Oregon… in regards to Pinot Noir, it’s the
USA’s answer to Burgundy; the Cote d’Or of
the Americas, if you will. For over a
quarter-century, Oregon has had a steady
romance with Pinot Noir. The Willamette
Valley, Oregon’s best know Appellation, is
bordered by the Coast Range to its west and
the Cascade Range to its east, creating a
valley 100 miles long. Most of the moisture
from approaching storm fronts is squeezed
out by the Coast Range and the soils were
created from alluvial deposits from these
two mountain ranges, along with 200-ton
boulders brought in from the great
Pleistocene Missoula floods. All this
combines to offer one of the best regions
for growing grapes for wine!
While best known for Pinot Noir (and
rightfully so), Oregon produces a bevy of
other varietals that can rival their
counterparts from anywhere in the world,
such as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and some of
the best sparkling wines produced in North
America! In conjunction with out “Turkey
Trot” features, this cover-feature should,
well, have you covered for all your
Thanksgiving Day needs!
We featured the Cono Sur winery
about a year and a half ago on
our cover and happened to
recently revisit a number of
their wines, the 2007 Pinot Noir
in particular. Wow! With
Turkey Day around the corner you
can understand that we’ve been
on the hunt for appropriate
wines to match up with all the
goodies Thanksgiving has to
offer. The ’07 Cono Sur Pinot
fits the bill quite nicely.
The bright, cherry-red "pretty
Pinot" color leads to a nose of
cherry, cherry cola, unctuous
purple fruit and a nice dollop
of earthy terroir and
spice in a nod to both the Côte
d'Or and New World Pinot
producers.
The palate produces more
wonderful fruit, again with
cherry in the fore but plenty of
plummy, strawberry notes as
well. A balanced amount of
tannins intermingle with the
light-but-present earthy notes
with hints of smoke and sea salt
to add a bit of gravitas.
This one drinks way out of its
price range and is a great
"fourth quarter" wine for a
multitude of dining and
entertaining venues that come up
during the winter months. As to
the holiday at hand, the fruit
in this Pinot will uplift the
dishes that need it, the acidity
will cut through where
appropriate, this one will go
down extremely well at any
Thanksgiving feast. Happy
Thanksgiving from Hi-Time!
California BOGLE
2005 “PHANTOM”
CALIFORNIA PROPRIETARY RED $14.95 [#204680]
The black magic is back! Bogle Winery
consistently produces some of the best bargain
priced wines on the market, and we at Hi-Time
have fully supported the brand for years,
considering it an everyday wine of significance.
Here in time for the holidays, (although it
missed Halloween) from the dark recesses of the
cellar is “Phantom”, an old vine blend of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Mourvedre, that will help
digest some of the robust dishes we will enjoy
this Fall. This deep ruby hued monster serves up
dark mocha and blueberry notes, all accented
with a touch of pepper and clove spice. On the
nose, deep violet and chocolate covered cherry
notes linger as if some unknown presence has
taken over your glass. With no shortage of
fanfare, it is hard to keep this wine in stock,
snatch this up before the Phantom vanishes.
CHATEAU DULUC DE BRANAIRE DUCRU (ST.
JULIEN) $49.95 [#335005]
The incredibly modest and understated Patrick
Maroteaux has quietly turned Branaire Ducru into
one of St. Julien’s A-list estates! The style of
Branaire Ducru is one of regal balance and
rarified elegance. A perfectionist in every way,
Monsieur Maroteaux leaves no stone unturned in
his pursuit of excellence. The estate’s second
label is also traditionally fashioned
emphasizing the bright red fruits so typical of
St. Julien. For the record, Branaire Ducru
itself scored 95 points from Robert Parker and
could very well be the best wine ever produced
at this marvelous estate! This superb second
label, named after one of the estate’s early
owners, is more than worthy and lives up to the
fastidious standards of superstar Patrick
Maroteaux!
France - RHôNE We haven’t done much
with the Rhône lately but with the weather
cooling down, it’s time to bring a special item
to the forefront.
CHâTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2006 VIEUX DONJON $54.95 [#305006]
In a nutshell, here’s the story on 2006
Châteauneuf-du-Pape! It’s a serviceable,
above-average vintage but don’t let anyone tell
you that the wines reside at the same quality
level as 2005! Not even close! Unfortunately,
given the vicissitudes of the currency exchange,
they are also priced higher than the 2005s! So
why pay more for the B+ vintage when there’s
still ample supply of the A+ vintage still in
circulation? On top of all this is the rumour of
the spectacular 2007 southern Rhône vintage to
be released next year! All in all, it makes
little sense to buy heavily on 2006 southern
Rhônes! We’re not and we would advise you to
adapt the same strategy! Having said all that,
we’d be remiss in our duty if we didn’t make you
aware of the 2006 Vieux Donjon. This classically
produced wine has become a store favorite and
they’ve done it again with a remarkable effort
that’s lush and juicy, yet structured with a
cutting edge of southern Rhône aplomb! Don’t
miss out on this as our quantities are limited
and it always seems to end up on the Spectator
“Top 100’ list!
