Red Wines 

Concha y Toro “Xplorador” Merlot 2008-Chile Green’s Cash Price: $5.99 “…presents aromas of black cherry paired with pepper notes and a hint of soft, dark chocolate. On the palate this Merlot is full-bodied and round with cassis flavors and an extended finish.” www.banfivintners.com

Vino de Eyzaguirre Cabernet Sauvignon 2007-Chile Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 “Aromatic profile features fresh and dried cherry plus dried plum, with intriguing notes of dark chocolate and mint. On the palate, the wine is rich, well balanced and approachable with a long, smooth finish.” Food & Drink Magazine

Vino de Eyzaguirre Merlot 2007-Chile Green’s Cash Price: $7.99  “An expressive nose shows fresh red fruits like plums and cherries, accompanied by soft, delicious vanilla and tobacco notes. On the palate it is fresh, with ripe, soft tannins leading a pleasant, slightly sweet finis.” Food & Drink Magazine

Básico Rojo 2008-Spain Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 A blend of native Spanish Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, grown in Spain’s la Mancha region. The fruit flavors of ripe, red plums and berries are the hallmarks of this aromatic wine. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Redwood Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2008-California Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 Aromas of berry, mocha, oak, and spice, with soft blackberry and toasty oak flavors with hints of cassis on the palate, with smooth, integrated tannins for a long, elegant finish. - Green’s Wine Buyer

  

Les Acanthes Merlot VDP 2009-France Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 Just pure supple, soft fruit and a touch of that Merlot chocolate-this is an amazing Merlot for $7.99. Very well-balanced, it remains refreshing in the aftertaste. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Cecchi Bonizio Sangiovese Di Maremma Toscana 2008 Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 Aromas are complex with lots of cherry and earthy notes. Soft, round palate with flavors of fresh berries and some spice, it is well-rounded with  acidity and mild tannins. Bonizio is extremely versatile and pairs well with a wide range of poultry, meat and pasta dishes. - Green’s Wine Buyer

  

Redwood Vineyard Merlot 2008-California Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 Bouquet of black cherry, oak and light bell pepper…The palate is rich with red raspberry, toasty oak and cherry notes for a quite lingering finish. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2007- Washington State Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 “Supple and surprisingly complex, this is generous with its meaty currant and blackberry flavors, remaining polished and finishing with clarity.” Rated 89 Points-The Wine Spectator

 

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot 2007 - Washington State Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 “Bursting with blueberry and currant fruit, this zips across the palate with a racy texture and refined tannins. Lingers enticingly with a hint of mocha on the finish.” Rated 90 points-The Wine Spectator

 

Evodia Old Vine Grenache 2008-Spain Green’s Cash Price: $8.99 “Fresh strawberry and raspberry aromas are deepened by notes of licorice, black tea and pungent herbs. Supple in texture, offering sweet red fruit flavors and showing no rough edges. A smoky note comes up with air, adding complexity to a nicely persistent, red berry-dominated finish. Extremely easy to drink, and offering excellent depth and clarity for the money.” Rated 89 Points-International Wine Cellar

Apothic California Red 2008 Green’s Cash Price: $8.99 “Apothic Red reveals intense fruit aromas and flavors of blackberry and dark cherry layered with hints of mocha, chocolate and brown spice. The plush, velvety mouth-feel and smooth finish round out this intriguing, full-bodied red blend.” Winemaker Notes

  

Les Acanthes Cotes du Rhône 2009-France Green’s Cash Price: $9.99 This 2009 Rhône, shows plenty of plum, cherry and spice flavors…with nice acidity to match the fruit, as well as a pleasant gaminess. Firmly textured and flavorful. Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Château de Rivière Chinon 2009-France Green’s Cash Price: $9.99 Amazingly forward and ready-to-drink for such a young red wine, the Cabernet Franc really struts its stuff here with it’s minerally, concentrated fruit flavor. I would decant this in a carafe and cool it in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving. Serve 62-65F. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Trivento Amado Sur 2007-Argentina Green’s Cash Price: $9.99 “A ripe, modern style, with layers of velvety mocha-infused plum, red currant and red licorice flavors. The long, fleshy finish maintains nice purity. Rock-solid.” Rated 89 Points-The Wine Spectator

