Vinopolis Newsletter 11-15-24

 

 

 
“Compared with the 2021s, the 2022 Pinots generally show more density and more apparent tannins. Many display what I describe as a cherry or raspberry fruit leather quality to their texture and mouthfeel, the result of an erratic growing season that was among the coldest and then the hottest on record.” –Tim Fish, “Tasting Report: Oregon Ascendant,” Wine Spectator
 

 

 
Few events have signaled the arrival of a new and notable wine region so heartily as the arrival of Burgundy’s famed Drouhin family in the Willamette Valley. The construction of the Drouhin family’s ten million dollar winery (in 1988 dollars, no less) announced the region as a place for serious winemaking. After the 1979 Paris Wine Olympics, where domaine Drouhin placed behind Eyrie Vineyard’s Pinot Noir, the late Robert Drouhin began investigating land in the Willamette Valley, finally settling on the Dundee Hills for their first American winery.
 
“Supple and elegantly structured, with detailed raspberry and cherry flavors accented by rose petal, brown baking spices and orange peel as this glides toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2032.” —Tim Fish, Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2024
 
Roserock Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, USA 2022 750ml $38 special, 36 bottles available
Michael Alberty-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points “Editors’ Choice! This is a Goldilocks porridge wine where everything from the lemony acidity to the sturdy tannins was “just right.” It is medium- bodied fare, with blackberry, Thai basil and orange-zest flavors. Violet and cinnamon-stick aromas blend harmoniously with notes of dark raspberries and blueberry fruit leather. It is a stunning value.”
 

Average listed price is $40

 
Brick House Vineyards ‘Evelyn’s’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $79 special, 12 bottles available
Audrey Frick-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points “A best barrel selection, the 2022 Pinot Noir Evelyn’s is a reflective red hue and offers up notes of rosemary, black raspberries, cherries, dark stones, and pressed flowers. It has a refined and polished feel, with a seamless texture, ripe, velvety tannins, refreshing acidity, and a lovely flourish of iron-rich salty earth. Long on the palate, it’s a pleasure to taste now, and it’s going to age gracefully over the next 15 or so years. 175 cases were produced.”
Eric Guido-Vinous 95 Points “The 2022 Pinot Noir Evelyn’s tempts the imagination with a cascade of dried flowers and exotic spices accentuating ground clove and peppery black cherries. Cool-toned and racy in style, it sweeps across the palate with ease, taking on a youthful tension as its tart red berry fruits slowly saturate. It leaves the senses stained in primary concentration as hints of sour citrus add lovely freshness and rosy inner florals slowly recede. Simply stunning.”
 

Lowest price in the USA
Average price is $91

 

 
Cameron Winery ‘Arley’s Leap’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $64.50 special, 18 bottles available
Winery Note “Sourced from the highest elevation plot of Pinot Noir at Abbey Ridge, Arley’s Leap is comprised of the famous Martin Ray Clones. These vines yield small, variable clusters and regularly produce some of our most complex wines. The plot is named after Bill and Julia Wayne’s old dog Arley, who survived a jump from a second story balcony when startled by a cat. The nose has a compelling balance of savory and fruit aromas — black olive and plum, cherry and leather, bergamot, violet and salumi. The palette is round and warm, with a bright, mouthwatering finish.”
 
 
Washington
 
K Vintners Syrah Motor City Kitty MCK, Walla Walla, United States 2020 750ml $39 special, 12 bottles available
James Suckling 98 Points “This is a serious and intense syrah. Complex notes of chocolate, blackberries, black cherries, cedar and nutmeg here, with cracked pepper, rosemary and dried lavender. Evolving. Firm, tight and compact, with a full body. Beautiful freshness, too. More structure here. Try from 2025.”
Eric Guido-Vinous 96 Points “Dark and viral in the glass with savory exotic spices, crushed ashen stones, grilled sage and smoked meats, the 2020 Syrah Motor City Kitty (MCK) makes a big first impression. This is texturally deep with a wave of mineral-tinged black fruits accelerated by sour citrus, as sweet herbal tones form toward the close. The 2020 tapers off with a potent concentration of wild berries and smoky earth, as gently grippy tannins tug at the palate. There’s simply so much going on here, and so much more to come through cellaring.”
Anthony Mueller-Wine Advocate 95+ Points ” Floral, focused and mineral-driven, the 2020 MCK Syrah offers dark red fruits with delightful red and pink peppercorn notes. Full-bodied and with 15% alcohol, the palate firms up with gripping tannins to reveal a rich mineral tension that lingers on the long, boozy finish. The MCK Syrah will remain a powerhouse and please New World Syrah lovers around the globe.”
 
