New July Sale Wine: Berangerie Malbec Rosé; New Week – New Arrivals; Featured Wine Arriving Friday: Belle Glos Dairyman Vyd; New Reviews for Rhone Wines from Josh Raynolds of Vinous Media; Maitia Pipeno: ‘Gulpable’ Red; Vincent Dauvissat: Arriving Wednesday; Vincent Paris: Arriving Wednesday; Muller-Catoir: Arriving Wednesday; 2014 Michel Niellon: ETA August; 2016 Donnhoff: ETA October; Guigal Saint Joseph Blanc: ETA October; July Sales Recap
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New July Sale Wine
Berangerie Malbec Rosé
Domaine de la Berangeraie ‘Tu Bois Coa’ Rose, IGP Cotes du Lot 2015 750ML ($14.95) Was $11.90, Now $9.75
Winery note: 100% Malbec. Very aromatic (raspberry, wild strawberry, blueberry), with a pronounced pomegranate color. The palate is rich, vinous, and unctuous. Drink as an aperitif, or with BBQ and exotic fruits.
This was the lowest listed price in the USA today,
Now it’s even lower!
Subscriber Only Special: Buy 12 bottles and you will pay only $8.25/bottle!
See the complete list of all wines on sale through the month of July at the bottom of this newsletter!
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New Week – New Arrivals
California
Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah, North Coast 2015 750ML ($27.95) $24 special
Antonio Galloni 91 points “Inky blue and purplish fruit, bacon fat, licorice, smoke, exotic spice and black pepper are some of the many notes that run through the 2015 Syrah North Coast. A huge, richly textured wine, the 2015 North Coast Syrah offers unreal quality for the money. The 50% whole clusters are pretty much buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley 2015 750ML ($27.95) $24 special
Wine Spectator 93 points “Rich and supple, this is an explosion of pure, decadent fruit. Floral huckleberry and Chinese five-spice powder aromas open to layered blackberry, dark chocolate and licorice flavors that linger. Drink now through 2026.”
France – Burgundy
Vincent Dauvissat Chablis, Burgundy 2014 750ML ($79.95) $69 special
Stephen Tanzer–Vinous 91 points “The nose suggests terrific stony cut and a yeasty baked bread quality. Then tightly wound and densely packed, with taut, incisive flavors of lemon, white peach, brown spices and stone. An outstanding Chablis villages with aging potential.”
Burghound 90 points “Here the nose is compositionally similar to the Petit Chablis though at the same time more elegant and more complex. There is impressive volume and richness to the seductively textured middle weight flavors that exude a fine bead of minerality on the sappy, balanced and solidly persistent finish. This notably dry effort should drink well young yet age effortlessly for 5 to 8 years, perhaps even a bit longer. Excellent.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
Vincent Dauvissat La Forest, Chablis Premier Cru 2014 750ML ($119.95) $99 special
Stephen Tanzer–Vinous 94+ points “Bright, pale yellow. Lovely perfumed lift to the aromas and flavors of lemon zest, grapefruit and white flowers. Tactile and dense but very closed on the palate, combining a sexy sweetness for the year with powerful salinity and superb depth. Most impressive today on the energetic, slowly mounting, palate-staining finish, which leaves the retronasal passage quivering. Premier cru Chablis from the region’s left bank does not get much better than this.”
Burghound 94 points “2014 Chablis “La Forest”: This is more restrained still, indeed so much so that the nose only reluctantly reveals its notes of classic Chablis aromas that include green fruit, iodine, tidal pool and oyster shell. There is outstanding volume and almost painful intensity to the medium-bodied flavors that brim with a fine minerality before concluding in a stony, long and impeccably well-balanced finale where once again a hint of bitter lemon appears. This stunner of a wine will need at least a few years of bottle age to fully harmonize and to become more accessible. I would add that the 2014 version of this wine is perhaps the finest that I have ever seen; the 2010 is incredible but this has the potential to top even that superb effort.”
