Vinopolis December 2nd Newsletter

Jump Start Sale 

James Suckling 95 points  “Blackberry, black currant and spice flavors hold court in this polished, international-style red. The tannins are dense, yet matched by sweet fruit, and the finish evokes tobacco and spice. Merlot and Sangiovese. Best from 2014 through 2020. 6,200 cases made”

Josh Raynolds 93 points “Bright ruby-red.  A highly complex bouquet displays sexy red berry preserve, incense and candied rose scents, along with suggestions of cola, mocha and allspice.  Sappy, deeply concentrated cherry and raspberry flavors are lifted and braced by juicy acidity and show excellent clarity and thrust.  Closes with palate-staining intensity and sweetness, leaving suave floral and Asian spice notes behind.  Impressively balanced and fine-grained, with serious cellaring potential”

Stephen Tanzer 91 points “Dark ruby.  Spicy cherry and dark berry aromas are complemented by an exotic Indian spice quality.  Chewy, round and nicely concentrated, with sweet, focused black and blue fruit compote flavors lifted by tangy acidity.  Appealingly sweet on the youthfully tannic finish, which leaves allspice, blueberry and bitter chocolate notes behind.  Shows the best traits of this difficult Barossa vintage and might surprise with its ability to age.”

Antonio Galloni 94 points “Green apples, pears, mint and white flowers meld together in the NV (2010) Extra Brut Resonance, 100% Pinot Noir from 35-40 year-old vines. Citrus, lime and a host of bright aromas and flavors suggest Chablis with bubbles. The Resonance is simply bristling with energy and focus today. This is a fabulous wine from proprietress Dominique Moreau. This bottle was disgorged in May 2013.”

Wine Advocate 91 points “The Prum 2008 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett smells of green tea, fresh apple, honeysuckle, and acacia; offers boundless refreshment and gravity-defying buoyancy with pungent invigoration of citrus peel and apple skin; and finishes with its pure fruit and effusive, persistent inner-mouth floral perfume allied to saline, stony, smoke, iodine-like and remarkably savory manifestations of things mineral. It will reward 20-25 years of cellaring for the few who put that claim to the test–or who are already convinced by their past experience with Prum Rieslings.”

Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “This offers a gorgeous nose of lemon, peach, white orchard fruits and some herbs. The wine is deliciously well balanced on the palate and delivers a stunningly long and well-balanced finish”

Wine Advocate 93 points “Prum’s 2011 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett is a tad higher in residual sugar and correspondingly lower in alcohol than its immediate stable mates, but as one would expect from this great site, if anything the taste impression is drier. A ravishing nose of heliotrope and honeysuckle, Normandy cider and wet stone establishes the common themes for a palate performance that unites delicacy, juiciness and creaminess to an uncanny degree that only a few of the best Mosel vineyards and their prime caretakers can capture. Mouthwateringly lingering and compelling of the next sip, this rarified illustration of Mosel Kabinett virtue will reward you over the next quarter century.”

Mosel Fine Wines 91 points “This delivers a great nose combining brown spices, some grapefruit and a hint of mango and quince. Some zestier and more floral elements come through after some extensive airing. The finish is comparatively ripe and long and leaves a delicious saline feel in the aftertaste. This is gorgeous.

Mosel Fine Wines 90 points “This delicious wine offers spicy flavors of laurel, caraway as well as white and yellow peach. The wine is nicely balanced on the palate and leaves an airy even intense feel in the medium long finish. This is a nicely made Spatlese.”

Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “This delivers a great nose which is driven by yellow fruits (rather than the usual white ones) blended into telltale flowery scents. The wine is comparably rich on the palate (by the standards of this estate) and leaves a fresh and fuity feel of fine spices in the long and harmonious finish. This is a nice wine made in a slightly Auslese style, even if the feeling if sweetness is that of a Spatlese.”

