Vinopolis Newsletter 11-4-24 PM

 Arriving Friday

 
 
Oregon
 

 

Brace yourselves… we have good and bad news regarding Cameron’s newest vintage.
 
The good news: these new 2022 releases from Cameron are some of his best wines yet.

However. The production for these wines is tiny this year. Cameron Fans: do not let this opportunity pass! Grab as much as you can, while you can… it’s unlikely we’ll be getting more this year.
 

 
The Reds:
 
Winery Notes “Abbey Ridge Pinot noir. Year after year Abbey Ridge produces some of the best Pinot noir in Oregon. It is not the richest or the ripest but it is clearly one of the most elegant sites in the state. Most vintages cast forth an initial fragrance of rose petals followed by lavender and rosemary (note that the Chardonnay from the same block has similar scents…terroir is real!). Abbey Ridge always starts subtly in the front of the mouth and builds to a crescendo on the far back of the palate.
Cameron ‘Abbey Ridge’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $75 special, 36+ bottles available
Vinopolnote “One of the great Pinot Noirs of the vintage so far… if not decade. Intense Loganberry and sandalwood on the nose and palette make this an anything but a standard Willamette Pinot Noir. Just phenomenal.”
 
Winery Note “Clos Electrique Rouge. The estate vineyard consists of at least 15 different clones of Pinot noir on a mere 2 acres (less than 1 hectare) of land. The yields are always very small averaging between 1 and 2 tons per acre (that is less than 25 hl/hectar). This wine is typically gnarly and intense, changing constantly in the glass and has fooled many wine-lovers into declaring it to be an old world wine.”
Cameron Clos Electrique Rouge, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $75 special, 36+ bottles available
Vinopolnote “This bottling is a finely etched masterpiece with lifted acidity, fruit notes of blueberry and baked boysenberry and a hint of iron rich earth.”
 
The Whites:
 
Winery Note “Our Chardonnays are truly made in the tradition of the great white wines of Burgundy. Both Abbey Ridge and Clos Electrique vineyards are planted to very rare clones of Chardonnay not typically planted in either Oregon or California. The wines are fermented with indigenous wild yeasts from the respective vineyards and finished with French yeast to assure dryness. Both wines from these single vineyards are fermented in older, nearly neutral French oak barrels and then left with the original yeast sediment for nearly 2 years in our cave which averages 57°F (14°C). They are bottled without filtration and generally have an aging potential of well over 10 years.”
Cameron ‘Abbey Ridge’ Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $75 special, only 6 bottles available
VinopolNote Golden yellow and incredibly fragrant, this reads like a Chablis with restraint, vibrant citrus fruit, and a long finish.
 
Winery Notes “In 1985, after working out of a roofless warehouse on the other side of the tracks in McMinnville, we moved to our current location in the hills above Dundee. Here, we planted Clos Electrique, a 4 acre dry-farmed vineyard that included Pinot noir and Chardonnay.”
Cameron Clos Electrique Blanc, Dundee Hills, USA 2022 750ml $75 special, 24 bottles available
VinopolNote “The Clos Electrique is Cameron’s estate vineyard, named after the electric deer fence that surrounds it.  This is planted to a mix of clones and is vinified traditionally—no racking and all in older barrels.  This is crisp and coiled, with distinct minerality and a lot of power in a lithe frame.  Like most vintages of the Electrique Blanc, this is quite good now but will be stellar in a few years.”
 
 
France
 

 
Chisa Bize, the driving force behind Domaine Bize, took the reins in 2013. Inspired by her studies under Anne-Claude Leflaive, she has steadily steered the domaine towards organic and biodynamic practices. The estate boasts a diverse range of premier cru bottlings, all sourced from decades-old vines. Even the entry-level wines benefit from old vine fruit, contributing to their exceptional complexity and weight.
 
Simon Bize Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $519 special, 2 bottles available
Neil Martin- Vinous “The 2021 Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru was not touched by the frost, unlike Bize’s other cuvées. This has a very elegant bouquet with tertiary red berry fruit and hints of bay leaf and white pepper that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiselled tannins. This is well balanced and understated in style with a pretty finish that has an airiness about it. Enjoy this over the next decade.”
 
Simon Bize Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru Rouge, France 2021 750ml $119 special, 4 bottles available
Neil Martin- Vinous “Marconnets, Fourneaux and Talmettes, each devastated by the frost. This has a delightful nose, not complex, yet clean and pure with strawberry pastilles, orange blossom and touches of rose petal. The palate is medium bodied with fine tannins, sufficient fruit and a deftly spiced, white peppertinged finish showing moderate length. This is an interesting assemblage, and it should drink well over the next decade.”
 
Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune Aux Grands Liards, Cote de Beaune, France 2021 750ml $81.90 special, 3 bottles available
Neil Martin- Vinous “The 2021 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Grands Liards works much better on the nose than the regular Savigny Village, presenting pretty red cherries and mulberry scents. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannins. This is fresh and citric in style, with a pointed orange rind-infused finish. Enjoy over four to seven years.”
 

