Vinopolis Newsletter 7-29-24

New Arrivals
 
 

 
Azienda Gulfi Societa Agricola


 
“Anyone who doubts the longevity and site-transparent properties of Nero d’Avola needs to only check with the Gulfi portfolio.” -Eric Guido, Vinous
 

Gulfi Nerosanlore Sicilia IGT, Sicily, Italy 2017 750ml $44.50 special, 12 bottles available
James Suckling 93 Points “Old tile and ripe berry with some flowers and nuts. Just a hint of dried fruit. Full-bodied with round, succulent tannins and a juicy and tangy finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.”
 
Gulfi Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, Sicily, Italy 2022 750ml $24 special, 22 bottles available
James Suckling 91 Points “Fresh, brambly nose with hibiscus and geraniums. Crunchy and elegant on the palate with a medium body and some firm tannins that carry the red cherries and raspberries. Fresh and expressive.”
 
Gulfi Rossojbleo Nero d’Avola Sicilia IGT, Sicily, Italy 2022 750ml $21.90 special, 22 bottles available
Winery Note “Nero d’Avola 100%, grown as a sapling carried on an espalier. Nero d’Avola takes its name from Avola, a town near Pachino in the province of Syracuse, where several centuries ago it was selected by the winemakers of the area. Grown without synthetic inputs or irrigation, this is the entry-level offering from Gulfi. Meant to be a light and juicy iteration of Nero D’Avola.”

 

Oregon
 
 Hot deal!  Illahe Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, USA 750ml $21.90 special, 12 bottles available
Winery Note “The aromatics of the gris jump out of the glass with notes of sweet grass, honey crisp apple, animal cracker, lemon, ginger, honey, dried apricot and a hint of salinity. Our wooden foudre helps give this gris has lovely texture with centered acidity and rich juicy mouthfeel.”
 
France
 

 
In the Macon, tucked away below the magnificent limestone “Rock of Vergisson” which juts fin-like above the village of Vergisson, lies Domaine Sangouard-Guyot, a self-described “human-sized” winery that has produced small-scale, hand-made chardonnays for generations. The Rock, a product of the Mesozoic era, shows signs of habitation since prehistoric… perhaps ancient ancestors of current proprietor Pierre-Emmanuel? While the family has farmed their land since the 1850’s, there is a true lived-in quality to these wines and a great sense of place which is less common to the Macon than many other regions of Burgundy.
 

 
Domaine Sangouard-Guyot Macon Vergisson La Roche, Burgundy, France 2022 750ml $21.90 special, 24 bottles available
Winery Notes “This Mâcon-Vergisson La Roche, aka “The Rock” grows on a plot of land of 50 acres on the limestone Rock of Vergisson. Thanks to its soil and southern aspect, right on the border of Pouilly-Fuissé, this wine is said to be Pouilly-Fuissé’s “little brother. Although very pleasant to drink young, the wine will grow softer with aging for up to 5 years! The nose is generous, fruity and floral, sometimes slightly muscat like. The mouth is smooth with nice flavours of exotic fruit.”
 
Domaine Sangouard-Guyot Macon Vineuse Clos de Bressandes, Burgundy, France 2022 750ml $21.90 special, 24 bottles available
Winery Notes “This Mâcon-Villages grows on a plot of 1 ha (2,5 acres) “Le clos de la Bressande” in the village of Hurigny. Thanks to its exposure to sun (south/south-east) the grapes ripen beautifully to make this refreshing wine with very present aromas of fruit and flowers protected by low-temperature maturing. It is a refreshing wine with very present aromas of fruit (peaches) and flowers (acacia, hawthorn): a delightful wine!”

 Staff Picks


Oregon Chardonnay

 

 

Tan Fruit ‘Petite Tan Fruit’ Chardonnay, USA 2022 750ml $19 special, 36+ bottles available
Vinopolnote “Electric lemonade! This zippy, bargain priced introduction to Jimmy Maresh’s oeuvre, features finely tuned stone fruit notes and lightly toasted hazelnut aromas. This is an even better release then the 2021 vintage featuring more nuance and character… we almost never see quality chardonnay at this price anymore!”
 

Lowest Price in the USA

 
Goodfellow Chardonnay ‘Vin Soif,’ Willamette Valley, Oregon 2023 750ml $24 special, 30 bottles available
Vinopolnote “12% alcohol? What year is this?! I’m so happy I met this bottle… like many consumers I’ve noticed the steady alcoholic uptick in formerly cool climates like the Willamette Valley. Well, Goodfellow is bucking that trend with this lovely little summer sipper. Bright and fresh on the palette, this wine features eggshell and preserved lemon on the nose, and fresh citrus on the palette with a lightly toasted hazelnut finish.”
 

Kelley Fox Wines Willamette Valley Chardonnay, Oregon, USA 2023 750ml $26 special, 19 bottles available
Vinopolnote “How does she keep doing it? With every vintage and every wine, I keep asking myself this. And it leads to a natural follow-up question regarding Kelley Fox… how much longer will I be able to afford her wines? Citrus and stone fruit are immediately evident on the palette, buoyed by fresh acidity, and lingering floral aromas. Kelley Fox is the Queen of the Willamette natural wine scene and the insane depth of this, her most basic Chardonnay, shows why. 
 

 

 

Burgundy
 
This little known village, located just outside of Chablis, is unique to the region as the only appellation for Sauvignon Blanc in the Burgundy region. Sharing the same Kimmeridgian clay soils as such famous spots as Chablis, the Cote des Bar, and certain sections of the Loire Valley. What you get from Saint Bris then is a Sauvignon Blanc with a more Chablisienne sensibility and elegance. Don’t sleep on this wine, it’s an oft-overlooked gem.
 
