With life returning to relative normalcy after the last few years of COVID, one of the great parts of the wine world that is making a comeback are the industry tasting events. These tastings give us the chance to sample wines side by side, usually with common themes, importers or origins, and often with wines we wouldn't usually get the chance to sample otherwise prior to bringing them into the store. They are immensely valuable to what we do, educational, and provide a great opportunity to connect with producers on a deeper level beyond the label on the bottle. Followers of our Instagram will have seen the owners of the store posting on some of their experiences from the German & Austrian Wine Trade tasting (aka 'The Titans of Teutonic Wines'). While there were more than a few brilliant wines from many great producers that will be making their way to the store over time, the greatness of these events is the chance to be wowed by the performance of a lesser or undervalued star, even surpassing some of the legends in the room.The wines of the Pfalz don't get the hype and scenic tourist eyes of the Mosel, but the quality can be its equal, and the multi-generational family run Pfeffingen Estate is one of the region's very best. This entry level bottling comes from several parcels of their mere 37 acres of vineyards, delivering one of the cleaner, driest yet still flavorful and refreshing expressions of Riesling you will find. Stoney peach and apricot notes on the nose with some crunchy green apple, and the slightest hint of petrol that often accompanies dry riesling that fades after a few minutes in the glass. Sometimes dry German Rieslings can be a bit jarring on the palate with the acidity and lean fruit character, but this lands the balance perfectly, polished and round feeling while still delivering the complex and bright white fruit and racy minerality underneath, analogous in many ways to the feel and sensation of a Sancerre. Beautiful multi-purpose food wine, worthy of pairing with loads of fish, pork and poultry dishes.
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Verdicchio has long been the major white grape of note in the Marches region of Italy (the 'calf muscle' of the Italian boot), more known for bulk production over excellence. In recent decades there has been a lot more work done to improve the quality in both the vineyards (better clones, better yield control) and the winery to start developing distinctive, artisan quality white wines that garner the same praise as many of the best regions in Italy. Through all this there has developed two distinct regions for Vernaccia: Matelica in the warmer inland highlands, which makes a richer and rounder style, and Castelli di Jesi nearer the coastline, which makes a brisker and racier wine. This recently arrived producer makes one of the best values we have seen from the Jesi region, giving us visions of the seashell brininess and minerality of a Muscadet from France.The first aromas are all oyster shells and Meyer lemons that build to more Mediterranean citrus as it opens up, with a bright and round body on the palate that brings some extra fruit to the seawater-y notes on the finish. Another great wine to add to your table for seafood dishes, from fish fillets to shrimp scampi or linguini and clams. Roussanne is one of the 'Big Two' white varieties in the Rhone, along with Viognier being the featured grape in the most famous and important wines of the region. While Viognier achieves most of its notoriety in the Northern Rhone with the wines from Condrieu, Roussanne is noted in both North and South with greatness found in Hermitage/St. Joseph, St. Peray and in many of the better Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blancs that are made.It isn't as prolific as Viognier and has issues fighting off certain weather related factors, so you don't find it experimented with often in other parts of the world or much in the way of inexpensive/everyday versions. When it does work, however, Roussanne can make some of the most distinctive, thought provoking wines anywhere, which is why wineries go through all the trouble to make them. Trignon is a producer in the Gigondas region, and their small parcel of terraced Roussanne vineyards sit at the edges of the Dentelles de Montmirail, providing what may be the best 'bang for your buck' you will find with this grape. First whiff is quintessential Roussanne; mixes of creamy white fruits, melon and citrus with exotic teas, flowers and vanilla. This alone is just about worth all the trouble growing it. The palate is much brighter and fresh than expected, showing nice mouthwatering acidity and citrus skin notes along with the round juicy palate, leaving with a nice drying skin tannin note to the finish. This is a wine you want to be able to spend some time with, enjoying the nuances, and feel welcome to throw you more exotic seafood, poultry or pork dishes at it, as it should be able