Monday Newsletter 12-23-19

Last Minute Gift Ideas Edition

Rare Barolo:
Older, Top Bottlings from Cappellano and Burlotto

Rougeard with Perfect Provenance

Hudelot-Noellat’s Insider Vosne + Chambolle

Our #1 Picks for
Grande Marque & Grower 2008 Champagnes

Go Local!
Cameron Winery for the Win

Rhone Magnums

A Case of Vinsanity

Please Note:

Vinopolis Wine Shop
will be closed on
Wednesday, December 25th
& will be open from 10 AM – 4 PM on Tuesday, December 24th

We will be open 10-6 on
Monday, December 23rd & Thursday, December 26th.

Our Online Store is always open!

Rare Barolo:

Older, Top Bottlings from Cappellano and Burlotto

Two of the most heralded names in traditional Barolo are Cappellano and Burlotto, both known for old-school, age worthy wines that are some of the most profound bottlings in the region.  Both use long macerations and age their wines only in large botti (casks).  The result are wines that can often be austere in their youth but blossom over the decades into sensual, intellectually and hedonistically satisfying bottles.

We secured a large parcel of back vintage wines from both producers at prices that are excellent given the provenance and market conditions for these wines.  These are very hard to find on the secondary market, as well—unlike some names, collectors of these bottles tend to drink rather than re-sell.  Now is your chance to secure some rare bottlings.

Unfortunately as you’ll see below, the quantities on each individual bottling are small, so you’re going to have to act quickly.  You can view the entire list from each producer below or click here to see all of the wines from Cappellano or here to see the wines from Burlotto that are available for purchase.

Please Note: Cappellano is adamantly opposed to the idea of numeric score being attached to a wine and requests his wines not be reviewed.  As a result, these wines lack the scores and reviews we usually publish.  If you’re unfamiliar with these wines, we encourage you to search the internet for more information about these bottles—we’re sure you’ll only be more excited to drink them.

In Stock Now:

Rougeard with Perfect Provenance

Clos Rougeard is one of the toughest wines in the world to source—and older vintages even more so.  These are bottles that are some of the most coveted in the world—the only producer of their stature in the Loire, they’re on par with the highest end Burgundy.

These are in stock now and if you love the wines of Rougeard, you owe it to yourself to jump on these while there are still some left.  This is like winning a vinous lottery (if winning the lottery were a result of hard work and careful sourcing).  These wines are directly from the cellar of the Oregon distributor for these bottles.  All were bought on release and carefully stored until now—it’s hard to imagine a better source for these outside of buying directly from the cellar of the estate (and good luck with that).  We’re able to offer you excellent pricing as well, as most of these wines are either national wine-searcher lows or very close—and no one else has the sort of sourcing we do.

Hudelot-Noellat’s Insider Vosne + Chambolle

Hudelot-Noëllat has remained a true insider’s secret in Burgundy—a venerable domaine with great holdings whose pricing has yet to catch up with the quality and rarity of their wines.  The current winemaking team has pushed Hudelot-Noëllat to new heights and the wines are still values in their tier.

We acquired a perfectly cellared parcel of Hudelot-Noëllat that contains many of their top bottlings with some bottle age.  It’s a rare chance to get these wines with a head start in the cellar and we bought every single one that we could. Browse the full list of these wines below (with some rare bonus Roumier, too) or shop our complete collection online.

Shop all the Hudelot-Noellat and Roumier wines in our web store.

2008 Champagne

Our #1 Picks for Grande Marque & Grower

In Stock Now

“one of the most complete, most dazzling Champagnes I have ever tasted. A stunning wine from any and all perspectives, the 2008 simply has it all” – Antonio Galloni
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!)
Antonio Galloni 99 points
“The 2008 Cristal is one of the most complete, most dazzling Champagnes I have ever tasted. A stunning wine from any and all perspectives, the 2008 simply has it all. Spherical in construction, with superb persistence. The 2008 takes hold of all the senses and never gives up. One of the many things that makes the 2008 special is a combination of ripe fruit and bright, piercing acidity. Marzipan, lemon confit, dried flowers and orchard fruit all build into the explosive, resonant finish. “We learned from the mistakes of 1996, when we picked more on acid than ripeness, as was the norm in Champagne back then” Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon told me recently. “In 1996, the best fruit turned out to be the last picks, where the fruit was physiologically ripe. Today, we aim to pick all our fruit with that criteria.””
Wine Enthusiast 100 points Top Cellar Selection ; James Suckling 100 points ; Jeb Dunnuck 100 points 

This is (not so secretly) the Special Club in large format and (proportionally) lower pricing.
Pierre Gimonnet et Fils Blanc de Blancs ‘Millesime de Collection Vieilles Vignes de Chardonnay’, Champagne 2008 1.5L ($349.95) $299 special
Decanter 97 points
“The best-value sparkling wine of any kind that I have tasted in the past five years. In all its raw, youthful innocence, this is the epitome of introverted, tightly coiled restraint. A beguiling transparency of pure acid drive propels an incredible finish that splashes long and strong with breathtaking, scintillating, crystalline minerality. This is a cuvée of effortless poise and boundless energy. Drinking Window 2023 – 2038.” [Review is for the 750ml, which is bottled as the Special Club. This is the same wine, bottled in magnum.]