Domaine Felix Saint-Bris Sauvignon, Burgundy, France 2019 750ml $24 special, 4 bottles available
Producer Note “Its vivacious nature is enhanced by minerals notes that give it a good structure. The end is very pleasant and leaves the palate fresh and wanting more.”
 

This is the only listing in the United States

Bordeaux
 
Normally a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and other lesser known regional  grapes, this Bordeaux Blanc is a rare example of a single varietal Sauvignon Blanc. Expect excellent great minerality and crispness form this wine. It’s a rarity!
 
Closerie du Pelan Blanc, Vin de France 2016 750ml $36 special, 8 bottles available
Importer Notes “Comprising a miniscule portion of the estate’s total production, the Closerie du Pelan Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, vinified and aged in steel, with malolactic fermentation having occurred without inducement. This 2016 is ripe but bright, with notes of preserved lemon and a hint of salt–a supremely satisfying and unfussy white Bordeaux.”
 
 
The Loire Valley
 
Home to many of the finest (and priciest, let’s not mince words) Sauvigon Blancs on the market, the Loire Valley is home to wines that represent both the sophistication of centuries old tradition and some of the most radical, naturally observant and terroir forward wineries in the world.
 
Gerard Boulay Sancerre Les Monts Damnes, Loire, France 2022 750ml $59 special, 16 bottles available
Gerard Boulay Sancerre Les Monts Damnes, Loire, France 2022 1.5L $119 special, 3 magnums available
Importer Note “Boulay began farming the steeply sloped Mont Damnés vineyard in 1982. His plot has an average vine age of 45 years. Mont Damnés’ reflective soils and south-facing exposition make it one of Chavi¬gnol’s warmest sites. Overall, Gerard Boulay’s “terre blanche” vineyards produce some of the most distinctive and soil-inflected Sauvignon Blancs in the Loire, with a delineation and minerality often reminiscent of a top Chablis. Boulay is certainly among the top examples of the appellation, including Boulay’s neighbors (Cotat Bros., Vatan). These are gorgeous, highly complex wines that are a clear step above “regular” Sancerre, and can age easily for 10-20 years or more. In fact, we have had them all the way back to the 1959 which was magnificent! They confirm Boulay’s place in the top ranks of Loire Valley vignerons.”
 
Louis-Benjamin – Didier Dagueneau Sancerre ‘Le Mont Damne’, Loire, France 2019 750ml $249 special, only one 1 bottle available
Rebecca Gibb MW-Vinous 94 Points “The 2019 Sancerre Le Mont Damné has an intensity and bounce to it as if it is heralding the start of an announcement on a tannoy: bing, bong, bing. Off this prized kimmeridgian soil vineyard above the village of Chavignol, it remains closed and a little uptight, making you wait for the big reveal. While many 2019 Sancerres were on the bigger side, this is taut and precise with no sense of any overripeness nor alcohol heaviness. It’s not Sauvignon Blanc-like either, speaking more of its place than variety, which seems to be the goal of every producer in Sancerre, which is rather disrespectful to the grape in my mind. Instead, there’s a crystalline character, a savoriness, crip apple and the merest hint of almond. Exemplary stuff.”
 
Domaine Fernand Girard Sancerre La Garenne, Loire, France 2022 750ml $29 special, 5 bottles available
Importer Note “100% Sauvignon Blanc. ‘La Garenne’ was named for the original 2.5-hectare plot from which it came. Today, the name remains while the fruit may come from across the fifth-generation Girards’ 14 hectares of vines, which are spread over slopes in five communes including Verdigny and Saint Satur and which include three distinct terroirs: gravel soils (caillottes), flint (silex) and heavy clay (grosses terres). The Girards farm sustainably and harvest the steepest slopes by hand and the flatter sites by machine. Parcels are vinified separately–fermented with native yeasts in steel tank–then aged in tank and blended (the US only sees ‘La Garenne’).”
 
Jonathan Didier Pabiot Pouilly-Fume Aubaine, Loire, France 2021 750ml $44.50 special, 22 bottles available
Rebecca Gibb MW-Vinous 90 Points “The 2021 Aubaine is aromatic with floral and gooseberry characters. Having spent 18 months in concrete tank on lees and tasted every two weeks to check the condition, it has taken on a richness of texture and breadth that coats the palate. It is suave and ready to enjoy, with a pretty elderflower scent lingering on the medium-length, lightly savory finish.”
 
Domaine Roc de l’Abbaye – Florian Mollet Sauvignon Blanc, IGP Val de Loire, France 2022 750ml $19.50 special, 11 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 92 Points “Classic Loire Sauvignon Blanc. This wine has a well-integrated nose of white peach, green apple, orange and lemon citrus, wild thyme and honeysuckle. Red apple slice and dried grass add depth and complexity along with minerality on the finish.”
 
Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Neore, Loire, France 2018 1.5L $699 special, 2 bottles available
Rebecca Gibb MW-Vinous 96 Points “Clarity is a term that accurately describes the 2018 Sancerre Clos La Neore. It has a pure and intense core of fruit. But it’s not fruity. It’s a sophisticated style with a distinctive aromatic profile- chamomile tea, lemon, honey, and almond meal and an almost tonic-like edge. While showing the ripeness of the 2018 season, it retains its shape with a corset of acidity and phenolics that guide the wine on and on.”