This Week's Special Selections
The Federal Shut In Case
April 1, 2020
The Smooth and the Robust, a well rounded collection of French favorites. We continue to deliver both downtown and wherever you are, and provide curbside pickup if you prefer.
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“Don’t know if I could get through this without wine.
Some people hoard toilet paper; we’re hoarding cabernet.”
Gail Collins, one of our favorite columnists, penned this last week in the New York Times.We certainly agree with the its sentiment with one quibble. Cabernet like any of the other wonderful grapes whose products we carry is to be consumed not hoarded. So this week the third in our series of cases to brighten the next few days for all you involuntary shut-ins.
(Those more retentive of bathroom paper who demand authenticity should look here. Also anyone who could use a smile)
The Whites
We were delighted to see the magnificently mustachioed Jo Landron in the store just before foreign travel was cut off. With him was his 2018 Muscacadet la Louvetrie. It has the wonderfully full saline and acid drive that characterize his more expensive wines. Like those it is the style that made Muscadet famous as a great companion for oysters and other seafood. Landron’s is Muscadet the way they used to, with the strong thrust of lemon-tinged acidity that you have to pay more from other producers.
The 2018 La Chapiniere Touraine Sauvignon is a very civil sort of Sauvignon Blanc It doesn't go to the extremes of New Zealand grass, New World sweet fruit, or Old World smoke but has very nice lightly delineated flavors of lime and melon. Like the Muscadet, it's has a lot more character than you would expect from its price
Jean Manciat makes his Mâcon-Charnay Franclieu in stainless-steel vat, to preserveithe fruity, floral aromas and flinty minerality that characterize the best Chardonnay in the region. The 2018 is nicely intyense with rich concentrated flavors of lemon and mineral.
The Reds
Couly Dutheil's La Coulee Automnal that excellent Loire Valley producers fresh fruity. Version. It is a pure fruit forward rendition of Cabernet Franc, made to be drunk young with no hard edges but lots of fresh berry flavors. Delightful with chicken or pork.
Denis Dubourdieu who died three years ago was a famous professor of eonology at the University of Bordeaux. He was renowned for his modernization of the art of making white, particularly at his family's estate, Clos Floridene in Graves. His very good reds are a discovery. We were enthused when we tasted the estate’s affordable second Reflets. More Cabernet than Merlot, it has a layered thickness that it shares with other much more expensive Graves wines. You can drink it now. It will certainly age for a few years.
Andis is a relatively young winery in California’s Sierra foothills where Zinfandel has its most solid and earthy expression. Their 2017 Painted Fields is is robust and rich with light oak notes, as fine and reasonably priced characterful Zinfandel is we've come across of late. Making chili? This is your wine.
White
2018 Jo Landron Muscadet Sevre et Maine la Louvetrie; Aroma: light pretty lime, rather clean, very pretty, light lemon; Mouth: clean , fine acid, juicy, firm back, rounded fruit, sweetly fruited mineral, nice long finish; Very Good Plus 14.99; Mixed Case, 13.49; Case, 12.74
2018 La Chapiniere Touraine Sauvignon; Aroma: pretty, muted grapefruit, pineapple, clean, ; Mouth: quince, nice balance between grapefruit & melon, soft, clean and direct, very nice length; Very Good Plus 14.99; Mixed Case, 13.49; Case, 12.74
2018 Jean Manciat Macon Charnay Franclieu; Color: green gray; Aroma: rather firm, a touch reduced, stone, , lemon lime, rounded slightly astringent; Mouth: juicy rich rather intense fleshy clean juicy intense, fleshy nicely taut on the finish; Very Good Plus 18.99; Mixed Case, 17.09; Case, 16.14
Red
2016 Couly-Dutheuil Chinon La Coulee Autumnal; Aroma: fresh rather fruity, very heady very good intensity, fresh; Mouth: light clean fresh acidity, pretty forward clean, juicy good length; Very Good Plus 19.99; Mixed Case, 17.99; Case, 16.99
2016 Reflets de Floridene (Graves); Color: medium dark; Aroma: mineral, heady rather dense, rather herbal; Mouth: thick sweet fruit, very clean, mineral, fine aid more texture, ; Very Good Plus 21; Mixed Case, 18.9; Case, 17.85
2017 Andis Old Vine Zinfandel Painted Fields; Color: very dark black; Aroma: earthy, deep, light wood notes, rather deep very full, very ripe; Mouth: classic, sweet on the attack, rather rich, clean bright firm, acidity, balanced ; Very Good Plus 23.99; Mixed Case, 21.59; Case, 20.39
4/1 Shut In Case 2 bottles each of the above $195
Downtown, 24/1/20 one each Shut In Pack $103
Or Mix any 12 for 15% off
Any 6 for 10% off
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
- Len Rothenberg
