jp wine bar: cork club

Join Jp Wine Bar's Cork Club

Jp Wine Bar has been opened for four and a half years now, and we have decided it was time to restructure the current wine club to make it even more exciting for wine enthusiasts (or for people who just enjoy drinking wine). The biggest change we are making to the existing wine club includes offering different membership levels based on your personal taste and budget. We realize that everyone enjoys different wines and we want to put wines in your locker that you are going to enjoy each time you dine at the restaurant. Another change in the programs includes adding additional member benefits. We want you to receive the most out of your Jp Wine Bar Cork Club membership.

Cork Club Membership Levels

1. Value Membership: each month we will fill your locker with selections that offer supreme bang for the buck. Expect overachieving wines from undiscovered and undervalued regions. The list price of these bottles will fall between $26-$50 per bottle on our list.

Cost: $350/year



2. Solo Bianco Membership: can't get enough of the high acid and high expression whites that we pour so much of over the spring and summer? Neither can we! Expect great wines from cool climate Northern locales all year long! Bottles will tend to be priced between $40-$80 per bottle on our wine list.

Cost: $450/year



3. Four Seasons Membership: each month we will fill your locker with a seasonally appropriate selection of the most exciting, expressive and distinctive wines available to us. The list price of these bottles will tend to fall between $45 - $75 per bottle on our wine list.

Cost: $475/year



4. Sideways Membership: pinot noir is one of the greatest and most expressive grapes on the planet. There are a lot of places that can claim to make world class Pinot these days and each of those places offer their own unique expression of the grape. Average list price for these bottles will fall between $50 - $120.

Cost: $775/year



5. Big Red Membership: do you love the full throttle, bold expressive reds? Mouth staining (but hopefully not shirt staining) Cabernets, Syrahs and top of the spectrum Malbecs will be coming your way year round. We'll line up the decanters! Bottles will be priced between $75 - $125 on our list.

Cost: $975/year



6. Perfect Pairing Membership: this club is unique in that it really transcends wine to include offerings from our kitchen as well. Each month, we work with Chef Brian Aaron to pair an ideally synergistic wine club selection with one of his seasonal main course selections. Your membership will include one bottle of the wine club selection plus 2 main courses from our kitchen each month. These bottles will tend to fall between $45 - $75 on our list and the two main course plates will have a total value of approximately $50 per month.

Cost: $975/year

Cork Club Member Benefits:

• personal wine locker with name plate


• one bottle of wine added to your locker each month


• free admission to weekly cork club tastings ($10/wine tasting)


• discounted bottle prices on wines presented at the weekly tastings


• reduced admission for all wine dinners


• early offers on highly selected allocated wines at special club prices


• discounts on booking private events at the restaurant

For our existing wine locker members, you will have a chance to select your membership level when it is time to renew your locker.

Need a gift idea for the person who has everything? A wine locker is a great gift idea, especially with the holiday season approaching. Give that special person a gift they can enjoy all year!

To find out additional details about our wine program and purchasing a wine locker, contact laura@jpwinebar.

Cheers!

October 23 Wine of the Month Tasting

OCTOBER WINE OF THE MONTH TASTING



Saturday, October 23rd

5:30 - 7:30

Open to the public



October Wine of the Month Selection: LaPosta Malbec Pizelli Family Vineyard, Mendoza Valley, Argentina '08



In the late 19th century, Argentine farmers brought over a red grape called Malbec from Southwestern France. In the course of the next century they planted it so widely in their own country that it would become the real backbone of their entire wine culture.



Malbec's original home in southwestern France is the Cahors region, roughly 100 miles southeast of Bordeaux. In Bordeaux itself, Malbec has long played a relatively minor role in the famous blends known in the English speaking world as Claret. This lesser role wasn't always the rule, however. Before the phyloxera epidemic in the latter half of the 1800's, Malbec was much more prominent in the vineyards of Bordeaux than it is today. Perhaps more surprisingly, Bordeaux's wines were referred to as "Claret" because of their relatively "clear" appearance next to the extremely dark and inky, as well as popular, wines of the Cahors region. Bordeaux was a major shipping port before it was a major wine region and most of the wines that it shipped north to England were from its more popular neighbor, Cahors. Until the 18th century, Cahors was the more famous and more sought after of the regions by a good stretch and the wines of Bordeaux were sort of tag alongs that filled shipments of Cahors.



