WINE DEALS 5/25/2024

WINE DEALS 6/27/2024

1) Robert Foley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Napa Valley:  $99.99  A mouthful of cherries jubilee. Huge yet soft on the palate, a flood of goodness is framed in the gentle grip of soft tannin. This is an integrated, balanced, and structured 100% Cabernet Sauvignon now and for the ages. – Winemaker Notes
96 points – Jeb Dunnuck  “The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 30% new oak) offers a touch more elegance as well as terrific notes of blue fruits, plums, dark chocolate, and violets. Full-bodied, ripe, and polished on the palate, it stays balanced, has solid underlying structure, and a great finish. If you’re looking for a rock star Cabernet under $100, this is for you. It will evolve for 15+ years or more.”

2) Montepeloso Eneo 2021, Costa Toscana:  $54.99  A dark ruby in color, the estate’s grand vin’s nose is opulent and intense with a predominance of black fruits and spicy notes. The pronounced minerality is accompanied by toasted aromas of hardwood and spices. On the palate the texture is silky and well balanced.  65% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malvasia Nera.

3) Komli Chkhaveri Rose 2021, Guria, Georgia:  $31.99  Chkhaveri is a western Georgian variety, It is truly a rare variety as only a handful of Georgian winemakers work with this grape today.  Chkhaveri berries are round, juicy, and thin-skinned. While its clusters are small or conical, sometimes with a single wing. This late-ripening and low-yielding variety tend towards higher acidity. Chkhaveri produces balanced, soft wines with moderate alcohol levels and varied diversity of aromas and flavors.

4) Clos Mogador Manyetes Gratallops 2021, Priorat, Spain:  $126.99  This is the name of a vineyard in Gratallops in the Priorat wine appellation: A daring venture where vines can barely survive given the poor soil of the region, the intense sunlight and the bleak exposure.  However, this is exactly what gives rise to the principal essence of Priorat!  In this parched, arid area of steeply sloping slate hillsides, our Carignans struggle to survive. This is an extraordinary vineyard in an extraordinary setting.  With the idea of bringing a touch of femininity to our wines, we have also planted 10% of Grenache.  Today, the work has paid off and visitors to the region can appreciate the vast horizon where the Ebro river gives, from time to time, a modicum of humidity – just enough to allow the vines to survive.  The final result is staggering – a harmonious blend of these noble grapes is completely at one with the terroir and gives us a wine with minerality, femininity, subtlety and complexity which warms our hearts.  Manyetes is, quite simply, the essence of Priorat transformed into wine.  René Barbier

5) Amulet Estate Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Napa Valley:  $199.99  The deep purple-hued 2019 Amulet Estate Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon, from a larger, historic site in Rutherford, offers up a rock-solid nose of ripe dark fruits, damp earth, chocolate, and leafy herbs. This carries to a full-bodied 2019 with a round, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and solid length on the finish.  Located along Conn Creek at the eastern edge of Rutherford, Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III is a beautiful ranch with acres of grapes placed under a conservation easement. This historic vineyard dates back to 1895 and is tied to legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff.
Beginning at 500 feet of elevation, the vineyard gently slopes to the south, offering optimum sun exposure for ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, and complementing their meticulous farming. In the pre-World War II era our already gravelly block was supplemented with stones from the creek during a flood control project done by the Army Core of Engineers. Planted entirely to Clone 337 of Cabernet Sauvignon, suited for the well-draining Cortina soils where they sit, and each vine’s ‘Lyre’ training protects the fruit from Rutherford’s warm climate, allowing for maximum hang-time.

6) Otto Ettari Toscana Rosso “Principio” IGT 2018:  $22.99  Fruity, aromatic, the little Sangiovese…  The IGT Toscana Principio 2018 is a fresh, modern, fruity cuvée. 80% Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Cabernet Franc merge into a very harmonious, pleasant wine.
Before fermentation, cold maceration for 5 days gives it its wonderful ruby ​​red color and develops fascinating flavors. The lively freshness and minerality of our Principio 2018 is preserved through subsequent fermentation in steel tanks and followed by aging in large oak barrels.
After 9 months of bottle aging very fruity, elegant and balanced with a touch of tannin!  A wine for the next barbecue on the terrace!

