WineJournal

wine journal
July/August 2014
ABC FINE WINE & SPIRITS WINE MAGAZINE
A selection of French
wines UNDER $15
Hear from the
family behind
Napa Valley’s
Whitehall Lane
Winery
Three wine trade
shows in one
trip to Europe
IT’S POSSIBLE
FOR BRAD
LEWIS!

The ABC Fine Wine & Spirits
Wine Journal is a bimonthly
publication of ABC Fine Wine
& Spirits. Copyright 2014 ABC
Liquors, Inc. All rights reserved.
Not all products are available
in all stores. If the product
you’re looking for isn’t available,
ask us to order it for you!
Hannah Grantz
Editor
hannahg@abcfws.com
Meghan Guarino
Contributing Editor
meghang@abcfws.com
Lorena Streeter
Contributing Editor
lorenas@abcfws.com
OUR WINE EXPERTS:
Ken Amendola
kena@abcfws.com
@abcwinekena
Kathleen Anderson
kathleenr@abcfws.com
@abcwinekat
Jim Greeley
jamesg@abcfws.com
@abcwinejimg
Shayne Hebert
shayneh@abcfws.com
@abcwineshayne
Atanas Nechkov
atanasn@abcfws.com
@abcwineatanas
Paul Quaglini
paulq@abcfws.com
@abcwinepaulq
Bill Stobbs
wstobbs@abcfws.com
@abcwinebills
If you would like to ensure
you’re receiving the Wine
Journal each time it’s
published, send an email to
Lorena Streeter (lorenas@
abcfws.com) and we’ll add you
to the “always mail” list.
Follow us on Twitter
@abcwinecountry.
We’re also blogging daily
at blog.abcfws.com.
Travel with us to Italy, France, Germany and California
Enjoy your summer with the latest selections recommended by ABC’s wine team
3
DOES POP CULTURE HAVE AN
INFLUENCE OVER YOUR WINE
CHOICES
Kathleen takes a look at iconic drinks
mentioned in well-known films and music
5
WE CAN’T ALL TAKE A SUMMER
TRIP TO BORDEAUX
But Jim did. Travel along with him as he
tastes his way through one of France’s most
well-known regions
6
WHITEHALL LANE WINERY IS
A FAMILY BUSINESS THROUGH
AND THROUGH
Hannah spoke to the father and son
duo behind one of our favorite Napa
Valley wineries
8
LOOKING FOR GREAT WINES
THAT WON’T BREAK YOUR
BUDGET THIS SUMMER
Atanas shares his picks for top wines under $15
10TRAVELING IS PART OF LIFE
FOR ABC’S WINE TEAM…LUCKY
THEM, RIGHT
Paul most recently took a trip to the Valtellina
region of Verona, Italy, to meet with the
Rainoldi family
11WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A
“GREAT VINTAGE” WINE
Shayne has the California harvest report
for 2014
12IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED
WHAT IT’S LIKE TO ATTEND A
EUROPEAN WINE TRADE SHOW…
ABC’s director of wine sales, Brad Lewis,
visited three in a row this year and has some
stories to tell
14WHETHER YOU’RE OUTSIDE
BARBEQUING OR LOUNGING
BY THE POOL,
Ken offers his recommendations for top
summertime wines you should be enjoying
15TASTING FROM 45 COUNTRIES
AND FIVE CONTINENTS IN
THREE DAYS
Bill attended ProWein 2014 in Düsseldorf,
Germany, and made a few winery stops, too
16WINE TO WATCH
It’s crisp; it’s fresh… try Château Tanunda
Dry Riesling
wine journal | | 22
On the cover: Domaine de Pellehaut Rosé ($10) This delicious blend of
Merlot, Cabernet, Tannat and Syrah exhibits a raspberry-pink color with
aromas and flavors of strawberries, raspberries and lavender.
Enjoy Domaine de Pellehaut Rosé this summer with grilled meats, grilled
vegetables, fish and mixed salads.Cheers!

POP CULTURE IN WINE
KATHLEEN ANDERSON,NORTHWEST FLORIDA WINE SUPERVISOR
Istarted thinking the other day about how we listen to others
about what to drink when we can’t decide for ourselves. One of
the best places to look to for suggestions is pop culture. All
sorts of characters are known for a particular drink or two in song,
movies and/or literature. How many times have you heard your
favorite artist sing about a drink and you race out to see if it is any
good Or novelists discuss a particular wine in depth We even
have a recipe for butter beer, don’t we As we delve into history, we
see all sorts of characters drinking and discussing what they drink.
I can go as far back as before Shakespeare, but for this little space
in time, I will take us back to the 70s. How many of us have
listened to rock music and fallen in love with a lyric Here is one
that mentions a bottle outright—“Killer Queen” (Queen, 1974):
“She keeps her Moët et Chandon in a pretty cabinet...” This is the
first line of the song. You have to wonder how many bottles were
sold off that one line “mirrors on the ceiling and pink Champagne
on ice” from “Hotel California” (The Eagles, 1977). And that’s
just to name two. Through the years there are mentions of single
varietals, “It’s a black fly in your Chardonnay” (Alanis Morisette,
1995), to specific names throughout history—“I’m getting better
with time. I’m like Opus One young, ”(Jay-Z, 2006). I mean,
even the Beastie Boys found a rhyme for Châteauneuf du Pape.
Nowadays it is brand managing; pretty much all we ever see Jay-Z
drink now is Ace of Spades Champagne, and then there is Rick
Ross, who prefers Belaire Rosé. It seems like no matter what you
like, there is a song about it somewhere. You just have to look, or
try something new that you hear on the radio today.
so by drinking the wines like it would be a main character. But
besides that, he is actually still out marketing his book, and he does
so with a great idea of drinking the wines his character drinks in
the book! Next month in Ohio he is doing a whole night of wine and
literature. What better way to find out if you enjoy the same wines as
a character you have fallen for
So no matter how you find your wines, either through music,
movies or books, the pop culture references also reference our life
in some way. I want you to find a wine you love and figure out how
to make it jump out in this tech savvy world of ours. Tweet it!
Facebook it! Pinterest it!
Movies are no exception here either. When Bond, James Bond, isn’t
drinking a martini “shaken not stirred,” you can see him in the
discussion of fine Champagne. Depending on the movie, he seems
to drink mostly Bollinger and Dom Perignon. Lately in Casino
Royale (2006) we get to see Bond and Vesper Lind drink a bottle of
1982 Chateau Angelus on the train to Montenegro. Who can forget
the line in Silence of the Lambs (1991) where Hannibal talks of his
wine pairing of human liver, fava beans and “a nice Chianti” (Side
note: in the book he paired it with an Amarone.) Over the years
there have been many movies in the mainstream that focus on
wine, drinking, sales and production. After Sideways (2004), look
what happened to Merlot and Pinot Noir sales! Bottle Shock (2008)
was just a reminder of the humble beginnings of the fine wine
explosion that was Napa Valley. This past year I found
Somm (2012), a documentary following four friends through
the Master Sommelier Certification exam. Just watch to see how
difficult that is! And finally, we end with Red Obsession (2013),
a film released last year about the Bordeaux first growths,
trading Bordeaux futures and the will of China to own it all.
Now we enter into literature; I could go on for days, but will
mention only the latest book I am reading, Vengeance Follows by
Scott Lax (2013). He is still out marketing his book, and he does

