THE MAGIC OF A LONG FINISH

THE MAGIC OF A LONG FINISH

One of my favorite things about the world of food, wine, coffee and desserts is the unique and pleasurable experience that occurs when your palate is left with an ever-long, smooth and lasting finish. The experience doesn’t happen all of the time and quite frankly it doesn’t happen enough, but when it does, with a great flavor, it is a true joy. Recently I found a couple items that highlighted the magic of the “long finish” and I thought I would take a couple minutes to share them with you. Three experiences, three different items (very literally), but they all shared in common a long and magical finish…

Silver Wings 2004 Vincenzo Old Vine Mourvedre / Shiraz Blend - Estate grown just outside the town of Shepparton in Victoria, Australia, the Vincenzo is a great tribute to Old Vine Aussie fruit complexity that has been hand-crafted by Marquee’s head winemaker Keith Brien. As Keith will tell you, the Vincenzo, is like his fifth child because he puts in all of the extra time and effort necessary to work and age this wine so that it has been cared for delicately from its youth through its long barrel aging and extend bottle aging. A hot year (another in the record of drought years in Victoria), this wine gives you a beautiful balance of dark fruits (raspberries, blackberries and currants) and rich spicy mocha tones. It has a bit of white pepper, but what I keep coming back to when tasting this wine is that its long, drawn out finish has a dark chocolate and licorice fade that lasts for 30 or 40 seconds… Wow, it is ever a delight and a fun wine to share with friends!

Marquee is proud to announce that at the 2009 WSWA (Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Association) Convention the 2004 Silver Wings Vincenzo O.V. was awarded the Best in Show prize for the new entrant brand, Rhone Varietal or Blend! I am sure the long, luxiourious finish of the Vincenzo is what won over these judges just as Keith has been wining over our palates with Marquee for years. To have a small house like Marquee wine this prestigious awarda at a huge convention with all of the world’s biggest brands present, Marquee and Keith in particular continues to outdistance the competion by overdelivering on quality! Kudos mate!

Tea Forte – White Ambrosia – OK, so coffee is usually my thing, but I do also really like a good cup of tea, and the folks at Tea Forte know what they are doing. With their signature “tea infusers” and great flavors I usually jump at a chance when I can grab one of these cups if they are in the room. My latest Tea Forte experience was at home on a chilly Saturday morning that just didn’t strike me as a coffee day. Instead of the joe, I picked the biggest cup in my kitchen; got the water boiling, seeped my infuser and when I had my first sips I was amazed at the elegant flavors and aromas, mmmm… wow was this some great stuff or what! Warming my hands on the edge of the mug on the cold day helped as well, but the most memorable part was the long, coconut infused white tea flavors that tingled on my taste buds for an eternity from sip to sip. If you like mild teas, try this one it’s worth the time.

Christopher Elbow Artisinal Chocolates – Christopher Elbow is a small artisan chocolate maker based from my home town, Kansas City, with an international reputation for divine quality chocolates that are both delicious and works of art. Recently I was involved in the March of Dimes fundraiser at Union Station, Winefest pouring wines in benefit of this great cause and had a chance to sneak over to the artisan chocolate makers table and sample a bit of the requisite fair. Lovely these delicious treats are and on another occasion I think I would tell you my favorite is the Passion Fruit, but this evening I tasted the Venezuelan Spice that has a dark ganache base that is infused with a chili spice blend. Oh, my it was a treat and the long crescendo of a finish was at the same time sweet and hot with the chili adding just enough punch to make you not reach for another piece, but savor the long finish of the last before moving on to a sip of vino.

In the same light these chocolates and this one in particular were a great compliment to a number of the lovely wines in the fundraisers Premier Room, I loved pairing the C. Elbow Russian Tea with Dark Ganache and hints of Black Tea, Citrus and Spices with the Caligiore Reserve Malbec, mmm, good stuff, a complimentary batch of Dark Berry flavors and spices.

Yes, you can pair red wines with chocolates, just do so carefully!