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Shop all 101 Champagnes in stock now by visiting our web store!

Go Local!

Our Top Local Winery for Your Holiday Table

What’s the most anticipated Willamette Valley release in our shop? Cameron Winery’s single vineyard bottlings. This is one of our favorite offers of the year, and for good reason—Cameron makes some of the most profound wines in the Willamette Valley and their single vineyard Pinot and Chardonnay are the pinnacle of their yearly releases.  These 2017s are among the best we’ve tasted ever from Cameron and winemaker/owner John Paul is (somehow) more excited than we’ve seen him in years.

If you’re a longtime fan of Cameron, this is a vintage to stock up on.  It’s classical in all the best ways—more elegant and detailed than the trio of hot vintages that preceded it, but with more depth and complexity than a year like ’13.  2010 is a comparison that’s been thrown around a lot, which speaks very highly of this new set of wines.

In Stock Now:

Cameron Winery Clos Electrique Blanc, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($79.95) $66 special
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.

Cameron Winery Abbey Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($79.95) $66 special
VinopolNote:
Abbey Ridge is one of the most hallowed sites in the Willamette Valley.  Planted in 1975, the Pinot Noir here is own rooted and at one of the highest elevations in the Dundee Hills.  The elevation and classic Jory soils give the wine an intense personality—high toned, elegant and tensile, with good power and a strong voice.  This bottling has been one of the defining Oregon Pinots since John Paul started making it.

Cameron Winery Clos Electrique Rouge, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($79.95) $66 special
VinopolNote:
Named after the electrified deer fence surrounding the vineyard, the Clos Electrique is the estate vineyard surrounding Cameron’s winery.  Located just up the road from Maresh vineyard, on Worden Hill Road, it’s in the promised land of the Dundee Hills and the wines deliver.  This is always the meatiest, most primal Pinot of the Cameron lineup.  We love it for its intense savoriness and quiet power—every year this is an absolute treat to drink.

Shop all the Cameron wine (including many not listed here) in our web store!

Love Local Pinot?
Shop our great offers from Sequitur, Goodfellow, Crowley and all 76 Pinot Noirs from Oregon on our web store!

Rhone Magnums

We offer twelve different Rhone magnums in stock now. We’ve highlighted our 2016 Vieux Telegraphe, but you can browse the complete list below or shop our complete selection on our web store!

Vieux Telegraphe
Vieux Telegraphe is a name that instantly connotes greatness and profundity in wine. One of the benchmark names in Chateauneuf du Pape, the estate’s wines are legendary for their complexity and longevity.  Owned for generations by the esteemed Brunier family, the venerable estate sits in the fabled “La Crau” subzone of Chateauneuf—home of the famous galet soils (only found in select areas in the AOC).  These large rocks reflect heat back to the vines at night, creating the intense, powerful wines that top estates like Telegraphe are known for.

It’s no secret that 2016 is considered a landmark vintage in the Rhone.  Across all appellations, the vintage was warm, trouble free and resulted in powerful wines with great density and impressive aromatics.  Vieux Telegraphe made wines that recalled their 2007 and 2001 bottlings—ageworthy, powerful Chateauneuf du Pape that will go down as historic bottlings.  We have an assortment of sizes for this legend in the making, from half-bottles to impressive three-liters. All would be fantastic to put away for a half-decade or so and then drink over the following twenty years.

In Stock Now

Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau, Rhone 2016 1.5L ($199.95) $179 special
Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau, Rhone 2016 750ML ($89.95) $79 special
Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau, Rhone 2016 375ML ($51.95) $44 special
Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau, Rhone 2016 3L ($499.95) $399 special
James Suckling 98 points
“Impressive, complex array of wild cherries, raspberries, garrigue herbs, lightly spiced pastry and stony, chalky minerals. Super-fresh florals. The palate has superb texture, roundness, completeness, depth and detail. Powerful yet elegant with powdery tannins and essence-like red fruit. Super-fleshy, supple and dense core, then strong at the edges. Layer upon layer peels away on the finish. Resounding finesse and equilibrium, showing the full potential of the plateau La Crau. Drink or hold.”
Wine Advocate 96 points “Undoubtedly one of the top vintages of this wine, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau features classy notes of crushed stones and black tea to go along with ripe raspberries and black cherries. Full-bodied yet silky, there’s more power and richness in La Crau than in Piedlong, yet there’s commensurate elegance and finesse. The wine grows in intensity on the finish without ever seeming heavy or overripe, instead offering hints of tea and licorice.”
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 95 points “Brilliant ruby. Ripe cherry and red berries on the deeply perfumed nose, along with hints of smoky minerals and potpourri. Palate-staining cherry and raspberry liqueur flavors show impressive clarity and depth, and a spine of juicy acidity provides lift and focus. Finishes extremely long and sweet, delivering solid thrust, a hint of candied flowers and suave, harmonious tannins.”

A Case of Vinsanity

Six Packs

We think a six bottle case is a perfect quantity of wine for serious bottles.  It’s large enough that you can get into a bottle or two early while having enough wine around to age.  Unlike a twelve bottle case, it’s small enough to be affordable and ensure the diversity of your cellar.  Shop the full list below or browse our web store!

Thank you for reading!