Wine List
RED
BORDEAUX
l’Orangerie de Carignan 2010 (pg 8)
GRENACHE
Clos d’Alzan, Côtes du Rhône Villages
Signargues 2012 (pg 8)
RED BLEND
Playtime Red (pg 14)
Stone Church Red (pg 7)
WHITE BLEND
2012 Château Villa Bel-Air Graves Blanc
(pg 5)
2012 Clos des Lunes Lune Blanche (pg 5)
Nadia Bianco (pg 14)
SPARKLING
Dom Pérignon (pg 3)
Moët et Chandon (pg 3)
SWEET RED
Dornfelder (pg 15)
ROSÉ
Château Trians Rosé 2013 (pg 8)
Domaine l’Ostal Cazes Rosé (pg 15)
WHITE
PICPOUL
Château Petit Roubié, Picpoul de Pinet
2011 (pg 8)
RIESLING
Château Tanunda Dry Riesling (pg 16)
Valckenberg Madonna (pg 15)
Villa L (pg 15)
Weingut Langwerth von Simmern Just
Riesling (pg 15)
Weingut Liebfrauenstift (pg 15)
Chateau Cos d'Estournelsm tower
wine journal | 4

WHITE WINES LEAD THE WAY
AT BORDEAUX EN PREMIER
JIM GREELY, SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINE SUPERVISOR
Back in April, I was witness to the
spectacle that is En Primeur Week
in Bordeaux. Every year members
of the wine trade arrive from the far flung
corners of the world to taste barrel samples
of the newest vintage. It was my very first
visit to this fabled French wine region,
steeped in tradition and legend, and it
proved to be a considerable education.
As projected after reports of an erratic fall
harvest began to trickle in last October,
vintage 2013 would prove to be a very
challenging year for red wines. Château
owners talked about conditions being
the most demanding they’ve seen in a
generation. Significant rain at the tail end
of the growing season made severe grape
selection in the vineyard and vigilance at
the sorting table a prerequisite in order to
make good wines. Fortunately, many of the
classified growths had the manpower and
the means to accomplish this seemingly
daunting task.
Unlike in typical years where the division
of clear winners is usually defined by
appellation, 2013 did not offer any such
distinctions. This was not a Right Bank
versus Left Bank year, for example, or even
Saint-Julien versus Paulliac. Within each
appellation there were relative successes
and a few disappointments, the stark
contrasts often on display in the wines at
neighboring château.
Tasting every wine this year and judging it
on its own merits was a must. There were
some general observations but no absolutes.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc
were the relative quality winners, while
Merlot was less successful. But even here
there were exceptions, notably in the Right
Bank communes of Saint Émilion and
Pomerol. Another surprise included higher
than usual portions of Malbec and Petit
Verdot in some wines.
At their very best, the successful red wines
displayed elegance and suppleness with
fresh structures and pretty bouquets.
Winemakers who tried to make powerful
wines out of fruit that wouldn’t support the
style ended up in over-extraction limbo—
resulting in some unbalanced wines.
A roundup of the best reds in 2013 included
Château Ausone and Château Valandraud in
Saint Émilion, Château L’Eglise Clinet and
Vieux Château Certain in Pomerol, Château
Cos d’Estournel and Château Montrose in
Saint-Estèphe, Château Leoville Las Cases
and Château Ducru Beaucaillou in Saint-
Julien and all five of the famed first growths:
Château Latour, Château Lafite-Rothschild,
Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château
Margaux and Château Haut Brion.
Even in a stormy vintage, some dark clouds
contain silver linings. Good fortune
smiled on the dry white wines of Graves/
Pessac-Leognan and the sweet wines of
Sauternes/Barsac. The results were favorable
throughout much of Bordeaux for the
earlier ripening Sauvignon Blanc and
Semillon grapes.
In Sauternes, conditions were ideal for
full development of Botrytis cinerea, the
beneficial fungus that naturally dehydrates
the grapes, concentrating their sugars and
intensifying flavors. Château d’Yquem was
the best of many solid sweet wines with
a sumptuous, thoroughly decadent grand
vin. Other top names also excelled with
amazingly rich offerings including Château
de Fargues, Château Rieussec, Château
Suduiraut and Château Coutet.
Chateau Cos
d'Estournel
La Mission Haut Brion, Château Carbonnieux,
Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte and Domaine de
Chevalier lead a host of dry white standouts
in Pessac-Leognan, offering zesty citrus
and juicy stone fruits with floral perfumes
and wonderful minerality. These are finely
tuned wines with lively cores, long, mouthwatering
finishes and plenty of upside.
They’ll be very user-friendly and refreshing
in their youth, yet equally cellar-worthy too.
Unfortunately, you can’t take a test drive of
these terrific 2013 whites right now, as they
are still in barrel. You’ll have to make do
with the next best thing: pairing a vibrantly
fresh bottle of 2012 Château Villa Bel-Air
Graves Blanc ($25) with a chilled platter of
les verts, the briny green oysters from the
nearby Marennes-Oleron.
Why stop there An equally delicious bottle
of 2012 Clos des Lunes Lune Blanche ($18)
would be a suitable partner for a fabulous
terrine of skate and red mullet with saffron
potato. You could easily substitute a roasted
chicken with lemon butter or a cheese board
with sliced fruit.
Did I mention that good Bordeaux Blanc
is exceedingly food friendly
Historically, Bordeaux is a region defined
by its reds. Perhaps the 2013 vintage may
change more than a few minds with
the outstanding performance of its
versatile whites.

