Featured Arrival: The Secret d’Yquem; Dr. H. Thanisch; Mullar Catoir is Here!; Staff Pick: Arriving in August, Cheep Cheep!; #Trending; Franck Balthazar: Old School Cornas (And New Vincent Paris Offer); Guigal
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Featured New Arrival
The Secret D’Yquem
In common with most all of the world’s greatest estates, Chateau d’Yquem declassifies a portion of the yield each year, arising from some lots not meeting the standards of the estate. Ie, too this, too that and too the other. These wines are often the true best buys in the wine world; and in the case of d’Yquem the standards to be met are absolutely in the upper echelons of the wine world and absolutely the singular uppermost echelon of Sauternes. Over the years Chateau d’Yquem has sold this second wine to ‘friends & family’ but generally smallish amounts have trickled into the commercial world. Our 2010 however may be the last we see. In the 2011 vintage, LVMH (owners of Chateau d’Yquem) had this wine bottled and sold under a proprietary brand name. In 2012 d’Yquem did not bottles anything, deeming the entire vintage beneath their standards.
Sauternes, Sauternes 2010 750ML ($69.95) $59 special
Case-6 Sauternes, Sauternes 2010 750ML ($349.95) $319 special (that’s only $53.17/bottle!)
VinopolNote: Declassified d’Yquem
This is the only listing in the USA today!
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2015 Dr. H. Thanisch.
That’s Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Thanisch.
You Know, With a Double ‘Thanisch.’
It can be easy to forget why the vineyards around the town of Bernkastel are so famous—there are very few producers today whose wines are “relevant” that make wines from Doctor or Lay. Historically, though, the Bernkasteler Doctor is one of the two or three most important vineyards in the Mosel, named for its supposed life-giving properties to a 13th century Archbishop. The vineyard is only 8.1 acres (a little less than 1/10th the size of Beaux Freres, to put that into local perspective) and the wines from these vines are exceptionally prized in Germany, so it’s always tough for us to acquire any.
That said, we’ve secured a small parcel of 2015’s from Thanisch that just arrived. The hype for the 2015 vintage is deserved and Thanisch is as classic a producer as you can find. The wines are rich and dense, loaded with fruit and minerals and far less expensive than they ought to be (check out the prices for Thanisch’s Badstube vs Prum, for example). Don’t overlook this historically great vineyard anymore and grab some 2015’s while you can.
Newly Arrived from Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Thanisch
Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Thanisch Bernkasteller Badstube Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2015 750ML ($24.95) $19 special
John Gilman 92+ points “The 2015 straight Badstube Kabinett is also excellent, but I have to give a very slight nod to the version above in this vintage. The nose is pure and classy, offering up scents of pear, white cherry, slate, white flowers and a gentle touch of petrol in the upper register. On the palate the wine is medium-full, pure and filigreed, with fine focus and grip, bright acids and a long, nascently complex finish. The Feinherb version seems to have just a touch more complexity out of the blocks, but this wine may catch up to it with a bit of bottle age. Another very classy Kabinett.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $24.99
Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Thanisch Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2015 750ML ($31.95) $28 special
John Gilman 93 points “The 2015 Badstube Spätlese from Weingut Dr. Thanisch is a lovely wine, wafting from the glass in a complex and vibrant aromatic blend of white cherries, delicious apple,. slate, lime blossoms and a topnote of bee pollen. On the palate the wine is pure, medium-full and very elegant, with lovely filigree, racy acids and outstanding length and grip on the complex, vibrant and bouncy finish. I really love the structural tension of this wine.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Thanisch Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2015 750ML ($39.95) $36 special
John Gilman 95 points “Given the penchant for the great terroir of the Doctor vineyard to not show all of its layers of complexity until it has spent several years in bottle, the glorious early expressiveness of the 2015 Kabinett (and Spätlese as well) from the Thanisch family this year fully underscores just how special this vintage will be seen as the decades flow away. The 2015 Doctor Kabinett is a brilliant wine in the making, delivering a superb bouquet of apple, a touch of white cherry, a very complex base of soil, bee pollen, incipient notes of laurel and a topnote of lime zest. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and shows the broader shoulders of the Doctor vineyard, but with great filigree and classic Kabinett sensibilities at the same time. The wine is rock solid at the core, pure and transparent, with outstanding cut and grip on the laser-like and racy finish. This will be a very, very long-lived and stunning vintage of Doctor Kabinett!”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $39
Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Thanisch Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2015 750ML ($59.95) $49 special
John Gilman 96 points “If I have ever tasted a young vintage of Doctor Spätlese from Sofia Thanisch that is better than the 2015, I cannot recall it and have to imagine that this is as magical a synthesis of this great terroir and Spätlese as has been fashioned here in forty years! The bouquet is young, primary and utterly stunning in its promise, as it delivers scents of pear, white cherry, laurel, salty soil tones, orange blossoms and the vintage’s signature esthery topnote of bee pollen. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish, crisp and very complex, with a great core, laser-like focus and grip and absolutely stunning backend mineral drive and cut on the very long finish. This will be a legend in the fullness of time. I cannot wait to see what the vineyard has done in 2015 at the higher Prädikat levels!”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $60
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Summer Shipping Special:
Midwest, East, & South
For the summer season we are offering UPS Three Day Select Service for the price of UPS Ground for shipments normally traveling 4 or more business days by ground.
