In Today’s Newsletter:
New Reviews from Wine Advocate
#WillametteValleyWines
Staff Pick
Comando G & Dani Landi:
Cult Wines from Sierra de Gredos
Collector’s Corner
Bruno Giacosa
New Offer ETA June
New Reviews from Wine Advocate
#WillametteValleyWines
Erin Brooks just released new reviews for the 2017 vintage in the Willamette Valley. We’re always excited for her perspective on the wines. Here’s your first look at the new reviews for Arterberry Maresh and Ayres. Tune in tomorrow for an in depth look at the fantastic wines from Goodfellow!
New Reviewed Wines In Stock or Arriving Tomorrow from Arterberry Maresh & Ayres:
Arterberry Maresh Dux Vineyard Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($59.95) $47 special, 10 bottles in stock now
Erin Brooks – Wine Advocate 95+ points “Bottled under Diam 30, the 2017 Chardonnay Dux Vineyard has an open nose of crushed stone, dried hay, tarragon, roasted hazelnuts, citrus blossoms and spring honey with notes of sliced mushrooms and a light framing of spice. Medium-bodied and silky, it gives layer after layer of ripe, spicy fruits refreshed by tangy acidity, finishing very long and minerally with tremendous tension. I can’t wait to taste this with a few years of bottle age!”
New Reviewed Wines In Stock or Arriving Tomorrow from Arterberry Maresh & Ayres:
Arterberry Maresh Dux Vineyard Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($59.95) $47 special, 10 bottles in stock nowErin Brooks – Wine Advocate 95+ points “Bottled under Diam 30, the 2017 Chardonnay Dux Vineyard has an open nose of crushed stone, dried hay, tarragon, roasted hazelnuts, citrus blossoms and spring honey with notes of sliced mushrooms and a light framing of spice. Medium-bodied and silky, it gives layer after layer of ripe, spicy fruits refreshed by tangy acidity, finishing very long and minerally with tremendous tension. I can’t wait to taste this with a few years of bottle age!”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Arterberry Maresh Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($89.95) $79 pre-arrival special, arriving Friday, April 24th!
Erin Brooks – Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2017 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1983. It takes its time to reveal mushroom, tree bark, raw almonds and honeycomb aromas with a core of apple pie and white peaches with a very savory, spicy undercurrent. The medium-bodied palate explodes with flavor layers and lively acidity, finishing incredibly long and minerally. This is stunning!”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Arterberry Maresh Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($29.95) $24 special, 19 bottles in stock now
Erin Brooks – Wine Advocate 93 points “This is Jim Maresh’s entry-level Chardonnay, barrel fermented and finished in stainless steel. It comes from Dijon 76 clone vines planted in 1991 on a steep, south-facing slope. The 2017 Dundee Hills Chardonnay has a lovely, open-knit nose of honeycomb, orange blossom, apple pie, crushed hazelnuts, clotted cream, baked peaches, hay and a unique umami-like undercurrent. The palate is medium-bodied and silky, tethered by tangy acidity and a hint of phenolic texture, finishing long and nuanced with incredible tension and energy. Even this “village” level Chardonnay manages class and hedonism. This could use another couple of years in bottle at least. It’s bottled under Diam 30 and should age well.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($74.95) $61.90 special, 7 bottles in stock now
Erin Brooks – Wine Advocate 95 points “”I’m really happy with this wine,” Jim Maresh says. “It’s one of the earliest-drinking vintages of the Maresh vineyard I’ve ever made. I like it better than the 2016, although the 2016 will age longer without a doubt. The 2017 is a bit more tender and succulent.” The 2017 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard is a delicate wine without losing any intensity, scented of fresh tobacco leaves, underbrush, potpourri, peppercorn, citrus peel and saline with a core of cranberries and wild blackberries plus touches of dusty earth and crushed stone. It blossoms unexpectedly in the mouth, medium-bodied, concentrated, spicy and fresh, softly framed with a long, layered finish. A lovely wine.”
Arterberry Maresh Old Vines Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($49.95) $44 special, 13 bottles in stock now
Erin Brooks – Wine Advocate 93 points “Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Old Vines has classic scents of cranberry sauce, wild blackberries, woodsmoke and cola with accents of tea leaves, amaro, tar and graphite. It’s refined and delicate in the mouth, medium-bodied, spicy and fresh with a long, nuanced finish. Lovely!”
