Vinopolis Newsletter 6-12-24 PM

Arriving Late June
 
 
Paolo Scavino.

“Enrico Scavino, along with his daughters Enrica and Elisa, hit it out of the park in both 2019 and 2020. These are some of the most impressive wines I tasted on my fall trip to Piedmont.” -Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media.
 

 
 Hot Deal  Paolo Scavino Barolo DOCG, Piedmont, Italy 2020 750ml $41.90 special, 18 bottles available
Vinous 91 Points “The 2020 Barolo is seriously beautiful. Pliant and creamy, with terrific depth, the 2020 impresses with its bold, open-knit personality. A burst of dark red cherry/plum fruit, rose petal, mint and spice lend notable character to this decidedly exuberant Barolo from the Scavino family.”
 
Paolo Scavino Bricco Ambrogio, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2020 750ml $59 special, 18 bottles available
Vinous 95 Points “The 2020 Barolo Bricco Ambrogio is a complex, alluring wine. Dried herbs, menthol, licorice, sage, mocha and lavender play off a core of purplish/black fruit. Dark and sensual, but not at all heavy, the 2020 has a ton to offer in a plush, immediate style. This is a very sexy Barolo.”
 
Paolo Scavino Bric del Fiasc, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2020 750ml $99 special, 6 bottles available
Vinous 94 Points “The 2020 Barolo Bric del Fiasc is a powerful, tannic wine. Then again, it is Bric del Fiasc. Iron, dried herbs, white pepper, geranium, orange peel and red-toned fruit are all delineated, framed by sinewy, nervous tannins that give the wine its shape. This driving, taut Barolo will need at least a few years to hit its stride. It’s a bit compacted today.”
 
Paolo Scavino Monvigliero, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2020 750ml $79 special, 12 bottles available
Vinous 93 Points “Scavino’s 2020 Barolo Monvigliero is bright and aromatically effusive, as Barolos from this site tend to be, but on the palate, it is quite a bit more reserved… Dried fruit, tobacco, mint and worn-in leather linger. Ideally, I would like to see more Monvigliero sensuality here.
 
Paolo Scavino Prapo, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2020 750ml $79 special, 6 bottles available
Vinous 95 Points “The 2020 Barolo Prapò is another impressive wine from the Scavino family in this vintage. Dark and somber, with plenty of Serralunga tannin, the 2020 impresses with its superb balance and class. Dark fruit, iron, leather, menthol and espresso build as this dramatic, wonderfully resonant Barolo shows off its stylish personality. Elegance and power.”
 
Paolo Scavino Ravera, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2020 750ml $79 special, 12 bottles available
Vinous 94+ Points “The 2020 Barolo Ravera is sleek, elegant and polished. It offers a captivating mix of the savory/mineral intensity of this site and the slightly smaller-scaled structure of the year. Black cherry, lavender, sage, coffee, mint and gravel abound. Elisa Scavino has done a terrific job softening the potent Ravera tannins. I can’t wait to see how this ages.”
 

Would you like to see more? Click here to browse multiple vintages of Scavino’s amazing wines!
 
Great New Scores for Hundred Suns Winery!
 
 

 

Founded by Grant Coulter and Renee Saint-Amour, two young professionals bit by the wine bug and relocated from California to Oregon to begin their winery. First, Grant cut his teeth working as a wine maker for Beaux Freres, one of the Willamette’s top wineries, while Renee worked full-time as a high school teacher. Finally in 2015 they made an all-or-nothing moonshot, purchasing the property in Willamette they turned into their vineyard and winery. Their dedication goes beyond passion. As they say ” From winemaking, to label design, website building, and even wax dipping bottles by hand, every aspect of this process has our fingerprints on it because it is just the two of us.”
 
We’ve long been fans of this Winery and we’re always happy to hand sell these bottles to anyone who comes into Vinopolis. Really, the wines sell themselves, as anyone who has tasted them will vouch for, but it’s always nice to have the scores and reviews to back us up.
 
These raves are coming from the International Wine Review, always a fantastic resource for Willamette Wines. All too often the biggest wine Magazines only review already famous, legacy wineries from Oregon and neglect the great up-and-coming wineries like Hundred Suns.
 
PINOT NOIR
 
From the under-recognized Tualatin AVA, this is a lighter hued wine, best drunk slightly below cellar temp and made in a lighter style reminiscent of Côte de Beaune vs Côte de Nuit.
 Staff Pick  Hundred Suns Bednarik Vineyard Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021 750ml $49 special, 7 bottles available
Jeremy Young- International Wine Report 96 Points “Grown on own-rooted stock planted in 1988, it’s aged for 11 months in French oak barrels and showcases a light purple core with a bluish rim. Interesting dust, earth, and spice notes pop from the glass and compliment the black raspberry and cherry fruits that play second fiddle. The impecabble balance between the luscious fruit, the peppery spice, and the rounded but firm tannins, produce a Pinot Noir that I highly recommend and one that should cellar for over a decade without a problem. Highly recommended and editor’s choice.”
 

