 Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
One of the best things to come from the movement to/acceptance of more 'natural' winemaking styles and practices is that it has uncovered unique potential many producers never thought to expose. The Toro region sits downriver from Ribera del Duero and has long carried the reputation of being a lower potential, less finessed and 'supersized' version of its more famous neighbor upriver. But that's only true when trying to make wines exactly like the Ribera del Duero; high extraction and alcohol, lots of new oak, intended for lengthy aging. A wine like this one really explores other potential way for the local Tinta De Toro grape (descended but different from Tempranillo), and everything wine maker/maverick Kiko Calvo does to this wine runs counter to what has been known as 'traditional' here. Built from parcels of own rooted vines up to 100 years old, all the vineyard practices and winery techniques are used to get as much flavor out of the wine as possible WITHOUT ending up with a heavy, boozy monster; we love a well made monster, mind you, but it's great to see such new potential realized. First off, we will admit that usually the packaging is the last thing we look at, but the 'horns of the bull' on the label and neck tag are pretty badass. And the wine inside backs it up, with loads of graphite and smokey black fruit aromas that are more dusty than sweet, though they do gain a bit of perfume as the bottle opens up. The palate is decidedly where this wine swings against the norm, showing big flavors with great restraint, dark and earthy with lots of tannin and texture without sappy thickness or alcoholic heat. Folks that are usually scared off by this part of the world should definitely show some interest with this, calling to mind a Cahors Malbec or more rustic style Rhone/Languedoc that may feature a fair amount of Mourvedre. Brilliant to pair with hearty red meats, especially those dishes that may have more subtlety to than just 'grill it and eat it.'
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 Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
While this may look like a 'follow-up' to our last Insider's Pick with the Tuscan Cabernet Sauvignon, somewhat of a series featuring outsider varieties done in Italy, it actually isn't. Pinot Noir (also designated Pinot Nero) actually has a long well established history in this Alpine region of Italy, far before it became an internationally fashionable variety. Because of the cooler climate, they actually have quite a Burgundian aspect to their style, and with the fast escalation of Burgundy pricing not looking to subside any time soon, it's a great alternative that hasn't been really 'discovered' as much yet. The white wines from this high quality cooperative aggressively populate our store selection, and have appeared once or twice in the Insider's Pick before, so the fact they have such an excellent red should be no surprise to anyone. Polished savory fruit on the nose with touches of dark spice and cola-ish notes, with red berry tones coming out as it opens and evolves without much in the way of any oak coming through, a very natural expression of Pinot Noir here. The palate is equally elegant and flavorful, very pretty with again a polished character to the fruit with the fine tannins, more akin to a Cote de Beaune style in Burgundy versus the darker and more intense character usually found in a Cote de Nuits. If you are an Old World style Pinot fan, do NOT hesitate to give these a try.  Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
For Valentine's Day coming this weekend (just in case you forgot), we're showing off something nicer than usual in the Insider's Pick, as well as something a little atypical. Cabernet Sauvignon and the other Bordeaux varieties are very much interlopers in Tuscany, largely ignored and even discouraged within the Chianti borders until the success of early Bolgheri region wines in the early 1970s. It took until the 1990s for adjustments to be made to the Italian DOC laws to make inclusions that acknowledge the high quality potential for Cab Sauv here, and even then there was a lot of controversy about wineries trying to 'sneak it in' to their traditional wines in an effort to boost intensity. Now the region has evolved to be more inclusive, allowing wines such as this to not only exist but thrive. Nothing about this wine screams Tuscany at first glance, from being 100% Cabernet to the Thelonius Monk label image. But as most things complex and outstanding, it starts to make sense on closer inspection, such as the Monk photo is from a live album recorded in Milan in 1961. And while the wine won't be confused with a Chianti Classico, it's dripping with Tuscan character that definitely stands it out from a Californian or Bordeaux. Savory dark fruit, black spice and graphite on the nose with only a touch of well absorbed new oak at first, and evolving well over several hours in the glass or a decanter to bring out dried spices, anise and Brunello-esque dusty herbs. The palate is full but not saturated, lighter on its feet than even a Bordeaux, with very fine but firm tannins that give the flavors and finish plenty of intensity. A wine that easily has another decade or more of life ahead of it, but can make a long weekend evening that much more enjoyable right now.  As we always like to break down wine misconceptions, this will efficiently pull double duty for us by showing off how Beaujolais isn't too light for colder weather AND that all Beaujolais should be drunk as young as possible. Morgon has always had a place of distinction as one of the top Crus in the region, with its distinct decomposed old volcanic soils, known as 'rotten rock' in the local vernacular, and has built a reputation for producing some of the most intensive versions of the Gamay grape you will find. This bottling also has the benefit of being sourced from the family's oldest parcel, some exceeding 100 years, which further intensifies the resulting juice. Loads of bright cherry aromas at first on the nose, almost juicy initially, but slowly showing more of the gamey and higher toned red fruits that are so classically Beaujolais as it opens and evolves. The texture in the mouth is surprisingly sappy for Gamay, big on the cherry and bright red fruits on the palate with the silky tannins bringing the drier tones and savory flavors through on the finish. This is Gamay that can stand toe to toe with any basic Bourgogne Pinot Noir in terms of substance and intensity, and would wager that it's just starting to get into its peak drinking window, with an easy 5-7 years still ahead of it. An open bottle of ours still shows quite nicely even 2-3 days after being opened, which is a great sign of its potential longevity. Awesome with roasted chicken and charcuterie.
 Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
With signs of actual Winter coming down on the area (snow and everything), it's a good idea to make sure you have some good wine provisions on hand in case nature imposes its own stay-at-home orders. A good value, hearty red is always a fine option, and this is a real favorite for a second vintage in a row, having just recently changed over to the 2019. This may seem a bit young for a wine from the Duero, where many of their older vine wines end up in oak barrels for significant amounts of time. The vines for this single community sourced wine were all planted pre-WWII and farmed by the same families, and is all refreshingly aged just in tank and bottled unfiltered to show off its natural character and, well, freshness. The high altitude and limestone soils imbue the fruit with plenty of acidity and natural texture, so the oak isn't missed at all. Inky, youthful purple in the glass with deep blackberry and hints of smoke and cocoa that grow and intensify as the wine is open. With the intensity of the nose one may expect the palate to be thick and aggressive, but other than some texture from the tannins the mouthfeel is surprisingly vibrant and active. If you don't need oak in your life to enjoy your red wines, this is a great option to have for hearty meals on a snowy day.  Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
An 'easy' wine for this week, something straight through the uprights of deliciousness for most everyone to enjoy. Which is never a bad thing. The Alexander Valley sits at the northernmost end of Sonoma County, long regarded as a high quality growing area, but expansive enough and remote enough that the cost of producing wine hasn't become prohibitively expensive. Values can therefore still be found, showing off the distinct regional character and still able to be enjoyed on an everyday basis. A bit cooler and darker fruited on the nose and palate, with some touches of spice and cocoa especially on the minerally texture. At the higher end the wines here show off a lot of tannic structure compared to most other Californian regions,but at this price point there is plenty of approachability with just a tinge of firmness to the finish. This isn't a weighty fruit-forward monster, nor should it be for the price point, making it ideal for a mid-week meal to scratch that Cabernet itch.  Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
Two weeks in a row that we have a 'field blend' offered in the Insider's Pick, this time from the Gattinara region of Italy. Before World War II, this area of the northern Piedmont was just as famous for their Nebbiolo as Barolo and Barbaresco were to the south. Agriculture here was decimated in the years after the war, and much of that generation moved in to Milan and the other bigger cities to find what meager work they could get. A large portion of their vineyards were abandoned, and have only been seeing a re-establishment over the last 25 years or so thanks in large part to the emergence of more 'natural' wines. The cooler climate here lends itself to less extracted wines with more natural acidity and less intensive alcohol, and there are lots of opportunities here to find reasonably priced vineyards or growing space. Paride was fortunate enough to purchase his family's vines for himself in 1999 when his father looked to stop growing grapes for the local cooperative, and his own label-cellared in the basement of the family's generational home-has grown with the purchase of several plots in adjacent vineyards. This blend is made up of approximately equal parts of Nebbiolo, Vespolina, Bonarda, and Croatina, perfectly executing the ideals of the region's everyday wines. Palish red in the glass with tangy energetic red fruits and flowers on the nose, the palate is sneaky flavorful with dusty cherry skin and tart raspberry over the fine tannins. This isn't going to be a wine that floors a room full of people in a bling tasting, or win a bunch of awards (because he only makes a few hundred cases a year and has no excess to waste in entering anything). Pure utilitarian pleasure with lighter meats and rustic cheeses.  Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