7) Stefano Antonucci Verdicchio dei Castelli dei Jesi Classico DOC “Le Vaglie” 2022:  $21.99 Vinous Media 91 pts.  “A lovely mint herbal tinge gives way to sweet smoke and Granny Smith apples as the 2022 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Le Vaglie opens in the glass. Seductively smooth and ripe, this excels with its contrasts of sweet and salty as ripe orchard fruits and mineral tones mingle throughout. It finishes long and fresh with nuances of candied lime and green melon that pinch at the cheek. Le Vaglie demonstrates tremendous balance and remains a remarkable value.”

8) Indigenous Prosecco Rose Brut, Veneto:  $19.99  A bright and lustrous powder pink Prosecco Rosé with delicate notes of roses and small red fruits that open to tropical aromas of litchi and papaya. In the mouth, the wine is harmonious and fresh, enhanced by a subtle, persistent perlage. This easy-drinking wine is delicate and elegant, yet crisp and fresh, with an enveloping and fruity, long-lasting finish. Ideal as an aperitif, but also a perfect accompaniment to a meal.  Glera and Pinot Noir.

9) Special offering:  2012 Grower Champagne!  This is rare!  First come, first serve, only 5 bottles!
Champagne Pierre Paillard “La Grand Recolte” Bouzy Grand Cru 2012:  $223.99  This wine is blended from two sites that are now being used to make single vineyard wines by Antoine and Quentin Paillard. Both are from their estate in the Grand Cru of Bouzy on the south-facing slope of the mountain of Reims. The Pinot Noir comes from a plot called Les Maillerettes, which was planted in 1970, and the Chardonnay comes from Les Mottelettes, planted in 1961. Both are the mother vines for the massal selections made in-house at Champagne Pierre Paillard and both vineyards are just .8 acres. Old vines like these, in a terroir as special as the Grand Cru of Bouzy, produce great wines even in less special years. But, in the vintage of a generation they have given something truly remarkable—a concentrated, streamlined vintage Champagne that will last for generations to come.

10) Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Walla Walla Valley:  $159.99  Saturated dark ruby. Ultra-sexy, juicy, ripe raspberry, with notes of vanilla and toasty oak. Rich, velvety, and an absolutely intense mid-palate weight that is so pleasing. Cocoa, baking spices, and a lengthy, mouthwatering finish with soft and rich tannin. Loving this new vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2035.  89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot.

11) Lucien Reymond Sancerre 2023:  $32.99  Textbook energetic Sancerre from the great Silex soils of the region!  Notes of white grapefruit, green melon, peach pit, honeysuckle, and green mango; balanced by mineral notes of sea salt, herbs, wet stones and crushed chalk, lead to a mouth-watering finish.

12) Gerard Boulay La Cote Sancerre 2022:  $67.99  La Grande Côte is in Chavignol and one of the three famous designated Crus of Chavignol, which is Sancerre’s best area and one defined by its soil. Chavignol shares the same Kimmeridgian soil as the Chablis’ top sites. Sancerres from Chavignol possess an emphatic chalky minerality and kinetic energy.
The La Côte is the deepest and has the sturdiest architecture of Boulay’s wines. It possesses a powerful and persistent minerality that’s simultaneously stony and salty. There’s explosive notes of herbs, citrus, and flowers. The 2022 is noteworthy for its tactile grip, finesse, and shimmering clarity.

13) Gerard Boulay Clos de Beaujeu 2022, Sancerre:  $64.99  The Clos de Beaujeu is among the most historic sites in the village of Chavignol. In the 14th century the Clos de Beaujeu supplied the Cathedral of Bourges with white wine. At that time, Sancerre was famous for it’s red wines. Boulay’s Clos de Beaujeu is a richer, denser step up from the Chavignol village wine.
The most historic vineyard in Sancerre has been famous for the quality of its white wine since the 14th century (when most of the rest of the region was planted to red grapes). By 1380, when one Jean Boulay is documented to have been working as a winegrower in Sancerre, it was the primary source of white wines for the Cathedral of Bourges. While the walls built by the Church in the 1400s (made from clay and straw) are long gone, the vineyard remains one of Sancerre’s finest.
The white, dusty, Kimmeridgian chalk and limestone soils help Sauvignon Blanc here retain freshness, minerality and vigor – important since Clos de Beaujeu also gives the region’s richest, most dense, wines.  There’s always plenty of intensity and density, both of which need 3-5 years to pull back and reveal the amazing stony minerality here. Gerard Boulay farms around 1.5 acres here, making a powerful Sancerre that’s redolent of tart peach, Meyer lemon and fresh floral aromas and flavors. The smokiness and crushed rock minerality will grow towards the fore over the next few years. Sancerre for lobster and other rich foods that will show well for 15+ years.

