Vinopolis Newsletter– Friday 10/05/23

New Arrivals
 

 

-Antonio Galloni

 
Ar.Pe.Pe Fiamme Antiche Valtelina Superiore 2017 750ml $59 special, 20 bottles available
Wine Spectator 94 Points “A graceful, mineral-driven red, with seamless integration of the firm, fine-grained tannins and concentrated flavors of ripe raspberry, star anise, Earl Grey and red licorice. Light on its feet, this red boasts complexity and depth. Drink now through 2030.”
 
Ar.Pe.Pe Grumello Rocca De Piro Superiore 2017 750ml $59 special, 24 bottles available
Wine Spectator 95 Points “Wine Spectator 95 Points A fresh, focused red, with a subtle yet persistently fragrant thread of tobacco and spices winding through dried cherry and strawberry, tea rose, stone and smoke notes. Reveals supple tannins that firm the creamy, lasting finish. Tightly meshed yet still expressive, this should show well with short-term cellaring.”
 

Lisini Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 2018 750ml $59 special, 36 bottles available
Decanter 95 Points “Near Sant’Angelo in Colle, on the road that leads to Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Lisini is within the zone of Sesta. The estate preference is to pick quite late, and they are one of the last in the area to harvest. The relative ripeness and concentration is evident in 2018 but not at the expense of balance. In fact, Lisini’s Brunello is one of the vintage’s more exciting and profound wines. It opens slowly with hints of chestnut and smoke, then discloses dark cherry, iron and fragrant moist soil. Tannins are tightly stitched yet malleable, giving a satisfying mouthful. Finishes with a salty tang and mineral drive.”

 

Oregon
 
“Kelley Fox”

Kelley Fox Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 750ml $89 special, 12 bottles available
Winemaker’s Note “The 2021 is a transparent, deep red that is youthful with blue notes. The lush, fresh nose has rich red fruits, subtle spices, and minerals. In the mouth there is a powerful presence- a stillness- a restraint and a waiting- that is weightless. It’s full of strawberries and other berries (like Marionberries). This wine feels alive and ineffably beautiful.”
 
Kelley Fox Durant Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 750ml $44.50 special, 24 bottles available
Winemaker’s Note “Its appearance is that of pale shimmering gold with brilliant transparency. This is a serious wine with great purity. The nose is filled with soft minerals, subtle tropical fruits, and hint of flowers. There is a coolness and freshness that reminds me of smelling the air above a spring in the mountains. This character continues in the mouth on a lovely frame and texture, ending with a mouth-watering, long finish.”
 
Kelley Fox Freedom Hill Pinot Blanc 2022 750ml $36 special, 36 bottles available
Winemaker’s Note “The colour is a highly transparent, pale, brilliant lemon-yellow. The nose is full of subtle creamy citrus and tropical fruits with a hint of floral tones and powdery minerals and is incredibly inviting. The texture is light on its feet but has lovely heft. The mouth is much like the nose and is balanced with lovely tension and texture. This Pinot blanc is very clean on the palate, and long. I love how this turned out: the energy of ocean-fresh air and delicious fruit.”
 
Kelley Fox Golden Crowned Sparrow Pinot Noir 2022 750ml $89 special, 12 bottles available
Winemaker’s Note “The Maresh Golden is a medium, youthful and rich blue-red with brilliant transparency. Of course, the nose is full of Hood strawberries with the cool freshness of rain and the Pacific Ocean in the spring air, along with dark red cherries and spice. This beautifully structured wine has disarming purity and weightless power.”
 
Kelley Fox Maresh Royal Ann Block Pinot Noir 2021 750ml $89 special, 6 bottles available
*Kelley’s last vintage for this block.
Winemaker’s Note “True to the classic Maresh character, though, the nose and mouth are filled with muddled dew-fresh Oregon strawberries and hints of spice and blossoms. The nose also has powdery, soft minerals and disarming purity. The texture is silk, and the finish is very long. There is something ethereal and dreamy about this wine that is more about fluidity and movement than it is about still edges. This is my final bottling of this block, and I’ll deeply miss these vines.”
 
Kelley Fox Weber Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 750ml $89 special, 12 bottles available
Not yet reviewed, 2019 review provided for reference
Vinous 96 Points [2019] “Bright scarlet. Deeply aromatic cherry cola, black raspberry, licorice and Asian spice scents, along with a smoky mineral topnote. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering mineral- and spice-laced black raspberry, bitter cherry, rose pastille and botanical herb flavors that deepen steadily with air while maintaining energy. Delivers a superb blend of power and finesse, and finishes extremely long, with harmonious tannins and clinging cherry and spice notes.”
 

