Vinopolis Tuesday Newsletter 7-13-21

“The 2017 Pinot Noir Jory Hills Vineyard is an extroverted, luscious Pinot loaded with character. Black cherry, plum, lavender and spice come together in a bold, creamy Pinot endowed with plenty of richness and exuberance. The Jory Hills, from Oregon’s Willamette Valley…is undeniably impressive.” – Antonio Galloni

In Stock Now:

Maggy Hawk Jory Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($69.95) $49 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Maggy Hawk Jory Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($319.95) $275 special (that’s only $45.83/bottle!)
Antonio Galloni 94 points “The 2017 Pinot Noir Jory Hills Vineyard is an extroverted, luscious Pinot loaded with character. Black cherry, plum, lavender and spice come together in a bold, creamy Pinot endowed with plenty of richness and exuberance. The Jory Hills, from Oregon’s Willamette Valley…is undeniably impressive.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “Shows polish and presence, with expressive rose petal and raspberry aromas that pair with multilayered boysenberry and orange peel flavors, finishing with well-groomed tannins. Drink now through 2027.”

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Love Oregon Pinot Noir? We have over 130 in stock now. Shop the entire selection, including staff favorites like Cameron, Crowley, Goodfellow and more, on our web store now.

Carl Loewen has taken over some of the oldest vineyards in the Mosel, returning them to their historic esteem and in many cases elevating them to new heights. The wines are textural, rich and complex, often from old, ungrafted parcels within vineyards. These are staff favorite Rieslings that always seem to exceed our already lofty expectations.

“This is one of the FIVE MOST INTERESTING ESTATES IN MY OFFERING, and among them it’s the one you know the least about. And that is gonna change. A couple decades ago an idealistic young couple realized there were great vineyards—not “good” or “interesting” vineyards, but truly great ones—along this stretch of the Mosel, and that no one knew of them because of the lack of a flagship estate. If J.J. Prüm had been a citizen of Leiwen and not of Wehlen, we’d be giving all that Sonnenuhr luv to Laurentiuslay and Ritsch. This is clear, and obvious. Karl was also convinced of the old Mosel verities; spontis  in  cask  with no fussings or tweakings. When the estate Schmitt-Wagner had to fold its tent, as there were no children willing to carry it on, we were all very fortunate that Loewens could buy it. Carl now has every great site on this section of the Mosel (Longuicher Maximiner, Herrenberg Thörnicher Ritsch, Leiwener Laurentiuslay) They  are  every  bit  as  important as Graacher  Domprobst,  Wehlener  Sonnenuhr and Zeltinger Schlossberg, only you don’t know them, and therefore they COST LESS..” – Terry Theise

In Stock Now:

Weingut Carl Loewen ‘1896’ Alte Reben Riesling 2018 750ML ($99.95) $79 special, 33 bottles in stock now
Grapelive 97+ points “One of the wine world’s great unicorn wines, the Carl Loewen 1896 Feinherb is from the oldest Riesling vines in Germany and from a Grand Cru steep Mosel vineyard that transmit absolute purity of terroir. There may not be a more authentic and pleasing Riesling than this, especially in a vintage such as 2018… Since the first time I tried this wine, I knew it was something extraordinary and special. It is brave example of letting a wine make itself, with vigneron Christopher Loewen picking the grapes at perfect ripeness and allowing the fermentation to go as nature demands, which in this case comes in just above (outside) the legal limit to be called a Trocken… The glorious detail and layers in this 2018 Maximin Herrenberg 1896 are mesmerizing with flinty/smoking mineral leading the way on the nose before lime blossom, rose petal and white orchard (stone) fruits lift from the glass. The revelation is on the medium bodied palate with its incredible play between hedonistic pleasures and chiseled and steely precision with layers of vivid citrus, apricot, delicate tropical notes and white cherry fruits as well as spiced/crystalized ginger, wet shale, citron and saline, where all these flavors combine and flow with a graceful crispness and a (light residual sugar) lingering creaminess. This 1896 Feinerb, dressed up in its special label and dark red wax capsule, is a profound example of Riesling and one of the absolute best, one of the top wines I’ve tasted this year.”

