 In most growing areas, Pinot Blanc tends to be more of a workhorse grape than a superstar. It pops up across much of Europe (called Pinot Bianco or Weissburgunder in some countries) and makes clean, bright wines with nice acidity if not a lot of intensity or aromatics. The term 'quiet' gets applied to their wines with some frequency, sort of a damning with faint praise. In the right hands, with a bit of love and extra labor, it can make wine that rivals its more famous vineyard mates of Riesling and Pinot Gris. One producer we have, Cantina Terlano from the Alto Adige in Italy, makes some of the very best versions of the grape, so our standard here is high, and we have to say this is probably the best domestic version we have had the chance to taste. The big necessity with Pinot Blanc is to give it time to age on the skins and pulp, as well as bottling it with minimal filtration to eek out every last bit of flavor and texture the grape has to give. It takes time, and for most basic wines it may not be worth the effort, but here the rewards are oh so worthwhile. Light gold in the glass with a cool minerality to the nose with some white almond notes, and some surprisingly pretty floral and white peach showing as it opens up. Those 'quiet' characteristics are definitely getting louder here. The palate has wonderful texture, juicy and racy at the same time with lots of quince and peach pulp and a light dose of skin tannin to the dry and crystal clean finish. At its best with lighter white fish/river fish dishes, but that sur lie texture can definitely help it hold its own versus pork or poultry dishes that aren't too aggressively spiced.
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 Today is Beaujolais Nouveau release day, and of course there will be plenty of attention paid to that in a lot of places. We're in the mood to let people taste on the 'true' Beaujolais, the Beaujolais that you should be thinking about the other 364 days of the year, the Cru Beaujolais. Each of the ten Beaujolais Cru sites have their own distinct soils and characters to them, but Moulin-A Vent (named for the iconic old windmill that stands above the vineyards) is probably the most famous. The perfectly situated vineyards have a distinct soil heavy with pink granite and manganese that seem to infuse the Gamay grapes with a bit more intensity and structure than those around them. This is the Cru that has the best reputation for being age-worthy, and has been the home for many of the legendary producers over the last 40+ years of the region's renaissance. This bottling plays a fine tribute to the legendary pink soil ('Terres Roses'), and with a few vintages already in the bottle is in a prime drinking window right now. A Burgundian looking deep ruby color in the glass, the aromas are of dusty cherry and rose petals that gain a little bit of juiciness and game as it's opened. In other words, quintessential Beaujolais. The palate is fairly full with a tangy, almost racy note and surprisingly firm dusty tannins that stay persistent all the way through the finish. There's no banana and bubble gum here found in all the commercial Beaujolais, this tastes all of the place and of the grape, A true food wine, at its best with a charcuterie plate, salty meats in general, and of course your Thanksgiving dinner.
 A great wine under a seemingly nondescript label (unless you're a Nathaniel Hawthorne fan, in which case it's downright scandalous) made by a farm-first family winery, all ingredients for an outstanding under-the-radar value. The Alfaro family has made a tidy name for themselves in the Santa Cruz Mountains, not only for the work they do on their own estate vineyards but on some famous properties they help to manage. For example they have helped to make Trout Gulch vineyard one of the most sought after names in the mountains for the signature style of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir it can provide. On their own home properties that they have been working for nearly 30 years now they have more varietal diversity, but still farm them beautifully and provide textbook examples of their coastal mountain climate. Syrah can have a distinct 'cool climate' aroma versus a 'warm climate' one, a savory blueberry and bluer fruits combined with a meatiness (some may say bacon or beef blood, depending on how much of a carnivore they are), and this certainly has it thanks to the fog that so often rolls over the Santa Cruz Mountains from the nearby Pacific Ocean. The palate is nice and weighty with tannins almost as fine as a Pinot Noir, but have a nice dustiness to them that bring out the blue fruit skin notes on the finish. Perhaps not as elegant and refined as a Northern Rhone Syrah, but definitely inspired by it, and impressive for the money and worthy of pairing with any great cut of beef or gamey meat dishes.
