Vinopolis Newsletter 10-28-24 PM

Special Arrivals
 
 
Cascina delle Rose

 

“Cascina delle Rose is without question one of the emerging estates in Barbaresco. Readers who have not tasted these wines should make a point of doing so, as they encapsulate everything that makes Barbaresco so alluring.” –Antonio Galloni, Vinous
 
Piedmont’s Cascina delle Rose is a real sleeper estate producing elegant, expressive wines that prioritize beauty and drinkability over mass appeal. Their traditional winemaking approach results in poised, elegant wines with floral aromatics that leap out of the glass and a fine texture often compared to the great wines of Burgundy over Barbaresco.
 
The operation is simple with just over 12 acres total. 7 acres planted to vines, 2 acres planted to hazelnuts, a bit of forest, and the famous Rose Farmhouse where the magic happens. What they get from this land is nothing short of transcendent. We dare you to name a better woman run, organic practicing, Barbaresco house. You can’t? Neither can we, but we know you will love these elegant, rose and earth-perfumed wines as much as we do!
 
Cascina delle Rose Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy 2023 750ml $36 special, 36 bottles available
Winery Notes “The vineyard is located in the municipality of Barbaresco, in lean soils, rich in mineral salts and densely stratified. Bright garnet red, elegant fruity and floral notes, deep, clean, the clear expression of the grape variety. Dense texture of tannins, fine, silky. Very persistent finish.”
 

Lowest price in the USA
Average Price $45

 
Cascina delle Rose Marcorino, Barbaresco DOCG, Italy 2021 750ml $89 special, 10 bottles available
Kerin O’Keefe 97 Points “A new entry for Cascina delle Rose, the fragrant 2021 Marcorino opens with enticing aromas of violet, rose, menthol and pine forest. Made with grapes hailing from the Marcorino cru in Neive, it showcases the estate’s hallmark elegance and winemaker Davide Sobrino’s delicate hand, delivering juicy raspberry, succulent red cherry, star anise and a hint of almond before a savory mineral close. It’s linear and loaded with energy and finesse thanks to firm, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity.”
 

Lowest price on the West Coast

 
Cascina delle Rose Barbaresco Rio Sordo, Barbaresco DOCG, Italy 2021 750ml $89 special, 22 bottles available
Kerin O’Keefe 97 Points “The 2021 Cascina delle Rose Rio Sordo is another stunner from this fantastic estate starting with its compelling aromas of forest berry, camphor, wild rose and dark exotic spice. More firmly structured than Tre Stelle and Marcorino, it has tightly wound, fine-grained tannins that support juicy Morello cherry, raspberry, licorice and ground clove while fresh acidity keeps it balanced and energized. This needs a little more time to fully come together and will age beautifully.”
 

Lowest price on the West Coast

 
Cascina delle Rose Tre Stelle, Barbaresco DOCG, Italy 2021 750ml $89 special, 7 bottles available
Kerin O’Keefe 97 Points “Racy, refined and radiant, the already accessible 2021 Tre Stelle from Cascina delle Rose offers enticing scents of rose, crushed mint, wild cherry and a whiff of vineyard dust. All about finesse, the radiant palate delivers succulent red cherry, cranberry, white pepper and star anise set against well integrated, elegant tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it beautifully balanced and vibrant.”
 

Lowest price on the West Coast

 

 

Italy
 

Vietti is not just a winery. It’s a cultural institution that is practically synonymous with Barolo itself in the minds of many Wine lovers. We have spilled so much digital ink over the greatness of Vietti’s Barolo bottlings that great offerings like their Moscato and Timorasso don’t get half of the attention they deserve.
 
Vietti Cascinetta, Moscato d’Asti DOCG, Italy 2023 750ml $19 special, 27 bottles available
Winery Note “Bright straw-yellow color with slightly shimmering hints of gold. Intense aromas of ripe yellow fruit (peach, apricot), floral notes (rose petal) and hints of ginger. Sweet and delicate on the palate, with modest acidity, and good balance and complexity. Hints of fresh apricot on the finish. Drink as an aperitif, perfect accompaniment to Pan-Asian cuisine and lobster as well as pastry, fruit based and creamy desserts and blue cheeses.”
 