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Weingut Carl Loewen ‘1896’ Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg Alte Reben Riesling, Mosel 2018 750ML ($49.95) $41.90 special, 21 bottles in stock now
Grapelive 95 points “The fantastic Old Vine Trocken from Christopher Loewen is a great way to celebrate Riesling’s birthday…especially well honored by this wine that comes from Germany’s oldest known Riesling vines dating back, to as the label and name suggest, 1896! This particular bottling is Loewen’s alternative top dry Riesling, labeled Alte Reben instead of Grosses Gewächs or a GG, it is a secondary special selection from this Grand Cru site…The dry 2018 Alte Reben Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg is a striking and crisply focused Riesling with classic slate soil influence showing intense minerallity along with brisk citrusy fruit with layers lime, tangerine, white peach, quince along with hints of kumquat, green apple, pineapple fruits as well as flinty wet shale (stoniness), chamomile, saline, verbena and white flowers. This is a wonderfully complex and thrilling Riesling that expands on the medium bodied palate with gripping extract and the sensation of textural grace making for a profound experience!  The Maximiner Herrenberg vineyard was originally planted in 1896, and is now farmed by Loewen using organic methods and carefully sorted….Using modern natural methods in the cellar, the grapes are all whole cluster pressed, and Loewen is careful not to move the pomace so to not get bettering phenolic flavors…Loewen’s ferments are “Sponti” completely natural without addition of enzymes or nutrition, with these single vineyard wines, Christopher notes, being individually block picked with the juice going directly into classic Fuder barrels (or oak casks around 1000L in size) which average 25 years old to age. While the GG’s are awesome, especially the sister Herrenberg version, and Loewen’s majestic Ritch, there are two wines that you don’t want to miss, the 1986 Feinherb, one of the most sought after cult wines in the Mosel and this Alte Reben (Old Vine) Maximiner Herrenberg Trocken, both from the VDP Grand Cru (Grosse Lage) vines, these are exotic beauties that deserve your attention and a space in your collection! Happy Birthday Riesling! Loewen is quickly becoming a name on Riesling lovers lips, he is an outstanding talent and his collection of 2018 wines are stunning.”

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The next best price is $49.50

Weingut Carl Loewen Maximiner Klosterlay Riesling, Mosel 2018 750ML ($37.95) $29 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Terry Theise note “An east-facing vineyard directly on the Mosel, offering slender and “blue” tasting wines. This ’18 is the brighter (almost grassier) face of slate; a tatsoi snap, and it was the first Mosel I tasted that showed ‘18’s phenols—is this a drought feature? The wine is rather a “study in slate,” and on that March day it felt a little strict.”