Wine Advocate 92 points “Candied, spiced apple and overripe Persian melon dominate the Prum 2011 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese gold capsule, with honeyed impingement both aromatically and on the palate reinforcing the sense of relative opacity and rounded richness that the other Graachers in this year’s collection displayed. Here the sense of delicacy is nearly weightless; intriguing and enticing notes of liquid peony and lily enter the picture mid-palate after the wine takes on air; and for all of the botrytization in effect, there is a welcome retention of primary juiciness, spurring a lusciously long finish. Look for four decades or more of luxuriant satisfaction.”

Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “This offers a comparatively ripe feel on the nose as well as a long and fresh finish. The wine is quite driven by minerals and herbs on the palate and leaves an airy and smoky feel in the long and smooth finish. The wine develops a cool, zesty and minty side with airing.”

Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “This offers a deliciously rich and soft feel of flowers, herbs and ripe fruits, in which a hint of apricot, mango and also honey come through on the palate and in the finish. The wine is quite rich and smooth and leaves an airy and spicy feel in the long aftertaste. It lives from the fascinating botrytis complexity and it will be fascinating to see how it will develop in the coming decades.”

Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2009 Barolo Bussia is a magnificent wine that makes a bold opening statement thanks to the high caliber and intensity of its bouquet. Power and sheer determination set the wine on course smoothly over the palate and the quality of the tannin is firm and tense. The wine presents fruit characteristics of dried cherry and cassis that are not too obvious but are soon followed by delicate tobacco, Indian spice, cola, tar and licorice. It’s a picture-perfect young Barolo for 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.”

Antonio Galloni 97 points “The 2004 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico is fabulous. A reference point wine for the region, the 2004 captures the heart and intellect with its superb balance and pure pedigree. The style is moderately sweet and oxidative, in the best of the Vin Santo tradition. Savory herbs, dried flowers, leather and lightly burned sugar add complexity on the finish. Vin Santo? Felsina remains one of the 2-3 reference points, it’s as simple as that. As for the 2004, well, it is utterly majestic.”

Antonio Galloni 94 points “The 2008 Fontalloro is the yin to the Rancia’s yang. It is also characteristically beautiful, open and expressive at this stage. Layers of sweet red fruit, flowers and spices blossom effortlessly from the 2008 Fontalloro. The intensely saline finish that is present in the Rancia is found in Fontalloro as well. I am usually not the biggest fan of Fontalloro, but there is no denying the superb pedigree and sheer class of the 2008. This is a wonderfully, sophisticated, polished wine from Felsina. In 2008 the slightly drier microclimate at Fontalloro vis-a-vis Rancia is the main reason this wine is such a huge success in 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2026.”

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Nikolaihof New Arrivals 

Snowy Wachau vineyards in Austria

Terry Theise notes “Markedly lissome and chiseled, slate-blue eyes and high cheekbones; even a little phenolic and certainly mineral, especially for this estate. The finish is clipped but the alc is below 12%, and the clarity and oyster grip is almost more typical for Hefeabzug.”

Terry Theise notes “Delicate and soulful. Not a flashy first impression. 12.6% alc. Pea shoot and vetiver and a curious tickle of tannin; a careful beautiful wine with nothing to prove. Again a stirringly mineral finish.I should emphasize, I don’t need to or want to summon any kind of spell when I’m tasting here. I try instead to erase my screen and then transcribe whatever takes place. I mean, the wines are how they are, and I seem to feel my only authentic response is directly into image and metaphor. And the tasting itself is quite workmanlike; 4-5 glasses are lined up and the wines poured into flights, just like anywhere else. And then they start to peal, and the usual deconstruction of flavors just isn’t called for. Better to fall into the aura of the pealing, to hear the complicated overtones, to feel the air between the wine and me. That’s what seems to work.”

Terry Theise notes ” Adorable aromas of quince and currant leaf lead into a lively spicy fennel-y palate. The direct attack is really, ah, striking. Though they didn’t design it, of course. It’s like tatsoi leaves you eat from the bag.”

