In This Newsletter:
New Price Drops
From France, Germany & California
Featured New Arrival
Savart’s Compelling Champagne
Super Subscriber Sale
Markus Molitor’s Brilliant Mosel Rieslings
More New Arrivals from Champagne
The Thrilling Wines of Francesco Rinaldi
Sub-$22 Napa Valley Red Blend
Rutherford Hill’s Barrel Select
New Price Drops
From France, Germany & California
France
Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Girard, Rhône 2017 750ML ($59.95) Was $45 Now $41.90, 36+ bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 94 points “A special cuvée made for American importer Peter Weygandt, the 2017 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Girard includes a bit more old-vine Grenache, and it shows in the wine’s increased elegance. It’s more floral than the regular bottling, with scents of tea and roses, but it’s also darker and richer, with black cherry fruit, a velvety mouthfeel and a long, layered finish.”
Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Girard, Rhône 2017 750ML ($59.95) Was $45 Now $41.90, 36+ bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 94 points “A special cuvée made for American importer Peter Weygandt, the 2017 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Girard includes a bit more old-vine Grenache, and it shows in the wine’s increased elegance. It’s more floral than the regular bottling, with scents of tea and roses, but it’s also darker and richer, with black cherry fruit, a velvety mouthfeel and a long, layered finish.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Impériale, Rhône 2017 750ML ($79.95) Was $66 Now $59, 31 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2017 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Imperiale (from vines planted in 1902) is firm and structured to age magnificently. Roses, black tea and red raspberries all appear on the nose and palate, framed by fine-grained tannins. I suspect it will close down shortly, but there is terrific material here, and the wine will drink well for two decades.”
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points “The 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Imperiale kicks the intensity up a notch and offers rocking notes of black cherries, garrigue, ground pepper, and incense. More expansive, full-bodied, concentrated, and pure, it’s a brilliant, brilliant wine that stays tight and compact at the moment yet has beautiful concentration, present tannins, and a great finish. It has everything, but it needs 4-5 years or bottle age.”
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Château Simone Palette Rosé, Provence 2016 1.5L ($139.95) Was $119 Now $99, 2 magnums in stock now
Neal Rosenthal Note “The Château Simone Rosé is a wine that belies the notion that rosés are simple wines to be drunk up young. We have indulged ourselves with 10-year old Château Simone Rosé and have marveled at the tenacity, vibrancy and complexity of this very serious wine. The blend is identical to the rouge: 45% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, Castet, Manosquin, Carignan, Muscat Noir & Blanc. Aged in barrel, it is powerful and age-worthy with a steely character and a grey-tinted aura to the faded rose-petal robe.”
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The next lowest listed price is $160
Château Simone Palette Rosé, Provence 2017 1.5L ($139.95) Was $119 Now $99, 5 magnums in stock now
Neal Rosenthal Note “The Rougiers’ justly legendary rosé—composed of the same field blend as the rouge, and produced by blending direct-press and free-run juice in equal proportions—may as well be from another planet as the sea of technologically produced pink concoctions flooding the market. Even serious growers often make rosé as an afterthought, using quick and inexpensive methods and rushing it into bottle to sell it before the first glimmer of spring warmth. At Château Simone, however, the rosé ferments spontaneously, and spends a full year in large oak foudres developing remarkable depth. Like all great wines, the best rosés require time—note that Simone is releasing their 2017 when almost every other producer is issuing their 2018—and a bit of risk in the cellar. And, whereas rosés fall apart within a year or two of being bottled, Simone’s is notorious for improving for over a decade, developing the savory notes and umami complexity of an aged red wine over time. The 2017 growing season dished out challenge after challenge—hail, frost, hydric stress, even hungry birds and pigs—with a subsequent 30-40% reduction in yields from 2016 (which was itself 15% down from 2015). Given that the rosé comprises only ten percent of the estate’s production to begin with, there is painfully little 2017 to go around. Those lucky enough to snare some, however, will encounter a wine of terrific expression, as those grapes that survived the season’s myriad challenges ended up remarkably healthy and concentrated. Amply fruited but with a core of lean minerality, the 2017 Palette Rosé offers excellent tension, and its flavors of juicy red apples, Provencal herbs, and softly smoky earth are particularly well delineated.”
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Germany
Weingut Joh. Bapt. Schäfer Burg Layer Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese, Nahe 2015 750ML ($69.95) Was $59 Now $49, 28 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2015 Burg Layer Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese was auctioned in Bad Kreuznach in September 2016. Sourced from vines that are less than 30 years old, it opens with a very clear, ripe and almost tropical fruit aroma intertwined with delicate, flinty notes from the reddish/silvery slatey clay soils. This is another reductive styled, racy, piquant and finesse-full Riesling with tropical fruit aromas, some toasted speck and date flavors. Its combination of finesse and lush fruit texture reminds me of red slate Rieslings from the Mosel such as Ürziger Würzgarten or the red slate parts of the Pünderich Marienburg. The finish is full of tension and grip. A gorgeous Spätlese of which 400 liters have been produced.”
