French Friday

Pick up your weekend fix and taste three French wines perfect for this much-welcomed warm weather—tonight at MHW, 6-9 pm.

Domaine de la Grenaudiére, Muscadet 'La Grenouille', Loire, France 2009

The Grenaudiere vineyard has been passed down father to son since the 17th Century. On 10 to 50-year-old vines, the Muscadet gets its distinct mineral taste from the clay and gravel-rich soil. You can also taste ripe nectar and citrus, and a fun mandarin-orange finish.

Saint Lion, Mâcon-Villages, Burgundy, France 2006

This golden chardonnay is citric and nutty with a little sweet pear. The nose is incredible. The palate is more clean and refreshing with a long finish. Drink it alone or with grilled fish or chicken.

Domaine de Chantegut, Vacqueyras, Rhône, France 2007

Vacqueyras is between Gigondas to the east and Beaumes-de-Venise to the south. The wines from here tend to the rustic, concentrated and distinctive.

Domaine de Chantegut is a blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah. Grenache brings the aromas of dried orange peel, crushed plum, powerful licorice, tobacco and truffle. The Syrah delivers the black pepper, smokiness and leather.

Tasting: Sonoma, Argentina and France

Tonight’s tasting covers the bases: Sonoma pinot noir, Argentine malbec and a Sancerre from the Loire Valley. All three wines will suit your Thursday and weekend night needs, whether you’re in search of something crisp and fresh (Sancerre), something toasty (pinot noir) or something inexpensive yet delicious (malbec). See you tonight, 6-9, for your free tastes at MHW.

Laguna Ridge Pinot Noir 2006, $23.99
This ruby, garnet pinot noir with a violet rim packs more body than your typical pinot with the perfect touch of French oak (aged 16 months in French oak barrels). Sourced from the best vineyards in Sonoma and the Russian River Valley, the wine delivers juicy red and black fruit with spicy cinnamon notes. The toasty oak lingers on the finish.

Alma Mora Malbec 2008, $9.99
Grown in the 10-year-old Alma Mora vineyard in Tulum Valley - San Juan, Argentina, the Malbec grapes thrive in the rocky, mountainous area and its warm, dry climate. The vineyards are drip irrigated with meltwater from the Andes. The grapes are aged in American and French oak barrels for 8 months.

The result: a soft, full-bodied wine with ripe red berries and fleshy plum flavor and an elegant touch of smoke and vanilla from its contact with wood. Great served with roasted red meats and pasta with tomato sauce.

Florian Mollet Sancerre 2008, $18.99
Planted on the southwest hillsides of the Loire River, these sauvignon blanc grapes grow on vines between 30 and 35 years old. Aged in stainless steel vats, the wine results in a crisp and citric Sancerre, ideal for sipping in summer. Pair with oysters, seafood, asparagus or any light antipasti for a delicious combination.

Greek Goddess and South African Beauty

From Santorini, a small group of volcanic Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, come two dry white wines you’ll be craving all summer. Next, a South African red blend will shock your taste buds.

Nykteri
The white-blend Nykteri means "stay up all night,” because the winemaker practices the ancient vinification process of harvesting during the early part of the day and staying up all night to make the wine. It combines 75 percent assyrtico, 15 percent athiri and 10 percent aidani. After the all-night winemaking marathon, it is aged 3 months in oak. Only 400 cases of Nykteri were produced.

Ageri
Ageri, meaning "light wind,” contains the same exact grape-make-up (all indigenous to Greece and all hand-harvested), yet it goes through stainless steel fermentation. It’s fashioned in more of a semi-dry style. Similarly, just 400 cases were produced.

Audacia Coeur de Rouge
Moving on to South Africa, Coeur de Rouge, meaning "red heart," combines hand-harvested cabernet sauvignon (90 percent) with a touch of malbec (10 percent) on vines that have been growing since

Toreta Posip tastes like the Adriatic Sea

Toreta Posip 2007 is a teaser. It smells like your typical sauvignon blanc: a little grassy with some green apple, pear and lychee. Yummy... but typical. Take a sip and you can taste what you smell. Then suddenly, the wine evolves into something salty, mineral and dry. It's like you're swimming in the Adriatic Sea off the island of Korcula in Croatia, basking in the sun and tasting the salty water on your lips. A little olives mix with this undeniable ocean flavor. Every sip repeats the same experience: sweet fruits, leading to fresh seawater and a final sun-parched dryness.

The experience creates a craving for more and more of this chameleon wine.

Now available at Murray Hill Wines. Inquire within.

Collision Point

Taste these Collision Point wines tonight at MHW, 6-9pm, because a) it's a cool name, b) they're good wines at awesome values, and c) Lake County Red Hills is an up-and-coming region you'll be drinking more and more of, so get familiarized.

Collision Point Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Cabernet sauvignon vines weave through the volcanic and gravel soil in Lake County Red Hills, CA, creating a blackberry, blueberry-dominant flavorful wine with fresh acidity. High elevation and cool night temperatures give it that nice minerality.

The total production is 2,500 cases for 2007, so snatch a bottle before they disappear.

Collision Point Sauvignon Blanc 2008

This sauvignon blanc comes from Lake County in Northern California. Due to the elevation of 1,400 feet above sea level with volcanic soils, you get a clean, crisp, acidic white. The soil contributes to the soft mouth feel and texture. Flavors of citrus and tropical fruits on the palate make this wine perfect to pair with seafood.

The total production is only 385 cases for 2008 ... so, get ya one.

Otto's Constant Dream

Taste OTC (Otto's Constant Dream) Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir tonight for FREE at MHW, 6-9pm.

From Australia and New Zealand, Otto’s Constant Dream brings you fun, unpretentious wines bursting with flavor—just what we need in the heat of spring and summer.

OTC Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough delivers crisp apple, citrus notes and lemongrass. The packaging catches your eye just like the lively taste.

The ruby red Pinot Noir brings cherry and plum flavors followed by some toasty oak and a little raspberry and rosemary. It's a deep yet easy to drink Pinot we'll be savoring tonight.

Croatia & Hungary wine class today!

Wines of Croatia & Hungary (April 8)
Date: Thursday, April 8
Location: 167 West 23rd Street
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Price: $90
Special Guest Appearance!

Here’s your chance to discover Croatia and Hungary. These countries have been making wine for centuries and are finally getting noticed by more and more wine drinkers.

We at Murray Hill Wines will be attending the Wines of Croatia & Hungary class tonight at 167 West 23rd Street, hosted by NYC Wine Class with guest Cliff Rames of the PR firm Wines of Croatia (also the Sommelier at the Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa at the Plaza as well as a 'Certified Specialist of Wine', CSW). On a recent trip to his Croatian homeland, Cliff sourced the distinct bottles we’ll taste today.

Wines from the Mediterranean Sea, the Dinaric Alps and the Adriatic Sea offer such unique diversity. The exploration of wines from the coast versus the mountains reveals how much of a role climate and soil play in wine. Take word from Robert Parker, Oz Clarke and Jancis Robinson, who have all applauded these Eastern European varieties. You’ll also learn about the link between Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Croatia, amongst entertaining tidbits of Croatia’s winemaking history.

Andrew Harwood, founder of NYC Wine Company, will discuss Hungarian wines. A former winemaker in Tokaj, Andrew can reveal stories of the fabled zone, while sharing his favorite grapes and regions (Bull’s Blood, Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kékfrankos, Kadarka and more).