Mills Wine Recommendations

The Mills' Staff regularly samples new vintages and wines. Our monthly staff recommendations highlight new arrivals that offer distinct regional character, high quality, and value for money, and that deserve special attention.

Staff Selections - January, 2010

	100 Marias 2006	Portugal	Regular Price $11.99 Customer Appreciation Card price: $10.79
Cheryl's Pick. This Portuguese red is a blend of Aragonez and Trincadeira grapes that are native grapes of Portugal. It's full with a delicate and elegant palate with hints of dark fruit. It's enjoyable on its own or it pairs well with grilled meats or red sauces.

	Orleans Hill Alexandria White	California	Regular Price $12.99 Customer Appreciation Card price: $11.69
Cheryl's Pick Anyone who knows me well will tell you how crazy I am about organic food. Nowadays, organic food is readily available but good organic wine is hard to come by. I've tried the few that have come along here and there and have never been that impressed. The Orleans Hill line is by far the best organic wines I've tried! The Alexandria White is a blend of Muscat and French Colombard. It's simple, refreshing and aromatic with tropical notes of pear and mango. Pair it with fresh pasta, light cheeses, seafood, salads, mixed veggies or chicken.

	Orleans Hill "Our Daily Red"	California	Regular Price $9.99 Customer Appreciation Card price: $8.99
Cheryl's Pick. Our Daily Red is a blend of Cabernet, Syrah and Carignan. It's bursting with strawberries and vanilla. It's an easy drinking red and pairs well with berries, cheese, poultry, pork, lamb, tuna or salmon. Also, note that if you're sensitive to sulfites these wines are certified organic and there are no added sulfites and some in this line have no sulfites detected. We also carry two other wines in this line, The Cote Zero (Syrah blend) and Orleans Hill Cabernet.

	Catherine et Didier Tripoz’s Clos des Tournons White Burgundy 2006	Burgundy, France	Regular Price $17.99 Customer Appreciation Card price: $15.29
Barb's Pick Lightly oaked Chardonnay offering tons of golden and green apples on the nose, some flowery notes and hints of nuts. This wine is great as an evening starter, paired with Gruyere cheese and sliced apples and pears. Add some Parmesan-Reggiano cheese to the plate to contrast the Chardonnay flavors.

	Coteaux du Languedoc, Picpoul de Pinet 2008	Languedoc, France	Regular Price $10.00 Customer Appreciation Card price: $8.00
Barb's Pick. The white Piquepoul grape grows along the Mediterranean and enjoys humid sea breezes to help it mature. The full-bodied, citrus flavors are a fine match for shellfish. Try pairing this wine with shrimp cocktail or a cold crab salad.

	Consilience Petit Syrah 2005	California	Regular Price $24.99 Customer Appreciation Card price: $22.49
Barb's Pick. Similar to a zinfandel, this is a big, inky, mouth-filling red. Flavors of blueberry and blackberry are prominent with white pepper. Serve this wine with hearty meat dishes and barbecue.

	Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling 2002	Australia	Regular Price $31.99 Customer Appreciation Card price: $27.19
Barb's pick. This is a great dessert wine, wonderfully sweet, but fresh. The citrus flavors come through with orange marmalade, punchy lime and juicy nectarine. This wine can easily stand alone as dessert.

	Proulx Merveille 2005	California	Price Below
Ben's Pick. In the funky little town of Paso Robles, we'll find Proulx Winery and their "Merveille" Blend. A kitchen-sink's worth of 46% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Petite Verdot, and 2% Mourvedre. I was expecting this to be an assaulting and flashy fruit bomb, but I was really surprised to find something really special - intensely ripe fruit, but with lots of cedar spice box, menthol and sage to back it up. It's tenacious and fun, without being cloying. It reminds me of a particularly well-built Barossa Cabernet with the minty herbal notes beneath all that blackberry and tea. At around 18 bucks it tastes like something that could go for three times the price. It's fantastic juice, come and get some.

