Vinopolis Newsletter – Friday 12/01/2023

Burgundy Bonanza
 
“Maison Joseph Drouhin”
 

Joseph Drouhin Griottes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits 2009 750ml $579 special, 2 bottles available
Wine Advocate 94 Points “The 2009 Griotte-Chambertin is beautiful, elegant and totally weightless. This shows gorgeous subtlety and inner juiciness through to the nuanced finish. Griottes, spices and flowers linger on the close. My sense is this is holding a lot back in reserve at the moment. The Griotte-Chambertin is made from estate fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029.”
 
Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits 2010 750ml $189 special, 2 bottles available
Int’l Wine Cellar 90-93 points “(a blend of seven parcels, stretching from the north to the south end of the village): Good bright red-ruby. Musky blackberry, licorice, bitter chocolate and stony minerality on the nose. Dense, pliant and seamless, with a thickness to the dark berry flavors that’s leavened by well-integrated acidity and a spicy component. Still rather tight and primary. This should age nicely.”
Wine Spectator 92 points “A languid red, with cherry, raspberry and currant flavors that float across the palate on a silky texture. Spice and earth notes add depth to this long and harmonious version. Best from 2015 through 2028.”

 
Only single bottle listing in the United States today!
 
“Laurent Tribut”
 

What’s in a name? Well, when the name is Dauvissat… everything! When a young Laurent Tribut married his wife Marie-Clothilde, his new father-in-law Rene Dauvissat gifted him several Premier Cru vineyards in Chablis. The family even began their new business making wine in the same cellars as Rene under direct supervision of the master. Over the years, these wines have accrued a legacy all their own, coveted for their minerality and balance.
 
Laurent Tribut Cote de Lechet, Chablis Premier Cru 2018 750ml $54.50 special, 5 bottles available
Wine Advocate 91-93 points “Notes of white flowers, apples, oyster shells and wet stones preface the 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and impressively incisive wine in this warm vintage, with plenty of chalky extract and a mineral finish. At this early stage, the Côte de Léchet looks to be one of the premier cru highlights of the vintage.”
Burghound 91 points “The hallmark citrus nuances are decidedly present on the white-fleshed fruit, quinine and sea breeze-inflected aromas. Once again, I very much like the intensity of the stony and delicious middle weight flavors that deliver solid depth and persistence on the balanced finale.”
Vinous 91 points “The 2018 Chablis Côte de Léchet 1er Cru has a clean, fresh nose with touches of menthol and pine needles joining the citrus aromas, though it is never what you would call intense. The palate is the finest of Tribut’s 2018s, quite spicy with a dash of white pepper, fresh and slightly minty, especially toward the finish. It is not a long-term Côte de Léchet like the 2014 or 2017, but it is a well-crafted, enticing expression of this vineyard.”

 
Lowest listed price nationwide!
 
“Domaine Louis Boillot”
 

 

 
These are the lowest listed prices for these wines nationwide!
 

Domaine Louis Boillot Chambolle-Musigny, Cote de Nuits 2018 750ml $79 special, 6 bottles available
 
Domaine Louis Boillot Chambolle-Musigny, Cote de Nuits 2019 750ml $89 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Advocate 90 points “Pretty and perfumed, the 2019 Chambolle-Musigny Village opens in the glass with notes of cherries, raspberries, rose petals and spices, framed by a deft touch of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety, with a lively core of fruit and refined tannins, it concludes with a long, floral finish. As I’ve written before, this bottling is largely derived from the lieu-dit Beaux Bruns, part of which is only entitled to the communal appellation—supplemented by some fruit from lieu-dit Derrière la Four.”
 

These are the lowest listed prices for these wines on the west coast!
 
“Domaine Jean Grivot”
 

A multi-generational Burgundian enterprise, Jean took over his father Etienne’s Vosne-Romanee vineyards in 1987 including six Grand Crus in the Côte de Nuit. They practice sustainable farming in their vineyards and even employ a horse for ploughing the fields. These wines are a powerful and energetic expression of Burgundy that expertly showcases terroir without sacrificing concentration.
 
Jean Grivot Clos De Vougeot 2010 750ml $349 special, 1 bottle available
Wine Advocate 94-96 Points “The 2010 Clos de Vougeot is another fabulous wine bursting with energy and a sense of urgency that is hard to capture with mere words. Freshly cut roses, crushed rocks and red berries come together beautifully in the glass. The Clos de Vougeot is impeccable and totally engaging from start to finish. The only possible downside is that the seriously firm tannins will require considerable bottle age to soften.”
 