White Wines
   

Concha y Toro “Xplorador” Chardonnay 2009-Chile Green’s Cash Price: $5.99 Tropical aromas of banana and nectarine flavors with a crisp and easy finish. Very nice for the price. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay 2008-Washington State Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 “Polished, round and spicy, this is generous with its creamy pear and caramel flavors, lingering on the nutmeg-tinged finish.” Rated 89 Points-The Wine Spectator

 

Les Acanthes Viognier 2009-France Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 Aromas of fresh flowers, nectarine and apricots, medium bodied, ripe peach and almond flavors with a nice acidity on the finish. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Redwood Vineyard Chardonnay 2008-California Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 Ripe and generous, its spicy, pear and apple flavors are focused and precise. The soft, round structure and reasonable price tag on this California Chardonnay adds to the appeal. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Dme le la Hallopiere Chardonnay VDP 2009-France Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 From the banks of the Loire River comes a true example of French Chardonnay.  It is bright and zesty with the flavors of apples and pears with notes of vanilla, nutmeg, and cloves.  Solid and fruit forward as well as fruit friendly, this is a wine you can serve everyday with confidence. - Green’s Wine Buyer

Domaine de Pellehaut Blanc 2009-France Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Chardonnay, Gros Manseng, and Petite Manseng, it has an attractive floral, white fruit, and herb aroma, with fresh fruit and acidity on the palate. This lively dry white wine is a delightful quaff alone or with mild fish and chicken dishes. It’s also very easy on the budget at $7.99! - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Castello Banfi Centine Bianco 2008-Italy Green’s Cash Price: $8.99 Light straw yellow color, with fruity notes of grapefruit, pear and pineapple, excellent acidity gives freshness and flavor. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Château l’Ermitage “Victor” White 2009-France Green’s Cash Price: $8.99 One sees little Rhone Valley white wine in the U.S., but boy-they can be delicious. This wine is made from 60% Roussanne, 20% Viognier, and 20% Grenache Blanc. The aromatics are primarily taken for the Roussanne and Viognier, giving them a strong floral and fruity character. Dry, refreshing, and medium to full bodied on the palate, this refreshing white wine is a great match with fish, chicken, and veal. Great alone as an aperitif too. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Les Orfèvres Sauvignon Blanc Touraine 2009-France Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99 The Loire Valley is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc based wine-ever heard of Sancerre boys and girls! While not from Sancerre, this fresh, 2009 vintage, Sauvignon Blanc from the Touraine possesses that perfect tension between fruit and acidity, with nuances of herb in the bouquet and flavor. Light, crisp, and refreshing, this is a delight and sells for half the price of its more famous neighbor. - Green’s Wine Buyer

 

Tamas Estate Pinot Grigio 2008-California Green’s Cash Price: $7.99 “This inexpensive white wine does a good job of being dry and ultra-crisp in acidity, which gets the mouth watering. It offers pleasant flavors of Lifesaver candy pineapples and lemons, with a hint of vanilla.” - Wine Enthusiast

Rhone Valley: Cave de Tavel

If there was a Grand Cru system ranking Rosé in France, Tavel would be a First Growth. Bearing the unofficial title of “King of Rosé”, it was the favorite wine of several Kings of France as well as the Avignon Popes. It was one of the first areas to be granted an official appellation (A.O.C.) in 1936, at the same time as it more famous neighbor, Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It is also a unique appellation in France, as it is allowed to make only Rosé. As this is all that they can do, who else can claim to have more experience making fine Rosé?

Tavel Wine Region in the Rhone Valley

There are three types of soil here that have a strong effect on the character of the wine. West of town is dominated by limestone and slate. Here low-yielding vines grow, giving deep and aromatic wines. Another type is the flat sandy rocky fields, easy to cultivate and good for ripening. The third is dominated by galéts roules, the smooth round stones also found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This soil is located east of the town in the direction of Châteauneuf. You find the most intensely flavored Tavels here. The producer of the wines below is the Cave de Tavel, a co-op that owns approximatel half of the total of the entire appellation of Tavel! Each one of these Tavels expresses the unique charcter of the soil that the vineyards are located on.