Free service upgrade only applies on single orders purchased and shipped during the promotional period. Additional fees will apply to orders held for any reason until after the promotional period and shipped by Three Day Select. Offer not valid on items purchased before the promotional period or on pre-arrival items that arrive after the promotional period ends.
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Muller-Catoir is in the House!
Every wine region in the world has one or two estates that immediately come to mind when you hear the name of the region. Chateau Margaux in Margaux, Romanee-Conti in Vosne-Romanee, and Donnhoff in the Nahe and Muller-Catoir occupies that space in the Pfalz in Germany. A historic name that continues to make excellent wines, these are some of the finest in Germany and from a vintage that’s one of the best in years.
The Pfalz is a unique region in Germany in that wineries there focused on powerful dry wines long before it was fashionable to do so in the rest of the country. Most of the wines we’re highlighting today are dry and are some of the best values in the world for breathtakingly mineral wines. Muller-Catoir owns some of the best vineyards in the region and has a special touch with them.
Newly Arrived Muller-Catoir Wines
Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Im Breumel Riesling Auslese, Pfalz 2015 375ML ($49.95) $39 special
Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2015 Riesling Auslese Haardter Bürgergarten Im Breumel is very clear and concentrated on the nose, but also shows the brown seed aromas of ripe Riesling. Great class and precision here, with some minty flavors. The wine is very concentrated, lush and round on the palate; it reveals a super sweet raisin flavor, as well as great finesse and vitality. This is a gorgeous Auslese with salinity and grip.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Im Breumel Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Pfalz 2015 750ML ($49.95) $39 special
Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2015 Riesling Trocken Haardter Bürgergarten Im Breumel VDP Grosse Lage offers a beautifully pure and stony bouquet of bright yellow fruits and lemon aromas, and comes along almost like a perfume. On the palate, this is a highly elegant and well-balanced Riesling cru with a compact and mineral structure, great finesse and a very persistent salinity in the finish. The wine reveals a well-dosed power and concentration, as well as a great elegance and harmony. It should be aged for at least five years.”
James Suckling 95 points “The diamond-bright nose of enormous freshness announces a seriously elegant wine of understated sophistication. The delicate citrus and herbal flavors will expand considerably with a year or two’s more ageing, but this already has a finesse that makes it stand out in the strong field of the 2015 riesling GGs from the Pfalz. The very long and subtle finish only confirms that.”
Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Trocken, Pfalz 2015 750ML ($39.95) $29 special
Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2015 Pfalz Riesling Trocken Haardter Bürgergarten VDP Erste Lage is pure, deep, rich, ripe and intense on the nose; it shows grapefruit and herbal flavors intertwined with excitingly flinty/stony or mineral aromas, due to the stony Buntsandstein subsoils, but also the organic farming. Highly elegant and very intense, this is a gorgeous Riesling with great intensity of both minerals and fruits. This is a super well-structured and transparent, dry Riesling of great elegance and expression. Its power comes only in the finish and is mixed with lots of stone salts. This is an extremely stimulating and great Riesling. Yield is 40 hectoliters per hectare.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Muller-Catoir Haardt Riesling Trocken, Pfalz 2015 750ML ($27.95) $21.90 special
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2015 Pfalz Riesling Trocken Haardt has a deep and intense Riesling flavors that reflects the deeper soils of the vineyards in the Haardt slopes. The nose is discreet in its white stone fruit aromas, but deep, intense, really clear and fresh. On the palate, this is a very straight, firm and pure Riesling with a lot of grip and tension. However, it needs more time to develop its charm. The mineral length and compact structure is already impressive though.”