Q+A with the Men of
WHITEHALL LANE WINERY
HANNAH GRANTZ
You’ve tried their wines, now hear from
two of the five Leonardini family
members behind Napa Valley’s
Whitehall Lane, Tom Leonardini and his son,
Tom Leonardini II.
What was it about owning and running a winery
that sparked your interest in Whitehall Lane
Tom Sr.: I retired almost 30 years ago thinking
I would never work again…and I had a downtown
San Francisco piece of property that I thought
would be fun to put a retail wine store into—
that was in 1986.
I said we wanted the store to have a focus; we
can’t be all things to all people. So we started
the Napa Valley Winery Exchange and we just
had small production Napa Valley wines.
I was in the store one day talking to salesmen
and winery owners who would come in, and
I just thought it would be a fun business to get
into—so I said to the manager, ‘If you hear of
any wineries for sale in the Napa Valley, let me
wine journal | 6
know.’ She mentioned one day that Whitehall
Lane Winery was for sale…this was in 1992!
And I said, ‘Really’ I drove up, walked around,
went into their little tasting room, then the next
day I phoned the manager…who had no idea it
was for sale.
So you knew before they did that Whitehall Lane
was for sale
Tom Sr.: (laughing) Yes. I drove to Sacramento
and met with the corporate attorney on a
Tuesday, and on Friday I owned it.
I knew nothing about making wine or anything,
which was a real advantage because I didn’t have
any preconceived notions. I didn’t have someone
say, ‘Well, this is what we do…’ and Whitehall
wasn’t doing very well financially at the time,
and I didn’t want any advice from them so I
asked the whole crew to leave the first day. A
young man had sent me a resume who said he
‘knew everything about the wine business’…he
was in his 20s… and I hired Mike McLaughlin
on a Saturday and I was taking over the winery
a few days later. He came in because he ‘knew
everything’…well, he didn’t…but he did learn—
along with me—and he’s still there today as the
general manager.
Is your whole family involved in the company
Tom Sr.: Three of our children are partners with
me now in the business. Tom II runs all of our
sales; Katie is involved in the local stuff—the
wine clubs, the tasting room, the hospitality,
social networking. She focuses on operations.
Our daughter Kristin runs the wine store in
San Francisco.
What do you think has surprised both of you
the most (Tom Sr. and Tom II) about the
wine business
Tom II: Distribution is kind of the unknown
part of it. There are thousands of labels from
Napa Valley, and more coming all the time.
What’s challenging for the consumer is that