 Even though the grape is the same, the style of Cabernet Sauvignon can vary tremendously from region to region. The stark differences between Bordeaux and California Cabs are fairly apparent, especially with them being about a third of the world apart. But even the distance along the West Coast between California and Washington brings out fairly noticeable differences, and people can have varying opinions on which is better. The Washington Cabs tend to be plumper, juicier and more darkly fruited than those from say Napa Valley or Sonoma County, perhaps less structured and capable of elegance as they age, also a bit chewier on the tannins. What you do find plenty of in Washington is value, and if you like their style then you get a looooot of enjoyment for your money. The Matthews Estate pulls fruit from some of the best sites in the Columbia Valley, like the Red Mountain and Royal Slope AVAs, and creates a wide range of vineyard specific wines, while their Columbia Valley designated wines deliver a broader snapshot of the region. This is quintessential Washington Cab, and you would be hard pressed to find any from California that deliver as much character for the money. Dark in color and pouring out loads of deep plummy fruit on the nose with plenty of currants and dusty cocoa notes that get spicier as the wine opens. Youthful and inky on the palate, and the plum and cocoa notes really persist, but the tannins are well tamed and finish with more of a bitter chocolate note than being astringent. Great with a big meal, but also as a slow sipper in front of a Winter fire.
 After generations of being largely forgotten by the world of fine wine, the Sicilian native Nerello Mascalese grape has enjoyed a renaissance over the last few decades. It draws many comparisons to Nebbiolo from the Piedmont, and at its best can make wines that can parallel the greatness of Barolo and Barbaresco. It also shares Nebbiolo's relatively problematic difficulties in ripening and production, so it usually only gets planted in the better vineyard sites, which makes it difficult to find many inexpensive versions to expose the bulk of wine drinkers. This is just about the most 'entry level' version we have come across in a while that still shows off all the distinct and wonderful characters Nerello Mascalese is supposed to have. A bright and fairly transparent ruby color in the glass, the nose is rugged and wild dark berry with savory herbaceous notes and earth or tree bark sort of dustiness. The palate is bright and almost racy, bringing tartness to the fruit and a lightness to the body, with a fine tannic feel that is very much out of the Nebbiolo playbook. That combination, even in the less expensive versions like this one, is what helps Nerello Mascalese age and evolve so well, developing secondary earthy flavors and all kinds of umami notes. Those come with time, and if you are so inclined this would definitely be able to make it there in a few years in your cellar, but right now it's all about bright and youthful goodness. Can handle red meats, but also fine enough to pair with grilled vegetables and even some of those really tricky Italian conundrum dishes that combine both seafood and red sauces.
The Insider's Pick wine will be available to taste Thursday and Friday and gets a 10% discount during the tasting. Come on by and taste some delicious wine!  Continuing to celebrate our return to tasting, and what better way to celebrate than with a bit of bubbly! Nothing intensive though, just a little bit of 'fun fizz' that tastes a lot more serious than it costs. Prosecco has most of the notoriety for sparkling wine in Italy, but a large number of the regions in the North have very strong reputations for making them in good quality. Franciacorta in the Lombardy region has almost as long a reputation for sparkling wine as the Champagne region, though it was decimated by phylloxera at the turn of the century and didn't regain it's worthy stature until after World War II. Their influence has spread around the region, not just for quality of sparkling wines made but for the use of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir -the workhorse grapes in Champagne- to make the wines. The vineyards for Cantine Bonelli sit just to the South of Franciacorta near the Po River and feature 100% Pinot Noir in this surprisingly dry and immensely enjoyable sparkler. Crisp dusty strawberry and peach skin aromas with a light but fairy persistent bead to it. The wine is made in the Prosecco method of carbonation, so it isn't as aggressive as Method Champenoise, but stays going surprisingly well. The palate is juicy, soft and elegant like a nice still Rose with just a tickle on the finish from the bubbles that gives the finish a bit of added tartness, and as the carbonation leaves it still finishes dry and clean. A tasty cocktail and easy to enjoy with light snacks.
The Insider's Pick wine will be available to taste Thursday and Friday and gets a 10% discount during the tasting. Come on by and taste some delicious wine! INSIDER'S PICK: 2021 CANTINA TERLANO PINOT NOIR 'TRADITION' ALTO ADIGE (Vinous 91points) $29.9910/13/2022  WE'RE BACK! So glad to be pouring for you again, decided to start back in with one of our favorite 'perception-bender' wines, bringing unexpected quality from unexpected places. The Alto Adige is rightfully renowned for the white wines they produce, but the reds tend to fly under the radar. Producers here aren't making high end bottlings that grab the international headlines, or flooding the market with millions of bottles a year, so they don't register in our consciousness as much. But if you're a fan of lighter bodied reds in general this is a region to explore, especially if you enjoy red Burgundy but not their steadily increasing prices. Cantina Terlano is one of the most acclaimed producers in Alto Adige, and this Pinot Noir is a stone cold dead ringer for a Bourgogne level bottling from a quality Cotes de Beaune based winemaker. Strong words, we know, but now you get to come in and taste on it and see how right we are!
