Vinopolis Newsletter 4-2-25PM

In This Newsletter:


Arrivals
Resonance Wines, Diebolt-Vallois, and more!

Rhone Valley: North vs South
The North
 

 
 
Oregon
 

 

The return of our hottest selling Oregon wine of 2023!
 
What does a life-long French Vigneron do in their retirement? Start a new winery of course! That’s exactly what Jacques Lardiere, the long-time winemaker for Louis Jadot did with his former employers, finding a new home in Carlton, Oregon. Without even needing to lean on Jadot’s clout, these wines are conquering American palettes and wowing major publications, including their 2021 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir’s spot in Wine Spectator’s Top Ten Wines of 2023!
 
We snapped up as much of these wines as we could in 2023 and it still wasn’t enough to satisfy demand.
 
If you were one of the myriad Vinopolis loyalists who missed out on this wine last vintage then NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!
 
Staff Pick: One of the best Willamette wine bargains we’ve had so far from this exemplary vintage. This is a wine sure to please lovers of Burgundian styled Pinot Noir—endlessly herbal and earthy with excellent fruit and acidity this wine brims with old world sophistication.
Resonance Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2022 750ml $34.50 special, 24 bottles available
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 93 Points “The 2022 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is bursting with aromas of pomegranate, lavender, forest floor and herbal hints. The palate is open and inviting, offering concentrated, spicy flavors. It’s structured by silky tannins and mouthwatering acidity and has a long, nuanced finish. 14,900 cases produced.”
 
Resonance Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2022 750ml $34.50 special, 12 bottles available
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 91 Points “The 2022 Chardonnay Willamette Valley, which contains fruit from vineyards across the appellation, including Koosah, Découverte and Witness Tree, is tense and shimmery. It’s scented of yellow apples, lemon peel, bread dough, cashews and beeswax. The light-bodied palate balances concentrated, nutty fruit with vibrant acidity, and it has a long, silky finish. Around 2,000 cases were produced.”
 
Resonance Decouverte Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 750ml $69 special, 12 bottles available
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 94 Points “The 2019 Pinot Noir Découverte Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1996 and was matured in barrel for 17 months. It has pretty scents of cranberries, blackberries, tea leaves and violets with amaro-like undertones. The light-bodied palate is elegant, with a soft, juicy frame, detailed, fragrant flavors and a layered, ethereal finish.”
 

 

 

Champagne
 

 
The Côte des Blancs region in Champagne is home to some of the most sought after and exquisite sparkling wine in the world. In the Cote des Blancs village of Cramant, Diebolt-Vallois is a star player, in part due to the quality of their vineyard holdings in the region and nearby Epernay. The estate has focused on Blanc de Blancs since their founding in 1959. These are very classic representations of Champagne. With a house style characterized by crisp minerality, food friendly acidity and refreshing fruit profile expressing notes of orchard fruits and citrus.
 
Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France NV 750ml $49 special, 36+ bottles available
Winery Note “Lively and elegant champagne, perfect as an aperitif or at the beginning of the meal. Varieties used: 100% Chardonnay, Blanc de Blancs. Terroir: Cuis, Chouilly, Epernay and young vines from Cramant. Vinification: Fermentation in thermostatically controlled vats. Blend of wines from two years. Dosage: 3-5 g/l.”
 
Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs Brut Millesime, Champagne, France 2018 750ml $59 special, 36+ bottles available
Decanter 92 Points “All from the northern Côte (Cuis and Chouilly), this is a vintage cuvée that reflects the year’s easy charms and open stance. Creamy with white peach and nougat and bright with grapefruit peel and oyster shell. It’s snappy rather than structured or tense, tuned deliciously for mid-term drinking yet still offering the smooth, age-complexed texture expected at this level.”
 
Diebolt-Vallois Prestige Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France NV 750ml $54.50 special, 28 bottles available
Decanter 92 Points “A dictionary-definition, crisp and invigorating blend of Côte des Blancs villages that treads a fine line between snappy, juicy pear and grapefruit peel fruitiness and a more serious side that features sea salt minerality and crusty bread, all presented with a measured, approachable concentration and full mousse. A model entry-level cuvée.”
 
Diebolt-Vallois Tradition Brut, Champagne, France NV 750ml $44.50 special, 36+ bottles available
Winery Note “A balanced champagne, perfect as an aperitif or at the beginning of the meal. Varieties used: 40% Chardonnay, 30 – 40% Pinot Noir, 20 – 30% Pinot Meunier. Terroir: The grapes come from various terroirs belonging to the estate. Vinification: Fermentation in thermostatically controlled vats. Dosage: 6-8 g/l.”
 
 
 

 

Help us welcome this wine back into the shop! This Kabinett—not too dry, not too sweet—has been one of the staff’s favorite bottles to take home recently. Order some Thai or Szechuan food, throw on your favorite show, and pour a glass of this wonderful wine… it’s perfect for a night in.
 
