Vinopolis Newsletter 10-16-24 PM

 
 

 

Bedrock calls itself a “mission-driven” winery dedicated to the preservation and rehabilitation of old vineyards all around California. These vineyards, they say are “living pieces of history.” Although their beginnings in 2007 were humble, owners Morgan Twain-Peterson and Chris Cottrell have remained focused on coaxing high-quality terroir driven wines from their eclectic vineyards ever since.
 
Bedrock Bien Nacido Vineyards ‘X-Block’ Syrah, Santa Maria Valley, USA 2022 750ml $59 special, 12 bottles available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 94 Points “The 2022 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard, emerging mostly from the Z block with some fruit from X block, is powerful, savory but also light on its feet for such an intense wine. Dark fruit, lavender, grilled herbs, menthol and licorice infuse the 2022 with tons of complexity. Readers will find an elegant, floral, super-expressive, savory cool-climate Syrah. There’s a good bit of stem influence, but it works so well here.”

 
Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, USA 2022 750ml $26 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Spectator 93 Points “Dynamic and generous, this Zin combines old-school briar with sleek suppleness, serving up stylish flavors of raspberry and cherry accented by savory pepper, cinnamon and garrigue tones that sail on the rich finish. Drink now through 2033. 5,000 cases made.”
 
…also currently available from Bedrock:
 
Bedrock Wine Co. Evangelho Vineyard Heritage Red, Contra Costa County, USA 2021 750ml $44.50 special, 18 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points “From Zinfandel grown in the pure sand soils of this incredible site, the 2021 Evangelho Vineyard Heritage is lifted and pure with raspberry liqueur, fresh flowers, and brushy earth. Medium-bodied, with a highly refined structure, it reveals a floral perfume of herbes de Provence and rose petals that lasts long after the wine has dissipated. With fine tannins and a gorgeous, sandy mineral texture, it’s a beautiful wine to drink over the next 10 or more years.”
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 94 Points “The 2021 Evangelho Heritage Wine is dark, sensual and wonderfully expressive. Blue fruit, spice, lavender and leather all meld together in this beautifully layered Zinfandel-based field blend. The 2021 possesses unreal complexity and depth, with much of its intensity coming from punishingly low yields. The 2021 is simply fabulous.”
 
Bedrock Wine Co. ‘Pato Vineyard Heritage’, Contra Costa County, USA 2021 750ml $49 special, 5 bottles available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 94 Points “The 2021 Pato Vineyard Heritage Wine is dark and brooding from the outset. Black cherry, gravel, incense, licorice, dried herbs, menthol, tobacco and cured meats are all amplified. In 2021, the Pato is mostly Zinfandel, with a big chunk of Petite Sirah, and it is the Petite that very much drives the overall feel.”

 

 
Winery Note “Immerse yourself in the experience of tasting our Orvieto Classico, Frammento – an elegant and pleasantly versatile wine, perfect for accompanying your everyday moments. Its name evokes the fragments of seashells that fill our soils, witnesses of the sea that once covered them millions of years ago. But it also evokes the philosophical concept of terroir, and the fact that even in a sip of wine (a “fragment”), the totality of the soul of the place is still preserved.”
Decugnano dei Barbi Frammento Orvieto Classico, Umbria, Italy 2021 750ml $16 special, 36 bottles available
James Suckling 91 Points “Subtle minerality to the salted lemons and tarragon herbs. Linear and bright on the medium-bodied palate with a streamlined structure and creamy texture. Dry and tangy finish. 55% grechetto, 20% sauvignon blanc, 20% vermentino and 5% procanico. Drink now.”
Vinopolnote “What a fascinating nose! It is decidedly mineral with layers of chalk, talc, and calcium. It’s as minerally as an antacid! Joking aside, there are lovely notes of pear juice, fresh bay, and mint. In the mouth, this is more reserved than the Casa Pica, but with noticeably more depth. The body is moderate, perhaps a touch lighter than the Casa Pica, but with more acidity. It’s exceedingly well balanced. The finish shows touches of lees, like a high quality Muscadet or a Côte des Blancs Champagne.”

 

 

 

However, we would urge you not to bet against Marietta Cellars. These wines from Marietta’s Family Series (including their Christo and Arme wines offered below) were first created to hit the missing middle budget of fantastic wines under 30 dollars, whereas their classic table red remains under 20 dollars to this day.
 
Their reliable prices and quality have kept these wines a favorite of both our customers and staff—you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better California red wine out there at Marietta’s prices.
 
Marietta Cellars ‘Arme’, Sonoma – Mendocino County, USA 2021 750ml $26 special, 7 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.”
 
Marietta Cellars ‘Christo’, California, USA 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ 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.”

 
Marietta Cellars OVR Old Vine Rose, California, USA 2022 750ml $14.50 special, 22 bottles available
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 92 Points “A blend of 50% Syrah, 25% Grenache Noir and 25% Grenache Gris, the 2022 Old Vine Rosé has a medium cherry-pink color and pretty scents of peach, dried herbs and charcuterie. The light-bodied palate is bright and refreshing with a deep core of fruit, a touch of anchoring texture and a long, spicy finish. It drinks well on its own, although it will pair widely at the table.”
 
