In This Newsletter:
Arrivals and Pre-Arrivals
Another perfect score from Christophe Baron
Staff Pick
Averaen Pinot Noir
Regional Feature
Wines of the Northern Rhone
3 Day Super Saver Sale
Selbach Oster
March Magnum Sale
Ends soon!!!
Collector’s Corner
The Wines of Edmond Vatan
New Arrivals
Domaine Michel Juillot: a Mercurey winemaker with a little over half of their production from either Grand or Premier Cru. Very little of their wine makes it to the West Coast every year:
Domaine Michel Juillot Corton-Perriers Grand Cru Rouge 2020 750ml $119 special, 12 bottles available
Burghound 92 Points “Like several wines in the range, there is a hint of the sauvage adding interest to the notably ripe yet still fresh aromas of black cherry, raspberry liqueur and a healthy dollop of wood and menthol. The slightly bigger-bodied flavors are not particularly dense, but the mid-palate texture is certainly attractive while the lingering, moderately austere and balanced finale delivers fine length.”
Domaine Michel Juillot Bourgogne Rouge 2020 750ml $28 special, 24 bottles available
Domaine Michel Juillot Mercurey Les Vignes de Maillonge Blanc 2020 50ml $39 special, 6 bottles available
Domaine Michel Juillot Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Barraults Blanc 2020 750ml $41.90 special, 12 bottles available
Domaine Michel Juillot Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Barraults Rouge 2020 750ml $41.90 special, 12 bottles available
One of the finest producers in Marsannay, with over 6 premier crus they currently pull from:
Domaine Collotte Noble Souche, Burgundy 2020 750ml $26 special, 18 bottles available
Domaine Collotte Chambolle-Musigny Vielles Vignes, Burgundy 2020 750ml $64.50 special, 12 bottles available
Domaine Collotte Fixin les Champistions, Burgundy 2020 750ml $49 special, 12 bottles available
Domaine Collotte Gevrey Chambertain Evocelles 2020 750ml $64.50 special, 12 bottles available
Domaine Collotte Marsannay Blanc, Burgundy 2020 750ml $31.90 special, 12 bottles available
Domaine Collotte Marsannay Le Clos de Jeu, Burgundy 2020 750ml $33 special, 36+ bottles available
The new beaujolais venture from the coveted Burgundy producer Domaine Lafarge:
Domaine Lafarge Vial Fleurie 2020 750ml $49 special, 6 bottles available
Domaine Lafarge Vial “Clos Vernay” 2020 750ml $49 special, 6 bottles available
Domaine Lafarge Vial “Clos Vernay” 2020 1.5L $99 special, 2 bottles available
Re-Arrivals
Ameztoi Txokalina Blanco 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 12 bottles available
Importer’s note: The wine that has come to define the traditional style of txakolina from Getaria. Light, crisp, refreshing, and low alcohol, Ameztoi Txakolina is bottled with a touch of residual carbon dioxide gas to give it its natural, signature, spritzy style. It is produced exclusively from indigenous hondarrabi zuri grapes at the Ameztoi estate, grown on traditional trellises high on the slopes rising above Getaria, an ancient Basque fishing village on Spain’s rugged northern coast. A joyful wine with signature salty and briny notes, crisp acidity, low alcohol, and refreshing spritz naturally complements the region’s exquisite seafood.
Pre-Arrivals
Arriving 3/31
Hors Categorie Syrah 2019 750ml $449, 2 bottles arriving
Wine Advocate 100 Points “Powerful and robust with a complex nose, the 2019 Syrah opens to aromas of spiced blackberry and black raspberry before primary and secondary expressions blossom in the glass with elegance and precision; it then articulates layers of truffle, hints of tar and roses, turned earth and succulent red flowers with dusty, ripe red fruit essences. Medium to full-bodied, this Syrah is a masterclass in capturing a sense of place as it somersaults across the mid-palate with elegance, finesse and power. At the same time, flaunting its well-deserved triple-digit score, this devastatingly gorgeous Syrah glides effortlessly to a complex, ever-evolving and lingering tannic finish. This is world-class juice that shines with stunning purity. Run, don’t walk to grab any of the 1,800 bottles made.”
Philipe Jouan Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Echezeaux 2020 750ml $119 special, 4 bottles arriving
Philipe Jouan Morey-St Denis “Clos Sorbes” 1er Cru 2020 750ml $219 special, 5 bottles arriving
Philipe Jouan Clos-Saint-Denis Grand Cru 2020 750ml $319 special, 4 bottles arrivals
Staff Pick
Averaen Pinot Noir 2021 750ml $21.90 per bottle, 36+ available
Averaen Pinot Noir 2021 case of 12 $236, or $19.83 per bottle
Tracy’s Pick “There’s a time for earthier Burgundy-style Oregon wines, but there can also be a time wines of simple pleasures like Averaen. Something about the cycling weather of Early Spring makes a wine like this– fruity but dry, with great acidity– particularly satisfying. This is a crowd pleaser for sure, perfect for food pairing and dinner parties or as a companion while watching that ever-changing weather out the window.”
