Vinopolis New Arrivals 5-6-24

 

 
Marietta Cellars ‘Christo’ Red Blend, California, USA 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 24 bottles available
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 93 Points “The 2021 Christo is a blend of 68% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 8% Petite Sirah and 4% Viognier. The nose features fresh blackcurrant and blueberry aromas with tones of cast iron, violet, sagebrush and conifer. The full-bodied palate is chalky and refreshing with restrained, mineral-driven fruit and a long, perfumed finish. Give it 2-3 years in bottle or a couple hours in a decanter.”
 STAFF PICK  Hannah “This wine is packed with French grape varietals, made by a classic California producer. On the palate it tastes of full and ripe blackberry, is rounded out with notes of pepper, licorice, and violets. The structure and tannins are full, with tons of smoothness and resolve. It will age for days (let’s be clear here, years), or can be opened and decanted to pair with a grilled meat of your choice.
 
Marietta Cellars Arme, Sonoma – Mendocino County, USA 2021 750ml $26 special, 11 bottles available
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 93 Points “The 2021 Armé Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 10% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. It has pretty tones of blueberries and black cherries with nuances of lavender, thyme and underbrush. The palate is medium-bodied, chalky and refreshing, with surprising depth of crunchy fruit and floral sparks across the long, juicy finish.”
 

 
CHAMPAGNE
 

Pierre Paillard ‘Les Parcelles’ Bouzy Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne, France NV 750ml $49 special, 36 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points ” Made from 80% Pinot and 20% Chardonnay, with the base 2019 and the rest reserve wine from the past couple of years, the NV Champagne Grand Cru Bouzy Les Parcelles is expressive and fruit-forward on opening, with notes of cherry blossom, fresh peach, and honeycomb. With zero grams per liter dosage, there’s no lacking for ripeness and freshness. Long on the palate and quite inviting, it’s going to be wonderful drinking over the coming 8-10 years.”
 

 
Andre Clouet Grande Reserve Brut, Champagne, France NV 750ml $39 special, 26 bottles available
Decanter 92 Points [Reviewed 2021] “Incredible value for a blanc de noirs (100% Pinot Noir) grower Champagne from the grand cru vineyards of Bouzy. It shows gorgeous aromas of stone fruit, citrus and strawberry, with complex brioche nuances, remarkable balance, ongoing elegance and a rich, refined, persistent finish.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 91 Points [Reviewed Apr 2021] “The NV Brut Grand Réserve Grand Cru is a pure Pinot Noir from Bouzy. It’s pure, fresh, fine and aromatic on the nose and round and delicate on the palate. The fruit-intense finish is chalky-mineral and stimulatingly fresh in its salty finesse and elegant yeastiness. Nice lemon juice flavors give an extra kick of refreshment. This is a picture-book NV Brut. No indication of disgorgement given.”
 
Andre Clouet Brut Nature Silver, Champagne, France NV 750ml $39 special, 13 bottles available
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 92+ Points [Reviewed Apr 2021] “Clouet’s NV Silver Brut Nature Grand Cru is a pure Bouzy Pinot Noir that was disgorged without any dosage. This disgorgement displays a medium intense golden color and a complex and refined bouquet of ripe and pureed apples and discreet chalky as well as brioche aromas. The palate is elegant, straight and fresh, very pure and salty on the finish. This is a challenging Brut Nature that needs to be aged for two or three years to gain complexity and finesse and to smooth its current edges. The finish is mineral, limestone and salty but also a bit drying at this moment.”
 

FRANCE
 

 
Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France 2021 750ml $95 special, 24 bottles available
Case-6 of Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 2021 $541.50 special, 2 cases available
Vinous 93-95 Points “The result is magnificent, wafting from the glass with fragrant aromas of juicy red fruits mingling with hints of black cherry, mint, garrigue and a pinch of white pepper. Full-bodied and layered, ever-so-velvety tannins wrap this elegant-to-the-core polished red, before concluding with a bright finish.”
Wine Spectator 94 Points “Toasty, meaty and inviting, this fresh red shows an understated, savory side, with notes of singed spices, mesquite, wet earth and fresh tobacco leaf flanking a silky range of plum and warm cherry compote flavors. This channels its terroir, with a round feel held in check by refined tannins, while the finish is lined with cool minerality and heavy iron. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Terret Blanc, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul de Pinet, Bourboulenc, Picardan and Roussanne.”

