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.

 

 

The land of DaVinci, Brunello and the great Classico Chiantis is also home to the Tenuta di Trinoro. Truly the brainchild of a gifted rebel, Trinoro is breaking new ground in what we know and think about the greatest reds of Tuscany. "Nestled among the soft undulating hills of the Val d'Orcia, in the province of Siena, Tenuta di Trinoro gives new meaning to the expression 'in the middle of nowhere.' Andrea Franchetti is the man behind the singular wines of this small estate. [In 2007 Franchetti will follow in the footsteps of Michel Rolland and Denis Dubourdieu in making the 2007 'Episode 3' wine at Chateau d'Arsac, in the southern Medoc.] Franchetti fervently believes that the most complex and expressive wines he makes are those that are blends of the four main varietals he grows on the property: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. We have been offered a limited amount of the 2004 Trinoro, a blend of 83% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Let us set some aside for you. "One of the new superstar estates in Tuscany, the first vintage of proprietor Andrea Franchetti was 1997. He is obviously a perfectionist, and is doing some things that have never been done with the likes of Cabernet Franc outside Bordeaux and a handful of California wineries. All of Franchetti's wines are made from low yields, given indigenous yeast fermentations, micro-oxygenations, and no racking, fining, or filtration prior to bottling. I have been a fan since the first releases. The 2004 = 92 points." - Robert Parker, the Wine Advocate. The Trinoro 2004 is priced at $149.97 a bottle. Insider's secet: Franchetti also makes a second wine, called "Le Cupole." This is a blend of 55% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Uva di Troia, and 4% Cesanse d'Affile. The 2004 Le Cupole can be ordered at $33.97 a bottle.

Did you feel that yesterday? In the eighties again! Is it summer already? Maybe not quite yet, so the perfect wine is a white that marries the cooling properties of a lighter variety with the crisp refreshment of the bite of a ripe Bosq pear. The little-known New Zealand property of the inspired Steve Bird and his wife Caroline produce one of the best Pinot Gris we've had in months! The 2006 is ripe and juicy and delicate and just right at $18.97. Warning, one bottle is never enough. This is not tiring wine, you'll want a second or third on hand. We suggest nothing less than a case.

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.