Decanter 95 points “Lovely floral and pear notes on a tight but very ripe and mineral palate. A very energetic premier cru with a lovely combination of aromas and textural richness.”
Vincent Dauvissat Vaillons, Chablis Premier Cru 2013 750ML ($99.95) $89 special
Stephen Tanzer–Vinous 91 points “Aromas of menthol, minerals and wet stone suggest an austere wine. Then rich but backward on the palate, conveying noteworthy sweetness to the complex flavors of pineapple, mirabelle, apricot pit and violet. Finishes with a lightly phenolic edge. Not quite as pure as the 2014 edition but a triumph for its vintage.”
Burghound 91 points “A very fresh and cool nose features notes of mineral reduction, dried apricot, wet stone and citrus. The intense and beautifully well-detailed flavors possess a silky mouth feel as well as the same stony character telegraphed by the nose, all wrapped in an impressively long and slightly austere and lemon-inflected finish. This sleek effort should reward a few years of bottle age yet also be accessible on the early side.”
Serafin Pere & Fils Les Cazetiers, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2014 750ML ($219.95) $149 special
Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2014 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers has a lifted bouquet, very well defined with blackcurrant, black cherry, undergrowth and cold black tea aromas that gain intensity on the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine acidity, the oak neatly integrated here and allowing the terroir to show through on the clean, precise, minerally finish. This is just a lovely Gevrey-Chambertin from Serafin.”
Stephen Tanzer–Vinous 92 points “(this fruit is always picked at the end, noted winemaker Frédérique Bachotet): Bright, dark red-ruby. Very ripe cherry and chocolate scents. Wonderfully rich, deep wine with a restrained sweetness and noteworthy density to its flavors of redcurrant, spices and saline minerality. The terroir really speaks here. The long finish features lingering earth tones.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
France – Rhone
Domaine Paul Autard Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Cote Ronde, Rhone 2010 750ML ($69.95) $59 special
Robert Parker 94 points “A sensational effort, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee La Cote Ronde reveals a touch of toasty oak in the aromatics, but it is beautifully integrated with kirsch, roasted Provencal herb, espresso and black currant aromas. This full-throttle, masculine and rich wine possesses sweet tannins as well as good integration of structure and acidity. It is built for the long haul, yet can be drunk in 2-3 years or cellared for two decades.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “This isn’t shy, with flashy mocha, toasted raisin, cinnamon and pastis aromas rushing forth, but there’s sleek, integrated structure and solid layers of linzer torte, plum pâte de fruit and bramble to fill it out. A tarry edge lingers on the finish. Best from 2014 through 2026.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Italy – Alto Adige
Foradori ‘Fuoripista’ Pinot Grigio Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, Trentino-Alto Adige 2015 750ML ($49.95) $41.90 special
Winery note “Fuoripista narrates an alternative route, a pathway out of the common, a different perception and vision of nature. Fuoripista Pinot Grigio arises from the cooperation of Foradori and Marco Devigili, biodynamic winegrower of the Campo Rotaliano, and expresses the essence of a variety widely diffused in Trentino. More than 8 months of skin contact in amphorae (tinaja from Villarobledo, Spain) liberates and emphasizes the delicate character of this Pinot Grigio.”
Germany – Nahe
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2014 750ML ($39.95) $36 special
Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2014 Riesling Spätlese Oberhäuser Brücke–from Dönnhoff’s famous Eiswein, Auslese and Spätlese vineyard–opens very fine, pure and coolish on the slate-like/flinty nose. Piquant, sweet and juicy on the palate, this is a highly elegant and minerally structured Spätlese with a perfectly ripe acidity. It’s always the latest vineyard that has been picked. If there is a vineyard in Dönnhoff’s portfolio that is similar to the Saar, it is the Brücke, and especially the 2014 vintage. It’s just great.”
Don’t miss our new offer of 2016 Donnhoff pre-arrivals below!
