An offer of 2007 Beaucastel Chateauneuf and more

There are few wines of France’s Rhone Valley that match the quality of the wines of Chateau de Beaucastel.  Today, we are pleased to annouce a very short pre-sell offering of these three fine wines, at special prices that will not return.  If you want to purchase these wines, contact us before July 15th!

Call 360-635-3614 to order
Or email us at info@salutwine.com
with your request

 

Beaucastel’s blog, and their very stylistic and informative website can give you all the information you need to learn more about these highly sought-after gems.  And

The history of Beaucastel

The winery’s website describes the history of this estate and the beginnings of “”Chateauneuf du Pape“’s wine ascendance:

In 1321, under the reign of Pope John XXII, four barrels were brought from the papal cellar in Avignon to be filled with wine in Châteauneuf. Subsequently, the Popes increased their vineyard holdings in the region and the papal wine gained in fame.

In 1549 “Noble Pierre de Beaucastel” bought “a barn with its plot of land extending to 52 saumées at Coudoulet”.  The Beaucastels were among the more notable families of this little town and in 1687 Pierre de Beaucastel was appointed “Capitaine de la ville de Courthezon” by Louis XIV.

In 1909 Pierre Tramier bought the property and Beaucastel then passed to his son-in-law, Pierre Perrin, a scientist who considerably increased the vineyard holding.  Today the torch is carried by Jean Pierre and François Perrin.  But Marc, Pierre, Thomas and Matthieu, who represent the fifth generation, are ready to pursue this fabulous family history.

The three wines offered

Chateau de Beaucastel 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape
$99.99/btl or $549/6pk

“The 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape had not been assembled at the time of my visit, so I had the privilege of tasting all the different component parts. My ratings were (91-93) for the Cinsault, (92-94) for the Counoise, (93-95) for the Grenache, (90-93) for the Syrah, and (94-96) for the Mourvèdre. The Mourvèdre and Grenache represent 65% of the final blend, so I tend to think this wine will fall within the (93-95+) range. Even though Beaucastel rarely uses as much Grenache as the other famous Châteauneuf du Pape producers, their 2007 is very much in keeping with the vintage. It exhibits beautiful freshness, superb maturity, great fragrance, full-bodied power, and more seamlessness than the 2006. This may be their greatest vintage of Beaucastel since 2001 and 1998. It should age effortlessly for a minimum of two decades.” 
93-95 points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

2007 Cotes du Rhone Rouge
$29.99/btl, $329/12pk

“The 2007 Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet red may be Beaucastel’s finest example of this wine since they first introduced it in 1978…this sumptuous, deep ruby/purple-tinged Coudoulet exhibits notes of smoky blackberries, roasted meats, incense, licorice, and underbrush. Opulent, sexy and full-bodied, with abundant tannin, structure, freshness, and precision, this glorious wine should be purchased by the case”
91-93 points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2008 Cotes du Rhone Blanc
$39.99/btl, $399/12pk

2008 Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc A blend of 30% Marsanne, 30% Viognier, 30% Bourboulenc and 10% Roussanne, with an average vine age of 60 years. Aged 30% in oak barrels and the balance in stainless steel.
(not yet rated…the past 2 vintages have been 90+ by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

 

Call 360-635-3614 to order
Or email us at info@salutwine.com
with your request

Wine Tip – The first sip of the day

This is a tough one to get used to.  But you should heed this advice:

Never judge a wine based on your first sip of wine that day!

It’s natural and almost instinctive to judge a wine on first impressions, but your first sip of wine any day will always seem more acidic. 

That’s because wine IS acidic, and the first sip will be a little jarring to the senses. 

Whether you just brushed your teeth, smoked a cigarette, ate a mint or some coleslaw, or had a cup of coffee, this rule works well to “even the playing field”.   Whenever I host a formal wine tasting event, I always have a less-important “starter” wine to even out everyone’s palates before they begin judging the “real” featured wines.

Owen Roe 2007 Ex Umbris Syrah

In Vancouver there’s a near cult following for this wine, discovered by most while at restaurants and universally agreed upon as a great wine.  Usually, this is due to a pairing with a great cut of beef or casual but hearty red-meat fare.  The spice in this syrah is dramatic, while the personality is evident.  It’s a brash, unpolished sort, with a gritty attitude and a dark side even though it is always good.  The best part is the affordable price.  At about $20, you never have to feel guilty about enjoying this bottle so much.  Go ahead and have another glass! 

It’s the fruit source that allows such great quality in the bottle.  Fruit from the Yakima Valley achieves a greater ripeness under the blasting summer sun in Eastern Washington.  Thankfully, Owen Roe has no qualms about crossing the border to access Northwest fruit instead of xenophobically sticking to Oregon’s limitations with this varietal. 

The winery’s website explains “‘Ex Umbris’ is Latin for “out of the shadows”. The Syrah for this wine comes from several sites. Fruit from Bruce Morford’s Slide Mountain Vineyard and Mike Sauer’s Red Willow Vineyard, both located in western Yakima Valley, is balanced by the cooler, smoky Lewis Vineyard in The Dalles, and the unctuous fruitiness of Elerding vineyard located in Alderdale, WA. The cooler temperatures of the 2007 fall helped to preserve great acidity of the fruit both from the Columbia Valley. The current vintage exhibits all the fragrance, texture, and deep plum/gamey characteristics of great Syrah.”

There’s always enough of this great wine to go around, and the past few vintages have all been great.  Allow this wine to sit around for about 6 months (sometime around December ‘09 or later) and you’ll be well rewarded with the first tinges of velvet smoothness, as if this brash ragamuffin has just seen the first term of charm school.

This wine is regularly sold for $22.99, but is available only to wine club members for $19.99!

