Fall arrives, and so do visitors

I love fall! There is always so much activity going on. Wine dinners, wine tastings, visitors arriving from all over the world.
Next Monday 9/19th...Export Manager Carlos Briones and my good friend Fernando Espina, the Wine Maker at Vina Chocalan in the Antonio Valley in Chile, ...are visiting our office in Ft. Wayne. They are only there for a few hours...I wish they had more time and I could introduce Fernando to the wine lovers of Indianapolis.





Tuesday morning ( 9/20th) an old friend of Indianapolis.....Jigar Patel and his wife Stephanie will arrive. Stephanie tended bar at Chumleys in Broadripple for years. Jigar was at Purdue...for years. You will have two opportunities to meet Jigar in Person....Wednesday at TASTINGS at the Conrad hotel, and Thursday at Crown Liquor at 116th/Lantern in Fishers from 6-7, then at Chatham Tap in Fishers for a free tasting of Jigars wines. There will be special discounts available for his wines at Crown's...just give Patty a call at  (317) 288-0145 for details. 


In November we will receive Monsieur Thibault Marronier, the Brand Ambassadors of Vignobles-lesgourgues. Thibault will introduce some of his wines at Tastings on November 2nd (including some his his fantastic Chateau Laubade Armagnac). We shall see some real interesting wines from Bordeaux, Madiran and their properties in Uruguay.


Wednesday Nov 9th we will have Giacomo Vico from Piedmont/Italy in town - another great tasting at TASTINGS that day, than a stunning wine dinner at R-Bistro on Thursday night - I am dying to see the food that Regina and Erin will match with Giacomo's wines.
After many years on non-production, Giacomo finally produced again a BAROLO ....and received 94 Points (!) for his 2006 vintage from the Wine Enthusiast (my heart is in Barolo)

Mr. Luis Garcia from Grupo Matarromerea was just in town. We visited many of our clients and we tasted Emina Verdejo, VALdelosfrailes Tempranillo from DO Cigales (a "Joven" = young, unoaked Tempranillo) and Cyan 12 meses (Crianza 2005) from DO Toro in Spain. Great response....we need to get him back here in the near future and do some more Spanish tastings

This Saturday we will pour many good wines at Cork & Cracker at 62nd/Keystone in Indianapolis from 3-6 pm, then next week (Friday 9/23) I shall be at the Madison Apothecary and introduce many of our wines to the folks down there.

Wine Dinner at the Story Inn

On September 2,2011  I was invited to host a wine dinner at the Story Inn in Nashville IN.   We decided to feature wines of Giacomo Vico of Piedmont/Italy. 
Chef Erin created a wonderful menu & Rick Hofstaetter, the owner of the Story Inn , was the perfect host. The event was sold out right away.
Menu:
Mussels in white wine with Story Inn lemon basil served with 2010 Roero Arneis, docg.
Gnocchi with porcini mushroom sauce accompanied by Langhe Rosso NV (08 Barbera/07 Nebbiolo blend)
Agnolotti with tomato sauce and fresh roasted heirloom tomatoes was matched with 2009 Langhe Nebbiolo, doc
Brasato al Barolo with creamy polenta had a beautiful bold Barbera d'Alba 2009, doc with it.

Fresh roasted pears drizzled with honey, walnuts and Gorgonzola were served with ice cold BIRBET (sweet low alcoholic Bracchetto)

Giacomo Vico Wines

Getting the wines ready

Rick Hofstaetter with duaghter Anna & Karl S Mann

Please go to the web page of Story Inn or even better, visit the Story Inn and sign up for their newsletter. They host monthly, very interesting wine dinners. Story Inn (their slogan is " one inconvenient location since 1851") is located just south of Brown County State Park near Nashville, IN

Vina Chocalan

Our first container of wines from Vina Chocalan in San Antonio Valley, Chile is on it's way and should arrive by the first week of April 2011. I previously wrote about my visit at the winery in chile. The make very interesting wines and I believed in the work of their wine maker.
I just received an e-mail from the winery yesterday telling me that during a dinner of President Barak Obama and the President of Chile that the wines of Vina Chocalan were served.





