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More Adventuresome
Wines
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DUXOUP WINE WORKS
 Andy and Deborah
Cutter are the "Duxoup" people. They've been making
obscure wines that only serious wine drinkers are interested in for about
20 years.
Who in this age of Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay, would stick to making
Charbono and Gamay? Who in this age of blockbuster wines, high in
alcohol and loaded with oak would even think of making 12.5% alcohol wines
that are not matured in highly-toasted, brand new French oak? Who
would even consider selling wine from California for less than $20 a
bottle?
If you're guessing the Cutters at Duxoup, you've hit the nail right on the
head!
The 2004 Duxoup Napa Charbono, as usual, comes from the Frediani vineyard. It's
got the typical blackberry/blueberry fruit notes you'll find in the few
Charbono wines still on the market. We chided Andy about making wine
that can actually be consumed a whole, entire bottle at a sitting since
it's not 14-15% alcohol. "If the fruit is farmed right, you can
get mature flavors without the extremely high level of sugar." Andy
explained.
This wine seems to taste good with practically anything, from
Mediterranean fare to white meats to grilled or roasted red meats.
We like it served a bit on the cool side, about 55-60 degrees. A few
minutes of "breathing" (the wine, as well as yourself) seems to
be beneficial here.
Andy also makes a small amount of Gamay. Not a fruity,
Beaujolais-styled red, this is a medium-bodied wine that's got a bit of
backbone along the lines of a lighter Zinfandel. We
"road-tested" this with a beef stew and it was right at home.
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Currently in stock: 2004 Charbono $16.99
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- DOMAINE LAFFONT
Madiran "Erigone" $17.99
DOMAINE LAFFONT Madiran "Hécate"
$28.99
 - The owner of this property, Pierre Speyer, must have taken the wrong exit from the
freeway in his homeland of Belgium and ended up running out of gas somewhere in Gascony.
He hasn't left Gascogne and is running a small domaine in the Madiran appellation.
Maumusson is the "center" of the Madiran universe.
As this fellow took over this property in 1993, he's just starting to
attract the attention he deserves.
 Taste Monsieur Speyer's "Erigone"
bottling (Erigone seduced the Greek God of Wine, Dionysus, or so I'm told) and you'll
agree Speyer is well on his way to making a name for himself.
Here's a François Boucher painting from 1745 depicting this seduction.
The local grape is Tannat and Speyer blends some 20% of Cabernet Franc to create a deep,
dense, rich red wine. Using some new French oak barrels, Speyer offers a wine with
deep red or black fruit elements and some mocha-like notes from the wood. The wine
is rather full-bodied and is delicious with a grilled steak or rack of lamb. This
will probably cellar nicely for another 3-8 years.
 A
"reserve" bottling is offered from time to time. Called
"Cuvée Hécate," it's named after the Greek Goddess of magic and
spells. I can certainly see why people might be entranced by this
wine! It's entirely Tannat with no "foreign" grapes getting
in the way. Speyer makes about 4,500 bottles in vintages he feels
warrant this elevated designation.
A friend of ours who did an internship at a top Bordeaux estate told us how
in blind-tastings, frequently a Madiran wine from Montus would win the
tasting over the Cabernet-based wines for the Medoc. You simply have
to taste this wine to see how much intensity, yet elegance, is on
display! Very fine now served with roasted or stewed red meats, this
probably has a number of years of cellaring potential. Very exciting.
Barrels in the Laffont cellar.
Pierre shows off the vineyards.
Sampling the new vintages in Pierre's home.
As you can see, the color is rather intense, so please don't wear light
clothing when drinking this.
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HEY MAMBO!
 The
Sebastiani boys have a nice little red blend they're selling under the
"Hey Mambo" banner.
Maybe you know the song as sung by Rosemary Clooney, George Clooney's late
aunt:
Just make-a wid da beat-a bambino,
it's-a like a vino
Kid you're good-a-lookin'
but you don't know what's cookin',
till you
Hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano!
Hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano!
