 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.
Even though Puglia is one of the oldest wine growing cultures in Italy, now working into its 5th millennia, it's one of the least recognized and followed by modern consumers. After the European phylloxera epidemic in the late 1800s devastated the vineyards, the region was slow to replant, and the largely agricultural zone felt heavy pressures after both WWI and WWII that slowed their development even further. In recent years most of the world has grow familiar with their most prevalent and successful grapes Negroamaro and Primitivo, but there are still secrets there to unearth. Susumaniello is among the lowest planted varietals in the region, but has seen a considerable bump in popularity as more focus has come to embracing native varieties. This isn't just a fun wine because of the rarity, but because it's REALLY good, a noticeable step up from the winery's more everyday Negroamaro and Salice Salentino. Where many of the wines here are juicy but a bit simple, Susumaniello is deeper and more complex, layering in more black fruits and spice, even a bit of tannic structure in with the polished mouthfeel. Loads of warm raspberry and blackberry on the nose with pepper and dried spices, very fleshy on the palate but not cloying thanks to the fine tannin that allows a bit of savory tones to get in and firms up the finish. It has a bit of a character like a classic California 'Field Blend' that has a fair mix of other varieties in the vineyard that provide another layer to a mostly Zinfandel base. A great match with grilled foods and spicier rubs or smoked meats.
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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.
The high times for Rose wines is getting into full swing, and there will surely be many options for big fun and inexpensive values. It's important to us to feature this one when we can, not just because we love everything Bedrock, but because it's among the most 'serious' Roses going, and this level of artistry deserves recognition. The name is in honor of Lulu Peynaud, historical matriarch of Domaine Tempier in Bandol, who is considered THE preeminent source of great Rose since they first bottled one in 1943. The high percentages of Mourvedre give these wines distinct acidity and intensity not found in most Provencal Roses, which is what Bedrock looks to emulate. The team at Bedrock use specific old blocks of Mourvedre and Grenache (some over 100 years old) that could easily be utilized in wines more than twice the price, but are dedicated to harvesting them early to preserve the acidity and making a wine worthy of its namesake. The nose is always a tight combination of both red and white fruits, some high tone citrus, and even some Provencal herbal notes (may be a form of synesthesia brought on by the background story, but I'm going with it). On the palate is where this shines so much more than others, with penetrating acidity and a sense of structure usually absent in a Rose, giving lots of fruit skin texture to the flavors, even a touch of salinity to the lengthy finish, always a big flavor without feeling thick in the mouth or heavy in any way. A great food wine that stands up to tuna steaks and cedar plank grilled salmon, and actually keeps quite well for several years after vintage, though not to the epic lengths of its namesake.  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.
Pretty much since the inception of the Virginia wine industry, Gabriele Rausse has been an important name as a viticulturist, winemaker, and general source of wisdom. Even this far along in his career, you can also add the term 'innovator' with the wines from the Vino Dal Bosco project. The wines here follow a lot of the 'natural wine' movement while still displaying traditional flavors and character, creating unique wines (especially in Virginia) without being oddballs. These projects see a lot of effort and love in their production, the only drawback being they tend to be done in fairly small volumes, so they can come and go fairly quickly. This Malvasia technically falls into the 'orange' or 'amber wine' category, in that it sees nearly two weeks on its skins during fermentation, but the pale skins don't create any color change, nor does the 4 months aging in small amphora under no sulfites. It does create a much drier and lower alcohol character to the wine that usually found with Malvasia, and makes for a truly fascinating glass. Lovely perfume of Spring flowers and pulpy white fruits as soon as it's opened, but you also get the note of grapeskin which tempers the fragrance and keeps it from registering too much sweetness. There's nice body from the time on the skins and amphora aging, and nice acidity giving freshness to the fruit on the palate giving the flavors distinctly crisper character that the aromas may have let on. The finish is lean and clean, almost minty in coolness especially when there is a nice chill on it, and this goes down so easily it won't have time to warm up. A great warm weather sipper for those that want something a little different, and awesome to pair with lightly spiced seafood like a fish taco or fresh ceviche.  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.