 
“It’s the viticulture that makes the difference, not the vinification.” -Pascal Doquet
 
“With holdings of old vines in some of the greatest terroirs in the Côte des Blancs, Pascal Doquet has emerged over the last decade as one of the premier winemakers in Champagne.” –Schatzi Wines
 
Doquet ‘Arpege’ Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Brut, Champagne, France NV 750ml $66 special, 12 bottles available
Importer’s Notes “The chardonnay for “Arpège” comes from Vertus, Villeneuve and Mont Aimé—the grapes that are not in the Coeur de Terroir series. There is substantial reserve wine in the blend, preserved in enamel tanks to maintain freshness. Aromas of spice, black tea and pear dominate the flinty-silex soils from the Mont Aimé and lend smokiness and depth to the structure.”
 
Doquet Champ d’Alouettes Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne, France 2005 750ml $199 special, 3 bottles available
Winery note “Pascal is fortunate to have some very old parcels in the mid-slope of this renowned Grand Cru village. His grandfather consolidated nearly a hectare of vines in Champ d’Alouettes, of which Pascal owns 60% of the original holdings.”

 

 

Conterno: The first family of Barolo 

 

 

Although Aldo and Giovanni Conterno began as co-proprietors of their late father Giacomo’s winery, they eventually parted ways over branching winemaking philosophies. Aldo, the eldest, began a new project, while Giovanni guided stayed at the helm his father’s eponymous winery.
 
Two Wineries, two brothers, two very different styles and yet both estates became standard bearers in their own right. Today we celebrate these titans of Barolo for their unique contributions to Italian wine!
 

 

“One of the secrets of Conterno’s success, besides owning prime vineyards, was his open-mindedness: a quality few other Barolo producers from his generation possessed.” -Kerin O’Keefe
 
Of the two wineries, Aldo’s wines have been considered more modern than his brother’s, known for freshness and balance. Early on Aldo decided to soften the typically immense tannic structure of Barolo through techniques like shorter fermentations and utilizing pump-overs versus , which helped to change the trajectory of Barolo in the 20th era. Although Aldo passed away in 2012, his winery is still a powerhouse, ably tended by his sons Franco, Stefano, and Giacomo.
 
The most acclaimed and precious wine that Poderi Aldo Conterno produces, the Granbussia Barolo derives from the best Bussia vineyards in Monforte d’Alba, the heart of Barolo. Aged for over thirty months in oak casks and refined for a further six years, the Granbussia represents the purest essence of three different historical Bussia cru: the Romirasco, Cicala, Colonnello vineyards.
 Close-out pricing  Aldo Conterno Granbussia, Barolo Riserva DOCG, Italy 2012 750ml $789 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Spectator 95 Points “The earthy, woodsy aromas show some evolution in this red, with just a hint of white truffle, yet there’s still a hefty dose of spicy oak to be resolved. Rich and sumptuous midpalate, showing plum, cherry, tar and tobacco flavors shaded by vanilla and toasty spices, with firm, dusty tannins laying a grip on the long finish. Give this another year or two in the cellar. Best from 2024 through 2042.”
 
Aldo Conterno Colonnello, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2017 750ml $149 special, 4 bottles available
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 94+ Points “The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Barolo Bussia Colonnello shows good focus, structure and a sharper character that is often the distinguishing factor in this wine. The bouquet is redolent of dark fruit and plum, but it also shows a solid framing of iron ore and dark stony mineral. These give the wine greater lift and contoured edges. This is not the first time that Colonnello is my favorite wine in this lineup, and I suspect it won’t be the last.”
Wine Spectator 94 Points “Offering plum, cherry, iron, eucalyptus and black pepper aromas and flavors, this broad red has absorbed the oak treatment pretty well already, with a dense matrix of tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and long, ending with elements of mineral and spice. Best from 2025 through 2043.”
 

 

Named for Aldo and Giovanni’s father and helmed by Giovanni until his death in 2004, the wines are made using traditional Barolo methods like slow fermentation and aging in giant, used barriques. Unlike the fresher, fruitier Aldo Conterno wines, a Giacomo Conterno Barolo is a dense, powerful, and muscular experience. It needs much time to tame down.

The winery is currently owned and operated by Giovanni’s son Roberto (the rather serious man pictured above) who has remained faithfully married to the ultra-traditional style of his Father and Grandfather. There is a great legacy riding on his shoulders, but according to his own importer Polaner, Roberto is “the most annoying and perfectionist winemakers we have experienced,” who has “nonetheless taken the winery to even greater heights than his predecessors.”

