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Vino Friday Flight (3/12/10):
Tuscan Sangiovese, Part 2!

Now that you had a week off to clear your palates of all the
goodness of our Tuscan sangiovese, Part 1, tasting two weeks ago (although using the monster zins from last Friday may have been
a dubious strategy) we are back on the Tuscan bandwagon this Friday. While the stars (their quarterback and tailback) of the Rose
Bowl-bound U of O football team spend time in court Friday pleading guilty to various crimes (oh, those crazy college kids,
stealing computers and strangling their girlfriends. Boys will be boys! Oh, and by the way, thanks for giving back your
scholarships, jack asses), you have a day and a half to plan on your trip to
Vino to taste some of the best red wine on the
planet. My broken record could play again...these are amazing food wines; so much complexity for the $$, etc., etc....but the best
way for you to find out why I adore these wines is to just show up and see for yourselves. The lineup is awesome, from me showing
how good box wine can be (#1) to a rare opportunity to taste what The Wine Spectator chose as the #13 wine in their annual Top
100 Wines ranking this past year (the bonus-bonus). Need more temptation? Here it is:
Vignamaggio
Sangiovese Toscana from the 3-liter box
2007 Perrazetta
Sangiovese Rosso "Sara"
2006 Fattoria di
Petroio Chianti Classico - One of my favorite value chiantis that just keeps getting better and better!
2008 Rodano
Sangiovese "Poggialupi"
2004 Ruffino Vino
Nobile di Montepulciano "Lodala Nuovo"
And then to amp up the attitude:
2006 Frescobaldi
Chianti Classico Riserva "Nipozzano" - 91 pts., Wine Spectator
2004 Savignola
Paolina Chianti Classico Riserva - 90 pts., Wine Spectator
And then just because I can:
2006 Fattoria
Felsina Fontalloro - 95 pts., Wine Spectator; 94 pts., Wine Advocate: "Simply put, this is a great, majestic Fontalloro!"
That'll get you out of the house, no? Just make sure you can
stop by between 4:30 and 8:00 tomorrow when the corks start popping and the box wine does whatever it does. The cost as always is
ten dollars with a bit of a charge for the bonuses. Of course bring your friends/co-conspirators/enablers to share the Italian
love. And be sure to bring some munchable snacks. See you here! Cheers!
Taste
a set of five wines during our informal drop-in tastings from 4:30pm to 8:00pm every Friday.
Mar. 12: Tuscan Sangiovese, Part 2.
Some of our favorites!
Mar. 19: Vino's Favorite Oregon Pinots!
Taste what's been growing in your back yard.
Mar. 26: Reds of the French Countryside.
Earthy, rich, delicious values.
April 2: Big Australian Reds
with the ever-entertaining importer Rob Moller.
April 9: Italy's Classic Piedmont Reds.
It doesn't get better than this!
April 16: No tasting tonight!
Back in action on April 30.
April 23: No tasting tonight!
Back in action on April 30.
April 30: Great Washington Red Blends.
Great wines from our neighbors up north.
May 7: World Wide Pinot Noir.
See how the Northwest measures up!
May 14: Reds of Argentina and Chile.
Not just down and dirty any more, these wines rock!
May 21: California Cabernet Sauvignon.
Classics from down south.
May 28: France's Languedoc-Roussillon.
Find out what terroir is all about!
June 5: Vino's Spring Fizz Fest!
A great time to get fizz-ical!
June 12: Barbera's from Italy's Piedmont.
Nothing goes better with summer dining than these.
Saturday Sampling (3/13/10)
After my absence last Saturday so I could dig in my front yard
building raised beds, filling them and digging up the rest of my front yard by hand (and yes, I have heard of rototillers), I have
decided that being at Vino pouring wine is a much
wiser course of action, re: my aching back. So as I take the easy way out Saturday, I will also be pouring some more favorite beverages
from 11 to 6 during our free sampling. Included
will be:
2005 Domaine de
Chatenoy Menetou-Salon - There's a reason a white wine is leading off the Saturday notice. This is simply stunning Loire Valley
sauvignon blanc that is drinking at the height of its powers. The season for vin blanc is upon us, and this is without question one
of my favorite wines in the store!
2007 Marramiero
Montepulciano di Abruzzo
2007 Domaine Sorin
Cotes de Provence Rouge
2006 Cash Flow Wine
Pinot Noir "Willamette Valley" - Would you believe you can actually get delicious, drinkable Oregon pinot for $10.95 a bottle? I
certainly didn't until I tasted this yesterday afternoon. Pretty rocking pinot for the $$, and absolutely something to grab by the
case (at $9 a bottle!) for your future wine consumption!
We'll see you here! Salud!
Find us in Portland, Oregon, at 1226 SE Lexington
St., Portland, OR 97202. Phone
503.235.8545 (toll free dial 1.888.922.8545) or simply e-mail
vinobuys@qwest.net. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30am to 6pm (Friday
'til 8:00).
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