![]() With such cold dreary forecasts ahead of us the next few days, it probably serves us well to have something open that brings a little warmth and comfort to the customers. So much of Chile's wine history has been with Bordeaux influence, especially around the city of Santiago and the Maipe Valley. More recent developments are going further and further afield and exploring different styles and climates, as well as rediscovering some older ones. Itata is on the Southern coast of Chile near the city of Conception, and brings about a sort of Sonoma-esque coastal vibe. Cooling ocean winds and fog, tall pines in the craggy hills, all makes for some temperate growing conditions. Though it was first established in the 1500s by Spanish conquistadores, it has been largely overlooked with all the money and attention focused around Santiago. The last few decades have brought a new wave of winemakers to the region, looking to take advantage of the older forgotten vineyards and establish a less invasive style of farming/winemaking in these remote nooks and crannies. This Syrah is a perfect example, taking up a very cool character Northern Rhone style for an excellent price. Savory, smoky aromas at first with some black cherry skin and peppery meats that get a little warmer with some time in the glass. The palate has lots of energy and bright acidity behind the smoky flavors and lightly dusty tannins, decently weighty but not thick or chewy, with a lingering peppery finish. This is begging for a savory stew or lentil soup, something meat-like if not actually meaty.
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![]() The Virginia wine industry is still in its infancy, relatively speaking, as there is still a lot to be learned about what grape varieties will perform the best. It can take a decade or two to figure out what experiments work the best, and even longer for others to mimic that success and replicate it (imitation being the greatest form of flattery and all that). Viognier became one of the first grapes to follow that form after early success with it from wineries like Horton in the 90s. We say all this as a lead in to today's wine because this is a wine that deserves to be copied by others in our area. Roussanne is revered in both the Northern and Southern Rhone for its distinctive aromas, which is absolutely nailed here with the signature 'herbal tea' and combination of both orange and white citrus. The palate is also spot-on with an oily viscosity perked by both acidity and some skin texture, finishing with a lot of citrus zest and fine tannins. Aging the wine in multi-use barrels and terracotta amphora help this earn a lot of delicious mouthfeel without any unnecessary barrel flavor or tannin being added. This will do exceptionally well with your richer and more aromatically complex seafood dishes, or just be damn sexy and exciting on its own. ![]() When you look at a map of the Languedoc from above, the vastness of the region along the Mediterranean seems like a broad nondescript mass. For much of its history, that would also describe the wines made here; nondescript and a mass (the highest volume producing region in France). Recent history has seen more and more wineries looking to separate themselves out from that mass and carve out some pockets of distinction, developing new appellations that will help show how their estate wines stand out against the mass produced co-operatives. Terrasses du Larzac is one of the older of these modern areas, though it wasn't officially recognized for labeling until 2005. Mas de Daumas Gassac started producing high quality estate wines in the late 1970s, proclaiming the higher elevations, temperature variants and diversity of soils at the edges of the Larzac plateau worthy of a 'Grand Cru' status relative to the rest of the Languedoc. Wines like this are proof that their belief was well founded, as they have the quality of a Cotes du Rhone but something else that makes them singular. Primarily concrete aged Grenache with varying amounts of Syrah, Mourvdre and Carignan from year to year, this is a blend of parcels from around the town of St Jean de la Blaquiere. Lots of energetic red fruit aromas, hinting at cranberry and spice as well as dark cherry and raspberry. The palate has a lot of texture with fine tannins and fruit that drinks a little darker than the aromas, still picking up citrusy/orange clove notes that have to come from the soils of the Terrasses. A great way to break up your Cotes du Rhone habit while staying with familiar flavors, lots of expression and enjoyment for the money. INSIDER'S PICK: 2023 THE FLEDGE & CO. SOUZAO 'NIWATORI NO HA' JIKKEN BARRELS KLEIN KAROO $18.991/16/2025 ![]() Souzao is primarily known as a background grape for blending Port in the Douro region. Even in its native land you rarely see it as the featured grape, much less from South Africa. We had to hit up our favorite local South African winemaker, Riaan, for the full history: much of South Africa's early winemaking was focused on fortified wine, and many vineyards were planted using rootstock from Portugal to parallel Port as well as possible. Even though Souzao was less emphasized in the blends there are still older parcels scattered across the country waiting to be repurposed in projects like this one. A bit of a minimalist, 'natural' winemaking hand takes the heavy rustic sting out of the Souzao variety, but still leaves plenty for your taste buds to hold onto. Somewhere between deep purple and jet black in the glass, the aromas are packed with savory blue and black fruits (I like their term 'hedgerow fruits') with some pepper and iron tones, dark but never fruity or sweet. The palate takes a complete 180 degree turn with almost Gamay Beaujolais-like fine tannins, still darkly flavored but with brightness on the palate, almost tart like an underripe blackberry off the vine. Durable and dark enough for rustic dishes but also chillable if you so desired. ![]() No better way to send off 2024 than with some great Champagne, especially when you can also call it a great value as well. Words you don't usually get to use together when describing Champagne, so when we get the chance we try to shout it from the highest rooftops. A family run producer based primarily in the village of Champillon just above the city of Epernay, Alain Vincey hooked up with a Virginia based importer to start bringing their wines over, and in the words of the importer "we felt like we had won the lottery". This is a killer price for what we love to call 'Farmer Fizz', as the esteemed Terry Theise called his grower Champagnes. An even blend of Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier without a lot of time on the lees before disgorgement, this is every reason why you shouldn't bother with the mass market names. Crisp, bright and distinctive white fruits with tell-tale Champagne acidity and nerve underneath, loads of energy on the palate with a dusty baked apple to the palate and a nice lingering richness. This isn't