Terry Theise notes “Almost rugged and gnarly- that’s ’10 baby. Flowering fields aroma doesn’t specifically signal “Riesling,” but the stretchy sinewy palate scratches that very itch; it’s the sting of mint without the mint of mint.”

Terry Theise notes “This vineyard is existentially unique, as if it had its own magnetic fields. Druids would have built their megaliths there.Maybe at night a UFO lands silently and all the little space dudes get out and do some magic, I don’t know. But I knowof no other great wine that seems so unknowable, overwhelming and haunting. Beautiful and unusual, all of its gorgeously strange green mineral together with the chamomile and yellow fruits and osmanthus of ’09! I mean really, you can’t stop sniffing it. More solid and firmly spicy than the more oxidative ’08 and ’07; this is like the ’05 diving into an ice cold pool; all the crazy mineral jazz plays on the back palate.”

Terry Theise notes “God help me, I know this is expensive. I do. But this is an ecstasy worth any amount of money. The fragrance is a transport of white flowers, quince and fresh raw langoustines, with the very sweetest ginger. The palate is beyond space and time; spicy, bewitchingly salty and minty, and trust me, it will stop your life for a moment. You won’t recall what you were doing. It all falls away, and the beauty assumes your entire sky, your whole vista, and whatever pool of love and safety you emerged from. Want a map to your deepest heart? Here, you only need a glass, a corkscrew, and a moment of repose. That’s all.”

Terry Theise notes “It means the virgin-vintage, the first crop from young vines. And it’s what the Germans would call Feinherb, and it’s what any sane person would call irresistible! A potion of iris and lavender, spicy and penetrating; very long, seductively earthy, like a really profound Nahe Spätlese, almost the 5-spice and wildflower of Dönnhoff’s Felsenberg.”

Terry Theise notes “”Riesler” is an archaic term for Riesling. Saahs wanted to see how a wine might age in cask without sulfur if it were an ordinary and not a grand wine to begin with. The first example was a glorious 1999, offered two years ago. So what do they do for an encore?Offer something even older.This is a masterpiece of time, nature and instinct. Less “humble” than that ‘99 was, and more insanely, dauntingly complex. I could detail its three paragraphs worth of nuance if I had 40 minutes to study it. Let’s just say, a perfect positive oxidation, a whole encyclopedia of wild flowers and herbs, a mélange of every possible salt, and the gentlest note of allspice and pink peppercorn.”

Nikolaihof selected this Riesling in 1996, and held it in cask for 17 years; eventually deciding to bottle for release in 2013. 

Antonio Galloni 91+ points “The most focused, inward wine in this range, the Chablis Beauregard is built on pure length and intensity, with less of the textural opulence found in the other wines here. Dried flowers and licorice add complexity over time, but readers will have to give the Beauregard at least another year in bottle to fully come together. My sense is that this will always be a bit compact next to the other Pattes Loup 2011s. The Beauregard is the only wine in the lineup that was partially vinfied in steel (30%), which probably accounts for some of its tightness.”

Antonio Galloni 94 points “The 2011 Chablis Chablis Butteaux is where all the Pattes Loup signatures come together in the glass. A little of the richness of the Cotes de Jouan, along with the focus of the Beauregard add up to a compelling and complete wine loaded with depth, polish and pedigree. Dried pear, nutmeg and licorice linger on a finish that impresses for its pure precision. This is a classic, highly representative wine that captures the essence of the Pattes Loup house style. Beginning in 2011 Thomas Pico decided to label its Montmain as Butteaux to reflect its exact provenance. The parcel, and the wine, are the same.”

Antonio Galloni 91 points “The 2011 Chablis is gorgeous. Honey, almonds, dried pears and peach notes all flesh out in a rich, expansive wine loaded with class, pedigree and personality. This is a decidedly rich, large-scaled Chablis, especially at the village level, but there is more than enough fruit to fill out the wine’s big, broad-shouldered frame. The deeply textured, generous finish is nicely supported by veins of minerality that emerge over time.”