Ayres Lewis Rogers Lane Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge 2017 750ML ($39.95) $36 special, 13 bottles in stock nowErin Brooks – Wine Advocate 93 points “Medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Lewis Rogers Lane opens with crushed cranberries, red currants and blackberries with notes of scorched earth, stone, pipe tobacco and spices. The medium-bodied palate is bright and spicy with grainy tannins and lively acidity, finishing long on a citrus note.”
Ayres Perspective Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge 2017 750ML ($33.95) $29 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Erin Brooks – Wine Advocate 92 points “Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Perspective is scented of warm blackberries, cranberry sauce, cinnamon and orange peel with notes of mushroom, pipe tobacco and earth. It’s medium-bodied, grainy and intense with spicy fruits and a long finish.”
Ayres Pioneer Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2017 750ML ($44.95) $39 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Erin Brooks – Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2017 Pinot Noir Pioneer has a nose of spiced cranberry sauce, crushed boysenberries, red currants, licorice and cherries with earthy touches. The palate is medium-bodied, spicy, grainy and fresh with a long finish.”
Staff Pick
Andy:
With additional time at home I’ve been able to spend some very important time with the kids, but we have been looking for more inspiration at dinnertime. A local catering company has been offering amazing Friday night dinners for pickup and we jumped at the chance for something new. An island inspired salt crusted pork roast served with pineapple fried rice needed something particularly juicy and delicious to go with it. My two choices were the 15 Grandchamp Montagne Saint-Emilion and the 18 Pax Valdiguie; two very different wines that brought out very different experiences from the dinner.
There is a lot to love in the Pax Valdiguie. It is light, bright and added a lot of mouth puckering acidity to play against the fat, salt, and light smoke of the pork. Juicy berry brightness on the nose made me want to drink this wine far too quickly. It’s as though it is made simply to accent and highlight anything you want to pair it with. On its own, the wine is lovely and pure, but it shines when you can serve it with a light chill alongside anything from fish tacos to the pork and fried rice lettuce wraps we dug into.
Pax Quail Run Vineyard Valdiguie, Solano County 2018 750ML ($31.95) $28 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 90-92 points “Another very pretty wine in this range, the 2018 Valdiguie is bright, focused and wonderfully energetic. Rose petal, lavender and sweet dark cherry all grace this exquisite, vibrant Valdiguie from Pax. The 2018 is shaping up to be a gem. I tasted it from tank just prior to bottling.”
Grapelive 90 points “The deeply hued Pax 2018 Valdiguie with its intense purple/magenta color and whole cluster pop on the palate is an all-American rival to Cru Beaujolais with layers of tangy black fruits, spice, fresh cut flowers, exotic tropical elements, racy stems (herbal notes) and juicy acidity. [It] is wonderfully poundable! Pax, besides making some of America’s great Syrah wines, also does a fun selection of wondrous weird goodies including this ultra-fun Valdiguie and a light skin contact Trousseau Gris… This 2018 is a great mix of ripe fruity/grapey flavors along with zingy savory tones that give a balanced contrast in a low alcohol, 12.2% red that enjoys a slight chill. It is perfect for smashing at the beach or a picnic or as I had by a warm fire pit as the sun dipped below the horizon. This is what the French call a Glou-Glou wine: nothing to over think, it is a wine to share and laugh with and impossible not to smile contented with. Its licorice, crushed lilac and snappy peppercorns making it a nice choice with an array of easy simple foods. Just released, you’d better hustle to get some, it looks to be an under the radar hit, it certainly will sell out within days.”
The St. Emilion was a substantial wine, even having been opened for three hours. I love Bordeaux anytime, and the intense fruit of the Grandchamp is really exciting and delicious, with surprisingly fresh acidity and solid tannins. Lovely rich Merlot with about 15% Cab Franc to add some zip. Perhaps the pairing was a bit much on the first night, but the last half of the bottle on Saturday was perfect with the left overs. Even humble Bordeaux will overdeliver in the 2015 and 2016 vintages. For a simple selling under $20, you can stash some away and drink this for years to come.