Vietti Roero Arneis DOCG, Piedmont, Italy 2023 750ml $24 special, 12 bottles available
Winery Notes “Straw-yellow color with fresh floral, citrus and melon aromas, and mineral and almond notes. A dry, medium-bodied wine with fresh acidity. Well-balanced, elegant and with good complexity and persistence.”
 
Vietti Timorasso – Derthona Colli Tortonesi, Piedmont, Italy 2022 750ml $39 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 91 Points “This classic Timorasso showcases a distinctive herbal edge, with layers of aromas and flavors. The nose offers crisp green apple and lemon pith, hinting at the wine’s vibrant character. On the palate, the green-apple notes become more pronounced, with a tart quality that adds to the freshness. The lemon pith brings a bitter, zesty dimension, complementing the wine’s herbal undertones, which evoke sensations of freshly crushed thyme and sage. These flavors intertwine seamlessly, creating a complex and textured experience that highlights the unique attributes of the Timorasso grape. Drink now–2035.”
 
Vietti ‘Perbacco’ Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy 2021 750ml $28 special, 24 bottles available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 90 Points “The 2021 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco is an especially nervy edition of the Perbacco, the result of a significant presence of Monforte fruit in the blend. Notes of red fruit, orange peel and white pepper sculpt the 2021, finishing with notable tension. (Drink between 2023-2029)”
Winery Notes “Hints of raspberry, blackcurrant, mint and spices. Round and elegant tannins add to a long and refined finish. Robust, intense, powerful when young; complex and elegant with age.”

 
Il Poggione is a traditionally minded Brunello producer from Sant’Angelo in Colle, which crafts surprisingly approachable yet boldly natured and age-worthy wines. Their house style offers a harmonious balance of rich fruit and complex aromatics, without the weighty influence of new oak. Their combo of quality and affordability makes Il Poggione a standout choice in the Brunello region.
 
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany, Italy 2018 750ml $69 special, 24 bottles available
Eric Guido- Vinous 96 Points “Impressing from the first tilt of the glass, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino makes itself known, with a heady burst of exotic spice and crushed ashen stone giving way to dried black cherries and grilled herbs. This combines the energy of the vintage with the dark balsamic-tinged fruits of Montalcino’s southern reaches, as zesty acidity maintains balance throughout, and flinty minerals saturate toward the close. It finishes long, savory and structured, yet its tannins are more rounded than anticipated, creating both a classic feel, but also leaving a mouthwatering sensation that tricks the taster back to the glass for more. Easily one of the top wines of the vintage, the 2018 is not to be missed.”
 
 
France
 

 
Chateau Leoville-Poyferre, Saint-Julien, France 2018 750ml $159 special, 22 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 100 Points “Every bit as good as the 2009, and I think better than the 2010 and 2016, the 2018 Château Léoville Poyferré is a total thrill that tops out my scale. Based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, its dense purple hue is followed by an incredible, full-bodied monster of a wine that, despite massive amounts of fruit, tannins, and extract, still stays weightless and ethereal, with incredible purity. Loaded with notions of crème de cassis, spring flowers, tobacco, violets, charcoal, and cedar pencil, it’s extraordinarily concentrated, flawlessly balanced, and has a finish that won’t quit. This is a legendary wine in the making. Give bottles 7-8 years, a decade would be even better, and it will keep for 40-50 years. Hats off to the Cuvelier family for another extraordinary wine!”
 

 
Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Reservee, Rhone, France 2021 750ml $79 special, 22 bottles available
Stuart Pigott-James Suckling 95 Points “This has so much power and meaty depth for the 2021 vintage, also stacks of healthy tannins that give it great intensity at the very long and complete finish. It’s packed with licorice, tar and stony character that makes it hard to pull yourself away from its compelling hold. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.”