Keep searching out those foods, wines, teas, coffees and more that bring a long finish and pass me back some details.


These three are a real treat in that area, but thousands more are out there, we just have to find them and share with good friends!
Cheers!

~CJC

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
cjcribb@marquee.com
GM - General Manager
Marquee Artisan Wines - http://www.marquee.com/

Fifteen great wines under $15.00 Retail

CRIBB NOTES – MARCH 1, 2009
FIFTEEN GREAT WINES UNDER $15.00 RETAIL

Take the list for what it’s worth, great value wines from my own personal experience. You will find wines I produce on the list; I included them because I can honestly tell you these are wines I consider a “top value”

Cheers!

~Christopher J. Cribb, CSW

Sparkling Wines

NV Gruet Blanc de Noir Sparkling Wine – New Mexico, USA
$13.99 Retail – Yes, New Mexico, but Bubbles for Under 15$
Crisp, beautiful and easy to drink sparkler!

White Wines

2007 Veramonte Reserva Sauvignon Blanc – Casablanca Valley
$10.99 Retail – Product of Chile
91 Points – Top 100 Values of Year – Wine & Spirits 2008

2007 A to Z Wineworks Pinot Gris – Oregon, USA
$12.99 Retail - 87 Points – Wine Spectator 2008
Aristocratic Wines at Democratic Prices

2007 Clemen Reserva Vinho Verde – Product of Portugal
$11.99 Retail – (50% Trajadura / 50% Alvahrino)
90 Points – BTI World Wine Championships

2007 Sterling Chardonnay – Central Coast Collection, CA, USA
$9.99 Retail – Great value for CA Chard that tastes very ripe.
88 Points – Wine Spectator. Great Value!

2007 McManis Vineyards – Viogner – California
$10.99 Retail – Product of California
A great value grower, all of their wines are very solid!

Rose Wines

2007 Les Vignerons Des Tavel – Les Lauzeraies – Tavel
$13.99 Retail – Product of Tavel, (Southern) France
88 Points – Wine Spectator 2008

Red Wines

2006 House Wine Red – Magnificent Wine Co. Cabernet Blend
Washington State, USA - Cabernet Blend w/ Merlot, Syrah, Sangv., Malbec & Cab Franc
$9.99 Retail - Famous Winemaker Charles Smith, K - Vintners

2007 Marquee Classic GSM (Grenache / Shiraz / Mourvedré Blend)
$11.99 Retail - Product of Australia
4 Vintages in a row 87+ Points Wine Spectator

2005 Concannon Petit Syrah Limited Release
$11.99 - $13.99 Retail Central Coast, CA, USA
85 Points – Robert Parker “Big, Bold and only will get better with a bit of aging/time.”

2007 Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon – Washington, USA
$9.99 Retail – Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
89 Points Wine Spectator – Juicy and Delicious!

2007 Castle Rock Pinot Noir – Sonoma County, CA
$12.00 Retail – Castle Rock makes several good value Pinot’s this happens to be the largest production. 86 Points – Wine Spectator.

2007 Bodegas Ateca – Garnacha De Fuego Old Vines – Spain
$6.99 to $8.99 – Old Vine Grenache from Spain
89 Points – Wine Spectator – Buy a Case – Only 7500 Made!

2007 Caligiore Reserve Malbec – Mendoza, Argentina
$14.99 Retail – Product of Mendoza, Argentina
100% Organically Grown from over 75+ Yr. Old Vines

2007 Red Truck Red Wine Blend – California
$9.99 Retail – Blend of Syrah, Petit Sirah, Cab. Franc & More
Food & Wine Magazine – Best values under $15.00

Marquee Blog - Heading to Portugal

My fiancée is big into white wines (great for her, but also good for me)!

Megan's love of white wine also challenges me to reach out for new wines and push the red wine till later in the evening. Why do I tell you this... because I have a LOVELY white wine just added to our portfolio that is going to knock your socks off.