Chateau de Grandchamp, Montagne-Saint-Emilion 2015 750ML ($24.95) $19.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Le Guide Hachette des Vins 2/3 stars (Vin Remarquable) “A mountain that exalts the qualities of the 2015 vintage and participated in the final of the favorites. From a blend of hand-harvested Merlot (90%) and Cabernet Franc, Château Grandchamp’s team has extracted a wine that combines power and elegance. The color of the dress is purple with violet, the nose is centered on dark fruits with spicy aromas, the palate is frisky, smooth, fruity, with fine, firm tannins and a long finish. [translated]”
Importer notes “Château de Grandchamp is the only domaine on the hillside overlooking the ancient commune of Parsac, located in the Montagne-Saint-Emilion appellation on the right bank of the Dordogne. Vigneron Gonzague Maurice manually farms Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon in densely planted vineyards rooted in clay-limestone soils with small traces of iron. The vineyard has been in organic conversion since 2010, however grass is sown regularly between vine rows and ploughing is done in alternating rows. Gonzague’s sole objective in the vineyard is to obtain perfectly ripe and clean fruit. Triage is done in both the vineyard and the cellar to ensure the highest quality grapes. In the cellar, grapes are vinified in small, temperature controlled tanks and then aged in a combination of tank and one to two year old barrels. Above all, he seeks to preserve the fruit throughout the fermentation and ageing processes. The resulting wine is aromatically vibrant and beautiful balanced with soft tannins.”
With additional time at home I’ve been able to spend some very important time with the kids, but we have been looking for more inspiration at dinnertime. A local catering company has been offering amazing Friday night dinners for pickup and we jumped at the chance for something new. An island inspired salt crusted pork roast served with pineapple fried rice needed something particularly juicy and delicious to go with it. My two choices were the 15 Grandchamp Montagne Saint-Emilion and the 18 Pax Valdiguie; two very different wines that brought out very different experiences from the dinner.
There is a lot to love in the Pax Valdiguie. It is light, bright and added a lot of mouth puckering acidity to play against the fat, salt, and light smoke of the pork. Juicy berry brightness on the nose made me want to drink this wine far too quickly. It’s as though it is made simply to accent and highlight anything you want to pair it with. On its own, the wine is lovely and pure, but it shines when you can serve it with a light chill alongside anything from fish tacos to the pork and fried rice lettuce wraps we dug into.
Pax Quail Run Vineyard Valdiguie, Solano County 2018 750ML ($31.95) $28 special, 18 bottles in stock nowAntonio Galloni 90-92 points “Another very pretty wine in this range, the 2018 Valdiguie is bright, focused and wonderfully energetic. Rose petal, lavender and sweet dark cherry all grace this exquisite, vibrant Valdiguie from Pax. The 2018 is shaping up to be a gem. I tasted it from tank just prior to bottling.”
Grapelive 90 points “The deeply hued Pax 2018 Valdiguie with its intense purple/magenta color and whole cluster pop on the palate is an all-American rival to Cru Beaujolais with layers of tangy black fruits, spice, fresh cut flowers, exotic tropical elements, racy stems (herbal notes) and juicy acidity. [It] is wonderfully poundable! Pax, besides making some of America’s great Syrah wines, also does a fun selection of wondrous weird goodies including this ultra-fun Valdiguie and a light skin contact Trousseau Gris… This 2018 is a great mix of ripe fruity/grapey flavors along with zingy savory tones that give a balanced contrast in a low alcohol, 12.2% red that enjoys a slight chill. It is perfect for smashing at the beach or a picnic or as I had by a warm fire pit as the sun dipped below the horizon. This is what the French call a Glou-Glou wine: nothing to over think, it is a wine to share and laugh with and impossible not to smile contented with. Its licorice, crushed lilac and snappy peppercorns making it a nice choice with an array of easy simple foods. Just released, you’d better hustle to get some, it looks to be an under the radar hit, it certainly will sell out within days.”
The St. Emilion was a substantial wine, even having been opened for three hours. I love Bordeaux anytime, and the intense fruit of the Grandchamp is really exciting and delicious, with surprisingly fresh acidity and solid tannins. Lovely rich Merlot with about 15% Cab Franc to add some zip. Perhaps the pairing was a bit much on the first night, but the last half of the bottle on Saturday was perfect with the left overs. Even humble Bordeaux will overdeliver in the 2015 and 2016 vintages. For a simple selling under $20, you can stash some away and drink this for years to come.
