 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.
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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.
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.  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.
New vintage-and new look- for an old favorite, a simple Chardonnay with a twist that always makes it stand out among the rest. A collaborative creation between importer Eric Solomon and one of his long time winery sources in the Languedoc/Roussillon, S.A.R.L. Lafage, this was developed with the American market in mind and has been a rousing success for over 20 vintages, growing to a production that now appears on several continents.The wine is a blend of tank aged and briefly barrel aged Chardonnay, which of course is nothing new, but it is also aged on the lees of Viognier added to the tanks after it has been pressed. The lees are the fine pulpy interior of the grape where a large portion of the grape's flavor sits. Viognier is such an aromatic grape that even their lees can transform a wine , and it doesn't alter the feel or finish of the wine the way blending finished Viognier juice would. Round warm peach and apple aromas with a light initial pop of flowery Viognier-ness, which builds to be more prominent as it opens up. The palate is soft and juicy, lower acidity and in no way going to be mistaken for a Burgundy, with a strong Chardonnay flavor profile of baked apples and pears. The Viognier is more of a tea immersion here, just enough to perk up nose and palate to something a little different, so important in the vast sameness of less expensive Chardonnay from all over the world. A great cocktail wine, as well as with spicy scallops or crab dishes.  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.
The various projects of the Catena family in Mendoza just seem to go from one knockout success to another, not only for the quality but also the innovation. This label was created by Laura Catena, daughter of Catena Zapata patriarch Nicolas, an an investigation of 'extreme high-elevation parcela Pinot Noir'. Sourcing family vineyards of various age ranging from 3600ft to just under 5000ft of elevation within the Tupungato region of Mendoza, Domaine Nico crafts 5 different wines that blow the doors off the concept that the region is solely about Malbec and the other Bordeaux varieties. Some of the sites are even uniquely North facing, since the pressures of frost are minimal, which allows them to manage the vineyards for longer hang time for the grapes and creating different intensity levels in the finished wines. The winemaking style also appeals to Laura's Francophile personality, building the wines with little to no new oak depending on cuvee, stem inclusion and native yeasts during fermentation, etc. Incredibly bright and light on its feet considering the intensity of aromatics, full of vibrant red berry and spice on the nose with a lot of acidity and underlying tannin on the palate, this takes some time to really open up and strut its stuff, but is so rewarding over several hours. It may remind fans of Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir of some of the Mount Eden/Domaine Eden wines, or some of the cooler climate Northern California producers that tend to be more 'hands off' in their style. A beautifully enjoyable Pinot for the price. INSIDER'S PICK: 2018 CANTINA TERLANO PINOT BIANCO 'TRADITION' (Wine Advocate 91+pts) $23.9912/3/2020  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.
In most winegrowing regions, Pinot Bianco (aka Weissburgunder in some parts of the world) primarily an everyday workhorse varietal, making fresh and clean wines that aren't as overt or showy as others. The Alto Adige is one of the few places where it achieves its greatest potential, and even though the Pinot Grigio and Gewurztraminer is more 'known', Pinot Bianco just may produce the region's finest wines. We have carried several different excellent examples over the years, but the Cantina Terlano cooperative definitely push it to the very top. Their Riserva 'Vorberg' is considered among the best single varietal versions of Pinot Bianco in the world, and the winery's two top white blends that feature it are considered among the best white wines from the region every vintage. This is their 'basic' offering, but will still provide an experience that will open more than a few eyes. Cool vibrant aromas of pear and stone fruits, reserved at first but gaining intensity and some pulpier notes over some time, this definitely more subtle than a Pinot Grigio but patience is rewarded. There is a nice roundness on the palate to deliver the minerality and fruit without a shred of sweetness to be found, a trick that's hard to balance in many parts of the world. Often the drier versions of Pinot Bianco can feel thin or lean, but this sacrifices nothing. An extremely unexpected pleasure, great as a sipping wine for those that like things a bit more vibrant, and great to pair with creamy fish or lighter pork dishes. INSIDER'S PICK: 2017 BIGGIO HAMINA PINOT NOIR 'BIHA' EOLA-AMITY HILLS (Vinous 90points) $23.9911/20/2020  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.
While we didn't put this one on 'the List' of our Thanksgiving Turkey wines, you could pretty much set one of our turkey signs on the entire row of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir selections. But how fair would that be to everyone else? The entire region is tailor made to serve this time of year, so it's just not feasible to say there is just one to choose above all others. We're always a fan of what Biggio Hamina puts out (have to love a wine that quotes Dr. Pangloss from Candide), and this is a great value for an area-specific wine. The construction is from several vineyards within the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. including young vines from sources they feature in single site wines, so you can think of it as an equivalent of a Cotes de Nuits Villages level designation from Burgundy. Distinct character without the price. Fresh and aromatic red fruits with some dark earth and spice around the edges as it opens up, the wines show off the Biggio Hamina elegant style on the palate, vibrant and snappy all the way through the finish. This is also one of those wines that seems to gain body as it opens up for a few hours, intensifying the fruit and lengthening the finish, earning a more substantial experience with some patience.  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.
While Riesling is the undeniable king grape variety in Germany, there is still plenty of room for other varietal royalty to show off if you are willing to look for it. Scheurebe (also called Samling 88, far less sexy) is a hybrid developed in the early 1900s with Riesling parentage, with an eye towards quality and durability in the more frost prone areas. While it only makes up <2% of German plantings, it has more than a few advocates and plenty of tasty examples. Our favorite quote generator for German wines, importer Terry Theise, called the grape 'Riesling's evil, horny twin' in his book Reading Between The Wines. Also his most PG-rated description of the grape. In the sweeter versions Scheurebe shows a lot of pears and white fruits, but the drier it gets the more zesty and grapefruit intensive the flavors become. This lands in the off-dry zone, just enough juicy pears and center-of-the-grape white flesh flavors with a citrus zing to the finish, a bit of a spicy fragrance. Folks looking for something fun and a little different will have a blast trying this with spicy seafood, maybe a richer poultry dish in a cream sauce.  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.
A thousand pardons for not getting the second Insider's Pick out last Friday as promised. To make up for it we have a 'double feature', two wines from the same producer that can both be had for the Insider's Pick discount. Get one or the other, or maybe both if you like to compare and contrast similar wines. This winery is a long time favorite of ours, and find both of these Barberas to be top quality representatives of the regions they are from. Even though they are adjacent to each other in the Piedmont, Alba and Asti have vastly different reputations, and the wines translate those differences. Asti tends to be brighter and fresher in character, usually made in a broader everyday style as it is the most heavily planted red in it's region. Alba contains the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, so Barbera often competes with plantings of Nebbiolo. In alba the soils tend to make a lighter wine, but there is a higher potential at the top end for very high achieving wines, especially when they are planted alongside Nebbiolo in some of the best vineyards like this one. Both of these are very 'serious' versions with minimal filtration and a touch of oak aging, though the Alba definitely carries a darker fruit character and has the structure to age and evolve a bit longer. Either one on their own is a show-stopper, but if you have the opportunity to pour two bottles in an evening, why not have a Barbera showdown? |
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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