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “Made from a 25-year-old parcel and harvested at 94° Oechsle, this delivers a nice set of fruity and juicy aromatics including yellow peach, quince star anise, rose water and grapefruit juice. The wine starts off on the light side on the palate but creamy fruits paired with rich Auslese GK styled sweetness quickly take over before some pear, pineapple and peach lead the way to a juicy and creamy long finish. This is a nicely creamy and clean Auslese GK styled Riesling. 2022-2035”
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Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Rotlay Riesling, Mosel 2011 750ML ($59.95) Was $45 Now $33, 28 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “The Rotlay is a great wine in this vintage, and offers very complex and fine flavors of spices, salt, mineral, bakery products and apricot flower. The zesty, pure and delineated structure is impressive. This is superb. 2021-2031.”
Wine Advocate 91+ points “Carob and toasted nuts inflect baked apple and vanilla on the nose of Selbachs’ block-picked 2011 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Rotlay, which comes to the palate expansive, creamy, and buoyant (at 8.5% alcohol), its apple joined by almost overripe Persian melon. Hints of pip and botrytis bitterness add interest, but there is not the subtle interaction of flavors or the layer of primary juiciness that rendered the corresponding Anrecht bottling so memorable, but instead a more dominantly honeyed, soothingly rich personality. This long-finishing beauty may well – as its author suggests – just need some time to reveal its multiple layers.”
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Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Rotlay Riesling, Mosel 2014 750ML ($59.95) Was $49 Now $39, 16 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 94+ points “The 2014 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Rotlay offers a superbly clear and concentrated bouquet with tropical fruit aromas (mango, pineapples) and fine botrytis. Picked with 110° Oechsle, this is a sweet, piquant, highly elegant and refined Riesling with a lingering purity and salinity, as well as the repetition of the tropical fruit aromas of the nose. With great finesse and concentration, this is quite noble and expressive Riesling.”
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Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese**, Mosel 2013 750ML ($59.95) Was $49 Now $39, 35 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 94 points “Bright in color the two-starred 7.5% alcohol 2013 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ** is an intensely (noble) sweet and creamy-textured selection, which was picked on November 1 and is made for future generations. Very sweet and dense on the palate it still has to become more wine-y but the wine has definitely talent.”
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California
Sloan Proprietary Red, Rutherford 2003 750ML ($299.95) Was $249 Now $219, 2 bottles in stock now
Robert Parker 96+ points “The 2003 was made by Martha McClellan and the viticulture looked over by David Abreu. The 2003 Sloan, if slightly less prodigious than the perfect 2002, remains a young wine. Notes of vanillin, espresso roast, blackberries, scorched earth, camphor and hints of charcoal and barbecue meat jump from the glass of this spicy, rich, provocative Cabernet Sauvignon. With a full-bodied mouthfeel, sweet tannin and adequate acidity, the blend includes 14% Cabernet Franc and 86% Cabernet Sauvignon from this extraordinary hillside vineyard above Auberge de Soleil in mid-Napa Valley. This wine is 2-5 years away from full maturity, and should last for another decade.”
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The next lowest listed price is $295
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The next lowest listed price is $295
Featured New Arrival
Savart’s Compelling Champagne
Savart offers up some of the most impressive, compelling wines in Champagne every year. There’s a house style to them (vinous, textural, mineral) that’s immediately recognizable as Savart wines, but the bottlings show vivid uniqueness that allows for easy differentiation. We’re pleased to offer a broad selection of the Savart wines, from the (delicious) entry-level L’Overture, to the profound single vineyard wines—and all at fantastic pricing. These are some of the most stunning wines we offer every year and they always move quickly (especially the single-parcel offerings).
In Stock Now:
Savart Bulle de Rosé Premier Cru Brut Rosé, Champagne NV 750ML ($69.95) $59 special
John Gilman 92+ points “Frédéric Savart’s “Bulles Rosé” is one of my absolute favorite non-vintage bottlings of Rosé in all of Champagne, as year in and year out, it is exceptional in quality. The wine’s cépages is seventy-eight percent pinot noir and twenty-two percent chardonnay, with eight percent of the pinot be still red wine. It was disgorged in June of 2020 and finished with a dosage of six grams per liter. The wine is a beautiful salmon color and offers up a vivid bouquet of blood orange, pomegranate, violets, citrus peel, a gorgeous base of soil, lavender and a hint of oak. On the palate the wine is pure, precise and full, with a lovely core, excellent mineral drive and grip, elegant mousse and outstanding length and grip on the complex and still youthful finish. This wine is delicious right now, but will age impeccably well and will be an even better drink five years down the road. 2020-2045.”