Chateau de Grandchamp, Montagne-Saint-Emilion 2015 750ML ($24.95) $19.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Le Guide Hachette des Vins 2/3 stars (Vin Remarquable) “A mountain that exalts the qualities of the 2015 vintage and participated in the final of the favorites. From a blend of hand-harvested Merlot (90%) and Cabernet Franc, Château Grandchamp’s team has extracted a wine that combines power and elegance. The color of the dress is purple with violet, the nose is centered on dark fruits with spicy aromas, the palate is frisky, smooth, fruity, with fine, firm tannins and a long finish. [translated]”
Importer notes “Château de Grandchamp is the only domaine on the hillside overlooking the ancient commune of Parsac, located in the Montagne-Saint-Emilion appellation on the right bank of the Dordogne. Vigneron Gonzague Maurice manually farms Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon in densely planted vineyards rooted in clay-limestone soils with small traces of iron. The vineyard has been in organic conversion since 2010, however grass is sown regularly between vine rows and ploughing is done in alternating rows. Gonzague’s sole objective in the vineyard is to obtain perfectly ripe and clean fruit. Triage is done in both the vineyard and the cellar to ensure the highest quality grapes. In the cellar, grapes are vinified in small, temperature controlled tanks and then aged in a combination of tank and one to two year old barrels. Above all, he seeks to preserve the fruit throughout the fermentation and ageing processes. The resulting wine is aromatically vibrant and beautiful balanced with soft tannins.”
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Comando G & Daniel Landi:
Cult Wines from Sierra de Gredos
Arriving ETA July
Comando G:
“Comando G continues to serve as the reference point in Gredos. Most of the 2018s are not in bottle yet, so I mostly tasted wines from 2017—a challenging year with hail and frost that made it impossible to bottle some of the single-vineyard wines (Breña and Tamboril Tinto) and affected others, mainly the vineyards in the village of Rozas de Puerto Real. 2017 was also ripe and dry, more in line with 2012 than 2015, as the wines also have finesse and lightness. Once again Rumbo al Norte is the best wine, but in the challenging 2017 vintage, the difference from the others is even more obvious because the plot didn’t suffer hail or frost and is one of the best-prepared to withstand dry conditions. It’s a wine that transcends the vintage.” –Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate
“Today, along with Comando G, a handful of producers working in the Sierra de Gredos is showing how distinctive the wines can be from an area that was ignored for so long… the bottles with the most finesse and nuance, and which have drawn the most interest, are from Comando G, whose wines are now among the most compelling in Spain.”– Eric Asimov, New York Times
Comando G has become one of the hottest names in the world of Spanish wines. Working with old Grenache (Garnacha) vines, Fernando García and Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi looked to estates like Rayas and Gramenon in the Rhone for inspiration to produce balanced, chiseled wines of delicate power and elegance. Ever since Eric Asimov profiled them in the New York Times, the wines have been in incredibly short supply.
Arriving ETA July:
Only six bottles available!
Comando G ‘El Tamboril’ Blanco Navaltalgordo, Sierra de Gredos 2017 750ML ($149.95) $119 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 97 points “The single-vineyard 2017 Tumba del Rey Moro comes from an ungrafted 70-year-old vineyard of 0.7 hectares in the village of Villanueva de Ávila, a cliff with a pronounced slope full of chestnut trees that provide shadow to the majority of vines. It’s high in altitude, at 1,100 meters, and the soils are very sandy, from the degradation of granite. Like the others, this vineyard is worked biodynamically, and the wine is produced in a delicate way, with full bunches, a long and soft maceration (infusion) and an élevage of 14 months in a 1,000-liter oak vat. This high-altitude vineyard almost escaped the problems of the vintage but was hit by very late hail in August, and the wine feels almost untouched; it feels very complete and less evolved than the wines that were badly hit by hail. It has spices and rockrose and is a riper vintage than 2016, and it’s complex and nuanced. The palate has abundant, fine-grained tannins and is nicely textured, with the chalk-like mouthfeel of the granite soils. This is one of the finest 2017s. 1,141 bottles and 60 magnums were filled in March 2019.”
