1975-12 December Classic Newsletter

December 1975 Selection of California Wine

ANCIENT PROVERB PORT - Llords S. Elwood Winery

Llords & Elwood is a small, family-operated winery devoted to producing consistently superior quality wines. Each of their wines is made in the traditional manner, from the choicest grapes authentic for the particular wine type. Production is limited.

The finest ports are made entirely or chiefly from Tinta Madeira grapes and then aged from 2 to 5 years in small, oak "pipes". A "pipe", the traditional sized barrel for port, holds approximately 145 gallons.

This is the way Llords & Elwood Ancient Proverb Port is made. Like the best from Portugal, it is light bodied, medium sweet, with a very soft, fruity, complex flavor. Excellent any time with cheese, apples or pears, and walnuts; marvelous with after dinner coffee, later in the evening, or before retiring. A change of pace for the holiday season. $3.50/fifth $37.80/case

December 1975 Selection of Imported Wine

ASTI SPUMANTE-Cinzano

The sparkling wine of Italy for your New Years celebrat¬ion this year. One of Italy's most popular sparkling wines, Asti Spumante hails from the hilly Piedmont region south of Turin. The production and control of Asti is identified by the official seal of the town of Asti, which appears on the neck label. It shows San Secondo, the patron saint, with the D.O.C. numbers registered for the vintage.

Asti Spumante is made by the Charmat process from the Moscato grape predominantly. This "cuve close" procedure is more suitable for preserving the fragrances of the muscat grape. It is a delicate, sweetish, aromatic sparkling wine with a characteristic bouquet and flavor. Best served with fruit or dessert, this sparkling wine should fit your New Years just right. Serve it to accompany that after dinner treat, when the clock chimes twelve.

Regularly $6.89-A special price of $5.99/fifth $64.70/case

Mount Eden Vineyards

Mount Eden Vineyards in Saratoga, California was part of the original Martin Ray complex. Recent ownership problems and squabbles divided the vineyards into portions for the principals. The superb Martin Ray wines of yesterday, seemed to now be forthcoming from this new winery and vineyard. We visited, the wine maker Meredith Edwards, this summer, and came away impressed. "Merry" (a recent graduate of Davis) is doing a beautiful job of producing Pinot Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We liked the wines and have chosen to feature them. They are premium wines and show a lot of breed. The prices have been reduced from the original Martin Ray price levels to more sensible proportions.

For that special occasion, to round off your collection, or as a sophisticated gift to a wine enthusiast, we offer:

Chardonnay 1973, Mount Eden, $20.00/fifth $216.00/case

Pinot Noir 1972, Mount Eden, $15.00/fifth $162.00/case

Cellarmaster Wine Log

The two sources of supply we had for Wine Registers went out of business. We had several requests for the item, so we chose to publish one ourselves. Under our Cellarmaster label, (a new division of Palos Verdes Wines & Spirits) we offer a 5½ x 8½ format wine register, with standard 3 hole punch loose leaf inserts. The log book comes with 50 pages of blank wine evaluation charts and space for affixing the label. Additional refill sheets are available.

A handy and convenient way of making notes on the wines you evaluate and the wines you are ageing in your collection.

Cellarmaster Wine Log-Burgundy red, simulated leather binding $9.95 each.

Cellarmaster Wine Log-Burgundy red, cowhide leather binding $24.95 each.

Ideal Christmas gift for the wine enthusiast. Come see them.

Gift Baskets

Wine Gift Packs from Charles Krug, Robert Mondavi, Louis Martini, Wente, Cresta Blanca, Beringer, Paul Masson, composed of 2 fifths, 3 fifths, or an assort¬ment of 10ths in handsome gift boxes, suitably packed for shipment if necessary. From $4.95 to $15.95. Ideal as business gifts and family or acquaintance gifts in other states. Many of our wines are not available regularly and difficult to find in the Mid West and East. We receive raves from our customers about these gift packs sent at Christmas time.

Gift Baskets with standard selections or custom sel¬ections of your choice, beautifully decorated for personal presentation or delivery by our truck. Con¬tents include spirits, liqueurs, wines, assortment of hors d' oeuvres, tastefully wrapped and decorated. The artistic decorating ability of our gift wrappers is well known on the hill. Stop by and see our bask¬ets from $9.95 to $199.95.

