There are wines we know to be classics, such as Burgundies, Bordeauxs, Barolos, Brunellos and Napa Valley Cabernets – but what about the lesser known of the classics?  The prolific yet overshadowed Goethe’s to the monumentally celebrated Shakespeares of the vine. What about the unsung (or at least not so sung) heroes of wine’s history whose regional creations have been in production for hundreds and hundreds of years and who have held onto the viticultural and winemaking values of their ancestors with passion and vigor? How often do we celebrate them, those who consistently (baring weather or fire) make great wines from their regions year in and year out?  What about those wines?  Well I for one have had enough!  Time to bring them out of the shadows. This month we celebrate these largely overlooked leaders of enduring greatness and superiority in wine.  This month we look to the Loire Valley in France for our white with a gorgeous Sancerre and to Spain for our red with a Rioja Reserva.

 2007 Chateau de Maimbray Sancerre, Loire Valley, France

I remember when I first started drinking wine, Sancerre was, oddly enough, the first serious wine I enjoyed and it was all I wanted to drink.  Lucky for me my palate expanded and I started appreciating a more diverse array of  wines but, especially when the weather starts to turn warm and I crave shellfish and fresh grilled seafood, the memory of my first love in the world of wine comes creeping back into my conscious to haunt and lure me back.  As I was tasting this wine to put together my notes on it I couldn’t help but feel like I was sharing the evening with an old and valued friend.

Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, as is typical for white Sancerres, and fermented two to three weeks in temperature controlled vats, with no wood treatment, this lovely treat of a wine is light straw in color, with characteristics of gooseberry, grapefruit skins, lemon zest, pomelo, Bartlet pear, yellow apple, limestone, chalk, stony minerality, flint, acacia flower, slight vanilla and a touch of grassiness. It truly is a classic and elegant example of the ever poetic and enchanting Sancerre.

2005 Muga Rioja Reserva, Spain

Rioja has long been considered one of, if not the, best wine regions in Spain.  One of only three regions, and the first ever, to receive the prestigious DOCa/DOQ classification.  Riojas are sometimes thought of as old world wines made in a new world style as it is often, if not almost always, aged in American, often new, oak barrels giving a soft edge to an otherwise classical old world rugged style wine.  For a red wine to be labeled “Reserva” in Rioja, a wine must be aged for a minimum of 3 years, one of which must be in a barrel.  For the Muga, we see 30 months in barrel and 12 months in bottle before it is released.  Made from 70% Termpranillo, 20% Garnacha and 10% Mazuelo and Graciano the Muga Rioja Reserva is rich, polished and packed full with personality and flavor!  The 2004 Vintage of this same wine was on Wine Spectators Top 100 list for 2008 and with 2005 being a superior vintage to 2004 in the Rioja region of Spain, the ‘05 is sure to be a crowd pleaser as well.

The bright Bing cherry color of this wine leads the way to aromas and flavors of mixed herb potpourri with dried orange wedges, clove, cinnamon, caramelized brown sugar, chocolate, vanilla, cedar bark, toasted walnuts, dark earthiness, violets, lavender, dried rose petals, black and red cherry, dark red plum, cassis and blackberry.  The opulently textured mouth feel, pleasant acids and firm tannins add to the already long finish.