Vinopolis Newsletter 3-29-2024

 In This Newsletter:

Holiday Hours:
We will be open from 10-3pm on Easter Sunday, March 31st

Special Arrivals
Great Gruners and Rieslings to Remember
New Arrivals
Delas Freres, Brickhouse, and Evesham Wood!
Staff Pick Winery
Kelley Fox’s wonderful white wines
Holiday Shopping Guide
Wines for the Easter table
Close-out Sales
The best of the best for less
Collector’s Corner
The incomparable Kopke

Special Arrivals

 

Weingut Knoll.
 

Featuring a classical, yet flamboyant label and some of the tallest bottles to ever grace a retail shelf, these wines announce right off the bat that they are here for a good time. They’re here to be noticed. There is a boldness to these bottlings that balances nicely against their elegance and ripe freshness that prevents these bone-dry wines from ever becoming too austere.

Weingut Emmerich Knoll Ried Kreutles Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria 2020 750ml $59 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 94 Points “This is rich, yet elegant, with loads of white raspberry, sweet pea, citrus oil and dried sage. It shows a bit of viscosity, with powerful spice notes that carry through to the long finish, along with plenty of macadamia nut and herbs. It is brilliantly harmonious already, but this will reveal much more with the years to come. Best after 2025.”
 
Weingut Emmerich Knoll Ried Loibenberg Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria 2020 750ml $74.50 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 93 Points “A graceful version, this delivers fresh minerality to the well-spiced flavors of apple tart, baked pear and peach cobbler. The mid-palate turns savory and thickens in texture, before the crunchy, vibrant finish sweeps it away. Wet stone and dried sage linger, inviting you to dive in deeper. Drink now through 2033.”
 

Lowest price on the West Coast

 
Weingut Emmerich Knoll Loibner Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, Wachau, Austria 2021 750ml $39 special, 12 bottles available
James Suckling 95 Points “For a medium-bodied dry riesling, this approaches the optimum. Very fine nose of peach and persimmon, together with touches of blood orange and fresh basil. Stunning interplay of fruit, racy acidity and wet-stone minerality. Breathtaking depth and vitality at the very long finish. Drink or hold.”
 
Weingut Emmerich Knoll Loibner Schutt Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria 2020 750ml $74.50 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 95 Points “Fabulous aromas and flavors of oolong tea and vanilla bean open up this complex white, before flavors turn to pineapple, grapefruit and savory mineral details on the palate. It is more intense than powerful, with a vivid structure and long aftertaste. This is an exquisite Grüner that will make you rethink the category. Best after 2025.”
 
Weingut Emmerich Knoll Ried Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria 2020 750ml $84.50 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 96 Points “This is a showstopper, with effusively floral aromas that are followed by rich and concentrated flavors of apricot, peach and Jonagold apple. It is gloriously velvety in texture, with powerful acidity the keeps all elements intact. Layers keep unwrapping, as you are hit with more nuances of fruit and mineral, that haunt you to the long, lingering finish. Best after 2025.”
 
Weingut Emmerich Knoll Loibner Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria 2020 750ml $59 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Spectator 96 Points “So much mirabelle and grapefruit with delicate notes of wild flowers and Mediterranean herbs. Rich and concentrated, with a compact core and great mineral acidity, underlined by fine tannins. Together they really push the bold finish a long way out. Enormous aging potential.”

OREGON
 

 

One of the earliest adopters of biodynamic farming in the Willamette Valley, Brick House is one of the most consistently excellent wineries in the region. Founded by Doug Tunnell and Melissa Mills (then working as broadcast journalists) in 1990, the winery has always followed nature first, letting climate and terroir be their guide and sustainability their goal.

Brick House Vineyards ‘Les Dijonnais’ Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge, USA 2022 750ml $59 special, 30 bottles available
(Not reviewed yet, previous review provided for reference)
Audrey Frick- JebDunnuck.com 95 Points (2021 vintage) “From two blocks next to the winery, with three different clones planted in 1995, the ripe red-hued 2021 Pinot Noir Les Dijonnais is lush with notes of wild raspberry, wild herbs, and baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, it is approachable up front but has great underlying structure. It’s drinking well now but has lots of life ahead over the next 8-10 years if stored properly.”
 