Disgorged September 2020
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Savart L’Accomplie Premier Cru Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($69.95) $59 special
John Gilman 93 points “The Savart “l’Accomplie” Vieilles Vignes bottling is composed from a cépages of eighty percent pinot noir and twenty percent chardonnay. The vins clairs are again raised in a combination of casks and tank, with thirty percent of the blend made up of reserve wines from the previous two vintages. It was disgorged in September of 2020 and received a dosage of five grams per liter. The bouquet is deep and serious, wafting from the glass in a mix of apple, peach, brioche, a touch of nutskin, a lovely base of soil tones and just a touch of buttery oak influence in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and shows off a fine spine of acidity, with lovely focus and complexity, a rock solid core, frothy mousse and a long, well-balanced and impressive finish. This too deserves some additional bottle age to really blossom completely. It is already a lovely drink and will improve with further cellaring. Fine juice. 2021-2050.”
Disgorged September 2020
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Savart L’Ouverture Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($59.95) $44.50 special
John Gilman 91+ points “The l’Ouverture cuvée from Monsieur Savart is composed entirely from pinot noir grown in the village of Écueil, with half of the vins clairs barrel-fermented and raised in cask and the other in tank. Only the reserve wines that go into the blend have gone through malo for this wine, which is aged under cork, rather than crown cap prior to disgorgement. This release was disgorged in September of 2020 and finished with a dosage of seven grams per liter. It offers up a lovely nose of white peach, apple, patissière, chalky soil tones and a nice touch of orange zest in the upper register. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and complex, with a fine core, good mineral drive, frothy mousse and lovely focus and balance on the long and youthful finish. This is a lovely bottle that will be even better with a few years in the cellar. 2021-2040+.”
Disgorged September 2020
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Love Champagne? We have over 190 different Champagnes in stock now. Shop the entire selection on our web store, including staff favorites like Éric Rodez and Nicolas Maillart, as well as more options from Savart.
Super Subscriber Sale
Markus Molitor’s Brilliant Mosel Rieslings
There may be no more ambitious winemaker in the world than Markus Molitor. His determination and drive to make the best possible wines has made him a towering figure in the Mosel, with an impressive, modern winery and holdings in almost every important vineyard in the region. This drive also means there are a lot of different bottlings—Molitor believes that every single sub-parcel and selective pick should be vinified to its utmost potential.
This is the essence of the brilliance of Markus Molitor. Most winemakers would pick once or twice (or three times) in a vineyard and vinify many lots together—it’s easier and the wines are good. Molitor, though, asks what each parcel and pick would be like on its own—treated as if it were a wine of distinction rather than a blending component. This is a lot of extra work and requires time and space that most winemakers would rather not spend, but the result is a dizzying number of bottlings that all strive toward perfection.
The critical praise backs this up— Markus Molitor’s wines are some of the most celebrated in the world. Whether white capsule (dry), green capsule (off-dry), or gold capsule (fruity to nobly sweet), he manages to produce wines that captivate and astound. 2016 is among the best vintages he’s produced—a worthy encore to his lauded 2015s. We love these wines, and know that you will to, and are excited to offer them today at national best, Super Subscriber Special prices.
In Stock Now & Priced to Move:
Markus Molitor Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese ** Green Capsule (Feinherb), Mosel 2016 750ML ($59.95) Was $51.90 Now $46 Super Subscriber Special, 21 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2016 Riesling Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese ** (Green Capsule) offers a pretty clear and delicate, fresh and flinty bouquet with bright fruit aromas and clayey wet slate notes. On the palate, this is a tensioned, fresh, mineral and tightly woven Auslese in the medium sweet style. It’s truly piquant and fresh, and the ripe, concentrated fruit is well balanced by vibrating minerals and phenolic grip. The finish is very long and fine, with a lot of salinity and slatey freshness. This is an impressive wine, but you should be patient with it. Tasted March 2018.”
Stuart Pigott-jamessuckling.com 94 points “A ton of spices and minerality here. There is also a lot of juiciness and some perceptible sweetness on the middle-palate. A very clean vibrant finish follows and pulls you back for more. Drink or hold.”
This is the essence of the brilliance of Markus Molitor. Most winemakers would pick once or twice (or three times) in a vineyard and vinify many lots together—it’s easier and the wines are good. Molitor, though, asks what each parcel and pick would be like on its own—treated as if it were a wine of distinction rather than a blending component. This is a lot of extra work and requires time and space that most winemakers would rather not spend, but the result is a dizzying number of bottlings that all strive toward perfection.
The critical praise backs this up— Markus Molitor’s wines are some of the most celebrated in the world. Whether white capsule (dry), green capsule (off-dry), or gold capsule (fruity to nobly sweet), he manages to produce wines that captivate and astound. 2016 is among the best vintages he’s produced—a worthy encore to his lauded 2015s. We love these wines, and know that you will to, and are excited to offer them today at national best, Super Subscriber Special prices.
In Stock Now & Priced to Move:
Markus Molitor Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese ** Green Capsule (Feinherb), Mosel 2016 750ML ($59.95) Was $51.90 Now $46 Super Subscriber Special, 21 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2016 Riesling Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese ** (Green Capsule) offers a pretty clear and delicate, fresh and flinty bouquet with bright fruit aromas and clayey wet slate notes. On the palate, this is a tensioned, fresh, mineral and tightly woven Auslese in the medium sweet style. It’s truly piquant and fresh, and the ripe, concentrated fruit is well balanced by vibrating minerals and phenolic grip. The finish is very long and fine, with a lot of salinity and slatey freshness. This is an impressive wine, but you should be patient with it. Tasted March 2018.”