Lowest price on the West Coast

 
…and in typical Vinopolis fashion, we have the lowest listed prices for these wines in the country:
 
A crowd-pleaser of crowd pleasers… this is the current 2022 Willamette wine to beat according to our tastings and it’s one of the most impressive bottlings that Hundred Suns has ever produced, period!
Hundred Suns ‘Own-Rooted’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2022 750ml $69 special, 6 bottles available
Jeremy Young- International Wine Report 97 Points “The enchanting 2022 Own Rooted Pinot Noir from Hundred Suns comes from three different vineyards of own-rooted vineyards, all from the original rootstock. A captivating, shining medium ruby core with a watery rim in the glass, it delivers bountiful dried and fresh floral notes to start. Incredibly elegant and well-rounded, it offers serious amounts of crushed red cherries, sweet strawberries, cedary herbs, and earthy undertones without being overpowering. With expansive texture and good overall freshness, it finishes with a sweet vanilla and blue plum note on the mid-palate. Highly recommended and editor’s choice.”
 
Hundred Suns Carson Phillips Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, USA 2022 750ml $56.50 special, 20 bottles available
Jeremy Young- International Wine Report 97 Points “With a glimmering ruby-blue core with a light pink rim, the tantalizing 2022 Carson Phillips Vineyard Pinot Noir from Hundred Suns rested in French oak barrels for 11 months. Broad and expansive across the palate, it boasts notes of Bing cherries, crushed ripe red raspberries, white tea, freshly cut roses, and subtle spice notes of grated cardamon pods. I kept coming back to this wine over the course of an hour, and it kept getting better and better with time. Tannins are a bit grippy but with a few years of bottle age, it’s going to be perfect. A small production of 154 cases was crafted. Highly recommended and editor’s choice.”
 
Hundred Suns ‘Lone Feather’ Pinot Noir, McMinnville, USA 2022 750ml $55.60 special, 18 bottles available
Jeremy Young- International Wine Report 96 Points “Partially fermented with whole cluster fruit, the 2022 Lone Feather Pinot Noir from Hundred Suns gifts a medium ruby-purple core with a bright neon red rim. Fragrant on the nose with black cherry candy, violet flowers, lemon verbena, citrus zest, and whole clove aromas. Wonderfully balanced and elegant with no rough edges, the tannins are present but not overpowering. Acidity is perfectly incorporated alongside the bitter herb and blueberry finish. Highly recommended.”
 
The most structured of Hundred Sun’s current offerings, which is no surprise considering its provenance. This is drinking wonderfully right now with some decanting, but we can’t help but feel it will improve significantly with some extra bottle age. Either way, this is a truly impressive wine, one of the strongest wines of the vintage so far.
 Collector’s Pick  Hundred Suns Sequitur Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 750ml $61.90 special, 29 bottles available
Jeremy Young- International Wine Report 96 Points “Sporting a glistening medium to dark ruby core and a neon pink rim in the glass, and saw 35% whole cluster used during fermentation and then aged for 11 months in French oak. It’s a richer and more serious Pinot Noir from Hundred Suns that gifts notes of boysenberry, blue plum skin, hoisin sauce, Asian spices, tilled earth, and black tea. Well-balanced, with no rough edges, it seems nothing is out of place in this Pinot. I loved the blue and black fruit finish and the peppery note you get on the front palate. Highly recommended.”
 
Hundred Suns Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022 750ml $41.90 special, 30 bottles available
Jeremy Young- International Wine Report 95 Points “The 2022 Eola-Amity Pinot Noir from Hundred Suns saw 11 months in neutral French oak barrels and was fermented with a combination of destemmed fruit, partial whole cluster, and whole cluster. Gifting a light to medium ruby core with a neon blue rim, the juicy core of mountain wild blueberries, sliced rhubarb, milk chocolate, sweet cloves, and black tea is everything you want from a bottle of Pinot Noir. Grippy tannins and racy acidity create a finish that goes on and on. Just 255 cases produced.”
 
Hundred Suns Old Eight Cut Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022 750ml $31.90 special, 17 bottles available
Jeremy Young- International Wine Report 94 Points “Fermented with native yeast and 30% whole cluster, Winemaker Grant Coulter knocked it out of the park again with another stunning Pinot Noir that boasts notes of boysenberry, mountain sagebrush, dried blueberry, red plum skin, cedary herbs, and fresh vanilla bean. Wonderfully balanced with no rough edges, it’s a perfect combination of tannin, fruit, earth, spice, and yumminess. This is a killer wine for the price point if you can find it.”
 
GAMAY
 
Hundred Suns Willamette Valley Gamay 2022 750ml $33 special, 9 bottles available
Jeremy Young- International Wine Report 94 Points “Hundred Suns makes some of the top Gamay coming out of the Willamette Valley. This 2022 rested in 80% neutral French Oak and 20% Amphora and saw 33% whole clusters during the carbonic maceration. With a light to medium glistening ruby core with a bright neon pink rim, it’s beautiful to behold and to taste. Red cranberries, sweet lilac flowers, red currants, and pink peppercorn aromas spill from the glass. More complex and interesting than you would expect from a bottle of Gamay, the natural wine notes add complexity and depth, and I love it. What an incredible bottle of wine.”
 
CHARDONNAY
 
Hundred Suns Old Eight Cut Chardonnay 2022 750ml $31.90 special, 7 bottles available
Jeremy Young- International Wine Report 93 Points “I wish Hundred Suns would make more Chadonnays because what they do, even with their entry-level bottles, is phenomenal. The 2022 Old Eight Cut Chardonnay sports a light lemon core with a silvery rim. It starts off a bit reductive on the nose with hints of flint and grilled lemon and then moves to lovely notes of bitter herbs, sliced red apple, and apricot peel. Lush across the palate, it finishes with a volcanic rock and bitter herb note on the back of the palate. Only 217 cases made. Best Buy.”

 
Click here to browse our webstore for more great Oregon wineries!