Viña Chocalán was present at the dinner with Barack Obama
On Monday the 21st of March, a dinner took place in Santiago de Chile, in the government palace, La Moneda, in honor of United States President, Barack Obama.
Viña Chocalán was selected with two of its wines, to pair with the four course meal prepared by the prestigious cater Sofía Jottar.
Both presidents, Chilean and U.S., had the chance to taste the 2009 Pinot Noir Gran Reserva, from Viña Chocalán, Maipo Valley. It is a delicate wine, with high varietal tipicity and elegance. Fresh, silky, with soft tannins and ripe black cherry framed by delicate species and toasty notes, due to its ageing in French oak barrels.
The second wine chosen was the 2009 Chardonnay Chocalán Malvilla. The vineyard is located just 4 km from the Pacific Ocean; this Terroir gives to the wines its particular essence.
The cool climate, the breeze coming from the sea, the roots growing in soils with presence of shells and marine fossils made this Chardonnay to be known as one of the best in Chile.
Discover in each glass the real harmony between fruity notes, minerals, smoky and crunchy freshness. A mouth well structured, showing complexity and velvety tones; great character and refinement.
The Malvilla Chocalan wines are the perfect paring for delicious seafood coming from the Chilean coast.

Visiting Wine Makers

Aaahhh - some sunshine and the snow has already melted.
February 28th through March 3rd 2001 we will host Sue and Terry Brandborg from Brandborg wineries of Umpqua Valley Oregon. It's been a while since my wife Patty and I visited their winery in Elkton OR.

While here in Indianapolis Sue and Terry will present their wines during one tasting at Crown Wine & Spirits, 150 N Delaware, Indianapolis (Tuesday March 1st from 5-7 pm) and also at TASTINGS at the Conrad Hotel on March 2nd. There will be two seating at Tastings (6.30 and 8.30) -cost is a mere $ 25 and 5 wines are matched with food by Chef Stephen. Let me tell you from experience that Stephen is extremely talented pairing food and wines.

The Brandborg produce 3 Pinot Noirs, Riesling, Pinot Bland, Pinot Gris, Gewuerztraminer and Hurrah Syrah Dessert wine.
Please join us at one of the events and meet Sue & Terry and taste some of their wonderful wines

Welcome 2011 - News!

2011 has started with a bang! Steve LeFebvre offered me a partnership in vino LeFebvre.

Here are our goals for this year; Grow, grow and grow more. with that, we also need to add more items to our portfolio.

First, we placed the order at Vina Chocalan in San Antonio Valley in Chile - remember, I went visiting down there last May and did some serious tasting with GM Aida Toro H. and wine maker Fernando Espina. Later in the year Carlos Briones (Sales Manager for USA) came to visit us in Ft.Wayne and wee tasted more of their beautiful wines. So we should introduce in our market here in Indiana the beautful wines of Vina Chocalan by the end of February. There will be delicious Sauvignon blanc, Malvilla chardonnay from there vineyard that is 4 km from the Pacific Coast, Viognier, Riesling, Carmenere and the Family Grand Reserve Blend.

The next news are:

visit of Terri and Sue Brandborg from Brandborg winery in Umpqua Valley, OR

Terri and sue are coming to Indianapolis, arriving around February 28th. We are planning a wonderful tasting with their wines at TASTINGS at the Conrad Hotel on Wednesday March 3, 2001.
Please join us for this tasting....Sue and Terri will sign their bottles.

The next news are:

more wines from Oregon at vINo Lefebvre. We just agreed with Phelps Creeks winery to distribute their wines in the State of Indiana. These are serious wines that come from Hood Valley, on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge. I drove so many time by there on my way up to Mt. Hood (always remembering Jack Nicholson in the "Shining" when he drove up to the Hotel (which was actually Timber-lake Lounge up on Mt. Hood).
We will receive several of their fantastic Pinot Noirs and also Gewuerztraminers and wines from their Mt. Defiance Division.

Please note that we are focusing on the other AVA's in Oregon: Hood Vally and Umpquay. We at vINo LeFebvre do want to be a bit different than other distributors in Indiana.