there are so many popping up and sometimes
the new kid on the block gets mentioned in
the magazines, but if you go back to the core
wineries in Napa that actually have a facility,
a winery and barrel storage area—and most
importantly, vineyards—those are the most
important wineries out there. So that’s
probably the biggest change I’ve seen in 20 years
of selling wine—the proliferation of brands.
Do you source any grapes, or are all of your
grapes from Whitehall Lane’s vineyards
Tom Sr.: We source a little. We love blending
Syrah into our Merlot—a small bit. And we
source that. When we find something good
we have it under contract for a long period.
We don’t source any Cabernet; every single one
of our vineyards is a Cabernet vineyard. The
reason we source other things—we’ll make a
little Pinot Noir or a little Chardonnay—is they
have to be from a cooler climate; it can’t come
from a higher appellation. So I buy a small
amount of grapes, but 80-90% of our grapes we
grow ourselves. We make all the wine ourselves;
we bottle it all ourselves; we send it all down to
the warehouse by ourselves. We do everything
other than make the glass.
Are all of your vineyards in the Rutherford area
Tom Sr.: We have three vineyards in Rutherford,
one in Oak Knoll (adjacent to the Stags Leap
appellation) and two vineyards in the St. Helena
appellation. St. Helena is the best appellation
in the world, because I think if you can jump
across the Atlantic Ocean and say that we make
better wines than Bordeaux makes (you can do
a blind tasting and I can validate that statement
just by tasting the wines). California makes
the best wine in the US; the Napa Valley makes
the best Cabernet in the US, and I think St.
Helena has the best appellation in the Napa
Valley. So you could say St. Helena has the best
vineyards in the world. Yountville, Oakville,
Rutherford and St. Helena…that’s the epicenter
of great wines—all four. When you’re talking
other varietals, there are some great vineyards…
but for Cabernet, Oakville, Rutherford,
St. Helena…that’s where you get Cabernet.
How would you describe your wines and style
to someone who has never tried them before
Tom II: A good way to describe our wines would
be ‘structured, elegant and balanced.’
Tom Sr.: That sounds good, Tom. They’re
soft, not high in alcohol content and not high
tannins. They’ll age beautifully for 20 years, or
you can open them up right away and say, ‘That’s
really a great bottle of wine.’ If you’re sitting
out on the deck or having a nice quiet dinner
at home and you want a really nice glass of
wine, ours will blow everything away.
Robert Parker wrote a review on one of our
Cabernets, and I wrote him a letter back because
I thought it was so good. It had a nice score
and the description was nice, but what he said
was, ‘This isn’t a neo-European wine; this isn’t
a neo-Bordeaux wine; this is an all-American
Cabernet. And it’s from the Rutherford area
of the Napa Valley,’ and I thought, wow, what
a great description. We try to make wine that
doesn’t have the high tannins, the European
taste to it; we want to make a Cabernet that’s
a fruit bomb. We’ve always tried to make
Cabernets more in a feminine style. I want a
Cabernet that when you drink it, you go, ‘Boy,
that really tastes good.’ And that’s been our style
for 22 years, and he (Robert Parker) captured
that in his review.
When you’re not drinking your own wine, what
other California wines do you prefer
Tom Sr.: I try a lot of different wines from our
retail store. I like Coho Cabernet, Black Kite
Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley; I like Emma
Pearl Chardonnay—that was very tasty. I’ll
try all kinds of odd ball stuff. I’ve tried French
wines and I don’t care for those at all. And I’ve
yet to find an Italian wine I enjoy.
Tom II: Napa is a very small place and we have
giant wineries owned by corporations—and it’s
also mostly comprised of family wineries. What
makes the wine enjoyable is connecting with the
people who own the wineries or those who work
there. So that’s my attraction.
What can you tell me about Stone Church Red
wine, the newest Whitehall product coming
to ABC
Tom Sr.: The Stone Church Red 2012 vintage
was bountiful and not only big, but very good.
We put together a red Merlot blend that’s
predominately from the Oak Knoll appellation
and the ’12 vintage was just great. This isn’t a
big production wine, and I think it’ll be a big
hit and sell quickly.
Kristin, Tom II and Katie

Domain Wines,
NOT-SO DOMAIN PRICES
ATANAS NECHKOV, CENTRAL FLORIDA WINE SUPERVISOR
Great wine values can be found in any wine
region and at any price range, but it is the all
popular $10 to $15 category that is the most
challenging when it comes to finding value.
This is also the most shopped category and
the one with most abundant choices, and
a plethora of ever-changing labels. What
should the smart consumer look for The
answer is domain wines instead of brands.
A domain wine is produced and bottled in
the wine estate, usually from grapes grown
in the domain’s vineyards. Some would
argue right away that a domain wine costs
a lot more than $10; true in most cases,
but not always. This is where wine experts
and buyers come to play an important role:
finding the best possible quality at the
right price.
Some wine regions offer more choices
than others in this less-than-$15 category.
The following three wine regions offer the
most abundant choices for value in today’s
market: Rhône Valley/Provence, Languedoc
and Bordeaux.
Bordeaux
Yes, even Bordeaux!! Only the top tiers
of classified châteaux in Bordeaux have
reached astronomical prices driven by
the high demand of emerging markets
like China. But for the rest of the “petits
châteaux” whose prices are often $20 or
less, it has been business as usual and prices
have not changed much in the past 15 years;
quality, on the other hand, is higher than
ever, especially with vintages like 2009/2010.
A favorite and best-selling red wine from
Bordeaux is l’Orangerie de Carignan 2010,
Bordeaux, France ($13).
There is a real château at Carignan, unlike
many other Bordeaux wine domains,
where “Château” is only part of the name.
Carignan was first built in the 11th century
on the site of a Roman villa.
wine journal | 8
It was given by King Charles VII of France
to Jean Poton de Xaintrailles, who was a
companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc and
fought the English invasion in the Hundred
Years’ War. In 1452 Poton de Xaintrailles
rebuilt the castle in its present state, and a
year later in 1453, he was victorious over the
English troops led by Constable Talbot in
the battle of Castillon, the battle that ended
the Hundred Years’ War. He then reattached
Bordeaux (Aquitaine) to the kingdom
of France.
L’Orangerie de Carignan 2010, a blend of
60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and
20% Cabernet Franc, is the best-selling wine
by the glass (out of thousands) at restaurants
and brasseries in the city of Bordeaux!
And the reason for that is, besides being
best value in its class, this wine shows well
on its own and pairs well with red meats,
light appetizers, poultry and aged cheeses.
The 2010 Orangerie has medium intensity,
supple palate, soft and ripe tannins and
aromas of red currant and cranberry. The
2011 Orangerie will also be available soon.
Rhône Valley/Provence
Some of the best values in wine today come
from the Rhône Valley and Provence. One of
our recent best-finds-ever was Clos d’Alzan,
Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues 2012
($13).
Clos d’Alzan is a single vineyard of very
old vine Grenache—some of the vines are
over 80 years old! Situated right across from
Châteauneuf du Pape on the opposite bank
of the Rhône River, the soil is composed
of the same galets roulés, large rolled
stones, found in the Châteauneuf du Pape
appellation. The consulting oenologist for
Clos d’Alzan is Xavier Vignon, one of the
most talented winemakers in the Rhône
Valley today. The exceptional quality of
the terroir, combined with the precise and
skillful winemaking of Xavier, make Clos
d’Alzan one of the best values ever!
The 2012 is my all-time favorite Clos
d’Alzan; the wine shows perfect balance,
gobs of dark berry fruit, assertive tannins,
and good minerality with a long-lasting
finish in this exceptional vintage. Enjoy
with your favorite Mediterranean dishes,
pastas, grilled meats and vegetables and
aged cheeses.
From the neighboring Provence comes
the latest addition to our fine selection of
organic and biodynamic wines, Château
Trians Rosé 2013 ($15).
This wine is a spectacular achievement—
quite possibly the best rosé ever; round,
with rich texture, yet bright and fruity
with a perfect balance!
The vineyards at Château Trians were first
planted to the vine 20 centuries ago when
the domain’s lands were part of a large
Roman villa, Villa Triana. Today the wine
estate at Château Trians covers 49 acres of
organically farmed vineyards in the Massif
of Cuers, 30 kilometers north of Toulon
in Provence, France. Most of the wine is
produced under the Côteaux Varois en
Provence Appellation.
The 2013 Château Trians Rosé, a blend
of 60% Grenache, 30% Cinsault and 10%
Syrah, exhibits light salmon-pink color and
aromas and flavors of strawberry, cranberry
and field flowers. The mouthfeel is rich
and perfectly balanced with pure fruit,
refreshing acidity, medium intensity and
a long, round finish. Enjoy as aperitif or
served with mixed salads, seafood dishes,
grilled meats and aged cheeses.
Languedoc
The next favorite and top-value wine comes
from the Languedoc region of Southern
France, Château Petit Roubié, Picpoul de
Pinet 2011 ($11).