The steep high altitude vineyards of Ribiera Sacra in Galicia are a hidden gem in the wine world, long overlooked as much of the wine here was made for home and local consumption, rarely built with an eye towards the international market. Though the terraced vineyards were established in Roman times (think Cote-Rotie in the Northern Rhone), the appellation did not exist formally until the mid-1990s, and there were very few established wineries to take advantage of the name. Pedro Rodriguez and his family was among the very first to take their family vineyards and establish the Guimaro winery (or 'adega' in the local dialect), and ever since have been a leader in farming and winemaking using traditional methods under modern standards. Camino Real represents their version of a 'field blend', taking fruit from several separate parcels planted to multiple varieties and combining them into one co-fermented wine. Mencia is the dominant grape, but as many as six other varieties are sprinkled amongst the rows. Fresh and savory on the nose with lots of earthy tinged dark berries that definitely show the influence from whole cluster fermentation, as well as on the palate with a very fine but firm tannin character that really amplified the earthy tones of the fruit. The presence of the other varietals is felt here as it has more flesh and texture to it than the usual 100% Mencia wines of the region (which can often be compared to a Loire Cabernet Franc), but is not thick feeling at all, indeed still quite nimble on its feet. A fantastic match with braised meats, full enough to stand up to fat and charred flavors without losing the ability to mix in with subtle herbs and vegetables.  Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We are also doing both a white and a red option each week, with the white wine available for the discount on Thursday and Friday, while the red wine available on Friday and Saturday. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
With the end of 2020 approaching and two of the upcoming Fridays having us closed for the holidays, we figured it was a good time to start looking for some bottles of bubbly to help you celebrate. We hope you are able to spend time with your loved ones after such a tumultuous and challenging year, and that sharing something special will help to bring you some much needed joy. Prosecco is often derided as being too 'basic' in comparison to some other sparkling wine styles, but high quality ones like this are terrific values and provide a great drinking experience, especially for people that aren't into aggressively dry wines. While still at a 'Brut' level of dryness, the Charmat method of carbonation that Prosecco uses doesn't result in as high a pressure in the wine, so the bubbles are not as aggressive to your palate and the texture feels softer. Good Prosecco producers also bottle in small batches several times a year to help preserve the freshness and aromatics of the Glera grape that makes the wines so enticing (so don't bother cellaring them!). We don't bother posting ratings on the signs because the batch releases change so frequently, but Vinous has consistently given this bottling 90-91 points over recent years, so we feel safe to say that each batch falls within that measurement for them. It certainly wows us each time we get into it. A light bead of bubbles gives a bit of minerality and dust to the aromas of fresh flowers and crunchy pears, and an incredibly clean palate that has some nice weight and body without any cloying fruit or harsh edges, riding right in that middle ground of sparkling enjoyability. Perfect to have in the glass on its own or with light appetizers or 1st course dishes. INSIDER'S PICK: 2018 LIGHTWELL SURVEY 'LOS IDIOTS' BLAUFRANKISCH/RIESLING SHENANDOAH VALLEY $30.9912/11/2020  Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We are also doing both a white and a red option each week, with the white wine available for the discount on Thursday and Friday, while the red wine available on Friday and Saturday. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
Another wine with a package change from last vintage, and with this one what's inside has changed just as much as the outside. The Lightwell Survey label is a side project for Early Mountain winemaker Ben Jordan, created in partnership with several friends to explore some more experimental winemaking methods and concepts. The 2017 vintage of Los Idiots was a co-fermentation of Syrah and Riesling, but in the intervening year that parcel of Syrah was taken up. The choice was made to keep the Los Idiots name for the concept of co-fermenting red and white grapes for the wine, and Blaufrankisch (aka Lemberger) was substituted in. Along with co-fermenting the grapes, Los Idiots is made using native yeasts and utilizes no SO2 except at bottling for a very natural example of wine from the Shenandoah Valley. You may also think the Riesling would leave the wine with some sweetness, but it's fermented dry with a fair amount of natural acidity to make the wine feel quite dry and savory. A pale red in the glass with a nose of smoky red fruits and light flowers, the palate is almost Beaujolais-like in the silky soft texture and fine light tannins, and that savory aroma comes through on the palate the same way Gamay does. In fact, just slip this in to any situation you would have a Beaujolais, like with charcuterie or roasted poultry. |
The Best of the Best.We offering free tastings on these wines in the store every Thursday and Friday, and a 10% discount off the retail price through the duration of the day. Come on by and give them a try! Archives
December 2020
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