Last not least: I just returned from the Key West food & Wine Festival. It was the 2nd annual event this years. Grand Tasting at the Truman's Little White House and Saturdays event was"Duval Street Uncorked". I don't need to say that I had a wonderful time and just returned in time to prepare our self's for the major ice storm that is going to hit us.

Arrival of two new highly rated wines

Just in time for the holiday season we received two more wines from Europe. the come from Madiran - southwest France near Gascogne. Chateau Peyros (AOC Madiran) is affiliated with chateau Laubade - our producer of finest BAS Armagnac in France.
The first wine is the Chateau Peyros Tannat-Cabernet 2005. It caught me off guard, because it is actually 60% Tannat and 40% Cabernet Franc. In the wine there is a solid amount of wood, but also plenty of fruit. the tannins are dark, brooding in character, but they also support ripe and juice fruits. with it's dusty texture, this wine could certainly be aged for several years. It was rated 91 points by the Wine Enthusiast and ranks # 16 of the top 100 Best Buys.

The second wine is the Chateau Peyros Vielles Vignes 2005- Madiran - a blend of 80% Tannat and 20% Cabernet Franc. It is a delicious wine whose richness is matched by great texture and big, juicy fruits. it has plenty of tannins, but they meld easily into the rich ripe fruits, leaving a wine with a structure that offers considerable potential. the wine was rated 92 points by Wine enthusiast and became a TopShelf - Cellar Selection.

Look for these wines at R-Bistro and St.Elmo's very soon. They will be available in retail stores (Jonah's Market) next week - Price range between $14-$ 16 per Bottle

Baptise Cuvelier coming to town again

Bonjour....Baptiste Cuvelier is coming to town again. This time he is here to introduce his newest wine of the Cuvelier family to Indiana. His wine is called Cuve del Maule and is from the Cauquenes in the Maule area of Chile. Baptiste had worked with some friends of his on this project for a very long time.
The grapes a all grown organically and are "fair trade" . They are setting up long-term relationships with their grape suppliers. They were all selected because of their organic methods. no chemicals whatsoever were sprayed in their vineyards. They also are advising them on pruning and green works to maintain low yields and goo sanitary conditions.
The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Merlot, Chinsault and Pais it's called an Earthquake Blend - because the Earthquake in Chile almost destroyed the winery and they had to completely reorganize all the barrels in storage.

The wine has a powerful and complex nose of black currant, raspberry and blueberry enriched with tones of anis and white mint. In the mouth, tannins are soft and thin. You will also enjoy its structure, complexity, roundness, balance, and acidity which bring an amazing lengt h with a final note of spices and coffey.



Well Indy...we will be out and about with this new wine and are looking forward to meet with you.

JIGAR wines arrived in Indiana

JIGAR wines are produced by Jigar Patel an Alumni of Purdue University.

The 2009 Chardoanny from the Russian River Valley is very complex, boasting flavors of pineapple, lively acidity full mouth feel and a long, lingering finish. It should drink well now through the next 5-7 years. Enjoy this wine with smoked salmon, artisan cheeses or a fresh spinach salad.Aged in French Oak of which 25% was new.

The 2008 Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley comes from the old "mother" clone and is full of big bold black fruit, clove, and earth, round juicy blackberry and currant palate, long mocha finish with ample tannin. It boasts a full 16 % Alcohol

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Dry Creek Valley has an aroma of Cherry and pepper nose, black cherry palate, long finish with hints of mocha and clove. Full, rich and round with excellent tannin. 14.7 % Alcohol

Jigar wines are currently available and Crown Wine & Spirits in Indianapolis IN

Giacomo Vico visiting Indiana

Our friend Giacomo Vico from Piedmont/Italy is visiting Indiana again.

During his visit there will be two events;
On October 5th Giacomo will host a wine dinner at Matteo's Ristorante in Nobelsville IN.
Cost is $ 65 per person (excl. tax & gratuity).
Please make reservation at 317-774-9771 - seating is limited.

On Wednesday Giacomo will present his wines at a wine tasting at the Ft.Wayne Country Club in Ft.Wayne IN in the early evening