Pi’nouf 2009 Languedoc Red, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Pronounced “peee –nooof,” here is an excellent representative of wines from a part of France considered to be the world’s single biggest wine region, making more wine than the entire United States and “on some of the world’s oldest soils.” Though “Old World” wines are prized for their delicate nature, this Languedoc-Roussillon specimen may throw you off a bit. Even its name translates as “bold, rich, persistent,” and its rich, fleshy Syrah plays heavily in that brashness. With 65% Syrah, 25% Grenache, and 10% Carignan, Pi’nouf presents as regal cherry red with purple sheen. It is deeply fruity with a lushness that evokes bittersweet chocolate-covered cherries with smoky vanilla notes. As the winemaker notes, “the palate is medium-to-full-bodied with a long, lingering finish and enough supple tannins to give some classic ‘grip.’” Watch this wine pair perfectly with your heartiest fare or alongside a potent collection of after-dinner cheeses.

Bonny Doon Vineyard 2009 “Contra,” Central Coast, California

Ironically described as a red Rhone blend, this mix of 55% Carignan, 15% Grenache, 14% Mourvedre, 7% Petite Sirah, 5% Zinfandel, and 2% Syrah is grown and produced nowhere near the Rhone River. Though considered a “New World” wine, it comes mostly from “old-fangled” grape varieties and from mostly older vineyards, even if they are in Contra Costa County. It is gorgeously rustic with a nose of cherry, licorice, cassis and blackberry. On the palate, it holds a bright acidity with silky tannins. The winemaker describes “Contra” as having important contrasts of “luscious, opulent fruitiness” with a certain degree of austerity, concluding it’s got the “yin and yang of soft and hard, of fruit and earth….” The Wine Advocate described it as “stunning.” The San Francisco Chronicle included it among its top 100 wines for 2010. We think it marries as well with a hearty Provencal stew as it does with a medium-rare grilled Black Angus ribeye.

Fagus de Coto de Hayas, Garnacha 2008

An intense garnet wine, the nose here also conveys an intensity of red fruit, spice and oakiness. On the palate, this luscious somewhat oaky red brings forth vanilla and raspberry jamminess with hints of licorice and chocolate that are made even more impressive with a bit of decanting. This Garnacha is balanced, rich and most definitely satisfying. The Penin Guide on Spanish Wine scored this particular vintage 90 out of 100 points, saying “Never before has a Garnacha wine been so close to perfection.” In 2007, the wine won a silver medal in the International Wine Challenge in London. For a special treat, pair it with wild game, a succulent pork roast or as an accompaniment to ripe sheep cheese.

Don Ramon Campo de Borja, 2008

With an addition of 25% Tempranillo, one might worry that this full-bodied Garnacha would overwhelm the senses. However, this deep ruby-colored smile-maker provides a welcoming, albeit complex and intense aroma that leads to a luxurious full-fruited wine – perfect for quaffing on a cold winter’s night, enjoying with a hearty stew or serving with your homemade tapas of charcuterie and assorted cheeses. It is smooth, well structured and with a soft, rich finish. In other words, this Garnacha is delightfully drinkable and perfect for the red wine lover. You will quickly see why Garnacha is the third most planted grape in Spain.

Finca Os Cobatos 2010 Mencia

Say “ola” to Mencia, a new varietal to many American wine drinkers, but definitely one you are likely to want to taste again and again. Sourced from vines planted in the early 1980s, this wine comes from northwestern Spain in an area sometimes referred to as “Green Spain” because of its lush environment and cooler mountainside temps. Look forward to a lush, complex wine that will surprise and delight the most critical red wine oenophiles. Compared to Beaujolais or Cabernet Franc, this Mencia is ruby red in color with a nose of ripe red fruits and a certain earthy herbaceousness that is ever-so-slightly floral. It’s balanced with good texture that is enhanced by double-decanting or just letting the wine breath for about a half-hour. This 100% Mencia wine has bright acidity with a youthful light to medium body and tannins that actually can pair well with fish, not just your Christmas roast beast or roasted game hens.

Pazo do Mar 2010 Ribeiro (Albariño)

Nothing says special occasion like an elegant white wine from one of Spain’s award winning vintners, and this 100% Albariño is just the thing for your holiday table. Another lesser-known varietal is showcased in this refreshing, yet luxurious straw-colored wine. Often compared to Viognier, this wine has a nose of elegant minerality mixed with citrus and tart Granny Smith apple. Good, yet delicate acids make for a medium- to full-bodied white with grip and long finish. Great for drinking alone, this wine is also a wonderful match for your Oysters Rockefeller, salmon bisque or roasted whole snapper.

