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Story Teller Wine Company
Every once in a while in retail you have what I call a “Jimmy Buffett” moment. It occurs when a person asks you a question that makes you want to give a flippant reply that draws from an old Jimmy Buffet song. But if you are a professional who is committed to hospitality and service you just keep it to yourself and smile. I had just such a moment a few days ago. A very good friend of mine was visiting the store and noticed a bottle of Domaine August Clape Saint-Peray Blanc sitting on one of my shelves. He asked me about it and I told him how good it was. Told him it was the kind of wine that could make a person re-think how they feel about white wine. His response? “So, what’s the Wine Spectator score for this wine?” Now he could have said “Parker score” for all I can remember, but it was some type of authority figure he was looking for. I couldn’t help myself. I blurted out without thinking, to paraphrase a Jimmy Buffett song regarding ignorance vs. apathy,” “I don’t know and I don’t care.” I think I said it because I was relaxed and this was an old friend. But without missing a beat, he just looked at me and said “O.K. smartass, how much for a case of the Clape?” I wouldn’t recommend this as a sales technique but I knew at that moment what the next newsletter was going to be about! 2008 Domaine A. Clape Saint-Peray Blanc (normally 39.00) This is one of those wines I will go to when I have people at my house that claim they don’t like white wines. I just tell them if they don’t like it, I’ll never bug them about white wine again. Just one taste, that’s all I’ll ever ask. With this wine, it’s all I’ll ever need. August Clape was a master of Syrah in Cornas and now his son Jean-Pierre and grandson Olivier have picked up the reins. Any time you get a bunch of wine geeks discussing the great winemakers of the Rhone, the name Clape will come up at some point in the discussion. But as much as I love the family Clape’s earthy, honest Syrah, I have been a bigger fan of their Cotes du Rhone blanc. So I was quite sad to learn that the vines he used to make that wine had become diseased and that he was ripping them out. Since he’s replanting with Syrah vines, as of the 2007 vintage the CDR blanc ceased to exist. But the thought of there not being a white wine from the Clape domaine was evidently too much for a lot of people to bear, so this amazing white wine will take its place. Saint-Peray is the kind of obscure region I don’t get to write about too often. It’s a tiny, exclusively white wine appellation located at the far southern tip of the northern Rhone. And not only is the region planted only to white wine grapes, a vast majority of the white wines produced in Saint-Peray are sparkling. Given the geography and the type of wine made here, if the north and south of Rhone were like the two Koreas, we would be talking demilitarized zone here. Only two grapes are allowed to be grown in this region, Marsanne and Roussane. I guess you could include a third grape, Roussette (Altesse), depending on which wine authority you read, but for the most part the region is dominated by Marsanne and Roussanne. Given the Clape family’s affinity for these grapes, Saint-Peray was a natural place to look for a white wine replacement. The A. Clape Saint-Peray is also a bit of an oddity for the Rhone in that it is not a blend of white grapes. No, this wine is 100% Marsanne, something you don’t see every day, no matter where you are located. Why do I love this wine? First, there’s the deep, rich golden color, a kind of gold I usually see in honey jars. Then there are the aromas that threaten to engulf my head. There are scents of honeysuckle, jasmine and what I can only describe as marzipan paste. It’s an almond quality, but it is richer than that. But these aromas only come out to play after a bit of air time in a big glass or decanter. And if you serve the Saint-Peray too cold it will still be nice, but you definitely won’t be experiencing the full olfactory glory of Marsanne. But as aromatic as the wine is, it’s not like it is lacking in the palate department. The body is big and rich, but it’s not oily or over-the-top in any way. There’s depth here but there is also a nice little bit of acidity running up and down the spine of this. Then there are the flavors. White peach, wet rocks, lemon meringue pie and toasted nuts. And that’s when the wine is still a baby. I want to make sure I stash a bunch of this away so I can see how it matures. This wine is full-bodied but still maintains an elegance that makes it a joy to drink more than a glass or two in one sitting. And if I was going to enjoy the Clape Saint-Peray Blanc with a meal I couldn’t think of a better pairing than fresh Dugeness crab or a nice bowl of bouillabaisse with some sourdough bread. This wine normally sells for around 40.00 a bottle. Even if you were to buy the wine directly from Kermit Lynch you would pay 38.00 a bottle. But if you buy it from us you will pay 33.00 a bottle. And if you purchase six or more bottles the price will drop to 31.00. Not a bad deal for such a magnificent wine. I can’t think of a better glass of wine to toast the imminent arrival of spring! Friday Night Wine Tasting, March 5, 6:00-9:00PM: The John Grochau Invasion! It will be all reds this Friday evening as we preside over a happy marriage of wines from Grochau Cellars and meaty delights from Pacific Pie Company. Pinot Noir, Tempranillo and Syrah from John Grochau served side-by-side with appetizer size savory meat pasties and sausage rolls from the good folks at Pacific Pie Co. Drop by any time between 6:00 and 9:00PM to join in the fun. There will be no charge for this tasting. This will also be your very last chance to buy the Cotes de Bruneaux. This is an amazingly good 10.00 bottle of wine. Unfortunately, Matt Kramer just wrote it up in the Oregonian so our supplies are about to dry up. Here is what Matt had to say: “Cotes de Bruneaux “Columbia Valley” 2007 is a luscious red wine composed primarily of syrah (50 percent), grenache (29 percent), mourvedre (9.5 percent) and counoise (2.5 percent). Andrew Rich knows how to orchestrate these disparate varieties into a seamless whole that less-talented winemakers would not be able to achieve. This is a superb Rhone-style red wine blend that’s unusually supple, with surprisingly few tannins. A drink-now red that’s ideal for the usual meaty suspects, if you’ve got the foresight (and the self-discipline) you should lay in a good supply for the summer barbecue season because this is an ideal red for grilled meats and spicy marinades.” Saturday Wine Tasting, March 6, 12:00-5:00PM: New Arrivals from Spain! Yup, there are more new wines from Spain headed toward Storyteller Wine Company. Several of these wines have never been offered in the Portland market before. Here is your chance to give the a test drive for no charge. Cheers, Michael Alberty Head Storyteller Visit www.StorytellerWine.com >> 5511-B SW Hood Ave, Portland \| (503) 206-7029 \| 1.800.753.2531

