Vinopolis Newsletter 4-11-25

 
 

 

The wines of Vincent Paris are often described as bold, but what does it mean to be bold? For the soft-spoken Vincent, one of the Rhône’s fastest rising stars, he would prefer to let his stunningly focused and evocative wines do the talking. And they are wines that beg to be noticed.
 
Vincent prunes his branches to just 4 bunches of grapes per vine (versus a typical five to seven bunches) which encourages a dense and powerful concentration in the fruit, but these are not heavy-handed. Quite the opposite, these are wines with a lift and freshness that complements the bolder aspects of the wine’s expression without tamping down its largesse. We really don’t know how he does it, how his wines walk the tightrope the way they do… maybe it’s the slow and low cold fermentations he utilizes? He maintains a forested wilderness outside of the arable zones of his properties to ensure balance in the ecosystem… is this grounds his wines and keeps them from the edge?
  
These wines are making a lot of noise… don’t miss out!
 
Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 30, Rhone, France 2022 750ml $49 special, 24 bottles available
James Suckling 96 Points “So expressive and so precise, this is a great modern Cornas. Haunting nose of black forest berries with notes of dry forest floor and wild herbs. Then comes the wonderful combination of restrained richness and youthful freshness on the vertical, medium-bodied palate. And just as the coolness of evening follows the heat of the day, the mineral vibrancy of the finish follows the succulence of the mid-palate. Drink or hold.”
 
Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60, Rhone, France 2022 750ml $69 special, 5 bottles available
James Suckling 97 Points “A well-composed, velvety and vivid Cornas with brightness and purity. Aromas of dark cherries, currants, wild herbs, graphite and black pepper. Medium-bodied with fine, firm tannins. Good concentration with precise fruit and a constant mineral edge. The peppercorn and stone character brings freshness and verve to the energetic mid-palate. It’s vibrant and vertical with a lot of tension in the long, textured and spicy finish. Try after 2027.”
 

 
Chateau Routas Coteaux Varois en Provence Rose, France 2023 750ml $16 special, 32 bottles available
James Suckling 91 Points “A fresh and juicy rosé with notes of grapefruit, white pepper and dried flowers. Medium body with bright acidity. Vivid and well-balanced with a fruity, delicious finish. Drink now. Screw cap.”
 
Illahe Estate Tempranillo Rose, Willamette Valley, USA 2024 750ml $21.90 special, 24 bottles available
Winery Note “Oregon’s best rosé of tempranillo is ready to delight again after its trip through stainless tanks and neutral oak barrels. This year’s offering has notes of strawberry, blood orange, guava, mango, and watermelon rind with crisp, refreshing acidity. It is produced in 25% neutral barrel, 75% stainless steel, and directly pressed. The acidity keeps this wine fresh and alive, but the barrel fermentation helps to balance the mouth and keep it rich.”
 
Proprieta Sperino ‘Rosa del Rosa’ Rosato Coste della Sesia, Piedmont, Italy 2023 750ml $24 special, 30 bottles available
(not yet reviewed, 2022 review provided for reference)
Eric Guido-Vinous 91 Points “The 2022 Rosa del Rosa is delicate and airy in the glass, slowly evolving with green melon, dusty rose and ginger. It’s silk and enveloping with a burst of minerality up front that gives way to young peach and savory spice. This leaves the palate bone dry yet watering for more as the 2022 finishes pleasantly chewy and with medium length. This is a more understated vintage for the Rosa Del Rosa, yet still pleasurable.”
 
 
 

 
 
Oregon
 

When you hear the word “value,” what is the first impression that comes to your mind? Is it positive or negative? Well, think positive about Bow & Arrow. An Urban winery, Bow & Arrow is keeping it real with Loire Valley varietal expressions from the Willamette.

These wines provide amazing quality for the price. We’re not sure how they do it!

Bow & Arrow ‘Fool’s Gold’, Willamette Valley, USA 2023 750ml $24 special, 27 bottles available
Winery Note “50% Chardonnay/50% Sauvignon Blanc. After experimenting in 2019 with making a Cheverny Blanc style Chard/Sauv Blanc blend and having it exceed all expectations I am happy (relieved?!) to announce I went all in and made much more”
 
Bow & Arrow Gamay Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2023 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ bottles available
Winemaker Note “The spiritual heart of red wine production at Bow & Arrow.  The first “Loire” red variety I ever got my hands on so I’m 13 vintages in wrestling with this chameleon grape.  I tilted towards sappy and serious the last few years and decided to course correct back to highlighting the innate fruit character of Gamay with this iteration.  Juicy red fruits with a touch of grip as my faves tend to do it.”
 
Bow & Arrow Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ bottles available
Winemaker Note “The style I have been pursuing came into clearer focus the past year as I have become more and more charmed by the fresher, youthful expressions of Pinot coming out of Burgundy from the “next gen” of young producers.  There’s more whole cluster and red fruit character for sure.”
 