Merry Christmas to all our Hinsdale friends!

2009 Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

For red wine lovers, Pinot Noir is often their wine of choice when it comes to turkey time. And, this particular Pinot is certainly one worthy of a special affair. “The 2009 [Fess Parker Santa Barbara] Pinot Noir is a gorgeous wine bursting with dark cherries, spices and sweet French oak,” says Robert Parker Jr. in an August edition of Wine Advocate. “It shows fabulous textural richness and depth, especially for an entry-level offering. This is a tasty, accessible Pinot to drink now and over the next few years.” Indeed, this ruby-colored elixir composed completely of Pinot Noir grapes from four vineyards with complementary terroir offers an exquisite nose of black cherry, autumnal spices of cinnamon and clove, vanilla and foresty earthiness. On the palate, the black cherry comes through with red currant, cranberry, vanilla and spice. Ten months of aging in new Burgundian French oak adds that impressive depth, and its texture is pure velvet. Enjoy at Thanksgiving or to enhance a meal of bourbon-glazed salmon or crispy roasted duck.

2009 Caleo Inzolia. Sicily

One sniff of this Sicilian white, and you will recall a vacation to the tropics with its captivating exotic fruitiness — most notably of kiwi and pineapple. Made from 100 percent Inzolia grapes, this Italian varietal has a spicy aromatic character that is refreshing and unique. Inzolia grapes, also known as Ansonica, have been traditionally used to make the lighter-colored Marsala wines that come from this region. More recently, as Sicilian wines have become popularized through export, those outside of Sicily are enjoying Inzolia as a well-structured, crisp, clean white wine with an intense bouquet. The cool, breezy Sicilian nights add to the wine’s brilliant straw color and distinctive nose. The Caleo Inzolia is a particularly well-balanced, harmonious wine with hints of citrus that pair perfectly with seafood dishes like a shrimp and fennel risotto, linguini con vongole or sole Meuniere.

2008 Treana White

An intense yellow color, this blend of 55% Marsanne and 45% Viognier provides a flavorful, exotic experience from a northern vineyard in Santa Lucia’s highlands. The Treana White is wonderfully tropical on both the nose and palate.  A Rhône-style wine, it carries bright floral and citrus blossom aromas with hints of jasmine. A slight oakiness augments papaya, guava, mango and other tropical flavors that have clear accents of honey and honeysuckle. This is a surprisingly rich, even viscous white wine with a long finish and full mouth-feel. It’s also wonderfully food-friendly and is a perfect match for those aromatic meals we love at this time of year like a garlic-rosemary roast chicken or savory apple and sage pork roast.

Candor Zinfandel Lot 3

The Hope family aims for perfection with its Zinfandel, opting to mix vintages to create fresh, bright wines that exhibit youthful, vibrant flavors while possessing the rich complexity of more mature wine.  Candor Lot 3 blends the unique characteristics of 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages from the Paso Robles and Lodi appellation. The result? Another gorgeously rich wine with those strong berry flavors that accompany good Zinfandel.  On the nose, you’ll sense licorice and vanilla. To taste, it’s a mix of strawberries, cherries, chocolate, toasted spice and pepper with a zing of acidity. Silky tannins provide a lush, full mouth-feel and long finish. And with a red wine this luscious, it may serve as the centerpiece to your dinner after a cold-commute home – able to stand up to strong, flavorful cheeses or upgrade even ordinary carry-out pizza into a little bit of heaven.

September’s Inspired Wine Club offers the perfect wine coupling to ease you into autumn. Just as you are performing your final cannonball dives of the season, we present two of Cannonball Winery’s finest. These wines will comfort the soul with their iconic childlike diver on the label placating your last pangs of summer nostalgia. Yes, two wines that happily accompany your grill fare as well as your renewed autumn stews—perfect for Hinsdale weather as it too tries to settle into the upcoming cooler season.

2009 Cannonball Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County

If you believe the winemaker (and why shouldn’t you? It’s the beloved, skillful Dennis Hill), this Cab may be the winery’s very best vintage ever, and that’s coming from a winery that prides itself on its Cabs. Thanks to Mother Nature, all the conditions were right for creating fantastic Cabs in 2009. And so, here we have a gorgeous, smooth, full-bodied specimen that pushes the fruit forward with just a small addition of Syrah. In addition to the jammy dark berry, cherry and plum flavors is a wonderful bit of warmed dark chocolate, some autumnal spiciness and softened toasted oak. The tannins add dimension but don’t overwhelm, and the acidity makes for a balanced wine with a long finish. Match it to a Porterhouse steak on the grill, a warming beef Bourguignon, or on its own as a sipper. Red wine lovers won’t be disappointed.

