Vinopolis Newsletter 3-3-25 PM

In This Newsletter:

Arriving Tomorrow
Motor City Kitty

New Arrivals
Justin Vineyards, Giacomo Conterno, Gurrieri, Beronia, Veramonte, and more!
 

 

 
 
Washington
 

 

#7 TOP 100 WINE OF 2024-JAMES SUCKLING
Charles Smith K Vintners ‘M.C.K. Motor City Kitty’ Syrah, Yakima Valley 2021 750ml $39 special, 22 bottles available
James Suckling 99 Points “The aromas leap out of the glass. Wet earth, tapenade, green peppercorns, volcanic ash and tea leaves. Hints of orange peel. It’s electric on the palate, so savory, so earthy and so minerally, with stemmy and tea-like tannins. The freshness and energy are astounding, and the finish just keeps going. Delicious Syrah. Drink or hold.”

 

 
 
California
 

 

 

 
Since then, Justin Vineyard’s wines have become a stalwart for wine drinkers looking for a quality, affordable table wine that punches far above its weight.
 
Justin Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 33 bottles available
London Wine Competition 95 Points -Best In Show- “Floral and red and black cherry fruit aromatics with oak spice character on nose. Fruit-forward style with generous black cherry flavours and fine tannin on palate. Medium acidity and medium finish.”
Winery Notes “Deeply colored with a dark ruby core that lightens at the rim of the glass, with moderately thick, slow-forming tears. Warmly aromatic with ripe red and black cherry notes, cigar box, and toasted oak with savory elements of vanilla and caramel with fresh sage, and hints of cocoa. Moderate-plus bodied with ripe red plum, black cherry, and blackberry on the entry. The fresh midpalate turns savory with dried herbs, barrel spice, and vanilla supported by smooth tannins. The complex finish shows lingering ripe red and black fruit and spice mixed with dark caramel, dried floral notes, and mint elements.”
 

Lowest listed price on the West Coast

 
 
Italy
 

 

Named for Aldo and Giovanni’s father and helmed by Giovanni until his death in 2004, the wines are made using traditional Barolo methods like slow fermentation and aging in giant, used barriques. Unlike the fresher, fruitier Aldo Conterno wines, a Giacomo Conterno Barolo is a dense, powerful, and muscular experience. It needs much time to tame down.
 
The winery is currently owned and operated by Giovanni’s son Roberto, who has remained faithfully married to the ultra-traditional style of his Father and Grandfather. There is a great legacy riding on his shoulders, but according to his own importer Polaner, Roberto is “the most annoying and perfectionist winemakers we have experienced,” who has “nonetheless taken the winery to even greater heights than his predecessors.”
 
Giacomo Conterno ‘Cerretta’, Barolo DOCG 2020 750ml $299 special, 2 bottles available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 96 Points “The 2020 Barolo Cerretta is a potent, packed wine. Today, the tannins are especially imposing and also larger in scale than the other Barolos in this range. Dark red-toned fruit, orange peel, white pepper and crushed rocks all race out of the glass. This is a wine for those with patience.”
 

Lowest listed price on the West Coast

 

 
Elena Fucci ‘Titolo’ Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Riserva DOCG 2019 750ml $119 special, 12 bottles available
Eric Guido-Vinous 98+ Points “Drop-dead gorgeous, the kaleidoscopic 2019 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Riserva Titolo seduces with a cascade of violets and lavender, giving way to shavings of pine, incense and a core of crushed black cherries. It’s deeply textural, with masses of mineral-inflected red and black fruit flowing across a stream of pure velvet. The 2019 folds in upon itself through the finale yet maintains exceptional freshness, finishing with a pleasantly bitter tinge of cocoa as notes of tobacco fade. The Titolo Riserva hails only from Elena Fucci’s oldest vines, between 60 and 70 years old. It is refined in a single 500-liter barrel for 40 months. This edition marries the majesty of the Titolo vineyard and its old vines with the magic of the 2019 vintage. Fantastic.”
 

 
Generations before Sicily became a viticultural hotspot, The Gurrieri family has been tending and harvesting vineyards (and olive trees) in the shadows of the Iblei Mountains, a limestone bed of fertile land called the Val di Noto, in Southern Sicily.
 

