnay. A carefully prepared Pasta Primavera is fabulous, too. Just about anything that swims, flies or grows in the earth will do well with this wine. You may even throw caution to the wind and drink it neat; it's a great quaff.
Recipe for White Wine
Crawfish Bisque
3 dozen cleaned & cooked crawfish
2 stalks celery
2 Tbl. parsley
¼ tsp. thyme
1 egg - slightly beaten
4 cups fish stock - preferably from the crawfish
4 Tbl. butter
½ small onion - minced
1 carrot - thinly sliced
¼ cup bread crumbs
2 Tbl. flour
Boil fish stock with half of the crawfish (heads and tails). Refrigerate the heads and remove the meat, chop and keep in refrigerator for later. Add celery, parsley, carrot and thyme. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove heads and discard.
Saute the onion and ½ of the butter until light brown and add chopped crawfish meat. Cook for 5 minutes and add bread crumbs. Add beaten egg to sautéed mixture, stir lightly and stuff all of this in the refrigerated heads. Bake them at 325° on a greased pan for 15 minutes.
Melt other ½ of butter in pan, add flour and stir for just a few minutes and them slowly add the boiled fish stock to the flour and butter, stirring to make sure it is very smooth. Add remaining crawfish mead and season to taste. Simmer bisque, stirring for 5-10 minutes. Place baked and stuffed head in soup bowls and pour bisque over them.
De Angelis Rosso Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio 2001 - Italy
Located on the foothills of Mount Vesuvius, bordering majestic Sorrento Bay, the Azienda Agricola De Angelis is situated in the prettiest part of the Campania. The Campania Felix, meaning the 'joyous country' or the 'face with an open smile,' is the ancient province of the Roman Empire that sits just south of Rome and neighboring Latium. Like its name implies, this region produces friendly, gregarious wines, and none is more exemplary of the good nature and open character of the land and people of the Campania than the De Angelis Rosso Lacrima Christi.
The estate's owners, the DeAngelis Brothers, typify the unparalleled character of their enchanted region. From barely twenty acres of hillside vineyards they produce, with the help of Oenologist Angelo Valentino, the two mythical wines of Sorrento: Rosso Lacrima Christi and Bianco Lacrima Christi. Lacrima Christi means 'tears of Christ,' and as legend has it the wines of this area of Vesuvius were so named because here, it is said, that Lucifer was cast out of heaven, causing Christ to weep.
The Rosso Lacrima is the result of the local Piedirosso grape, married to a lesser portion of Aglianico, one of the ancient grapes that the Greeks brought to southern Italy more than 2500 years ago. Meanwhile the Bianco Lacrima Christi is the product of two native varietals, Coda di Volpe and Falanghina, which produce a fine, fragrant white wine that is prized for its flavor as well as its finesse.
Tasting Notes: A richly robed, decadent style of Lacrima Christi, the 2001 De Angelis Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio offers up plenty of flavor in a flamboyant format. Scents of black fruits, plum and cedar permeate the nose, while fleshy fruit and a subtle softness, redolent of summer berries, dominate the wine's opulent profile. Yet, in spite of this Lacrima Christi's fleshy nature, it finishes dry and smooth, with just enough tannin and subtle spice to frame the wine's fruit and linger for a full fifteen seconds after clearing the palate. Yum! Drink this fleshpot now and often over the next couple of years. We suggest allowing this wine to breath a bit in the glass before consuming it, but as long as the lush fruit remains forward in this opulent potion, extensive breathing time should not be necessary. Serve the 2001 De Angelis Lacrima Christi anywhere between cellar and cool room temperature (60°-65° F), and enjoy!
