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2007 Domaine de la Romanee Conti

The 2007 Domaine de la Romanee Conti wines have arrived at Cool Springs Wines & Spirits. These are some of the most highly sought after wines in the world. We have limited amounts of these wines in stock and they will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

2007 Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache
96 Points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
Good medium red. Explosive aromas of red berries, Oriental spices, pepper and truffley underbrush. The wild but utterly silky palate offers extraordinary sweetness and perfume, but with a savory, firm edge giving it shape and grip. Not at all a blockbuster, but impeccably balanced wine. The finish features utterly noble tannins and outstanding rising length. This actually shows less obvious sweetness today than the Romanee-Conti and thus comes across as every bit as tight as that wine.

2007 Domaine de la Romanee Conti St. Vivant
94 Points Allen Meadow’s Bourghound Notes
An ultra elegant, pure and quite delicately fruited and spiced nose that is extremely fresh, floral and expansive that is more layered still as it introduces seductively textured, detailed and gorgeously delineated middle weight flavors that possess laser-like focus if less density than is usually seen with this wine. Indeed, this is rather like a ballerina with limited power and weight but the watch word here is purity, purity and purity. I quite like this but it will strike some as unduly light though I believe the underlying material is present such that it will add weight in bottle as it ages.

2007 Domaine de la Romanee Conti Richebourg
93 Points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
Bright medium red. Pungent aromas of wild strawberry, minerals, spices and pepper. Not a fat wine but classy and suave, with terrific peppery, minerally lift in the middle palate. With aeration, this classically dry wine showed a stronger soil component and mounting power. Finishes with superb breadth and an impression of weightlessness. I might have initially mistaken this for the RSV-and vice-versa-had I tasted these blind, but this is ultimately the more powerful wine.

2007 Domaine de la Romanee Conti Grands Echezeaux
92 Points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
Good bright medium red. Cherry liqueur, black raspberry and smoke on the sweet nose, along with some spicy oak. Offers more volume and breadth than the Echezeaux without any impression of weight thanks to piquant underlying minerality. Wonderfully silky and suave wine, finishing with building tannins, superb length and a strong impression of sucrosite.

2007 Domaine de la Romanee Conti Echezeaux
90 Points Allen Meadow’s Bourghound Notes
A spicy, expressive and expansive nose of red berry fruit, distinct vegetal nuances, freshly sliced fennel and obvious earth notes that transfer over to the detailed, balanced and energetic flavors that possess excellent transparency on the vibrant and mouth coating finish. There is a lingering inner mouth perfume here that makes this quite seductive. Not surprisingly, this changed rather dramatically in the hour that I had to evaluate the ‘07s and the seemingly lighter weight flavors put on noticeable flesh though the nose slowly closed in on itself.

Great wine for Memorial Day

Pools are open, the lake is crowded with boats, people are working in the yard and everyone is grilling out. Whether you’re looking for the perfect red wine to go with burgers or that nice crisp, refreshing white wine to enjoy on the patio or out on the boat, Cool Springs Wines & Spirits has a wide variety of options. These selections offer great bang for the buck:

2008 Don Miguel Gascon Reserva Malbec, Mendoza $19.99

91 Points Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - A blend of 88% Malbec, with the balance Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 14 months in 60% new French and American oak. Purple-colored, it offers up an alluring perfume of wood smoke, spice box, violets, incense, black cherry, and plum. Smooth-textured with some underlying structure, this savory, well-balanced, flavorful effort can be enjoyed upon release but should evolve for several years.

2008 Falesco Vitiano IGT, Umbria $14.99

89 Points Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - The 2008 Vitiano Rosso (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese) is a racy, sleek wine that impresses with its layers of perfumed red cherries and sweet toasted oak. The wine offers terrific clarity and precision in a slightly taut, focused style for this offering.

2007 Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma $13.99

90 Points Robert Parker - An exquisite value, this is a seductive, fleshy, fruity wine with excellent texture, body, and balance. Lots of cassis as well as silky tannins characterize this top bargain pick!

2008 King Estate Signature Collection Pinot Gris, Oregon $14.99

90 Points Wine Spectator, Smart Buy,  #77 on the Top 100 of 2009 - Bright and lively, brimming with lemon meringue, golden raisin and green tea character. Finishes with zip.

2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontes, Cafayate, Argentina $14.99

90 Points Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - The 2009 Torrontes remains one of Argentina’s benchmarks for this variety. Sourced from 31-year-old vines in Cafayate (where the finest Torrontes grows), it displays a fragrant bouquet of spring flowers, honey, and tropical aromas. Medium-bodied and dry on the palate, it has ample fruit backed by vibrant acidity leading to a lengthy finish.