to handle them in stride. When people see a Gewurztraminer, their default expectation is that it will be a sweeter wine. Generally that isn't a bad bet: it's definitely easier to take advantage of the grape's natural aromas by making a sweeter wine, and even when it IS done drier the perfume does everything it can to convince your palate that sweetness is in there (or 'perceived sweetness). The Alsatians probably do the most consistently dry Gewurztraminer, but even there it's hard to avoid sweetness even if they wanted to in some vintages. We say this because this wine for the many years we have carried it has been the most consistently dry Gewurztraminer we get our hands on, easily one of the best domestic versions to boot. Aromas are perfumed sunshine, lime and tropical fruits and heady ginger, intense but holding back on the sugary side. The palate is full but immediately shows off the acidity and fresh zesty brightness, as well as a lingering skin tannin aspect that adds to the dryness. Past versions of this wine have had a light orange or pink color from the slight pigment in the Gewuztraminer skins, and this version still sees a lot of skin time but stops just short of the color change. Delicious and light on its feet to go with a broad spectrum of exotically spiced foods, and great with a chill for warmer weather. 99% of the time when you see a white wine coming from Burgundy, it will be featuring the Chardonnay grape. Aligote is the most noteworthy exception (with the rare Pinot Blanc occasionally popping up), though it is more famously used with blackberry liqueur to make kir. The grape is growing back in popularity in Burgundy and other parts of the world as more consumers look for lower alcohol wines. It never makes a wine that achieves the heights of Chardonnay, but in the right hands and in the right places can make some very satisfying and value oriented wine. One very popular area is around the town of Chitry, located just South of the A6 highway from Chablis. The similar climate and chalky soils brings out the racy side of Aligote, while the less noble reputation of the vineyards helps keep the pricing more manageable. Bright lemon zest and white melon fruit on the nose, cool and quiet at first but gets fuller and more juicy as it opens up as many cooler climate and higher acidity whites tend to do. The palate has a rounder feel than many Aligote thanks to it going through malolactic fermentation, but doesn't develop any buttery tones, just texture that fills out the fruit and softens the tart citrus at the finish. A great quenching wine for warmer weather and lighter seafood dishes. Mondeuse is a long revered grape from the Savoie region, regarded as one of the more substantial and hearty varieties grown in the Alpine vineyards. It is also growing in usage in America and other parts of the world, especially among producers looking to make less alcoholic wines, so it may be a name that may have comes across people's radar more frequently over the last decade or so. The varietal has a lot more natural tannin than the Pinot Noir and Gamay that makes up most of the softer red wines of the region, and while nobody would mistake it for a burly Bordeaux or Rhone variety it does show off some depth and substance you wouldn't expect to find in a wine that usually clocks in at or below 12%abv. The mountainside vineyards and cool climate means you really won't find much 'cheap wine' coming from Savoie, but this definitely still qualifies as a value for the quality it delivers. A deep Pinot-y purple in the glass, the nose is cool, earthy and savory with lots of currant and black cherry skin on the nose, with the berry and aromatic notes intensifying as it opens. The palate seems a bit lightweight at first with lots of dark fruits and taut acidity to it, but the fine tannins are really persistent in a strong tea sort of way, and as the wine opens more the fruit comes through more and adds weight to everything. This has a lot of texture for an alpine wine, perfect for folks that enjoy a lighter wine but still want something that can hold up to heartier dishes. There are not a lot of distributors out there that we would rather have pour for us during our anniversary month celebration, because Aymeric is a kindred spirit. EU focus is on small estates, primarily Bordeaux, and is a portfolio built with an expert eye and a particular standard. All the Bordeaux we carry under his label have a particular, consistent character of being built in a more traditional style and an eye towards being able to cellar or at least decant, even in the value range. We also love love LOVE the information they place on their back labels to inform the consumer (varietals used, vineyard acreage, soils, aging method and tasting notes), keeping you so well informed on your purchases. This bottling will help you get in the Bordeaux mood for the tasting this Saturday when Aymeric will be here to break out some of the