 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.
At this point in the Summer it sometimes feels like it's as hot here as in Africa, and it can make you wonder how there can possibly be a wine growing climate temperate enough to grow wine anywhere but at the southern cape in South Africa. Yet here we are, able to talk about a wine of this quality from Morocco, a study of micro-climates and a bit of circumstantial luck. Noted Northern Rhone/Crozes-Hermitage and St. Joseph winemaker Alain Graillot was on vacation and cycling many years back in the Zenata area of the Atlas Mountains, when he came across some vineyard parcels. The setting of the vineyard and the uniquely cool aspect of this subzone intrigued him enough to pursue more about the potential here, eventually establishing a partnership with the vineyard and developing his own wine project. You would think that Syrah grown in Morocco would have a much heavier, Southern Rhone or Aussie aspect to it, but at the expert hands of a Northern Rhone specialist like Graillot, the wine turns quite the trick of a North-meets-South character. Warm red and black fruits on the nose, slightly tarry with some sweet spice to it, but also some savory notes as well. The palate is where the Northern Rhone influence really shows itself, far less extracted than expected and a fine vibrancy from the natural acidity, bringing out the blue fruit tones. North Africa is famous historically for heady high test wines, but this is tempered at only 13.5%abv, creating a reserved, refined overall character. Tasty with rich meat dishes that have a bit of spice, or osso buco, something with some heft to 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.
During our anniversary special this month, we also like to break out some wines for the Insider's Pick that step things up a notch in quality, but still do things a little bit outside the norm as we always like to do here. This is a Chardonnay that definitely brings the unusual into play, while still maintaining traditional appeal and brilliance. The El Enemigo project comes from the winemaking tree of Catena Zapata, where so many advancements and top wines in Argentina have evolved from over the last few decades. Alejandro Vigil is the chief winemaker at Catena Zapata, and Adrianna Catena is a daughter of winery founder Nicolas Catena (also the namesake for one of Catena's most famous vineyards). Together they created this project to step outside the more traditional restraints of winemaking at Catena Zapata and experiment won a smaller scale with some more unique ideas. For the Chardonnay, they allow/encourage the development of flor in the barrels, a layer of yeast that creates a natural oxygen barrier in the barrel and dramatically changes the acidity and flavor development. Most famously the flor is used in making traditional Sherry and is most prevalent in the Fino and Manzanilla styles, but also plays a part in the distinct white wines from the Jura region. Vibrant gold in color, the aromas are equally energetic with lots classic Chardonnay white fruits and rich pear notes, but also a spice and nuttiness from the flor, almost saline, just hanging out in the background where the more vanilla toasty notes would sit from new oak. The palate is quite broad and mouthfilling, but the acidity retained by the flor takes all the cloying texture out of the picture, finishing quite dry and tangy. Not quite Burgundy, not quite California, still very much Chardonnay, and absolutely brilliant with richer seafood dishes where the acidity can cut through like a hot knife.  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 most iconic wines in the Savoie region are the ones from Abymes and Apremont featuring the Jacquere grape. These delicate and finely tuned wines are emblematic of the Alpine region, but may not be their 'best' wines made here. That honor often goes to the Roussette in many taster's minds, including the legendary author Jancis Robinson who calls it 'Savoie's most exciting white grape'. Often confabulated with the Rhone variety Roussanne (which is a rabbit hole that would triple the length of this email if we went down it), Roussette delivers the same clarity but with a more distinctive perfume and a bit more natural weight. Jacquere wines seem to revel in their lightness, while Roussette just chooses to up the volume a little bit. Beautiful white fruits and distinctive flowers on the nose, almost juicy pears in the background but lots of cool minerality that gives the fruits more mineral tones. The palate is pure crystalline white fruits with a dry but fleshy mouthfeel, fresh and lengthy on the finish. The aromas and palate get more flavorful with some time open, but there is a delightful briskness to the fruit and acidity popping it right out of the fridge on a humid day. Great to pair with delicate fish with creamier sauces, lightly spiced Asian dishes or Indian curries, and aged creamy cheeses that need a little more texture to stand up.  