 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.
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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.
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.  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 vintners in Burgundy struggling this week with frost issues along with other parts of France and Europe, we felt we should help everyone raise a glass to them by featuring one of their better value wines. The main part of Burgundy around the city of Beaune is deservedly famous for making what many say is the finest versions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the world. It's also one of the most compressed in terms of space, so there isn't a lot of room to make more and keep up with the international demand. When nature throws hurdles like this in at the start of a vintage, it can have many cascading effects by the end of the vintage; even if the quality ends up being fine, yields can be dramatically altered, and if some parcels are damaged enough entire wines could be eliminated. Inevitably, when rare things become even more rare, pricing bumps up quickly. Fortunately the Macon region to the South does not seem to feel these pressures nearly as intensely, with a wider breadth of vineyard space and not nearly the price scrutiny at the highest end of the spectrum. We have loved this little wine for quite a few vintages now, appearing in previous vintages in other promotions of ours, and just never misses for value. Sourced from the same 15 acres of vineyards each vintage with an average age well over 30 years (mature vines handle climate issues consistently better than younger ones), this is about as pure and clean a Burgundy as you can get for the price. Unoaked but full malolactic fermentation gives the wine lots of round texture but still maintains the fresh citrus and warm fruit on the nose and mouth, naturally full but not unctuous and not as minerally as a Chablis or cooler climate Chardonnay can get. A great segue from oaky/buttery Chards into the French style, tasty with many lighter foods or on its own.  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.
Along with the opening day of Major League Baseball (we missed you last Spring!) and April Fool's Day, today is the first day for the Insider's Pick where Spring is truly in stride. Days are getting longer and warmer, trees are flowering around the building, and our cars are starting to get that light yellow tinting from all the pollen. On the wine side it means we start looking for great 'back porch' wines, refreshing ones you can chill down and enjoy without too much food or pomp & circumstance, but are still unique and compelling every time you open them. For several vintages this winery in Slovenia has offered up great wines with a very minimalist sort of style, all the while maintaining a fantastic price point, so we try to find ways to feature it every vintage to help people find it. Made from primarily a blend of Welschriesling and Furmint as well as a smattering of native varietals, the aromas pack in a lot more intensity than the pale color and lower abv would first let on. Loads of green apple and citrus skin notes also pops with orange and citrus blossom, the epitome of Springtime, and picks up more white fruits as the wine opens and gets a touch warmer than 'fridge cold'. The palate is wet and refreshing at first, but does carry some texture from the grape tannins and a bit of a juicy mouthfeel, but there is no sweetness here as it finishes clean and minerally. A great liter bottle you can finally share with friends, but with the lower alcohol you'll be OK just splitting it between two people. |
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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