Giacomo Conterno Cerretta Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy 2021 750ml $84.50 special, only 1 bottle left!
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 94 Points “The 2021 Barbera d’Alba Vigna Cerretta is bright, focused and nervy. Blood orange, red cherry fruit, spice and mint all race across the palate. There’s tremendous energy and tension running through the 2021. Vibrant saline notes round out the finish.”
 
Giacomo Conterno Arione, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2018 750ml $235 special, 5 bottles available
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 94-96 Points “Tasted from barrel, the 2018 Barolo Arione still has another year in botte and time in bottle before its commercial release. However, the wine shows a distinct personality that is immediately gentle and open-knit despite its very young age. With fruit from Serralunga d’Alba, there is ethereal softness here, but this characterization is relative considering the ample power and depth always associated with this site. It feels like this 2018 vintage is still warming up and is slowly putting on volume and weight. Its metamorphosis is far from complete. However, what you can read into the wine now is the quality of its fruit and its classic Nebbiolo aromas of wild berry, pressed violet, rust and blood orange.”
 
Giacomo Conterno ‘Cerretta’, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2018 750ml $249 special, 4 bottles available
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cerretta 2018 1.5L $599 special, only 1 magnum available!
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 95-97 Points “Tasted from barrel, the Giacomo Conterno 2018 Barolo Cerretta is shaping up to be a beauty. What stands out most at this very young stage is the quality and the elegant tightness of the tannins. Cerretta fruit from Serralunga d’Alba makes for powerful, structured and concentrated Nebbiolo that is delivered with naked clarity and outstanding purity. These qualities are clearly linked to the vineyard site and less to the conservative efforts executed at the winery. You taste the crunch or the nervous quality of the grape skins and pulp with dark and purple berry nuances and rusty or mineral overtones that hint at the more significant presence of clay in these soils.”
 
Giacomo Conterno Francia Barolo DOCG, Piedmont, Italy 2018 750ml $249 special, 3 bottles available
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia 2018 3L $1,349 special, 1 3L bottle available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 95+ Points “The 2018 Barolo Francia is powerful, deep and also a touch austere. It shows the edginess of all the 2018s, but also has a feeling of textural creaminess that adds tons of character. Spice, menthol, leather and a whole range of balsamic overtones build into the deep, imposing finish. Roberto Conterno decided to forego his Barolo Monfortino in 2018, opting instead to blend all the casks into his Francia bottling. When that happens, Francia often surprises down the road. That could very well turn out to be the case here.”

 

Featured Close-outs
 
Champagne Edition!

 
 

Raphael et Vincent Bereche
 

 

“It’s been nearly two decades since growers began to dominate the headlines in Champagne. Yet, over that period, surprisingly few growers have managed to separate themselves from the pack—by virtue of their genius or their gift for making Champagne of unique expressiveness. Two that have are the brothers, Raphaël and Vincent Bérêche.” –Rare Wine Company, Importer
 
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.”
 

 
Founded in 1825 by Henri-Marc de Venoge, a Swiss immigrant to the Champagne region, but these wines are as French as can be. In fact, they were chosen as the official Champagne House of the 1899 Paris Exhibition when the Eiffel Tower was unveiled to the World.
 
It is only fitting then that these wines are still made in a traditional style rarely seen today. Unlike many modern Champagnes made in a crisp, fresh, but brittle style, the champagnes of De Venoge undergo Malolactic fermentation, resulting in a rounder, fatter, more elegant style that can age for decades.
 
WAS $189
De Venoge Louis XV Brut 2006 750ml $169 special, 22 bottles available
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 96 Points “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 2008 750ml $219 special, 31 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.”
 
WAS $189
De Venoge Louis XV Extra Brut Rose 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.”
 

 
WAS $69
Charles Ellner Seduction Brut 2007 750ml $59 special, 6 bottles available
International Wine Review 93 Points “The 2007 ‘Seduction’ is a lovely showing from this house. This begins to impress with inviting aromas of baked apples, pears and lemon oil with hints of toast and chalky mineral nuances all taking shape. On the palate this displays a wonderful elegant side, but with plenty of energy from the underlying acidity which drives this wine through the complex finish. Overall this is a fantastic bottle of Champagne that is drinking beautifully today and still has a few more years of drinking pleasure ahead.”
 

 
WAS $119
Guy Charlemagne Brut Mesnillesime Grand Cru 2014 750ml $99 special, 16 bottles available
Anne Krebiehl MW-Vinous 93 Points “The 2014 Extra Brut Mesnillésime Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is a pure Chardonnay from on average 60-year-old vines in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, vinified in oak with blocked malolactic fermentation. Notes of dried corn husk and salty maize meal on the nose take turns with yellow apple on the nose. The oak is apparent in savoriness rather than vanilla and a certain roundness on the body, beautifully handled. The mousse is still bright and sprightly, highlighting saltiness and fresh apple equally. This has an assertive personality, and comes across as a muscular, toned blanc de blancs, bracing at first, then relaxing into a warm smile. The umami finish can absolutely take on food.”