Evesham Wood La Grive Bleue Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $39 special, 36+ bottles available
Winery Note “While more savory than the Eola-Amity Hills Cuvee, this wine offers fresh flowers (running from violets and jasmine to roses) atop cosmic crisp apples and blueberry compote. The very discrete fruits are balanced by fine tannins nicely punctuated with acid.”
 

This is the only listing in the USA today
 

 

Delas Frères has been making wine in the Rhone for generations and its portfolio includes bottlings from sub-appellations all across the North. With over 75 hectares of vineyard at its disposal (including more than 20 on Hermitage Hill itself), Delas is able to craft world class wines from top quality fruit year-in and year-out. The new winery facility unveiled in 2015 is the most advanced in all of the North and enables ultra-precise execution of the wines while still preserving the classic character of Syrah from the Northern Rhone. Winemaking follows a consistent regime across the bottlings, with fruit being destemmed, cold soaked, and temperature controlled fermentation usually lasting about 20 days. The wines are aged on the fine lees in French barrique of new and 1-year use in varying degrees (higher new oak exposure for the top wines) to soften the wild character of Syrah and bring additional ageability and richness.
 
Delas Cornas Chante Perdrix 2020 750ml $69 special, 36 bottles available
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 94-95 Points “Inky ruby. Assertive, smoke-accented aromas of ripe black and blue fruits, candied flowers, olive and exotic spices show excellent clarity and mineral lift. Sweet, pliant and lush on the palate, offering concentrated blackberry, cherry liqueur, smoky bacon and violet pastille flavors that show a peppery note on the back half. The impressively long, youthfully tannic finish shows fine detail and leaves behind repeating smoke and floral notes.”
 
Delas Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron 2020 750ml $99 special, 35 bottles available
Vinous 94-95 Points “Saturated ruby-red. Deeply pitched dark berry, cherry liqueur, licorice and woodsmoke scents show fine clarity and acquire oak spice and floral pastille qualities with air. Juicy and expansive on the palate, offering intense blackberry, cherry-vanilla, fruitcake and salty olive flavors that are sharpened by a jolt of spicy cracked pepper. Shows excellent depth and power; finishes smoky and very long, with youthfully gripping tannins sneaking in late.”
 
Delas Hermitage Les Bessards 2020 750ml $249 special, 36 bottles available
Vinous 97-98 Points “Inky violet. Displays assertive aromas of blackcurrant, cherry-cola and violet, along with olive, smoked meat and vanilla nuances that gain strength with aeration. Vibrant, focused and appealingly sweet, offering intense, mineral driven black and blue fruit, floral pastille and smoky bacon flavors that become deeper and spicier as the wine opens up. The floral note comes back strong on the impressively long, penetrating finish, which features youthfully chewy.”
 
Delas Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes 2020 750ml $99 special, 36 bottles available
Vinous 94-96 Points “Inky ruby. Smoke- and mineral-accented black and blue fruits, violet, licorice and an olive nuance on the deeply perfumed nose. Stains the palate with intense cherry, blueberry and fruitcake flavors that are sharpened by a spicy touch of cracked pepper. Youthfully chewy tannins frame an impressively long, penetrating finish that leaves candied dark berry and floral pastille notes behind. These are still young days for this wine but, as usual, it already screams “Hermitage.”

“Who better to highlight during Women’s History month than one of Oregon’s most interesting and multi-faceted enologists?
 
“If you don’t know about Kelley Fox yet, I cannot recommend her wines enough. After learning from some of the greats (David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards), and making wines for 10+ years at Scott Paul Wines, Kelley started producing her own wines from prominent vineyard sites all throughout the Willamette Valley.  As one of the first winemakers in Oregon to start practicing biodynamics, Kelley Fox’s wines are expressive, nuanced, and carry an air of intentional precision in the vineyard and during the fermentation process.”
 