 

Ridge Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley 2021 750ml $49 special, 24 bottles available
Ridge Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains 2020 750ml $259 special, 18 bottles available
Ridge Lytton Estate Petite Sirah 2020 750ml $45 special, 24 bottles available
Ridge Three Valleys Sonoma Red 2021 750ml $31.90 special, 12 bottles available
Ridge Zinfandel Pagani Ranch 2021 750ml $47.50 special, 24 bottles available
 

Cambria Katherine’s Vineyard Chard Santa Maria 2021 750ml $17.50 special, 36 bottles available
Vinous 94 Points “The 2021 Chardonnay Katherine’s Vineyard is notable. Bright and chiseled, the 2021 bristles with tension. Citrus peel, chamomile, white flowers, mint and tangerine oil are some of the notes that grace this exquisite Santa Maria Chardonnay. Partial aging in steel keeps the flavors bright.”
 

 

Domaine Arlaud Clos Saint Denis 2021 750ml $599 special, 4 bottles available
Vinous 96-98 points “The 2021 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru has what is often termed “transparency” on the entrancing nose, airy yet vigorous with lifted red berry fruit, petrichor and light citrus aromas. There’s just a hint of reduction but minor. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, quite deep and intense, elegant and lightly spiced towards the persistent finish that lingers in the mouth. Unerringly symmetrical.“

 

Routin Blanc Vermouth De Chambery NV $16 special, 12 bottles available
Routin Dry Vermouth De Chambery NV $16 special, 12 bottles available
Routin Red Vermouth De Chambery NV $16 special, 12 bottles available
 

 
Domaine des Closiers Saumur-Champigny ‘Les Coudraies’ 2020 750ml $44.50 special, 36+ bottles  available
John Gilman 95 points “The Saumur-Champigny “les Coudraies” is one of the estate’s single vineyard wines, made from a selection of the best parcels in this hillside vineyard. The wine is aged in mostly older casks for one year prior to bottling. The 2020 les Coudraies comes in at fourteen percent octane and offers up a simply gorgeous bouquet of red and black cherries, cigar wrapper, a touch of tree bark, a complex base of soil tones, juniper berry, a touch of cedar and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very elegant in profile, with a rock solid core of fruit, firm, buried tannins, excellent focus and grip and a long, complex and very, very promising finish. This is a great bottle of Saumur-Champigny in the making!”
 

 
Domaine des Closiers Saumur-Champigny ‘Les Closiers’ 2020 750ml $33 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Advocate 92 points “The finish is pure and fleshy and reveals fine and stimulating tannins. It’s impossible not to love this 2020 that was macerated for a month and then aged in vats for approximately 10 months. Nothing added here apart from small quantities of sulfur dioxide.”
 

 
Raul Perez Ultreia Saint Jacques Bierzo 2020 750ml $21.90 special, 18 bottles available
Wine Advocate 93-94 Points “They had not bottled the 2020 Ultreia Saint Jacques yet and were still waiting for the labels (and they label the day after they bottle), so I caught an unbottled sample that was very tender and fruit-driven, primary and quite open. He used more stems and full clusters in 2020, and since 2018, they have removed the percentage of white grapes that used to be included in the wine. It’s a little more Mediterranean, with aromatic herbs and a more powerful palate.”

Re-Arrivals
 

Andre Clouet Brut Grande Reserve NV 750ml $39 special, 36 bottles available
Decanter 92 Points “[Reviewed 2021] Incredible value for a blanc de noirs (100% Pinot Noir) grower Champagne from the grand cru vineyards of Bouzy. It shows gorgeous aromas of stone fruit, citrus and strawberry, with complex brioche nuances, remarkable balance, ongoing elegance and a rich, refined, persistent finish. Drinking Window 2021 – 2026.”
 
Andre Clouet Brut un Jour de 1911 NV 750ml $85 special, 36+ bottles available
Wine Advocate 96 Points “[Reviewed 2021] The NV Un jour de 1911… is another 100% Bouzy Pinot Noir with an ancient label design. The shining golden-colored cuvée combines ripeness, complexity and finesse with intensity and elegance on both the nose and palate. It’s a powerful and rich yet very fine and balanced Champagne with great freshness and complex length. It is juicy and intense but also highly delicate, and its mineral tension and persistent finish make it a first-class wine for elaborate dishes. A great Champagne, with a label that doesn’t give any more detailed information regarding vintages or disgorgement date, but we know it’s always a 50/50 blend of three vintages (including one great millésime at least 10 years old) and reserve wines from a solera system. I tasted the wine as a Brut with Clouet’s German importer in Bremen. You shouldn’t drink it too early, as it would be a waste of its talents. –Stephan Reinhardt.”
 
