West Concord Liquors

Malbec

An everyday red perfect for January

2009 BenMarco Malbec

Regularly $20, but
here now at $14.99 per bottle (25% off)

I'll be the first to admit that a Malbec isn't always my first or even second choice for wine to drink after work.  Similar to the popularity explosion that Shiraz or especially Merlot had about eight years ago, (until the movie Sideways came out) too many wineries have tried to cash in on the Malbec wave and end up making mass produced, over oaked, candied fruit tasting wine.  Blah...not good stuff.

But here is one that somehow stands out in the swath of Malbecs out there that run under $20.  BenMarco is made by Susana Balbo (of Crios fame) and is the most balanced (fruit, acidity and tannin are all in harmony) Malbec I've tasted for under $20. 

(Susana discussing her wines)

Susana's BenMarco label started in 1999 when she wanted to craft a line of wines to showcase the ripe fruit expression of her sustainably-farmed Mendoza vineyards. Susana and her husband (vineyard manager) Pedro Marchevsky's philosophy is a simple one: grow great grapes and make wines that are true to their place. 

Like many of the wines we like to feature here at West Concord, Susana and Pedro employ minimal chemical intervention during the growing season and through harvest which allows the true fruit character to develop.  Combine that with a winemaker who KNOWS how to make delicious wines and the result is BenMarco.


(The Dream Team! Susana and Pedro in the vineyard)

The name BenMarco means "son of Marcos" in Hebrew. Susana and Pedro produce their wines as a homage to Pedro's father, Marcos who taught him how to plant, tend, and love the vineyards.

And it just so happens that the "professional" wine critics enjoy BenMarco as well.  The 2009 vintage garnered some great press:

"Blended with 10% Bonarda; spice box, incense, lavender, black cherry; rich, plush palate."
91 Points The Wine Advocate

 

"An international style of red, this gracefully combines ripe red fruit and the toasty flavors of oak. Impressively balanced, this has a kind of tannic energy that extends the fruit flavor and keeps it fresh through a juicy, lightly spiced finish."
90 Points Wine & Spirits

"Good bright ruby. Aromatic nose combines blueberry, licorice pastille, violet and sexy oak. Supple, sweet and perfumed on the palate, offering good breadth and finishing with suave tannins. This juicy, persistent wine offers early appeal."
89 Points Stephen Tanzer

                                                                                          Pair it with a burger!

Winter White

A Perfect Winter White

2010 VIGNERONS DE CARACTÈRE
Vacqueyras White Seigneur de Fontimple 2010
(a white blend from Southern France - and perfect if you like Chardonnay)

Regular Price $25 

Your price to try something totally different and delicious because of my expensive lunch is $14.99 per bottle. 

What does it taste like?

"Broad and creamy, with delicious melon, white peach and salted butter notes that all glide through the lush finish. Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Clairette. Drink now. "  Just 1,000 cases made and 15 in Mass.

During our trip (and honeymoon) to Southern France last summer, we were lucky to be setup by one of our distributors who we do a lot of business with to have a wine tasting and lunch at a wine co-op in the Rhone.  

Take a look at the pictures of this place I took.  Look at the soil...or lack of soil. It's beautiful and it's the only place like it. 

The tasting went great.  We had a tour of the winery and our guideeven spoke great English.  We went through and tasted about 10 different wines that were all well made, balanced and delicious. 


There was one wine in particular that I enjoyed because it was so unique and you never see it in the US.  It was a white wine from the Vacqueyras region.  Vacqueyras sits just east of the famous Chateauneuf-Du-Pape region and south of Gigondas.  Almost the entire production from Vacqueyras is red wine, so trying their white was a treat.  Unfortunately, the production of that Vacqueras Blanc was so small none of it made it to the USA.


After we finished tasting all the wines our host said to us, "Now you are going to eat lunch." And he guided us downstairs to a very fancy dining room.  Our itinerary and the handbook we were given called for a "Tasting and Lunch."  "Sweet," I thought.  I was feeling good from the tasting and ready to eat a nice meal.  And the fact that this was going to be a free meal was even better since by this point in the trip our funds were running low from eating too many three course lunches. 

As we entered the dining room our guide walked directly over to the maitre d' and gave him (what I thought) was a heads up that some VIP's (aka customers) who didn't speak French well were about to sit down to dine and to take special care of us.  I witnessed the conversation and was feeling good about showing my new wife what special treatment was all about!