Last year I became aware through a mutual friend about a group of winemakers in Portugal that have teamed together to start a worldwide export group... that group is called Saven and more information can be found about them by checking out http://www.winesandwinemakers.com/. Marquee has only started with one wine from this group, but it is a knockout wine and a real treat to bring to the US market.

Our first wine imported to the US from Saven is called "Clemen" and is a Vinho Verde made from two differnent grapes, Tradjadura and Alvarhino. This wine is crafted by winemaker Anselmo Menedes and has a bright acidity and rich palate that is hard to find in un-oaked white wine. Mr. Menedes has taken to using Alvarhino from this Northern Portuguese region as the backbone for an outstanding set of wines. Just last month from the heart of Spain (the location of Albarinho which happens to be the same grape as Alvarhino), the famous wine writer Jose Penin of Sibaritas Magazine was praising what Anselmo has been doing with Alvarhino in Portugal. Penin wrote that "Anselmo was crafting from Alvarinho, wines of superior quality to most of the Albarinio from the Rias Bias region in Spain" (simply put one heck of a compliment)!

This wine is absolutely refreshing, has a long and complex finish, and is one wine that will leave you wanting to go on your own quest to Portugal. We received a few hundred cases of the 2007 vintage which has already "sold out" worldwide and are getting in line for our allocation of the 2008 vintage.

Check out the Clemen Vinho Verde if you are ready to impress your white wine drinking fans; I know that Megan was impressed!

Cheers!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
GM - Marquee Artisan Wines
cjcribb@marquee.com

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Marquee Blog - Let's Kick off 2009 with a Spanish Fiesta

Marquee Blog – Let’s Kick off 2009 with a Spanish Fiesta!

I got my fill of holiday parties, cheeseballs, and mixed nuts over the last month and am happy to now be signing my checks 2009 without having to scratch out 2008 first. With the start of the new year comes new year’s resolutions, a clean slate to keep score on and more and more snow (at least for some parts of the world).

Kicking off 2009, I am proud to let all of my partners know that Marquee has added a great new lineup of wines to our portfolio from the region of Yecla, Spain. Yecla is located in Southern Spain, in the state of Murcia and is home to some of the highest vineyards on the entire Iberian Peninsula. After a long search we found our partner, Bodegas La Purisima doing wonderful things with Monastrell (one of my favorite varietals), producing a number of wines in the certified organic methodology and making crisp white wines from high elevation Sauvignon Blanc.

What is high elevation in this region; good question, the simple answer is that a large amount of the La Purisma vineyards are located at elevations over 3000 ft. above sea level that produce warm days with abundant sunshine and cool evenings. With the start of the New Year we have introduced the:

2007 Old Hands Sauvignon Blanc
2007 Old Hands Organic Monastell
2006 Old Hands Monastrell
2004 Trapio Old Vine Monastrell


Each of the Monastrell wines has a unique and rich flavor that is accented with the use of oak aging to show lush smoky tones over the top of a dark berry & cherry base. Hints of cocoa and bits of spice keep these wines interesting and true to their old vine roots.

The 2004 Trapio is the star of this showcase, coming entirely from un-grafted Monastrell vines, the winemaker gives you a unique view into what this grape varietal tasted like before the behemoth phyloxera wiped out most European vineyards and made grafted vines the norm for modern “old world “wines. Not to be outdone, the Sauvignon Blanc has a restrained, yet racy acidic back bone and tons of bright peach fruit. The heat of the regions also brings forward the passion fruit and apple notes in our Sauvignon Blanc, you will be impressed!

Spain is a country that can over deliver on value if you know the right producers, and I am happy to have these exciting new wines as a part of the Marquee portfolio.
Cheers!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
GM – Marquee Artisan Wines
cjcribb@marquee.com

Marquee Bites and Delights – December 2008 – Ring in the Holiday’s!

The holiday jingle bells are ringing, Christmas music has hit the airwaves and Marquee is putting little Santa hat’s on our wine bottle’s to dress them up for the holiday’s… well, not really, but we are hard at work like little elves this time of year. For 2008 Marquee decided to make gift giving a little easier by pairing up some useful and exciting small gift items with our wine to make the perfect holiday baskets.