“Comando G continues to serve as the reference point in Gredos. Most of the 2018s are not in bottle yet, so I mostly tasted wines from 2017—a challenging year with hail and frost that made it impossible to bottle some of the single-vineyard wines (Breña and Tamboril Tinto) and affected others, mainly the vineyards in the village of Rozas de Puerto Real. 2017 was also ripe and dry, more in line with 2012 than 2015, as the wines also have finesse and lightness. Once again Rumbo al Norte is the best wine, but in the challenging 2017 vintage, the difference from the others is even more obvious because the plot didn’t suffer hail or frost and is one of the best-prepared to withstand dry conditions. It’s a wine that transcends the vintage.” –Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate
“Today, along with Comando G, a handful of producers working in the Sierra de Gredos is showing how distinctive the wines can be from an area that was ignored for so long… the bottles with the most finesse and nuance, and which have drawn the most interest, are from Comando G, whose wines are now among the most compelling in Spain.”– Eric Asimov, New York Times
Comando G has become one of the hottest names in the world of Spanish wines. Working with old Grenache (Garnacha) vines, Fernando García and Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi looked to estates like Rayas and Gramenon in the Rhone for inspiration to produce balanced, chiseled wines of delicate power and elegance. Ever since Eric Asimov profiled them in the New York Times, the wines have been in incredibly short supply.
Arriving ETA July:
Only six bottles available!
Comando G ‘El Tamboril’ Blanco Navaltalgordo, Sierra de Gredos 2017 750ML ($149.95) $119 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 97 points “The single-vineyard 2017 Tumba del Rey Moro comes from an ungrafted 70-year-old vineyard of 0.7 hectares in the village of Villanueva de Ávila, a cliff with a pronounced slope full of chestnut trees that provide shadow to the majority of vines. It’s high in altitude, at 1,100 meters, and the soils are very sandy, from the degradation of granite. Like the others, this vineyard is worked biodynamically, and the wine is produced in a delicate way, with full bunches, a long and soft maceration (infusion) and an élevage of 14 months in a 1,000-liter oak vat. This high-altitude vineyard almost escaped the problems of the vintage but was hit by very late hail in August, and the wine feels almost untouched; it feels very complete and less evolved than the wines that were badly hit by hail. It has spices and rockrose and is a riper vintage than 2016, and it’s complex and nuanced. The palate has abundant, fine-grained tannins and is nicely textured, with the chalk-like mouthfeel of the granite soils. This is one of the finest 2017s. 1,141 bottles and 60 magnums were filled in March 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Only six bottles available!
Comando G Las Umbrias, Sierra de Gredos 2017 750ML ($179.95) $149 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 96 points “There is a big difference between 2017 and the previous warm and dry vintage, 2015. They have done their homework and improved the way to react to warm years, and it shows in the 2017 Las Umbrías. Las Umbrías is always the more delicate and ethereal wine, and in 2017, it keeps its poise an dis harmonious and balanced, shyer, perhaps, with moderate alcohol and acidity that make it tender and fragile. This 0.5-hectare plot at 1,000 meters in altitude in the village of Las Rozas de Puerto real was the first vineyard they found and, really, is the origin of Comando G—and for many people, this is their favorite wine from Comando G. It’s more developed and open and is ready to drink. The high altitude meant the grapes escaped from frost, and there was hail but less than in the lower-altitude vineyards, so they lost less grapes. The wine is very pale, delicate and fragile, in the style of some wines from Jura. This is plain delicious. This matured in a 1,000-liter oak foudre for 14 months and was enough to fill 1,089 bottles and 50 magnums in March 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Only twelve bottles available!
Comando G ‘Rumbo al Norte’ Navarrevisca, Sierra de Gredos 2017 750ML ($379.95) $319 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 99 points “I was very much looking forward to tasting the 2017 Rumbo Al Norte from bottle, a wine I had tasted a number of times during its upbringing in a 1,400-liter oak foudre, as it comes form one of the most spectacular vineyards I know, not only in Gredos, but in the whole of the world! It’s a 0.3-hectare plot in the zone known as La Breña within the village of Villanueva de Ávila, where the granite soils are very sandy and rich in quartz and gray silt and the wines have a rare combination of elegance and power as well as an ethereal quality with tons of energy and a texture that is like liquid granite. It was produced like the rest of the reds, with a long infusion with full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats, then matured in a 1,400-liter oak vat for 14 months. This vineyard escaped the frost and hail of the vintage—it’s one of the few that was really untouched—and this year, the wine is head and shoulders above the rest. It’s complex and elegant, very Burgundian, stony, floral and spicy, and the good yields controlled the ripeness of the dry year. This is the vineyard that behaves better in warmer/drier years. The good news is that there are 1,656 bottles and 60 magnums of this—their largest production ever—and it was bottled in March 2019. Unfortunately, prices for this scarce bottling are skyrocketing. It was only a matter of time…”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Only twelve bottles available!