Muller-Catoir Haardter Herrenletten Riesling Trocken, Pfalz 2015 750ML ($41.95) $33 special
Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2015 Riesling Trocken Haardter Herrenletten VDP Erste Lage has a lovely bouquet that reflects the small chalk stripe in the vineyard, which gives a wet and smoky stone fruit flavor, along with some lemon and herbal aromas. The wine is round and elegant on the palate, almost mouth-fillingly fruity and reveals a seductive concentration and intensity; it also has a refined acidity structure on the palate. It is richer and more generous than the Bürgergarten, but with concentrated fruit. This is very long and intensely mineral Riesling. It is one of the best Herrenletten I have ever tasted at this domaine. Spectacular!”
Muller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling Auslese, Pfalz 2015 375ML ($39.95) $33 special
Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2015 Riesling Auslese Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten is super pure and fine on the nobly concentrated, stony nose with its honey and bright fruit aromas. Rich, sweet, lush and piquant on the palate, this is an excellent Auslese with great finesse and a lingering piquancy. Despite its sweetness, this is a very stimulating and pure Auslese with great ageing potential.”
Muller-Catoir Haardt Weissburgunder Trocken, Pfalz 2015 750ML ($27.95) $21.90 special
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2015 Weissburgunder Haardt is very clear and elegant on the nose, offering ripe golden delicious apple, along with some smoky and lemony flavors. Full-bodied, pretty intense and juicy, this is an aromatic and highly elegant Pinot Blanc with great purity and perfect ripeness of fruit. There are very discreet toasty notes with some speck flavors (no oak though, no malolactic fermentation), but this makes it an excellent food wine. It would go especially well with smoked characteristics, predominantly fish”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Muller-Catoir Weissburgunder Haardter Herzog Trocken 2015 750ML ($39.95) $29 special
Wine Advocate 94 points “From a shallow, gravelly Buntsandstein soil the 2015 Weissburgunder Haardter Herzog is very clear, deep and fresh on the nose, but also reveals a great intensity and ripeness of fruit with lemon and herbal flavors. This Pinot Blanc is full-bodied, intense and concentrated, with great elegance and juicy minerals. This is a stunning Pinot Blanc with power, great tension and aromatic length. It is creamy textured, perfectly structured and indicates a great ageing potential. Fermented in stainless steel, no malolactic fermentation.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Arriving in November from Muller-Catoir:
Muller-Catoir Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Trocken, Pfalz 2016 750ML ($39.95) $33 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “Zero botrytis, so Martin opted to make this dry masterpiece. It’s less wiggly than the Haardt but also deeper, more layered; a wine of great, deep humor, an exegesis of cassis, physio-sweet, with a hugely clinging salty finish. If dry Scheurebe can be grandiose, this one is.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
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Staff Pick
ETA August
Suzanne:
It’s an old vine bottling from a small nego Olivier Larochette. Ruby red in color. Intense aromas of crushed black raspberry, fresh plums and violets with a light herbal note underneath that’s akin to Sencha tea. The rich aromas translate into rich initial flavors at the first sip with a lingering, zippy acidity and very fine tannins. The note of fresh red plums continues on the palate accented by toasted almonds and red raspberries. This would make a great pairing with roast chicken or caramelized onions.
Olivier Larochette Bourgogne Rouge Vieille Vignes 2009 750ML ($19.95) $14 pre-arrival special
Case-12 Olivier Larochette Bourgogne Rouge Vieille Vignes 2009 750ML ($199.95) $138 pre-arrival special (that’s only $11.50/bottle!)
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $17
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#Trending
Bootleg Red Blend, Napa Valley 2013 750ML ($39.95) $31.90 special, 20 bottles available
Case-12 Bootleg Red Blend, Napa Valley 2013 750ML ($419.95) $333 special, 1 case available (that’s only $27.75/bottle!)