Jean Grivot Clos De Vougeot 2011 750ml $179 special, 1 bottle available
Burghound 93 points “There is still a trace of wood toast to the mostly red berry fruit, spice and pungent earth-suffused nose. I like the ample size, weight, power, muscle and concentration of the relatively big-bodied flavors that possess outstanding complexity on the hugely long and well-balanced finish. Overall, this is an impressively intense Clos de Vougeot that displays excellent balance and harmony. As such, despite the fact that this is still on the way up, it’s so well-balanced that it could be enjoyed young.”

 
You will not find lower bottle prices anywhere in the country!
 
“Domaine Michel Bouzereau et Fils” 
 

Domaine Michel Bouzereau et Fils Meursault Les Tessons, Cote de Beaune 2018 750ml $89 special, 12 bottles available
Vinous 92 points “The 2018 Meursault Les Tessons has a nicely detailed bouquet of walnut and light smoky aromas that unfold in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, nice poise and a touch of dried honey and lemon curd toward the finish. Apricot lingers on the aftertaste. Very easy to drink now, yet it has the legs to give 15 years of drinking pleasure.
 
Domaine Michel Bouzereau et Fils Meursault Les Tessons, Cote de Beaune 2020 750ml $89 special, 9 bottles available
Vinous 91-92 points  “The 2020 Meursault Les Tessons has a more complex bouquet than the Les Grands Charrons, honeysuckle and touches of peach skin, just a hint of menthol in the background. The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed texture on the entry, well-judged acidity, good substance for a Village Cru with veins of stem ginger and lemongrass furnishing the finish. Delightful.”

 
“Domaine Louis Michel et Fils”
 

Domaine Louis Michel & Fils Montee de Tonnerre, Chablis Premier Cru 2015 750ml $59 special, 8 bottles available
Burghound 92 Points “(from a huge 4.5 ha parcel located in Chapelot). A pretty and distinctly ripe nose combines even more prominent notes of white flower along with those of pear, apple and quinine. The refined, pure and reasonably well-detailed medium weight flavors possess good richness and density while delivering reasonably good length on the moderately dry and lemon-inflected finale. This is also very classy and a wine that should benefit from a few years of bottle age to develop more overall depth.”
Vineyard Notes “Terroir: Kimmeridgian. Right bank, lots of marl oyster fossils, fairly sticky, shallow soil with plenty of limestone pebbles. Moderate but steady slope. Sunny and warm south-west exposure.”

 
“Domaine Leflaive”
 

Leflaive Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune 2021 750ml $1,799 special, 2 bottles available
Burghound 95-98 Points “A trace of reduction isn’t sufficient to materially reduce the appeal of the honeysuckle, citrus confit and softly spiced aromas that are also trimmed in just enough wood to merit pointing out. The medium-bodied flavors aren’t necessarily finer than those of the Pucelles though they do possess more power and weight while retaining a beguilingly silky texture as well as excellent complexity on the strikingly long, balanced and Zen-like finale. This is a very serious and moderately austere BBM that is very clearly built to repay long-term keeping. In a word, superb.”

 
“Domaine des Chezeaux”
 

Domaine des Chezeaux Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits 2009 750ml $299 special, just 1 bottle available!
This bottle was produced by the legendary Laurent Ponsot for Domaine des Chezeaux. While it was not reviewed by any wine periodicals, here is the review for a version bottled under Domaine Ponsot’s own label for reference:
Burgundy Report “The colour is relatively modest – it least with 2015s in mind – though not brilliantly bright. The first sniff is round and tight but within minutes the aromas open their arms with complexity and depth, first with a silky and deep red cherry and then adding mineral complexity and even more width and depth – ooh – this is one of the best things that I’ve sniffed in a long time – it’s that good! Medium weight, silky wine but with a growing intensity of fine flavour that persists as well as a 2015. For such a baby, this an über-covetable wine. Bravo!”

 
Lowest listed price in the USA! Average Price is $359

New Arrivals


Champagne
 
“Gatinois”
 
“The mousse of Ay radiates happiness!”
-Alfred Victor, Comte de Vigny and Romantic Poet.
 

