Uruguayan Tasting – Friday – May 24th

David Mayfield ImageEast End Wines – 4pm – 8pm – David Mayfield Selections –

Bodega Pizzorno Don Prospero Sauvignon Blanc 2012 – 14.57 – Canelones, Uruguay – Suatainable farming, Hand-harvested, single-vineyard. Beautiful pale-yellow color with a slight greenish hue. Intense aromas of fresh cut grass and Guava. The wine offers a perfect balance between acids and sugars which allows a wine to show wonderful fruit and mineral structure without being sweet or bitter. Lovely expression of cilantro and guava while balancing the flint and mineral stone. Long, deep finish.

Marichal Unoaked Chardonnay 2012 – 15.57 – They produce a Chardonnay that is completely unoaked and does not undergo a malolactic fermentation. The resulting wine is a pure, mineral driven expression of Chardonnay–something that simply must be tasted. “We express in this UNOAKED Chardonnay the potential of our land, obtaining a well balanced wine, which presents on the nose, an attractive fresh fruit character. On the palate it is delicate but full bodied and consistent. It has the perfect balance between fresh acidity and ripeness.”

Bodega Pizzorno Don Prospero Tannat / Malbec 2011 – 13.57 – Wild cherries, blackberries, undergrowth and wild red rose.This is a delicious wine with a dark black/purple – juicy nose of ripe red/black fruit, delicious palate of spicy black jammy fruit and a crisp finish filled with spice and black fruit. 8 months in oak…

Bodega Pizzorno Don Prospero Tannat 2011 – 14.57 – Tannat is to Uruguay as Malbec is to Argentina, or even Shiraz to Australia. It produces wines that are generally high in tannin and acidity. Uruguayan examples are usually softer, and this from Pizzorno is medium bodied, savory and ripe with forest fruits and plums. Serve with grilled lamb cutlets. This has been a hit at East End Wines since its debut.

Special Tuesday Tasting with Vine Connections – Chile –– 5:30-7:30

Fernando Vargas of Amayna & Julio Bouchon & Greg Metry of J. Bouchon

Chile2012 Amayna Sauvignon Blanc – 23.57 – Very light, lemony, juicy acid. Leyda Valley, mineral, tasty. Pretty ripe. More time on the lees makes it a bit warmer in the sunny 2012 vintage. A more full style. From a small sub-region of the San Antonio Valley just west of Santiago. Cooling effect from the Humboldt Current which flows up the west coast of Chile from the Antarctic. Cold soak, no malo, stainless.

2011 Amayna Pinot Noir – 33.57 – Nice small grain tannins, cherry, dust. 12 mo. oak. Dijon clones focusing on 115 & 777. 14 day cold soak, 12 months in new Taransaud Burgundy barrels. Ripe, with nice vanilla & spice from the oak.

2012 Bouchon CantoNorte – 14.57 – North Bank – Maule Valley – Bright candied cherry, pretty nose. Grippy tannins, dry. Tasty. Like it. Modeled after Right Bank Bordeaux – 75% Merlot, 15% Carmenere, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Juicy but structured from the grape tannins.

2012 Bouchon CantoSur – 14.57 – More Cab – S. Bank – Serious, nice weight, price is right. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenere, 20% Merlot. Ripe fruit, spice, tobacco, coffee.

2011 Bouchon Cabernet Sauvignon – 18.97 –  80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carmenere, 10% Merlot. Red currant, cassis, tobacco, dried herbs, oak (winery). We brought this in for the tasting sight unseen, as the other wines were so tasty.

Tasting Friday with Dan Redman of Mosaic – Vias Imports Ltd.

4pm – 8pm this Friday, May 17th - Redman

Bonus – Bisol Brut Crede Prosecco 2011 – 21.97 – Intense and fresh scents of wildflowers, note of fruitiness. Palate has fruity hints of apples and pears and “their harmony is completed by a rich and refined sapidity” (having a strong & pleasant taste). Honeysuckle and bright mousse, well-integrated mineral from hillside fruit. From VIAS website – The grapes that go into Crede enjoy an ideal habitat in the clay-laden earth with a subsoil of marine sandstone, known as “crede”, that is common in this part of the countryside.

Damilano Barbera 2010 – 15.97 – This 100% Barbera wine is produced from a Monferrato vineyard that is 20 to 30 years old. The soil contains white marl and tends to be calcareous. Fruit nose with light spice notes. It has a persistent flavor reminiscent of currants, violets, cherries and vanilla.

Damilano Langhe Nebbiolo 2010 – 13.97 – This 100% Nebbiolo wine is cultivated in 30 to 50 year old vineyards that benefit from the rich calcareous clay soil from municipalities of Barolo and Grinzane Cavour. The unique terroir gives the final wine a bouquet with hints of violet and red fruit. It has balanced tannins and good structure that is velvety and harmonic on the palate.

Damilano LeCinqueVigne Barolo 2008 – 35.57 – blend of Nebbiolo from five vineyards located in the areas most adept for the cultivation of this varietal. The grapes used for this prestigious blend are grown in the calcareous-clay soils of Barolo, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra and Novello. The wine has a very distinct look, and it’s difficult to guess its age. The Nebbiolo vines range in age from 30 to 50 years old. The resulting wine leaves behind an intense fragrance of rose, leather, tobacco, and subtle hints of violet and tar. The taste is broad and encompassing, leaving a compelling sensation of softness in the mouth, with a long and persistent finish.