14) Gerard Boulay Comtesse 2022, Sancerre:  $79.99  Often the most powerful wine in Boulay’s range, Comtesse is an expression of 50- to 70-year-old vines from the bottom of the warm, south-facing Mont Damnés slope.  Dense, textured, full bodied Sauvignon Blanc that can age for decades.

15) Gerard Boulay Monts Damnes 2022, Sancerre:  $63.99  Mont Damnés’ reflective soils and south-facing exposition make it one of Chavi­gnol’s warmest sites. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks with wild yeasts. After which, the wine is aged on the lees in 95% tank and 5% large used wood. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered in July.
A nose stuffed with pear, kiwis, gooseberry, and fresh cut grass make this wine a perfect pairing for all manner of fresh vegetable dishes, lentil salad with feta cheese, fresh caught fish, or chilled shellfish. Select a traditional Valençay to pair as a cheese selection.

16) Turley Rose Zinfandel 2023, CA:  $27.99  We select a few of our Zinfandel vines to pick early (at 19 brix) to make this vivid, dry rosé. Pale rose petals and fraise du bois with a touch of petrichor on the nose. The palate is high in acid, low in alcohol, well-structured and thoroughly refreshing. Fermented in stainless steel, then aged only in used French barriques. Though akin to Provençal rosés in the way it’s made, this wine is distinctly Californian. White Zinfandel has a good heart but a bad reputation; hopefully we can help change that.

17) Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Napa Valley:  $51.79  This Rutherford-dominated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon complemented by Bordeaux grape varieties offers aromas of blackberry cobbler, plum, and black currants, followed by warm hints of vanilla and caramelized black fruit. A concentrated, silky wine emphasizing varietal expression, richness and balance from start to finish.  Blend: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot.

18) Routestock Pinot Noir 2022, Sonoma Coast:  $24.99  The wine has a vibrant medium-light Burgundy color with effusive aromas of sweet red and black fruits (raspberry and blackberry), rosemary, and orange blossom. The flavors are both lithe and brooding at the same time with the same raspberries and blackberries from the aroma along with a beautiful richness of sauteed mushrooms, wild sage, and soy sauce. The wine is medium-bodied, full of rich Pinot Noir flavor with an exotically long finish.

19) Gundlach Bundschu GUNBUN Pinot Noir 2021, Sonoma County:  $26.99  Sourced from the gentle slopes and clay-based soils in the Petaluma Gap in the Sonoma Coast Appellation, this is a classic rich, bright, coastal wine from a pioneer in California Pinot Noir.  Try this with a Vietnamese Pho Ga with pork belly.  All natural, sustainably farmed, gluten-free, vegan friendly, no sugar added, sixth generation family made.

20) Jean Marie Reverdy & Fils La Villaudiere Sancerre 2023:  $31.99  A very fine white Sancerre whose typical character is the result of blending the three terroirs of the Sancerre region. “Les Terres Blanches”, clay and limestone slopes, “Les Caillottes”, dry and stony limestone slopes and finally the slopes rich in “Silex” which give firm and mineral wines with a marked personality. With its floral and mineral notes, this wine with a great personality will seduce you with an aperitif, a Vol-au-vent, fish, shellfish, oysters or a cassolette of mussels. A very fine white to enjoy now!