a Champagne that's just trying to cash in on the name, no phoning it in here. Distinctive and individual, and drinking waaaaay over the price point, a wine worthy of any celebration. ![]() One of our favorite (re)-discoveries this year has been with the wines from Lioco. Since an epic tasting with them earlier in the year we have been stuffing the aisles with their distinctly atypical Californian wines. They specialize in a 'minimalist' style of winemaking, preferring lower alcohol levels and less oak influence, using vineyards with as little intervention in them as possible ('dry-farming, older vines, and sustainable agriculture' as it says on their labels). Not surprisingly they pull a lot of fruit from vineyards in Mendocino County for their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rhone varietal wines. Even in a 'basic' bottling like this, you get a perfect look at their style as it features fruit from many of the featured vineyards in their lineup. Noticeably less thick and purple colored in the glass than your usual Cali Pinot, the nose is full of Bing cherry and vibrant red fruits, hints of pepper and cranberry, all very elegant and bright. The palate is equally vibrant, with lots of mouth-watering red fruit tones an elegant super-fine tannins that bring out the darker savory notes on the finish. This is a wine that revels in its dryness, in its subtlety, in its restraint, and fans of the style will be thrilled. ![]() It's the perfect 'American in Tuscany' dream that we would all love to live out: fall in love with the region, have the opportunity to purchase an old property with growing history dating back to the mid-1600s, and establish a new winery that strongly honors tradition. Located in the rugged heart of Chianti near Panzano, The Grace family has converted the property to organics since they founded the winery in 1997, with all the existing vineyards and their new plantings certified since 2010. They also push to have their wines being exclusively Sangiovese, including their Riserva and 'Gran Selezione' bottlings, which is where the 'SoloSangiovese' name cheekily came from for their flagship wine. Dark and dusty Tuscan aromas of cherry and dried red fruits, hinting at leather and licorice that get warmer and somewhat cozy at it opens up. The palate is still very youthful with lots of long but fine tannin that really leans into the dark and dusty side of the fruit at first, but does show some juicier notes over time. Perfect with a hearty meal and/or over the length of an evening. ![]() Much of the history for wines in the Levant, the Spanish region around Valencia, has been focused on big cheap nondescript red wines sold in bulk. In the last 30 years there has been a move towards modernization and improvement, but a lot of it was also following the Australian influence of the time, that bigger=better and that everything about the wine needed to be 'supersized'. Lots of extraction and thickness, lots of oak, and usually lots of alcohol. That arms race has subsided and there are many more nuanced versions of their wines appearing. Monastrell (Mourvedre) is king of grapes here, able to withstand the baking heat and dry conditions and still maintain acidity and tannic structure. It is also hearty enough to live in the poor soils and be one of the few places in Europe that can maintain both own-rooted ungrafted vines AND be dry farmed. For the price this is an exciting introduction to the character of the region, built with a surprisingly delicate hand. Loads of black fruits and road tar on the nose, but surprisingly fresh without sweeter tones, and even a Rhone-like touch of herbs. White the palate is still fairly full bodied, it isn't thick or coating, instead showing more darker currant and fine tannins, even a sense of freshness to the finish without obtrusive new oak in the way. A great option for hearty meals in the cold days ahead. ![]() As we approach full Beaujolais-mania the week before Thanksgiving, we wanted to show off some under-the-radar but surprisingly delicious Gamay, grown near the region for centuries but new in this form. If you go high enough up in Lyon you can look North and see the hills and ridges in the distance that define Beaujolais. Turning East and looking up the Rhone River, you can see the Alps in the distance with the Savoie region in the foothills. In the in-between lies Bugey, an area known historically for making a sparkling 'Methode Ancestrale' wine using Gamay, usually slightly sweet and a rose to ruby color. Still wines weren't usually attempted here much because the cooler Alpine influences made it more difficult to ripen grapes as easily as in Beaujolais, and the rolling hills here meant the vineyards are mostly scattered from ridge to ridge. Growing popularity for lower alcohol wines in general has spurred new interest in the potential for making still wines here with Gamay (as well as Poulsard, Jacquere and other Alpine grapes), and the more we see from promising producers like this, the more we agree this is a region to watch. Lovely ruby color in the glass, perhaps a bit darker than your typical Cru Beaujolais, but at under 13%abv it definitely isn't thicker or heavier. Cool red fruits and dark energetic floral notes immediately marks this as Gamay, and gets prettier the longer it is open. The palate is where this really shows itself as something different, with a distinct spine of acidity that brightens the fruit and adds a lot of tangy cranberry notes and a little firmer finish. Beaujolais is great, but it isn't the only game in town now. ![]() We had considered placing this wine in the big Thanksgiving wine email that was just sent out, but decided it had to be tasted to be believed. Brachetto is a unique red grape variety to the Piedmont in Italy, more famous there for making a Moscato d'Asti-like wine, lightly fizzy with sweet red fruits. The grape has naturally flowery aromas, similar in many ways to the Ruche grape (also from the Piedmont) in that if you closed your eyes you could be convinced by the aromas that it was a white wine. Perhaps being driven by a general move away from sweetness/sugar in beverages, but we are seeing dry examples like this pop up more and more, and this is the most exciting one we've had by a fair margin. Pale-ish ruby in color, the aromas jump out quickly with loads of red flowers, orange citrus and hints of mint and darker spices. Patient drinkers or those that decant will start to get more red fruits and juicy cherry the longer it breathes. The palate is a surprising contrast to the aromas, more tart red fruits and savory herbs, bright fine tannins that give the finish a long mouthwatering finish. Would almost parallel the palate to a Cru Beaujolais or a still Lambrusco, and would pair it accordingly. Probably not like anything you've had before, and after tasting it you will likely want more of it in your life. |
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
October 2024
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