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Featured Wine Arriving Friday
Belle Glos Dairyman Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2015 750ML ($44.95) $39 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 92 points “Delightfully rich and expressive, with tiers of dark blackberry, mocha, licorice and cherry. Broad and lingering on the deep and persistent finish. Drink now.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $51
Subscriber Only Special: Buy 6 bottles for $198 ($33/bottle)
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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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New Reviews for Rhone Wines
From Josh Raynolds of Vinous Media
Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas La Geynale, Rhone 2014 750ML ($69.95) $59 special, 28 bottles available
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 93 points “Inky ruby. Vibrant, mineral-accented cherry, cassis, violet and spicecake aromas show outstanding clarity and lift. Palate-staining black and blue fruit flavors pick up subtle olive and bitter chocolate nuances as the wine opens up. Shows surprising depth for the vintage and finishes impressively long and sweet; sneaky tannins shape the lingering blue fruit.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
The average price nationally is $69
Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas, Rhone 2014 750ML ($149.95) $119 special, 16 bottles available
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 94 points “Bright purple. Powerful, smoke-accented black and blue fruit, candied flowers, licorice, olive and Indian spices on the deeply perfumed nose. Sappy, concentrated and seamless on the palate, offering alluringly sweet blackberry, cherry compote, violet pastille and spicecake flavors that show excellent clarity and mineral lift. Expressive and surprisingly lithe given its depth, finishing with building tannins and impressive, blue-fruit-dominated persistence.”
Domaine Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie Ampodium, Rhone 2014 750ML ($89.95) $79 special, 24 bottles available
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 93 points “Bright violet. Heady, smoke-tinged blueberry, cherry and violet aromas pick up a hint of olive as the wine opens up. Sweet and energetic on the palate, offering concentrated dark berry and floral pastille flavors complemented by a suggestion of spicecake. The impressively long, blue-fruit-dominated finish delivers strong minerally cut and fine-grained tannins that sneak in late and add shape.”
E. Guigal Condrieu, Rhone 2015 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special, ETA July
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 93 points “Pale gold. High-pitched orchard and pit fruit and floral scents show excellent clarity and a hint of dusty minerals. Densely packed yet energetic on the palate, showing impressive clarity to the white peach, pear, tangerine and honeysuckle flavors. The mineral note repeats on the impressively long finish, which shows outstanding focus and intensity.”
Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie, Rhone 2014 750ML ($149.95) $119 pre-arrival special, ETA July
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 94 points “Deep ruby. Heady, smoke- and mineral-tinged blueberry, raspberry and violet aromas show outstanding clarity and a hint of Asian spices. Sweet and seamless on the palate, offering deeply concentrated but surprisingly animated red and dark berry and floral pastille flavors, along with a suggestion of spicecake. The strikingly long, penetrating finish features intense minerally cut, an echo of juicy red fruit and fine-grained tannins that come in late.”
E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane, Rhone 2015 750ML ($119.95) $89 pre-arrival special, ETA September
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.”
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A Frenchman Goes To Chile and Makes
A Perfect Spring Red
The Pais grape, which is a descendant of Mission, is widely planted in Chile, yet virtually unknown here. It’s the primary grape of Pipiño, the classic wine of Southern Chile, which is unfortunately almost entirely consumed domestically. David Marcel, originally from France, fell in love with these wines while working in Chile and started making a version for his label, Maita. The resulting wine, from 120 year old País vines with some Carignan blended in, is fermented in traditional concrete tanks with native yeasts and is bright and fresh. Serve it with a little chill alongside everything from fresh salads to grilled pork.