 

 
 

 

“Knights Valley is one of the most fascinating regions in Northern California. The AVA lies just north of Calistoga and is nestled between Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill and Fountaingrove in a corner of Sonoma County that feels quite remote and pastoral. Knights Valley excels with red and white Bordeaux varieties. The reds are marked by distinctive savory and mineral notes that, at times, recall the great wines of Pessac-Léognan. Luc and Jodie Morlet’s Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier is a terrific example of what Knights Valley has to offer. This retrospective back to the inaugural 2007 provided a fascinating opportunity to see how the wine ages.” – Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
 
Morlet Family Vineyards Mon Chevalier Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley, USA 2016 750ml $169 special, 2 bottles available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous “The 2016 Mon Chevalier, from Luc and Jodie Morlet’s Knights Valley property, is rich and powerful, yet also remains lights on its feet for such a big wine. Chocolate, spice, leather, black cherry, plum, and licorice add to the dark, virile personality. Still quite primary, Mon Chevalier has a ton of fruit intensity and fewer of the more savory notes that are typical of the appellation. The 2016 is built for cellaring, and it will need that time to shed baby fat and gain in aromatic complexity.”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown – Wine Advocate 96+ Points “The estate-grown 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. Very deep purple-black in color, it charges forth with intense notes of crushed black cherries, black berry preserves and cassis scents with touches of spearmint, Indian spices, espresso and dried lavender plus a waft of roses. Full-bodied, the palate reveals incredible restraint, slowly revealing earth and black fruit layers framed by firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing very long and spicy. 750 cases produced, to be released in the fall of 2019.”
 

Lowest Price on the West Coast!
Average price $198

 
Morlet Family Vineyards Mon Chevalier Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley, USA 2015 750ml $169 special, 1 bottle available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous “The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier is sumptuous and opulent, a reflection of accumulated drought and heat spikes at the end of the growing. A decidedly flamboyant Mon Chevalier, the 2015 is wonderfully plush and exotic. The 2015 is a total pleasure bomb, and such a surprise in this challenging year. It’s a terrific effort from for Morlet.”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown – Wine Advocate 97 Points “Composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller proportions of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier has a very deep garnet-purple color and vibrant nose of red currant, red plums and lavender with fresh black berries and black cherries, plus wafts of dried herbs and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals the full spectrum of Cabernet flavors, with lovely fine-grained tannins and great freshness providing a firm frame for the tightly wound flavors, finishing long and earthy/minerally. Just gorgeous. 850 cases were made.”
 

Lowest Price on the West Coast
Average Price $200

 
…although the Morlet Family’s Knights Valley wines are standouts in their line-up we many more wines to choose from, including these fabulous Cabernet Sauvignons from Oakville:
 
Morlet Family Vineyards Passionement Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, USA 2016 750ml $349 special, 2 bottles available
Lisa Perrotti-Brown – Wine Advocate 100 Points “Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 85% of the fruit in this barrel-selection wine comes from Beckstoffer’s To Kalon and Missouri Hopper vineyards, 10% is from the Morlet Estate vineyard in St Helena and 5% comes from the Mon Chevalier vineyard in Knights Valley. Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Passionnement leaps from the glass with notes of licorice, chocolate mint, warm cassis, plum preserves, charcoal and smoked meats with touches of lilacs and cedar chest plus a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a quiet intensity at first that grows exponentially in the mouth into an aria of epic proportions, revealing layer upon layer of savory/sweet flavors, bags of black fruits and tons of spicy sparks all within a firm, very finely grained frame, finishing very long and with compelling minerality. This is a staggeringly stunning and very singular Cabernet achievement by Luc Morlet—bravo! 250 cases were produced, which will be released in the fall of 2019.”
 

This Is the Only Bottle Listed In The United States!

 
Morlet Family Vineyards Coeur De Vallee Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, USA 2015 750ml $189 special, 1 bottle available
Lisa Perrotti-Brown – Wine Advocate 96+ Points “Blended of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallee has a deep garnet-purple color and slightly reticent nose at this youthful stage, revealing hints of crushed blackberries and blueberries with touches of loam, underbrush, garrigue, mocha and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, firm, concentrated and with great tension, it has lovely ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of earthy/meaty personality, which comes through on the palate and the long finish. 325 cases were made.”
 

Lowest Price in the USA

 
This is just a sample of the wines we have from Morlet Family Vineyards… click here to shop for all 16 offerings on our Webstore