Stuart Pigott-jamessuckling.com 94 points “A ton of spices and minerality here. There is also a lot of juiciness and some perceptible sweetness on the middle-palate. A very clean vibrant finish follows and pulls you back for more. Drink or hold.”
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Markus Molitor Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese*** Green Capsule (Feinherb), Mosel 2016 750ML ($99.95) Was $89 Now $79 Super Subscriber Special, 21 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 98 points “The 2016 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese *** (Green Capsule) is deep and complex on the nose, though discreet in its fruit expression straight from the bottle. However, the fruit is beautifully flinty, fresh and really fine. Lush and round on the palate, this is a full-bodied, ripe and intense yet well-balanced and elegant Himmelreich whose sweetness of roughly 30 grams per liter is still prominent at this young age. However, the wine is intense, long, firmly structured, very mineral and provided with serious tannins and a lot of stones. I am tasting it far too early (and straight after the three-starred Rosenberg Auslese), but it’s a highly promising Riesling from a great vintage for the Mosel. Bottled in September 2017; tasted March 2018.”
Stuart Pigott-jamessuckling.com 96 points “A remarkable 2016 Mosel riesling that’s just off-dry. Stunning apricots and fresh herbs in the nose. Dense, succulent and yet elegant. The finish is a cascade of herbal notes, ripe fruit and floral honey. A very long and clean finish with a lot of power. Drink or hold.”
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Markus Molitor Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Auslese *** Green Capsule (Feinherb), Mosel 2016 750ML ($99.95) Was $89 Now $79 Super Subscriber Special, 24 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 97 points “The 2016 Riesling Kinheimer Rosenberg Auslese *** (Green Capsule) offers a super fine raisin and refreshing slatey/flinty bouquet that indicates great purity, finesse and crunchy/slatey freshness. The fermentation stopped at 34 grams of residual sugar per liter (11% alcohol), and the resulting wine is highly delicate, pure, lush and piquant on the palate. It is quite sweet and shows celery flavors as well as great tension that is neither rustic nor challenging but really fine, giving vibrancy, grip and energy to the lush and generous but always precise and elegant Riesling fruit. This is an exciting wine, and Markus filled it as a three-starred Auslese for the first time because he was convinced the wine deserves it. Tasted March 2018.”
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Markus Molitor Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese*** Gold Capsule, Mosel 2015 750ML ($119.95) Was $99 Now $89 Super Subscriber Special, 9 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 98+ points “The 2015 Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) offers a very clear, deep, intense and complex stone fruit aroma with some very discreet toast and crushed stone flavors. Full-bodied, rich and powerful but enormously racy-piquant and mineral so that you don’t taste its sweetness, this is a great, expressive terroir wine with a huge inner concentration that comes from the soils rather than dried berries. It is based on grapes with dry raisins due to perfect botrytis combined with healthy berries that deliver the tremendous freshness in this gorgeous Auslese that also reveals some fine tannins from the aging partly in small oak.”
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The next best price is $133.33
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The next best price is $133.33
Markus Molitor Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese** White Capsule Trocken, Mosel 2016 750ML ($59.95) Was $51.90 Now $48 Super Subscriber Special, 10 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2016 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese ** (White Capsule) has a clear and flinty-scented bouquet of great elegance. With ripe stone fruit aromas on the nose and a very delicate flinty character, this is a beautifully lush and elegant Auslese with enormous complexity, length and mineral tension. It’s crystalline and powerful yet always balanced, and the acidity is absolutely delicate and intertwines with finely grained tannins. The finish is dense and persistent. The wine was fermented and aged in a single 2,000-liter barrel. Bottled at the end of September 2017; tasted March 2018.”
David Schildknecht-Vinous 94 points “Rowan, heliotrope and apple blossom introduce a performance of flattering creaminess and luscious appley fruitiness perfectly complemented by persistently wafting floral perfume and undertones of almond paste and vanilla. There is a strikingly custardy combination of creaminess and density midpalate. Yet, for all of its soothing richness, this beauty finishes with an unexpectedly and impressively decisive note of wet stone as well as infectious, refreshing primary juiciness.”
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Markus Molitor Wehlener Klosterberg Riesling Auslese** Gold Capsule, Mosel 2015 750ML ($69.95) Was $59 Now $49 Super Subscriber Special, 13 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2015 Riesling Wehlener Klosterberg Auslese ** (Golden Capsule) is very clear and precise on the nose where concentrated lemon and grapefruit aromas intermix with piquant slate flavors. On the palate, this is a round, lush, piquant, crystalline and very elegant Auslese with great precision and concentration as well as remarkable finesse. The wine reveals lingering salinity and grippy piquancy in the finish that swallows the sweetness with ease. A great and precise Auslese!”