This small 12th generation producer in the Village of Ay in Vallee de Marne is neighbors with famous names like Bollinger, Gosset, and Deutz but continues to fly under the radar, focusing on quality over production.
 
Gatinois Ay Grand Cru Reserve Brut, Champagne NV 750ml $59 special, 24 bottles available
Tasting Note “With the classic dark cherry notes of Ay Pinot Noir, this Brut Tradition from historic Gatinois family has incredible depth of fruit and a mineral backbone that makes for easy drinking!”
Gilbert & Gaillard “Golden hue. The nose opens up to wonderful fruity notes of pear flesh and red fruits. Full-bodied, melted palate with fine bubbles showcased by persistent freshness. A long, expressive Champagne with real allure, perfect for parties.”

 
Only listing in the United States Today!
 

Gatinois Ay Grand Cru Tradition Brut, Champagne NV 750ml $49 special, 12 bottles available
Gilbert & Gaillard “Light gold with iridescent highlights flirting with orange. Crunchy fruit on the nose (apple flesh, red berry fruits). Fleshy, quite full-bodied palate brimming with freshness. Highly expressive, lingering fruit aromas.”
 
Gatinois Ay Grand Cru Brut Rose, Champagne NV 750ml $64.50 special, 24 bottles available
Gilbert & Gaillard “Salmon-pink. Focused, fruit-forward nose of raspberry and strawberry. Full, melted and full-bodied palate with precise, intense fruit expression framed by freshness. A nicely crafted rosé Champagne drinking well from the aperitif through to dessert.”

 
“Bereche”
 

Bereche Brut Reserve, Champagne NV (2020 base) 750ml $65 special, 24 bottles available
Antonio Galloni 92 points “The NV Brut Réserve is bright and finely sculpted right out of the glass. There’s terrific purity and energy running through the Brut Réserve. Crushed red berry fruit, white pepper, crushed rocks and mint all race out of the glass. This release is based on 2020, with a good bit of reserve wine (35%) that serves to create terrific balance. The 5.5 grams of dosage is not at all felt.”
 
Diebolt-Vallois Tradition Brut, Champagne NV 750ml $38 special, 36 bottles available
Wine & Spirits 93 points “[Most recent review for a previous disgorgement] Deep in color, with rich scents of peach and toasty notes of fresh almond, this is clean and compact, finishing with the creaminess of hazelnut flan. What’s hard to describe is the beauty of its simple line—one taster compared it to the sleek design of a vintage Ferrari.”
Winery Note “The Champagne Tradition is assembled from the three major champagne grape varieties and is the only white wine of the whole range which is not pure chardonnay.”
 

 
Andre Clouet Brut Grande Reserve, Champagne NV 1.5L $89 special, 12 bottles available
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 90 Points “The latest release of André Clouet’s NV Brut Grand Réserve Grand Cru is showing well, exhibiting a nicely integrated bouquet of red apple, ripe citrus fruit, honeycomb and blanched almonds, followed by a medium to full-bodied, enveloping palate with a fine mousse, ripe but racy acids and an elegant, understated profile, concluding with a well-defined finish. This is a stylish, harmonious wine that makes for a fine introduction to the Clouet portfolio.”
Importer Note “Initially showing a very fresh bouquet of high toned fruits with hints of hazelnuts and yeasty aromas, the Grande Réserve cuvée displays highly structured red fruit notes on the palate for which the area is so famous. Long lees aging, low dosage and Grand Cru Pinot Noir fruit combine for an opulent yet balanced Champagne.”

 
Italy
 

Paitin di Pasquero-Elia ‘Sori Paitin Serraboella’, Barbaresco DOCG 2020 750ml $57.50 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Spectator 95 Points “Alluring aromas and flavors of cherry, raspberry, leafy underbrush, tar, iron and hay mark this luscious red, which is fresh and firm at once, with a chalky, minerally essence on the long finish. Best from 2026 through 2042. 974 cases made.”

 
Best listed price in the USA!
 

Felsina Vin Santo Del Chianti Classico 2015 375ml $49 special, 22 bottles available
Wine Spectator 97 Points “An exquisite Vin Santo, with aromas and flavors of brown butter, caramel, molasses, gingerbread and roasted walnut riding the vibrant structure. Impeccably balanced, with fine complexity and a long, resonant aftertaste. Malvasia, Trebbiano and Sangiovese. Drink now through 2040. 1,000 cases made, 600 cases imported.”

