Soif Winebar

 

Before we begin … Soif will be closed Labor Day, Monday 1 September. We will be back behind the bar ready to pour asirtiko and listan blanco on Tuesday.

 

To the wine. Though we are hard into rosé season, a time normally reserved for indulging in fantasies of a strong dollar and idle hours spent in St. Tropez lunching on Salade Niçoise and tempting melanoma, this installment of The Update is devoted to some extremely robust red wines which have recently arrived in shop, specifically a number of wines from the Rhône Valley including three extraordinary bottlings of Cornas from Thierry Allemand and Franck Balthazar. Both of these exceptional houses trace their roots to the legendary Noel Verset – Balthazar is Verset’s nephew; Allemand purchased his vines from the maestro. These Cornas are anything but inexpensive, but they are among the world’s great red wines. 

 

For those without unlimited funds, we also have several new wines from the southern Rhône and environs. These provide any enormous amount of flavor and pleasure for not so much scratch. And while the Allemand and Balthazar wines are available in extremely limited quantities, we have quite nice supplies of the Côtes-du-Rhônes, et al.   

 

 

Can such things be?!?! Reynard is a small plot on the steeply sloped terraces of barely decomposed [and not at all decomposed] granite. Allemand’s vines once belonged to Noel Verset, one of the two old lions of the appellation along with August Clape. One could not pick a better example to show how power, concentration, balance, detail, complexity and spectral peacock feathers beauty can be attained at 13% alcohol.  Black and red fruits, violets and white flowers, Asian spices, smoked meats, and various fruit liqueur flavors and aromas are arrayed in abundance, nearly justifying this regrettable ramble of purple prose.  There is likely no better wine in the shop and it may well outlive us all. Limit one bottle per customer.

 

 

Chaillot includes both limestone and granitic sections and Allemand owns small parcels in both terroirs. One might expect the limestone to provide more floral character than the granitic Reynard, yet this cuvee seems a bit more obviously fruity with a distinct cola note on top of the lush black fruit flavors. As with the Reynard, there is a spine of a Marine Corps Sergeant Major supporting this intensely flavored wine. While it can be drunk with pleasure now, it is a very concentrated wine, built for the long haul. Limit one bottle per customer.

 

 

Franck Balthazar owns roughly two hectares [less than five acres] of vines in two parcels of vines in Chaillot – 40 and 90 years old – from which he makes a single wine. As with Allemand, the winemaking could not be more simple – destemming, fermentation in cuve, aging in older barrels and wood tanks, bottling with minimal or no fining and no filtration. The results stand side by side with the more well known Allemand wines. They are an almost peerless combination of power, deliciousness, complexity and ageworthiness, all for the price of many, many very mediocre wines we could mention. Limit three bottles per customer. 

 

 

I personally would call this wine “Il fait faim” for I think the wine itself incites hunger and relieves thirst but then I am almost always hungry. The wine provokes a desire for a large plate of rustic, earthy grub. Though fruity and a bit floral, this wine highlights the savory, meaty side of southern Rhône reds. On top of the berry and plum notes, there is the distinct flavor of cured and smoked meats. This is a LOT of wine for a Côtes du Rhône.

 

 

Last year’s model was a very popular wine. This contrasts nicely with the “Il Fair Soif” above, for it is an experience in pure fruitfulness. A blend of all the usual Mediterranean suspects, it is juicy, juicy, juicy, with just enough grip to keep it lively on the palate. This is very nice sipping wine on its own or at the table.

 

 

Earlier this year we had the Bouïssière Vacqueyras for a couple months. For some time thereafter, customers frequently returned asking for that “high deliciosity wine” as we referred to it at the time. This is country cousin of the Vacqueyras. Designated “Vin de Table” as it is produced just outside the Vacqueyras zone and includes a small touch of merlot, it is treated just the same in the cellar, and provides nearly as much rich, sappy, garrigue scented pleasure. Do not be fooled by the Vin de Table designation – it is quite a serious wine.

 

 

Chante Perdrix is small, very fine estate producing principally St. Joseph and a small amount of Condrieu. They also produce this Vin de Pays, which comes from a vineyard roughly 250 meters outside the St. Joseph appellation. It is a dead ringer for the real St. McCoy – blackberry fruit, roasted meats, white pepper and ripe, sweet tannins. This is perhaps the single best bargain in the whole shop.

 

… and one white wine …

 

 

A traditional blend of grenache blanc, clairette and picpoul, this Lirac is full of pink and white grapefruit, white flowers and botanical extract flavors. Though quite rich, the mineral crunch and fine acidity lend it a wonderful mouthwatering character.

 

 

This Saturday at the bar, we will offering some very tony wines to taste. Receive 5% off single bottle any purchase and 15% off any mixed or whole cases. Prices below reflect our normal retail price, 5% discounted price and 15% discounted price.

 

2005 Raventós I Blanc “L’Hereu Reserva Brut” Cava, Penedes, Spain

$24.00/$22.80/$20.40

 

2004 Domaine Marcel Deiss Beblenheim Pinot Gris, Alsace, France

$36.00/$34.20/$30.60

 

2006 Chaine D'Or Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

$18.00/$17.10/$15.30

 

2007 Elizabeth Rose Rosé Syrah/Pinot Noir/Zinfandel, Napa Valley, CA

$19.25/$18.29/$16.36

 

2005 Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil "Le Vau Jaumier" Cabernet Franc, Loire Valley, France

$28.25/$26.84/$24.01

 

1995 J. Hofstatter Steinraffler Lagrien, Alto Adige, Italy

$46.25/$43.94/$39.31

 

             

August 27 – Chardonnay Diverso

September 3 – The Mighty Helmut Dönnhoff

September 10 – End of Summer Obscurities

September 17 – Dry Riesling

September 24 – Maconnais Whites

 

 

           

August 27 – The Southern Rhône

September 3 – Southwest France

September 10 – Dolcetto

September 17 – Fiddy Dolla Burg

September 24 – Around the World With Cabernet and Merlot

 

 

Things you’ll need for the last few days of Shakespeare Santa Cruz:

Warm blanket

Warm jacket

Warm company

A corkscrew

A vessel from which to drink wine

One to three of the following:

 

2005 River Run Wirz Vineyard Zinfandel, Cienega Valley, CA - $15.00

 

2004 Domaine Des Tours VDP de Vaucluse, Rhône Valley, France - $16.50

 

2006 Montirious “Le Cadet” VDP de Vaucluse, Rhône Valley, France - $15.50

 

William Shakespeare - Othello, II. iii. (315)

 

 

1997 Equinox Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA - $52.00

 

2005 Big Basin Vineyards “Rattlesnake Rock” Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA - $55.00

 

2005 Varner “Hidden Block” Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA - $43.50

 

2006 Varner “Home Block” Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA - $39.00

 

2004 Silver Mountain Vineyards Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA - $32.00

 

 

2003 Jaques Puffeney Arbois Melon-Queue-Rouge, Jura, France - $27.25

 

2005 Zidarich Vitovska, Carso, Italy - $63.00

 

 

 

 

Musical evenings:
 

Art Alm: Jazz & Moderns at the piano - every Tuesday

 

“How much more appetizing, alluring and enticing, how more heavenly and delicious, is the smell of wine, than the smell of oil.”

                        - Rabelais

 

Yours in Thirst