"The inky purple 2003 El Nido, which comes from 26-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines (70%) and 61-year-old Mourvedre (30%), was aged 26 months in new French and American oak barrels. It exhibits leathery, creme de cassis, and pain grille characteristics, additional tannin and body, and a formidable palate. A wine of extraordinary extract and richness, it will be a target for old timers and reactionaries who will feel it is too internationally styled, but it is an eye-opening wine from an area better known for large cooperatives and mediocre quality. It should evolve for 15 or more years. Well-known Australian winemaker, Chris Ringland, oversees the winemaking at this estate, fashioning intriguing reds with great depth as well as richness. These wines have broken all the parameters previously established by the backwater appellation of Jumilla. 97 points." - Robert Parker (8/06) Gift-givers and receivers should have this amazing Spanish treasure on their short list for this holiday season. We have a limited allocation, so act now. You can buy this today by linking below.

EL NIDO 2003, Jumilla/Spain $119.97 (Normally $139.95)

You can now purchase wine and selected other products at http://schaefers.com! We only have a portion of the growing selection of the thousands of products we sell, but many of our Staff Favorites, Best Buy Reds, Best Buy Whites, Best Buy Champagnes and other recommendations are up and running. More iems will be going online over the next few months.

 

You can order online and pickup in the store and save shipping, or if you are on the North Shore, we are happy to deliver orders over $25 at no charge. If you live outside our delivery range, we can ship some things to you via UPS.

The Matrot domaine is one of the oldest estate-bottlers in Burgundy and one of the largest and most important properties in Meursault. It is widely represented on the wine lists of France's greatest restaurants, and has been distributed in the United States for over thirty years. Thierry Matrot and his wife, Pascale are the owners. Thierry Matrot generally does not believe in fermenting or even ageing Chardonnay in new oak - each year he purchases new barrels and lends them to a friend for their first two years of ageing. We've been big fans of the Matrot Meursaults for years, but have just gotten our annual allocation of Thierry's outstanding plain 2006 Chardonnay. This is a must-have for anyone who craves a Chardonnay with less oak and more balance. Matrot sources fruit from younger vineyards and small plots and ferments this straight Chardonnay in 25% new oak. The hint of lemon on the finish adds just the zing needed to pair this with breaded artichokes, tilapia in roasted yellow pepper sauce, or your favorite chicken creation.
DOMAINE MATROT BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY 2006, Burgundy $18.95

 

Patricia Green Cellars is located in the Ribbon Ridge district of Yamhill County on the 52 acre estate purchased in 2000 by Patty Green and Jim Anderson. The winery is noted for producing a tremendously broad range of Pinot Noirs from far flung vineyards in the Ribbon Ridge, Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, and the Eola Hills growing regions. To ensure that their sites truly show the characteristics of the soil, micro-climate and clonal material, none of them use irrigation. We receive a tiny allotment each fall of these treasures and now's the time to jump on them. We have two of the best of Patty's 2006s and they won't last long. Steve Tanzer's newsletter rated the 2005 Estate Old Vine Pinot: "90 points. Dark red. Expansive strawberry and raspberry." "One of the great things about the 2006 vintage was the overall quality of the vintage. In most vintages there are appellations and/or sites that will perform better than others. In 2006 we got great fruit from our best sites and got the best fruit we have gotten from the other vineyards."

PATRICIA GREEN RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2006, Willamette Valley, Oregon $28.97 (Normally: $34.95)

PATRICIA GREEN ESTATE OLD VINE PINOT NOIR 2006, Ribbon Ridge, Oregon $36.97 (Normally: $43.95)

Get here early, we'll sample a range of red discoveries from around the world, including some of our latest finds and some old favorites. We'll also have a sample of the new Kazak vodka, Snow Queen for you. As always, its totally free.

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.