Boise Coop Wine Shop

An Intriguing Quartet

• June 23, 2010

2007 Gordon Brothers Sauvignon Blanc, $7.99
Gordon Brothers Family Vineyard is located in the heart of the Columbia Valley in Washington State. In 1980, Jeff Gordon, along with his wife, Vicki and brother Bill decided to plant wine grapes on a sagebrush-covered slope overlooking the Snake River in southeastern Washington’s Columbia Valley. In 1985, he released his first small lot of Chardonnay wine produced from their estate vines and today the Gordon Brothers brand is growing in both production and acclaim. This Sauvignon Blanc offers delightful aromas of citrus, melon and mango. Flavors of lime, pink grapefruit and melon are prominent on the palate. This clean, crisp, slightly tart wine is very versatile in food pairings. It is delightful with seafood, baked fish and fowl and is your perfect appetizer-friendly wine.

2009 Riff Pinot Grigio, $11.49
Riff (German for reef) is produced from grapes grown in vineyards located on the slopes of the Alpine Dolomite foothills, abundant in the prized alluvial dolomite, a limestone made of fossil deposits from an ancient ocean that covered the region over four million years ago. It is a nécogiant project created by, but independent from, the Alois Lageder estate wines. This top value Pinot Grigio reflects the expertise of acclaimed winegrower Alois Lageder, and the wines he selected from vineyard sources in the “Tre Venezie” acknowledged as one of Italy’s prime regions for quality white wines. Grapes from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia give riff Pinot Grigio its aromatics, those from the Veneto give it body and texture and those from Trentino-Alto Adige provide steely intensity.

2008 Heartland Shiraz, $12.99
Heartland Wines was created by a small group of leading South Australian wine professionals, including Ben Glaetzer & Vicki Arnold from Glaetzer. All are all good friends and share a passion for making great wine. Heartland wines are made with fruit from mature vineyards in the Limestone Coast and Langhorne Creek in South Australia. The Wine Advocate rated it a very good 88 points saying the wine “… emits an attractive perfume of violets, incense, meat and blueberry leading to a fleshy, ripe, sweetly fruited Shiraz with a bit of underlying structure and 1-2 years of aging potential although there is no reason to delay gratification.”

2008 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red, $18.99
Tamarack Cellars was founded in 1998 by Ron and Jamie Coleman as the 14th winery in the Walla Walla Valley. The Firehouse red is an eclectic blend of Northwest grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Sangiovese, you get the idea. The wine is on 40% new oak barrels, mostly French and American oak with a compliment of Eastern European oak for 16 months. Tastes like really, really good red wine. Which varietal is lending which notes? Who cares? Rounded, lush, layered and lovely, the ultimate food wine, pairing well with everything from pasta and pizza to grilled meat and roasted chicken. Bright raspberry, currant, mocha, a touch of pepper spice, soft tannins and a lingering finish . . . year in and year out, like partying with an old friend.