 No better way to send off 2024 than with some great Champagne, especially when you can also call it a great value as well. Words you don't usually get to use together when describing Champagne, so when we get the chance we try to shout it from the highest rooftops. A family run producer based primarily in the village of Champillon just above the city of Epernay, Alain Vincey hooked up with a Virginia based importer to start bringing their wines over, and in the words of the importer "we felt like we had won the lottery". This is a killer price for what we love to call 'Farmer Fizz', as the esteemed Terry Theise called his grower Champagnes. An even blend of Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier without a lot of time on the lees before disgorgement, this is every reason why you shouldn't bother with the mass market names. Crisp, bright and distinctive white fruits with tell-tale Champagne acidity and nerve underneath, loads of energy on the palate with a dusty baked apple to the palate and a nice lingering richness. This isn't a Champagne that's just trying to cash in on the name, no phoning it in here. Distinctive and individual, and drinking waaaaay over the price point, a wine worthy of any celebration.
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 One of our favorite (re)-discoveries this year has been with the wines from Lioco. Since an epic tasting with them earlier in the year we have been stuffing the aisles with their distinctly atypical Californian wines. They specialize in a 'minimalist' style of winemaking, preferring lower alcohol levels and less oak influence, using vineyards with as little intervention in them as possible ('dry-farming, older vines, and sustainable agriculture' as it says on their labels). Not surprisingly they pull a lot of fruit from vineyards in Mendocino County for their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rhone varietal wines. Even in a 'basic' bottling like this, you get a perfect look at their style as it features fruit from many of the featured vineyards in their lineup. Noticeably less thick and purple colored in the glass than your usual Cali Pinot, the nose is full of Bing cherry and vibrant red fruits, hints of pepper and cranberry, all very elegant and bright. The palate is equally vibrant, with lots of mouth-watering red fruit tones an elegant super-fine tannins that bring out the darker savory notes on the finish. This is a wine that revels in its dryness, in its subtlety, in its restraint, and fans of the style will be thrilled.
 It's the perfect 'American in Tuscany' dream that we would all love to live out: fall in love with the region, have the opportunity to purchase an old property with growing history dating back to the mid-1600s, and establish a new winery that strongly honors tradition. Located in the rugged heart of Chianti near Panzano, The Grace family has converted the property to organics since they founded the winery in 1997, with all the existing vineyards and their new plantings certified since 2010. They also push to have their wines being exclusively Sangiovese, including their Riserva and 'Gran Selezione' bottlings, which is where the 'SoloSangiovese' name cheekily came from for their flagship wine. Dark and dusty Tuscan aromas of cherry and dried red fruits, hinting at leather and licorice that get warmer and somewhat cozy at it opens up. The palate is still very youthful with lots of long but fine tannin that really leans into the dark and dusty side of the fruit at first, but does show some juicier notes over time. Perfect with a hearty meal and/or over the length of an evening.
 Much of the history for wines in the Levant, the Spanish region around Valencia, has been focused on big cheap nondescript red wines sold in bulk. In the last 30 years there has been a move towards modernization and improvement, but a lot of it was also following the Australian influence of the time, that bigger=better and that everything about the wine needed to be 'supersized'. Lots of extraction and thickness, lots of oak, and usually lots of alcohol. That arms race has subsided and there are many more nuanced versions of their wines appearing. Monastrell (Mourvedre) is king of grapes here, able to withstand the baking heat and dry conditions and still maintain acidity and tannic structure. It is also hearty enough to live in the poor soils and be one of the few places in Europe that can maintain both own-rooted ungrafted vines AND be dry farmed. For the price this is an exciting introduction to the character of the region, built with a surprisingly delicate hand. Loads of black fruits and road tar on the nose, but surprisingly fresh without sweeter tones, and even a Rhone-like touch of herbs. White the palate is still fairly full bodied, it isn't thick or coating, instead showing more darker currant and fine tannins, even a sense of freshness to the finish without obtrusive new oak in the way. A great option for hearty meals in the cold days ahead.
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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
February 2025
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