-Hannah P.
 
Kelley Fox Albarino, Willamette Valley, USA 2023 750ml $24 special, 32 bottles available
“This Albarino is made from the Willamette Valley in OR, and to be quite honest, is my preference over most Albarinos I have had tried. On the nose and palate, there is tons of restrained but bright green apple, peaches, white flowers, and just a touch of honey. There is high acidity that is beautifully complimented by a round and slightly full body and weight. The finish is long, but refreshing and dry. This makes a great aperitif and would pair well with a shrimp risotto.”
 
Kelley Fox Wines Gruner Veltliner, Willamette Valley, USA 2023 750ml $33 special, 22 bottles available
“This Gruner Veltliner hits all the marks. It has an effervescent and easy nose with citrus fruit and sea salt coming through. On the palate, juicy melon fruit, honey, and grapefruit peel burst in the mouth. The mouthfeel has light zippiness, a full and oily viscosity, and a slight toast on the finish. This wine is complex, resolved, and would pair well with carbonara.”
 
 …also recommended from Kelley Fox:
 
“This wine was produced from the storied Freedom Hill Vineyard in Dallas (bordering the Eola-Hills A.V.A.) and was planted, owned, and farmed by the Dusschee family. The soil here is Bellpine, a marine sedimentary silt clay loam that is well-drained. The Pinot blanc was whole cluster-pressed after picking. It settled in tank for a couple of days before racking and this year, after primary, it was racked into a stainless tank for élevage until bottling. This wine is dry and ML-complete.”–Kelley Fox
Kelley Fox Freedom Hill Pinot Blanc 2022 750ml $36 Special, 16 Bottles Available
Not reviewed yet, previous vintage review provided for reference.
Audrey Frick-JebDunnuck.com 93 Points (2021 vintage) “The 2021 Pinot Blanc Barbie is floral with jasmine, a more high-tone energy of lemon verbena, and fresh peach. The palate is dry and medium-bodied, with more tension, revealing notes of pear, yellow flowers, pithy grapefruit, and wet stone. Drink 2023-2030.”

 
 

TOP PICKS

Light and bright with earthy notes, Pinot Noir is a great wine for the Easter dinner table. We can never get enough Evesham Wood anyway, but the Le Puits Sec is one of the most enticing bottles they’ve produced in recent years. A touch of smoke around the edges really helps this wine pair nicely with ham.
Evesham Wood Le Puits Sec Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, USA 2021 750ml $49 special, 36+ bottles available
Vinous 94 Points “What a beauty! The 2021 Pinot Noir Le Puits Sec blossoms in the glass with a gorgeous mix of dusty violets and roses complemented by autumnal spice, giving way to citrus-tinged wild berries. This sweeps across the palate with finesse, lifted and ethereal, with shades of blue and purple inner florals accentuating dark red fruits. It finishes long and hauntingly floral with a tactile mineral crunch and coating of gently grippy tannins. For lovers of old-school Oregon Pinot, the 2021 is dreamy.”
Winery Note “2021 is another vintage that began with a warmer than average Summer (it hit 118f in June!) but ended on  a cooler than average harvest. It resulted in a vintage with the richness of ‘18 but with ‘19’s pretty side — it’s built on poise rather than broad shoulders. What a gorgeous wine. The nose jumps out of the glass with concentrated aromas of plum, violet and berries. That lift and concentration carries through as the mixed berries become even more concentrated, while beautifully balanced bright acidity leads to moderate tannins on the finish. This is why Erin came to Le Puits Sec in 2007 and never left.”

Ham is smoky, but it’s also sweet… this Viognier, with its ripe fruit and lush mouthfeel, is a perfect choice for the white wine drinkers in your life.
Garon Les Grandes Parcelles Viognier 2022 750ml $26 special, 30 bottles available
Producer Notes “High altitude plots, on sandy granite terroirs. Supple and elegant wine with lots of freshness.”