Click here Marquee Holiday Program 2008 to check out our gift basket selection that includes you customizing the wine selections and sending your own greeting / thank you card along with the gift baskets.

Let me give you a quick sample of the outstanding values we have with the gift basket program; our “All American Basket” includes one bottle each of the 2006 Classy Sauvignon Blanc and 2006 Classy Zinfandel paired up with one of the best BBQ sauces on the planet, the Haywards Pit BBQ sauce and Hayward’s own special blend of spices. The Zinfandel should pair very nicely with a set of Smoked BBQ ribs and the best part is the mouth-watering package price, only $39.95!

My two holiday tips for the month…

1) Plan for everything to take twice as long as you think it will and you should be sitting pretty! This time of year things tend to slow down a bit more than everyone expects, if you start off by planning for things to take longer than you think you will be pleasantly surprised when you finish early. What does this do with wine, nothing specifically, I just think it’s a good tip for this time of year!

2) BOTTLE EXCHANGE - If you want a fun activity for a holiday party, think about doing a gift bottle exchange. It can either be a challenge to find the best wine under a price point (say $15.00) and have all of the participants bring a bottle to the exchange (wrapped of course), or you can do it as a traditional “white elephant” exchange where everyone is challenged to bring a white elephant bottle / gift that is “just for fun”. I love both ideas because they allow for a bit of inexpensive fun for a holiday party and let everyone take home something unique that they otherwise would never have seen / tasted.

Marquee thanks our partners participating in the 2008 Holiday gift program, Hayward’s BBQ, The Roasterie Coffee, Indigo Wild and is proud to say we can ship to almost any (some states are still behind on this) US location with these gift baskets and are happy to customize them for you.

Please contact Marquee Cellar Master Craig Skopec if you want any additional information on the Holiday Program at cjcskopec@marquee.com and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Cheers!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW

S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G Your Wine Dollars

Stretching Your Wine Dollars

I really don’t think it matters much if you are in shipping, tourism, politics, stock brokerage or the wine business, the world’s economic woes are being felt in most every direction. With a big election coming up in November in the US, retailers already talking about how there are “only” 80 shopping days left until Christmas and much more, I thought this would be a good time for me to pass along a few gems of information to help your wine dollar S-T-R-E-T-C-H just a bit further.

Idea # 1 – When in a restaurant with more than three people, talk with your tablemates and order a bottle…

Most restaurants drop off at least $5.00 or more per bottle when they add a wine to their bottle list vs. the By-The Glass (BTG) pours. Don’t get me wrong, I love exploring wines on BTG lists, but if you are out with a couple people this is a great way to save a few dollars and also have a wine that you all can enjoy + discuss the nuances of. If you choose wines that are versatile for food matches, you can still compliment the fare and have enjoyable wines in the process; great examples might be a Grenache Blend (Mmmm possibly the Marquee Classic GSM), Spanish Tempranillio’s, or an Oregon Pinot Noir.

Idea # 2 – Find a good local wine store and use their case discount program…

One of my favorite wine buying activities is choosing a local wine shop that I know has a good selection and stopping in to buy a value case of wines to try. Many great shops offer discounts on cases that range from 5% to 10% and even up to 17-20% if you buy a full case of 12 wines at a time. Sure, the idea of choosing 12 wines and spending $15.00 per bottle on each of them sounds like you aren’t going to save money, but make a game out of it. OK, you splurged and chose a single-vineyard Chardonnay for $20.00, round it out by getting a bargain bottle of Riesling on sale for $10.00 and ask the staff for a couple suggestions. In the end you will have a unique box of 12 wines to try and choose your favorites from plus you saved yourself another $1.50 on each bottle. Every little bit counts and if you want to get picky about it, you may have also saved a few more dollars by not going to the liquor store three times in one month.;)

Idea # 3 – Put a little gas on it, take a little off, or just let it develop and test the results…

I am not going to speculate as to what the best option is, but the fact of the matter is that there are several market solutions available to help you preserve the wines you have tasted one day, but did not consume the entire bottle. I find that many wines actually improve with a bit of time being opened and exposed to air. My advice is to have a couple options in your wine “toolkit” and test out what works well with the style of wines you are used to drinking. One option, that I routinely use is the vacuum pump wine seal… you literally are pumping out additional air to keep a wine sealed more tightly. Other people prefer the use of an inert gas that is sprayed into the bottle and because it is heavier than oxygen, it settles below normal “air” and on top of the wine creating a barrier to wine oxidation.