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Weingut Carl Loewen Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spätlese, Mosel 2018 750ML ($37.95) $29 special, 22 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht-Vinous 93 points “Grapefruit, lime and orange mingle with Persian melon and mango on the nose and the lusciously citric, brightly juicy yet subtly tropical palate. The feel is polished and, for all of the wine’s animating brightness, also subtly creamy. The finish offers a vibrant and engaging interaction of crystalline, stony and citrus fruit elements. Allowing this wine to ferment to 9% alcohol had a salutary effect on its balance, rendering sweetness discreet (even though there are 60 grams of residual sugar), but without sacrificing a sense of levity. For my taste and from my historical perspective, this is a perfectly balanced Mosel Spätlese. Yet Karl Josef Loewen related that “in early summer [2019], this is the wine that most disappointed me. At that point I wasn’t happy with the aromatics or the integration of sweetness.” Incidentally, the wine was picked very early in October and a full week ahead of the corresponding (also highly successful) dry “Alte Reben” bottling.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Weingut Carl Loewen Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese, Mosel 2018 750ML ($49.95) $41.90 special, 20 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht-Vinous 94 points “In striking contrast with its vintage 2017 counterpart, this Auslese issued from healthy grapes, even though the Loewens said that these were picked into two buckets per harvester, so as to allow for the possibility that a Beerenauslese might also result. Musky narcissus, sweetly perfumed honeysuckle, earthy passion fruit and ripe pear offer an alluring as well as site-typically intriguing aromatic display. The polished, subtly creamy palate evinces not just luscious fruitiness but also a remarkable sense of levity and wafting inner-mouth perfume. As Christopher Loewen observed, “This is not one of your opulent Auslesen, but instead a delicate, juicy, glass-clear one.” “This is my favorite wine of the vintage,” added Karl Josef. Liquid florality persists right along with the wine’s luscious fruitiness on a seductively sustained finish that is transparent to slate underpinnings and mouthwateringly salt-tinged, and does an incredible job of hiding 100 grams of residual sugar.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2018er Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese was made from almost fully clean fruit harvested at 95° Oechsle and was fermented down to fully sweet levels of residual sugar. The wine offers a rather discreet and herbal nose where the fruity elements (including pear, lemon, starfruit, passion fruit and a hint of coconut) only gradually emerge from the glass. The wine may still be on the sweet side on the palate, but it already shows beautifully alluring and multi-layered flavors of pear, lemon, melon, lemoncello and coconut, all wrapped into some apricot blossom in the finish. This is a ripe but complex sweet wine in the making. 2033-2058.”
Terry Theise note “[++] This though is one shining gorgeous piece, and what a piece! As glorious, green and salty as it has ever been. Zero botrytis, fruit to the max, like a confiture of aloe vera and verbena.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $49.99

Love German wine? We have over 350 different options (not a typo!) in stock. Shop the entire selection, including staff favorites like Dönnhoff, Kruger-Rumpf, Peter Lauer and more, on our web store now.

We’ve been beating the drum pretty hard about Michel Juillot, and for good reason. He represents some of the best values in Burgundy. His recent releases are stellar and proof that value exists if you know where to look. That’s to say—once you venture outside the Côte d’Or there are some stunning producers making very overlooked wines, especially in Mercurey (and Givry).

Michel Juillot is one of those producers, the head of a family farming in the Côte Chalonnaise for generations (and with his son, Laurent, assuming more of the winemaking responsibilities, the tradition looks to continue). The estate owns a number of different parcels in a dizzying number of climats, with old vines throughout. Winemaking is pretty hands off, yielding wines that have polish but not excessively so. Smart buys abound from 2016 and 2017 (both excellent years for the Chalonnaise), and these might be chief among them.

In Stock Now:

Domaine Michel Juillot Clos des Barraults Blanc, Mercurey Premier Cru 2017 750ML ($49.95) $39 special, 8 bottles in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 91 points “Juillot’s finest white from Mercurey is the 2017 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Barraults Blanc, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated wine that’s attractively pure and precise, offering up a charming bouquet of green orchard fruit, flowers and beeswax.”

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The next best price is $49

Domaine Michel Juillot Clos des Barraults Rouge, Mercurey Premier Cru 2017 750ML ($49.95) $39 special, 5 bottles in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 92+ points “The 2017 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Barraults is one of the more reserved wines in the range, unfurling in the glass with a promising bouquet of cherries, cassis, candied peel and espresso roast. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with succulent acids, melting tannins and a pure, precise finish. As usual, it’s one of the finest wines in the range and one that possesses some upside.”

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Domaine Michel Juillot Mercurey Les Vignes de Maillonge Blanc, Côte Chalonnaise 2017 750ML ($47.95) $33 special, 14 bottles in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 90 points “Aromas of fresh pear, musk melon and orange blossom preface the 2017 Mercurey Les Vignes de Maillonge Blanc, a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and textural wine that’s attractively satiny and elegant this year. The parcel includes some 90-year-old muscaté selections of Chardonnay.”