 
 HOT DEAL  Purple Hands ‘Lone Oak Ranch’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $28 special, 13 bottles available
Int’l Wine Review 93 Points “The 2022 Lone Oak Ranch Pinot Noir from Purple Hands is a cuvée from seven premier vineyards from five Willamette Valley AVAs: Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton, Ribbon Ridge, Eola-Amity, and Mount Pisgah. This elegant Pinot Noir includes fruit from all of their vineyard designates and spent 10 months in 5% New French Oak, 45% Neutral French Oak, and 50% Stainless Steel tanks. Medium-bodied with lovely notes of dried Bing cherries, lavender, watermelon rind, purple flowers, wet stones, and bitter herbs, it ends with sweet crunchy tannins and racy acidity.”
 
Purple Hands Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $69 special, 6 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points “A richer reflective ruby hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard is a savory wine with notes of wet stones, graphite, pine, fresh black cherries, mixed berries, and tea leaf. It is very appealing on the palate early on. With refined tannins and a juicy feel. It’s very attractive now, and it’s not going to slow down any time soon. Drink 2024-2040.”
 
Purple Hands Haakon Lenai Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, USA 2022 750ml $66 special, 12 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points “A youthful ruby red hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Haakon/Lenai Vineyard comes from 27-year-old vines in the main estate vineyard. A youthful bright magenta/ruby color, it offers darker berried fruit notes of wild black raspberries, layered spice, toasted cedar, umami, and licorice, with some red-fruited, high-toned lift shining through. There is real crystalline depth to this wine as well as more purity and clarity, and it has bright, ripe acidity, mouthwatering freshness, and a great finish. Its ripe tannins are very well-framed, and it has a long finish. Much more purity and clarity here. Drink 2024-2044. This is by far the best wine in the Purple Hands lineup.”
 
Purple Hands Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton District, USA 2022 750ml $59 special, 6 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points “From one of the highest elevations in this vineyard, the 2022 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard is a transparent red hue and is aromatic of ripe cherries, spices, mossy earth, and a lightly gamey but clean earth note. It is an elegant and lifted expression of the Shea Vineyard, with bright acidity, fine tannins, and a more linear feel, and as it opens, it starts to show its broader shoulders and its deeper notes come through. Drink 2025-2040.”
 

 
Patricia Green Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Oregon, USA 2024 750ml $24 special, 12 bottles available
Winery Note “The Estate Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is a denser, richer more stately version of Sauvignon Blanc than one would generally find in the universe of this grape. The 2024 version has a unique tension to it between its tropical lime-infused papaya notes and the crystalline minerality that is on display at a level we have never experienced before. As is always the case, it is at once very high in acidity but rich in texture which adds to the complexity of the fruit/minerality interplay in the wine and makes the wine profound even at a young age. While this wine is capable of aging (a 2019 consumed early in 2025 was in fabulous condition) we believe it is best served in its relative youth to capture these fresh and delicious flavors.”
 
 
Champagne
 
Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France NV 750ml $96 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 93 Points “Taut and mineral, this fine Blanc de Blancs Champagne brings out the crispness of Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. Its croissant aroma suggests some bottle age, confirmed in the ripeness of the white fruits and acidity. Drink now.”
 
Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve, Champagne, France NV 750ml $59 special, 12 bottles available
Winery Note “Harmony and purity combine together in this light and subtle champagne. Its blend is made up of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier sourced from the very best sites of the Champagne region. It is the ideal partner to delight your guests on every occasion, both as an aperitif and throughout the entirety of a meal.”
 
Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois, Champagne, France NV 750ml $79 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 93 Points “With 40% of older reserve wines in the blend, this Champagne was fermented in wood. Its aroma brings out toastiness, while on the palate, the richness of the wine suggests maturity. It is a finely balanced wine, ready to drink now.”
 
 
Italy
 
Bini Lambrusco dell’Emilia IGT, Emilia-Romagna, Italy NV 750ml $19 special, 12 bottles available
Importer Note “In case you hadn’t noticed, Emilia, the land of Lambrusco, has a revolution brewing (or fermenting, often in bottle). After too many years of industrially-produced mediocrity, Emilia is now home to a small but growing cell of artisanal producers who are farming carefully and returning to the metodo ancestrale of their grandfathers: secondary fermentation in the bottle, without disgorgement. Denny Bini is one of the humble heroes of this renaissance-revolution.… Denny also makes our FUSO21 Lambrusco dell’Emilia (a.k.a. the Festa! Label) from practicing organic vineyards from family and friends.”
 