Zena Crown Vineyard Slope Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills 2019 750ml $99 special, only 6 bottles available
Erin Brooks – Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2019 Pinot Noir Slope is pleasantly restrained and earthy. Medium ruby-purple in color, it has intense aromas of cranberries, blueberries, potpourri, tobacco and tea leaves. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and fresh with concentrated, mineral-driven fruits and a very long finish.”
Producer’s Vineyard Note “The vineyard sits in a direct path of the Van Duzer Corridor winds that slow phenological ripening, allowing for a cooler climate and longer hangtimes. Diverse facings, elevation, clones, and soil types provide opportunity and nuance. Beyond these technical components, are intangible elements of the vineyard that produce world-class wines. The vineyard is a living, breathing entity with evolving preferences, whims, and stubborn streaks.”

Staff Pick
 

Do you like Burlotto??! Fratelli Alessandria is a beautiful, elegant, and old school style of Barolo in a similar vein as Burlotto. It’s a beautiful thing when you find a great wine like this at such a value.
 
Fratelli Alessandria Barolo DOCG, Piedmont 2019 750ml $59 special, 33 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95 points “These village-specific wines are growing in popularity, and among the various expressions on the market today, this wine from Verduno is really quite special thanks to its highly distinctive floral aromas and its delicate sense of inner balance. A new project being inaugurated with this vintage, the Fratelli Alessandria 2019 Barolo del Comune di Verduno shows a fine, streamlined mouthfeel with polished tones of river stone, crushed rose and licorice root. The aromas are refined and fragile.”

 
This is an amazing wine for the Holiday season and we have the best price in the United States!
 
Staff Pick Winery: Arnaud Lambert
 
Something magic from Saumur

 

Much like Baudry and Pabiot, Arnaud Lambert’s name is becoming a secret handshake for Loire lovers in the know. Located in the Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg in the heart of Saumur Champigny where tuffeau soils (a chalky and sandy variety of limestone) dominate which help produce excellent minerality and imparts body and richness.
 
His Clos de Midi Chenin blanc is a stunner: at first it’s all stones and stone-fruit on the nose. Upon further interrogation, the complexities really come out… honeysuckle and white clovers along with Himalayan sea-salt and a dash of white pepper. Toasted hay around the edges. The profile is lifted and pleasant, with a round mouthfeel that is never too plush.
 
Featuring bio-dynamic viticulture and winemaking techniques that enhance the expression of terroir in his wines, this is a natural and unadulterated wine. It tastes and feels like the land.
 
It has long been my contention that while good wines may remind you of other good wines, great wines are more primal and evocative of your earliest, foundational sense memories. Clos de Midi brings back childhood memories of time spent at my Grandfather’s farm in Southern Oregon…  picking herbs and white flowers in the fields … plucking apart clover blossoms and drinking their nectar. I’m rambling… but who can blame me? This is great wine. I am instantly transported whenever I pour a glass of it.
 

Arnaud Lambert ‘Breze’ Saumur Blanc Clos de Midi, Loire 2022 750ml $23.50 special, 23 bottles available
 

We have the best listed price on the west coast.
The average price is $28!
 
Also Available:
 

 
Lowest listed Price in the United States today!
 

Arnaud Lambert Saumur-Champigny Terres Rouges, Loire 2021 750ml $24 special, 24 bottles available
Importer Notes “The fragrant dark earth notes of Cabernet Franc give the impression of black soils unearthed from a thick overlay of wet forest moss, grass and bramble. Despite this dark soil impression and its name (which translates to “the red soils”), the soil is light brown clay with alluvial sands resting on a bed of stark white limestone. The cool harvest conditions, clay and limestone soils, and a life spent in stainless steel tanks renders this wine medium bodied with a clean and refreshing finish. Indeed, the sand plays its part as well bringing the fruits and flowers in the bouquet to the ethereal realm.”
 
Arnaud Lambert ‘Breze’ Saumur Rouge Clos Mazurique, Loire 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 16 bottles available
Importer Note “The single vineyard wines from Arnaud Lambert get farmed with biodynamic techniques and are certified organic. This single vineyard has sandy topsoils, creating a fresher aromatic Cabernet Franc. The subsoil is the classic Saumur Turonian limestone, giving the wine its signature mineral structure. The 2021 vintage is back to being mostly destemmed, contrary to a trial in 2020 with some whole cluster, and is fermented with native yeast.  The 2021 in my opinion is one of the most balanced vintages of late: good definition of fruit with some black currant and wild strawberries, a subtle hint of tobacco and pimenton paprika. Texturally the wine is fresh and lifted with just the perfect amount of Brézé textural tannins to show terroir and give the wine a dynamic food pairing quality. This is a wine for Spring food.”

