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Weekly Wine News: 4/10/07
By Don Wils
Weekly Wine News is is published every Tuesday evening. It contains wine news, opinion, and special sales info for our subscribers. Weekly Wine News is available by email or at our website, Schaefers.com, and it is also posted in our store. |
Best $20 Chardonnay
 One of the most talented winemakers on the west coast is Jed Steele. Everything he makes is worth trying, red wine or white wine, it doesn't matter, try them all. For the next two months we're featuring Jed's flagship white wine, the "Steele Cuvée" Chardonnay 2005 for only $20.97 per bottle. This is a perfect example of the art of blending! The area around Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara has a maritime climate with lots of morning fog in the summer and cool evenings. Grapes come from  the Bien Nacido Vineyards, located on the benches above the Sisquoc River, and from the Goodchild Vineyard about a mile away, across the river. These vineyards add a tropical fruit character. From the Carneros growing area in southern Sonoma Valley the fruit is more citrus with the grapes having higher acids. Farther north, the Lolonis Family site contributes the ripest fruit. The grapes have a higher sugar content with aromas and flavors of baked apples and cinnamon. Just to the west is the DuPratt Vineyard. The fruit from here contributes a mineral quality not unlike the great Chardonnays from Burgundy. This is a classy wine with lots of complexity. Try it, I'm sure you'll like it! |
New Arrivals from Duckhorn
 We will be receiving this week two new releases from Duckhorn Vineyards. The red wine is the Decoy 2005 vintage. This blend is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petite Verdot. The winemaker, Bill Nancarrow, calls this wine "balanced, smooth with supple tannins and a lingering  finish. The flavors are ripe with hints of blackberry, black cherry and cassis complemented by a spicy note of white pepper". Our sale price is $29.97 per bottle.
The white wine is the Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc 2006. This wine is made up of 78% Sauvignon Blanc and 22% Semillon. The winemaker says "this wine has an interesting mix of flavors." It's an intriguing combination of grapefruit, apricot, lemon grass, papaya and pineapple". Our sale price is $26.97 per bottle. |
Learn Italian the Easy Way - April 12th
This Thursday's [ April 12, 6:30 - 7:45] class on southern Italian wines, taught by Tom Hyland, still has a few places open. Learn Italian the Easy Way! Southern Italy has been receiving a lot of critical acclaim lately, for the variety of intriguing wines, from the spicy Nero d'Avola of Sicily, to the sleek Greco di Tufo and regal Taurasi of Campania. The class will be taught by Italian wine authority and former Schaefer's employee, Tom Hyland. Hyland has made 30 trips to Italy and writes about these wines for several publications. The cost of the class is $40 per person. To enroll, please contact Tom Hyland, who will be handling enrollment. Seating is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Hyland at (773) 293-6790 or by email at thwinewriter@comcast.net. |
Third Thursday Wine Class - April 19th
 We still have a few openings for our "Third Thursday Wine Class". Next Thursday night, April 19th, from 6:30 until 7:45, our class will cover Pinot Noirs from around the world. $20 for CAP members or $25 for non-members. Call the store to sign-up now. |
Dave's Italian Kitchen Dinner - Spain
Schaefer's will be co-hosting another very popular event on Tuesday night, April 24th starting at 7 PM. We'll meet at Dave's Italian Kitchen to taste new-release Spanish wines. Our guest of honor to lead the discussion will be Robert Houde, President of Garnarcha Imports, and former sommelier at Charlie Trotter's. For an all-inclusive price of $30 per person Dave will work his magic in the kitchen. Call the restaurant at (847) 475-5014 to sign-up now. |
Chateau Montelena Releases
We have just received our limited Spring allocation from Chateau Montelena. This award winning winery has been making great wines since the early 1970's.
2005 Napa Chardonnay --- sale priced at $39.97
The winemaker says: "This Chardonnay is built to age. I fully expect that after a couple of years of proper cellaring its many layers of underlying structure will begin to emerge". 92 Points. One of the few California Chardonnays that behaves like a grand cru Chablis is Chateau Montelena's non-malolactic Chardonnay Napa, which rarely sees more than 10-20% new oak. As usual, the 2005 exhibits a nervous edge as well as loads of lemon butter, green apple, and white currant-like characteristics, laser-like precision, superb acidity, and surprising intensity as well as richness." - Wine Advocate
2004 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon --- sale priced at $42.97
The winemaker's note is: "Think of this wine as I do, as a good 'old school' example of our Napa Valley Cabernet. 89 Points. With sweet fruit, an opulent mid-palate, and admirable purity as well as length, it is a supple Cabernet to enjoy during its first decade of life." - Wine Advocate.
2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon --- sale priced at $99.97
Best of the best the "Estate" Cabernet is Montelena's blockbuster red wine. Highly recommended to add to the cellar for years! 93 Points. Opaque ruby/purple color along with a sweet, spicy nose of black currants, licorice, herbs, and damp earth. Rich and concentrated, it is the most accessible, and possibly the most elegant and French-oriented of the Cabernets produced between 2002 and 2004." - Wine Advocate
2004 Estate Zinfandel --- sale priced at $27.97
Winemaker's tasting note: - "In the Chateau Montelena tradition, this is an elegant, restrained, claret-style Zinfandel". 90 Points. The peppery 2004 offers loads of berry fruit, medium to full body, an earthy, spicy, savory character, and a heady mouthfeel." - Wine Advocate |
 Celebrate April in Paris, Saturday, April 14th
Rumor has it the fifties are coming back by next weekend. That'll make it lots easier to imagine Spring in Paris. But join us this Saturday, April 14th, from 11 AM 'til 5 PM, for our April in Paris tasting. We'll have a great assortment of French cheeses and beers to sample, along with at least 10 French wines. All free of course. |
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Two Very Special Champagne Events!
Join us for two special events featuring the delicious Champagnes of Laurent-Perrier in two equally wonderful venues!
 On Thursday, April 26, there will be a VIP dinner at the Kendall College dining room (312-752-2328). Kendall College Dining Room is an extraordinary classroom that has produced some of the finest chefs and pastry chefs in the Midwest. It provides students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in a professionally run fine dining restaurant under the supervision of Kendall's experienced faculty. This evening's event will pair meals by Kendall College students with the beautiful bubblies of Laurent-Perrier. $75 per person, all inclusive.
 On Saturday, May 19, there will be a second chance to experience Laurent-Perrier's lovely Champagne, with a delicious brunch at Convito Café and Market ( 847-251-3654), located in Plaza del Lago. Convito Café and Market has provided Chicago's North Shore with 20 years of excellence in two different formats: as Convito Italiano, a celebrated Italian food & wine market that recently combined with Betise Bistro, its sister restaurant. Together, the revised Café offers dishes which best reflect the homey flavors of the French and Italian countryside. $45 per person, all inclusive.
Contact either venue for more information, or call Schaefer's
at 847-982-WINE (9463). | |
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Droplets
Some droplets of interesting wine news you may have missed. Just click the links for interesting reading.
Midwest Cold Snap Could Peril Illinois Grapes
By Making More, Champagne Growers Hope To Avoid Shortage
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See you next week!
 That's all for this week. If we may be of any further service,
please stop by our store at 9965 Gross Point Road in Skokie (for
directions, click here), visit our website at http://www.schaefers.com, give us a call at 847-677-WINE (9463), 800-833-WINE (9463), or click here to contact us.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Schaefer's
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