Today, Bordeaux seems to be at the summit of international popularity with correlating pricing that is very rapidly spiraling out of control. We've seen the 2009 futures offering and the prices for the top rated wines from Bordeaux were simply astronomical. Several producers were asking more than $20,000 per 12 bottle case. That's our whole-sale, prepay before shipment cost! To be sure, especially among the wine community, the backlash is in full effect.



There are certainly still great wines produced in some of the lesser known satellite appellations of the right bank, where land is cheaper and the choice to make more individualistic and idiosyncratic wines isn't near the risk that it is in the choicest and most expensive parts of the region. Some of my favorites come from areas like Cote de Castillon and Lalande-de-Pomerol where they very best producers won't demand more than $50-$60 a bottle in retail. Eric Asimov recently wrote a good piece in The New York Times, highlighting some of the better, smaller, traditional producers all over the region but, unfortunately, many of the wines he discusses either aren't available in Missouri or are in such excruciatingly small quantities that they prove just a frustrating tease.



Fortunately, the neighboring region of Cahors seems poised for something of a resurgence in popularity. There are several good producers that make wines at true value prices. Some of these wines rival the most interesting wines of Bordeaux at a fraction of the price. We've recently poured Chateau Cedre's "Heritage" Cahors bottling which aims and hits at a dark and spicy flavor profile that's pretty classic for the region, perhaps with a touch of the animal. Contrasted with my favorite, Clos La Coutale, which is perhaps the single greatest red wine value in the world. Clos La Coutale is softer and more sumptuous with intense blue fruits, extraordinary violets and garden aromas, earth, balance and grace. It ages indefinitely. I've heard of 20 and 40 year old bottles drinking gloriously although, I haven't had the opportunity to try them myself.



Argentine Malbec is something of a different beast. Its intense recent popularity and relative affordability combine to create a lot of excitement among value conscious consumers. With the proliferation of options - starting with Catena and their offshoot labels and even including a lot of really small scale producers - there are plenty of good offerings in say the under $20 retail range. But if I have a concern regarding this category, it's that this mass of wines doesn't offer real distinctions among its different wines. I don't think that this is because Malbec, as a grape, isn't site-expressive anymore than Cabernet Sauvignon isn't site-expressive. But generally in this category the wines seek to express the soft, fleshy, fruity qualities that have solidified the popularity of the grape - too often at the expense of any unique expression.



On the opposite and much smaller end of the Argentine Malbec spectrum are the best producer's top end bottling. These more often aim to express the qualities of their very high elevation origins. These wines tend to be more powerful and brooding, certainly interesting and unique wines but not to my everyday drinking tastes.



LaPosta is a producer that I've admired for a long time because of the balancing act that they achieve when it comes to matching everyday drinkability and strong and unique-site-expression. The winery is the kind of project, that while rooted heavily in tradition and small scale farming, is a uniquely contemporary phenomena. Modeled, perhaps, on a co-op which traditionally might buy many grower's produce and blend it all together to create a marketable but rather anonymous wine, LaPosta refines this process. They are more like a negociant than only makes site-specific wines, ie. no village wines or Mendoza Rouge here. They work with families like the Pizellis who farm on too small of a scale to be really viable wine producers in their own right. Through long term contracts they make the wines for these families and each of their bottlings is highly site expressive and as individual in nature as you would expect from the top end Argentine bottlings. But, at the same time, their wines are really approachable and drinkable as you might find in other great value offerings. More so, their balance and textures run more rustic like you might expect from a contemporary French country wine, maybe even a good bottle of Cahors.



We hope to see you Saturday at the LaPosta Malbec wine tasting.



Cheers!



written by Barry Tunnell

October Wine of the Month

Wine Club Wine of the Month Tasting

Saturday, October 2, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.



Featuring Gilles-Robin "Papillon" Crozes - Hermitage 2008



Syrah finds its home in the northern half of France's Rhone Valley. The grape also grows throughout the Rhone (where it plays a smaller but key role in the blends of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and most other wines), Languedoc and the rest of southern France as well as Australia (where it is called Shiraz), South Africa, South America and California. Each of these places contributes its own climate and style to the grape - which obviously tolerates, if not even embraces some seriously warm homes. In its warmest expression Syrah seems a little baked, with cooked fruit flavors, chocolate, lots of spice and sweet herbal characteristics. In cooler climates, rich blue fruits, floral notes and a distinctively black olive characteristic and sometimes gamey flavors shine.



