Thursday Big Bargains Newsletter 11-22-19

The wines of FX Pichler are legendary for their combination of richness and electric minerality and also their often high prices, which are driven by incredible demand for the wines within Austria (and the rest of Europe).  On that latter point, we’re here to help—discounting six of our favorites through the end of the weekend to help with your Thanksgiving drinking.  These are wines to grab quickly—we don’t have more than three cases of any of them and they represent some of the finest bottlings in the Pichler stable—plus, the sale ends 6 pm Sunday night.

Sommelier and Riesling Legend Paul Greico once said, “If F.X. was a guitarist, Jimmy Page would stand aside” and no truer hyperbole has ever been uttered in the world of wine.  F.X. Pichler stands as one of the two or three most important Austrian producers and hands down the winery crafting the most powerful, complex and bombastic dry Riesling and Gruner Veltliner on the planet.

The wines of F.X. Pichler are unique, in that no one else seems to wrangle power, freshness and complexity into a single package quite like this wizard of the Wachau.  With a combination of intensive viticulture, native fermentations and great terroir, the wines are unlike anything else in the world.  Broad and powerful, with a cut and minerality that’s unique, these are wines to drink now and to age, as well.  These are perfect wines for Thanksgiving (or any celebratory occasion) and will also age beautifully for the next decade or two.

In Stock Now:

Shop the FX Pichler Sale Now!

Sale Prices Valid Until 6 pm, Sunday November 24th

Vinopolis Will Be Closed for Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 28th

We will resume normal business hours (10-6)
on Friday, November 29th

Burgundy Bin Ends

We have a ton of Burgundy. Between wines that are in stock and pre-arrival offerings, you have your choice of 528 different bottlings right now.  Unfortunately, when you have that many wines to choose from a few slip through the cracks—and so we’re doing a bin end sale on some delicious but overlooked bottles of Burgundy.  From village wines to grand crus, red to white, we’ve dropping prices on a bunch of different bottles that need a bit of extra love.  We’ve got the full list below, but you can also shop the entire sale in our web store if you want to jump straight to it.

In Stock Now:

Just Arrived, In Stock Now:

Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Millesime, Champagne 2008 750ML ($339.95) $249 special
Case-6 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Millesime, Champagne 2008 750ML (1999.95) $1,439 special (that’s only $239.83/bottle!)
Wine Enthusiast 100 points “Top Cellar Selection. This latest incarnation of the famous brand is a superb wine. It is on par with, maybe even better than, the already legendary 2002. Its balance is impeccable: Apple and citrus flavors working with the tight minerality to give a textured yet fruity wine. Produced from Roederer’s own vineyards which are mainly biodynamic, the wine has its own intense purity and crispness. It has amazing potential and is likely to age for many years. Drink from 2020.”
Jeb Dunnuck 100 points “The 2008 Cristal is a perfect wine, and Champagne simple does not get any better. This incredible wine offers a beautiful perfume of clean, crisp fruits, layers of complexity in its toasted spice and white flowers, and an utterly seamless, yet powerful style on the palate. This is a rich, decadent expression of Cristal yet it’s still crystalline and elegant, with no sensation of weight, and it just glides over the palate. Haut Couture at its finest and this majestic, profound, legendary Cristal can be drunk anytime over the coming 2-3 decades.”
James Suckling 100 points “Disgorged October 2016 and will be the first Cristal to be released ten years from harvest when it is offered in 2018. 35 parcels used from a possible 45 in this vintage. The assemblage is 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay. This is so fresh and tense and mineral with extremely exuberant chardonnay notes on the nose of white peach, lemon and yellow grapefruit, and hints of almost brambly sous bois aromas. The yeast characters are also super fresh, and there are subtle woody notes, with a hint of vanilla bean and light spices. The palate is super long, and very pure, powerful and focused. It drives deep and taut. Pinot noir is a strong core and the chardonnay sits at the edge offering lemon and white nectarine sorbet flavors. Staggeringly concentrated, yet the balance makes it seem airy and light. Acidity is perfectly positioned, and the power is intense and long. This is an ultra precise Cristal, finishing with a mere suggestion of savoriness and warmth to come. Impressive on release, this will be at its best drinking from 2025.”
Antonio Galloni 98+ points “The 2008 Cristal is a wine that takes over all the senses and never lets up. The brilliance and cut of the Chardonnay finds an extra kick of resonance from the Pinot Noir to carry the mid palate and finish in this stunningly beautiful, chiseled Champagne. Lemon oil, almond, flowers, dried herbs and Mirabelle plum are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop as the 2008 shows off its pedigree. The 2008 is a regal, towering Champagne from Roederer. That’s all there is to it.”
Decanter 98 points “Cristal 2008 is on a roll to yet higher levels of exquisite purity and precision of fruit in a paradoxical balance of weightlessness and depth of flavour, permeated with minerals and a salinity reflecting the greatest terroirs of the Roederer estate. Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon believes that 2008 is his best effort to date, and it’s easy to see why. It’s from a cooler, maritime vintage that came right in the end, with one of the longest harvests ever, running from mid-September to early October. The colour is a stylish pale gold flecked with green. Aromas of white flowers are joined by a cleansing citrus vigour and richer tones of peach and mirabelle. The palate is still quiet, but a tender creaminnes shows through, and there’s so much concentration to come if you drink if after 2021. The greatness of the wine owes everything to the influence of organic and biodynamic precepts in the field – and Lecaillon’s sleepless perfectionism in the cellar towards finer fruit and a careful brake on too much yeasty expression. The acidity is vibrant but better integrated in the 2008 than in the 1996. Magnificent. Dosage 7.7g/l.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 97+ points “Let’s start describing the 2008 Cristal technically first. It is a 60/40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 36 plots in seven grands crus: Verzy, Verzenay, Beaumont and Aÿ for the Pinot Noir and Mesnil, Avize and Cramant for the Chardonnay. Twenty-five percent of the wine was fermented in oak, and 16% underwent malolactic fermentation to moderate the fresh acidity of the 2008 vintage. The assemblage was bottled in May 2009. After 8.5 years on the second lees (longer than any Cristal before), the first release was disgorged in September 2017 with a relatively low dosage of 7.5 grams per liter.”
Wine Spectator 97 points “There’s a sense of focus and vibrancy to the overall structure, while the palate is all grace and charm. A fine, lacy texture carries a tapestry of ripe white cherry, toast point, blood orange zest, honey and ground ginger notes, with a minerally, mouthwatering finish. A stunning Champagne with a long future ahead of it. Drink now through 2033.”

A Powerful Zinfandel Blend at Half Off the Winery’s Price

Seghesio’s “Defiant” is a powerful red blend that’s a big, rich wine perfect for drinking in the winter and fall. It tastes better when it’s half off what the winery charges for the wine (and fully $16/btl off the lowest wine-searcher price.  A blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet and a bunch of other minor grapes, this is a wine with beautiful textures, a full body and silky tannins—and up until now one of the premier bottlings that Seghesio made.  If you’re a fan of The Prisoner or other Zin blends, this delivers all of that dark-fruited style at a much, much lower price—so take note.

The original inspiration for the Defiant bottling was the wineries centennial celebration in 1995.  The name paid tribute to the founding spirit of the winery and the generations that kept the winery alive (through prohibition) and the wine is bold in tribute to them and their spirit.  We’re offering it today at an astounding price—just $14/btl by the case.  That’s $16 less than the winery charges and $21 less than the average wine-searcher price.   This is one to stock up on for winter drinking—though if you end up cellaring some for a few years, that won’t be so bad, either.  We sold out of our initial offer but are happy to be able to offer a new batch of this wine, just back in stock!

Back in stock:

Seghesio Family Vineyards Defiant, Sonoma 2015 750ML ($32.95) $16 special
Case-12 Seghesio Family Vineyards Defiant, Sonoma 2015 750ML ($379.95) $168 special (that’s only $14/bottle!)
Wine Spectator 91 points “Savory black cherry aromas lead to well-framed flavors of sage and pepper. A new blend from this winery offers the zest of Zinfandel with the focus of Cabernet Sauvignon. Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante, Barbera and Syrah. Drink now through 2027. 5,000 cases made.”