Robert Parker 94 points “The 2013 Proprietary Red from Bootleg is a major sleeper of not only the vintage, but in its entire concept. There are just over 8,000 cases of this wine, which has been culled from KJ vineyards on Atlas Peak, Oakville, Mt. Veeder, Rutherford and Spring Mountain. The wine is a blend of 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petite Sirah, 21% Zinfandel, 12% Merlot, and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot. That’s like throwing in the entire kitchen sink, but the result is a stunningly delicious, complex, big-time, sexy style of wine with a deep, opaque purple color, a beautiful nose of blackberries and blueberries, with some lavender Provençal herbs, licorice and a touch of espresso. The wine has a fabulous texture, a plush, full-bodied mouthfeel, and beautiful purity and depth. It’s something that could only be made in California, given the blend, but it is off-the-charts in terms of its hedonistic appeal. At the same time, it is complex enough to satisfy the intellectual senses as well. Drink it over the next 5-6 years. A big-time winner.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
La Jota Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain 2013 750ML ($99.95) $69 special, 5 bottles available
La Jota Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain 2013 1.5L ($179.95) $136 special, 3 magnums available
Decanter 98 points “Resplendent aromas of voluptuous blackcurrant and plum. This is certainly rich and concentrated, yet it all seems to be in balance, with firm chocolatey tannins supporting the dense and solid fruit. (Feb 2017)”
Wine Enthusiast 95 points “This full-bodied, concentrated wine shows plenty of power in its bringing together of the variety with smaller percentages of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. With a huge presence on the palate that lingers and stays in one’s brain, it shows a reductive quality of toasted oak along with black pepper, bark and leather saddle,. It’s a wine to enjoy from a giant leather chaise, if possible.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $88
Philippe Pacalet Pommard, Cote de Beaune 2010 750ML ($89.95) $69 special, 12 bottles available
Grapelive 95 points “I may have mentioned Pacalet a few times, may even have reviewed his wines a few times, maybe this wine too, but WOW this beautiful 2010 Pommard is now stunning and has really blossomed into a fantastic Pinot Noir and merits extra attention now. Philippe Pacalet is one of the new darlings of the natural wine movement and certainly a rising star in Burgundy, his careful artisan technique and minimalist winemaking is turning more than a few heads, these wines are clear, bright, fresh and transparent, not in the least bit old school barnyard funky, and while people argue the whole gambit of ideas about so called natural wine, Pacalet is quietly crafting elegant and glorious Burgundy. I tasted some of his first imported efforts and was very impressed, especially with his Chambolle-Musigny, and when recently sampled his whites I was blown away, his Meursault and Puligny wines are off the charts, but a few days ago I got a chance to taste this Pommard and I can tell you it was a magic moment, this is a delicate and gorgeous red Burgundy that seduces and charms in a way that only a Cote d’ Or can, in majestic fashion and spiritually emotional in experience. The nose is perfumed with fresh rose petals, red tea, hints of pepper, violets and raspberry leading to a dreamy palate of silky cherry, plum and currant fruits with a lift of acidity, a gentle spine of refined tannin, a touch of oak, mineral and earth adding mystery and a long finish that lingers with hints of red peach, cinnamon stick, kirsch, lavender essence and truffle. This soulful effort is a medium bodied Pinot Noir that reveals everything with a light touch, but has sultry powers that will drive you crazy for more, sometimes a wonderful Burgundy can touch your soul, this is that kind of wine, drink from 2014 to 2020.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $84.99
Plouzeau Chinon Rive Gauche Rose, Loire 2016 750ML ($17.95) $14 special, 36+ bottles available
Josh Raynolds–Vinous 90 points “Vivid orange-pink. Cherry pit, red currant, pungent flowers and a suggestion of succulent herbs on the nose. Sappy and focused in the mouth, offering bitter cherry and orange flavors and a zesty hint of white pepper that adds back-end spiciness. Closes supple and long, featuring lingering florality and a sweet raspberry flourish. This wine has the heft to work with full-flavored food, but there’s also a raciness that makes it extremely easy to drink by itself.”
