In This Newsletter:New ArrivalsMan of the MacconaisRoyal TokajiYou Should Be Drinking Dry FurmintSpanish Close-out WinesExtra low prices for these top brands
New Arrivals
Heritiers du Comte Lafon.
Dominique Lafon took over his family estate in Meursault, Domaine des Comte Lafon, in 1984 and within a few short years, his wines were some of the most prized in Burgundy. Moving from success to success, he founded a new biodynamic winery in 1999, Héritiers du Comte Lafon, in Macon.
A longtime proponent of Organic and sustainable viticulture, Héritiers (meaning “inheritors” in French) is a project he runs with his daughter and nephew. His belief in and passion for the Macon region has made Héritiers a towering beacon for fine wine in this previously undervalued Chardonnay mecca. On top of creating higher quality wines, he believes that his commitment to sustainable viticulture is a commitment to the next generation of the Lafon family, the future héritiers of the estate.Domaine des Heritiers du Comte Lafon Macon Bussieres, Burgundy, France 2022 750ml $39 special, 6 bottles availableDecanter 91 Points “This delightful single-vineyard Mâcon shows a lush, floral-scented apricot fruit with accents of spice and butter. The texture is rich, supple and dense, yet not lacking in tension. The site at the base of the slope turns all the way around the base of the rock. In 2022, the picking began on 26 August because of dry conditions; the result recalls the richness of the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation located just to the south.” Neil Martin-Vinous 91 Points “The 2022 Mâcon-Bussières Le Monsard has a livelier bouquet than the Clos de la Crochette with peach skin and caramelized pear aromas. The palate is well-balanced with impressive concentration, quite opulent in style, and a touch of lemongrass towards the persistent, generous finish.” Domaine des Heritiers du Comte Lafon Macon Chardonnay Clos de la Crochette, Burgundy, France 2022 1.5L $89 special, 2 bottles availableNeal Martin-Vinous 90 Points “The 2022 Mâcon-Chardonnay Clos de la Crochette has a quite backward nose that needs more tension. The palate is well-balanced with fine acidity, much more expressive than the aromatics, with a peachy, seductive finish. Lovely. But the nose needs to step up a gear.” Domaine des Heritiers du Comte Lafon Macon Milly-Lamartine Clos du Four, Burgundy, France 2022 750ml $46.50 special, 7 bottles availableNeal Martin-Vinous 92 points “The 2022 Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine Clos du Four has a touch of reduction on the nose, but I like the flintiness that comes through on the aromatics with aeration. The palate is well-balanced, with a citric line of acidity, lime and orange pith, and a vibrant and persistent finish. One of my picks from the Domaine this vintage.” Domaine des Heritiers du Comte Lafon Macon-Uchizy Les Maranches, Burgundy, France 2022 750ml $39 special, 12 bottles availableNeal Martin-Vinous 90 Points “The 2022 Mâcon-Uchizy Les Maranches has a more austere bouquet demanding some coaxing from the glass. The palate is well-balanced with a saline entry and fine weight in the mouth. Not complex per se, yet it feels quite long and spicy on the finish. Fine. Drink: 2023-2030.” Domaine des Heritiers du Comte Lafon Pouilly-Fuisse, Maconnais, France 2022 750ml $64.50 special, 8 bottles availableNeal Martin-Vinous “It has an attractive bouquet of yellow flowers and a touch of peach skin. Fine delineation. The palate is well-balanced with a saline entry. Fine depth with impressive persistency. Recommended. Drink: 2024-2032.” Domaine des Heritiers du Comte Lafon Vire-Clesse, Maconnais, France 2022 750ml $49 special, 8 bottles availableNeal Martin-Vinous 89 Points “The 2022 Viré-Clessé comes from several parcels that, unlike the previous vintage, includes “younger” vines around 20 years old. It has an attractive bouquet of yellow flowers and a touch of peach skin. Fine delineation. The palate is well-balanced with a saline entry. Fine depth with impressive persistency. Recommended.”
Royal Tokaji
Why aren’t more people drinking Furmint? That’s the first thing I think every time I open a bottle of this Hungarian delight. Bright, citrusy, herbal and a tad smoky, it’s a crackerjack food pairing wine, yet it’s not a varietal that’s seen much in the United States apart from hip wine menus written by geeked out sommes.
Maybe that’s all about to change. Hugh Johnson, one of the most influential wine writers since Pliny the Elder co-founded Royal Tokaji with a group of European investors to revive the storied but almost forgotten furmint-based Tokaj dessert wines of Hungary. Once known as the “Wine of Kings,” Tokaji is a botyritized dessert wine that has been enjoyed by the likes of Catherine the Great and Louis the 14th.
Although most acclaimed for their dessert wines, they also produce some of the finest dry Furmint in the market, including single varietal offerings from some of the finest and oldest vineyards in Hungary. These are serious, high-toned wines that stand on their own.
