 At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
A little All-American Rose for the All-American holiday this weekend. Skinner Vineyard has routinely become a favorite source here for Rhone varietal wines out of California at very fair prices, and their Rose definitely continues the trend. Their version mimics the better quality wines of Provence and Bandol moreso than ones from Tavel, going for vibrant minerality instead of juicier fruit. The blend is dominated by Counoise, Mourvedre, and Cinsault over Grenache, which are varieties that have more natural acidity and savory tones behind their fruit. They also build the wines with a bit of a 'hands off' style, not fully naturalist but using native yeasts as well as using very little manipulation into bottling. This means the wine does have a touch of sediment in the bottle, unusual for a rose, but keeps the fruit characters snappy and fresh as well as leaving a bit fuller texture on the palate that would have otherwise been lost. A great meld of red and white fruits on the nose, almost crunchy raspberry and strawberry leaf notes, and the bright acidity on the palate brings out an almost minty cool note especially when the wine is at its coolest. When warmer (or at least not right out of the fridge cool) you get more into the juicier cherry and red berry tones, but still delicious no matter when or how you enjoy it.
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 At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
Most people don't think of Sauvignon Blanc as a 'traditional' grape variety for Italy (and in comparison to the hundreds if not thousands of years in history many of their grapes have, you're probably right), but the Alto Adige isn't your usual Italian region. The history and population still has strong ties to Teutonic influences, as witnessed by the common Germanic sounding names of places and people, and it's proximity to the Alps provides a very different climate.When Sauvignon Blanc started appearing here in the late 19th century, it wasn't because of fads or marketing decisions, but because it made sense to plant it here. The climate brings the same sort of distinct vibrancy that it does with all the other successful varietals that have made a name in Alto Adige, and at their best can deliver world class examples that deserve mention with the best wines of the Loire. Probably most analogous to a Pouilly-Fume, there is a fresh underlying minerality to the white fruits rather than a piercing or tingling acidity, with round peach tones on the palate and less overt grassiness throughout. There is also that underlying savory food-friendly character so many Italian wines have that licks in on the finish, maintaining the distinct sense of place the other great Sauvignon Blancs of the world have. Enjoyable on its own, but a real stunner with local goat cheeses, white fish or rich seafood dishes. INSIDER'S PICK: 2016 'R' WINES HEIRLOOM RED MONTICELLO/ 2016 'R' WINES GRAND VIN MONTICELLO $33.996/18/2020  At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
For our anniversary, not only do we enjoy celebrating our long time relationships with our customers but with our friends in the industry as well. We've known Riaan Rossouw, aka 'The Mind Behind', since his first days in Virginia wines before taking over winemaking duties at Lovingston Winery. Always thoughtful, intelligent, and a man we could talk to for hours on end, he has made the wines at Lovingston subtle and understated, sneaky excellent, but without a lot of bombast and fanfare. His R label is a yearly private project where he truly gets to create with all restrictions taken off, single barrel experiments of theories and flights of fancies with an emphasis on pushing the context of what Virginia wines are and can be. In his words, "authentic, original expressive handmade wines true to the Monticello appellation, the style vibrates; more of a Warhol, Huxley, Bo Diddly, Chet Baker, Vaughn Monroe, Boney M frequency I think!' Simple enough, don't you agree? For his last release he produced two wines from the 2016 vintage, the assemblage for each based on the ph of each lot instead of grape variety to help achieve a desired texture and feel to the wine. Another fun fact; he's not telling us what grapes are in each wine, though we have our guesses. Grand Vin is a single variety built with a French influence, while Heirloom is a multi-varietal blend with an Italian influence. Both wines are made using native yeast strains, minimal intervention, and no SO2 used at bottling. Both wines are $33.99, and you are of course welcome to buy one or the other for the Insider's Pick discount. The fun idea we wanted to promote is for customers to get one of each and take the opportunity to try them side by side, explore the concepts Riaan set forth for us.  At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