21) Famille Joly Clos de la Bergerie 2022, Savennieres:  $109.99  Famille Joly is widely known as one of the greatest biodynamic wine producers in France, embodying the intersection of well-respected history and refined technique. The estate is owned by the Joly family, led by Nicolas Joly, and aims to express the natural balance and beauty of the Loire Valley Chenin Blanc vineyards with respect and minimal intervention.  Clos de la Bergerie provides a unique interpretation of site, taking in the moderating and gentle east facing slopes of AOC Savennières Roche aux Moines. The Joly family owns 2.77 hectares of the appellation.  A rich and powerful wine set to stand the test of time. The fruit offers great concentration and the wine is sowing typical oxidative notes balanced with the intensity of the fruit and great acidity.

22) Opolo Concerto Red Blend 2019, Paso Robles:  $27.99   Expressive nose of vibrant cherry, lilac, roasted pecan, and cherry cola. Lead into a palate full of fresh cranberry, red raspberry, and a hint of English black tea. Finishing with ground calcareous limestone, fresh acidity and silky tannins make this Bordeaux blend an Opolo classic. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot.

23) Champagne Louis Nicaise Brut Reserve:  $46.99  Great price!  Champagne Louis Nicaise is located in the heart of Hautvillers, the village made famous by Dom Perignon and known as the birthplace of champagne. They produce about 6,000 cases per year. Grower-Producers, the Nicaise family have been making champagne for 4 generations from their 9 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards, all in Hautvillers, but it is only very recently that the quality took a big jump up after the arrival at the domaine in 2007 of the new generation represented by Laure Nicaise-Préaux and her husband, then 25 year old Clement Préaux. Clémént apprenticed at Anselme Selosse and worked at the co-op of Mailly before becoming part of the Louis Nicaise family. As his father-in-law has given him more control, Clémént has reduced the dosages on the wines and pushed the quality upwards. Blend: 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir.  Dosage of 8.5 grams.  A nose that has a lot of complexity with aromas of white fruits, citrus, dried fruit, white flowers, brioche and honey Flowers ventilation. Rich material recorded by a fine and refreshing bubble offers a well-balanced wine.

24) Bottega Vinaia Pinot Grigio 2022, Trentino:  $17.99  Pale straw gold. Alluring floral perfume of an intensity and persistence rare in a Pinot Grigio. Fresh, dry and flavorful with a firm structure leading into a lingering finish, it displays character and finesse.

25) Domaine Faiveley Volnay 1er Cru “Fremiets” 2021, Cote de Beaune, Cote d’Or:  $159.99  The village of Volnay is renowned for its elegant red wines. This wine exudes aromas of small red and black fruits complemented by spicy notes and a touch of oak. Its rich flavors and silky smooth tannins make it an absolute pleasure for the palate.

26) The Prisoner Wine Co. Blindfold Blanc de Noirs White Pinot Noir 2021, Sonoma County:  $27.99  Still, white-pressed pinot noir with notes of fresh, in-season citrus, white flower, white peach, a hint of tart cranberry. Delicate but lively, elegant, zesty & bright. This wine is made from mostly pinot noir with small amounts of Viognier and Gewurztraminer.

27) Cuvee Marechal Prieur Sancerre 2020:  $41.99  Comes from chalky clay soil with a south exposition, the name of this Cuvée refer to an ancestor of Prieur family who was already exporting their wines more than a century. Matured on lies in oak barrel, it’s give a toasted character to this fleshy wine, with an expressive citrus juice. A delicious and deeply wine.

28) Banshee Chardonnay 2021, Sonoma County:  $18.99  This wonderfully complex Sonoma County Chardonnay has aromatics of honey, rice cake, ripe Bosc pear, butterscotch and a hint of lemon. In the mouth, the wine is moderate weight but packs extraordinary depth of flavor rich with apple pie, lemon tart and a luscious caramel core. This round yet delicate wine finishes with bright acidity and a creamy finish.

29) Broadbent Vinho Verde N.V., Portugal:  $10.99  Fun, refreshing and spritzy. The quintessential summer wine, this is a classic Vinho Verde with a touch of spritz and plenty of lemon-line fruitiness. Grown and produced in the Barcelos commune – the top area for Vinho Verde. Pear, slight spritz, quenching. With refreshing acidity this wine is great on its own or can be paired with tapas and seafood.