INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 MARY TAYLOR/SOPHIE SIADOU VALENCAY ROUGE $18.99

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.

We told you in the writeups for the Select Six to expect more from us on the Mary Taylor line of wines, and we were not kidding. The mission statement for this producer has so much in common with what we have set out to be as a wine retailer these last 27 years, we almost can't help but love everything we've tried so far. The idea is to help 'decipher the complex notion of terroir' by work with small artisan growers and wineries to help craft affordable wines that still have a distinct sense of place. Not everyone may know or possibly even had heard of the Loire region of Valencay, which sit on the southern and middle portion along the banks of the Cher river. Honestly, it is probably one of the only appellations in France where the reputation of the cheese outclasses that of the wine; to be fair, the semi-pyramid shaped goat cheese here is pretty darn excellent. There aren't any producers here that make anything high end to capture any international attention, so we don't really get a chance to 'know' Valencay wines, and they remain a hidden regional value. Gamay and Pinot Noir are prevalent here, as well as Malbec which goes by the name Cot here. In combination here they work magnificently, bringing together the polish and soft texture of the first two grapes with a little extra substance from the Cot. Silky cherry and red fruits on the nose with a touch of black spice emerging as it opens up, very plush and fine at first on the palate but builds some much needed fine tannins to pull some flesh to the finish. You could definitely serve this to a Burgundy fan blind and make them quite happy. A 'backdoor Burgundy', perhaps? Don't miss giving this a try, especially at this price 

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