Château Petit Roubié has been family-owned
by Floriane and Olivier Azan since 1981
and organically farmed since 1985. The
winery is located in the small town of Pinet
(population 1,300), a place that would have
been totally unknown to the world if it wasn’t
for the great white wine produced there from
the Picpoul grape.
Olivier Azan is a firm believer in organic
farming; his Picpoul vineyards have been free
of chemicals and synthetic fertilizers for over
26 years. These happy vines are planted on a
high plateau overlooking the Mediterranean;
happy vines = good wine.
The Picpoul de Pinet from Petit Roubier is a
pure, honest, well-crafted and exciting wine
that gives great pleasure when consumed
as an aperitif and will enhance any seafood
dish, particularly raw oysters! In fact, this
area is also famous for some of France’s best
oysters. The 2011 Picpoul from Petit Roubié
exhibits aromas and flavors of white flowers,
ripe citrus and sweet apple; the finish is
clean, refreshing and long-lasting.
There is not enough room in a single article to include detailed notes on all our
favorite best-value wines less than $15; besides the four featured wines, here is
a list of a just a few more great wines you don’t want to miss. Happy tasting!
Gouleyant,
Cahors Malbec
2012 - $12
Domaine de
Pellehaut, Côtes de
Gascogne Rosé
2013 - $10
Domaine de Pellehaut,
Côtes de Gascogne Red
2012 - $10
Domaine de Pellehaut,
Côtes de Gascogne
White 2013 - $10
M. Chapoutier,
Bila-Haut,
Côtes de Roussillon
White
2012 - $13
Bila-Haut,
Pays d’Oc Rosé
2013 - $13
Domaine Magellan,
Vin de Pays de
l’Hérault Red
2009 - $12
Domaine de la
Chauvinière,
Muscadet Sèvre et
Maine
2012 – $10
Perrier, Vin de
Savoie Apremont
2012 - $13
Veuve Ambal
Crémant de
Bourgogne Brut - $15

The Opportunity TO E X P LOR E
PAUL QUAGLINI, SOUTHEAST FLORIDA WINE SUPERVISOR
Over the years I’ve had the incredibly
enriching opportunity to explore
some of the most dramatic wine
landscapes in the world. The Mosel in
Germany and the Douro Valley in Portugal
certainly rank near the top of my list.
These regions are visually awe-inspiring as
vines seem to cling onto perilously steep
slopes. I’m often left wondering who it was
centuries ago that thought these locations
would be a good place to plant grape vines.
I guess the ancient Romans, as well as
civilizations before them, knew a thing or
two about making wine.
On my most recent trip to Italy, Brad Lewis
and I had a meeting in Verona with Aldo
Rainoldi, a winemaker from the Valtellina
region. After a very positive presentation
of his wines, Aldo suggested we visit his
winery someday. Brad and I immediately
took him up on his offer and set out the next
day for Valtellina. I knew from reading in
books that Valtellina was a mountainous
region, but I had no idea how incredibly
breathtaking it was.
Valtellina is an alpine valley in the far
northern reaches of Lombardy on the Swiss
border. They have been producing wine
here for over 2000 years. Just as in other
wine regions where ripening grapes can be
a challenge, only those vines planted on
sunny, south-facing slopes have any chance
of producing good wine.
After a quick tour of the winery, Giuseppi
was most anxious to show us the family
vineyards. The best wines of Valtellina are
produced from a narrow strip of vineyards
on the north bank of the Adda River. More
specifically, there are five sub-districts
in valley: Inferno (the hottest), Grumello
(named after a medieval castle), Sassella (the
rockiest and considered by some the best),
Valgella (most productive) and Maroggia
(smallest). All the Rainoldi vineyards are
in Inferno, Grumello and Sassella.
We spent the better part of the afternoon
doing our best to keep up with Giuseppe
Rainoldi as he proudly showed us the
vineyards he has been working on for more
than 60 years. Most of the vines are planted
on inclines so pronounced that just the act
of walking, never mind tending to vines and
harvesting fruit is nearly impossible. In some
of the vineyards they actually use helicopters
to get the grapes off the mountain after they
are picked. At 77 years young, Giuseppe is
a testament to what clean mountain air and
good red wine do for one’s longevity.
All Valtellina wines are made from
Nebbiolo grapes known locally by the name
Chiavennasca (named after the nearby
mountain town of Chiavenna). The territory
has two DOCGs: Valtellina Superiore, which
is an elegant wine known for its bright,
complex, cherry aromas and soft tannins, and
Sforzato di Valtellina, a wine whose name
comes from the traditional practice of drying
the grapes before the wine is made, much like
Amarone. The resulting wine is intense, dry,
completely unique and delicious.
The ancient Romans believed that wine
was a daily necessity of life. This led to
the desire to spread viticulture and wine
production to every part of the Roman
Empire. I guess I have to thank them for
choosing some of the most sublime spots on
the planet to grow grapes. Visiting a place
like Valtellina confirms what I’ve always
known: Making a career out of my passion
for wine was a good choice.
Paul Quaglini, Michela Benigni (wife of Aldo
Rainoldi) and Giuseppi Rainoldi (uncle) in
the Rainoldi’s vineyards
Once Brad and I finally arrived at Aldo
Rainoldi’s winery, we were greeted by
his wife Michela and uncle Giuseppe.
wine journal | 10