Trout Gulch sits along the top of the Santa Cruz Mountain range, emblematic of the term 'higher altitude vineyard'. The daily fog and cloud influence that rolls over the mountains from the nearby Pacific Ocean cools the vineyards by mitigating the heat from the sun, and the altitude guarantees the vineyards cool off more than the valley floor overnight by as much as 10-15 degrees. These cooler temperatures promote more natural acidity in the grapes when ripe and harvested, and can make for vibrant distinctive wines that many producers seek out. Several wineries source fruit from this property, often getting strong favorable press and fetching top dollar. Richard and Mary Kay Alfaro manage the property along with their own estate vineyards, and get access to some of the fruit to make into their own wine. With a fairly neutral 'hands off' style of winemaking in general, they give this brilliant quality fruit a lot of room to express itself and deliver a fantastic value for Chardonnay fans. Bright white fruit and lime notes on the nose with a little touch of creamy lemon curd, and only a touch of butteriness. The barrels used are multi-use and neutral, so the aromatics are all of the natural grape, and you can get even a touch of salinity that might be attributed to being only 4 miles from the sea. The palate is naturally rich, fleshed out a bit but some malolactic fermentation, but not so much that it obscures the flavorful sense of place the juice has, extremely lively and complex. This definitely doesn't taste like every other Californian Chardonnay, which is exactly what it wants to be.  At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
One part of staying 'normal' is to celebrate anniversaries, and June is our traditional anniversary celebration month. We will have a separate email going out soon with more details, but part of the anniversary has always been to put out wines in the Insider's Pick that are a step up from our usual choices. Unfortunately we will not be able to offer samples this year, but the discounts will still make this a very attractive offer, especially for Burgundy fans. Bruno Colin and the Colin family is one of the great names in Montrachet, primarily Chassagne-Montrachet with some holdings in Puligny-Montrachet and several Grand Cru parcels, as well as some of the satellite villages. This is their basic Bourgogne cuvee, yet this is no afterthought wine, built with the same care and treatment throughout as all their wines save a few of the 1er Cru and Grand Cru bottlings. This wine also sees some declassified fruit from their Montrachet vineyards, bringing an extra level of breeding to the bottle. We have great 'end-of-vintage' deal pricing on this wine already, so to get to try a bottle with the additional Insider's Pick discount is a real treat. Those that have tasted Chassagne-Montrachet will catch the subtle nods and nuances that make that terroir so treasured among Burgundy fans, while others can look at this as a perfect time to see what all the fuss is about without having to spend top dollar for the experience.  At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
While we tend to pick wines that stick with the more traditional and historic varietal blends, there are the occasional unique combinations that we just can't resist. South Africa isn't fettered by traditions, so the idea of bringing together varietals from Bordeaux, the Rhone, and even a touch of Burgundy isn't frowned upon. Mashups can be a disaster (Tik-Tok is littered with them) but when they work like this they can be quite delightful.Primarily Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon (a classic combo in Bordeaux), you catch the grassy, resinous aromas at first from here, and on the palate get the zest and crisp fruits. Viognier is next in line from the Rhone, which is mostly there for the pop of perfume, lots of white flowers in the mix without dominating. Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc round out the mix bringing some added texture and body, nothing oak aged or buttery here, just filling out the mouthfeel and some soft length to the finish. This is one of those wines that can scratch the itch of many palates, perfect for a diverse group that enjoy trying things a little bit unexpected from time to time.  At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
Building on the theme from last week of Californian producers that break down the stereotypical concepts of their wines, we have one of the top names in the movement to make vibrant, understated wines in the state. Lioco was started about 15 years ago by two restaurant professionals who were weary of the overall perceived style of Californian wines and the lack of choices that really offered anything different. Another part of their mission statement was to focus on responsible growers that farmed as naturally as possible. Sourcing fruit from across California but with a focus on the North Coast region, their wine catalog features many great sites and undiscovered gems that help them to deliver exactly the type of wines they sought so many years ago. This is their entry level Chardonnay blended from several sustainable/ organic/ biodynamic sites in Sonoma County, and is a great introduction not only into their style but the idea of the 'naturalist' hands-off style of winemaking. Aged on the lees in a combination of tank and larger neutral oak tanks, this is about as zesty a Chardonnay as you will find in most vintages, but the mild weather of 2018 really allowed them to build an amplified version of their vision. Vibrant citrus peel and lemon curd aromas on the nose mix with pear and white flower notes, even some cool herbal tones. On the palate the lees aging and malolactic fermentation bring some weight and texture to the fresh citrus and rindy melon flavors, but doesn't weigh them down with buttery notes, just amps them up. This is also a white wine that definitely benefits from some decanting or time open, boosting the aromatics and seemingly adding weight to the mouthfeel.Ideal to match with most any richer fish or white meat dish, able to handle strong herbs, salty and citrusy ingredients with relative ease.  At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