Comando G ‘Tumba del Rey Moro’ Villa Nueva de Avila, Sierra de Gredos 2017 750ML ($149.95) $119 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 97 points “The single-vineyard 2017 Tumba del Rey Moro comes from an ungrafted 70-year-old vineyard of 0.7 hectares in the village of Villanueva de Ávila, a cliff with a pronounced slope full of chestnut trees that provide shadow to the majority of vines. It’s high in altitude, at 1,100 meters, and the soils are very sandy, from the degradation of granite. Like the others, this vineyard is worked biodynamically, and the wine is produced in a delicate way, with full bunches, a long and soft maceration (infusion) and an élevage of 14 months in a 1,000-liter oak vat. This high-altitude vineyard almost escaped the problems of the vintage but was hit by very late hail in August, and the wine feels almost untouched; it feels very complete and less evolved than the wines that were badly hit by hail. It has spices and rockrose and is a riper vintage than 2016, and it’s complex and nuanced. The palate has abundant, fine-grained tannins and is nicely textured, with the chalk-like mouthfeel of the granite soils. This is one of the finest 2017s. 1,141 bottles and 60 magnums were filled in March 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Comando G ‘Rozas Premier-Primer Cru,’ Sierra de Gredos 2018 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2018 Rozas 1er Cru is from a much better year that produced perfect ripeness of the grapes and therefore much better parameters (alcohol, pH and acidity). Within the freshness and seriousness of 2018, this is very open, expressive and spicy, like an upgrade from the La Bruja de Rozas, though not quite reaching the finesse of Las Umbrías. It’s tasty and long and has something herbal (fennel, celery), a salty touch, a little rust and a very mineral texture, with the grainy granite and finer chalk. It improves tremendously in the glass, which gives me an idea that the wine is going to improve in bottle. 2018 is a great vintage that is going to require a little more time to express its full potential. This is often the best value of the winery. 15,238 bottles and 150 magnums produced. It was bottled in January 2020.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Comando G ‘La Bruja de Rozas,’ Sierra de Gredos 2018 750ML ($34.95) $28 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 93+ points “I tasted a very young and recently bottled 2018 La Bruja de Rozas, their village Garnacha from the village of Las Rozas de Puerto Real. It’s from a vintage that feels very complete and balanced and delivered very healthy grapes, good yields and grapes with ripe flavors and very good freshness. The wine is juicy but also sharp and mineral, backward and nuanced; it’s shy now, but it has great depth and is finely knitted, textured, mineral and salty. I think this will surpass the already-amazing 2016. It fermented and matured in oak vats of different sizes, yet there is such purity of fruit and the wine is so intense that the oak is completely transparent. I had the chance to drink this wine on repeated occasions, as I find it has an unbeatable price for the quality. It’s a more complete version of the 2016—it’s pale, bright and transparent, spicy, elegant, nuanced, juicy but complex, with not only fruit but also violets and an herbal side, and it’s characterful and a bit funky with finesse and a texture of chalk and granite. Like a Poulsard from Chambolle. High drinkability with aging potential. 53,478 bottles produced (the second largest vintage after 2016). It was bottled in August 2019.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
The average price nationally is $30
Dani Landi:
Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi (or Dani Landi as he’s more commonly known) is certainly one half of Comando G, but his personal projects are at least as compelling and much more sought after within Spain. Born to generations of grape growers in Méntrida, his personal project explores the unique terroirs of his home DO.This is very much Sierra de Gredos wine, but the distinction between his personal wines, which are from his home village of Méntrida, and Comando G, which works from a broad range of terroirs, is important. Landi’s personal wines come from vineyards that he started working with and acquiring since he started making wine at a very young age.
Daniel Gomez Jimenez-Landi ‘Las Uvas de la Ira’ Garnacha, Mentrida 2018 750ML ($37.95) $31.90 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 93 points “The red 2018 Las Uvas de la Ira has been produced with Garnacha from the same five vineyards since the initial vintage (2012) in the village of El Real de San Vicente, which is one of the villages from Méntrida (Toledo) that are part of the Gredos Mountains. The vines range between 40 and 65 years of age, and they are located at around 750 meters in altitude on sandy granite soils with lots of silt. The different vineyards are fermented separately in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and a very gentle vinification, one-third with very long macerations to provide structure and depth, one-third with a very short maceration to provide fragrance, and the remaining third finished the fermentation without skins (like a white) to add juiciness. The élevage is in oak foudres of different sizes, from 1,500 to 4,000 liters. This is a little less aromatic and more austere but very focused and bright, from a village where the wines are serious and have a chalky texture, less floral but more citrus, a bit more backward. It has a compact palate, with very fine tannins and a more chalky finish. It’s interesting to taste it next to wines from other villages, as you clearly see the difference. 18,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Only six bottles available!