OTHER OFFERINGS
 
Saint Cosme ‘Micro-Cosme’ Grenache-Pinot Noir, Vin de France NV 750ml $13.50 special, 36+ bottles available
60% Grenache, 40% Pinot Noir. Aged in concrete tanks.
Importer Note “This fusion of Grenache and Pinot Noir delivers aromas and flavors of strawberry, gingerbread, almond, cinnamon and heirloom rose. Micro-Cosme Rouge carries the Vin de France designation due to its unique production method. The wine is made from blending wines from multiple vintages in concrete tanks starting with the 1999 vintage. The result is a wine that is both vibrant and complex…”
 
Weingut Donnhoff ‘Felsenturmchen’ Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe, Germany 2022 750ml $79 special, 32 bottles available
Stuart Pigott (JamesSuckling.com) 95 Points “Ripe and concentrated, but also quite austere with stacks of spice and grapefruit character; everything from the juice to the pith and zest! A seriously dry riesling, but with moderate acidity. Long crushed rock finish. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
 
Domaine Huet Vouvray ‘Clos du Bourg’ Demi-Sec, Loire, France 2020 750ml $44 special, 36+ bottles available
Rebecca Gibb MW-Vinous 97 Points “Drinking the 2020 Clos du Bourg Demi-Sec is like taking your shoes off at the end of a long day of walking and soaking them in warm water: there’s just satisfaction and relaxation. The 2020 has a sense of volume but not weight, filling the mouth with depths of pure fruit before the acid pours forth like a canal lock being opened. You can expect a hint of spice and crème caramel alongside apple and florals. I am utterly seduced.”
 
A. Margaine Cuvee Traditionelle Premier Cru Demi-Sec, Champagne, France NV 750ml $49 special, 8 bottles available
A. Margaine Cuvee Traditionelle Premier Cru Demi-Sec, Champagne, France NV 375ml $28 special, 11 bottles available
Vinous 91 Points “The NV Cuvée Le Demi-Sec is a very pretty, attractive Champagne. Even with 32 grams of residual sugar, the Demi-Sec is not an especially obvious wine. If anything, I am surprised – positively – by its restraint. Readers will find a Demi-Sec that is all class and understatement. The higher dosage of 32 grams per liter brings out lovely toasted and spice character to the white orchard fruit flavors. This release is 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, mostly 2017 and 2016, plus reserve wines. Disgorged: November, 2019.”

 

 
WAS $179
Poderi Aldo Conterno Colonnello, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2017 750ml $149 special, 6 bottles available
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 94+ Points “The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Barolo Bussia Colonnello shows good focus, structure and a sharper character that is often the distinguishing factor in this wine. The bouquet is redolent of dark fruit and plum, but it also shows a solid framing of iron ore and dark stony mineral. These give the wine greater lift and contoured edges. This is not the first time that Colonnello is my favorite wine in this lineup, and I suspect it won’t be the last.”
 
WAS $289
Falletto di Bruno Giacosa Asili, Barbaresco DOCG, Italy 2019 750ml $219 special, 6 bottles available
James Suckling 98 Points “Sweet and succulent aromas of tangerines, freshly cut ripe strawberries, cherries and flowers follow through to a full-bodied palate with sleek and dense tannins that run the length of the wine and then fan out into a dense, vivid finish of fruit. It’s chewy and seriously structured with finesse and energy. Silky texture. This needs at least four or five years to come together and open. Try after 2027.”
 