Les Orfèvres Sauvignon Blanc Touraine 2009
Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99

The Loire Valley is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc based wine-ever heard of Sancerre boys and girls! While not from Sancerre, this fresh, 2009 vintage, Sauvignon Blanc from the Touraine possesses that perfect tension between fruit and acidity, with nuances of herb in the bouquet and flavor. Light, crisp, and refreshing, this is a delight and sells for half the price of its more famous neighbor.-Green’s Wine Buyer

La Cabriole Saumur Blanc 2009
Green’s Cash Price: $9.99

Nowhere else in the world does the Chenin Blanc grape reach the quality level that it achieves in the Loire. White fruit and citrus aromatics, there is plenty of mid-palate fruit to buffer the acidity in the aftertaste. Very refreshing.-Green’s Wine Buyer

Domaine Gueneau Sancerre Le Clos Chartier 2009
Green’s Cash Price: $17.99

If there is a benchmark for Sauvignon Blanc, it is Sancerre. Flinty and minerally, it possesses rich gooseberry-like fruit qualities that combine with racy acidity. It is a wine best enjoyed in its youth, while fresh and exuberant.

 There is only one bad thing about Sancerre. It is too popular, which has pushed its price up over the years, usually averaging around $25-$30 today. I can’t tell you how delighted I was to find a quality,  domaine-bottled example of this wine for under $20. It’s an absolute steal!-Green’s Wine Buyer  

Château de Rivière Chinon 2009
Green’s Cash Price: $9.99

Amazingly forward and ready-to-drink for such a young red wine, the Cabernet Franc really struts its stuff here with it’s minerally, concentrated fruit flavor. I would decant this in a carafe and cool it in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving. Serve 62-65F.-Green’s Wine Buyer

Les Orfèvres Rosé “Touraine” 2009
Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99

“Bright pink color. Very fruity this gamay express intense aromas of red fruit with a first mouth on strawberries and English candies. Fresh, clean and well balance, it ends up on raspberries and fresh red fruit.”
www.terrisson-wines.com

but quality wise, 2009 is at least on a par with the other great vintage of the decade, 2005. Stylistically, it is quite different.

Tour de Mons, Mongravey, Monbrison, du Tertre, Giscours, Brane Cantenac, d’Issan, Malescot St. Exupery, Lascombes, Palmer, d’ Angludet

Total Wines Tasted From This Commune: 21



ST. JULIEN

 St. Julien, along with Pauillac, as is so often the case, is the very center of consistent quality wines in 2009. Naturally, some are better than others. You will find my recommendations below.

Recommended Wines:  (89% of Total Wines Sampled)
Gloria, Talbot, Lagrange, Beychevelle, Branaire Ducru, St. Pierre, Leoville Poyferre, Leoville Barton

Total Wines Tasted From This Commune: 9



PAUILLAC

Home to Lafite, Latour, and Mouton-need I say more? Like St. Julien, it was difficult to find underachievers, but there were a few.

Recommended Wines: (71% of Total Wines Tasted)
Haut Batailley, D’Armailhac, Clerc Milon, Grand Puy Lacoste, Pichon Lalande, Pichon Baron, Pontet Canet, Duhart Milon, Lafite Rothschild, Lynch Bages, Latour, Haut Bages Liberal

Total Wines Tasted From This Commune: 17



ST. ESTEPHE

 2009 was very kind to the top wines of St. Estephe. For many, gone are the toughness and rusticity that were often found in past vintages here. In its place, one finds unusual succulence and forward fruit flavors to balance the firmness of the tannins. But there was a lot of variation. The wines were either really good or really not.

Recommended Wines: (43% of Total Wines Tasted)
Serilhan, Meyney, Phelan Segur, Calon Segur, Montrose. Les Ormes de Pez

Total Wines Tasted From This Commune: 14



PESSAC-LEOGNAN/GRAVES

 2009 produced an unusually consistent result for this area, partially because the Cabernet Franc, which is planted in larger proportion here than its northern Medoc neighbor, ripened perfectly in 2009. My personal favorite wine of the vintage, Haut Brion, is located here.