In the Northern Rhone Valley, which represents one of the cooler locations for Syrah, the grape's ability to express and convey the place where it was grown really takes hold. There are five major red A.O.C.'s in the Northern Rhone, all of which produce wines made of Syrah and each appellation has a distinctive personality. The oldest and most famous is Hermitage, which is a hill that has been producing grapes for well over a millennia. Hermitage was once the most prized wine in the world, perhaps largely because of its reputation for extreme longevity. It is a wine that takes years if not decades to reach maturity and then ages gracefully for decades on top of that. Surrounding Hermitage is the A.O.C. of Crozes-Hermitage, a relatively flat land that also produces 100% Syrah wines. The styles of Hermitage and Crozes are very different and if one were seeking something of the Hermitage style in an earlier developing wine they would be better served to explore another village, St. Joseph.



Rounding out the Northern Rhone are two appellations on opposing ends of the aesthetic pole: Cote Rotie (or Roasted Slope, so called because of its unique exposure that catches just enough sun to ripen Syrah in this very cool party) makes wines softer, rounder character with a pretty little floral note often added by a touch of Viognier. Cornas, on the other hand, produces wines of extreme savory nature. Lots and lots of olive and bacon and smoke. So where does Crozes-Hermitage fall in this continuum of Syrah styles and why has it taken so long to get to the point?



Well, to be fair, Crozes-Hermitage has faced something of an identity crisis in the last couple of decades. Grapes grow more easily here than in other parts of the north and producers (mostly large negociants who rely on outside farmers for their product) have been all too tempted to make gluts of thin wines lacking distinction. They thought the wines would sell because of the name but as customers caught on, the name Crozes-Hermitage itself became one of the least respected in the Rhone. Fortunately, though there has been a real renaissance of smaller producers, including Gilles-Robin stepping into the area in the last several years who aim to make world class distinctive wines that these sights are capable of producing. So, to some degree, Crozes-Hermitage is in the process of reshaping its own identity.



It will never produce wines of the size, structure and power of its neighbor, Hermitage. And yet, lots of its historical proponents, the large negotiants who produce wines in all of the A.O.C.s of the north as many wines in the south sought to sell the product as if it were related to Hermitage. The key to Crozes-Hermitage's resurgence as a region will come from the inside as growers like Gilles-Robin branch out and make their own expressions of their vineyards.



Gilles-Robin left the cooperative of Cave Cooperative de Tain l'Hermitage in 1996 to start producing wines from their own property. Here we aren't talking about a producer who makes many cases of Crozes to sell alongside that many cases of Hermitage and, for good measure, an awful lot of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Cotes-du-Rhone from grapes grown all over the region. With Gilles Robin we're seeing a new generation of producer who knows Crozes and produces Crozes. The effect is a truly honest, pure expression free of anxiety of influence caused by the neighboring giants of the Syrah world. The wine in the bottle is lighter and more direct than most Northern Rhone Syrahs. Gilles Robin doesn't use much wood and allow the grapes to speak for themselves. Expect lots of blue fruit character, violets and loads of pepper. Also, expect the wine to be more refreshing than the other Northern Rhone Syrahs due to its exuberant youthful character and great acidity.