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Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese** Gold Capsule, Mosel 2016 750ML ($79.95) Was $69 Now $59 Super Subscriber Special, 27 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 97 points “Molitor and Mosel fans shouldn’t miss the chance to buy at least a case of the 2016 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese ** (Golden Capsule)—one of the five different Auslesen Markus Molitor selected in his most important grand cru. The sweet two-starred Auslese comes from the Schiesswingert and the Fliegenberg. It opens with a deep, clear, very fine and complex bouquet of perfectly ripe Riesling berries with very fine botrytis flavors and refreshing flinty notes from the fine slate of the Sonnenuhr. Lush and generous on the palate, with a perfectly ripe and concentrated Riesling fruit, very fine minerals and crunchy slate flavors, this is an exciting Auslese of great finesse and elegance. The finish is delicate but tensioned thanks to the crunchy-salty slate sensation that gives structure as well as finesse and energy. Bottled in September 2017; tasted March 2018.”
Stuart Pigott-jamessuckling.com 96 points “A giant Auslese that is so refined and light-footed. Hard to explain how it squared that circle, but somehow it did! A totally individual Mosel wine that in no way confirms to international norms and much less to any wine fashions. A super succulent and long finish that makes you want more. Drink or hold.”
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The next best price is $85
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The next best price is $85
Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese** White Capsule Trocken, Mosel 2016 750ML ($69.95) Was $59 Now $49 Super Subscriber Special, 15 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 98 points “The 2016 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese ** (White Capsule) is a different style of Mosel Riesling compared to the other 2016 Auslesen. Fermented in different oak vats, from barrique size to 3,000-liter vats (including one big Stockinger vat that was new), this is clear, ripe and complex on the nose, with toasty as well as smoky-mineral notes framing the perfectly ripe and elegant stone fruit aromas. Full-bodied, round and complex, with gorgeous sweetness and mind-blowing silkiness and balance, this is a rich yet fine, elegant, highly complex and persistent Auslese from Markus’s most important single vineyard. The 2016 is concentrated yet very clear and elegant, revealing very fine tannins and a very long, complex finish. It already drinks with great wonder, and this wine will even gain more complexity though it’s already hard to resist.”
Stuart Pigott-jamessuckling.com 95 points “Still a bit funky from the wild ferment. The power and delicacy are almost exactly matched here, and they are beautifully complemented by notes of nectarines and Mandarin oranges. The finish is long and very graceful. Better from 2019 and decades of aging potential ahead of it.”
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Don’t Miss the Heymann-Löwenstein Rieslings on Sale Now!
Heymann-Löwenstein ‘von blauem Schiefer,’ Mosel 2015 750ML ($44.95) Was $33 Now $26 Super Subscriber Special, 6 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 91 points “The 2015 Riesling Von Blauem Schiefer opens with a beautifully clear and slatey bouquet of perfectly ripe Riesling flavors. The wine is round, piquant and salty on the palate, reveals picture book finesse and transparency and is extremely stimulating in its dry but perfectly balanced finish. The aftertaste is pretty long and already complex. If you are looking for a picture book wine of the terraced Lower Mosel, this is the one you have to taste. Thirteen percent of alcohol can hardly taste lighter and more stimulating.”
David Schildknecht – Vinous 90 points “Scents of fennel and basil along with intimations of crushed stone set the stage for a relatively cool, restrained set of flavors. Yet the palate is richly textured, lush and expansive. Piquant and incisive notes of lemon peel and mustard seed offer invigoration on a soothingly yet stimulatingly sustained finish suffused with cooling green herbs and vividly underlain with wet stone. The primary sources for this “blue slate” bottling are nowadays the Weisenberg and Fahrberg, immediately upstream from the Uhlen (which is divided between the communes of Winningen and Kobern), along with vineyards in Klotten, a good 20 miles upstream from Kobern, that are farmed by the family of a former Heymann-Löwenstein stagiaire.”
VinopolNote: Soil is blue slate, brownish clay with iron oxide
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Heymann-Löwenstein Kirchberg Riesling, Mosel 2015 750ML ($44.95) Was $39 Now $33 Super Subscriber Special, 2 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2015 Riesling Kirchberg ‘VDP Grosse Lage’ opens with a generous and warm, ripe Riesling aroma intertwined with some herbal and iron lemon flavors on the clear and elegant nose. This is a full-bodied, charming, finessed and elegant wine with fine tannin structure and a dry and persistent finish. Still young, the Kirchberg will benefit from further bottle aging.”
Mosel Fine Wines 92+ points “This wine is rather reduced but offers a gorgeously flowery nose of pear and Provence herbs. It proves superbly elegant on the palate where grip and saltiness define the aromatics. Great multi-layered complexity already comes through in the long and airy finish. This is still very primary and in need of bottle age to balance out but this beauty will easily turn into the most complete and elegant expression of Kirchberg we have taste to date. This is hugely impressive and has even some upside potential. 2018-2025.”