Maitia ‘Aupa Pipeno’, Maule Valley, Chile 2016 750ML ($14.95) $11.90 special
Case-12 Maitia ‘Aupa Pipeno’, Maule Valley, Chile 2016 750ML ($149.95) $128 special (that’s only $10.66/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 92 points “The super-tasty and gulpable 2016 Aupa Pipeño is a blend of País with some 30% Carignan (and whatever is found in the old vineyards) from a slightly cooler year. It keeps the style of previous vintages with the bright red fruit and the freshness of short macerations. In the dry-farming part of Maule they only saw 30 to 50 millimeters of rain when in the central valley they got 200! These grapes were harvested before the rain anyway, but the wine retains the freshness of a cooler year, fresher than 2015, more in line with the 2014 and 2013” –LG
Wine and Spirits 92 points “David Marcel, from France’s Basque country, was working in Maule as a bulk wine broker while building his own project, Maitía, back in 2012. That’s when he fell in love with the refreshing pipeños, the traditional wines of Chile’s south, usually made from país… The result is a lovely, refreshing and red-fruited pipeño, with vivid, shining acidity. It’s the kind of wine you won’t stop drinking.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
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Vincent Dauvissat Chablis
Arriving Wednesday
“A strong case can be made that, of all the places where Chardonnay is grown, Chablis produces the most distinctive wines. Even “village” wines from good producers have a unique charm and minerality. But in the hands of a true master, working with old vines and elite vineyards, Chablis can scale heights unknown to other Chardonnay makers. Such is the case with the wines of René & Vincent Dauvissat. Along with François Raveneau, Dauvissat is unquestionably Chablis’ greatest producer, owning some of the oldest and best vineyards, including prized sections of the grand crus, Les Clos and Les Preuses.” – Importer note
Vincent Dauvissat Les Clos, Chablis Grand Cru 2006 750ML ($319.95) $249 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 96-97 points “From cask, the 2006 Chablis Les Clos represents another striking contrast within this year’s R.& V. Dauvissat collection. After the welcoming richness and savory expressions of Chablis character in the Preuses, this wine displays a cool restraint and stony minerality. A fascinating wealth of floral and herbal nuances on the nose similarly infuse a mouth-filling, satiny, yet firm palate, accompanied by grapefruit, orange, gooseberry, white peach, cyanic hints of fruit pit, and chalk, and leading to a finish of extraordinary, subtle persistence. This formidably dense Chablis should be permitted several years of bottle evolution, and should then drink well for more than a decade.”
Stephen Tanzer 95+ points “Pale, bright yellow. Initially more expressive on the nose than the Preuses, offering orange zest, spices and crushed stone, but quickly went into a shell. Wonderfully sweet, sappy and dense, if less obviously round than the Preuses. The high-pitched flavors of lemon, spice, aromatic herbs, violet and minerals are far easier to taste today than those of the Preuses. Finishes classically dry and juicy, with great lift to its crushed stone flavor.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Vincent Dauvissat La Forest, Chablis Premier Cru 2012 750ML ($119.95) $99 pre-arrival special
Antonio Galloni 95+ points “The 2012 Chablis La Forest is one of the most reticent wines in this range. Here it is the wine’s phenolic weight and vertical sense of structure that stand out. Lemon oil, ash, smoke and petrol are some of the many nuances that inform a tightly-wound finish that never really opens up. The 2012 Forest is a wine for the patient, but it is shaping up to be a gem.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
Vincent Dauvissat La Forest, Chablis Premier Cru 2013 750ML ($119.95) $89 pre-arrival special
Stephen Tanzer – Vinous 93 points “Bright, pale yellow. Less fruity and exotic than the Montée de Tonnerre, hinting at oyster shell on the nose. Sappy, chewy and concentrated but quite dry; distinctly more stony and mineral than the Montée de Tonnerre and every bit as long. This struck me as like a mini-Clos. An outstanding and ageworthy 2013 but it’s not especially austere today.”