ITALY
 

 
Vietti Tre Vigne Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy 2021 750ml $26 special, 20 bottles available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 92 Points “The 2021 Barbera d’Alba Tre Vigne is a fabulous, explosive wine. Sumptuous dark cherry, ripe plum, mocha, licorice and new leather are all dialed up to the maximum. This racy, deep Barbera is tremendous. For its quality-to-price ratio, the Alba Tre Vigne might be the wine of the year at Vietti.”
James Suckling 92 Points “Notes of ripe plums and blackberries with dark spicy chocolate, moist bark and wet asphalt. Juicy and racy on the palate with medium to full body and vivid acidity. Tense with dusty tannins and a seamless, lengthy finish.”
 
Vietti Tre Vigne, Barbera d’Asti DOCG, Italy 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 36 bottles available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 92 Points “The 2021 Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne is a fabulous, explosive wine. Sumptuous dark cherry, ripe plum, mocha, licorice and new leather are all dialed up to the maximum. This racy, deep Barbera is tremendous. For its quality-to-price ratio, the Asti Tre Vigne might be the wine of the year at Vietti.”
 

 
Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico DOCG, Tuscany, Italy 2021 750ml $25.50 special, 24 bottles available
No reviews for the 2021 vintage. 2020 review provided for reference.
Wine Spectator 92 Points “A bright, succulent style, this exudes cherry, strawberry, earth and tobacco aromas and flavors, with spicy character. Shows vibrant structure and balance, with a lingering finish. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2023 through 2030.”
Vinous 92 Points “The 2021 Chianti Classico is an absolute joy. Fragrant, silky and superexpressive, the 2021 captures all the finesse of Radda. Crushed red berry fruit, rose petal, orange peel and mint are all beautifully delineated in a vibrant, mid-weight Chianti Classico that has so much to offer. This is a fine showing.”

Re-Arrivals
 

Chateau de Rouanne Vinsobres, Rhone, France 2020 750ml $26 special, 36+ bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points “A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, the classic 2020 Vinsobres from this château is beautiful and has a round, supple, elegant, medium to full-bodied style as well as textbook blackberry and black raspberry fruits, some peppery herb and floral nuances, remarkable purity, and a great finish. It’s one heck of an impressive Vinsobres to drink over the coming 8-10 years.”
 
Kumeu River Rays Road Chardonnay, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2022 750ml $39 special, 6 bottles available
James Suckling 94 Points “Lemony and crisp with a stone and seashell undertone to the pretty fruit. Medium body, firm phenolics that tighten the wine on the palate. Racy and intense on the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
Erin Larken-Wine Advocate 93 Points “The 2022 Rays Road Chardonnay is fine and spicy, with a tense line of acidity and phenolics—they feel linear and interwoven—that stream through the fruit. This is a very pretty, pithy Chardonnay with ground white pepper, white flesh peach, crushed shells, layers of juniper berry and star anise/cut fennel inflections. I like the staying power of the fruit in the mouth. It is persistent and long.”
 
Racines Grand Reserve Sparkling Chardonnay, Sta Rita Hills, USA NV 750ml $66 special, 5 bottles available
Decanter 96 Points “This is the best American sparkling wine I’ve ever tasted. The 2019 vintage base also includes 25% reserve wines from the 2017 and 2018 harvests. This Grand Reserve Chardonnay made from the cool Sta Rita Hills is crafted with a Champagne pedigree, and it shows. This Blanc de Blancs from across renowned Sta Rita Hills vineyards has undeniable Old World charm and sophistication. The aromatics boast ample toasted biscuit notes and great yeasty complexity from the 30 months on lees. The palate has a fantastic depth of fruit, spiced pear, cardamom, nutmeg and bruised apples. There is a subtlety of savoury biscuits and hints of almond cream. Elegant, yet bold and wildly delicious.”