Vinopolis Sunday Newsletter 01/08/23

 In This Newsletter:




Anakota




German Wine Sale Continues 


Collector’s Corner


Highly Exclusive Pre-Arrival Special

 

Anakota

“I was amazed when I first saw Anakota. The gentle, southwest-facing slopes looked ideal for vineyards. The surrounding vegetation indicated the soils were low in nutrients and high in minerals. I could smell the intense character of the native grasses, thick underbrush and groves of trees. It was clear this had the potential to be a great site for grapes.” Pierre Seillan, Vigneron

Anakota is a premier winery located in Knights Valley AVA, Sonoma. Their viticultural practices are guided by a micro-cru philosophy which breaks down each vineyard block by block to accentuate concentrated expressions of the land. In James Sucklings 2022 year end wrap up, he gave 99 points to the 2019 Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley, ranking in as the sixth best wine of the year, we’re lucky to have it in stock now at Vinopolis!

Here are all of the wines from Anakota we have available now

Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2018 750ml $135 special, 13 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97+ points
“Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard spent 12 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with bold scents of fresh blackberries, black currants and mulberries plus suggestions of cedar chest, pencil lead, iron ore and truffles, with emerging wafts of crushed rocks and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers firm, grainy, exquisitely ripe tannins and seamless freshness supporting layer upon layer of black fruits, finishing on a long-lingering fragrant earth note.”
Jeb Dunnuck 97 points “The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard hails from a single vineyard in Knights Valley located at 950 feet in elevation. It has a brilliant nose of savory red and black currants, dried herbs, saddle leather, and tobacco, with a decidedly Bordeaux-like vibe in both its aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied and nicely concentrated, with ripe tannins on the palate, this is a serious, captivating, incredibly impressive Cabernet that will shine for at least two decades. You could put this beauty in a lineup of First Growth Bordeaux and it would do just fine.”

Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2019 750ml $169 special, 6 bottles in stock 
James Suckling 99 points
“Incredibly spicy and aromatic with pumice and cloves. Pops out of the glass. Cedar, too. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins adding tension and creaminess. Long and beautiful. All about class and breeding. Try after 2025.”
Wine Advocate 97 points “Deep ruby, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard offers its cassis aromas slowly, continually unfolding to accents of lavender, cured meats, chargrill, coffee and loads of savory spices. Matured 12 months in 70% new French oak, the palate is surprisingly lifted and silky, soaring with youthful fruit and spices, focused acidity and a streak of graphite driving the long finish. 1,379 cases were made. Hélène Seillan notes that the oak is sourced from about 15 different forests in France, and its singular, spicy, integrated oak is part of what makes this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon so distinctive.”

Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2019 750ml $169 special, 6 bottles in stock 
James Suckling 99 points
“Incredibly spicy and aromatic with pumice and cloves. Pops out of the glass. Cedar, too. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins adding tension and creaminess. Long and beautiful. All about class and breeding. Try after 2025.”
Wine Advocate 97 points “Deep ruby, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard offers its cassis aromas slowly, continually unfolding to accents of lavender, cured meats, chargrill, coffee and loads of savory spices. Matured 12 months in 70% new French oak, the palate is surprisingly lifted and silky, soaring with youthful fruit and spices, focused acidity and a streak of graphite driving the long finish. 1,379 cases were made. Hélène Seillan notes that the oak is sourced from about 15 different forests in France, and its singular, spicy, integrated oak is part of what makes this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon so distinctive.”



 

German Wine Sale 
 
We’re having a huge sale on German wines throughout the entire month of January.

Sale Begins at 4pm on Monday, January 2nd
Sale Ends at 6pm on Tuesday, January 31st
     
5% off 6-11 bottles and/or large formats of German wines.

10% off 12 or more bottles and/or large formats of German wines.
 

Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.
Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or to case discounts. 
This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.


If you buy a case-6 you can receive a 5% discount on any additional 1-5 bottles more of German wines. If you buy a case-12 all additional German bottles will receive a 10% discount.

This sale applies to ALL German wines. That’s over 500 wines discounted! Here are a few recommendations to get you started. 