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Arriving Friday, July 28th
Vincent Paris
It’s pretty clear that Vincent Paris is the next “it” winemaker in the Northern Rhone. Working primarily in Cornas, the wines have everything we love about Northern Rhone Syrah packaged in a clean, direct style. He has the benefit of incredible vineyard material, too, as he now works the vineyards his uncle, Robert Michel, made famous. He makes several wines from Cornas that are arriving this summer and we’re pleased we get to offer the range. The “Granit” series wines refer to the steepness of the slopes that they are produced from (30 and 60 [!] degrees respectively) and the Geynale is from a lieu-dit in Reynard with over 100 year old vines.
Arriving Friday, July 28th
Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 30, Rhone 2015 750ML ($44.95) $36 pre-arrival special
Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 30, Rhone 2015 1.5L ($89.95) $79 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 91-94 points “Starting with his younger vine cuvée, the 2015 Cornas Granit 30 (1,500 cases) comes from the Patou and Saint Pierre lieux-dits and will see roughly 15 months in barrel. It’s a deep, sexy, fruit-loaded beauty that has a saturated purple color, awesome notes of blackberries, blueberries, violets, spring flowers and licorice, as well as full-bodied richness and sweet, yet present tannin. This puppy has tons of fruit and is relatively upfront and textured, but it has enough tannin to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age.”
This is the only listing in the USA today for the magnum!
Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60, Rhone 2015 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60, Rhone 2015 1.5L ($119.95) $99 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 92-95 points “Possessing additional minerality, as well as tannin, the sensational 2015 Cornas Granit 60 offers a kaleidoscope of black raspberry, blueberries, liquid violets, licorice and crushed rocks. Mostly destemmed and coming from the steep parcels located at higher elevations (lieux-dits Patou, Mazards and Sauman), this rich, concentrated, full-bodied beauty will need 4-5 years (or more) of cellaring to shed its baby fat and integrate its tannin, but it’s a killer wine readers should buy by the case; there were just over 400 cases produced.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today on the magnum!
Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas La Geynale, Rhone 2015 750ML ($69.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas La Geynale, Rhone 2015 1.5L ($149.95) $128 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 95-97 points “The 2015 Cornas La Geynale comes from the oldest vines of the estate and the lieux-dits of Reynard and La Genale, all steep, granite terroirs. This cuvée, which is never destemmed, is aged in older barrels. It’s certainly the most classic in style, with more pepper, game, olives and earth, yet still possesses the same purity, fruit and wealth of material found in these cuvées. Full-bodied, deep, concentrated, structured and perfectly balanced, it’s an incredibly complete wine that will need to be forgotten for 4-5 years, and will keep for 10-15 years. Bravo!”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $69
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today for the magnum!
The next best price for the magnum is $149.99
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Muller-Catoir
Arriving Late July
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.
Muller-Catoir Wines Arriving July 26th:
Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Im Breumel Riesling Auslese, Pfalz 2015 375ML ($49.95) $39 pre-arrival 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 pre-arrival 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 pre-arrival 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 pre-arrival 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 pre-arrival 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 pre-arrival 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 pre-arrival 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 pre-arrival 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!
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Michel Niellon:
2014 Premier Cru Chassagne Montrachets
Arriving in August
Domaine Michel Niellon Les Chenevottes, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2014 750ML ($79.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Stephen Tanzer–Vinous 90-92 points “Bright, green-tinged pale yellow. Reticent aromas of lime, kiwi, white pepper and spicy oak show a medicinal reserve today. Tactile, dusty and very dry; shows excellent framing acidity and energy but seems less fruity than usual for this cuvée. Dense and seamless in the middle, then quite dry and a bit youthfully austere on the long back end.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $70
Domaine Michel Niellon Clos Saint-Jean, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2014 750ML ($79.95) $66 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 93 points “This hangs together, with peach, apple and lemon fruit shaded by vanilla and pastry accents. A good structure binds this all together, ending with crisp salinity. Best from 2018 through 2025.”
Domaine Michel Niellon Clos de la Maltroie, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2014 750ML ($79.95) $69 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 94 points “A powerful, viscous white, with floral, lemon oil and mineral notes. Delivers good acidity and a chalky sensation, leaving a juicy impression on the finish. Best from 2018 through 2028.”