2008 Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Summation, California $13.99

90 Points Wine & Spirits - A blend of  viognier, roussane, marsanne, grenache blanc, sauvignon Blanc and chenin blanc along with some chardonnay, semillon and gewurztraminer. This has a rich mouthfeel and honeyed character, here appropriately tied to scents of orange rind, fresh nuts and subdued floral tones. While not acidic, it is structured to match a range of foods, from roast turkey to Thai herb sausage.

Results from the 3/20/10 Tasting

This past weekend I conducted a tasting of some superb wines. While some of the wines are well known and have great pedigrees, others were lesser known and new to the crowd. There were three whites and four reds in the formal tasting and one white and two reds during the informal meet-and-greet session. Before I reveal the results of the tasting, it needs to be stated that this group’s favorite varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon, so their opinions may be skewed a little in that direction.

The informal tasting wines were: 2007 Educated Guess Napa Valley Chardonnay, 2007 Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Hook & Ladder Tillerman Red from the Russian River Valley. All three wines were well received with Hook & Ladder Tillerman Red being the favorite.

The formal tasting featured the following wines:
2008 King Estate Pinot Gris, Oregon
2008 Fritz Chardonnay, Russian River Valley
2009 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
2007 Sequana Sarmento Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
2006 Grgich Hills Estate Zinfandel, Napa Valley
2007 Rock & Vine three Ranches Cabernet Sauvignon Napa & Lake Counties
2005 Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

The white wines showed well, but the Fritz Chardonnay was definitely the winner, while the King Estate Pinot Gris received some votes as well. The Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc was completely out-classed and over-matched against the other two whites which were clearly superior.

The winner of the reds was Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Cabernet Sauvignon followed closely by the Sequana Sarmento Vineyard Pinot Noir. Both Wines were elegant and classy, showing great fruit, good depth, nice complexity and long, lingering finishes. The Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Cabernet Sauvignon was the overall winner of the night. Rock & Vine Cabernet Sauvignon was favored by many and finished 3rd amongst the reds with Grgich Hills Estate Zinfandel finishing last. The Grgich Hills Estate Zin did not show well and seemed to lack the complexity that this great Estate has been known for through the years.

Hot New Arrivals at CSWS

Cool Springs Wines & Spirits has several new arrivals in stock and is constantly increasing the quality of our selection, but these wines are worth a little extra notoriety. One of them is extremely unique and will be interesting to customers who are fans of the Mollydooker wines. This exuberant Shiraz was aged in used Bourbon Barrels instead of French oak barrels, which are normally used. This imparts noticeable bourbon aromas on the nose and adds complexity to the palate. These wines are all in limited quantities, so get them while you can.

1. 2007 Sequana Sundawg Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir, Green Valley of Russian River
97 Points Wine Enthusiast
This distinctive Pinot Noir’s source is a tiny vineyard in cool Green Valley; the winegrower is James MacPhail, whose own MacPhail Pinot Noirs are so good. The wine itself is totally dry and silky and firm in acidity, yet soft in fine tannins. You might call it noble. It’s eruptive in cherries, sweet smoky bacon, raspberry granola and oaky sandalwood. Gorgeous, seductive and brilliant, a truly great Pinot Noir that’s impeccable now.

2. 2006 Antinori Guado Al Tasso, Bolgheri
97 points Wine Enthusiast
Guado al Tasso is finally back. After a string of past vintages that exhibited some rubber-like aromas, the 2006 expression is a study in purity, focus and excellence. This wine is impressive on all levels in terms of intensity, personality and persistency. It’s rich and luscious with smooth tannins and lasting flavors of blackberry and spice. Drink after 2015.

3. 2008 R Wines “Southern Belle” Shiraz, McLaren Vale
90 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2008 Southern Belle Shiraz was aged in seasoned oak including some ex-bourbon barrels. A glass-coating opaque purple, it displays a nearly room-filling nose of smoke, game, incense, and blueberry that leaps from the glass. Opulent and full-bodied on the palate, it lacks only complexity. Drink it over the next 6-8 years. It is an outstanding value.

For more information about the new arrivals at Cool Springs Wines & Spirits, go to http://www.coolspringswines.com/new-arrivals/

Gruner Veltliner–Wine of a Thousand Faces (flavors)

Gruner Veltliner, a dry white wine produced primarily in Austria, is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. This varietal has good acidity and minerality to go along with the citrus, stone fruit flavors, and hints of spice that it can possess. Gruner Veltliner can be a wonderful choice to enjoy on the back patio, but is also extremely versatile when it’s paired with food. The wine seems to change–almost morph in its flavors as it is paired with a range of foods.