Wine Enthusiast 92 “Cherry fans need to rally around this bottle. The wine’s sweet, black-cherry aroma is almost cassis like in its intensity. Notes of orange, pine needles and forest floor add interest, but from the backseat. The palate features a lighter cherry flavor—perhaps Bing or Rainier—with notes of thyme and seared steak. The wine feels fresh and lively in the mouth, with brilliant acidity.”
Focus On The Northern Rhone
The Rhone wine region, vast as it is, provides strength and refinement in their wines. Nestled among the hills that surround the Rhone river, the region provides a great range of wine styles that are approachable for novices and yet satisfying for true oenophiles. Today we’ll be focusing on the northern portions of the Rhone, known for small, high-quality vineyards on perched upon beautiful, dramatic slopes. Some of the finest Syrahs in the world come from this area and we’re proud to showcase some of the finest producers this region has to offer moving from the south of the region to the north along the Rhone river.
Crozes-Hermitage- wines of great structure and a solid backbone of acidity
Saint Cosme Crozes Hermitage 2020 750ml $39 special, 33 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 90-92 Points
Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2020 750ml $39 special, 19 bottles available
Darnaud Crozes-Hermitage Fil Du Temp 2018 750ml $49 special, 24 bottles available
Wine Advocate 94 Points
Cornas- Muscular wines with concentration and a rustic character
Lionnet Cornas Terres Brulee 2019 750ml $69 special, 24 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
Guillaume Gilles Cornas 2018 750ml $108 special, 27 bottle available
Falstaff 95 Points
Hermitage- majestic, aromatic, and complex wines with immense aging potential
Delas Freres Hermitage Les Bessards 2015 750ml $219 special, 8 bottles special
Jeb Dunnuck 100 Points
Chapoutier L’Ermitage Rouge 2013 750ml $249 special, 15 bottles special
Wine Spectator 97 Points
St Joseph- from steep granite hills along the river, these reds feature wonderful spice notes and firm pleasant tannins
Saint Cosme St Joseph 2020 750ml $39 special, 36+ bottles available
Saint Cosme St Joseph 2020 case of 6, $219 special, $36.50 by the bottle,
Jeb Dunnuck 91-93 Points
Alain Graillot St Joseph 2019 750ml $49 special, bottles available
Vinous 92-94 Points
Côte Rotie- these syrahs can also include up to 10% co-fermented viognier, resulting in soft, floral-scented reds of great depth.
Saint Cosme Côte-Rotie 2017 750ml $55 special, 24 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
Saint Cosme Côte-Rotie 2018 750ml $69 special, 36 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 92-95 Points
Saint Cosme Côte-Rotie 2019 750ml $69 special, 4 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 95-97 Points
Saint Cosme Côte-Rotie 2020 750ml $69 special, 32 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 94-96 Points
Rostaing Côte Rotie Blonde 2020 750ml $219 special, just 1 bottle available
Wine Advocate 97-99 Points
Condrieu- the finest producers of Viognier in the world. Elegant, perfumed wines that are too often overshadowed by the surrounding communes bold reds.
Monteillet Condreiu Chanson 2018 750ml $69 special, 16 bottles available
Decanter 96 Points
Saint Cosme Condrieu 2020 750ml $84.50 special, 9 bottles available
Wine Spectator 94 Points
Rene Ronstaing Condrieu La Bonnette 2020 750ml $99 special, 4 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points
3 Day Super Saver Sale:
Selbach Oster
We’re going big on some of our best selling wines!
Starting today we are offering deep discounts on mix-and-match deals for all of our Selbach-Oster wines
Buy any 3-5 bottles and receive 5% off !
Buy any 6-11 bottles and receive 10% off!!
Buy 12+ of any of these bottles and receive an unprecedented 15% off!!!
Selbach (J.H.) Zelt Himmelreich Kabinett 2019 750ml $16 special, 52 bottles available
VinopolNote: Purchased fruit from the one of the “Grand Cru” vineyards of the Mittelmosel.
Selbach-Oster Bernkastler Badstube Riesling Auslese 2019 750ml $45 special, 26 bottles available
Wine Advocate 96 Points “The 2019 Bernkastler Badstube Riesling Auslese * is deep and concentrated on the still reductive, flinty and stony nose. Piquant, racy, dense and rich on the palate, this is a laser-sharp, salty-piquant and crunchy Auslese with concentrated lemon chutney notes and lingering salinity and grip. It is stunningly precise and like an ice wine because everything is concentrated due to the perfectly clear and clean botrytis.”