 STAFF PICK  August Kesseler “R” Riesling Kabinett 2023 750ml $16.50 special, 36+ bottles available
James Suckling 94 Points “What a striking, barely off-dry riesling with a beautiful nose of bergamot, oranges and delicate spicy notes. Terrific structure beneath the wealth of fruit, the delicate spritz lightening this medium-bodied wine that has just 11.5% alcohol. Long, graceful finish. A cuvee of wines from sites in Rudesheim, Kiedrich, Hattenheim. Drink now.”
 
 
 

 

Hermitage: the soul of the Rhone
 

 

Northern Rhone
 
In the north, Syrah is King. Although long believed to be a grape with Persian origins (legends placed its birthplace in the ancient city of Shirazi, hence the grape’s unusual name in some wine regions) genetic testing has revealed that Syrah most actually originated in the northern Rhône.
 
 

 
If you’re new to the northern Rhône, Cornas is the perfect place to start. It’s not as pure (or expensive) an expression of Syrah as Hermitage and not as graceful as Côte Rôtie, but it is an essential Rhône wine all its own. You see, “Cornas” means Burnt Earth in French and as you might imagine that translates to big flavors of roasted meat, purple fruit, and smoke.
 
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.”
 
Eric & Joel Durand Cornas Confidence 2018 750ml $59 special, 19 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points “One of my favorite Cornas, the 2018 Cornas Confidence comes from pure granite soils and was partially destemmed and brought up in 30% new French oak. The 2018 is a head-turner, revealing a dense purple color as well as sensational notes of crème de cassis, smoked bacon, graphite, bouquet garni, and liquid rock-like minerality. Rich, full-bodied, and opulent, with sweet tannins, this is one sexy Cornas that’s going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and cruise for 10-15 years in cold cellars.”
 
 

 
This postage stamp of an appellation, invisible from space and even high flying airplanes is nevertheless one of the most important, mysterious, and quality wine regions on the planet. The region is comprised of a large granite hill. At the very top of this hill is the Hermitage itself, a chapel which legend says was built by a penitent Knight who sought spiritual redemption after returning from the Crusades. This chapel also gives its name to Jaboulet’s top vineyard, “La Chapelle.” The wines of Hermitage are rich and robust– they are quite possibly the purest representation of Syrah to be found anywhere in the world and while they fetch high prices, they should be experienced at least once by all serious wine lovers.
 
Delas Hermitage Les Bessards 2019 750ml $219 special, 36+ bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points “My favorite release from this estate is consistently their Les Bessards Hermitage, and their 2019 is no exception. Coming from the western part and pure broken granite soils on the west side of this magical hill, it sports a dense purple hue to go with a brilliant perfume of cassis, graphite, scorched earth, burning embers, spring flowers, and peppery herbs. Incredibly complex, layered, and nuanced, with classic Hermitage characteristics, it still stays firmly planted in the ripe, sunny, sexy vintage. Full-bodied, concentrated, and structured on the palate, it has a wealth of tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. This is pure Hermitage magic that needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years and will evolve for 20-30 years in cold cellars. Hats off to the team at Delas for another incredible wine.”
 
Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 2019 750ml $199 special, 34 bottles available
Joe Czerwinski-Wine Advocate 98-100 Points “Might this be the next vintage of La Chapelle to crack triple digits? Knockout aromas of crushed stone, violets, blueberries, and cassis mark the nose of the 2019 Hermitage La Chapelle, while the full-bodied palate is undeniably more intense and powerful than the more elegant 2018. Rich and velvety, it coats the mouth with dark fruit and creamy-textured espresso, yet retains remarkable length and licorice-derived peppery freshness on the finish. Wow!”
 
 

 
Côte Rôtie is where to go when you want Syrah that truly balances power with elegance. Located at the northern most reaches the of the Rhône region, Côte Rotie creates nuanced and vivid wines, which are often co-fermented with Viognier providing beautiful floral notes of lilac and violet along with pepper, blue fruit, and earth. The wines from this region are as much a work of art as anything in the Louvre.
 
Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie La Landonne 2022 750ml $184.50 special, 4 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 95-97 Points “The 2022 Côte Rôtie La Landonne ratchets everything up a notch, offing a darker, meaty style in its smoked black fruits, raw steak, ground pepper, and graphite notes. It’s medium to full-bodied and has ripe, polished tannins and terrific overall balance.”
 
Saint Cosme Cote Rotie 2022 750ml $69 special, 23 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 93-95 Points “The 2022 Côte Rôtie is flat-out gorgeous and a wine to seek out. Ripe black raspberries, blackberries, pepper, graphite, and smoke meat all define this medium to full-bodied 2022, which has velvety tannins and a great mid-palate. It’s a blockbuster of a Côte Rôtie that will benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age. While Gigondas’s Louis Barruol is well known for his reference point Gigondas releases, his terrific Northern Rhône releases are, unfortunately, less well known. As with his Southern Rhônes, Louis likes lots of stems and used barrels, and these wines all have classic profiles.”