1977-02 February Classic Newsletter

February 1977 Selection of California Wine

FETZER SONOMA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 1974

The Fetzer winery is located in the beautiful Redwood Valley north of San Francisco. It is a small family concern and Bernard and Kathleen Fetzer, along with their eleven children, run most phases of the operation. Since the Fetzer's bought the property in 1957 many improvements have been made, and today the winery can boast of some of the latest wine making equipment.

A few months ago we featured Fetzer's Estate Bottled Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon 1974, and it proved to be one of our most popular selections in some time. This Sonoma Cabernet was purchased by the Fetzer's from a nearby winery when that winery rec­ently changed hands. It was cellared in the Fetzer winery and rel­eased under their own label because it met their own quality standards.

While somewhat lighter than the Mendocino Cabernet, this Sonoma wine still displays good Cabernet Sauvignon character. It has good color and body, and has a very pleasant lingering finish. Serve this one at room temperature with red meats. A truly exceptional value.

$3.50/fifth $37.80/case

February 1977 Selection of Imported Wine

MORANDELL GUMPOLDSKIRCHNE ADELSTEIN AUSLESE TRAMINER –1973

Gumpoldskirchen, is the town from which this wine takes its name. It lies some thirty miles south of Vienna and its name has been associated with the finest wines of the coun­try. Morandell, which was founded in the 1920's has established itself as a fine wine producing firm in this area.

Most Gumpoldskirchners also carry a grape name on the label, such as Traminer, as does this wine. This particular wine also carries the vineyard name, Luegerhof, as only the finest Austrian wines do. The designation "auslese" indicates that the grapes were gathered late, thus making a somewhat sweeter and more intense tasting wine.

This Mornadell Traminer, is a 100% varietal and is light, fairly pale, fragrant, and quite fruity. It has been a Viennese favorite for generations. Try it chilled with glazed meats or fowl, desserts, or simply by itself. An elegant wine tasting experience.

$5.83/fifth $62.96/case

Sale

In 1976, we featured three sales in February, July and November, after combing our wholesalers inventories the month preceding. We had succ­essful sales, but found we miss­ed some good opportunities when offers came in between these months.

In 1977, we intend to bring you sale items each month, as they are offered to us. We will run a regular sale column in this newsletter and reserve a section in the shop for this purpose. We feel that we can offer better buys by making special purchases as specific items become available.

Here are this months finds:

CHATEAU PALMER - well known Bordeaux chateau. Classified as a third growth. Incred­ible buy. 1969 - $8.01/fifth 1972 - $6.43/fifth

PAARL PINOTAGE - A dry red with full body. From South Africa's premier winegrowing region. 1971 - $2.49/fifth

CHATEAU CARUEL - Bordeaux red. Cotes du Bourg. Available again. 1970 - $2.75/fifth

CHATEAU GUIBOU - Bordeaux red. A petite chateau, with an over production classification, we suspect. Available again. 1970 - $2.19 /fifth

BOOK DEPARTMENT

We feature quite an exten­sive selection of fine wine hooks in our shop. Among the new arrivals is The Game of Wine by Forrest Wallace and Gilbert Cross.

This is one of the most useful, original and enter­taining books on wine publish­ed in some time. It is a down to earth guide to a sometimes lofty and intimidating sub­ject.

The Game of Wine focuses not so much on vineyards, vin­tages, bottles, labels or maps but rather on the needs, prob­lems, interests and concerns of anyone who wants to choose wine intelligently and use it gracefully.

The book offers a fresh, new approach to the subject of wine. Entertaining as well as informative. $12.50

SPECAIL. "The Treasury of American Wines" by Nathan Chroman„ plus 1 fifth of Inglenook Cream Sherry, in a gift box. ARE you ready for this? $7.95 ( an $18.04 value)

RECENT ARRIVALS

Le Montrachet - Baron Thenard
1971 - $39.30 /fifth

A. Papagni - Zinfandel
1973 - $2.50 /fifth

Franciscan Burgundy Cask 315
1973 - $2.30/fifth

Fetzer Lake County Zinfandel
1975 - $2.50 /fifth

Sterling Cellars – Chardonnay
1974 - $4.75 /fifth

Alhambra Extra Dry Sherry
1905 Solera $2.99/fifth

Jean Leon Cabernet Sauvignon
1971 - $6.25/fifth (rare & short supply)

WINE GLASSES

Wine is truly shown off by its glass. Most people prefer clear and unadorned crystal glasses for wine, so the spar­kle of light on the wine can easily be seen. The larger the glass the better, when serving fine Bordeaux or Bur­gundies. A water goblet is usually better than most small wineglasses as two thirds of the space can be left so the wine can be swirled in the glass, thus releasing its bou­quet.

Great wines can be ruined in small glasses, for the air cannot get at the surface of the wine. Likewise a medi­ocre wine is shown up for what it is in a large glass, for the quality of a wine is, in part, judged by its appearance. The finest glasses are large an and tulip-shaped, clear and thin, without markings, with a bowl the size of an orange or apple. When less than half filled, such glasses allow the full enjoyment of color, bou­quet, and the taste of a fine wine.

MORE RECENT ARRIVALS

In response to an increas­ing demand for wine in half-bottles, we have added the following items to our select­ion of 10ths. Some of these items are not available in full size bottles at this time, and we are offering the half-bottle as a temporary al­ternative.