VinopolNote: Soil is Reddish slate, sandy-quarzite rich in iron
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Heymann-Löwenstein Kirchberg Riesling, Mosel 2016 750ML ($44.95) Was $39 Now $33 Super Subscriber Special, 4 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 91 points “The 2016 Riesling Kirchberg ‘VDP Grosse Lage’ is super ripe and flinty on the nose, with caramelly aromas. Pure, fresh and mineral, with a fine, mineral structure and lingering salinity, this is a tensioned Riesling with good phenolic structure.”
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Heymann-Löwenstein Röttgen Riesling Grosse Lage, Mosel 2016 750ML ($59.95) Was $49 Now $39 Super Subscriber Special, 5 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2016 Riesling Röttgen ‘VDP Grosse Lage’ is pure and flinty on the nose, with bright fruit and mineral aromas on the nose. On the palate, this is a piquant, fresh and well structured as well as intense and persistent Riesling with cacao flavors in the finish. Terribly fresh and piquant, this is a remarkable Riesling. Tasted February 2018.”
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Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen B Blaufusser Lay Riesling, Mosel 2016 750ML ($69.95) Was $57 Now $49 Super Subscriber Special, 16 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93+ points “The 2016 Riesling Uhlen B ‘VDP Grosse Lage’ is pure, fresh and rich at the same time, with flinty aromas on the nose. Full-bodied, precise and piquant on the palate, this is an elegant, fresh and salty Riesling with a lot of tension and length. Powerful. Long.”
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “This offers a gorgeous nose of candied grapefruit zest, some star fruit, ripe pear and apple, all wrapped into the telltale classy touch of fine spices and herbs so typical of the Estate. The wine is medium-bodied on the palate and leaves a beautifully pure, spicy and mineral-loaded feel in the long and delicately powerful finish. This is a gorgeous wine in the making with a hint of power and nice saltiness in the after-taste.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen Laubach Riesling, Mosel 2016 750ML ($69.95) Was $59 Now $49 Super Subscriber Special, 17 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93 points “From a slate soil with 10% chalk, the 2016 Riesling Uhlen L ‘VDP Grosse Lage’ shows licorice, flinty and bright fruit aromas on the nose. Juicy, piquant and tensioned on the palate, this is an intense and complex Riesling with lush and intense fruit. The finish is long and promising. Tasted February 2018.”
Mosel Fine Wines 92+ points “This offers a stunning even if still rather reduced nose of pear, grapefruit, start fruit, ginger and smoky elements. The wine is beautifully balanced on the palate, where creamy fruits are nicely wrapped into a hint of acidity and some superb mineral and herby elements. The delicately powerful after-taste oozes refinement, under-toned freshness and multi-layered complexity. This is a gorgeous Uhlen L in the making and one with great upside potential as the wine gains in elegance at maturity.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $128.83 (ouch!)
The next best price is $128.83 (ouch!)
Heymann-Löwenstein ‘R’ Winninger Uhlen Roth Lay Auslese Goldkapsel, Mosel 2007 375ML ($99.95) Was $59 Now $49 Super Subscriber Special, 22 half-bottles in stock now
Wine Spectator 96 points “Candied citrus, jujube, sweet spice and quince paste aromas and flavors mark this sweet, bracing Riesling, which is light on its feet and resonates on the finish with a mouthwatering feel and echoes of citrus. Best from 2012 through 2045.”
Wine Advocate 95 points “Löwenstein’s 2007 Winninger Uhlen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Roth Lay (as in the corresponding dry wines, the letter “R” is prominent on the label of this A.P.#9) benefits from counterpoint and collaboration among bright citrus, rich pit fruit essences, and the honey of botrytis. For all of its enormous sheer ripeness and concentration, this retains a striking sense of delicacy. A snappy, spicy, pungent streak – taken together with vivid, diverse pit fruits and citrus – serves for exhilaration in a finish of memorable length and energy, with a vivid impression of crushed stone one hardly expects in a wine of such sweetness and prominent botrytization. There seems to be something of a personality role reversal at work this year, because the corresponding Röttgen Auslese is cool and refined whereas this Uhlen displays more of the piquancy and (as French growers might say) nervosite that I associate with Röttgen. But then, botrytis is always something of a wild card, so that a wine like this is profoundly and unpredictably influenced by the precise microclimatic conditions for and differences in the nature of that fungus. No doubt this too will be worth following for two or more decades.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Heymann-Löwenstein ‘R’ Winninger Uhlen Roth Lay Auslese Goldkapsel, Mosel 2010 750ML ($199.95) Was $99 Now $89 Super Subscriber Special, 36 bottles in stock now
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Also Recently Reduced from Weingut Meulenhof:
Meulenhof Erdener Prälat Riesling Spätlese, Mosel 2015 750ML ($49.95) Was $39 Now $29 Super Subscriber Special, 25 bottles in stock now
Terry Theise note “2015 is, at last, the vintage this honorable decent vintner has waited for. In fact he compares it with 2010, and one sees why, though it’s not as bombastic as ’10, and it was more backward on the day I tasted. Young customers haven’t seen what this laudable grower can do at his best. The wines are analogue, with an inferential richness, and they age forever. Old-timers will have learned to treasure Meulenhof as a source of excellent values for true-blue Mosel that really fills the mouth.”