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel, Mosel 2018 750ml $79 special, 27  bottles in stock
John Gilman 96 points
“The 2018 Juffer-Sonnenuhr Goldkapsel Auslese is even a hair better this year, as it shows just a touch more exotic creaminess on the attack, simply stunning backend mineral drive and great acids for the vintage. The bouquet is celestial in its blend of lime, mirabelle, pear, a lovely foundation of slate, honeycomb, just a whisper of mossiness and notes of lilacs and violets in the upper register. On the palate the wine is fullish, pure, focused and impeccably balanced, with superb acids and grip, laser-like focus and a very, very long and complex finish. This wine just dances across the palate. 2026-2085.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Clemens Busch Pundericher Marienberg Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2018 750ml $33 special, 24 bottles in stock 
Wine Spectator 94 points
“Rich and exotic, featuring mango, brown spice, slate, smoke and citrus notes. Open and fluid in style, crafted with precision and intensity. The submerged acidity reveals itself on the finish, along with a tactile sensation on the palate. Best from 2022 through 2038.”
James Suckling 95 points “A very impressive Spätlese that’s so aromatic and expressive; it leads with dried apricots, passion fruit, melon sorbet, milk ice cream and earth. Sweet and powerful for this category, but the acidity runs right through the center palate, bringing the stone-fruit and tropical flavors to life and leaving the mouth with wicked resolve. Drink now.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Keller ‘Vom Muscheligen Kalk’, Rheinhessen 2021 750ml $33 special, 19 bottles in stock
Vinopol note: Mostly Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with a splash of Silvaner.

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten ‘Im Breumel’ Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Pfalz 2018 750ml $49 special, 36+ bottles in stock
James Suckling 97 points
“Very floral with pretty herbal undertones, ranging from coriander to dill to mint. The flowers range from jasmine to honeysuckle to almond blossom. Understated and elegant from the outset. The palate has a very chalky feel to the texture with overlapping, firm lines of acidity and dainty citrus fruit. Immaculately ironed-out edges and well-defined, linear crease. Drink now or hold.
Winery Note “The age-worthy Riesling wines from this prime section of the Haardt Bürgergarten are characterised by the optimal balance between a concentrated Riesling fruit, lingering minerality, a delicate elegance and an elaborately interwoven, long finish – Riesling to perfection.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2018 750ml $89 special, 10 bottles in stock
John Gilman 97 points
“Cornelius Dönnhoff has crafted one of the very best dry Rieslings that I tasted on this trip from the Hermannshöhle in 2018! The bouquet is deep, complex and again, so very elegant out of the blocks this year, delivering scents of pink grapefruit, tart tangerine, white flowers, a superb base of slate, lemongrass, citrus peel and just a dollop of upper register wild yeast tone. On the palate the wine is racy, focused, full-bodied and extremely mineral-driven, with a great core, laser-like focus and seamlessly balanced on the very, very long, very complex and utterly refined finish. Chapeau! 2033-2075+. 97.”
Wine Advocate 95+ points “The 2018 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling trocken –GG– is fascinatingly pure and fragrant on the nose. Crystalline, lush and intense,  this is a full-bodied, crystalline, precise, salty and persistent wine with linear tension, great grip and intensity. Tasted in July 2019.”
Vinous 95 points “Bittersweet, smoky herbal and nutty notes, along with an ore-like sense of deep mineral earthiness, serve as ideal foils for generously juicy ripe white peach and bright Meyer lemon. The feel is full and firm, and the finish is superbly multileveled, but with a strong emphasis on darkly earthy and minerally low-tones whose resonance sets the tongue and tonsils quivering. (And yes, it also refreshes.)”
 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
 
Collector’s Corner
 
Hors Categorie, Walla Walla Valley 2018 750ml $389 special, 2 bottles available 
Vinous 100 points
“Literally translated as “a place of its own” the 2018 Syrah from Hors Categorie was sourced from a two-acre plot at 1,400 feet of densley planted 11 years old Syrah vines. Aromatically quite intense, it shows a very Cote-Rotie nose as green peppercorns, iron, bull’s blood, orange rind and black currant scents all take shape in the glass. The palate displays incredible balance and minerality, offering a dense core of blackberry compote, creme de violette, saline-drenched orange, and stony undertones. Glorious in its fresh youth, this has another decade or more to go in the cellar. It’s the finest edition of this wine tha I have tasted so far. Tasted twice with similar results.”