Frankly I don’t use these techniques all of the time, because in many circumstances I taste/consume the wines in the next day or two where they have still retained freshness, but also have been allowed to breathe and develop secondary flavors. It may come as a surprise to some, but one of Marquee’s newest wines is a light, lively Sauvignon Blanc, that I really like at first sip, but ADORE after having put the bottle away and opening it on day number two. Have a taste of the 2006 Classy Sauvignon Blanc and you will understand perfectly!

OK, I hope I stretched your dollar a bit further and will keep my fingers crossed that the markets bounce back before we start hearing Christmas carols~Email me any helpful hints and tips at cjcribb@marquee.com!
Cheers!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
GM - General Manager
Marquee Artisan Wines - www.marquee.com

The Backyard BBQ and Wine Pairing

A recent beautiful weekend allowed my culinary side to shine; courtesy of my old reliable BBQ Grill. Yes, I am by no means a gourmet, but grilling is great fun, and most men (and women) can play a good chef if the grill is involved. Summer can be melt your shoes hot at times, but thankfully this day allowed for a perfect 85 degree high and a graceful arc that took many hours to turn day into night.

I fired up the grill, got the coals roasting, and took a quick peek down the stairs into the cellar to find a couple good wines to pair up with my fare. On the menu;
grilled corn on the cob, a fresh summer salad with mandarin oranges and roasted almonds, and the centerpiece, a juicy Kansas City Strip steak. Make of it what you like, but I am a big fan of bringing a couple wines to the table to taste with a nice dinner. One red and one white allows you to have more versatility to match up the wines with your meal and not sip on flavors that are just not meant to go together.

For tonight’s affair I couldn’t resist a nice Aussie Chardonnay that would go great with the citrus flavors in the salad and also handle the rich and buttery notes from the sweet corn on the cob. (Hint here – pick corn that isn’t huge kernels all the way to the end of the shucks because those ears are usually “overripe”, you want to see a few small kernels at the top of your choices). Winning great awards recently and being selected as a Vintages release by the LCBO, the 2006 Marquee Signature Chardonnay from Yarra Valley was a great hit with the corn and salad. The smart and balanced use of some oak aging and good acidic backbone brought out notes of lemon zest with the salad and creaminess with the corn; two different sides of the same wine, flexing its style to match the foods.

I must confess, I love steak, not quite sure exactly why… but I do. I usually don’t use steak sauce, I rarely do much with rubs or spices before grilling, and think there are only three items a good steak needs to turn out nicely; One/Two a bit of salt (sea salt is nice) and fresh cracked pepper before grilling and a nice red wine paired up for the meal. Just released to the general public, I had my eye on trying the 2006 Classy Zinfandel from Lake County, California with dinner and was well rewarded for my choice. The KC strip steak is not quite as lean as some other cuts, yet I love the way the fat content in this cut of steak cooks off into an almost caramelized exterior that locks in the juicy interior contents. Classy shows a great bouquet of rich raspberries, with spicy hints of cloves and dried roses, the wine has very smooth tannins and a medium/full body that allowed the fruit to shine, but with a less aggressive mouth feel than some other big reds (that I also happen to enjoy, aka King Cabernet). Final summary, the taste was a great match because it was also not “hot feeling” from having an uber high alcohol content (there are several 17% Zinfandel’s out on the market if you are looking around), try it with your next grill party and you will be impressed!

Ciao for now!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
GM - cjcribb@marquee.com