-Barry Tunnell, Jp Wine Bar

July Wine of the Month: Domaine de l'Hermitage Rose, Bandol 2009

A glass of good rose seems to accentuate the lightness and brightness of a Summer afternoon or evening. If you're like me there is a point on the thermometer, somewhere north of 85 degrees, at which red wine becomes more of a chore than a joy to drink. Many white wines and good, dry roses offer the refreshment that is necessary to survive the heat. Not just that, but rose is one of the most food friendly styles of wine available and can also make a terrific aperitif.
My personal favorite roses come from sunny Provence in southern France. Last summer we featured the rose of a solid Southern Rhone producer, Domaine Lafond's Tavel, as a wine club selection. Tavel, which is the only A.O.C. entirely dedicated to the production of pink wines, tends to make wines of big structure and stature with lots of echos of the red wines made in neighboring villages; bold red fruits, peppery spice and higher levels of extraction and alcohol. In contrast, most Provencial rose is lighter and more delicate in balance and flavor. Minerality, crisp acidity and pretty light fruits combine to create wines of seemingly higher pitch than the weightier Tavels. The Domaine de l'Hermitage is an excellent example of this style: understated light red fruits (strawberry!), some citrus, a tinge of sweet green herbs, and a unique combination of acidity and minerality that create texture. My notes claim, "seems almost like the texture of fresh Chevre."
Bandol is now highly regarded for it's red wines, especially those of Domaine Tempier and Domaine Terrebrune, but like much of the surrounding regions of Provence rose is the style with the longest associations. In 1951, 95% of Domaine Tempier's production was rose and Tempier didn't produce more red than rose until 1973. Domaine Tempier's rose (like it's reds) are among the most highly regarded in the region and I recently opened my last bottle of the '07 (by the way, Jp Wine Bar still has one remaining bottle of the rare Domaine Tempier Blanc '07 if there's anyone out there who cares to race me to it). The '07 rose showcases the finesse and balance of these wines with an intriguing herbal smokiness . Finesse isn't the word to describe red Bandol which veers towards the heavy, gamey, very smokey side of the equation due to it's predominance of the Mouvedre grape. But rose Bandol, which tends to be driven by Cinsault, a lighter red grape, tends to be among the most elegant and restrained roses in the world. Many new world roses seem to be blaringly loud speakers (with lots of fruit extraction and often significant residual sugar), Tavel speaks directly with a certain gravity and candor. Bandol is more like a whisperer.
Pink wine is often times wrongfully dismissed as "not serious" or "cloyingly sweet". The experience of drinking the pink wines on the quality end of the spectrum however is quite different. These may not be as "brooding" or "deep" or "heavy" as many reds but they aren't usually silly sweet wines either (of course there are great rosés that have some residual sugar just like there are great whites and even some reds that contain significant residual sugar, but the sweet rosés aren't necessarily the rule or standard). On the contrary, lots of them have a shock of sharp acidity, intense expressions of minerality and fruit characters that are cool and refreshing rather than hot, tannic and alcoholic. Here, complexity and elegance aren't a matter of size, concentration, volume or power.

Cheers!

Jp Wine Bar Blogging Adventure Begins...

Jp Wine Bar is now up and running in the blogging world. You can look forward to reading about upcoming wine tastings, weekly specials, new menu items including entrees, small plates, and wines in addition to other thoughts about the restaurant. In the mean time, check out our website http://www.jpwinebar.com/ for all of our current menus, upcoming events and contact information.



We hope you enjoy our future blogs and look forward to seeing you in the restaurant sipping on your favorite glass of wine!



Cheers!

David Arthur Tasting: 2010 Meritaggio Tour

Each month, Jp Wine Bar hosts at least one wine tasting. This month, we are fortunate to host 2 different tastings. The first tasting of the month is this Thursday, July 8th and will feature the wines of David Arthur. David is back out on the open road once again to spread the love and share some fabulous wines. You can begin sipping his wines at 6:30. The wine tasting is a come and go event and ends at 8:30. The fee is $10/person and free for wine club members (not a wine club member - ask your server how to become one!). Love one of the wines you tasted? You can also purchase bottles of the wines that evening to take home and enjoy.




The line up of wines for the evening:

1. Zacherle Rose 08
2. David Arthur Chardonnay Napa 08
3. Zacherle Syrah Chalk Hill, Napa 07
4. David Arthur Meritaggio Napa 07
5. David Arthur Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 07
6. David Arthur 1147 Elevation 07


A bit about David Arthur and his wines....


Our Philosophy
The David Arthur wines are produced with a dedication to crafting dynamic, complex vintages. With every bottling comes a commitment to producing distinctive wines with a focus on vineyard site-expression and structure, a benchmark of David Arthur Vineyards' winemaking philosophy.


In 2008, Nile Zacherle joined David Arthur Vineyards as winemaker. "Nile is the ideal complement to our team at David Arthur," says David Long, cofounder of David Arthur Vineyards. "His passion for excellence and crafting wines of quality and structure coincides with our philosophy and vision." 2007 MeritaggioMeritaggio is the brainchild of the Long Brothers. Wanting to fulfill his desire of producing a fine Meritage blend, David set out to find clones of the five classic Bordeaux varietals. On his travels, he came across Sangiovese, which stole the spotlight from any Malbec he had ever tasted. Bob had the brilliance to name the wine, "Meritaggio" in honor of Sangiovese's Italian heritage. We have continued the Merritaggo tradition ever since, always selecting the finest of our estate varietals for the special blend each year.

This year the Meritaggio is a blend of 75 percent Cabernet Sauvignon from three different blocks, 15 percent Sangiovese, 5 percent Petite Verdot and 5 percent Cabernet Franc. Slowly aged in 40 percent new French oak, the wine was bottled after multiple gentle rackings and 22 months of rest. Only 885 cases were produced. Harvest Date September 18th, 25th, and October 1st and 2nd Barrel Program 22 Months in 40% new French oak. Composition 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petite Verdot.



We look forward to seeing you Thursday!



Cheers!