Robert Parker 100 points “While I am not surprised that the 2001 Thorevilos turned out to be perfect, the 2001 Madrona Ranch was more of an eye-opener in that it has become even more extraordinary than I predicted eight years ago. A prodigious wine, with complex notes of subtle barbecue smoke intermixed with blueberry pie, black currant liqueur, acacia flowers, lead pencil shavings, and sweet foresty floor notes, this wine builds incrementally with layer upon layer of fruit, glycerin and concentration. The finish goes well past a minute, and the wine is full-bodied and deep, with wonderfully sweet tannin. It is still an adolescent in terms of its total evolution, but it is irresistible simply because of the flawless nature of the wine and incredible perfume and flavor intensity. Simply amazing! Both of these wines are adolescents, and probably won’t peak for another 5-8 years and keep for 30-40”

Robert Parker 100 points “The 2002 Madrona Ranch possesses an opaque blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary, enveloping, massive aromatic profile consisting of spring flowers, charcoal, lead pencil shavings, blueberries, raspberries and blackberry liqueur. In the mouth, there is sensational texture, full-bodied intensity, and terrific freshness, precision and vibrancy, despite what is undeniably a massive, rich, intense wine that should age well for another 25-35 years. The 2001s were about as profound as I have ever tasted from Abreu, but the 2002s may be even sexier since they are slightly more evolved.”

Robert Parker 95 points “The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch is just an amazing wine in the vintage. Notes of smoked meats intermixed with licorice, camphor, graphite, blackberry, and flowers, with a hint of cedar and spice box, have produced a wine that is more up-front and forward than most Abreu wines have been, and gorgeously rich and full-bodied. Last year I thought the wine needed 2-3 years of cellaring, but based on this tasting, I could drink it now or cellar it for 20+ years”

Robert Parker 97 points “The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch, which is usually about 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc with a touch of Petit Verdot, displays a black/purple color to the rim and an extraordinarily beautiful nose of lead pencil shavings, blue and black fruits, licorice, subtle oak, and some acacia flowers. The wine has fabulous stuffing, a rich, full-bodied mouthfeel, tremendous opulence, but plenty of tannin lurking below the surface. Give this wine 2-3 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 25+ years.”

Robert Parker 100 points “The 2001 Thorevilos is another example of what may well be Napa Valley’s version of Ausone, and one of the single greatest vineyard sites in California. One could say this is world-class, but it’s really all-universe. A tour de force in winemaking, with notes of blueberry liqueur intermixed with subtle white chocolate, espresso roast, cassis, blackberry and perfumed, floral notes, it is full-bodied, with great flavor purity, a skyscraper-like texture, and a remarkable finish, with a seamless integration of all component parts. This is extraordinary wine that everyone who loves wine should at least taste once or twice in their lifetime. Both of these wines are adolescents, and probably won’t peak for another 5-8 years and keep for 30-40.”

Wine Advocate 93 points “One of the estate’s single vineyard releases that focuses on the Seven Hills Vineyard that’s located in the southwestern part of the Walla Walla Valley, the 2010 Perigee Estate Seven Hills Vineyard is comprised of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. Spending 22 months in 50% new French oak, it-s a knockout effort that has full-bodied richness and depth as well as beautifully complex aromas and flavors of black cherries, raspberry, spice box, underbrush and toast. Concentrated, layered and with plenty of ripe tannin, it needs 2-3 years of bottle age and will drink beautifully through 2025. Drink 2016-2025.”

Wine Advocate 93 points “Along the same lines and focusing on Pepper Bridge Vineyard, the 2010 Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard (56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 7% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Franc that sees the same treatment in the winery as the Perigee) offers up a deeper, mineral-laced profile of black currant, tobacco, earth and crushed stone. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with great mid-palate depth and building tannin, it too needs a handful of years to round into shape and will have an easy 15 years of ultimate longevity. Drink 2016-2025.”

