Tastings & Events
Free Weekend Tastings - Rockin' Rioja Friday, Roy Estate & Culty Red Blends Saturday
As always, a two very tasty and fun wine tastings scheduled for this weekend. On Friday, we’re mostly Spanish as we sample a great value white Rioja and two stunners from Norberto Miguel’s Bodegas Laukote – plus the very limited Novy White Dave McIntyre lauded in Wednesday’s Washington Post. Then, on Saturday, be sure to take a little time out from your afternoon at McLean Day (stop by our booth and say, “Hi” to Meg!) for a can’t miss sampling in the store of two brilliant Washington State Rhone blends and the Wine Advocate 93 point Roy Estate Proprietary Red 2008.
Mostly Spanish Plus a Whacky (and Yummy) White – Friday, May 18 from 3-7pm
We’re celebrating our Wednesday visit by winemaker/owner Norberto Miguel of Rioja’s Bodegas Laukote by sharing three great Riojas this Friday. And, just for fun, you won’t want to miss the unconventional white wine from California’s Novy that the Washington Post called, “darn tasty.” Come by and sample:
Martínez Lacuesta Rioja Blanco 2011 – This 100% Viura white sees just a touch of barrel aging to give it a creamy texture to go with the crisp and juicy fruit. Great wine for Spring and Summer foods and a terrific value sipper, too!
Novy Family Wines Four Mile Creek White 2010 – As the Washington Post said on Wednesday, this funky blend of Gewurtraminer, Viognier and Sauvignon Bland refuses to “fit a standard model of what wine should be.” Just a touch off-dry but with great acidity and balance, this is a summer slammer.
Bodegas Laukote Tempranillo 2010 – Our featured email wine on Thursday, this makes you ask, “If this is so good at this price point, why are so many other Spanish wines so much more expensive?’ Gorgeous and generous black plum and cherry fruit with compelling hints of licorice rood, anise, and spice and just enough “umpf” at the end to complement a huge range of foods.
Bodegas Laukote Rioja Vendimia Seleccionada 2008 – There’s a reason Wine Advocate gave this a 91 point rating (too low for the quality here, in our opinion). This is a dark, brooding, Rioja from 80 year-old Tempranillo vines with just the right seasoning of oak. A stunner with air and rich foods right now, this will grow and improve for a decade or more.
All of these will be open to sample – along with a featured cheese – this Friday from 3-7pm. Join us!
Some Big Gun American Reds & Fun Summer Whites – Saturday, May 19 from noon-4pm
We know many of you are planning to spend at least a few hours at McLean Day this Saturday – check out the McLean Day details here and be sure to look for the Chain Bridge Cellars booth, too! With all that going on, we wanted to give you a strong reason to come by the store this Saturday, too, and we think our tasting line-up is more than compelling enough to justify and extra stop on Saturday! We’ll open with the summery and delicious Martínez Lacuesta Rioja Blanco 2011 and Novy Family Wines Four Mile Creek White 2010. Then, things get redder and much more serious!
We start with two exciting new releases from Washington state’s Maison Bleue. Owner/winemaker Jon Martinez left dentistry in Kansas to make wine in Washington (a tough decision, we’re sure!) and in just a few years emerged as one of the West Coast’s hottest young vignerons. After tasting Jon’s 2008s and 2009s for the first time, Wine Advocate reported that, “Maison Bleue Family Winery might have been the most compelling new producer uncovered in my 2010 trip to Washington.” Certainly these are as exciting a set of New World Rhone blends as we’ve encountered in a while!
We’ll open with the 2010 Maison Bleue La Montagnette Grenache 2010, a blend of 95% Grenache and 5% Syrah aged 10 months in used French Oak. One of the best examples of Grenache from the US I’ve ever tasted, this is loaded with New World fruit – black cherries, red plums, raspberries – but with a minerality, poise, elegance and freshness I’ve not seen before. Evocative of Chateaueneuf-du-Pape, but very much its own thing. The 2009 earned a 92 point score in Wine Advocate and 94 from Wine Enthusiast, and this seems to be every bit (or more!) compelling. A whopping 165 cases made, so pretty limited.
Then, the 2010 Maison Bleue Jaja GSM Blend, a powerful marriage of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre from sites around Yakima Valley. Here, the fruit gets darker and overall impact more powerful, but there’s still remarkable poise and balance as well. The 2009 Jaja scored 91 points in Wine Advocate, but this is a really different blend, so not sure how relevant that is. In any event, the Mourvedre component here is the start, with a dark, dusky, earthinesss you need to try to believe. About 390 cases made.
Last, the 2008 Roy Estate Proprietary Red made for Shirley Roy by Philippe Melka. Yes it’s expensive ($125 regular price, although you’ll pay less!), but this is a stunner of a wine. Very limited and not to be missed!
We’ll have plenty of great cheese and fresh baked bread on hand to take home and enjoy with all your weekend relaxing and entertaining. Come on by!