White wines from the Cotes du Rhone went through an unfortunate slump in popularity, and there was a stretch in time where many sites were uprooted in favor of planting more red varieties. It's hard to find much that's really exciting and distinctive, even from some of our favorite small producers. We devour most everything we can get from Bastide Saint Dominique up and down their lineup, but even their basic Cotes du Rhone Blanc is in all too small a percentage of their production. This is he type of wine we wish we could From a single site with an average vine age of @30 years, Viognier is the primary grape in this blend with equal portions of Grenache Blanc and Clairette making up the balance. Lots of floral and tropical fruit to the nose from the Viognier, but tempered by some green citrus and cool melon tones. The palate has some of the plush fruit from the Viognier, but carries nice energy and citrus zest, freshening the finish with some clean lingering acidity. A tasty option for all kinds of Spring time meals and outdoor activities.  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 natural wine movement has taken hold, even in countries with several millennia of cultivation like Greece. One of the things these types of wines do exceptionally well is to help breathe new life into underappreciated and forgotten varieties. Roditis is a native grape to the Peloponnese peninsula, historically best known for its blended us in making Retsina, but rarely featured on its own. Popularity has rebounded as more consumers look to find lighter, less alcoholic and more naturally acidic wines, which Roditis brings very well especially when planted in the cooler mountainous vineyards. This version feels like it learned some of the important lessons from the great Muscadet producers in the Loire, getting extra texture from their older vines by giving them more time on their lees before bottling. Not quite as much seashell and lean fruit found here as a Muscadet, but lots of clean fresh lemon and high energy citrus to the nose and palate, a touch of salinity and native yeast, but mostly clean and refreshing through the racy finish. This is probably at its best with a little bit of extra chill to really bring out the zesty character, while the fruit gets a bit softer as it warms Great for pool parties to mix it up, as well as light and briny seafood dishes.  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 DNA of the Catena family is prevalent all over our Argentina selections, from their estate wines, value series under the Tilia name, and various spin-off projects from family members and long time employees striking out on their own. They are truly one of the most influential names in Argentinian winemaking, especially when it comes to exploring vineyards at higher altitudes. The more extreme growing conditions here stresses the vines and intensifies the resulting wines, most notably in their single vineyard/single parcel series of reds and whites, which are considered among the very best from the Southern Hemisphere. Their 'Appellation' series examines the same concept but at a more general and affordable look at individual varieties. This white is the newest entry in that series; a bit of a tweak in that it isn't a true single area, but a blend of common soil types dominated by clay. Inspired by the White Bordeaux style with Semillon dominating and a notable presence of French barrel aging, the tweak is using Chenin Blanc instead of Sauvignon Blanc that really plays up the waxy, honeyed richness in both varieties. Lots of golden fruit, barrel notes and beeswax to the nose, very lush and intensely promising, with an equal amount of weight and power to the palate. Surprisingly, the creamy citrus texture has very good acidity born from the higher altitudes that cuts through the finish to bring out some nice citrus tones and keeps the wine from feeling anywhere close to cloying of flabby, A great pairing with creamier seafood dishes or a saucy pork loin.  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 general hierarchy for wine grapes in the Piedmont has Nebbiolo at the top, followed by Barbera and Dolcetto. At one time Barbera was actually at the top of this trio, until Nebbiolo based wines evolved and improved to become the long lived world class icons they are now.Very little vineyard space in the famed Barolo and Barbaresco growing regions is used for any grapes other than Nebbiolo because the wines and land are so prized. The occasional exceptions are often small, family owned plots scattered here and there that need to produce something special to justify maintaining their place among vines that could be earning a lot more money. This is very much one of those exceptions. Azelia is a small family estate in the famous hilltop town of Castiglione Falletto, recently celebrating their 100th anniversary of producing wine under their name. 'Punta' is a vineyard site at the top of one of many smaller hills surrounding Falletto, where Azelia has maintained a small 2+acre plot of Barbera with vines now exceeding 60 years of age. This is very close to the pinnacle of what Barbera can achieve, offering both intense black fruits and spicy, leathery savory tones with the brightness and fresh feeling palate the varietal is well known for at every price point. The little bit of extra bottle age brings out a bit of added polish to the texture as well as some tobacco leaf and old leather chair aromas, and could probably evolve well for another decade or more, but is in a wonderfully approachable place right now. Deserves to be paired with a great hearty meal with lots of roasted vegetables and meaty/mushroom-y main dishes.  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.