Kruger-Rumpf Munsterer Dautenpflanzer Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2004 750ML ($49.95) $39 special, 36+ bottles available
Jancis Robinson – Top 20 German Wine Producer in 2004
Terry Theise notes “Dautenpflänzer is one the leading Grand Crus of the lower Nahe, with a typical mélange of soil types within its borders. Rumpf claims some of it is slatey and some of it is “sandy loam,” which agrees more with the standard references. It is in any case singular and immediately significant, giving a sometimes damnably complex set of aromas and flavors including coconut, violet, soursop, leaf-smoke—it is a very long list even if you’re sober. In any case it belongs with the vamping exotics of the Nahe.” [Reviewed 2015]
“Rumpf’s 2004 Munsterer Dautenpflanzer Riesling Spatlese smells of pineapple, pear and white peach, following with a delicate and refined palate impression saturated with a sense of liquid slate and pure pear, peach and pineapple fruit. The finish is smooth and long with generous fruit augmented by subtle spice and crushed stone. Classic 2004 virtues are on display.” -David Schildknecht [Reviewed 2005]
Wine Spectator 89 points “Very firmly structured, but this is dense and offers spice and mineral shadings to complement the apple and white peach notes. Still leaning toward the structure on the finish, but this shows promise. Best from 2007 through 2020. 250 cases made.” WS [Reviewed 2006]
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
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Arriving in August
Franck Balthazar
Old School Cornas
“Over the last decade, the soft-spoken Franck Balthazar has emerged as one of the most consistently top-notch winemakers not just in Cornas, but in the entire Rhone Valley. Winemaking here is very traditional, utilizing whole clusters and only 10% to 15% new oak ‘just to maintain the usual rotation of wood, not for aroma or flavor.’ Balthazar’s Cornas bottlings are some of the most elegant of the appellation, but their light touch can be deceiving. They have also proven to be excellent cellar candidates even though they show a highly seductive character in their youth.” –Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media
Franck Balthazar Cornas Cuvee Casimir Balthazar, Rhone 2015 750ML ($69.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 92-94 points “Bright violet. Vibrant, smoke-accented dark berries, candied flowers, licorice and allspice on the highly fragrant nose. Sappy, penetrating and seamless on the palate, offering alluringly sweet black raspberry, cherry compote and spicecake flavors that show excellent clarity and mineral lift. Expressive and distinctly elegant in style; silky tannins build slowly on a very long, floral-dominated finish.”
Franck Balthazar Cornas Sans soufre ajoute, Rhone 2015 750ML ($79.95) $69 pre-arrival special
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 92-94 points “Deep ruby. Ripe blackberry, cherry liqueur, licorice, woodsmoke and olive on the deeply perfumed nose. Concentrated and powerful but energetic as well, offering expansive black and blue fruit, bitter chocolate and spicecake flavors that are given spine by a core of juicy acidity. The impressively long, sappy finish features supple tannins, a touch of candied flowers and lingering smokiness.”
Franck Balthazar Cornas Chaillot, Rhone 2015 750ML ($79.95) $69 pre-arrival special
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 94-96 points “Inky ruby. Spicy, exotically perfumed aromas of cassis, cherry compote, potpourri and incense are complicated and lifted by a smoky mineral quality. Sappy, sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated but energetic bitter cherry, blueberry, olive and star anise flavors that deepen on the back half. The floral note comes back strong on a strikingly long, seamless, dark-fruit-driven finish that shows just a hint of harmonious tannins.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
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Also Arriving in August
2012 Vincent Paris
“An up and coming superstar of Cornas, Vincent Paris manages his roughly 20-acre estate to produce three Cornas; the Granit 30, which comes from younger vines located lower on the slope, in the lieu-dit Mazards; the Granite 60, which includes the older vines of the estate (and comes from steeper, higher elevation slopes); and the La Geynale, which comes from a single plot of 100-year-old vines located mostly in the Renard lieu-dit (it is also the only wine to not see any destemming). With regards to the Granit 30 and Granit 60, the number refers to the slope of the hill where the vines are planted, not the age of the vines. While 2011 and 2012 produced a bevy of more forward, moderately concentrated wines, both of these 2011s and 2012s buck that trend and offer serious depth and richness. They’re some of the top wines in the appellation and readers need to get on this young vigneron’s bandwagon!” –Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60, Rhone 2012 750ML ($69.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 94 -97 points “Similarly styled, yet slightly richer and more tannic, the 2012 Cornas Granit 60 has incredible notes of black raspberry, powdered rock, graphite, licorice and liquid violets. Also full-bodied, with superb concentration and depth, as well as a firm tannic spine, this gorgeous effort should be given 4-5 years of bottle age and consumed over the following 10-15 years.” WA
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Guigal
As Citizen Kane is to filmmakers, Guigal is to winemakers: an inspiration. We’re proud to announce the arrival of the 2015 Condrieu. Don’t miss the other options here and arriving this fall!