H A RVEST REPORT:
CALIFORNIA VINTAGE 2014
SHAYNE HEBERT, CENTRAL FLORIDA WINE SUPERVISOR
Many books have been written
outlining just what it takes to
make a “great vintage” in a
quality wine region. In addition to the
obvious factors like rainfall, sunshine,
viticulture practices, etc., there are the
subtle influences of soil composition,
vineyard aspect and one of the most
important: matching grape varieties to
the micro-climate. When you add all
this together, no two vintages are really
ever exactly the same, which has a direct
influence on the resulting wine, helping
create subtle variations that make wine
appreciation so exciting! Some believe that
if you have plenty of sunshine and fertile
soil everything will be fine. Like California,
right Not true! Even warm and sunny
California has her ups and downs. Drought,
rain and even heat all play their part in
assuring that even mighty Napa Valley
has variations.
2011: This vintage proved to be of relatively
mediocre quality, even in hot spots like
Napa Valley. 2011 began with a wet
winter and spring, delaying flowering and
decreasing crops. A cooler than average
summer created a longer, slower maturation
of fruit, then autumn rains (and, in many
cases, early harvesting) produced grapes
with lower than normal sugars. Elegance
is the norm in 2011. Some wines lack
complexity and weight, and most are
destined for near-term consumption.
2012: The statewide total was pegged at 4.3
million tons of fruit, and of seriously good
quality—a huge sigh of relief from growers
after the so-so quality in 2011. 2012 was
back to California’s high standard, and with
a larger crop. This will be a vintage to look
for not only for drinking, but, in the case
of Napa Valley, Sonoma and Lake County’s
more well-situated sites, for short term aging.
2013: Turned out to be quite similar to 2012,
back to normal as it were, for most wine
growers…much to the relief, again,
of everyone. 2013 Cabernets offer the
color, weight and flavors that we all
come to expect. And to the consumers
who demand wine at any level, since the
“worldwide wine shortage” most likely had
more than a few consumers worried it might
be a beer year.
2014: “Then came the drought”...harvest
levels in California will most likely not
follow the quantities from either 2012 or
2013. It is looking as though the harvest
2014 might be back to the same difficulties
as in 2011, only for different reasons—but
probably with the same outcome. Obviously
the droughts experienced in California so
far in 2014 have had a ripple effect on all
farmers, not only wine growers, worried
about smaller crop sizes. Typically, smaller
crops/lower yields (in wine grapes) mean
better quality in the wines, heightening
concentration and flavors. But without
sufficient rainfall, that may be in jeopardy.
As important as agriculture is to California,
water restrictions are a way of life and
unavoidable…and worsened during less than
average rainfall years. These restrictions
are the main reason why new plantings and
new winery growth has leveled out. Then
came the drought! As much as almost every
Californian relishes the proximity of its
booming wine industry, many also believe
that wine is still a luxury, where water is
a necessity.
Effect of drought on wine growing: The
vine stress created from drought affects
grapes in every stage of the growth cycle,
and affects vines of all ages.
New plantings need irrigation to develop
properly, and severe water stress at this stage
is quite dangerous to the vine. Survival is
diminished, and those new plantings that do
make it have a much greater chance of not
surviving the winter.
Young vines, 2-5 years old and already
capable of producing quality grapes for
wine in California are most susceptible
to drought because of their shallow root
systems. Most producers will severely
reduce yields or drop all of the fruit
entirely to save the vine. During drought,
Napa Valley at dawn
the vine typically suspends photosynthesis
in favor or respiration/survival, and without
photosynthesis the system breaks down:
poor canopy, poor fruit set and the resulting
poor quality wine.
Older wines react differently, although
problems do still exist. Old vines have
developed deeper root systems, ensuring
a constant supply of nutrients and water
for their survival. They are more resistant
to drought, but not unaffected. Again
water stress alters the formation of leaves,
and a quality canopy is imperative to
quality grapes. Varietal flavors develop
during the last few weeks of ripening, and
this is also affected by drought. As for
dry-farmed vineyards, where irrigation is
not used, the vines still rely on both their
deep root systems and average rainfall to
sustain. Again quantity and quality are both
impacted. Resulting wines could show little
varietal character and less complexity.