While the weather outside today may be a bit frightful, this wine should help to make everything else delightful. It's another journey into the more unique/esoteric side of Californian winemaking, this time with one of our favorite residents of Santa Barbara. For over 20 years Stolpman has been a champion of Rhone styled wines, most notably Syrah and the red varieties, but touching on the whole spectrum at their groundbreaking property in Ballard Canyon. Roussanne is the start of the most alluring, haunting and heavily discussed White Chateauneuf-du-Papes made, but is a bit tricky to grow so you don't see it experimented with as much as its usual partner grapes Grenache Blanc and Marsanne. When it's done right, though, it's otherworldly, and the Stolpman property really helps the grape achieve great heights. Chardonnay is a bit unique as a partner grape, but it isn't being brought in to feature any oaky/buttery flavors, instead adding a richer mouthfeel and bright citrus to the late ripening and often lower acidity Roussanne profile. The wine is built very naturally and fairly 'hands-off' with no filtering and a lower alcohol profile, so the aromatic power of the Roussanne is on high profile from the very start. Intense citrus oils and tropical fruit roll from the glass immediately, getting more layered and exotic over time as well as a bit of salinity. The Chardonnay brings a nice weight to the palate without feeling cloying which can often happen with a 100% Roussanne wine, and helps maintain a fresh sensation to he finish with the big flavors still performing to the end. The wine was first concocted in the 2016 vintage for a sushi group in Austin TX, and the pairing makes absolute sense, as well as richer pork or poultry dishes.  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 Rubus line of wines are sprinkled around the store in a variety of countries, all of which represent excellent values for where they're from. The brand was created by one of Virginia's top international importers working with their most trusted wineries to source good juice for great prices. Dollar for dollar they have been some of the best values we can get our hands on from Europe, Australia, South America, and even California. Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon have been the backbone of their Cali line, and this marks the first foray into Pinot Noir, with fruit sourced from the Russian River Valley. This has all the hallmarks of the RRV signature style, except for the price tag. A deep ruby in the glass with loads of immediate, modern red fruits and blackberry on the nose with a touch of oaky toast, this gets open for business fairly quickly but earns some brambly spice as it opens up. The palate is equally up front with the fruits, with some nice acidity that brightens up the mouthfeel, gives the juicy textures some freshness. This punches well over its dollar mark for cocktails, can also go to the dinner table with salmon or pork dishes with some glaze or aromatic spicing.  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.
Kind of hard to pick a wine to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Snag all the great craft brewed Irish styled beers you want, we've got some great ones! Wine is tricky; considered some of the 'green wine' of Vinho Verde, but a little too on the nose. This fresh new Vernaccia works for us in our usual abstract and circuitous way, but it gets there and will be great. Vernaccia is the white wine of greatest importance in Tuscany, the first wine in all of Italy to receive a DOC designation when the system was enacted in 1966, and among the very few white wines to be elevated further to DOCG status. You very rarely find one made to be high end or collectible, so there isn't a lot of hype around them. What they do provide is a dependable unique freshness that is extremely food friendly, VERY fairly priced, and a true Italian classic. Clear in color with a slight greenish tint (for St Patty's Day!), the nose is crisp and fresh with a little nod of a Sauvignon Blanc-like grassy note but more green citrus and white flowers to the aromas. The palate is where it really shines, clean and vibrant with lots melon zest and green citrus, very tingly to the finish with a lingering minty/mineral sensation. Great with oysters, lighter pork and poultry dishes, and can cut through that corned beef and cabbage quite nicely. |
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 2022
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