big guns (those wines will also get the 10% discount on bottle purchases like the Insider's on Saturday as well). Not said to undersell this wine, as it's really packing a lot into the bottle for $20. Mostly tank aged Merlot with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the nose is loaded with dark currant and dusty Bordeaux red fruit tones that get broader and more room-filling when decanted. The palate is nice and fleshy with plenty of natural skin tannin, again benefiting here with some decanting that brings out some dark sweetness to the fruit as the tannins soften. Get yourself into the Bordeaux zone, it's a great week to try some and stock up! The Muscat grape has many iterations and many names across Europe, with equally varied reputations for the wines they make. The most famous Muscat for quality is called Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains, and is most prevalent in Alsace and the cooler climates of Europe. Muscat of Alexandria is the most ancient, dating back to Roman times for both wine and food consumption, and is widely spread across all borders of the Mediterranean. being found in so many countries it is naturally the most renamed, and on the island of Sicily it is called Zibibbo. While the grape is more famous for producing sweeter dried grape wines, production around the city of Syracuse has increased for drier regular wines as more attention has come to the region. This bottling from an excellent organic co-operative has become a favorite over the last few years for us as it takes the grape a little more 'seriously' but still creates a super-fun wine. Lovely golden color with an immediate shot of orange zest, magnolia blossom and wildflowers on the nose, one of the more intense perfumes you will find on a wine without a lot of sugary notes backing it up. The low acidity and juiciness on the palate may make some tasters believe this is sweet, but there is less sugar here than 95% of California Chardonnays. The grape has a lot of skin texture that comes through on these drier versions and finishes with a lemon cough drop type of zesty vapor to the finish, especially when there's a bit of extra chill to it. Incredibly fun sipping or food option, great with spicier seafood dishes. Mutation is a natural part of grape evolution and how wine styles develop. The mutation usually happens spontaneously from red grape to white grape, and once the mutation happens that individual vine and any grafted or propagated new vines from it will be white going forward. Some grapes are more prone to mutations than others, Pinot Noir probably most famously for it, with the popular mutants Pinot Gris/Grigio, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier being heavily propagated. Tempranillo Blanco is a similar mutation, but is much less famous on its own and only an occasional blending grape in traditional White Riojas. From just an educational standpoint, it's a must-try for just about everyone, as well as anyone looking for a fun white wine to mix things up over the warm season ahead. Floral white fruits aromas with a bit of tropical low acidity guava/banana tones, like it could be from a much warmer climate. The palate is soft and juicy but not low acidity as the nose would seem, with a nice lime and citrus skin zesty note to the finish that gives it a very refreshing feel. Nice with a chill on its own or paired with lighter seafood. Several weeks ago we had the pleasure of doing a Saturday store tasting with Ancient Peaks Winery and their regional representative Jenalyn Johnson. Along with the wines we have in the store, she brought a few new and unique items from their portfolio for the staff to taste, and this was one of the standouts we had to bring in. The One Stone label was created by Amanda Wittstrom-Higgins, board member and daughter of Ancient Peaks founder Karl Wittstrom. Amanda created the non-profit organization Dream Big Darling in 2018 to aid and encourage women in the wine and spirits industry, and One Stone allows them to both promote the project and put their intentions into practice. Aside from the good intentions, the wine inside the bottle is what counts, and you get exceptional quality at a very fair price. Anchored by Pinot Noir from the Ancient Peaks Santa Margarita Ranch property (more fruit from other vineyards in the Central Coast may be added in future vintages as the project grows), the nose is pure and fresh with lots of dry cherry skin and watermelon that gets more floral as it warms up. This isn't a Rose you would want to do overly chilled as it dilutes the pretty characters of good Pinot Noir. The palate is equally refreshing and dry with nice minerality and slight hints of skin tannins, showing nervy strawberry and red fruits without any sweet or candied notes. A serious Rose at a seriously good price. |
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
April 2024
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