Domaine Michel Juillot Mercurey Les Vignes de Maillonge, Côte Chalonnaise 2016 750ML ($39.95) $33 special, 21 bottles in stock now
Tim Aktins-Decanter “Vigorous and firm with some extraction. Good fruit focus, aromatic with some reduction. Just slightly lacks fruit sweetness.”
William Kelley, Wine Advocate “The 2016 Mercurey Les Vignes de Maillonge is somewhat more gourmand than the domaine’s regular Mercurey Village, offering up aromas of ripe cherries, strawberries and licorice followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample palate. Its fine structuring tannins are concealed in a generous core of fruit.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!

Domaine Michel Juillot Mercurey Les Vignes de Maillonge, Côte Chalonnaise 2017 750ML ($39.95) $33 special, 33 bottles in stock now
William Kelley, Wine Advocate “The 2017 Mercurey Les Vignes de Maillonge is showing well, wafting from the glass with aromas of strawberries, cherries, spices and rich soil tones. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, fleshy and melting, with an ampler, livelier core of fruit than Juillot’s regular Mercurey red.”
Burghound “Background traces of wood can be found on the liqueur-like aromas of red cherry, earth and gentle spice nuances. There is fine volume to the punchy yet caressing and serious flavors that are shaped by slightly firmer tannins on the ever-so-mildly tangy finale.”

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Shop the extensive Burgundy selection on our web store now, including excellent values like Marc Colin and Henri Prudhon, as well as more from Michel Juillot.

We’ve been big fans of Champagne de Venoge for some time. They have a strong following in Europe for good reason—they source from some of the best vineyards in the region and produce prestige cuvées of immense quality, built on long lees aging. The wines capture the essence of classical Champagne, and for that reason are in high demand in Europe’s top restaurants. Unfortunately their prestige cuvées are out of range for many casual drinkers. But for those Champagne lovers who have been dying to see what all the fuss is about, we have good news.

In 2019, to celebrate the 130th birthday of Paris’ Iron Lady, de Venoge released the Cuvée Princes Tour Eiffel. It’s a partnership 130 years in the making. De Venoge was the official Champagne partner at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, and over a century later they’ve created a beautiful tribute to one of the world’s most iconic buildings.

Best of all, we’re able to offer this special bottle for $79, the lowest price in the United States. So make this the centerpiece of your next celebration, and see for yourself why we’re so captivated by the wines of de Venoge.

In Stock Now:

De Venoge ‘Princes’ Tour Eiffel 130 Anniversary Edition, Champagne NV 750ML ($99.95) $79 special, 13 bottles in stock now
Envie de Champagne “The Maison De Venoge was founded in 1837 by Henri-Marc De Venoge. Innovation in the production and marketing of champagnes were the founding values of this of champagne house, which won the Excellence Price in Philadelphia in 1876. A few years later, in 1889, during the World Fair in Paris, the house became the partner of the event. This exhibition celebrated the centenary of the French Revolution and it is on this occasion that the Tower designed by Gustave Eiffel has been inaugurated. This monument, with a height of 312 meters during its construction can now 337 meters in 2019 following the installation of antennas. In addition to its cultural and tourist use, the Eiffel Tower is used as a transmitter for TV and radio programs. The Eiffel Tower, object of discord at the time of its creation has become today the most visited paying monument of France. It has about 7 million visitors a year. It is also inseparable from the history of the French capital. For the 130 years of this first collaboration, De Venoge signs a beautiful partnership with the company in charge of the exploitation of the iron lady (surname of the Eiffel Tower). This collaboration is obvious because of  the common history of both parties but also because of the characteristic shape of the bottles of the Princes cuvée. This limited edition vintage is named “Cuvée Princes Tour Eiffel”. Only 10,000 bottles have been marketed for this partnership.”

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Love Champagne? We have over 145 different options in stock. Shop the entire selection, including staff favorites like Bérêche, Nicolas Maillart, Pierre Gimonnet and more, on our web store now.