Recommended Wines: (78% of Total Wines Tasted)
Pape Clement, Haut Brion, La Mission Haut Brion, Grand Enclos, Domaine de Chevalier, Malartic Lagraviere, Fieuzal

Total Wines Tasted From This Area: 9



MEDOC & HAUT MEDOC

 If the aristocrats of Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac, and St. Estephe are too pricey for you, consider the “Bourgeoisie” (plus two Grand Cru) of these two districts. In the main, they are priced far below the Grand Cru and offer a lot of pleasure in the 2009 vintage. Be careful though, the quality of the wines in this class is all over the place. Stick with the recommendations below.

Recommended Wines: (48% of Total Wines Tasted)
Bellvue, Cambon La Pelouse, St. Paul, La Tour Carnet, Lanessan, Poujeaux, Beaumont, Cantemerle, de Gironville, Lamothe Bergeron, Larrivaux, Maucaillou, Caronne Ste. Gemme

Total Wines Tasted From This Area: 27



ST. EMILION & POMEROL

Generally speaking, the wines of Pomerol are stronger than those in St. Emilion. At least they are more consistent. However, there are great wines in St. Emilion that should not be missed.

Recommended Wines: (68% of Total Wines Tasted)
Lucia, La Confession, La Pointe, Petit Villages, Gazin, La Conseillante, Bellevue Mondot, Pavie Decesse, Pavie, Clinet, Moulinet, Canon, Clos Fourtet, La Dominique, Clos des Menuts, Couspaude, St Hubert

Total Wines Tasted From This Area: 25



“SECOND WINES”

 For value, this category may be the best bet of the 2009 vintage. These wines are made from fruit that didn’t quite make the final blend for the chateaux’s primary wine for one reason or another. Since 2009 produced, for the most part, very good quality grapes, the quality of the wine made here is very good and at a fraction of the price of the “Grand Vin.”

Recommended Wines: (67% of Total Wines Tasted)

Les Fiefs de Lagrange, Forts de Latour, Echo d’Lynch Bages, Connetable de Talbot, Carruades des Lafite, Alter Ego de Palmer

Total Wines Tasted From This Category: 9



PETIT CHATEAUX

There are the “little guys.” They are sourced from lesser known appellations from all over Bordeaux. They are the “Rodney Dangerfields”, they get no respect. Even in a great vintage like 2009, you find bad wine in this category. However, Green’s has sorted the wheat from the chaff and come up with some beauties. Even better, many will start appearing in our stores this year, offering you an opportunity to taste a wine from this superb vintage early on.

Recommended Wines: (59% of Total Wines Tasted)

Croix Mouton, Domaine d’La A, Cap de Faugeres, Clos Lunelles, Piochet, D’Argadens, Robin, Montfort de Larmevaille, Roc de Minvielle, de Lavagnac, Haut Piquat, Fleur St. Antoine, Lagrave St. Antoine, Messile Aubert. Jean de Gue, Puygueraud, Birot, Mont Perat, Fleur St. Antoine

Total Wines Tasted From This Area: 32



Dry White Bordeaux

Rich, ripe, supple fruit with good balancing acidity. They are enjoyable now, but the best will cellar very well. An excellent vintage.

Recommended Wines: (100% of Total Wines Tasted)

Pape Clement Blanc, Monbousquet Blanc, Blanc de Lynch Bages, La Mission Haut Brion Blanc, Carbonnieux Blanc, Fieuzal Blanc, Grand Enclos Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc

Total Wines Tasted In This Category: 10



SAUTERNES & BARSAC

Sorry, I just slap ran out of time and could not taste many Sauternes. So, for me, judgment reserved. The Bordelaise, however, are very excited about the 2009 vintage for Sauternes. Extreme ripeness is balanced by acidity, they claim. Sounds familiar, one could have said the same for the red wines.

(Please note, not all the wines recommended above will be available for sale at Green’s. These are simply my recommendations based on what I sampled. I will, however, endeavor to acquire and offer as many of these as possible to Green’s customers.- Michael Bishop)