We sat down and proceeded to eat a five course lunch.  It was absolutely DELICIOUS!  Our server didn't speak any English at all but we managed to get by and eat a fantastic lunch.   They even brought out a couple glasses of new my favorite Vacqueyras Blanc that I had tasted earlier to go with my fish.  At the end of the meal, I was waiting to see some sort of comped bill, so I could at least know how much tip to give. 

Waiting.....Waiting.....Whoops! That didn't happen.  Instead our server brought us a bill for $182 Euros.  I looked at my wife, I looked at the maitre d' and then I looked back down at the check.  Oh, crap! Yes, I was sort of shocked and thought that our guide would valiantly return to save us from this damage.  But no such luck.  I'm sure I was just being a typical American but everything had led me to believe the lunch was on the house.   But it was ok even though it turned out to be our most expensive meal of the trip.  Oh well I thought, "at least I got to taste that special Vacqueyras Blanc." 

Redemption is sweet.  Just yesterday I got a call from our wholesaler that my favorite wine from the tasting, the white Vacqueyras is now in Massachusetts.  I told him the story of our funny meal and we had a good laugh.   But they only got 15 cases of it for the entire state.  

And even better is that it got 89 Points from the Wine Spectator which lists the price at $25 per bottle.  Now we have it for just $14.99 per bottle.  Our sales rep said, "Maybe they are paying you back for your big lunch."

 

As seen in.....

 

 

For the past seven years, the Globe has put together a list of what many shops around Mass. consider to be the best wine values of the year.  The only rule is that the wines have to retail for under $12.

Once the list is decided, a panel of four prominent wine folks taste all the wines BLIND (bottles are stored in paper bags) and decide which ones are the best.  The whole process has become an exciting annual event and is called Plonk-a-Palooza.  

A plonk is basically an inexpensive table wine that delivers great quality for the price.

Last week when the list was released, I hustled to read the Globe and call in orders to make sure we got some of the wines in stock for you to try.  The wines usually sell out quickly.  I only buy the wines that the tasters agreed were the top wines, runner-up, or wines that have been popular at the shop.


Below is the list of several "plonks" that we have in stock now....with more coming next week.   Seriously, get'em while they are hot.  Once they are gone they may not be back and we only have small quantities of each wine. 

In the shop, all of the "plonks" are grouped together and easy to find in the "highly rated" bins.  

Reds:



2008 Italo Pietrantoni  Montepulciano d’Abruzzo  
“Beautifully balanced with good richness and pleasing juicy quality; good concentration; nicely composed. ’’  $11.99




Montupoli Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 
“Ripe, high-toned fruit with cherry keynote; some brine and earth.’’ (2008 was tasted, but the distributor was out of stock for over a month before the article came out.  I got the 2009 instead and it's great.) $10.99


2008 Poggio Romita “Fiorino’’ Chianti  
“Very clean, attractive, slightly raisined aromas; shows a ripasso-like richness; nicely sweet and ripe. ’’  $11.99




2009 Cantina Santa Maria La Palma “Le Bombarde’’ Cannonau di Sardegna
“Really nice fresh quality with some pepper and spice, decent alcohol integration; nice, drier ‘bistro’ red.’’ C.G. $11.99



2010 Vigouroux “Gouleyant’’ Cahors
“Plus  acidity; Italian-like profile; medium-bodied; pleasing fruit.’ $11.99



Whites:

2010 Domaine des Cassagnoles Cotes de Gascogne
“More complex nose; mild fruit and oak; medium long finish; mineral citrus profile; nice acidity.’’ $10.99



2010 Domaine Labbe Abymes Vin de Savoie 
“Off-dry, nice stone fruit. Sweetness, refreshing, slight spritz.’’ $11.99




2010 Domaine La Haute Fevrie Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie
“Vanilla, melon, lemon, lime, minerals. Plus-level acidity.’’ $11.99


2010 Vignarco Orvieto Classico
“Good structure, richer, balanced, good attack, good acidity.’ $9.99



2010 Winzer Krems Kremser Weinzier (Gruner)
“Lovely balance of fruit and acid here; little piney; clean, brisk profile; everything in place; nothing sticking out; tip top.’’ $11.99

 

Bila Haut

A Hearty Red for A Cool Fall Night 

A rustic and juicy red wine is a perfect compliment to the cool weather we're going to see over the next few days.  Right now I'm actually excited for some cool temps.  I look forward to having those nights where you want to rush home after work to a warm house, have a warm dinner and then sit by a toasty fire.  But you need the right wine to complete that picture.....


Picture this: You're on your way home, battling traffic.  You call home on your way to figure out the plan for dinner.  






