Wine of the Month Club
Each
month our staff will choose two to three wines exclusively
for our club members. They will vary from country, style,
and varietal. An extensive information sheet will accompany
the wines including: menu ideas, serving suggestions, history
of the grape, vineyard and region, recent accolades and other
interesting facts. The monthly cost will be approximately
between $25.00 and $35.00.
The wine will be available for pick-up in the store at the
first of every month. Delivery is available in Anderson Township
for a $4.00 fee. Outside of Anderson Township within the 275
belt, delivery is available for $8.00.
The Wine of the Month Club makes the perfect gift for:
Father's Day - Mother's Day
Anniversary - Wedding - Birthday
Christmas - Valentine's Day
Every year this greeting in
January takes on more meaning for my staff, our families,
and myself. For now it has been 14 years and many of you have
been here from the beginning. To all of our club members,
we would like to we extend a very heart felt thank you for
your continued support. We appreciate your business very much!
We would also like to welcome those of you that are new to
the club. We will continue to strive to keep the club interesting
to both the novice and connoisseur alike.
All of us at Wine World would like to wish each of you a Happy
New Year filled with peace, happiness and health.
Sincerely,
Betsy and Joe Schroder
Our
first selection this month comes from southern Italy and the
region of Campania. It is also a Marc de Grazia Selection,
the renowned importer and winemaker who led the transformation
of Piedmonte wines to the world class Grand Cru status to
rival the great estates of Tuscany, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Sonoma
and Napa
'Fidelis' Aglianico del Taburno……………………………$9.99
Estate bottled by Cantina del Taburno
After
compiling an enormously successful and impressive portfolio
from the great estates of the North (Piedmont, Tuscany, and
Friuli) Marc de Grazia has set his eyes on the South as the
new frontier to be transformed and discovered. This new focus
centers around the noblest of the varietals of the South,
the Aglianico grape, which de Grazia de3scribes as his "great
oenological love". The Ancient Greeks brought it to southern
Italy especially in Campania; its name is even said to be
a corruption of Vitis hellenica or Greek vine.
January 2003
Like Nebbiolo and Sangiovese it is (and has historically been)
exclusive to a very restricted geographical latitude, altitude
and soil. Only in Campania and in the northernmost area of
Basilicata will it yield truly great wines. Aglianico has
only thrived there, never expanding elsewhere, and even there
it has only flourished at high altitudes and exclusively on
volcanic soils. Under these conditions, if elegantly mastered,
it produces among the very finest wines in the world.
Cantina del Taburno is a cooperative that controls over 500
acres of vineyards in Campania. De Grazia, however only works
with 25 of those which are prime old vine estate vineyards
where he controls the viticulture as well as the winemaking.
Marco describes his first encounter with the winery: "When
Luigi Moio, winemaker at both Caggiano and Cantine del Notaio
(both prestigious Aglianico producers) and Aglianico's greatest
technical expert, asked me to visit Cantina Del Taburno, I
was thrilled. New agronomists had been hired to oversee the
vineyard management of the conferring grape growers, and a
full-fledged laboratory was installed at the establishment.
Luigi had been given "carte blanche' for the vinification
of all wines: indeed, selection was so strict that the winery's
production halved in Luigi Moio's first year as winemaker.
Next the tasting room-a line-up of brilliantly crafted whites
which included Falanghina, Coda di Volpe and Greco. Then Luigi
poured his jewels, the late-harvest, barrel-fermented whites
he had achieved from Falanghina and Coda di Volpe, and I was
simply stunned. Never before had I tasted anything like them
from Italy, the flavors and bouquets transforming me to Alsace
(where, I suddenly remembered, Luigi Moio had worked with
Zind-Humbrecht!). The richness and complexity of the wines
and the mastery of the winemaking was simply superlative.
Lastly I followed Luigi into the cellars, there to taste from
stainless steel and a battery of barriques (oak barrels).
Cantina del Taburno's three selections of Aglianico del Taburno:
the regular cuvee production from a 130-year-old pre-phylloxera
vineyard!). All three were brilliant examples of Aglianico
at its very finest, diamond pure exceptional in their own
right. The Bue Apis simply breathtaking! Woith Cantine del
Taburno a new star was born. End of story!"
Borgo Buon Natale Primogenito……………………….$12.99
Grown, produced and bottled by Jim Clendenen,
Mind Behind, Il Podere, BW 6001
Il Podere dell' Olivos was a brand established in 1985 by
Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat and Sarah Chamberlin (a ceramic
tile artist who designed the labels and was bough out in 1997)
to focus on northern Italian varietals grown in California.
Il Podere has produced Pinot Grigio, Tocai Friulano, Arnies,
Fiano, Aleatico, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Refosco and Teroldego.
In the early 1990's Jim Clendenen planeted 5 varietals at
the famed Bien Nacido Vineyard, next to the winery. These
estate grapes were to be reserve wines for the Il Podere -
Barbera, Nebbiolo, Refosco, Tocai Friulano and Pinot Grigio.
These vineyards have been well thought out - specific clonal
selection, meticulous farming and diligent winemaking. Now
that these wines have entered the market place, they have
not only "raised the bar" on Il Podere, they have
necessitated a change in nomenclature - Buon Natale (no, not
Merry Christmas, silly - Bien Nacido!) Starting with the 1997
vintage, Refosco, Tocai Friulano and Pinot Grigio - the Friulian
varietals planted in front of the winery - will be known as
Borgo Buon Natale (estate grown). Barbera and Nebbiolo - the
Piedmontese varietals planted on the hillsides will be known
as Bricco Buon Natale (estate grown hillsides).
The 2000 Primogenito (first born) is a blend of Tocai Friulano,
Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco (a descendant of Pinot Gris
established in Alsace, France). From low yielding vines the
2000 delivers intense fruit with classic green almond flavors
of Tocai Friulano, melding nicely with the fruit driven Pinot
Bianco and the richness of the Pinot Grigio. The wine is full,
intense and well balanced due to the cool growing climate
of the Santa Maria Valley.
Jim Clendenen has made his name as one of the prime movers
of an ambitious gang of winemakers who, over the past ten
or fifteen years, have reshaped the picture of the Santa Barbara
viticultural area. An Ohio native - who looks either a bit
like a mad winemaking genius or one of the members of Spinal
Tap, depending on your pint of view - Clendenen got his start
at Zaca Mesa in '78, following the up with stints at Hermitage
Hunter Estate in Australia and Domaino Due de Magenta in Chassagne-Montrachet
before going into business for himself in '82. Now, working
from his ramshackle winery (shared with Bob Lindquist of Qupe),
Clendenen puts forth a range of exceptional pinot noirs and
chardonnays under his Au Bon Climat label as well as the Cal
- Italian lines.
Archives of past months...
November 2001 | March
2002 | May 2002 | June
2002 | July 2002
August 2002 | November
2002 | December 2002 | January
2003
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