2010 Cannonball Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County

This limited-release wine promises the perfect send-off to summer during your Labor Day celebrations. The long, cool growing season in 2010 produced flavorful grapes with balanced acidity. The nose overflows with the fruitiness of honeydew, papaya, citrus and a smidge of white pepper. In the mouth, its minerality juxtaposes so nicely with the honeysuckle and melon flavors. This wine won’t weigh you down. It is smooth, refreshing and a great accompaniment to seafood, your favorite pastas and salads, or for quaffing alone as you enjoy those diminishing picturesque summer sunsets from your backyard deck or screened-in porch.

– Robert Rex, Winemaker, @Arroba Winery

Since 1972, Robert Rex has been making wines, most famously at his own Deerfield Ranch winery, where he touts the virtues of wine blending to create the perfect wine. This seems utterly appropriate when one learns he is also a masterchef who can wax on about a stock made from 100 percent red wine, a whole lot of vegetables and lovingly roasted beef bones. Thankfully, his artistry, creativity and considered opinion are behind the relatively new wine label @Arroba, which promises Robert Rex quality wines @ a more affordable price. Continuing a traditional French winemaking style, Rex has helped to craft impeccable wines for @Arroba, including a chardonnay and cabernet that wine critics quickly note taste considerably above their price range.

The trendy, social-media centric tone to @Arroba wines, with ads that mimic iPhones and Twitter-esque marketing language, indicate these are iconic wines for today, even when temps are soaring. So, @Arroba puts the “inspiration” in the Hinsdale Inspired August Wine Club: a brilliant Chardonnay made for sipping on your terrace or screened-in porch and a Cabernet Sauvignon richly perfected to pair with your favorite barbecue fare.

@Arroba 2009 Santa Maria Chardonnay

Here is a Chardonnay whose oakiness doesn’t weigh one down in the summer heat. Demonstrating a fine balance of oak aging and buttery goodness, the @Arroba Chardonnay is refreshing, bringing the cool Pacific breezes of the central California coast seemingly right to your wine glass. The golden color and green hues introduce a nose of young harvest fruits and a bit of autumn spice. Swirl it in your glass, and you will be rewarded by the way this young wine opens up and provides lush fruit flavor and a perfect balance of acidity. Perfect for taking on a picnic with its screwtop seal, this wine demonstrates impressive craftsmanship that comes from 100% barrel fermentation and 11 months of aging in artisan coopered French oak.

@Arroba 2007 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon

Get out your best steaks for this deep purple Cab that is tempered with 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, making for a rich, velvety, berry-luscious wine. Aged in French and American Oak barrels for almost three years, this fruit-forward wine is full bodied with flavors of cherries and blackberries.  Again, Rex craftsmanship with a whole-berry fermentation process allows the wine to retain an opulent fruit flavor with hints of violets and cedar on the nose. Soft tannins and low acidity give the wine balanced structure, making this wine stand out with your favorite grilled foods.

For this month’s Inspired Wine Club, we present two beautifully bold American wines: an All-American Zin blend from Wine Guerrilla – “You wouldn’t expect a sissy blend from a revolutionary” and a Central Coast Pinot Noir from Fat Monk – “Behold the Father, Sun and the Central Coast.”  These are not wines for the tender-hearted, but their labels will make you chuckle, and the wines will pair so perfectly with your summer grilled steaks, you will be coming back for more.

2009 Wine Guerrilla Sonoma County Rebel Cru (Zinfandel Blend)

Zins are known for being big and bold, but here is a robust blend that channels some of the most characterful red wine grapes to produce a gratifying match to your hearty summer fare or for sipping alone. Made from 40% Zinfandel, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah and 10% Petite Sirah, the Rebel Cru provides a balanced, fruit forward, spicy dark wine. Wine Guerrilla describes its wine like this: “It’s like the Fab Four of wine-zin the ‘cute one,’ cab the ‘clever one,’ syrah the ‘quiet one’ and petite sirah the ‘funny one.’ Together, they make beautiful music.” Ah, the perfect accompaniment to any Independence Day celebration.