Mollydooker Wines have arrived!

The highly sought after Mollydooker wines arrived in the store last week. We currently have the 2008 Maitre D’ Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 The Boxer Shiraz, and 2008 Two Left Feet, their popular red wine blend. This portfolio of Australian wines always receives great ratings and reviews from multiple publications and have been extremely popular throughout the United States.

New! Collector’s Corner Wines

Cool Springs Wines & Spirits has reserved a special section of our weekly advertisements to include unique, rare and special wines at deeply discounted prices. This offers our customers the opportunity to get great deals on the wines they’ve had their eye on recently, but held off on purchasing for one reason or another. Just like the rest of our ads, these sales are one week only and are subject to availability. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get your hands on some of the latest and greatest wines in the market. For this weeks Collector’s Corner Wines, go to http://www.coolspringswine.com/CollectorsCorner/

Nashvillian Release’s 1st Vintage

Nashville native Ryan Donnelly is following his love for wine and the environment to produce his first vintage under the Miracle One label. His passion for wine has taken him around the globe to learn and uncover secrets from some of the most famous vineyards on the planet. He has worked in multiple capacities at prestigious wineries such as Yellow Tail, Cline Cellars and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Ryan’s dedication to his passion has led him to create two great first efforts, a Sonoma County Chardonnay and a Napa Valley Pinot Noir.

2007 Miracle One Chardonnay, Carneros, Sonoma County
This 100% Chardonnay was sourced from Sangiacomo Vineyards and aged in 60% New French oak and 40% neutral French Oak. This elegant wine is well-balanced & has good complexity, showing green apple, pineapple, lemon zest and tropical fruits with light hints of vanilla cream and oak and enough acidity to provide nice structure.

2007 Miracle One Pinot Noir, Carneros, Napa Valley
This well made wine is rich and appealing with great acidity and ripe tannins. This Pinot Noir reveals ripe dark fruits, rhubarb, wild strawberry and blueberry flavors surrounded by herbs, mushrooms, spices and light earth, finishing with lightly toasted oak, bing cherry and a silky mouth-feel.

3 New Wines arrive at CSWS

We have three fantastic new arrivals at Cool Springs Wines & Spirits, all with great ratings. We have something for every red wine drinker from the Pinot Noir lover to fuller bodied old world or new world wine connoisseur. These three wines are in limited supply and will sell out quickly. Get some while you can.

#1 The 2005 Russian Hill Meredith’s Vineyard Pinot Noir is perfectly balanced with a great mouthfeel and an abundance of fruit that tantalizes the senses. It recieved 95 Points from the Pinot Report.

#2 The 2005 Pio Cesare Barolo is a fuller bodied wine with ripe fruits and bold tannins and a great lingering finish. This wine received 93 Points from Wine Spectator and has a long line of great vintages to back up it’s outstanding pedigree.

#3 2006 Cade Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley is an outstanding Cabernet wine from the same group the produces the famed Plumpjack wines. It has intense, ripe black fruits that are balanced by great acid structure and firm tannins. It received 91 Points from both Robert Parker and Wine Spectator.

New Spirit Additions

We have a few new additions to the spirit side of the store. Firefly, all the rage this past year, has brought a few new flavors into the market. Besides the original, which if you haven’t tried you need to, they have added Peach, Raspberry, Lemon, and Mint. They are all very good. One of our newest additions to the the store is Mike’s “Harder” Lemonade. If you have tried the original then you must try this 8% abv creation.  Just as good as the the original but not quite as sweet. My new favorite after work drink is to mix the Mike’s Harder Lemonade with the Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka. In a word…Yum!

In the vodka department we have added Russian Standard Vodka, the number 1 selling premium vodka in Russia, or so I am told. Also in our never ending line of flavored vodkas come Skyy Pineapple, Smirnoff Melon and Pomegranate, Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea, and Absolut Mango, all sure to tantalize the taste buds.

In one of the newer categories, Absinthe, we have added La Muse Verte. A great package and probably the best absinthe I have tried so far.

Well, that about wraps it up for now. Come on in and try something new and exciting, and keep your eyes out for even more new arrivals.

Thanks for taking a peak at my blog.

Bo Clarke

Spirit Manager Cool Springs Wine and Spirits