Marietta Cellars OVR Old Vine Red, California Lot 74, USA NV 750ml $18 special, 35 bottles available
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 93 Points “The NV Old Vine Red Lot 74 is primarily Zinfandel, with some Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignan, Grenache and Barbera. Spicy and easy to drink, it has aromas of red and black cherries, mint, bitter chocolate and allspice with earthy undertones. The medium-bodied palate is finely chalky and refreshing, with spicy fruit and an easygoing finish. This will be enjoyable with almost any dish at the table and, as always, over delivers for the price.”

 

Featured Close-out Wines
 

Raphael et Vincent Bereche

 
If you’re reading this, you’ve no doubt experienced the joys of our favorite Grower Champagne, the peerless Bereche et fils. How in the world do they achieve such complexity in the blend year after year? It’s baffling. To quote ourselves, their wines feature “richness that’s as light as a feather, aromas that refresh and draw you in deeper, and an opulent mousse with unending depth.”
 
They’re good.
 
However, this very special wine, Bereche’s “Côte” Millesime represents a combination of brothers Raphael & Vincent’s incredibly precise and technical winemaking prowess in service to the best regions in Champagne, like Oger, that they would never have access to in their Estate bottlings. This wine is a phenomenal tightrope act: a Champagne that is both opulent and refreshing. Plush and rounded, with a bolt of acidity ripping right through it.
 
Only 5,300 bottles of this wine were produced and we are selling this super rare bottle at the lowest price in the United States!
 
WAS $135
Raphael et Vincent Bereche ‘Cote’ Oger Grand Cru Millesime Extra-Brut, Champagne, France 750ml 2016 $124 special, 12+ bottles available
Not reviewed yet, 2005 review provided for reference.
Gismondi on Wine 94 Points (2005 vintage) ” …This chardonnay is from mid-slope Grand Cru Avize, and the 2005 vintage. It went into bottle in 2006 and remained there until its disgorging in December 2016 (!!), dosed with 4 g/l. Exceptional finesse and complexity, with layers of wet and dry chalk, lemon peel, green apple, fresh filberts, crispy meringue on a finely textured palate. A wave of savoury salts kissed with brown butter rides throughout, providing an alluring interest. There’s a natural restraint, yet palpable intensity in this graceful, characterful wine, one that stood out amongst the rest.”
VinopolNote “Oger is a tiny, Grand Cru village in the Côte des Blancs region of Champagne. It is often mistaken for Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, given the similarity in name. In Peter Liem’s book, “Champagne” Rodolphe Péters of Pierre Péters describes it as producing wines with “delicate with aromas of red fruit and tangerine.” Liem goes on to describe the village as producing riper and more fragrant wines than Mesnil due to the east-facing bowl that captures sunlight. Wine from the village is also used as the basis for Charles Heidsieck’s Grand Cru Côte des Blancs blends.”
 

 
Close-out pricing on world class wines? Only at Vinopolis!
 
Founded in 1825 by Henri-Marc de Venoge, a Swiss immigrant to the region, these wines are still made in a traditional style rarely seen in modern Champagnes. While most Champagne these days are made in a crisp, fresh, but brittle style, the champagnes of De Venoge undergo Malolactic fermentation, resulting in a rounder, fatter, elegant style that can age for decades. Luckily, the winery has done the hard work for you already and aged these wines for immediate consumption.
 
WAS $189
De Venoge Louis XV Brut Millésimé, Champagne 2006 750ml $169 special, 22 bottles available
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 96 points “The assemblage of the 2006 Louis XV Brut Millésimé is about the same as the 1995 and 1996—composed of 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, all from grand cru villages. The only difference is that the Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (10% of the assemblage) spent 12 months in oak barrels. Disgorged in January 2017 (dosage: six grams per liter), the 2006 has a golden color and opens with a deep, ripe, elegant and vinous bouquet with toasty and chalky lemon and fresh white fruit flavors. On the palate, this is an intense, round, fresh and complex Louis XV with great purity and finesse. The wine opens on the palate like a soufflé, coating the whole palate without any pressure or weight—gorgeous!”

 
WAS $249
De Venoge Louis XV Brut Millésimé, Champagne 2008 750ml $219 special, 32 bottles available
James Suckling 95 points “This is really punchy and broad-shouldered with muscular structure and citrusy undertones. Full body. Lightly tannic and a fresh and vivid finish. This is the first vintage without malolactic fermentation ever. One for the cellar. Better in 2022.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93+ points “The straw-yellow/white-golden colored 2008 Louis XV Brut Millésimé blends 50% Chardonnay (20 % from Avize, 15% from Oger and 15% from Mesnil) with 50% Pinot Noir (41.5% from Verzenay and 8.5% from Bouzy). Disgorged in January 2018 with a dosage of six grams per liter, the 2008 displays a clear, pure, fresh, chalky-tinged and vinous nose with lemon, white fruits, brioche, hazelnuts, white blossoms and some caramel notes. Pure, lean, fresh and elegant on the palate, with a lingering hazelnut flavor, this is a straight yet complex cuvée with grip and a long, well-structured and textured finish.”

 
WAS $189
De Venoge Louis XV Extra Brut Rosé Millésimé, Champagne 2002 750ml $159 special, 17 bottles available
Wine Spectator 93 points “Harmonious, with fine intensity, offering rich notes of spice cake, toasted almond, dried cherry, grilled plum and smoky mineral. Almost velvety in texture, with juicy acidity that brings you back for another sip. Delicious.”