Special commemorative and decorative decanters in fine crystal or ceramic by major distillers like Jim Beam, Fleischmann's, Seagrams, Heublein, and many others. Some commemorating the Bicentennial.

Gallon size "super" bottles of your popular spirits. Gutty Sark, Chivas Regal, Smirnoff Vodka, Beefeaters Gin make an ideal gift for the supporters of these brands. From $24.95 to $54.95.

Interesting liqueurs, cordials, and brandy sets with a tenth bottle or a fifth bottle and suitable glasses in crystal or ceramic for serving. Sets of Vandermint, Cherry Swiss, Sabra, Liquore Galliano, XO Christian Brothers Brandy, Koshu sake, and many others, from $8.95 to $15.95.

Premium California and Imported wines, custom selected from one bottle to a case, and wrapped tastefully, for that wine enthusiast. $5.95 to $199.95.

Fifths, Magnums, Jereboams, and the new Moet Salamanzer size bottle of champagnes, Mumm's, Pommerey Creno, Schramsberg, KorbeL and many others, from $5.85 to $189.95

COME BY AND LET US SHOW YOU THE WORLD OF GOOD SPIRITS AND FINE WINES.

MAYACAMAS COMES TO PALOS VERDES WINES & SPIRITS

Representing small, premium quality wineries, is a difficult thing to come by for a wine merchant today. There is not enough wine to go around. We visited Bob Travers at his rustic vine¬yard and winery 2 years ago and registered our interest in rep¬resenting him. We patiently waited and waited. Finally in Oct¬ober, we were added to the list of wine shops that carry his prestigious wines.

Just arrived in limited quantity is Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon 1971. Bob Travers says the following about it: " "It is quite similar to our 1970 Cabernet in many respects, but is of course, a different wine. Slightly lower in alcohol (just under 13%) and slightly higher in total acidity (0.70gm/100ml), it also has an abundance of tannin and will age very slowly. Its nose seems even less developed than did that of our 1970 at the same age. Our usual practice of aging Cabernet for two years in 500-to 1,000-gallon American oak casks and then a year in 60-gallon French oak barrels was again followed. One difference between the 1971 and 1970 Cabernets is that a small proportion of Merlot was blended into the 1971. Our 1971 Caber¬net Sauvignon was bottled in the summer of 1974. It is still young, somewhat rough, and very closed in. The true character of the wine will not be evident before 1980. Picking an exact peak in a wine is enologically impossible, and besides, personal preferences in the balance of fruit, tannin, acid, etc., can vary the criteria for such a judgment. But if properly stored, our Mayacamas 1971 Cabernet Sauvignon will undoubtedly reach full development in the mid-to-late 1980's."

Cabernet Sauvignon, 1971, Mayacamas $8.00/fifth $86.40/case

History of the Vineyard

It would seem like this is the time to put some of this wine away.

We reproduce a short history of the vineyard as shown in their literature:

The Mayacamas Winery was built in 1889 by John Henry Fisher, an immigrant from Stuttgart (where he was a sword engraver) and a San Francisco pickle merchant. Bulk red and white table wines were made and there was a small distillery. Vineyard plant¬ings were of Zinfandel and "Sweetwater" grapes. Fisher sold the property after the turn of the century and the winery fell into disuse. In 1941, after several changes in own¬ership, Jack and Mary Taylor (he of England, she of California) acquired the empty stone winery, distillery and the ancient, declining vineyards. The winery was renovated, the dis¬tillery made into a home and the old vines were torn out. The Taylors replanted the vineyards to Chardonnay and Cabernet Sau¬vignon and gave the winery the name Maya-camas (Fisher had called it Mt. Veeder Vineyards).

In 1968 the Mayacamas Vineyards and Winery property was sold again. Now, under the control of Robert and Elinor Travers, it is specializing more and more in the wines of Mayacamas grown grapes, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Other wines are some-times made when top quality grapes are avail-able.

Mayacamas is the name of the mountains, which separate the Napa and Sonoma valleys, where the vineyards and winery are located. It is a Spanish adaptation of an Indian word meaning "howl of the mountain lion". Cougars and bobcats still roan: this range and the name inspired the Mayacamas label design of two lions rampant.