Domaine Michel Niellon Les Vergers, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2014 750ML ($79.95) $69 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 93 points “A fine, cohesive white, whose peach, apple and spice flavors converge seamlessly with the plush texture. Still firm on the finish, which bodes well for future development. A lemon note lingers on the finish. Best from 2019 through 2027.”
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2016 Donnhoff
Arriving in October
Terry Theise on the 2016 vintage “2016 does not appear to have a dark side. At least where I tasted, it is almost never not delicious, almost never ungainly, unbalanced or unappealing. I can hardly remember a more adorable vintage. I don’t know where I’d place it on some grid of profundity or Solemn Importance. Neither do I care. I was too blasted by repeated inputs of joy, sheer joy, and grinning, giddy, animal joy. But, not merely animal. Because this vintage can address the most humane, civilized, decent and grateful parts of us. It never clamors or fusses for our attention. It never preens or puts on some gaudy show. It doesn’t get its freak on because it doesn’t seem to have a freak at all. It is, instead, calmly and serenely delicious. Actually, totally fucking delicious. It is a medium-weight vintage and its weight is elegantly and gracefully dispersed. It is graceful overall, and also lithe, limber and lissome. It is strong when it needs to be, but it measures its strength judiciously and with restraint. It shows every aspect of superb German Riesling, but doesn’t emphasize any at the expense of the others. It is neither a fruit driven nor floral driven nor mineral driven nor acid driven vintage—it is all of these. Whatever you like about these wines, you’ll find it in plenitude.”
Weingut Donnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2016 750ML ($74.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “A conglomerate of slate and porphyry, the site entails the little hollows between cliff-sides; it’s very steep and terraced and quiet, which may account for the wines’ riddlesome nature, wines of pure inference and umami that need several years not just to blossom, but simply to say what they taste like. This is especially true of the dry wines. This ’16 is relatively overt and smoky, but no sequence of descriptors will be useful—it’s just too soon. The texture seems more lush than usual, and there’s an earthy note, and as compelling as it is, I respect the shroud and will wait patiently.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Donnhoff ‘Felsenturmchen’ Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2016 750ML ($69.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “Perhaps the apex of porphyry (though it contains decomposed melaphyr also), and I would argue this is the finest expression of what I deem to be Riesling’s most noble home. I could write at great length about the flavor of porphyry-grown Riesling, among wine’s greatest miracles. Suffice it to say, these wines taste as though they were made by a vizier with a boiling cauldron and a set of a hundred spice boxes. It’s hard to fathom such wines coming from prosaic grapes and dirt, and yet they do. And while any solidly competent grower lucky enough to have Riesling sites on this soil will make fascinating wine, Dönnhoff is like Bach, another order of being. This ’16 is a euphoric thrall of porphyry aromas, and the palate is an entire quarry or pulverized mineral with edges of sorrel and dandelion greens. It’s both limpid and energetic.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2016 750ML ($79.95) $69 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “Cornelius describes this as a “grand dry wine with a Mona-Lisa smile,” but I usually find it less enigmatic, and in 2016 it is clearly, definitely and obviously fantastic. Intense yet filigree. Focused, and directed towards the conclusion of a complex argument, letting you follow the logic and the beauty of the thoughts, and then you perceive the grace of the language and you wish you could read it out loud to someone—to anyone. It’s not as electrifying as the ’15 was, it’s more deliberate. But that very sense of careful unfurling seems born of love.”