Royal Tokaji Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary 2019 750ml $18 special, 36+ bottles availableWinery Note “The Grapes for this Dry Furmint are primarily from the “Mád “commune. Whole bunches were gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks and some Hungarian oak barrels, seperated by different vineyard lots. During vinification, malolactic fermentation is avoided to preserve the wine’s natural acidity. The wine is matured in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and Hungarian Zemplen oak barrels. The wine is kept on fine lees for 4-5 months to achieve roundness and structure.” “Úrágya, means “God’s bed”. The vineyard sits in a dip between two extinct volcanoes to the west of Mád. Viewed from our village it is where we see the sun “go to sleep” every night.” -Royal TokajiRoyal Tokaji Urgaya (1st Growth) Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary 2021 750ml $39 special, 16 bottles availableWinery Note “Our vines are on the western slope in the higher parts of the vineyard. The unique volcanic soils build the structure, backbone and minerality of this delicious dry wine. Maturation in oak barrels adds further complexity and roundness.” Royal Tokaji Urgaya (1st Growth) Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary 2022 750ml $39 special, 6 bottles availableImporter Note “2022 was an early vintage with good balance, elegance and power in the dry wines, and creamy richness in the sweets. Drought conditions through the vintage and relatively higher temperatures conducted to an early harvest – from the end of August until mid-September.” “Mézes Mály is one of just two vineyards classified as a Great First Growth [in Hungary]. Its volcanic bedrock is overlaid with deep loess soil, giving elegance, finesse and floral notes to its wines. Royal Tokaji owns 11 of its 19 hectares, facing south with views to the Great Plain in the distance.”- Royal Tokaji Royal Tokaji Mezes Maly (Great 1st Growth) Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary 2021 750ml $39 special, 16 bottles availableImporter’s Note “Mézes Mály (MAIZE-esh my) is arguably the world’s original “superstar” vineyard. The first classification of the already legendary vineyards of Tokaji took place in the 1730’s, the earliest of any wine region. Royal Tokaji and Hugh Johnson jointly own this vineyard, which is the winery’s only vineyard with deep loess topsoil over volcanic bedrock. Vine age ranges from 20 to 60 years old.” Royal Tokaji Mezes Maly (Great 1st Growth) Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary 2022 750ml $39 special, 12 bottles availableImporter Tasting Note “Mézes Mály Furmint is a sleek, concentrated wine with elegance and a subtle floral character – hints of spice, and plenty of white peach and apricot fruit all balanced by refreshing, crisp acidity and a lingering finish.”
Close-out Sales
Spain
Spain has long been the top pick in value for Oenophiles who don’t want to sacrifice quality for price. From Garnacha in Priorat and Sierra de Gredos to Godello in D.O. Valdeorras, Spain has seen a boom in incredible, forward-thinking wineries that prioritize sustainability and the kind of minimalist, terroir-focused winemaking we love.
These are incredible wines at even lower prices than ever!
WAS $199 Bodegas Contador – Benjamin Romeo ‘La Vina de Andres Romeo’, Rioja DOCa, Spain 2004 750ml $179 special, 6 bottle availableWine Advocate 98 Points “There are a mere 200 bottles of the 2004 La Vina de Andres Romeo. This wine is tightly wound and remains an infant developmentally. Nevertheless, all the ingredients for greatness are present but it will take a decade of cellaring for them to be full expressed. This sensational effort should easily drink well for 40-50 years like a great first growth Bordeaux.”
Average Price $218
…we are offering the following wines at the lowest price in the United States: WAS $59Bodegas Avancia Nobleza ‘Vielle Vignes’ Godello, Valdeorras, Spain 2020 750ml $49 special, 4 bottle availableJosh Raynolds-Vinous 94 Points “Pale gold. Intensely perfumed pear nectar and orange zest qualities on the nose; honeysuckle and mineral notes add lift. Juicy, penetrating and sharply focused on the palate, offering concentrated citrus and orchard fruit and floral flavors along with suggestions of salty minerals and bitter quinine. Deftly melds depth and vivacity and finishes extremely long and briny, with outstanding clarity and repeating florality.”
Elsewhere $67.99
WAS $24Bodega Maranones Treinta Mil Maravedies, Madrid, Spain 2016 750ml $20.90 special, 8 bottles availableLuis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 91+ Points “The fully developed, aromatic and open 2016 30.000 Maravedíes, with nice aromatics and a very pleasant palate. It’s fragrant and elegant, with pungent flavors and very good persistence. This is a superb showing for this bottling. 39,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2017.” …and these wines at the lowest price on West Coast:WAS $39 Daniel Gomez Jimenez-Landi ‘Las Uvas de la Ira’ Garnacha, Mentrida, Spain 2018 750ml $31.90 special, 14 bottles availableLuis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 93 Points “This is a little less aromatic and more austere but very focused and bright, from a village where the wines are serious and have a chalky texture, less floral but more citrus, a bit more backward. It has a compact palate, with very fine tannins and a more chalky finish. It’s interesting to taste it next to wines from other villages, as you clearly see the difference. 18,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2019.” WAS $49Familia Nin-Ortiz ‘Planetes de Nin’, Priorat DOCa, Spain 2017 750ml $44.50 special, 36+ bottles availableLuis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 95 Points “The 2017 Planetes de Nin comes from the four hectares of 20-year-old Garnacha and 11-year-old Cariñena in the Planetes vineyard in Porrera at 450 meters in altitude. It’s 60% Garnacha (some of it Peluda) and the rest Cariñena, harvested early. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in 3,200-liter oak vats and one 1,000-liter amphora for 17 months. It has depth and harmony, and the vines are getting older and seem to be better and better balanced.”
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