 
Lowest listed Price in the United States today!

Close-out Sales
 
Riesling Roulette
 
“Weingut Emrich-Schonleber”
 

Emrich-Schonleber Fruhtau Riesling Trocken, Nahe 2020 750ml WAS $41.90 NOW $33 special, 36+ bottles available
Wine Advocate 93 Points “The 2020 Monzingen Riesling trocken Frühtau comes from younger vines in the Frühlingsplätzchen and opens with a clear, fine and reductive bouquet with coolish stony and herbal notes. Crystalline and very elegant on the palate, this is a tight, straight and still challenging, very mineral dry Riesling that will benefit from longer bottle aging. The finish is long and enormously salty. A wine to keep.”

Emrich-Schonleber Halenberg TBA Riesling, Nahe 2018 375ml WAS $299 NOW $249 special, 21 Bottles Available
Wine Advocate 98+ Points “The 2018 Halenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese is incredibly pure and aromatic on the nose where super ripe but clear peach aromas are displayed. Extremely rich and refined on the palate, this is a ripe, terribly sweet but refined, fresh and salty-piquant TBA with a stimulating finish. A fabulous wine.”

These are the best prices in the United States!
 
“Weingut Donnhoff”
 

Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Auslese Gold Kapsel, Nahe 2018 750ml CLOSE-OUT SALE WAS $69 NOW $59 special, 36+ bottles available
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Auslese GK, Nahe 2018 375ml CLOSE-OUT SALE WAS $39 NOW $33 special, 24 half bottles available
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2018 Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese is perfectly clear and fresh but still intense and concentrated on the spicy and complex nose. Lush and piquant on the palate, this is a fresh, stunningly pure and playful Brücke that is singing and dancing on the knife’s edge. Fabulous in its purity, tension and finesse. Nevertheless, there is the ripeness you can expect from an Auslese. Tasted in July 2019.”

 
These are the best prices in the United States!
 

Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Auslese Gold Kapsel, Nahe 2020 375ml CLOSE-OUT SALE WAS $49 NOW $39 special, 31 bottles available
James Suckling 98 points “Such an exotic nose with a slew of passion fruit, mangosteen and King Alfonso mango. Compact and concentrated, but the more important things are the coolness and gracefulness of this moderately sweet Auslese that turns in a dark, “earthy” direction at the powerful finish. Very limited production. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 97 points “The 2020 Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese is super clear, precise and coolish on the concentrated but highly refined and flinty/stony nose. Round and refined on the palate, this Auslese has a highly refined raisin tone intertwined with crunchy slate aromas. The wine comes across as a very complex and juicy but always highly finessed Auslese with eternal beauty. Almost zero botrytis, but the most perfect berries of the vintage made it into this adorable Auslese. 8% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.”

 
“Weingut Markus Molitor”
 

Markus Molitor Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Trocken, Mosel White Kapsel 2018 750ml WAS $31.90 NOW $28 special, 32 bottles available
93 Points Decanter “Here we jump to an iconic Saar site, defined by Devonian slate, greywacke, some quartzitic sandstone and steepness. Wet stone, white currant, yellow apple and some lemon combine in a lovely vision of freshness. This is bright but even in this iconic Saar vineyard the warmth of 2018 is apparent. Yet the stoniness cuts through and leaves us with that lovely, racy zestiness we all crave from Riesling. These citrus notions linger and will you to take another sip. Wonderful.”
 
Molitor Urziger Wurzgarten  Auslese** Trocken, Mosel 2017 750ml WAS $69 NOW $49 special, 36+ bottles available
Wine Advocate 96+ Points “Bottled with moderate 11% alcohol, the 2017 Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Auslese ** (White Capsule) is crystalline and super precise on the clear and flinty nose that exhibits crunchy, iron-rich stone and lime zest aromas. It is lean and fresh but dense and intense on the palate, with ripe, round and concentrated Riesling fruit, some sweetness and refined acidity. This is an elegant, highly finessed and stimulating Würzgarten with a lingering, salty-piquant finish. This wine pairs its moderate alcohol level with great complexity and mineral tension.”