Mosel Fine Wines 89+ points “This offers a slightly sharp nose of brown sugar, mirabelle, herbs and spices. The wine is on the sweet and delicately rich side on the palate, where minerals, delicate yellow fruits and apricot come through. The finish is sweet and more of Auslese presence. This needs time to develop its full potential. We would not be surprised if this exceeds our initial expectations. 2025-2040”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Love German Riesling? We have over 300 different options (not a typo!) in stock now. Shop the entire selection, including staff favorites like Dönnhoff, Peter Lauer, Von Winning and more, on our web store now.
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When you’re ready to pick up, just park in our lot,
give us a call, & we’ll bring your order to your car.
(If another adult is picking up for you,
please let us know their name when placing your order.)
www.vinopoliswineshop.com
info@vinopoliswineshop.com
503-223-6002
More New Arrivals from Champagne
In Stock Now:
Bérêche et Fils Les Beaux Regards Blanc de Blancs, Champagne NV (2016) 750ML ($119.95) $89 special, 6 bottles in stock now
Importer note “Les Beaux Regards is the blanc de blancs, sourced primarily from Ludes vines planted in 1902 by Raphaël’s great-grandfather in the Les Beauxregards lieu-dit, and les Clos (planted in 1970 with massale sélection). These ancient vines give Les Beaux Regards its deep concentration and intensely chalky minerality.”
Bérêche et Fils Campania Remensis Extra Brut Rosé, Champagne NV (2016) 750ML ($99.95) $75 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 93 points “We started with the 2016 Rosé Campania Remensis, which I recently reviewed in my Champagne report. It is one of my favorite wines from the Bérêche family. The 2016 edition is taut, nervy and a fabulous opening Champagne to whet the appetite. I loved it.”
Bérêche et Fils Les Beaux Regards Blanc de Blancs, Champagne NV (2016) 750ML ($119.95) $89 special, 6 bottles in stock now
Importer note “Les Beaux Regards is the blanc de blancs, sourced primarily from Ludes vines planted in 1902 by Raphaël’s great-grandfather in the Les Beauxregards lieu-dit, and les Clos (planted in 1970 with massale sélection). These ancient vines give Les Beaux Regards its deep concentration and intensely chalky minerality.”
Bérêche et Fils Campania Remensis Extra Brut Rosé, Champagne NV (2016) 750ML ($99.95) $75 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 93 points “We started with the 2016 Rosé Campania Remensis, which I recently reviewed in my Champagne report. It is one of my favorite wines from the Bérêche family. The 2016 edition is taut, nervy and a fabulous opening Champagne to whet the appetite. I loved it.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price nationally is $98
The average price nationally is $98
Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Sainte Anne Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($51.95) $44 special, 24 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 90+ points “The current release of Alexandre Chartogne’s Cuvée Ste. Anne non-vintage Brut is from the base year of 2017. The vins clairs were raised in a combination of both stainless steel and oak and the wine was not bottled up for secondary fermentation until July of 2018. The cépages is its customary blend of nearly equal parts of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier and the wine was disgorged in February of 2020, with a finishing dosage of just over five grams per liter. The wine offers up a vibrant bouquet of apple, white peach, a fine base of soil tones, brioche, gentle smokiness and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a good core, elegant bubbles, fine balance and grip and a long, zesty and quite classy finish. This seems a touch longer on the backend to me than the last couple of iterations of this bottling that I have tasted and is first class, non-vintage Brut. But, this is still a fairly young wine and I would be inclined to give it some bottle age to let it start to blossom properly. 2022-2040.”
Importer note “60% 2017 base, 40% from 2016 & 2015.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Doyard ‘Révolution ‘ Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Non-Dose, Champagne NV 750ML ($69.95) $59 special, 3 bottles in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 94 points “Disgorged in September 2019, the NV Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Non Dosé Révolution is based on the 2012 vintage—and it’s the same blend as the 2012-base Cuvée Vendémiaire but sees two additional years sur lattes. Revealing aromas of confit citrus, warm brioche, almond paste and peach, the wine is full-bodied, broad and vinous, with a concentrated but incisive profile. It’s showing beautifully and is well worth seeking out.”
John Gilman 92 points “The current release of Champagne Doyard’s Révolution Brut Nature is from the fine base year of 2012, with fifty percent of the blend made up of reserve wines from 2011 and 2010. Half of the vins clairs are raised in older Burgundy casks and half in stainless steel, with only fifteen percent of the blend undergoing malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged fully seven years sur latte prior to disgorgement. It offers up an excellent bouquet of apple, pear, fresh-baked bread, hazelnut, chalky minerality and a discreetly smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, fullbodied, focused and complex, with a fine core, good mineral drive, elegant mousse and a long, beautifully-balanced finish. This is my idea of first class non-dosé, as the wine has been given plenty of time aging in the cellars to allow the acidity to back off and the wine to drink with generosity today, rather than some of the younger non-dosé bottlings out there that are really structured for a sword swallower when they are first released. This is superb. 2020-2035+.”