 
Italy
 
Mauro Molino Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy 2022 750ml $19.50 special, 23 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 91 Points “This wine presents classic notes of raspberry, sour cherry and wild herbs, reflecting on the palate with raspberry seeds, green herbs and dusty tannins. Its traditional yet nuanced characteristics offer a rich and complex finish.”
 
 
France
 
Billecart-Salmon Brut, Champagne, France 2008 750ml $139 special, 6 bottles available
Decanter 97 Points “A blend of 65% Pinot Noir consisting of Premier and Grand Crus from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallee de la Marne and 35% Chardonnay from the Cote des Blancs. Significantly, this has nine years ageing on its lees (longer than some Prestige Cuvees), the 2008 was first released onto the global market back in March 2019. With an Extra Brut dosage of 4g/l, this is a highly expressive, confident and convincing interpretation of the vintage. Right now, it is youthfully sharp and focused with fine salinity, depth, acidity and balance, and as such is already extremely approachable. The flavour spectrum encompasses toast, oyster shell, citrus, cream and a flinty, mineral depth. There’s supreme balance and elegance here, combined with a hidden underlying power that will continue to emerge and broaden with time. The finish is dry and long.”
 
Chateau Suduiraut, Sauternes, France 2016 750ml $79 special, 6 bottles available
Chateau Suduiraut, Sauternes, France 2016 375ml $44.50 special, 12 bottles available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 97 Points “The 2016 Suduiraut is fabulous. Crème br?lée, passion fruit, tangerine peel and exotic floral notes all race out of the glass. I marvel at how Suduiraut can deliver so much flavor intensity and yet remain so gracious and classy. The 140 grams of residual sugar are very well integrated. This is such a gorgeous wine.”
Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points “As to the Sauternes, the 2016 Château Suduiraut boasts a medium gold color and a fresh, clean, beautifully perfumed bouquet of orange blossom, honeyed pineapple, and flowers, with notable botrytis, which can be lacking in a number of Sauternes in 2016. With moderate acidity, a fleshy, full-bodied texture, and loads of fruits, it’s geared more toward drinking over the coming 10-15 years than any over-the-top cellaring.”
 
 
Spain
 

 
For over a century, the Olivares family has been crafting these intensely flavored reds from the sunbaked vineyard lands of Jumilla in South Easterly Spain.
 
Bodegas Olivares Altos de la Hoya Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain 2021 750ml $14.50 special, 24 bottles available
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 91 Points “The 2021 Altos de la Hoya is a varietal Monastrell from dry-farmed vines on poor limestone-rich soils with some 5% Garnacha in the blend. It has notes of ripe berries, aromatic herbs and an earthy touch and a round palate with juicy fruit and fine tannins. It’s very pleasant and fresh. 200,000 bottles produced.”

Staff Pick
 
The Cure for the Common Sauv Blanc

 

 
Jonathan Didier Pabiot Pouilly-Fume Aubaine, Loire, France 2021 750ml $44.50 special, 19 bottles available
Vinopolnote “Aubaine” is French for bargain, which is accurate, but maybe undersells the wine itself. It is not cheap, but it is a meticulously crafted and incredibly versatile white wine worth every hard earned penny. Due to its extended lees aging after fermentation this wine provides a rounder mouthfeel than we were expecting, but with more than enough mouthwatering acidity to balance it out.
 
Expect big hits of juicy lemongrass and spicy ginger on the nose and palette along with gooseberry and grapefruit that shines through on the palette. This will be a great wine to pair with Southeast Asian cuisines like Thai or Vietnamese. Also, pair this with baked brie, oysters, stuffing or really anything from the Sea.”

 

 

WAS $139
Sierra Cantabria Finca El Bosque Rioja 2019 750ml $119 special, 4 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points “The 2019 Finca el Bosque is another single vineyard and comes from a site on a deep, gravelly escarpment overlooking the Ebro River. It offers more ripe blue fruits and cassis as well as sappy herbs, flowers, violets, graphite, and chalky minerality. It shows a more elegant, flawlessly balanced, incredibly pure style on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, wonderful overall balance, and no hard edges. This is pure class. Give bottles 3-4 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following two decades of more.”
 
WAS $189
De Venoge Louis XV Brut 2006 750ml $169 special, 24 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! This is a delicate and fresh yet well-structured and persistent Louis XV whose intense and long but weightless finish reveals lovely, almost juicy fruit concentration with perfectly integrated freshness and lasting minerality that seems to give additional structure.”
 