Field Recordings is one of our favorite examples of the innovative and experimental element that exists in contrast to what many people think of as the typical Californian wine style. Owner and winemaker Andrew Jones has made his name across the Central Coast from his work tending vineyards and nurseries at some of the best properties. When he looked to start making his own wines and follow his own path, he looked to those vineyards he helped to grow and establish by sourcing any extra tonnage they could offer. Each vintage he has been able to cobble together more and more sources, enabling the brand to grow. While the sources aren't constant and the wines aren't the same year to year, the quality of technique shines through, and his nod to the more 'hands off' styles of winemaking have gained him quite a following from customers eager to try his latest creations. Last year's Rose, for example, was designated Edna Valley and contained a high percentage of Valdigue along with Molinara and Grenache. New vintage, new sources, new blend of mostly Grenache with a smaller portion of Valdigue, still delicious. Super juicy and mouthfilling with loads of warm watermelon and strawberry fruit all over it. At first taste it may seem lower in acidity, and the lower alcohol (just under 11%abv) may make you think it's sweeter than normal. The Grenache was picked early to keep the sugars and alcohol lower and acidity higher specifically to make this rose, and you catch the snap of freshness on the finish because of it. The cooler it is the more that acidity pops, but as it warms the fruit and subtle herbal tones come out, so you may want to play around with it to find your optimal enjoyment center.  At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
The Muscat grape has lots of iterations and clone variations across the wine world, so it's tough to pin an identity to it. Many versions take the easy road and, like Gewurztraminer, play off its natural perfume and make them sweeter. Zibibbo is the Sicilian name for the Muscat of Alexandria clone that traces itself back to Egypt and is one of the older known varieties in winemaking, and they specialize in making it as a vibrant dry style of wine. This wine has grown in popularity with many of the more 'naturalist' style of winemakers that have evolved on the Mount Etna side of the island, as the grape doesn't need to be weighty or intensely ripe to deliver great character and complexity. This is yet another wine from the Valdibella co-operative near Palermo, using strictly organic growers for all their goods, and we have yet to find anything from them that isn't impressive in both quality and value. A big pop of perfume from the first pour filled with magnolia blossoms and orange citrus, but also notes of lime and wet stone type minerality. Lots of fragrance, but it all stops short of seeming sweet in any way, and the palate drives that home with a refreshing burst of acidity and zesty fruit, medium bodied but not cloying at all, and an impressively clean tangy finish. An exciting and entertaining wine to pair with Mediterranean dishes that have a kick of pepper and spice.  At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. 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 hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.
The Languedoc-Roussillon region of France is quickly becoming the hot destination for young winemakers to strike out and be innovative, especially those that find the more established appellation systems too restrictive. Joseph Paille grew up in the wine industry in Anjou, and after his education took him across the globe (even a brief stint in Virginia during the early 2000s) joined with his stepfather Jo Pithon to create the Pithon Paille winery. For almost a decade they built a very accomplished name together, but Joseph felt the pull of doing something new, and went to Roussillon to start Domaine Benastra. Sourcing old vineyards and taking his extensive organic/bidynamic farming expertise honed in the Loire to new territories, he's building wines that are leaping to the forefront of the region. Built from an even blend of Macabeo (some vines as old as 70 years) and Grenache Blanc and using both used barrels and large foudres for aging, this white shows both traditional and 'naturalist' appeal. Naturally occurring malolactic fermentation gives the wine a some rich pear and white fruit aromas, as well as rounding out the texture on the palate, but doesn't extinguish the zest and vibrancy of the fruit. The use of native yeasts is definitely present to perk up the subtle minty herb tones and a bit of tangy acidity to the finish, but doesn't dominate the character of the wine. A great match with fairly full bodied fish and white meat dishes, able to handle strong herb or salty ingredients with relative ease. |
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 2020
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