Silver Oak Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 - $89.99

European Cellars and Eric Solomon

"The Name of Eric Solomon On A Bottle of Wine Is Synonymous With High Quality" -- Robert Parker

  Eric has been a store favorite for years, since it turns out his concepts about wine very closely resemble our own:  Find small producers with a genuine desire to make quality wines at a fair price and deliver them to the stores best suited to introduce them to the astute wine drinker.  Fortunately for us, our customers are nothing if not knowledge thirsty!  Below, you will find listings of some amazing wines which are now available to you.  When at all possible, we try to purchase a quantity to ensure the largest possible exposure to our client base.  However, many of these wines are produced in small quantity so supplies are limited.  Some are old favorites, but new vintages.  Others are just plain new.  (* indicates a Blue Tag Item)

Offerings From France

Domaine Bott-Geyl                            Domaine Julien Meyer                           Chateau Le Thil

Tour de Monestier*                           Domaine des Gerbeaux                          Domaine Lafage*

Domaine Droin                                   Vins de Vienne                                        Domaine la Garrigue

Domaine de Andezon                       Domaine St. Benoit                                 Domaine Lorentine

Novellum                                             Domaine de l'Hortus                              Domaine Canet Valette

Cosse-Maisonneuve

Offerings From Portugal

Lavrodores de Feitoria                       Quinta de Hidrangeas                           Quinta do Mouro

Terra do Zambujeiro

Offerings From Spain

GR-174                                                   Castell del Remei                                   Artadi

Palacio de Menade                              Hacienda Monasterio                            Enate

Castano                                                  Bodegas Mustiguillo                            Cellar del Roure

Artazu                                                    El Regajal

And a little Gem from South Africa  called Columella

Willkommen!

A Brief History of German Wine

     The origins of viticulture in Germany can be traced back to the Romans, at the first century. The earliest vineyards existed at the left bank of the Rhine, and plantings spread to the Mosel probably around the 3rd century. The vine advanced further in the Middle Ages, mainly through the church, its monastries in particular. In the Rheingau, Benedictines founded an abbey which later became the Schloss Johannisberg. Kloster Eberbach was established by Cistercians in 1135. The planting of vines reached a high point in the 15th century, when the area under vine was four times larger than it is today. This included Alsace, which was the most highly esteemed region during that period. The most important early variety was probably Elbling. Silvaner, Muskat, Traminer, Spätburgunder, and Trollinger were also known. Riesling arrived relatively late, and is first reliably documented in the Rheingau in 1435 and in the Mosel not much later. Different varieties were generally mixed within a vineyard, rather than carefully distinguished.

A serious crises developed around the 17th century, when prices fell, due to overproduction and competition from beer. The 30 Year War raged, which ended in 1648, with Alsace becoming a French province. In the wake of the disaster, quality improved as unsuitable land was returned to other uses. Riesling replaced lesser varieties, often by decree from political and clerical authorities. The term "Cabinet" was first used in 1712 by the Kloster Eberbach to indicate wines of superior quality. In 1720 the first monoculture of Riesling was planted at Schloss Johannisberg. Noble Rot was discovered a little later, and Kloster Eberbach produced a successful wine from botrytised grapes in 1753. The invention of Spätlese (see picture) is generally dated at 1775, when the harvest at Schloss Johannisberg was delayed by accident, resulting in a late harvest of largely rotten grapes. The wines made from these grapes became a legend.

In the 19th century, in the wake of the French occupation, most of the church's wine estates were secularized. Technological progress, such as the invention of the ``Oechsle" must weight scale, helped to further improve the wines. In many ways, German wine entered a golden age. The great estates of the Rheinpfalz and Mosel-Saar-Ruwer rose to fame, alongside the Rheingau. At the height of its prestige, Rhine wine generally sold at prices above those of first growth Bordeaux. The Mosel's first Trockenbeerenauslese was made by the Thanisch estate from the Bernkasteler Doctor vineyard in 1921, and created something of a ``Doctor cult". Yet, times were not easy during the deterioration of the political and economic situation in the early 20th century. Phylloxera added to the troubles. The worst blow to German wine since the 17th century came with the Nazis, when the 2nd world war eventually devastated Germany's wine regions, along with much of the rest of Europe.

Riesling, Germany's greatest grape is the worlds most underrated variety of today. It has it's own typical aroma and "nerve", and yet also the ability to reflect the soil characteristics of its vineyard more than any other variety. Flowery and fruity aromas (peach, pear, apricot, apple, currants, mango ...) as well as herbal, spicy, and earthy or mineral notes (often slate) are common. Even petrol and other strange smells can develop. With its low alcohol levels and high acidity, it is difficult to make harmonious, fully dry wines from it. Still, the best dry Rieslings from Germany, Alsace, and the Wachau in Austria, are great, intense, racy wines, which can compete with the best dry whites of any other variety. Lighter Kabinett wines with a hint of residual sugar, and sweeter Spätlese, are more widely associated with German Riesling, and they are unrivalled in their delicate balance and finesse. When attacked by botrytis, Riesling can produce the most stunning dessert wines, whose enormous sweetness is balanced by extreme acidity levels. These wines need to age, in order to develop their full complexity and harmony, and they do so for decades (and cost fortunes).

Here at Campus, we have just landed some very exciting examples of the best German wines we could find, including:

Bergerac is a wine region with many hills that is the neighbor of the Bordeaux wine area and part of the department de Dordogne. This region has a great culinary tradition. The reason for this tradition is not only its regional recipes and wines, but also its black truffle, that has its own appellation controlée since 1973. The Appellation d’Origine Controlée wines are produced under the name A.O.C. Bergerac. Typically the wines are produced from the Bordelaise grape varieties; most notable red wines are made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot while the whites are made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. The red wines are fruity and in the earthy Bordeaux style. The white wines are full and aromatic. The area is famous for the noble sweet Monbazillac which has its own Appellation d’Origine Controlée. There is also some production of nice rosé wines.

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