WAS $299
Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy 2010 750ml $269 special, 2 bottles available
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 97 Points “The 2010 Redigaffi is even more impressive with seamless integration of ripe fruit and oak spice that meet each other perfectly in the middle. It soars to new heights of elegance and power, imparting beautiful tones of black fruit, polished river stone, bacon fat and black pepper as it makes its steady ascent. The mouthfeel is fleshy and generous and there is plenty of backbone here to carry the wine forward throughout the years.”
 
WAS $379
Dal Forno Romano Vigneto Monte Lodoletta, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, Italy 2012 750ml $329 special, 12 bottles available
James Suckling 97 Points “A decadent nose of treacle tart, chocolate, tar, tons of black fruit such as blackberries and mulberries and even ash and licorice. A dense, layered mouthfeel makes for a full-bodied palate that’s explosive yet somehow so refined and pretty all at the same time. The finish goes on and on. Incredible now, but better to wait for this giant to settle well into 2020.”
 
WAS $599
Gaja Sori San Lorenzo Langhe-Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy 2017 750ml $499 special, 1 bottle available
Wine Spectator 96 Points “This tightly wound red is dense with black cherry, black currant, plum, tar and iron flavors as well as tannins. Shows a lot of power and persistence, with all the components in the right proportion, ending with a long, resonant aftertaste. Needs time. Best from 2024 through 2048. 300 cases imported. — BS”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 95+ Points “The 2017 growing season saw a couple of violent hail events in the Barbaresco appellation, and this celebrated vineyard suffered some damage during a storm that hit on July 19th. Yields were reduced, but the wine holds its own thanks to the careful fruit selection process put in place by the Gaja family. Their 2017 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo is a shade richer in terms of flavor concentration, as is always the case with fruit from this slightly warmer growing site. However, like the other two single-vineyard Barbaresco expressions, this wine reveals a thin, sharp and nervous personality that is driven in large part by tannic firmness and acidity. Sorì San Lorenzo adds lots of dark mineral definition to cassis, wild cherry, rose and Provence herbs. Like the other wines, it needs extra cellar aging time.”
 
WAS $699
Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Italy 2016 750ml $619 special, 5 bottles available
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 99 Points “Wow, here is a vintage I’ve been anxiously waiting to try. The 2016 growing season was one of the best in recent memory in Montalcino, and if we look back in time, this vintage marks the year Biondi-Santi was sold to a French group. The prestigious 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva proves a mighty collector’s bottle that will undoubtedly gain in complexity and depth with careful bottle age. The wine offers wild nuances of forest berry and tart cherry, and there are herbal side notes as well as floral tones of dried violet and lilac. The tannins are soft, powdery and feel like they melt away on the palate.”
 
WAS $1,099
Dominio de Pingus ‘Pingus’, Ribera del Duero, Spain 2020 750ml $949 special, 3 bottles available
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 99 Points “The bottled 2020 Pingus has settled, and the strong Mediterranean accent that was quite strong early on seems to have calmed down. The wine shows more of the serious Pingus character and is harmonious, balanced and elegant, perhaps because of the time it spent in oak vat (starting this year, it is not only in barrique). It feels very complete and intense but without weight or heaviness, and the fruit shows very clean and focused. Peter Sisseck compared it with the 2000, a wine that for him transcends the vintage; it showcases the balance (wines like 1996, 2000, 2012, 2016 and 2018). The quality of the tannins is stunning, which make the wine very elegant and balanced, and it has good freshness (even some red fruit!). This is exceptionally good, but somehow my heart didn’t beat like with the wines he compared them with… 7,500 bottles were filled in July 2022.”
 
WAS $1,999
Domaine Leflaive Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune, France 2021 750ml $1,699 special, 2 bottles available
Burghound 95-98 Points “Once again a subtle but not invisible application of wood frames cool and ripe aromas of green apple, acacia blossom, petrol and airy zest-tinged nuances. Interestingly, the middleweight flavors aren’t quite as dense as those of the Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet yet the intensity is even higher, indeed it’s almost painful, while flashing impressive power on the gorgeously complex, sneaky long and equally well-balanced finale. This is also stunning but patience required.”96 POINTS “Round and vibrant, this white leans into the citrusy spectrum of flavors, offering lemon, orange peel and yuzu notes accented by apple and stone. Linear and intense on the superlong finish, where the flavors expand and linger. Best from 2025 through 2035.”