 
Gurrieri Frappato Vittoria, Sicily 2023 750ml $21.90 special, 24 bottles available
VinopolNote Lighter in profile, Gurrieri’s Frappato is a fantastic red wine to drink in the summer months, especially as a beverage while you grill. You see Siciliy is not just a viticultural hotspot, the Southern end of the island is in the same latitude as North Africa. It’s easy to bake under the Sun there. Chill this wine down to see a Sicilian farmer’s favorite way to beat the heat!
 
Gurrieri Grillo Sicilia, Sicily 2023 750ml $19.50 special, 24 bottles available
Winery Note “Estate-grown near Mazzarrone, west of Chiaramonte Gulfi, at around 180 meters/600 feet in altitude. Soil is sandy clay; the grapes are picked around mid-September, pressed immediately and fermented at controlled temperature in stainless steel using indigenous yeasts. After about 9 months in tank the wine is bottled.”
 
…also currently available from Gurrieri:
 
Gurrieri Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 20 bottles available
Eric Guido-Vinous 91 Points “The 2021 Cerasuolo di Vittoria is floral and dusty with a spicy blend of crushed raspberries and clove. This traverses both savory and sweet with a core of tart wild berries under an air of violet inner florals. It tapers off with admirable length and a staining of primary concentration, yet through it, all enlivened by a bump of residual acidity. Very nice.”
 
France
 

 
Lanson ‘Clos Lanson’, Champagne Brut 2009 750ml $199 special, 11 bottles available
Decanter 98 Points “A new addition to the Place de Bordeaux this year from the 1ha-walled Chardonnay vineyard in the centre of Reims. A gorgeous toasted buttery nose filled with hazelnuts, lemon rind, orange skin and acaia – all subtly combined but giving complexity and nuance. Instantly salivating on the palate, unctuous yet so delicate in terms of power and heaviness. Generous with a velvet sensation to the bubbles and a slightly chalky finish. Bright and lifted – a joyous combination of citrus – lemon and orange acidity, honeysuckle flowers and stone fruits, balanced by a touch of bitterness and a hint of salty minerality. Such complexity and overall enjoyment to be found here – utterly charming and confident at the same time.
 

 
Taittinger Brut Reserve, Champagne NV 750ml $59 special, 24 bottles available
Tasting Panel 95 Points “Bright and lively, this is one of my favorite non vintage Bruts. Crisp and balanced, with smooth, exuberant, Chardonnay-driven style; racy, elegant, and totally charming; long and memorable.”
 

 
Chateau La Fleur Morange, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015 750ml $88 special, 22 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 96+ Points “Coming from 100-year-old vines and 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Château La Fleur Morange is a downright stunner that does everything right. Cassis, crushed flowers, lead pencil shavings and lots of minerality all flow to a full-bodied, elegant, incredibly layered 2015 that has a great mid-palate, sweet tannin and a great, great finish. This is an incredible Saint-Emilion readers should do whatever they can to latch onto a few bottles. This cuvee is also made with guidance from Claude Gros, and he’s certainly hit a home run with this one.”
 

 
Chateau Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estephe 2018 750ml $279 special, 7 bottles available
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 98 Points “The 2018 Cos d’Estournel is a racy, powerful Saint-Estèphe that is going to need quite a bit of time to find its center. Today, it is tightly wound, but all the energy is there. Lush and extravagantly ripe, the 2018 possesses tremendous depth and plenty of energy to back it all up. Here, too, I found the wine a bit more expressive and giving en primeur. (Drink between 2028-2058).”
 
 
Spain
 
Beronia Gran Reserva, Rioja DOCa 2011 750ml $29 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Spectator 93 Points “This maturing red retains freshness, with a plump texture and lively flavors. Currant, cocoa, licorice and loamy earth notes are supported by gentle tannins and orange peel acidity. Gentle, yet deep and focused. Not showy, but complete. Drink now through 2025.”
Decanter 92 Points “A wonderful combination here of coffee, tobacco, leather alongside black cherries, figs and prune flavours. This Gran Reserva spends 28 months in oak barrels and 36 months in the bottle until it’s released. It has a smooth and velvet-like texture with ripe tannins and juicy finish.”
 
