Category Archives: Special Features

Wine of the Day: Bodegas Nekeas ‘El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa’ 2013 7-14-16

Bodegas Nekeas ‘El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa’, Navarra 2013 750ML ($17.95) Buy Now: $14

Tucked in the rugged northeast corner of Spain lies Navarre. It was and remains a land of pilgrims headed to Santiago, bulls running through Pamplona, and Hemingway. Navarre also produces some of Spain’s most distinctive cooler-climate wines, including some very fine Grenache, a grape that originated in the area. Bodegas Nekeas makes some of the best wines in Navarre, and their 2013 El Chaparral only reinforces their credibility. If these vines could talk… Planted a century ago, this is legitimate old-vine wine. Cool and refreshing on the tongue, with perky acidity, the 2013 envelops the palate with a medium body, and then the old vines kick in: the finish exudes concentrated flavors of blackberry, spice, plum, and raspberry.… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Goodfellow Family Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2013 & 2014 7-13-16

Goodfellow Family Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2013 750ML ($24.95) Buy Now: $18

Goodfellow Family Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2014 750ML ($21.95) Buy Now: $18

Every living room, backyard or balcony, every kitchen, game room and cellar needs balanced, correct, easy-drinking wines to help bring them alive. So, here’s one. Two, actually: Goodfellow Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, from 2013 or 2014. Marcus Goodfellow has been making wine under his Matello brand (which we also carry) since 2002, and has now stepped things up, including a new winery in McMinnville. Family-owned, the Goodfellow name deserves its own label. The vines average 24 years of age and are not irrigated. The wine spends 15 months in French oak. Choose the 2013 if you seek a lighter, more acidic and approachable style of Pinot, or open the 2014 if you prefer riper fruit, more structure, and something to match food like BBQ.… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Holden Wine Company Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc 2015 7-12-16

Holden Wine Company Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc 2015 750ML ($19.95) Buy Now: $16 special

Why stop when you’re on a roll? One more quick bit on a fantastic offering from Holden, one of my personal favorites.

The 2015 Pinot Blanc from Holden delivers delicate fruit notes, breezy floral elements, and a mineral-laden finish. A light and clean wine with lots of energy and grace; a prime example of Oregon’s ‘Other Wine Grape’. Really pretty texture, with tangerine and lemon meeting up against white flowers and a hint of cashew. It ain’t trying to be anything it’s not; just pretty, transparent winemaking in a suave little package. – Tyler… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Stift Goettweig Messwein Rose Pinot Noir Kremstal 2015 7-11-16

Stift Goettweig Messwein Rose Pinot Noir, Kremstal 2015 750ML ($21.95) Buy now: $18 special

Fine wines have been made at Stift Goettweig since the 11th century. Originally a Benedictine alter wine (messwein), this rosé from Austria’s Kremstal region is made entirely of Pinot Noir. Light and dry, its strawberry, cherry, and raspberry notes mingle deliciously with some spice. Note the Rococo cherub on the label, and the screw cap’s pastel god reclining in horse-drawn chariot! A touch of old-school class for a divine little rosé. – Daniel… Read the rest

Wines of the Day: Chassagne Rouge from Morey, Gagnard, Moreau, & Pillot 7-10-16

Domaine Jean-Noel Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Cuvee L’Estimee, Cote de Beaune 2011 750ML ($37.95) Buy Now: $29 special

Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge Vieilles Vignes, Cote de Beaune 2013 750ML ($69.95) Buy Now: $59 special

Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge, Cote de Beaune 2013 750ML ($49.95) Buy Now: $39 special

Thomas Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes Rouge, Cote de Beaune 2013 750ML ($39.95) Buy Now: $36 special

It’s tough to straightjacket wine, though laws and preconceptions sometimes try. Most of us think of Burgundy’s Chassagne-Montrachet as a white wine village, for good reason: they’re some of the world’s finest Chardonnays. Yet only a few generations ago Chassagne produced more red than white. The soils, of course, didn’t change. Limestone marl dominates portions of Chassagne’s vineyards, to the joy of Pinot Noir.… Read the rest