The Spring Europe
MARATHON
BRAD LEWIS, DIRECTOR OF WINE SALES
All of the trade shows in Europe happened
in succession this year. I couldn’t do
them all but signed on for three in a
row. I flew out with Bill Stobbs, West Florida
wine supervisor, on March 20th for ProWein
in Düsseldorf, Germany. ProWein has become
one of the most significant trade shows in
the world. It lasts only three days and draws
visitors and exhibitors from all over the world.
The event is spread throughout nine buildings,
so planning is essential to avoid backtracking
and wasting time. We got our exercise and
made some new contacts that will fill holes in
ABC's selection. We had dinner one night with
Wilhelm Steifensand, whose family has owned
P.J. Valckenberg in Germany since 1786. I have
known Wilhelm since the 1970s, and it’s always
a pleasure to spend some time with him. He
had us meet him at a restaurant that he heard
was one of the best in the city, Tante Anna.
With Julia Lergenmüller and
her dog with the village of
Burrweiler in the background
We left the exhibition and headed for the
Rheingau to visit three of the top, most
historic estates in the region. Schloss
Reinhartshausen was, until recently, the
property of the princes of Prussia but was
bought by the Lergenmüller family in 2013.
The estate includes parcels in a number
of the top sites in the Rhiengau, including
the Erbacher Marcobrunn, and is the sole
owner of the most unique vineyard, the
Mariannenaue, an island in the Rhein. It’s a
protected wildlife habitat but also has winery
buildings and a vineyard. I have always wanted
to see it but access is restricted and is only
by boat from the estate. Scratch one from the
bucket list.
Not far from Schloss Reinhartshausen is the
estate of Baron Langwerth von Simmern in
Eltville. The estate has been in the family since
1464 and is run largely today by Baroness
Andrea Langwerth von Simmern. This estate
also has prime vineyards in the region. We
tasted through a number of the estate’s current
releases, followed by three wines from 2002
and 2003. The older wines easily dispel the
myth that white wines can’t age.
Last stop of the day was at the J. Wegeler
Estate for a tasting and dinner with owner and
manager Tom Drieseberg. This estate is one of
a kind, with vineyards and wineries in the
Rheingau and Mosel. With dinner we had
a 1959 Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Spätlese.
The wine was incredible with years of life
ahead still.
The next morning we drove to Hainfeld in the
Pfalz to visit the Lergenmüller’s home estate.
Stefan’s brother Jürgen runs the Pfalz estate
and we were shown the winery by him and
his daughter Julia. They grow a number of
grape varieties and produce some of the most
distinctive wines of the Pfalz.
It’s a short drive south along the Pfalz wine
road into France and Alsace. We stayed in
Colmar, the ancient capital of Alsace, that
night and took a hiking tour around the heart
of Colmar in the morning. The city is ancient
with half-timbered houses along narrow
streets and canals. We visited the Hospice de
Colmar vineyard, a rare site within the city.
The next morning I was off to Bordeaux
for the annual tastings there and Bill
headed home.
Jim Greeley met me in Bordeaux and we
did the annual grind of tasting young wines
out of barrels. We started Sunday afternoon
with a négociant at his house, went four full
days in the tastings and finished Friday with
four visits in négociants’ offices. The 2013
vintage had a lot of problems and it’s the kind
of year when the stars really shine. Work
in the vineyards was crucial, followed by
careful selection and cellar work. As usual,
the top estates took the steps and made good
wines—but many of the others suffered. The
good news is that, on the whole, prices have
dropped, in some cases back to the level
of 2008.
Jim went home from Bordeaux, and I moved
on to Verona, Italy, for the big Italian trade
show, Vinitaly. Paul Quaglini, our Italian
expert, joined me there for four days. A lot
of the time was spent with existing suppliers
and owners discussing future programming
and visits, and tasting the new vintages and
wines. Aside from that, we always find some
new and interesting things, and this year
included a real revelation. We visited Aldo
Rainoldi whose vineyards are in the Valtellina,
a high valley bordering Switzerland, where
the Nebbiolo grape rules. After tasting the
wines we went to visit the Rainoldis. Giuseppe
Rainoldi, Aldo’s septuagenarian uncle, took us
on a walking tour through the vineyards. The
vines are planted on extremely steep slopes
and just climbing them is difficult. The sun
is direct and so hot in the daytime that work
stops at 1:00 p.m. The wines are unique and
the drive to the valley was well worth the time.
The next day we flew home with some
new ideas.
wine journal | 12

The vineyards and castle of Grumello

SUMMERTIME WINES
KEN AMENDOLA, NORTH FLORIDA WINE SUPERVISOR
After long months of cold, dreary weather,
spring leads into the highlight months of
the year: summer. With its long sunny
days, time spent soaking up sun on sandy beaches,
cookouts with friends and family, vacations and
travel, summer is a wonderful time of year for most
of us. I look forward to summertime for a number
of reasons, like taking some weeks off of work to
travel around with my son, getting to enjoy all the
bountiful choices of fresh fruits and vegetables you
can find along the country roads we sometimes
travel, plus a chance to drink the light, refreshing
wines that go so well with the rising temperatures.
I have found a few summer wines that truly shine
when the thermometer begins to climb.
A fairly new wine from the Veneto region of Italy,
made by the winemaking team at La Cappuccina,
is Nadia Bianco. This ideal summer white is made
from 80% Garganega and 20% Sauvignon Blanc.
Served well-chilled as an aperitif, alongside a crisp
salad of mixed greens or with what I think really
shows what this wine is made of, a chilled Italian
seafood salad of mussels, shrimp, calamari and any
number of other in-season fresh jewels of the sea.
The Nadia Bianco has such a wonderful balance of
minerality, citrus notes and acidity that it makes
the perfect choice for a refreshing, all-the-time
white wine for the hot days ahead.
Now if you can’t make up your mind on whether to
go red or white, we have a new rosé offering from
France, and it comes in a summer-sized magnum
bottle from Domaine l’Ostal Cazes. If that name
sounds familiar, it’s because the Cazes family
are also the proud owners of the famous Château
Lynch-Bages. Pair this bright pink Domaine l’Ostal
Cazes Rosé with a thick, grilled piece of beef, a
light salad of shrimp and scallops or just about
anything in between. I enjoy nothing more on
these sometimes oppressively hot summer days
than a large glass of chilled, dry French rosé.
Try a glass of this fresh-flavored wine with its hint
of strawberry, spice and berry flavors that it gets
from its blend of equal parts Grenache and Syrah,
and you will also see the need for a rather large
wine glass!
So go out and enjoy the sunny summer ahead,
and be sure to visit your favorite veggie stand,
fish house, butcher shop and ABC to make your
summer days and nights ones to remember.
On the red side is a wine that has made a huge
impression on almost everyone who has ever
opened—and then quickly emptied—a bottle:
Playtime Red, a crazy red blend from Lake
County, California. This is a blend primarily of
Zinfandel, but it also gets its zingy personality
from Grenache, Barbera and an extra little kick
from Petite Sirah. I would tell you that this fruitforward,
juicy red hits the mark with any type of
barbeque, and it does, but I honestly cannot think
of a summer table that would not benefit from
having a couple bottles of this wine to go alongside
whatever is being served. This red blend has big,
ripe, fruit flavors of black cherries, blackberries
and plums, with a little spice and enough acidity
to match itself with so many different summer
meal choices. At less than $10 a bottle, it is
certainly a wine that should be bought by the case
and shared whenever possible. If you haven’t had
the opportunity to taste this snappy red blend, look
for it at ABC! You’ll most likely go back for more!
wine journal | 14