 
Chile
 
Veramonte Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchagua Valley 2019 750ml $13.50 special, 48 bottles available
Winemaker Note “Located in the renowned Colchagua Valley, our vineyards are situated among the rolling hills of Marchigüe. An intense, aromatic Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of ripe black fruit, black pepper, and a touch of spice. A satiating long finish makes this wine perfect for pairing with a barbecue among friends or a traditional ‘Pino’ empanada.”
 
Primus Carmenere, Apalta 2020 750ml $19 special, 24 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast Jesica Vargas 91 Points “Cherry aromas come with a Christmas-like note of sweet spices. This Carmenère hails from a beautiful vineyard in the Apalta subregion of the Colchagua Valley. Ripe blueberries and blackberries are dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg on the palate. It features fine-grained tannins that give it a soft texture. The finish offers notes of cloves and eucalyptus.”
 

Lowest listed price on the West Coast

 

 
GD Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo 2023 750ml $21.90 special, 36 bottles available
Winery Note “The 2023 Langhe DOC Nebbiolo has a lively light garnet color. On the nose, it offers loads of delicate flowers, like geranium, rose petals, crushed mountain raspberry and mineral whiffles. On the palate, the wine is fresh, juicy and pulpy, with tones of cherries, sour cherry, fresh strawberry, and spicy notes.”

 

 

 
Deeply rooted in Barbaresco since the 1850’s, Gaja is one of Piedmont’s most celebrated and groundbreaking wineries. Angelo Gaja was among Barbaresco’s earliest adopters of French oak and varietals. In the vineyard, he reduced yields to concentrate flavor and began producing only single estate bottlings to bring a greater focus to the terroir of their sites.
 
Now producing wines in Barbaresco, Barolo, and even Tuscany, several generations of forward thinking Gajas have transformed the winery from a regional innovator into a winemaking empire— and all without sacrificing quality or integrity.
 
WAS $75
Gaja Sito Moresco Rosso Langhe 2021 750ml $64.50 special, 4 bottles available
Importer Note “A beautiful violet color atypical of Nebbiolo but reflective of the 2021 vintage where fullness and richness are even present to the eye. The wine has bold notes of blackberry, cherry, blood orange, and bergamot with a touch of flintiness. Medium-structured with lots of juiciness and harmony on the palate all lead to well-balanced acidity and tannin structure with a long finish.”

WAS $125
Gaja Dagromis Barolo 2019 750ml $108 special, 3 bottles available
Winery Note “2019 Dagromis has a garnet color with violet highlights. On the nose, this wine showcases floral and fruity notes of violet, cherry, plum, sweet licorice, ginger, and marzipan. On the palate, delicate showing juicy, cherry-like mouthfeel leads to a savory, yet sweet entry with a subtle tannin structure all characteristics of the vintage. This is a classic Barolo with great aging potential.”
 
WAS $249
Gaja Darmagi Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 750ml $219 special, 2 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 94+ Points “The 2017 Darmagi (Cabernet Sauvignon) is gorgeous. Ample, silky and voluptuous to its core, Darmagi offers tons of immediacy and sheer appeal. Today, the 2017 is all about fruit richness and texture. Readers who prefer to see a full range of Cabernet aromatics should plan on cellaring the 2017 for at least a few years. Hints of blackberry jam, mocha, licorice and spice linger, but more than anything else, the 2017 is all about flamboyance. This is an especially strong vintage.”
 
WAS $259
Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello Sugarille 2018 750ml $219 special, 5 bottles available
Wine Spectator 95 Points “A dark, brooding 2018, with accents of smoke, vanilla, iron and tar surrounding a core of cherry and plum flavors. Reveals balsamic elements of eucalyptus and wild herbs on the lingering finish. On the austere side now, with a core of fruit and mineral. Best from 2025 through 2043.”
 
WAS $236
Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello Rennina 2018 750ml $199 special, 5 bottles available
Wine Spectator 94 Points “Harmonious and bordering on creamy in texture, this red features cherry, raspberry, plum, loam, almond and black pepper aromas and flavors. Reveals pleasant bitterness as this winds down on the lingering aftertaste. Best from 2026 through 2045.”