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Flash Sales 

Wine Spectator 90 points  “Fresh and vibrant, tight and juicy, with blackberry and floral flavors, persisting onto a jazzy finish. Shows presence and intensity. Drink now through 2018”

Stephen Tanzer 91-94 points “Bright medium red.  Captivating scents of red cherry, rose petal, coffee, menthol, crushed stone and wild herbs.  Silky, suave and concentrated; like a red fruit cocktail in the mouth, complicated by minerals and wild herbs.  Showy and vibrant today.  Finishes bright and very long, with terrific energy and grip.”

Wine Advocate 95 points “Honeysuckle, lily and heliotrope; apple and white peach essences ravishingly scent the Selbach-Oster “one-star” 2010 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese*, then reconvene on a creamily-textured yet insistently juicy palate that conveys an irresistible sense of tenderness, delicacy, caress, yet at the same time vibrancy. The savor of browned butter, salt, and deep nut oils here are like catnip to the salivary glands. This glorious epitome of its great site finishes with extraordinary, multi-layered, and in the end almost ethereal persistence. The berries here were still largely green-gold, freckled, but only delicately (“perhaps 20-25%”) botrytized, relates Johannes Selbach, and this seems to me entirely recognizable in the glass. I would hope to follow and be spoiled by some of the 2,000 liters of this for the next quarter century.”

Wine Advocate 98 points “The 2005 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese smells intensely honeyed, with nut paste, apple jelly, citrus oils, and a hint of molasses as well. In the mouth, this offers a most amazing combination of jellied viscosity and caramelization of fruit, a nut-brittle character of almond and hazelnut, and along with all this, the clarity and purity of a stream of fresh fruit. An intensely esterous, billowing finish carries apple, white raisin, and toasted nuts on waves of caramel, fruit jelly, and a persistently refreshing core of fresh fruit that only Riesling can deliver under circumstances this ripe and nobly rotten. It’s hard not to get carried away on these waves and with this wine.”

Jamie Goode – Wine Anorak 90 points “Lovely fresh raspberry fruit nose. Crunchy, lively and pure. The palate is ripe, supple and elegant with bright cherry and raspberry fruit, finishing with some grippiness. Vibrant and juicy, and quite lovely”

Wine Spectator 93 points “Intensely fruity and lusciously concentrated, with raspberry, dark plum and wild cherry flavors, offering a rich finish of dark chocolate, tea and brown sugar. Drink now through 2040.”

JJ Prum- many more wines arriving this week and next; we’ll do a special feature letter when they are entirely in stock, meantime all not here yet listed for pre-arrival trade on our website.

2006 Monfortino – only 3 bottles left. $519. Arriving Friday Dec 06.

2009 Jadot Cotes de Beaune Villages- $20.90; 2 cases left; been making people happy.

Best party Bubbles under $20? – Clothilde Davenne Cremant de Bourgogne- $18

Red, Delicious, Unique, & Affordable? – Liquiere Faugeres Vieilles Vignes 2011- $16

Need Out of State Shipping?- highly recommend that you get it done by Dec 16

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Antonio Galloni 93 points “The 2008 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota is arguably the most open and expressive of the 2008 Riservas. It presents a gorgeous soft core of fruit to match an open personality. Although I wouldn’t suggest opening any of the 2008 Riservas for pleasure anytime soon, readers who want to get an early look at the wines should start with the Muncagota. Sweet rose petals add nuance to the vibrant fruit on the structured finish. This is a great showing from the Muncagota. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2038.”
Wine Enthusiast 94 points “*A Top 100 Cellar Selection of 2013* This single-vineyard Barbaresco Riserva shows lovely floral and fruit scents of violet, iris, ripe berry and pressed powder. The palate is delicious, with black cherry, plum and spice uplifted by freshness and energizing mineral notes. It has ample depth and balance, and while it’s drinking well now, it will also age for years”