Weingut Keller Westhofener Morstein Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Rheinhessen 2020 750ml $579 special, 2 bottles available 
James Suckling 98 points
“Extremely expressive nose with deep white-fruit, herbal and smoky aromas. Enormously concentrated, but very cool and pristine, thanks to the super-racy mineral acidity that gives the finish great power. Drinkable now, but best from 2023.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94+ points “The 2020er Morstein Riesling, as it is referred to on the consumer label, is a bone-dry wine made from 75-year-old vines and low yields (under 30 hl/ha) in one single old Fuder. It offers an aromatic, intense, and very complex nose of herbs, pineapple, grapefruit, mint, ginger, and a hint of camphor. The wine captures one’s attention as it proves hugely intense, compact, and dense on the palate. Notes of lemon and citrus are wrapped into plenty of spices and add to the feeling of razor-sharpness which emerges into the long and tight finish. There is also a light phenolic and powerful presence. This hugely impressive but still very primary dry Riesling will require a couple of years to fully show its potential. There is clear upside potential if it manages to gain finesse over time. 2025-2035+”

Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru ‘Cuvee Vieilles Vignes’, Cote de Nuits 2016 750ml $799 special, 5 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97 points
“The 2016 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is superb, bursting from the glass with aromas of juicy cherries, peonies, blood orange, licorice, raw cocoa and espresso roast. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, deep and succulent, with a concentrated, layered mid-palate, satiny structuring tannins and vibrant underlying acidity, concluding with a long finish. Harvested on October 7 at a comparatively high yield by Ponsot’s standards of 38 hectoliters per hectare, this year seems to have been perfectly adapted to Ponsot’s style. Vibrant, elegant and expressive, the 2016 is quite different from the richer, more powerful 2015, but in the fullness of time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it surpassing its brawnier elder sibling.”
Vinous 94-97 points “(14% alcohol, vs. 14.5% for the 2015 bottling; the estate owns 3.35 hectares in this grand cru, mostly in the climat Clos de la Roche): Dark red with ruby tones. Fully ripe but reticent nose combines cherry and musky soil tones, lifted by a floral topnote. Compellingly sappy, thick and deep; an utterly seamless grand cru with outstanding depth of texture and an impression of energy and power to its red and black fruit and earth flavors. Boasts uncommon thickness of fruit and purity. The wonderfully long, slowly rising, edge-free finish shows terrific energy.”
           

Highly Exclusive Pre-Arrival Special 
 
Estimated arrival early February 2023

We have only one 6-case allocation of the highly exclusive Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits Collection. Very few people will ever have the opportunity to taste this line up. 

The Selosse Lieux-dits Collection contains:
1 Avize Les Chantereines (WA99, AG97, JG93)
1 Cramant Chemin de Chalons (WA96, JG96, AG95, DE94)
1 La Côte Faron (JS98, AG97, WA96, RJ96, DE95, JG94)
1 Le Bout du Clos (AG98, WA97, RJ96-97, DE95)
1 Les Carelles (LRVF100, B&D99, WA97, AG96, RJ95-96, JG95)
1 Sous le Mont (JG98, WA96, JS96, RJ95-96, AG95, DE94)

Case-6 Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits Collection Extra Brut, Champagne NV 750ml $6689 special, only one case-6 available  
Antoni Galloni Vinous
“Anselme Selosse’s wines are among the most coveted bottles in Champagne. In recent years, Selosse’s lieu-dit Champagnes have ascended into the realm of the nearly unobtainable because of their tiny production. Two of the lieux-dits are sold only as part of the 300 or so boxed sets that are released each year, which makes tasting all six Champagnes together virtually impossible.”
Vineyard notes: “Situated 150kms east of Paris, the Champagne vineyards cover over 33,000 hectares and yield yearly approximately 320 million bottles of the most prestigious wine in the world. Between the cities of Reims and Châlons-en- Champagne, grapes have been cultivated since the Gallo –Roman period, but it was at the beginning of the 18th century that the blending of the different villages or crus and a method of vinification that permitted the obtainment of effervescent wines began to make them well-known throughout the world. Ever since this time, Champagne wines have been come recognizable not only for their famous bubbles, but also their finesse, vivacity and freshness and their famous thick glass bottles and corks held on by wire muzzles. The first official boundaries were drawn in 1927. The Champagne producing region was divided into 4 zones, the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley, la Côte des Blancs and la Côte des Bar in the very south of the appellation.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today! 



We’re open 10 AM – 6 PM daily

Order Online / By Phone / By Email








Thank you from the team at Vinopolis!

Be well & drink well.