Grapelive 96 points “The barrel sample of Donnhoff’s majestic Hermannshohle GG gives a great insight into this wonderful dry Riesling and the vintage, which may not grab the headlines like the 2015 did, but still looks to be a monumental effort. This slatey historic site has produced a great wine that will certainly be one of the wines of the year! I was amazed by the 2016 Hermannshohle, as tasted with Cornelius Donnhoff. It is a powerful and thrilling white wine that already has a prodigious palate impact and intense purity of form. From years of tasting cask samples from Donnhoff, I have absolute faith the bottled version will be even better! Donnhoff uses spontaneous fermentations and a mix of stuckfass (oval oak cask), doppelstuck (bigger 2,400L cask) and stainless to capture vintage and terroir of each vineyard. This is clearly showcased in their Grand Crus, which rank up there with the greatest wines in the world, in particular this Hermannshohle GG. [It] shows an elegant grace and underlying power that makes you take notice, there’s no question, when you taste this wine. You know immediately that you are tasting something remarkable and special. Of course this is not new news to anyone who has had Donnhoff, one of the planet’s best wineries, but there is a lot to like about the 2016 lineup across the board. [There is] a varied array of offerings that come from a mix of soil types, like the pebblely/loamy Premier Cru Kahlenberg Trocken, the volcanic influenced Grand Cru Felsenberg Trocken, the clay and grey slate monopole Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese to this pure slate driven Hermannshohle! The 2016 Donnhoff Hermanshohle GG starts with subtle white flowers, loads of flinty spicy mineral and stone leading to a brisk youthful palate of steely citrus, peach and green apple with a core of lime, white currant, a hint of gooseberry and citron that highlights the extract. While tight, focused and compact now, it looks set to be a classic. Lingering melon, faint mango, saline and wet stone adds to the complexity of detail in a wine of true potential. I hope I get a chance to re-visit this beauty in 10 years, in the meantime don’t miss Donnhoff’s the Krotenpfuhl Kabinett, a stellar value. This Hermannshohle GG should be in your cellar when released this fall, it has a rewarding future, I’d put it in the same league as Roulot Meursault and Raveneau Les Clos quality wise, drink from 2022-2035.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Donnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett, Nahe 2016 750ML ($27.95) $20.90 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “Essentially Feinherb in profile, this is a cool sleek edition of this often dark-bready wine, fetchingly delicious and saltier than usual.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett, Nahe 2016 750ML ($27.95) $21.90 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “All previously used adjectives apply! Slatey and smoky, a glory vintage of a great beauty. A 2008 we drank last Fall brought us to our knees, and Helmut’s been presenting unwary visitors with a 1990 vintage, which is a stunning wine from this “unexceptional” vineyard.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $26
Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2016 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “For many people this is a ne plus ultra of Riesling, and they’ll be happy to hear that ’16 is a firm and herbal version of a classic for which the typical descriptors apply. But what you can’t describe is the moment – and there’s always a moment—when the love overcomes your resistance, your doubt or your fear, and you let yourself fall; finally someone sees you, your cells are urging toward her, and hoo boy, this could be bliss; watch out… here goes.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2016 750ML ($49.95) $39 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “Spring frost reduced the yields, though not as much as had been feared; perhaps you saw pictures of the night-lit vineyard as Cornelius worked on warming things up. It’s a vivid fantasy, a scrutable and visible depiction of this ur-Riesling; guava, salts, fervent spiciness (ginger, lemon-candy) and a stunning finish of herbs, apple-skin and mineral. Both approachable, ethereal and quietly magnificent, if you possess an inner mystic, this wine speaks its language.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel, Nahe 2016 750ML ($89.95) $69 pre-arrival special
Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel, Nahe 2016 375ML ($49.95) $39 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “More fruit-forward than usual, though with many gleaming green angles; it’s numinous and almost minty, juicy, not terribly sweet, a cherry-candy rendering of botrytis; not clamorous but an unusual and compelling Auslese.”
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Also Arriving This Fall from Germany:
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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Guigal St. Joseph Blanc
Arriving in October
E. Guigal Saint-Joseph ‘Cuvee Lieu-Dit Saint-Joseph’ Blanc, Rhone 2015 750ML ($69.95) $49 pre-arrival special
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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July Sales Recap
These prices expire July 31st at midnight!
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