E. Guigal Condrieu, Rhone 2015 750ML ($59.95) $49 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95 points “Guigal’s 2015 Condrieu is a blockbuster that, if not for its big brother, would be one of the wines of the vintage. Aged in one-third new barrels and two-thirds in tank, it’s a rich, unctuous, thrillingly textured beauty that has plenty of orange blossom, flower oil, tangerine and peach. Fruit-loaded, with just a touch of minerality, it should be drunk over the coming 2-4 years.”
James Suckling 94 points “Peach and apricot-pie character that’s very showy and very much within the sweet-pastry spectrum. There’s also some spicy appeal to complement notes of cumquat rind. Pithy and focused. The palate has an exotic, tropical thread of mangoes, peaches and cantaloupe melon. Very hedonistic and regal — full of fat and very convincing viognier. A great vintage. Drink young whilst exuberant!”
E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 2009 750ML ($599.95) $499 special, 6 bottles available
Robert Parker 100 points “The 2009 Cote Rotie La Landonne is a killer wine. An extravagant bouquet of black truffles, roasted meats, licorice, ground pepper, blackberries, scorched earth and camphor soars from this muscular, dense, over-the-top, serious, masculine La Landonne. Built like Arnold Schwarzenegger was two decades ago, this enormously concentrated bodybuilder of a wine should hit its prime in a decade, and last 40-50 years. This is no trivial boast as the debut vintage of La Landonne, the 1978, is just reaching full maturity at age 34.” RP
Wine Spectator 99 points “This delivers a stunningly ripe, pure, polished bolt of plum confiture, along with notes of anise, mocha, blueberry coulis, Black Forest cake and espresso. The finish sports admirable grip for this ripe-styled vintage, with a grounding rod of iron buried deeply. There’s fruit and muscle now, with minerality to burn while this is cellared. Best from 2015 through 2040.”
E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane, Rhone 2015 750ML ($119.95) $89 pre-arrival special, ETA September
Wine Advocate 99 points “Easily one of the greatest Condrieu I’ve ever tasted is the 2015 Condrieu La Doriane. A wine that needs to be tasted to be believed, it possesses a huge nose of toasted brioche, liquid rocks, apricot, flower oil and salty minerality. Unctuous, full-bodied, massively rich, yet also elegant and graceful, with beautiful freshness, enjoy this tour de force over the coming 5-6 years.”
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 95 points “Brilliant yellow-gold. Powerful orange, nectarine and honeydew aromas are complemented by suave floral, vanilla and chalky mineral accents. Supple and expansive in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated, smoke-tinged poached pear and peach nectar flavors that pick up honey and iodine qualities as the wine opens up. Lush and seamless but surprisingly energetic in style, showing superb closing thrust and lingering suggestions of buttery brioche and candied pit fruits.”
Wine Spectator 95 points “Lush, with papaya, mango and ginger notes layered seamlessly, while hints of heather honey, anise and piecrust hang in the background. The long and rich finish has no choice but to let the fruit power on. All hedonism and thoroughly delicious. Drink now through 2022.”
E. Guigal Saint-Joseph ‘Cuvee Lieu-Dit Saint-Joseph’ Blanc, Rhone 2015 750ML ($69.95) $49 pre-arrival special, ETA October
Wine Advocate 96 points “The second year where they’ve moved away from 100% new oak, the 2015 St Joseph Lieu Dit St Joseph Blanc is all Marsanne and offers an utterly profound bouquet of orange blossom, white flowers, crushed rocks, licorice, white peach and honeysuckle. Full-bodied, rich and layered, yet with incredible purity, it’s the finest example of this cuvée I’ve tasted. Bravo!”
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Thank you for reading!