Category Archives: Special Features

Wine of the Day: Bodega Tapiz Zolo Cabernet Reserve 2013 11-17-16

Bodega Tapiz ‘Zolo’ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Uco Valley 2013 750ML ($21.95) Buy Now: $16 special

Here’s a wine for a chilly evening, a Wednesday dinner, or a Saturday night party. Wines from Argentina provide warmth, rich fruit, and satisfaction, at a fraction of what you’d pay for a domestic or European bottle. Have a glass of Bodega Tapiz Zolo Reserve alongside a steak, gaucho style, or polish off a bottle with a burger and a movie. Cabernet like this deserves a space in every kitchen. – Daniel

93 POINTS JAMES SUCKLING “Dried blackberry and blueberry character on the nose with hints of spice. Full body, dense and powerful fruit and tannins, yet remains firm and fresh. Chewy and structured.”… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: 2012 Camile Giroud Santenay 11-11-16

Camille Giroud Santenay, Cote de Beaune 2012 750ML ($49.95) Buy Now: $39 Special

We’ll keep this one short and sweet. We love the 2012 vintage in Burgundy, we love anything Becky Wasserman imports (Giroud especially) and Santenay is always one of the best value areas in red Burgundy.

This is one classy Pinot Noir, with everything you’d want in a ready-to-drink bottle. Camile Giroud’s Santenay is about 20% declassified Premier Cru vineyards and it tends to be one of best early-drinkers in their portfolio of vineyards. It’s a great bottle of Burgundy to drink while you wait for all of your longer term wines to age (though it will only improve over the next ten years).

As with most red Burgundy, this is going to be super versatile at the table and you could drink this with everything from richer fish dishes to chops and roasts.… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: 2014 Domaine Servin Chablis “Butteaux” 11-10-16

Domaine Servin Butteaux, Chablis Premier Cru 2014 750ML ($37.95) Buy Now: $28 Special

Chablis is a word that conjures up a lot of different wines for a lot of different people. Classically it’s a crisp clean white Burgundy, made from vines that grown in extremely chalky, limestone soil. Chablis became so popular that its good name was co-opted, most notably by big California jug wine producers. That leaves us with our current state; a once-world famous wine region now somehow undervalued, with all but a couple of producer’s wines affordable enough to drink regularly.

Domaine Servin is a perfect example of what might be termed ‘new-classic’ Chablis. They’re pure wines that speak very loudly of the soil and climate they come from and from great holdings too, yet somehow are undervalued. … Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Matello Fool’s Journey Syrah 11-09-16

Matello Fool’s Journey Deux Vert Vineyard, Willamette Valley 2012 750ML ($24.95) Buy Now: $21.90 special

Today, while enjoying the fact that I live in Oregon, this wine caught my eye. Matello’s “Fool’s Journey” Syrah comes from the Willamette Valley, so it offers a lighter-toned wine which I find more reasonable than the average over-cooked Syrah. Dark fruit and spice give to a refreshing finish, thanks to a reasonable, not-hot-headed 12.8% alcohol content. From non-irrigated vines planted in 1994, the 90/10 blend of Syrah/Viognier honors its Old World roots. Oregon wines like this express pure common sense. – Daniel… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Eugen Muller Kirchenstuck Riesling Auslese 2011 11-5-16

Eugen Muller Forster Kirchenstuck Auslese 2011 500ML ($34.95) Buy Now: $27 Special

Saul:

Normally we’d write a nice long description on the Eugen Muller Kirchenstuck Auslese, but this time I’m handing it over to the importer, who says all the things I want to say, but better:

“So when I sat with Jay MacInerney for the Wall St. Journal article, I said I’d bring along something to drink. I could have chosen anything, blown him away with a great Dönnhoff or with a Selbach Eiswein or a Leitz Roseneck. What I actually chose to bring was the 2001 Kirchenstück Auslese from Müller.

Every year for the last fifteen or more, this wine has been a masterpiece, and I can think of few if any parallels in the wine world—or in my wine world—of such sustained stellar performance year after year.… Read the rest