	Peterson Pinot Noir, Floodgate Vineyard, Anderson Valley 2002	California
Ben's Pick. A hundred and some-odd miles north of San Francisco, you'll find yourself in the town of Boonville at the heart of the ruggedly handsome Anderson Valley. Some of the old locals of Boonville speak a language called "Boontling" -a dialect born from the late 19th century. A mishmash of Spanish, Pomo Indian, old Gaelic, and local Jabberwocky. Anderson Valley has flourished as a premier wine region (and the local breweries aint' bad either) and Highway 128 from Cloverdale is full of folks seeking wineries off the beaten path. You can buy local wine and little "Boontling" dialect guides in the gas stations. The Floodgate Vineyard, in the rolling hills high above the valley floor, has been producing beautifully rich and earthy Pinots and Chardonnays since the 1980s. This 2002 Pinot Noir made by the Peterson family, is still holding tight after 7 years. It's a remarkably pure and focused wine. It's complex without being overly complicated and possesses tons of tart ripe fruit and spicy, smokey aromatics. When people think of California wines, they might think of buttery Chardonnays and expensive, turgid Cabernets, insipid jug wines and fruit bombs. I wish they would think more of wines like Peterson Pinot Noir. It's graceful and soft without being thin, substantial and rich without being dense. Like the good people of Boonville, this is a wine of great character and local color. Don't cock a fister and don't get can kicky, come and boarch some Peterson Pinot Noir. There's aplenty now, but soon we'll have neemer.

	Domain de Cristia Chateauneuf du Pape 2007	France	Mills Customer Price: $39.99
Peter's Pick. The dense ruby/purple 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape (90% Grenache and 10% Syrah) is very sexy and rich, with a beautiful nose of blueberry, blackberry, charcoal, and tapenade. Fabulously concentrated, with silky tannins and a layered, rich mouthfeel, this stunning effort is already irresistible, and should drink well for a decade or more. Domaine de Cristia has come on like gangbusters over the last decade, since proprietors Baptiste Grangeon took over from his father in 1999. All of Cristia's vineyards are in the northeast sector of the appellation, with their sensational 100% Grenache Vieilles Vignes cuvee coming from 70- to 80-year-old vines in sandy soil not far from the Rayas vineyard. They apparently only made one cuvee in 2008, a normal occurrence in Chateauneuf du Pape given that vintage is average to just above-average in quality.

	Sonoma Acres Pinot Noir , Russian River 2008	California	Customer Appreciation Card price: $17.99
Ben's Pick It helps when you know the history before it happens. A little birdie told me that Kenwood was about to make a deal with Jonathan Newman for some Pinot Noir. I knew that several years ago Kenwood had used the Sonoma Acres name and so Mills put in a premtive strike order for a pallet ofthis Pinot Noir. Then we tasted it, trtied to order more, and were told it was a 23 minute release to sell out! This is NOT a big full bodied Pinot. This is a brilliant, light color, flavorfull classic Sonoma/Russian River Pinot Noir and the price is simply amazing. This is one you need to try.

	Leflaive Rully Ier Cru Vauvry 2006	France	Regular Price $39.99 Customer Appreciation Card price: $29.99
Peter's Pick. Olivier Leflaive is arguable one of the top 5 grower producers in Burgundy. We simply stole this wine that has been known to sell for upwards of $80 per bottle. This is no wimp white Burgundy. It is big and full bodied and is everything a White Burgundy is supposed to be. We only have 12 cases of it so I doubt it will make it to February.

	Il Molina di Grace Chianti Classico 2005	Italy	Regular Price $23.99 Customer Appreciation Card price: $19.18
Peter's Pick. This is the return of a favorite from one of last Summers sell out EMails! Winner of the Gambero Rosso Tuscan New Winery of the year award three years ago! When I visited this estate in 2008 I was simply blown away by the quality (and the amazing art work that Frank Grace had all over the place). Yup, thats not an Italian name. Frank is either from Baltimore or Cleveland depending on which story you believe. This Chianti is really new world full bodied with amazing exrtraction. Lots of berries and fruit. This is a real overachiever!