Accompaniments: As fleshy and succulent as the 2001 De Angelis Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio is, it hardly needs elaborate fare to shine. In fact, simple, regional country cooking from southern Italy provides a myriad of fine accompaniments to the De Angelis Lacrima. Most notable among these complements is shrimp or lobster Fra Diavolo, linguine with red clam sauce or even a hardy marinara with penne pasta, thick country bread and shaved Parmesan cheese. Calzones, oven baked pizzas, Eggplant Parmigiana, grilled Italian sausage, Veal Sorrentino, and thick, spicy, homemade minestrone soups provide other fine accompaniments. Old-fashioned burgers and rib-eye steaks, with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans, offer additional tasty companions to the 2001 De Angelis Lacrima Christi, which are sure to reward. Buon Appetito!
Prager Riesling Federspiel 'Steinriegl' 2000 - Austria
The Prager winery is among Austria's most famous and most highly regarded wineries. Located in the Wachau, the supremely beautiful section of the valley of the Danube River that lies to the northwest of Vienna, Prager is also one of the largest producers in this very traditional wine region. While this modest sized estate produces only about 100,000 bottles of wine per year, it is quite large by Wachau standards, where the average grower cultivates a plot of less than two acres. However, it is the quality and variety of Prager's wines, which truly distinguish this estate from its neighbors.
The Prager estate comprises a mere 33 acres of vineyards, but all of it in prime vineyards, including relatively large parcels of five of the world's finest Riesling crus, including Steinriegl (10 acres), Klaus, Kaiserberg, and Hollerin. These holdings make Prager the most significant estate producer of top quality (smaragd) Riesling in the Wachau. In fact, Prager is the only winery in the Wachau that produces more Riesling than Gruner Veltliner, the more prolific local varietal, a fact not lost on the world's Riesling fanatics who seek out Prager's wines.
Tasting Notes: The 2000 Prager 'Steinriegl' Riesling is not your ordinary Riesling, so throw out all of your preconceived notions and past experiences of sugary sweet, cloying wines, which all too often haunt this great varietal ' before you taste it. First of all, Austrian Riesling is nothing like its German counterparts. An enthralling bouquet of apple blossoms and almonds marks this single vineyard Riesling, making it difficult to keep your nose out of the glass. Minerals and spring flowers fill the mouth, but this is no flabby offering; an extraordinary body and depth of flavor explode on the palate. Fruit, liquid minerals, and the zest of lemon form a long, dry finish on the 2000 Prager 'Steinriegl' Riesling, so this wine bears no resemblance to its insipid German cousins. For the record, this is one big boned Riesling, so we suggest you open it a bit ahead to let it breathe, as you would a fine red wine, and serve it moderately chilled.
Accompaniments: Both sophisticated seafood as well as more pedestrian vittles fare well with the 2000 Prager 'Steinriegl'. We can suggest several fish dishes we have enjoyed recently; most notably Tilapia, with tomatoes, artichokes, and olives; and Grilled Monk fish, served with a mango and citrus chutney. Both dishes provide excellent foils for the wine, without overpowering it. Country pates and aromatic, full-flavored cheeses also respond well to this spunky Riesling. On a more every day note, chicken salad, tuna salad and fresh ripe fruit make splendid accompaniments to the 2000 Prager 'Steinriegl'. Enjoy!
Double Trouble in California's Vineyards - Part II
This feature article is being published in four parts. Part I appeared in last month's newsletter. Look for Parts III and IV in subsequent newsletters.
Pierce's Disease is caused by a rickettsia, which is spread by insects, particularly sharpshooters and leaf miners. Once infected, the leaves of a vine begin to yellow along the veins, and its edges appear to burn. The vine itself puts out stunted shoots and any fruit wilts and prematurely colors. Within one to five years the vine is completely dead. Merely extracting the vine is useless, since the insects responsible for the spread of the disease continue to harbor certain death for any newly planted vinifera vines. Powerful insecticides must be employed and biodynamic farming practices adopted in order to eliminate this indigenous disease from a vineyard. Presently, many California grape growers are turning to the introduction in their vineyards of beneficial insects and natural predators in order to control the dreaded carriers. Curiously, Pierce's Disease is virtually unknown outside of California.
TO BE CONTINUED
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