R.H. COUTIER
BRUT TRADITION GRAND CRU $34.95 [#325394] Champagne R.H. Coutier is located in the
celebrated Montagne de Reims village of Ambonnay,
where the Coutier family has lived since 1619.
Today the family estate is run by Rene Coutier
who farms twenty acres of vines all located in
this Grand Cru (100% Echelle) hamlet. Coutier
sells most of his production to the Grandes
Marques reserving enough of the best juice to
produce a modest 2,000 cases a year. Like that
of his better known neighbor, Serge Billiot (of
H. Billiot), this Coutier Brut is predominately
(70%) Pinot Noir, but its Chardonnay component
is much more expressive than with the Billiot
Brut Reserve. In fact it was Rene’s father who
pioneered the cultivation of Chardonnay in this
bastion of Pinot Noir in 1946. The grape has
done so well over the ensuing decades that it is
now as a highly regarded as the village’s Pinot
Noir. Coutier retards malolatic fermentation in
half of his base wines in order to add raciness
and structure to the natural opulence of his
Ambonnay juice. The resultant blend is a grand
yet very polished cuvée where the red berry
character of Pinot Noir takes a back seat to
savory notions of breadfruit, lemon curd,
toasted grains and honey. This, then, is a
seamlessly configured Brut that deftly combines
richness and grace at a price attractive as the
Champagne itself. Click here
to see this month's featured Sparkling Wines
Other Sparkling wine:
American Sparkling
-
Champagne -
Other Sparkling
Click here for description of Champagne Houses
we stock.
World Wines
-
Germany,
Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain
Turkey Trot -
wINES FOR THANKSGIVING!
SORELLE
BRONCA NV PROSECCO [italy] $14.98 [#302441] Sparkling wines are not only festive but
also are great for most all occasions.
That’s one of the reasons we love this
top-rate Prosecco from the Bronca sisters.
What makes this crisp satisfying sparkler
especially good is the fact that the juice
is kept under pressure in tanks and bottled
to order unlike many in the zone. Since it’s
made in an extra dry style, it’s ideal for
the Thanksgiving table as an apertif or with
the entire meal. Here’s a really well-made,
inexpensive sparkler that is sure to make
your holiday festivities brighter.
Spirits DELAMAIN
PALE & DRY X.O. [#108300] SALE PRICE $85.99 Regularly
$110.00
Pale & Dry bursts from the bottle with
purpose, subdued power and endless
finesse. The nose flushes a delicate
tale of impressive age and the
meticulous handling of fruit; showing
soft floral tones, buttressed by clean
wood, and recherché vanilla. The beauty
and invitation of the nose is potently
established on the palate with a
mystifying clarity, while simultaneously
demonstrating dulcet baking spices that
undulate sumptuously, with no
prevarication, building to a mellow
toothsome roundness. The finish is
harmonious, complex and distinctive,
showing again the many flavors
previously displayed –as if they were
dawdling, on a slow marching parade--
lingering. This is a very nice cognac.
Another
victory in Mark West's revolution to bring rich,
flavorful pinot noir and liberal prices to the
world—the 2006 California Pinot Noir is enticing
aromas of juicy cherry and plum, strawberry tart
and tangy marmalade with barrel notes of
vanilla, cedar, brown sugar and oak spice. Lush
and weighty in the mouth, flavors of raspberry
preserves give way to a fresh, bright red berry
finish. This basket includes a Mark West
California Pinot Noir along with red and black
cherries abound with a note of spice and a
fabulous food selection of Carrs crackers, pate,
nuts and chocolate.
Beer DALE'S PALE ALE 12OZ SINGLE CAN [#469313] DALE'S PALE ALE 12OZ 6 PACK CANS [#469314]
Dale's Pale Ale is our
flagship beer and America's first hand-canned craft beer. It's an
assertive but deftly balanced beer (somewhere between an American pale
ale and an India Pale Ale) brewed with hefty amounts of European malts
and American hops. It features a merengue-like head, a copper color, and
a hoppy nose, thanks to a big post-boil addition of Centennial hops. To
complement its hoppy first impression, Dale's also sports a rich middle
of malts and hops, and a bracing finish. Dale's is 6.5% alcohol by
volume, and features 65 International Bittering Units. We think of it as the
perfect, everyday beer for hopheads like us. Dale's Pale Ale's rich
flavor has helped us make many new fans, and its numerous honors have
helped us kick huge holes in the misconceptions regarding cans. Click here to this
months featured Beer.
Other Beers:
Domestic Beer-
Imported Beer-
Kegs -
Non Alcoholic -
Beer Accessories -
Home Brew Supplies
By making a donation to SWRA
you will be participating in the only
national effort to overturn the
anti-consumer and protectionist law
that is in place to prevent you from
legally obtaining the wines you
want. No one but consumers and
retailers, together, will fight this
fight. It's not just about wine.
It's about our rights.
Gift Cards!
The perfect gift for a multitude of occasions...
now available online!
Powered by iSTAR | E-Commerce/POS Software
Hi-Time Wine Cellars | 250 Ogle Street | Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Store Hours: Sunday 10am -7pm | Mon-Wed 9am-8pm | Thurs-Sat 9am-9pm
