the wine hotel
In general, The Wine Hotel carries anti-global wines, wines that are made with love, talent and utmost respect for nature. And if the wines we carried were people, they'd lobby the authorities for their native language to be taught in schools. The Wine Hotel first and foremost believes in terroir. Now we're not dogmatic about it, but that's a pretty good synopsis.
For special occasion, The Wine Hotel also carries an ever changing selection of rare wines, young and old.
Our inventory will be online soon. Meanwhile, here are some of the recent wines that have struck our palates.
Chateau Couronneau
'07 Bordeaux Superieur 13.95
I couldn’t care less about the hype on '08 Bordeaux, the scores, the lower pricing, not to mention that we won’t see the wines for a couple years. THIS is what I want to see from Bordeaux and almost never do: Chateau Couronneau '07 Bordeaux Superieur is made from biodynamically grown grapes and aged in only 20% new oak. The result? A happy wine. Duh! Amazing what happens when you don’t overmedicate grapes and don’t make wine as if you were a 90210 plastic surgeon (no offense to my customers who are just that, just back off from the winery! Now!) Blackcurrants, strawberries, spice on the nose. Give it a couple minutes in the glass and classic Merlot-dominated Bordeaux texture emerges with a most gratifying feeling of juicy plumpness followed by flavors of dark fruit, unsweetened chocolate and herbs. Straightforward, refreshing, neither brainy nor stupid, happy, and perfectly priced. Bear in mind it remains Bordeaux, it’s crying for a grill, charcoal and some form of protein.
Grande Cassagne '07
Costieres de Nimes $9.95.
UNBEATABLE bbq value red: Killer vintage in the Southern Rhone. This is fruit-driven, joyous, generous without being heavy. One of those wines people think should be much more money.
Labbe '07 Savoie Les Abymes 11.95.
A brilliant summer white from organically grown grapes in the Alps. Beautiful, refreshing, clean and crisp. It really does feel like a mountain spring. No really.
Camerano Barolo
Cannubi San Lorenzo 59.95
We are madly in love with this wine at the Wine Hotel. If ever a Barolo could remind you why Piedmont is reffered to as the Burgundy of Italy, it is this one. Even though this a traditional producer, the wine is already gorgeous and drinking like a dream. Exquisite aromas and flavors of ripe, dark cherries, minerals, rose petals, anise and exotic spices. Multi-dimensional and seamless in the mouth, this magnificent wine has superb concentration, aristocratic finesse and a regal purity of flavor. The texture is gorgeous, and it is truly reminiscent of the silk and satin of top notch Burgundy. A stunner!