Daniel Gomez Jimenez-Landi ‘Cantos del Diablo’, Mentrida 2017 750ML ($119.95) $99 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 94+ points “The single-vineyard 2017 Cantos del Diablo was produced with the grapes from 0.35 hectares in the village of El Real de San Vicente (Toledo), the highest vineyard in the Méntrida appellation. It’s a north-facing plot at 900 meters in altitude that was planted some 70 years ago on sandy granite soils rich in silt and is worked biodynamically. The grapes, with all the stems, fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats, and the wine matured in a 1,200-liter oak foudre for 12 months. This was one of the few villages from Gredos that escaped the hail and frost, and it was a dry year, so harvesting was early (10 to 15 days earlier compared with a “normal” vintage!). It’s aromatic and floral but has the austerity of the wines from El Real de San Vicente as well as a texture like liquid chalk and very fine, powdery tannins. It’s clean and ripe without excess, with a nice combination of fruit and minerality, really balanced, with intensity and finesse. Excellent 2017! 1,362 bottles were filled in March 2019.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Only six bottles available!
Daniel Gomez Jimenez Landi ‘Las Iruelas’ El Tiemblo, Castilla y Leon 2017 750ML ($149.95) $125 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2017 Las Iruelas expresses the elegance and floral character the slate soils are capable of. It’s pure Garnacha from a relatively large vineyard in the Iruelas Valley in the village of El Tiemblo, province of Ávila. In reality, this slope of vines that was planted over 70 years ago has a combination of slate and granite (and sand, quartz and silt), and it’s very rocky with shallow soils, where the mother rock is only 20 centimeters from the surface. It’s isolated and surrounded by forests, and the orography (the nearby mountains) causes it to receive more rain. So, the wines have unusual finesse and subtleness. The vinification tries to preserve that character, by hand-selecting every single grape, fermenting the clusters with the yeasts from the grapes in oak vats, with a long maceration and low temperature. The wine matured in a 1,400-liter oak vat for 12 months. This is very pale, paler than it normally is, and has a more developed color and nose, combining more herbal aromas with a note of ripe berries and flowers; it’s elegant, delicate and balsamic and also a little fragile, with less finesse than Umbrías. This vineyard had hail twice and lost a lot of grapes, and the wine is probably going to evolve at a faster pace. 1,725 bottles were filled in March 2019.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Only six bottles available!
Daniel Gomez Jimenez Landi ‘El Reventon’, Cebreros 2017 750ML ($134.95) $119 pre-arrival special
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 94+ points “El Reventón in the village of Cebreros (Ávila) is really two plots just a few meters apart, but with different exposition, altitude and soils that make up one hectare of vines. Given the differences and the fact that part of the vineyard has basically no soil and the mother rock on the surface, they have been studying these soils and making further selections to decide which plants go into the wine. In 2016, they experimented with two different bottlings. But the 2017 El Reventón is a single cuvée of the grapes from both plots, as they had hail and used all the grapes that could be saved. The vinification follows the same modus operandi as with the rest of the wines—manual selection of every bunch, discarding all the single grapes that are not perfect, then fermentation with the stems and a long maceration in oak vats, of course with indigenous yeasts. The élevage was in used oak barrels and lasted for a year. The wine has good ripeness, more power than wines like Las Iruelas and more fruit and a rounder palate, but it’s a more delicate vintage than other years, more fragile because of hail. It developed a high-pitched note of curry with time in the glass, a recurring note in this wine. Only 775 bottles were filled in March 2019.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
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Collector’s Corner
Bruno Giacosa
Arriving ETA June
Falletto di Bruno Giacosa ‘Falletto Riserva – Falleto Vigna Le Rocche’ Barolo DOCG 2014 750ML ($499.95) $419 pre-arrival special, only 6 bottles available!