 
Spain
 
Alvaro Palacios ‘Les Terrasses’ Velles Vinyes, Priorat DOCa, Spain 2021 750ml $49 special, 21 bottles available
Luis Gutiérrez-Wne Advocate 94-96 Points “The sample of the 2021 Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes was truly impressive, a blend of 70% Garnacha and 30% Cariñena. It’s a lively and vibrant Priorat with lower alcohol and higher acidity and more freshness, pointing at a great vintage in the making. This could very well be the finest vintage of Terrasses, a wine that Álvaro Palacios defined as a year of concentration and class. The wine is clean and pure, with great precision. It matured in barrel and cask for the past seven months, and the wine will continue its élevage for one more year. They expect to fill some 110,000 bottles and 2,000 magnums around May 2023.”
 

 
The Cubillo is an amazing, value priced entrée to the wines of Lopez Heredia. The quality here is astounding; in most wineries this would be Reserva level. How do they do it?
Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia ‘Vina Cubillo’ Crianza, Rioja DOCa, Spain 2016 750ml $33 special, 6 bottles available
Luis Gutiérrez-Wine Advocate 94 Points “The 2016 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza was surprising, spectacular, elegant, clean and fresh like few vintages before. It was a superb year, with quality, quantity and freshness. It’s quite the opposite from the previous 2015, which was a much warmer and riper year. The 2016s have moderate alcohol and especially the perception of less ripeness (even though the alcohol is very similar). It feels very young, still quite primary. Mercedes explained, “Cubillas, a 24-hectare plot, is a vineyard that could produce Gran Reserva wines. It’s a very good vineyard, but we would miss the Crianza in our range”. In fact, the comment was that this vintage is even a challenge for the Viña Tondonia red “because of its price.” It is indeed a bargain. “But it doesn’t have the finesse of Tondonia,” concluded María José. Anyway, it’s super tasty. 92,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2022.”
 
This Tondonia Reserva features an incredible 6 years of barrel aging before being clarified with egg whites to ensure the purity and longevity of the wines without filtration.
Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva, Rioja DOCa, Spain 2011 750ml $56 special, 9 bottles available
Neal Martin-Vinous 94 Points “The 2011 Vina Tondonia Reserva Rioja was ordered during a run of disappointing wines. It has a youthful nose, probably still too young to broach, with black plum, clove, hints of star anis and smoke. Lovely definition, though not as powerful as other vintages tasted. The palate is quite firm and structured with grippy tannins that frame the dusky black fruit with veins of blue fruit towards the finish. There is a seriousness about this Tondonia that I appreciate, though frankly, I would cellar for another decade. Tasted at Premnord in Burgundy.”
 
 
 

 
 

 

Brad McLeroy had a dream but he also had a problem. While he and his wife owned a popular wine shop, what he really wanted was to be a winemaker. Unfortunately, their wine shop was in Kansas City… far from any wine regions of note. So they sold their business and moved west and moved out to the Willamette Valley. Brad got a job at working with Veronique Drouhin, one of the greatest winemakers in the world, and six years later opened his own winery.
 
While they may not receive the level of attention that some Oregon wineries get, they are beloved by industry vets and wine geeks alike. Coupled with their pure and transportive style, these wines are delicious and are truly fantastic values.
 
Ayres Gamay Noir Chehalem Mountains 2023 750ml $21.90 special, 30 bottles available
VinopolNote “Brad McLeroy makes some of our favorite refreshing varietal wines form the Willamette Valley, and his prices always seem just a touch lower than we’d expect. This dry-farmed Gamay is mineral-driven with a crunchy acidity. Classic and refreshing, it does well with a light chill.”
 
Ayres Lewis Rogers Lane Pinot Noir 2022 750ml $39 special, 19 bottles available
Winemaker’s Note “The Ayres Willamette Valley Pinot is sourced from the Ayres Estate in Ribbon Ridge at 474 feet elevation, and the Oliver Vineyard in Yamhill Carlton at 600 feet elevation. Wines are fermented in open top, 2 ton fermenters using all indigenous yeasts for both primary and secondary fermentations. A small amount of whole clusters were used.”
 
Ayres Perspective Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir 2023 750ml $29 special, 33 bottles available
Winemaker’s Note “The Ayres Willamette Valley Pinot is sourced from the Ayres Estate in Ribbon Ridge at 474 feet elevation, and the Oliver Vineyard in Yamhill Carlton at 600 feet elevation. Wines are fermented in open top, 2 ton fermenters using all indigenous yeasts for both primary and secondary fermentations. A small amount of whole clusters were used.”
 
Ayres Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2023 750ml $24 special, 26 bottles available
CS-12 Ayres Willamette Pinot Noir 2023 750ml $259 special, 3 cases available
VinopolNote “Brad McLeroy makes some of our favorite refreshing varietal wines form the Willamette Valley, and his prices always seem just a touch lower than we’d expect. This dry-farmed Gamay is mineral-driven with a crunchy acidity. Classic and refreshing, it does well with a light chill.”