Story Teller Wine Company

Every once in a while in retail you have what I call a “Jimmy Buffett” moment. It occurs when a person asks you a question that makes you want to give a flippant reply that draws from an old Jimmy Buffet song. But if you are a professional who is committed to hospitality and service you just keep it to yourself and smile. I had just such a moment a few days ago. A very good friend of mine was visiting the store and noticed a bottle of Domaine August Clape Saint-Peray Blanc sitting on one of my shelves. He asked me about it and I told him how good it was. Told him it was the kind of wine that could make a person re-think how they feel about white wine. His response? “So, what’s the Wine Spectator score for this wine?” Now he could have said “Parker score” for all I can remember, but it was some type of authority figure he was looking for. I couldn’t help myself. I blurted out without thinking, to paraphrase a Jimmy Buffett song regarding ignorance vs. apathy,” “I don’t know and I don’t care.” I think I said it because I was relaxed and this was an old friend. But without missing a beat, he just looked at me and said “O.K. smartass, how much for a case of the Clape?” I wouldn’t recommend this as a sales technique but I knew at that moment what the next newsletter was going to be about!

2008 Domaine A. Clape Saint-Peray Blanc (normally 39.00)

This is one of those wines I will go to when I have people at my house that claim they don’t like white wines. I just tell them if they don’t like it, I’ll never bug them about white wine again. Just one taste, that’s all I’ll ever ask. With this wine, it’s all I’ll ever need.

August Clape was a master of Syrah in Cornas and now his son Jean-Pierre and grandson Olivier have picked up the reins. Any time you get a bunch of wine geeks discussing the great winemakers of the Rhone, the name Clape will come up at some point in the discussion. But as much as I love the family Clape’s earthy, honest Syrah, I have been a bigger fan of their Cotes du Rhone blanc. So I was quite sad to learn that the vines he used to make that wine had become diseased and that he was ripping them out. Since he’s replanting with Syrah vines, as of the 2007 vintage the CDR blanc ceased to exist. But the thought of there not being a white wine from the Clape domaine was evidently too much for a lot of people to bear, so this amazing white wine will take its place.