2009 Fat Monk Central Coast Pinot Noir

Need your own personal fireworks taste explosion in your wine, then you will enjoy this plumy Wild West Pinot with hints of cherry, strawberry and tar. Central Coast has some of California’s best Pinot Noir vineyards, and this 100% Pinot Noir with nine months new and neutral French oak aging provides rich mouth feel, intoxicatingly earthy aroma, and an overall satisfying, complex wine. According to the winemaker, 20 minutes of refrigeration before serving only maximizes the experience. And that’s no joke.

In so many places, the Greek islands are a picturesque retreat that includes a culinary culture of stuffed grape leaves, garlicky grilled meats and fish, and, believe it or not, surprising and unsung wines.

So in light of Hinsdale’s own sultry summer days that lay in wait, the June Inspired Wine Club takes its members to Greece this month with wines that you have probably never heard of before and will still have trouble pronouncing even upon tasting and enjoying.

So, as they toast in Greece, “yteia!” (pr. “yamas”) and best wishes for a happy, healthy June!

Domaine Spiropoulos Mantinia 2009

In the center of the Peloponnese on the Mantinia Plateau 650 meters above sea level are vineyards that reap the benefits of Greece’s penetrating sun but with cooler temperatures that come with the elevation. Mantinia is a valley surrounded by further, steep and protective mountains, and many consider its best winemaking grape to be Moschofilero, the white variety that UC-Davis trained Apostolos Spiropoulos transforms into his heralded Domaine Spiropoulos Mantinia. Since 1860, his family has made noteworthy, organic wines in this region. Moschofilero grapes produce an elegant wine whose floral aroma evokes roses and violets. This pale yellow rendition yields an intense nose with hints of orchard fruits, lemon-blossom and spice. It is a crisp wine with slight acidity that has been compared to mature German Riesling, making it great as an aperitif or to accompany your favorite seafood summer fare.

Domaine Spiropoulos Red Stag 2007

In 2007, the Spiropoulos family prudently expanded to Nemea, opening a new winery in Corinthia to produce red wines that included some near-extinct local varietals. In Red Stag, they use Agiorgitiko, a grape indigenous to Greece, in a simple, traditional process akin to that in Bordeaux that includes approximately a year of aging in French oak barrels. Typical to wines produced with this grape, Red Stag is low in acid with balanced tannins and a fruity, dark cherry tone. Agiorgitiko is the second most planted varietal in Greece, with the best examples coming from Nemea and possessing light, lively characteristics that make it perfect for warmer temperatures. Still deep red in color with purple hints, Red Stag recalls the aromas and flavors of cherry, dark fruits of the forest, and vanilla with hints of black pepper. This is a balanced, wonderfully accessible wine with a long finish that can be enjoyed with lighter fare today or cellared for later use.

Though the country’s third largest wine region, the wine from this area often doesn’t travel beyond Paris. The French treasure this region and the surprising diversity its food-friendly wine offers. From hearty Cabs to citrusy Sauvignon Blanc, this region is able to produce a broad spectrum of notable wines that are undoubtedly France’s best-kept secrets. This month, however, the secret is out. Here in the Inspired Wine Club, both May selections hail from Loire, showcasing how it can produce whites just as wonderfully as reds.

So, cue the Parisian accordion player, shake out your checkered tablecloth and set your bistro table for two. These wines are ready to accompany your finest fare and seem to proclaim, “Bon Appetit!”

2009 Foucher-Lebrun Chais St. Laurent Chinon Vigne en Veron

Made from 100 percent Cabernet Franc, this is a supple red wine with soft tannins and lovely fruit. Grapes come from old vines that are 45 to 50 years old.  Using a combination of barrel and steel-tank aging, the winemaker has created a gorgeously balanced wine. It is bright, fresh and aromatic – the kind of red wine that is as perfect with your favorite roast chicken or steak au poivre as it is with a bit of foie gras.  A wine that sets off any occasion, actually.

2009
 Foucher-Lebrun ‘Le Mont’ Sancerre

As the weather heats up, this is a perfect foil to that heat.  Not encumbered with residual sugar, this 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc has refreshing minerality. Like most Sancerre’s, it is citrusy with clear notes of lemon and lime, and it’s classic flinty accents give the wine depth and a firm finish. Again, this is a wonderfully food-friendly wine that pairs so nicely with seafood.  Likely it longs to accompany, a well-garnished plate of trout à la Meuniere or poisson en papillote.