Pale cherry in the glass, the nose is full of cherry skin and dried red flowers at first, with redder fruits getting more intense as it opens up as well as showing some potpourri notes. The palate is racy and a little lean at first but fells weightier and riper with each sip, delivering lots of vibrant strawberry and cranberry tones with increasingly redder cherry notes and herbal undertones. New to the bottle and barely starting to strut its stuff, this is a great wine to accompany a roasted bird and Fall vegetables, especially with a decently long decant.  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 on Thursday and Friday. 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.
Puglia, the 'Heel' part of Italy, is one of the more rural and remote parts of the country. And despite jutting out into the Mediterranean as it does, it's also one of the driest and warmest. The region has long been known for making wines very different from the rest of the country because of their arid climate, very hearty and rustic, and took a lot longer to embrace many of the more modern winemaking technologies. As that has increased, we have seen more and more great producers exporting their wines that show well and are consistent but still show plenty of their rustic charms. Primitivo (what became known as Zinfandel in America) is very popular here, especially in the Gioia del Colle region just to the Southeast of the city of Bari, and Fatalone was the first in the region to bottle the wine as its own varietal in 1987. This family winery has been a leader with Primitivo in the area since the late 1800s, and even with the necessary modern additions it hasn't taken away their rustic regional character. This is a big wine at 15%abv and definitely has a big fruit character to it, but it also shows lots of the characters of non-interventionist sides of the process (native yeasts, spontaneous fermentation without the use of sulphites), which brings out the sour cherry tones and umami or balsamic notes for many people. Juicy, spicy fruit on the palate with a bit of dark 'sauvage' beneath, definitely showing a bit more of a wild or burly side than usually found in Italians. Excellent to pair with hearty meats that may have some intensive spicing, and melds quite well with most styles of barbeque.  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 on Thursday and Friday. 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 our favorite things to do here is busting myths or old tropes about wine. A lot of consumers believe that California Chardonnay is always oaky and buttery (as if there was a law in place for it), and when it isn't like that it's a sign the wine is cheap. These tropes do have some basis in history. When the juice from Chardonnay is lighter bodied from younger vines or a lower quality site, oak will easily dominate the wine's flavor, and the cost of replenishing new barrels is usually reserved for the wines that will fetch a higher price point. This style of winemaking also makes for a richer, smoother, more buttery flavor in Chardonnay, and not everyone wants it that way. The Chablis region in particular shows off its cool climate acidity and chalky minerality with producers rarely using any oak even at the higher price levels, and more producers than ever are looking to emulate that style. Even in California; actually should say ESPECIALLY in California, as there are so many different climates that are begging for some diversity. Hendry's estate vineyards sit in the hills just above the Carneros district at the foot of Mount Veeder, getting a lot of cooling breeze effects off the mountains without as much lingering fog as Carneros. Their vineyards also feature the Dijon clone of Chardonnay, which tend to give a bit more naturally concentrated juice so the richness usually added by malolactic fermentation isn't missed by its absence. Racy lemon curd and green apple aromas that get warmer and richer the longer the wine is open, also bringing in some orange citrus tones. the mouthfeel is nicely rich but shows lots of tingly acidity and tart citrus in behind the round apple and pit fruit flavors, more of a Cotes de Beaune type character than a racy Chablis. Surprisingly light on its feet, a delicious choice with citrus seasoned poultry and pastas.  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 on Thursday and Friday. 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 lot of the Loire wine region is going through some dire struggles. Along with the worldwide difficulties that have impacted all our lives over the last 2+ years, the Loire has suffered back to back vintages where the vineyard yields have been cut in half or worse. Early frost damage, hail storms while grapes are on the vines, and plant damage from both those events has left many with little to sell. The quality of what has survived is still lovely, especially in the hands of quality producers, there just isn't much of it. Thomas-Labaille is a long standing and well regarded producer that owns about 20 acres of Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in and around the legendary commune of Chavignol, including a part of the steeply sloping and iconic Mont Damnes vineyard. The yield from Mont Damnes was so small this vintage for them that the winery decided it was not feasible to make a separate bottling, and was better used to bolster their regular l'Authentique. The quality of the wine that made it to the bottle is still deliciously classic Sancerre, so if you weren't in the market for any higher end Sancerre wines anyway this addition is actually in your favor. Clean, pure and zesty with lots of mineral driven white fruits and definite notes of chalk and seashell so classic in the from wines around Chavignol, indeed enhanced by being 'touched by greatness' and the small percentage of Mont Damnes in the mix. A bit tight being so newly bottled, the fruit definitely gets fuller and juicier the longer it's open, and can even use with a good decant if possible. Even in a tough year there's a lot to enjoy here. |
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 2022
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