Andre Clouet Dream Vintage 2008 750ml $85 special, 36 bottles available
James Suckling 96 Points “Such a classic Blanc de Blancs champagne with the special elegance, brilliance and minerality of the 2008 vintage. Very well structured, but without the austere acidity structure that some 2008s have. Long and very clean finish that sends you back to the glass. 100% chardonnay. Drink or hold.”
 

Torre Beati Bianchi Grilli Trebbiano Abruzzo 2020 750ml $26 special, 18 bottles available
Vinous 93 Points “A captivating mix of lemon oils, tangerine and dried peaches wafts up from the wickedly fresh 2020 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Bianchi Grilli Per La Testa. It envelopes the palate with glycerol textures, initially seeming almost tropical in character, yet it quickly gains tension through a mix of saline-mineral tones and tart orchard fruits. There’s a reverberation of tension through the finale, along with a salty flourish, as exotic florals slowly taper off. The harmony here is remarkable; the 2020 has the fruit of a warm vintage with the structure and depth of a cool vintage. After seven days of skin-contact fermentation, about 20% of the Bianchi Grilli is matured in Acacia barrels with the bulk of it in Stainless steel. It’s a unique expression of Trebbiano that should not be missed. –Eric Guido.”

Last Splash of Summer…

 
Clos Rougeard Les Poyeux 2012 Saumur-Champigny 750ml $299 special, 1 bottle available
Jancis Robinson “So seductive on the nose, so complex. Delicate start of maturity, with those hints of undergrowth but so much more. An amazing combination of sweet mature and fresh fruit — ripe but not an iota of overripeness. Very very fine tannic texture. Amazing gentleness and silky length. A wine for love. 18/20 points.”
 
Bonneau Du Martray Corton Charlemagne 2016 750ml $400 special, 1 bottle available
Intl Wine Cellar 95 Points “Outer quote mark Pale yellow-green. High-pitched aromas of citrus peel, menthol, lavender and white pepper. Extremely tight without coming across as austere, conveying striking purity to its bracing flavors of grapefruit pith, lemon and crushed stone. Adamant minerality gives this very dense wine terrific inner-mouth tension and yet there’s an element of leavening sweetness here as well, not to mention compelling floral perfume throughout. This wonderfully smooth, rich yet weightless wine really dances on the palate, spreading out on the unflagging back end to saturate every square millimeter of the mouth. Cellarmaster Emmanuel Hautus compared this wine to the 2009 in its combination of richness, early appeal and potential longevity.”
 
Vincent Dauvissat La Forest 2020 750ml $189 special, 1 bottle available
Wine Advocate 95 Points “A striking young wine, Dauvissat’s brilliant 2020 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest unfurls in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, orange oil, pear, oyster shell, freshly baked bread and smoke, framed by a deft touch of reduction. Medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it’s taut and concentrated, with racy acids, chalky structuring and a long, searingly mineral finish. Recent years have delivered so many brilliant renditions of La Forest that it’s hard to pick a favorite between the likes of 2008, 2014, 2017 and 2019, but the 2020 is certainly a worthy entrant into the competition, and it’s worth a special effort to seek out.”
 
Vincent Dauvissat La Forest 2021 750ml $189 special, 1 bottle available
Decanter 95 Points “TOP QUALITY PRODUCER. One of the Dauvissat specialities, the La Forest is a triumph in 2021. From seven small parcels, the total site is less than 1ha with average vine age more than 40 years. Intriguing, slightly smoky nose, highly distinctive and different to others in the range. Plenty of power, ripe stone fruit flavours, zesty citrus acidity with a herbaceous edge adding an extra dimension. Definitely of grand cru quality.”
 
Hubert Lamy Frionnes 2017 3L $599 special, 1 bottle available
Wine Notes From the importer “One would be hard pressed to find a better white wine maker in all of Burgundy than Olivier Lamy. Most of his holdings are located in the so-called “secondary” appellation of Saint-Aubin, with only a few wines outside of the appellation. What Olivier is able to accomplish in Saint-Aubin makes you wonder what he could do with prime spots in Meursault, Corton-Charlemagne, the Montrachets or even Chablis. Olivier is intense, and his wines are the same. It used to be said that his wines are expensive for Saint-Aubin, but for wines this great, I say they are the best deal in Burgundy. For us, he is as special as it gets. Sadly, the quantities of his wines that we get are minuscule as high demand for the wines worldwide make it difficult for anyone to acquire much.”

Screaming Eagle The Flight 2019 750ml $999 special, 5 bottles available
James Suckling 99 Points “Extremely floral and aromatic with violets and lavender throughout. Black olives, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, very fine-grained tannins that run the length of the wine. Goes on for minutes. A greenish undertone comes out at the end with some spearmint, green tea and green olive. About two-thirds merlot. Best after 2028, but already stunning.”