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 ideal wine for Memorial Day (and a reminder we will be closed on Memorial Day, so get your beverage purchasing done early!), good Rose is a perfect way to mark the lead in to Summer. But the shelves of most retailers are chocked full of very, very similar things so it can be an extra pleasure when you get a hold of something a little different. Bardolino sits on the Western end of the Veneto on the shores of Lake Garda, sharing the same grape varieties as its neighbors in Valpolicella, but historically making a lighter style wine due to the cooling aspects of the lake. Chiaretto is the local name for Rose made on either side of the lake (a historical boundary line between the Lombardy and Veneto regions) ,and it is especially nice to see one from the 'Classico' designation, meaning the vineyards are from the original Bardolino boundaries closest to the lake. A blend of the classic red grape trilogy for the region -Corvina, Rodinella, and Molinara- the aromas are lovely wild strawberry and strawberry leaf, unique to the grapes used and the cooler climate that brings out the pretty savory tones. Juicy quenching strawberry and watermelon tones on the palate and a tingle of fresh acidity that isn't bracing or edgy, just pretty and enjoyable. Great with a chill for light snacks and a cool salmon salad, and definitely not what everyone else will have in their Rose glass. INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 ALFARO FAMILY VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY TROUT GULCH SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS $24.995/20/2021  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 term 'unicorn wine' is usually reserved for limited production and very expensive items. We like to use the term for wines like this that deliver quality so far above the price point, even when there is every reason for them to be more expensive. And this is the second vintage in a row we've been able to offer this wine at this price, so I guess we are doing a good job of keeping it a secret (but still, shhhh!!). The Alfaro family are custodians of the Trout Gulch Vineyard which sits high up in the fog line of the Santa Cruz Mountains, renowned for producing great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for culty cool climate specialist wineries like Ceritas, Arnot-Roberts and Kutch. They keep a share to make their own wines, and with no lesser fruit are making wines that are literally half the price of the other producers. Decidedly NOT an oak and butter bomb, this wine revels in its cool climate breeding, even weighing in this vintage under 13%abv. Racy citrus fruits and melon on the nose, cooling and minerally with just a touch of buttery tones in the background. The palate is nicely rounded and full but so vibrant at the same time, natural and distinct to allow all the subtle vineyard character to show through on the palate. This is about as good of a single vineyard Chardonnay experience you will have from California for the money. Just don't tell too many friends about it....  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.
A great wine returning after a long absence, and with a lovely backstory to boot. Owner/winemaker Kenny Likitprakong started Hobo Wine Co. nearly 20 years ago as one of the very few people of Thai descent on the production side of the Californian wine industry. Under the umbrella of the negociant company they have several different labels, representing a focus on different regions of the state (Hobo, Camp) or levels of experimentation (Folk Machine, Banyan). The Banyn lineup was created to construct wines that he felt best complimented Thai or Southeast Asian cuisine, and at one point had several wines to it. Gewurztraminer was always the biggest favorite and continues the name now as a solo act. Even though the vineyards have changed once or twice over the years, it remains a single site wine which helps the winery control the character of the grapes and makes it easier to create exactly what they want. Those wary of a sugary Gewurztraminer need not worry, as this hits off-dry at most, reminiscent of the Alsatian style. The aromas are classic, full of white flowers and tropical fruit, but not overpowering or heady, leaving room for some cooler notes of mint and citrus in the background. The palate is also floral and juicy, but that nice spice comes in with the acidity giving the flavors some extra zip and a cleaner texture to the finish. This absolutely confirms the concept it was built for, perfect for everything from spring rolls and lighter vegetable dishes to meatier dishes with some heat, just hugely versatile.  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.
New vintage of an old favorite, and another opportunity to help customers get over outdated stereotypes (which we LOVE to do). The Soave region was a moderate sized and well regarded wine region outside Verona until the late 1960s, when the appellation's boundaries were 'encouraged' to be expanded almost tenfold by larger corporate wineries. While the name Soave became more known, it was for being a very nondescript wine of little quality made from undetermined grapes, which is a far cry from the identity of real Soave. In recent years the region has sought to reclaim its identity by re-emphasizing the signature Garganega grape even in the expanded Soave region. The Soave Classico DOC marks the original borders, and while they aren't required to the traditionalists like Inama choose to do 100% Garganega in their wines, which makes them so distinct. Bright red apple and stony pear fruits on the nose with a touch of grass and straw, very fresh and clean on every whiff, fairly emblematic of Spring. On the palate the white fleshed fruits really show through with a lot of bright minerality, and a nice lengthy finish for a white of this price point that signifies it can handle some foods with richer ingredients. Think seafood pasta or risotto.  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.