Saint-Peray is the kind of obscure region I don’t get to write about too often. It’s a tiny, exclusively white wine appellation located at the far southern tip of the northern Rhone. And not only is the region planted only to white wine grapes, a vast majority of the white wines produced in Saint-Peray are sparkling. Given the geography and the type of wine made here, if the north and south of Rhone were like the two Koreas, we would be talking demilitarized zone here. Only two grapes are allowed to be grown in this region, Marsanne and Roussane. I guess you could include a third grape, Roussette (Altesse), depending on which wine authority you read, but for the most part the region is dominated by Marsanne and Roussanne. Given the Clape family’s affinity for these grapes, Saint-Peray was a natural place to look for a white wine replacement.

The A. Clape Saint-Peray is also a bit of an oddity for the Rhone in that it is not a blend of white grapes. No, this wine is 100% Marsanne, something you don’t see every day, no matter where you are located.

Why do I love this wine? First, there’s the deep, rich golden color, a kind of gold I usually see in honey jars. Then there are the aromas that threaten to engulf my head. There are scents of honeysuckle, jasmine and what I can only describe as marzipan paste. It’s an almond quality, but it is richer than that. But these aromas only come out to play after a bit of air time in a big glass or decanter. And if you serve the Saint-Peray too cold it will still be nice, but you definitely won’t be experiencing the full olfactory glory of Marsanne.

But as aromatic as the wine is, it’s not like it is lacking in the palate department. The body is big and rich, but it’s not oily or over-the-top in any way. There’s depth here but there is also a nice little bit of acidity running up and down the spine of this. Then there are the flavors. White peach, wet rocks, lemon meringue pie and toasted nuts. And that’s when the wine is still a baby. I want to make sure I stash a bunch of this away so I can see how it matures. This wine is full-bodied but still maintains an elegance that makes it a joy to drink more than a glass or two in one sitting. And if I was going to enjoy the Clape Saint-Peray Blanc with a meal I couldn’t think of a better pairing than fresh Dugeness crab or a nice bowl of bouillabaisse with some sourdough bread.

This wine normally sells for around 40.00 a bottle. Even if you were to buy the wine directly from Kermit Lynch you would pay 38.00 a bottle. But if you buy it from us you will pay 33.00 a bottle. And if you purchase six or more bottles the price will drop to 31.00. Not a bad deal for such a magnificent wine. I can’t think of a better glass of wine to toast the imminent arrival of spring!

Friday Night Wine Tasting, March 5, 6:00-9:00PM: The John Grochau Invasion!

It will be all reds this Friday evening as we preside over a happy marriage of wines from Grochau Cellars and meaty delights from Pacific Pie Company. Pinot Noir, Tempranillo and Syrah from John Grochau served side-by-side with appetizer size savory meat pasties and sausage rolls from the good folks at Pacific Pie Co. Drop by any time between 6:00 and 9:00PM to join in the fun. There will be no charge for this tasting.

This will also be your very last chance to buy the Cotes de Bruneaux. This is an amazingly good 10.00 bottle of wine. Unfortunately, Matt Kramer just wrote it up in the Oregonian so our supplies are about to dry up. Here is what Matt had to say: “Cotes de Bruneaux “Columbia Valley” 2007 is a luscious red wine composed primarily of syrah (50 percent), grenache (29 percent), mourvedre (9.5 percent) and counoise (2.5 percent). Andrew Rich knows how to orchestrate these disparate varieties into a seamless whole that less-talented winemakers would not be able to achieve. This is a superb Rhone-style red wine blend that’s unusually supple, with surprisingly few tannins. A drink-now red that’s ideal for the usual meaty suspects, if you’ve got the foresight (and the self-discipline) you should lay in a good supply for the summer barbecue season because this is an ideal red for grilled meats and spicy marinades.”

Saturday Wine Tasting, March 6, 12:00-5:00PM: New Arrivals from Spain!

Yup, there are more new wines from Spain headed toward Storyteller Wine Company. Several of these wines have never been offered in the Portland market before. Here is your chance to give the a test drive for no charge.

Cheers,
Michael Alberty
Head Storyteller

Visit www.StorytellerWine.com >>
5511-B SW Hood Ave, Portland | (503) 206-7029 | 1.800.753.2531

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