Turns out your significant other is making local chef Ben Elliott's bread "Stuffed Pumpkins" for the whole family.  Jackpot Baby!  Who doesn't love eating creamy stuff from inside a pumpkin? (email Ben if you want the recipe)





All you need to do is stop on the way home and grab a bottle of wine.  Sure, it can be a pain to add another stop at the end of your day but we're gonna make it real easy and worth it. 



Just think, soon you'll be chowing down on a moist and hearty pumpkin dish and following it up with healthy swig of this wine:

2009 Domaine Bila Haut Rouge

Regular $14.99
On Sale for $11.99 per bottle

My oh my, I love finding this kind of wine.  The kind of wine that can appeal to just about any palate. Its flavor is deep, rich, extracted and a little rustic, with black cherry, plum, and mocha notes.  No wonder it was crowned as a "Best Value" by the New York Times. 

Domaine Bila-Haut is owned by the world-renowned Rhone Valley winemaker Michel Chapoutier.  The most popular of the Chapoutier line is his "Cotes du Rhone," but this is different....and better.  So much better that the 2008 was included in Wine Spectator's Top 100 most exciting wines of the year. 

The Bila Haut estate is located in the Cotes du Roussillon of Languedoc, which borders the Rhone Valley in southern France and has many of the same grapes planted as you find in Rhone wines.


Bila-Haut is planted to old vines that Chapoutier farms organically with biodynamic techniques.  It is planted to Grenache, Carignan and Syrah. The cool winters, hot summers, low rainfall, and the local 'Mistral' (drying breeze), combine to make a perfect climate for these grapes.  All of the grapes are hand picked in the vineyards.   What do you serve with this wine?  It will pair beautifully with roasted and grilled meats, beef stew, bean soups and PUMPKIN inspired dishes.

The Press:  Besides the 2009 being the best value of the New York Times Roussillon tasting, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this year's wine 89 points. 

Wine Advocate Review:
"The 2009 Cotes du Roussillon-Villages Les Vignes de Bila-Haut represents a tank-raised blend of Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah from gneiss and schist sites in various parts of the Agly Valley - to that extent like its earlier counterparts - but with the addition of fruit grown on granite in Lesquerde, thus preserving this cuvee's role as a collaboration across the estate's range of sites. Blueberry in fresh and distilled form; fennel and licorice; almond and cherry pit; crushed stone and peat entertain nose and palate, with glyceral richness helping to ameliorate the considerable grain of tannin, and leading to a finish of satisfying length."

Banshee

 

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Wines of the Week:  Customer Favorites - A Couple of American Beauties

2010 Banshee Sauvignon Blanc
Regular Price $19.99
On sale for $14.99

2009 Banshee Pinot Noir
Regular Price $22.99
On sale for $17.99



It's new, it's cool, it's hip.  But it's been going on for a while now.  Talented young winemakers who can't afford to start their own winery will buy grapes from ultra-premium sources and make their own wine at co-op style facilities.  We love these high end wines at low prices and Banshee is our new favorite in this category.  

I gotta give props to our local fine dining spot, "80 Thoreau" and my pal there Vincent Vela for turning me and a lot of our guests at the shop onto the Banshee Pinot Noir.

I can't tell you how many people I've recommended these wines to and then they come back and tell me, "it tasted frigin' awesome, even my wife loved it" or "Mmmmm....that wine sure was tasty, but my husband drank the whole thing." And then they bought more.   That's always a good sign, right?   So I bought and bunch and now we have them as a feature.  


It's very rare that I'll recommend two wines from the same producer because it's tough for any producer to make two top-notch wines like it's tough for me to multi-task. But these folks (on the left) did it. 

Details on the Sauvignon Blanc:  This is a slightly grassy, lemon blossom and citrusy Sauvignon Blanc, with no malo but a rush of melony goodness on the palate. Medium-bodied, this wine has good texture AND acidity, which would come as no surprise if you knew the wine’s source. Banshee gets 98% of the fruit from one of the top Sauvignon Blanc producers in the Napa Valley.  On sale for $14.99  and in the cold box waiting for you now.

Details on the Pinot Noir: A blend of two top-notch vineyards, one in the Petaluma Wind Gap (Sonoma Coast) and one from Russian River Valley. This Sonoma County is a complex pinot with dark cherry fruit and sweet earthen minerality held together by bright acidity and long, rich and ripe tannins.   I think this is a Cab lovers Pinot because it's so big and juicy.  On sale for $17.99

Respect: Both the Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Noir average 90 Points on the public review site, CellarTracker.com

Want to know more about the Banshee Project?  Click here