James Suckling 98 points “The aromas are so seductive with dried roses and berries. Tar and asphalt, too. Full bodied, very tight and powerful. Lean and long tannins. It goes on for so long. Stops and then starts over again. A curious and challenging young wine. Great. In the market in 2020. Better in 2026.”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 97 points “This red label Riserva was made in 2012 and 2014 and will be released in 2016 and 2017. Bruna Giacosa and her team skipped over 2013 and 2015. However, the current release is the 2014 Barolo Riserva Falletto Vigna Le Rocche, and well, there’s a lot to take in. Simply put, this is a beautiful wine that unfolds slowly with amazing intensity and complexity, delivering delicate notes of violets and candied orange peel that cede softly to darker tones of licorice, dried blackberry and savory spice. Give the wine the time it needs to open in the glass. This vintage flaunts its most elegant side, with fine tannins and soft fruity fiber that remains everlasting and pure. This estate is known for taking its biggest chances in the so-called off vintages. Betting on 2014 has turned out to be a brilliantly contemplated move.”
Wine Spectator 97 points “Fluid and juicy, with savory notes of menthol and juniper, matched to the cherry and currant fruit. Underlined by a mineral element, this features a serious whack of tannins on the finish, yet the lasting impression is of sweet, ripe cherry and berry flavors, showing wonderful length. Best from 2022 through 2045. 704 cases made, 100 cases imported.”
Falletto di Bruno Giacosa Barolo DOCG 2016 750ML ($219.95) $179 pre-arrival special, only 6 bottles available!
Importer note “Only made in the best years (last vintage 2005) from estate owned fruit in La Morra (not Serralunga where the Falletto vineyard is)”
Falletto di Bruno Giacosa Asili, Barbaresco DOCG 2017 750ML ($219.95) $189 pre-arrival special, only 6 bottles available!
James Suckling 97 points “There’s impeccable transparency and freshness to this Barbaresco on the nose, which introduces bright rose petals, lifted orange peel, crushed stones and sour cherries. The stoney tannins trace intricate detail on the medium-to full-bodied palate, highlighting the racy acidity, brambly undertones and a beautiful array of wild berries. Yes, there’s power and depth of flavor, but this is all about grace and beauty. Drink from 2024.”
James Suckling 98 points “The aromas are so seductive with dried roses and berries. Tar and asphalt, too. Full bodied, very tight and powerful. Lean and long tannins. It goes on for so long. Stops and then starts over again. A curious and challenging young wine. Great. In the market in 2020. Better in 2026.”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 97 points “This red label Riserva was made in 2012 and 2014 and will be released in 2016 and 2017. Bruna Giacosa and her team skipped over 2013 and 2015. However, the current release is the 2014 Barolo Riserva Falletto Vigna Le Rocche, and well, there’s a lot to take in. Simply put, this is a beautiful wine that unfolds slowly with amazing intensity and complexity, delivering delicate notes of violets and candied orange peel that cede softly to darker tones of licorice, dried blackberry and savory spice. Give the wine the time it needs to open in the glass. This vintage flaunts its most elegant side, with fine tannins and soft fruity fiber that remains everlasting and pure. This estate is known for taking its biggest chances in the so-called off vintages. Betting on 2014 has turned out to be a brilliantly contemplated move.”
Wine Spectator 97 points “Fluid and juicy, with savory notes of menthol and juniper, matched to the cherry and currant fruit. Underlined by a mineral element, this features a serious whack of tannins on the finish, yet the lasting impression is of sweet, ripe cherry and berry flavors, showing wonderful length. Best from 2022 through 2045. 704 cases made, 100 cases imported.”
Falletto di Bruno Giacosa Barolo DOCG 2016 750ML ($219.95) $179 pre-arrival special, only 6 bottles available!
Importer note “Only made in the best years (last vintage 2005) from estate owned fruit in La Morra (not Serralunga where the Falletto vineyard is)”
Falletto di Bruno Giacosa Asili, Barbaresco DOCG 2017 750ML ($219.95) $189 pre-arrival special, only 6 bottles available!
James Suckling 97 points “There’s impeccable transparency and freshness to this Barbaresco on the nose, which introduces bright rose petals, lifted orange peel, crushed stones and sour cherries. The stoney tannins trace intricate detail on the medium-to full-bodied palate, highlighting the racy acidity, brambly undertones and a beautiful array of wild berries. Yes, there’s power and depth of flavor, but this is all about grace and beauty. Drink from 2024.”
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