 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.
This wine pretty much always makes an appearance in the Insider's Pick each time there is a new vintage. And that's OK because the blend is always changing each year, plus it's a very important wine for customers to know and understand. Above all, it's always really, REALLY good for the money. Stolpman Vineyards is one of the very few wineries in California that has their vineyard workers employed all year round instead of seasonal. The idea is to not just enable the workers to have a steady income but to have a career, to even progress and have their families grow and improve the industry. Part of this plan has evolved into having their own wine made from a small vineyard block-or Cuadra- from he Stolpman estate that changes each vintage. All the profits from this wine goes back to the crew and their families based on seniority. The label artwork changes each vintage as well, always done in black and white, always inspired in some way by the people of the Cuadrilla. This vintage is Syrah dominant, as they usually are, with equal parts of Grenache and Sangiovese making up the remainder, so a Rhone-ish blend with a little bit of Italian flava for added personality; the percentages are consistent from the last few vintages, but the source of Syrah has changed. Inky, opulent dark fruit with lots of jammy blackberry and spice, with a touch of anise and dried cherry skin courtesy of the Sangiovese, as well as a bit of acidity to the palate to lighten the finish. Big but not oozy, this is just starting it's journey as these wines have shown good life in the cellar vintage after vintage.
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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 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.
We told you in the writeups for the Select Six to expect more from us on the Mary Taylor line of wines, and we were not kidding. The mission statement for this producer has so much in common with what we have set out to be as a wine retailer these last 27 years, we almost can't help but love everything we've tried so far. The idea is to help 'decipher the complex notion of terroir' by work with small artisan growers and wineries to help craft affordable wines that still have a distinct sense of place. Not everyone may know or possibly even had heard of the Loire region of Valencay, which sit on the southern and middle portion along the banks of the Cher river. Honestly, it is probably one of the only appellations in France where the reputation of the cheese outclasses that of the wine; to be fair, the semi-pyramid shaped goat cheese here is pretty darn excellent. There aren't any producers here that make anything high end to capture any international attention, so we don't really get a chance to 'know' Valencay wines, and they remain a hidden regional value. Gamay and Pinot Noir are prevalent here, as well as Malbec which goes by the name Cot here. In combination here they work magnificently, bringing together the polish and soft texture of the first two grapes with a little extra substance from the Cot. Silky cherry and red fruits on the nose with a touch of black spice emerging as it opens up, very plush and fine at first on the palate but builds some much needed fine tannins to pull some flesh to the finish. You could definitely serve this to a Burgundy fan blind and make them quite happy. A 'backdoor Burgundy', perhaps? Don't miss giving this a try, especially at this price INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 HERMANN J WIEMER DRY RIESLING SENECA LAKE (Wine Advocate 91points) $23.991/13/2022  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.
The Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard is one of the most important wineries on the East Coast, considering that since the mid-1970s their nursery has been actively bringing in and propagating European vinifera that has benefited the entire winemaking community. The wines themselves are equally important, one of the long time standards of quality in the Finger Lakes region for both red and white varieties. Riesling is of course one of if not 'the' most prevalent grape in the region, and while most people think of it as a sweet wine (and there are plenty of delicious sweet versions to be had, we do NOT knock them at all), many of the best and most delightful versions are in the dry spectrum.This one weighs in at 7 grams of sugar per liter; some may say 'ACK!! That's going to be sweet!'. It is actually well within what the German regulations would be for their trocken wines, and as much as half the amount you would find in the majority of Californian Chardonnay. Add in to that the cool climate acidity born from the Finger Lakes region, and you have a wine that absolutely breathes dryness. Blended from fruit sourced out of their four best estate vineyards (HJW, Magdalena, Josef & Kasper), this starts off a bit stern and steely, but builds fresh white fruits on the nose with some time open, and continue on to the palate. The dryness on the palate is not austere or lean, just helps the fruit dance with the acidity into a clean mineral soaked finish. A tasty match with pork dishes, classic German sauerkraut, and the like.  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.
Hope everyone out there is safe and warm after Monday's big snow, especially with another round coming on its heels soon. Now is a good time to make your 'comfort foods' for your family and friends, hearty warming dishes that usually aren't complicated or use exotic ingredients, just happy fuel for the body and soul (and often the leftovers keep going for days afterwards). One of the better grape varieties for these types of dishes is Dolcetto, best known from the Piedmont in Italy as the general workhorse grape while Nebbiolo and Barbera get most of the high praise. Dogliani, which sits just South of Barolo, is in fact the only area that elevates Dolcetto above the others, having made it the featured grape in their DOCG status. This is a single site bottling from a newly available producer to us, and is just about the pinnacle of what we have tasted for Dolcetto. Deep in color with initial aromas of dark plums and savory black skinned fruit, with some dusty spice and worn leathery tones showing as it opens. Fairly sturdy on the palate (a sign it should evolve decently over time) but not rough or chewy in texture as some of the more basic Dolcettos can get, allowing the fruit to have flesh and intensity on the palate and a deep dry finish. This is just begging to go with a rich meaty stew, mushroom-y stroganoff, or- my favorite- a home made lasagna. |
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
September 2023
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