Check out Owen Roe’s Website, new and massively improved over the old site!
See the other Owen Roe Syrah, Lady Rosa, also in our wine club!
Read about the namesake Irish patriot (and be glad they still don’t spell his name the same way)
Tablas Creek winery did a great one-page summary about Syrah
You can’t drop in at the winery in St. Paul, Oregon, but you can go to the St. Paul Rodeo!
Learn a little bit about the Latin language in history

Venison Chili at VenisonRecipes.com
Bacon and Roquefort Stuffed Burgers from Clay’s Kitchen
English Bangers from 3Men.com Sausage Recipes

Have you tasted this wine? When you’ve had a chance to enjoy this wine, please return to this blog and leave your comments! Others will appreciate your input, unique viewpoint, and recommendations.

Mira Flores 2007 Viognier

A few months ago I toured wineries in California’s Sierra Foothills with friends and wine distributors Terri and Francis of Cellar Door/Great Legs Distributing here in Vancouver.  Our wandering uncovered few gems the first day, but we struck gold the next.   A jaunt to nearby Placerville placed us at the Mira Flores winery and alongside a sip of the best domestic Viognier I have tasted.

Their website describes “Fermented in oak 20% new French. Sweet aroma of honey suckle and with peach, followed by flavors of nectarine, peaches, and tangerines. An all around food wine” but it is much more than this.  The balance is of ultra-smooth acidity and a forward momentum driven by the everlasting notes of stonefruits.  There is a pacifying golden impression to soothe your soul in the overall palate. 

Marco, the winemaker, and the winery owner Victor graciously presented the wine to us as one of several unique and well-crafted wines as we sat in the tasting room and discussed their endeavors with some cheese and grapes (and as Victor’s daughter introduced me to some tiny collectable clay animals she had proudly amassed).  The winery is a well-funded operation and Marco has trained with the finest artisans of the west coast.  It’s not surprising that their wines are so delicious. 

There are very few bottles of the 2007 Viognier (they make a very limited run) but due to our visit Terri and Francis were able to obtain a few cases for the Northwest.  Our wine club members will be some of the lucky recipients of these limited bottles.

This wine is regularly sold for $19.99, but is available only to wine club members for $17.49!

Visit the Mira Flores winery website
About Viognier at Wikipedia
Read more about the Condrieu region in France’s Rhone Valley where Viognier is grown

Orange Mango Chicken from AllRecipes.com
Poached Cod with Lemon Sauce from Cooks.com
Grilled Chicken Salad with Peach Salsa from Dickey Farms of Georgia

Have you tasted this wine? When you’ve had a chance to enjoy this wine, please return to this blog and leave your comments! Others will appreciate your input, unique viewpoint, and recommendations.

A new assortment of high quality knives is awaiting arrival at your home

 

 

 

One of life’s lessons is to buy high quality items built to last, and to take care of those belongings. Buying high quality items and keeping them well is an investment that always pays off. Those who follow this advice enjoy their items more and have to replace them less often. The advice rings true for carpeting, electronics, clothing and — cutlery!

Luckily it’s very easy to see the difference. If you’re at a dollar store, buy a knife and take it home. Compare it to the ones you have. The dollar store knife will be so thin that it may not even cut straight through an apple or onion without bending. The handle might fall off with the first dishwasher use.

For some of us, we’ve skipped over that comparison and bought a good knife set, or received one as a gift. The on-sale $50 or $99 set from the department store cuts nicely and the quality lasts through washing and quite a good deal of abuse.

These $50-99 sale knife sets work well for a long time, and occasionally one might see knives at a cutlery shop or finer kitchen gadget store selling for $25 to $500 per knife or more! So if you’re missing a knife or two from your existing set (a set that is still working just fine) why would you replace one knife with one that costs as much as the entire set?

The answer lies in your first test of a finer knife. Consider cars vs. knives… a dollar store knife is much like a used Datsun sedan. Both are on their last legs before the next use. A $50 or $99 knife set is a new Kia. It will get you where you need to go without embarassment. The knives we’ve now listed online at www.salutwineoutlet.com are BMW 5-Series knives, by the world’s most recognized cutlery expert.   (and they’re still very affordable!)

Victorinox knives are the blades found in the legendary Swiss Army Knives, and have been developed with 125 years of well-known Swiss precision. The balance and heirloom quality will not just perform well, but each use will re-afirm that the knife you are using is one of the world’s best, and the decision you made to invest your money into your cutlery has been one of the best decisions you’ve ever made.

Our line includes two levels of quality.  Select either the Victorinox Cutlery line for home use if you enjoy cooking and want great quality.  Or step-up to the Victorinox Forged Professional series if you find yourself using your knives constantly and daily, either for many meals or events, or for professional use.  The added quality of the Forged Professional line will ensure a lifetime and beyond of unwavering performance.

If you love to cook, you’ll enjoy developing your culinary skill even more with these exceptional knives.  Just try one, and you’ll understand. There is a balance to a good knife, and a weight, and an ergonomic feel to the touch. There is precision in the angle and shape of the blade, and an unseen scientific precise quality to the steel used to create it. It not only gets you where you want to go, but it does so in style, comfort and precision.

A painter needs a top quality brush to paint. A driver needs a precision car to drive. Your family and guests need great food when they sit down for dinner, and your kitchen needs fine knives to create it.

It’s time to buy the last knives you will ever need.

For more information

Check out the selection of Victorinox knives at Salut!

Read a brochure about the cutlery lines from Victorinox

See an article at Farm Fresh Living about Choosing Quality Cutlery

Read about our high quality line of kitchen and wine accessories from WMF

Learn about shapes, styles, usage of kitchen knives at KnivesKitchen.com