Mosel Fine Wines 95 Points “The 2019er Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese * comes from a parcel of old un-grafted vines in the Bernkasteler Graben situated next to the Bernkasteler Doktor and was fermented down to noble-sweet levels of residual sugar (117 g/l). It offers a superbly attractive and complex nose of grapefruit, yellow peach, honeyed pear, spices, flowers, and mint. The wine coats the palate with ample juicy and yellow honeyed fruits, almond cream, and a touch of nut paste and leaves one with a sense of herbal flavors reminiscent of great Doktor wines in the crystal clear and very long finish,. The after-taste of this truly magnificent Auslese feels sweet rather than noble-sweet.”
The Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese 2019 750ml $31.90 special, 42 bottles available
Wine Advocate 93 Points “The 2019 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese is very clear, pure and flinty on the intense, elegant, crunchy and slatey nose. Salty, piquant and lush on the palate, this is a crystalline, pure and salty Badstube that is juicier and rounder than the 2018.”
Mosel Fine Wines 92 Points “The 2019er Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese was made from fruit picked at 90° Oechsle and was fermented down to sweet levels of residual sugar (69 g/l). It offers a very delicate and nicely perfumed nose of white flowers, rose petal, vineyard peach, apple, laurel, and herbs. The wine proves delicately juicy and refined on the smooth and slightly juicy palate and leaves a delicate sense of lightness in the more fruity-styled than really sweet-tasting finish. This is a joyful and remarkably easy-drinking expression of Spätlese.”
Selbach-Oster Graach Domprost Riesling GG 2020 $45 special, 16 bottles available
Stuart Pigott 95 Points “Expansive yet very precise, exotic-fruit nose. Powerful and concentrated, though only medium-bodied, with so many subtle mineral and exotic-fruit nuances. Very long finish. Drink or hold.”
SALE ENDS Wednesday at 6pm!!!
Shop all of our Selbach-Oster wines on our website
March Magnum Sale
ENDS SOON!
We’re having a huge month long sale ending March 31st at 6pm.
5% off 3-5 Magnum bottles
10% off 6 or more Magnum bottles
Saint Cosme Côtes Du Rhône 2021 1.5L $29 special, 53 bottles available
Saint Cosme Gigondas 2018 1.5L $79 special, 30 bottles available
Wine Spectator 95 Points “Dark and winey, this structured offering packs red and black currant paste flavors together with threads of charcoal, warm stone, bay leaf and savory, ending with a long tug of cast iron through the finish. A blue chip for cellaring. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Drink now through 2035.”
Saint Cosme Gigondas 2019 1.5L $99 special, 11 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points “Moving to the wines from bottle, the base Gigondas from this estate is a perennial winner and readers can safely buy bottles of this in just about every vintage. Giving up a Provençal bouquet of red and black currants, peppery herbs, leather, and loamy soil, the 2018 is medium to full-bodied, has a forward, sexy style, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s terrific today yet still has enough tannins to evolve for 10-15 years if you’re so inclined.”
A magnum is 1.5L. 3L bottles will be the equivalent of 2 bottles applied to the discount.
Champagnes are not included in this sale.
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.
This sale applies to large format wines. That’s over 150 wines and thousands of bottles discounted! This week we are highlighting the stellar wines of Long Shadows… now in family gathering friendly magnums!
Shop our magnum selection on our website
Collector’s Corner:
The Wines of Edmond Vatan
What is it about these wines that makes them one of the few sauvignon blanc bottlings on the planet to be coveted by high-end wine collectors?
The secret may be the terroir. For 13 generations the Vatans have farmed and harvested their “Clos Neore” vineyard, a site that features the same Kimmeridgian soils famous for their role in Chablis. But it may be the use of the same winemaking traditions his ancestors have used for centuries like late harvesting, natural yeasts, and aging in giant oak vessels. In all probability, it’s a mix of the two, with the techniques embueing what might otherwise be undernourished grapes in the hands of lesser winemakers.
As it is, these wines are like Cru Burgundy in their aging potential.
Vatan “Clos Neore” Sancerre 2016 750ml $449 special, 6 bottles available
Vinous 98 Points
Vatan “Clos Neore” Sancerre 2010 750ml $599 special, 3 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95 Points “The Vatan 2010 Sancerre Clos la Neore is fascinatingly – indeed, almost mind-bendingly – complex, already in the nose. Musk, white truffle, citrus oils, bittersweet floral perfume, lime and tangerine, as well as fusil, chalky and maritime mineral notes associated with Kimmeridgian origins waft in a kaleidoscopically interactive array. Fresh citrus and a stony-chalky undertone take the lead on a silken-textured palate but with almost electrically charged vivacity of interaction emerging in the long, saliva-liberating finish, mirroring the wine’s remarkable aromatic show. This will be at least a twenty year keeper worthy of comparison with such memorable past vintages as 1988, 1990, or 1996, each of which has shown gloriously when tasted within the past couple of years”.
Vatan “Clos Neore” Sancerre 2018 1.5L $799 special, 7 bottles available
Vinous 96 Points “Clarity is a term that accurately describes the 2018 Sancerre Clos La Neore. It has a pure and intense core of fruit. But it’s not fruity. It’s a sophisticated style … distinctive aromatic.”
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