The 2005 version is a curious "minestrone" of red
grapes. You'll find Syrah, Barbera, Malbec, Zinfandel and Petite
Sirah in the blend. We find a cocoa and vanilla bean character
that's intriguing. The wine is medium-full on the palate and
reasonably smooth and supple.
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Currently in stock: 2005 HEY MAMBO Sale $8.99
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MAHONEY
VINEYARDS
 Who'da
thunk a guy who was seeking perfection in Pinot Noir would be making one
of California's finest "Cal-Ital" wines?
But that's the story behind "Cabernet Frank" Mahoney and his
quest for Pinot Noir in a then emerging region called
"Carneros." Frank, or "Francis" as he's known
today, started a little project in the early 1970s called "Carneros
Creek Winery" and he made some lovely Pinot Noirs and even Amador
Zinfandel.
Mahoney planted all sorts of clones of Pinot Noir and was on the trail of
grand Pinot Noir. Today he makes wines under the Mahoney banner and
he's still making good Pinot Noirs.
Frank's wife, Kathy (who's maiden name is Salvarezza...sounds Italian,
doesn't it?), has relatives in Italy. On a vacation trip to Europe,
they tasted wine made from the Vermentino grape and vowed to experiment
with it back home in Carneros.
The "experiment" is very fine. The first vintage we tasted
was the 2004 and it was lovely. Just released is the 2006 and it's
even better, easily rivaling the Vermentino wines of Liguria, the Tuscan
coast and elsewhere along the Mediterranean.
The Vermentino grape seems to have adapted nicely to its new home in
Napa's Carneros region. It's grown in a vineyard that's usually
fogged in until mid-day and then cooled by afternoon breezes from the
bay. We find this wine to be quite similar to the few top Vermentino
wines we've had from Sardegna and the Tuscan coast. It has a
character that's a bit difficult to describe, since there is a range of
notes "hit" by this wine without any being the center of
attention. I find elements of these characteristics: lemon
peel, peach, grapefruit, white flowers, a sea breeze and a hint of Meyer
lemon. You can imagine this is going to be delicious with seafood,
from shrimp to scallops to calamari and white fish. No oak, so if
you're a fan of big, woody, oaky Chardonnay, this might not be your
wine. But if you enjoy wine as a compliment to food, Mahoney's
Vermentino is a wonderful choice.
Limited availability as production is still rather small.
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Currently in stock: 2006 MAHONEY Carneros
VERMENTINO $14.99
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CAMBIATA
 The
Italian word for "change" is "cambio."
The term "cambiata" means "changed" and it's often
employed in music, but in this case you can find some real "changes
of pace" with the wines of Eric Laumann.
This fellow has been in the cellar for more than 2 decades and today works
for a custom crush facility in Monterey. He not only makes wine for
his fledgling Cambiata brand, but for a dozen other well-known vintners.
While most California winemakers are surfing the waves of Cabernet,
Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, Laumann dabbles in Albariño and Tannat.
We have a delightful 2006 vintage Albariño from a little vineyard
in Monterey's Santa Lucia Highlands. The area is rather windy and
the cooling breezes help retain nice acidity in the fruit. The juice
is fermented at low temperatures to retain as much character as
possible. Laumann matures the wine on the spent yeast to give it a
bit of weight and some roundness on the palate. We like the
fragrance of oranges and spice notes (is that nutmeg or a touch of clove,
perhaps?). You'll find the wine to be dry, too. It's rather nice
with seafood, especially, much like it is on the west coast of Spain where
the grape finds its home.
Cambiata also offers a deep, dark red made of the Tannat
grape. This is the grape of France's Madiran region (and we have
several of those)... Laumann's wine reminds us a bit of those
Madirans, but there's a woodsy element which we liken to some Spanish
reds. It's almost as though a winemaker from Rioja ventured north to
France and made a Spanish-styled Tannat. You'll want to pair this
with red meats or a rich, ripe cheese.
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Currently in stock: 2006 CAMBIATA Monterey ALBARIÑO
$18.99
2004 CAMBIATA Monterey TANNAT $19.99
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