WAS $219
Caladan Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley, USA 2017 750ml $199 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 96 Points “A top bottling of the variety, this small-production wine is structured and strong, opening reductively, with elements of tobacco leaf, oak and sage. The savory character persists in the form of leather and black pepper, allowing just a touch of sharp red fruit to enter and complement. This wine has further secrets to be revealed…”
 
WAS $59
Molitor Urziger Wurzgarten  Auslese**  Trocken, Mosel Germany 2017 750ml $49 special, 35 bottles available
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 96+ Points “Bottled with moderate 11% alcohol, the 2017 Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Auslese ** (White Capsule) is crystalline and super precise on the clear and flinty nose that exhibits crunchy, iron-rich stone and lime zest aromas. It is lean and fresh but dense and intense on the palate, with ripe, round and concentrated Riesling fruit, some sweetness and refined acidity. This is an elegant, highly finessed and stimulating Würzgarten with a lingering, salty-piquant finish. This wine pairs its moderate alcohol level with great complexity and mineral tension. It’s a fabulous yet still very young Würzgarten of extraordinary class and style.”
 
WAS $199
San Giusto a Rentennano ‘Percarlo’ Sangiovese Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy 2016 750ml $179 special, 16 bottles available
Antonio Galloni 99 Points “The 2016 Percarlo captures all of the beauty it has always shown in the cellar. Pliant, silky and exceptionally polished, the 2016 simply has it all. Freshly cut flowers, rose petal, mint, spice and blood orange add striking aromatic nuance to a core of brilliant Sangiovese fruit. Powerful and ample, with superb aromatic lift, the 2016 Percarlo is exceptionally beautiful and moving from the very first taste. A whole range of floral and mineral notes extend the finish effortless. The tannins need time to soften, so readers should plan on at least a few years of cellaring. In a word: compelling.”
 
WAS $169
Ulysses Vineyard, Oakville, USA 2018 750ml $145 special, 5 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points “Just about pure perfection and the finest wine I’ve tasted from this address, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon yet includes smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all from a site just north of Dominus. This deep, inky hued beauty offers up a beautiful, full-bodied, richly textured, and incredibly concentrated style that carries ample black and blue fruit as well as notes of crushed stone, scorched earth, graphite, and lead pencil. It has the focused, structured style of the 2018 vintage and is going to benefit from 4-6 years (if not a decade) of bottle age and will be a 30+ year wine.”
 

Collector’s Corner
 

 

Way back in 1638, Nicolau Kopke, a representative of German trade and commerce, began exporting wines from Portugal to the rest of Europe. These fortified Ports were an ideal export and became increasingly popular, becoming one of England’s most consumed wines. To this day, sitting back with a nice glass of Kopke Port and chocolate or blue cheese remains one of life’s great luxuries.
 
These wines represent the finest releases from Kopke and the Porto region in general. Rarely does such minimalism ensure such opulence.
 
Kopke 30 Year Old Tawny Port, Portugal 750ml $119 special, 7 bottles available
Wine Spectator 94 Points “A very inviting, open style, with butterscotch and caramel notes framing the core of glazed pear, caramelized peach, golden raisin and warm fig flavors. The lush finish lets crème brûlée and ginger cream details hang, showing a flash of honeysuckle for lift. Drink now. 200 cases imported.”
 
Kopke 40 Years Old Tawny Port, Portugal 750ml $199 special, 4 bottles available
Wine Spectator 95 Points “This offers a dreamy mix of caramelized pear, fig and peach flavors at the core, while caramel, sesame oil and date notes fill in through the expansive finish. At first glance this is quite lush, but the finish lingers with cut and drive. Drink now. 200 cases imported.”
 
Kopke Colheita Port, Portugal 1966 750ml $249 special, 2 bottles available
Wine Advocate 96 Points ” …this shows what you get with increasing age: the superb concentration of flavor, the long, intense finishes and the complex medley of flavors that old Tawnies deliver effortlessly. That, to me, is what makes them worth the extra bucks. If some of the youngsters lean more to caramel, this adds more molasses with a touch of Brandy in the background. The concentrated flavors linger more or less endlessly, driven into the palate by the wine’s power and acidity… “
 
Kopke Colheita Port, Portugal 1957 750ml $489 special, 2 bottles available
Harriet Kininmonth-IWSC 98 Points “Still showing elegance and incredible complexity when considering the age. Soft and mellow, loaded with ripe soft stone fruit. Harmonious yet still has austere delights to savour. Still has development to come.”