We're taking away the safety rails this week and getting a bit more esoteric, which is exactly how this wine is made. The natural wine movement has caught on in every part of the globe, especially places where lesser known grapes are planted in older overlooked vineyards waiting for someone to rediscover them. These older vines provide immediate fruit cheaply compared to trying to start a vineyard from scratch, and considering many of their winemaking processes are a bit riskier it takes some of the financial pressure off. This wine comes from a family vineyard managed by its 7th generation, with some vines dating back over two hundred years, farmed without irrigation and very little day to day pruning or maitenance; not quite feral, but closer than most. Winemaking here is extremely hands off, using native yeasts and no sulfur at any point, and bottled with a VERY evident amount of sediment. Concept-wise, this falls firmly into the 'Orange wine' style of wine (Vino Naranja literally translates to that), yet the color is nowhere near that, further evidence that process trumps color and appearances. The solids are left in the wine to help protect it in the absence of sulfur, with the wine only being racked off instead of running it through a filter. If you prefer the wine with less solids, let it stand in the fridge at least a day before pouring and try not to agitate the bottle between pours, but if you don't mind them they don't really hurt the experience at all. Either way, the aromatics are brilliant here, full of bright oranges, tropical fruits and wildflowers with a little zestiness. The palate is much drier than expected, helped by the extended skin contact to really bring out the citrus skin tannin texture behind the floral flavors, and popped a little extra by any sediment you may have. This works fabulously with spicier cuisine of most any origin, from domestic, Central/South American or Far East.  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 various issues creating shipping dilemmas around the world the last half year or so, coupled with weather problems and the situations around American tariffs, wine availability and the arrival of new vintages from overseas has been a bit, well, constipated. Everything is delayed it seems, and it all has been taking longer to get through to the consumer once it's started. Roses are very strongly associated with Spring, so their delayed arrival has been a bit more obvious, but we finally seem to be seeing more and more options returning. Clos Cibonne is one of the most distinctive producers in Provence, a region awash in 'same-but-different' wines when it comes to Rose. The family grows the ancient Tibouren grape variety in their coastline vineyards for each wine to some extent, and have been doing things to make their wines stand out for years that are now being embraced by more avant-garde producers the world over (aging wines under 'flor' yeast as done in making Sherry, reusable wood foudres, etc). They also make some of the most age-worthy Roses in all of France which we always like to remind people of (the 2019s are still delicious!), with their top cuvees always released a year behind everyone else but capable of lasting a decade plus. This is their more entry level production, yet is still shows how distinct they are from the rest of the region. Minerally strawberry and tart red fruits on the nose, with a touch of savory herbs underneath that captures the windswept coastal terrain and the wild herbs so well. Bright and juicy on the palate as well, still showing those fruits and herbs but with an almost citrusy lemon tang to the finish. This is a wine that covers a lot of ground for a rose, making it perfect for a lot of lighter foods, starter courses and fish dishes. INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 RONCHI DI CIALLA RIBOLLA GIALLA FRIULI COLLI ORIENTALI (Vinous 92points) $22.994/15/2021  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.
Pinot Grigio is ubiquitous in the Veneto and across the Northeastern section of Italy, to the point that many people may think that it's the only white wine produced. Ribolla Gialla is special, a more noble and prized variety of Friuli, and is gaining in recognition as wines of Slovenia and Croatia become more popular. The bright natural acidity makes vibrant wines very easily, and rewards more quality driven efforts with intensity and dynamic flavors, so you can really have it almost any way you want it and besuccessful. It is even starting to find a more frequent foothold with American winemakers as well as the producers of 'orange wines'. Ronchi di Cialla is one of the most acclaimed producers in Friuli, and their Ribolla Gialla is one of the benchmarks for the region. Although it doesn't tread into the 'orange wine' neighborhood, this does see a healthy amount of aging on the skins, as well as the use of native yeasts and lengthy resting on the lees, so this lands on the fleshier side of what the varietal can do. Intense mix of white fruits and minerality on the nose, almost a sense of raw honey like you find in a Vouvray or other good Chenin Blancs, but with lots of energy and no sense of sweetness. The palate has a lot of bright apples and white fruit flesh flavors, but the vibrant acidity really makes the whole mouthfeel tingle and jump. Great with a flavorful shellfish dish, vegetables, and even lighter pork preparations. |
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
May 2021
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