Florida Weather, German Wine
– A Perfect Match!
BILL STOBBS, WEST FLORIDA WINE SUPERVISOR
It was a chance to spend some time tasting wine in
Germany, and I grabbed it. Actually I hadn’t spent
any real quality time in Germany in almost a
decade, so it was a great chance to reacquaint myself
with wines that I know I love but sometimes tend to
overlook, as many of us do here in the USA.
First stop was Düsseldorf for three days at ProWein
2014. One of the best of the international wine trade
shows and growing in stature every year, ProWein
offered a chance to taste the wines of 4,500 exhibitors
from 45 countries on 5 continents. Shows like
this, though necessary to those of us in the trade,
can be pretty grueling unless approached with a
preconceived plan of who we would visit and what
types of wine we were looking for.
As it happened we tasted very little German wine
during the show itself, though we did have the pleasure
of meeting, and later having dinner, with Wilhelm
Steifensand, the owner of Valckenberg. Founded in
1786, P.J. Valckenberg Weinhandelshaus supplies ABC
with the popular Madonna wines, a delicious dry
Riesling from Weingut Liebfrauenstift, an excellent
Pinot Blanc and the amazingly successful German
semi-sweet red wine Dornfelder, among others.
But now it was time for the most enjoyable and most
rewarding part of a wine trip – visiting the wineries
and getting out into the vineyards and talking with
owners and winemakers in a more relaxed setting.
First we visited the Rheingau and the historic
Schloss Reinhartshausen, recently bought by the
Lergenmüller family, where wine has been cultivated
since 1337. This winery is unique in that one of its
vineyards is situated on an island in the middle
of the Rhine River – Mariannenaue Island. The
microclimate here is mild and steady with very little
frost during the winter and not too intense a heat in
the summer; it provides unique wines that are light,
refreshing and elegant. We spent part of the morning
walking this mystical island, which is also a nature
preserve of nearly 200 hectares. Soaking in the slow
tranquility of the place made us appreciate the wines
even more.
Next a visit to another historic winery, established
in 1464, Weingut Langwerth von Simmern, where
we had the pleasure of tasting the wines and touring
the ancient cellars with the very gracious Andrea,
Baroness Langwerth von Simmern. The estate is
currently represented at ABC with their extremely
quaffable Just Riesling.
We dined that night in the tasting room of Weingüter
Wegeler with owner Dr. Tom Drieseberg. Besides
producing some pretty impressive wine, Tom is an
interesting and erudite conversationalist. For those
of you who don’t realize that good Riesling is ageworthy,
we enjoyed one from 1959 with dinner that
was still fresh and vibrant.
For our last stop in Germany we traveled to the Pfalz
where we had lunch and a tasting at the Lergenmüller
Family of Wines. This is the largest family-owned
wine estate in Germany. Our host and guide for the
afternoon was Julia Lergenmüller, who took us up
to the beautiful Sankt Annaberg Estate to taste their
splendid assortment of wine. Look for the regional
boutique wines of Villa L and the German classic
wines of the Möller Winery at ABC.
Weingut Langwerth von Simmern
Bill Stobbs and Andrea, Baroness Langerth von Simmern
Bill Stobbs with Klaus Dillman at Marcobrunnen
So why does a trip to Germany have anything to do
with enjoying wine in Florida It often surprises me
that the wines of Germany, Riesling in particular, are
so overlooked in a climate that just begs for the fresh
vibrancy of these wines. Not to mention the quality.
We need to rid ourselves of the notions of cheap sweet
wines and old men in lederhosen. Good German wine
is classy, sexy, noble and delicious. It is also, at least in
Germany, usually dry or off-dry, very refreshing and
perfect for out-of-doors enjoyment. And it shouldn’t
take a trip to Germany to bring that home to us here!
Bill Stobbs, Stefan Lergenmuller and
Brad Lewis on Mariannenaue

8989 South Orange Ave.
Orlando, Florida 32824
Valid July 1, 2014 - September 1, 2014.
WINE TO WATCH:
Château Tanunda
Dry Riesling
AROMA:
FRESH SQUEEZED LIME,
lemon blossom, gardenia
BODY:
Light, delicate and elegant
WITH REFRESHING
ACIDITY
BEST TO DRINK WITH:
Lobster
and light
pasta dishes
FLAVOR:
Bright citrus,
green apple,
light and tangy
COLOR:
SUBTLY GOLD
with a touch
of green
FINISH:
Crisp and lingering
REGION:
Barossa Valley,
AUSTRALIA
wine journal | 16