Importer note “50% 2012, 25% 2011, 25% 2010. Village/vyd 45+ year old vines. 70% Avize Grand Cru, 10% Oger Grand Cru, 10% Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Grand Cru, 10% Cramant Grand Cru.”
Disgorged 2018; reviews may not match disgorgement.
Doyard Oeil de Perdrix Grand Cru Brut Rosé, Champagne 2015 750ML ($119.95) $99 special, 2 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 93 points “The 2015 Doyard Oiel de Perdrix Extra Brut Millésime is composed from a cépages of seventy-five percent pinot noir and twenty-five percent chardonnay, with the pinot noir hailing from Aÿ and the chardonnay from Avize. The vins clairs do not go through malolactic and are given some extended aging in old Burgundy casks prior to bottling up for secondary fermentation in September of 2016. The wine was aged thirty-six months sur latte and disgorged in September of 2019, with a finishing dosage of three grams per liter. It is quite pale in color and offers up a beautiful bouquet of white cherry, peach, rye bread, chalky soil tones, dried flowers, discreet spice tones and just a whisper of oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and complex, with fine mid-palate depth and soil signature, bright acids, frothy mousse and a long, vibrant finish. This is a beautiful wine that is absolutely built for the table! 2020-2040+.”
Importer note “80% Pinot Noir from Ay and 20% Chardonnay from Avize.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Gaston Chiquet Or Premier Cru Brut Millésime, Champagne 2009 750ML ($79.95) $59 special, 7 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 93 points “The 2009 Brut Carte d’Or is 60% Chardonnay from Dizy (Cerisie`res lieu-dit) and 40% Pinot Noir from Mareuil-sur-Ay¨ 1er (Mutry and Bourdeleuse lieux-dits) is just beginning to show signs of aromatic nuance in its bouquet, the 2009 is a terrific choice for readers who want to drink a Champagne with a bit of age. Dried flowers, chamomile, lemon confit, almond, pear and spice all develop with a bit of coaxing. The 2009 is not an overt or big wine as its vintage might suggest, but is rather a Champagne of total class and sublime beauty. I loved it.”
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 92 points “Disgorged in July 2019, Gaston Chiquet’s 2009 Brut Premier Cru Or is showing very well, revealing aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, honeycomb, white flowers and fresh brioche. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and nicely defined, with an enveloping core of fruit, ripe but racy acids, and a delicate pinpoint mousse.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price nationally is $70
The average price nationally is $70
R.H. Coutier Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($49.95) $39 special, 35 bottles in stock now
Grapelive 93 points “The Coutier family [has] been a fixture in the famous village of Ambonnay since 1619, with fifth generation vigneron Antoine Coutier, who is working under his father Rene, now leading this artisan estate and making wonderfully distinctive bubblies. The Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut is a lively, but richly-flavored grower fizz with racy citrus and pure apple fruits driving the profile here along with subtle leesy brioche and hazelnut notes adding a sense of luxurious feel to go with the creamy mousse. There is an impression of power and electric energy, which almost gives you reason to think this is an Extra Brut or a non dosage, though when it opens it gets denser and more complex, it fills out to what you’d expect from a top notch Grand Cru 100% Chardonnay Champagne and is sublime with food. This Blanc de Blancs Brut was mostly based the 2016 vintage at close to 60%, a very nice year and with about 40% reserve wines, seeing a low dosage, at just 6.5 grams of sugar per liter and it was disgorged this last February of 2020. I was highly entertained and impressed by this edition of Coutier’s Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs and it was delicious with the Christmas meal and graceful on its own by the fire. The Coutier team hand farms nine hectares, all in Grand Cru vineyards, all sustainably with mostly organic methods, but keep their own production very small. In fact they sell close to 80% of their fruit to the local cooperative, while only selecting the very best grape bunches to craft a maximum of 2,000 cases for their own label. R.H. Coutier is a real grower Champagne house that focuses on freshness of character with almost all of the wines here fermented and aged in stainless with edgy acidity playing a key role with only about half of the Coutier juice going through malolactic fermentation, depending on the vintage and as mentioned a low dosage is used to keep all the vitality in the bottle. While this is beautiful terroir-driven Chardonnay, interesting as Coutier was the first to plant it in the village, has a spectacular set of Pinot Noir vines, for which Ambonnay is most famous for, as well… The more clay based limestone soils and warm exposure give these Champagnes an appealing ripe nature and depth, which comes through here, this is a great value and its very expressive. I highly recommend this elegant stuff for any celebration and what’s left of the holiday meals.”
Antonio Galloni 92 points “Coutier’s NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is bright, focused and nuanced, not to mention incredibly delicious. The energy of Chardonnay and structure of Ambonnay yield a Champagne that is singular, classy and bursting at the seams with character. This release is based on 2016, with 40% reserve wines. I would give it another 6-12 months in bottle, although, truthfully, it is pretty hard to resist now. Dosage: 6.5 gr/L.”
Disgorged 2/2020, 60% 2016 + 40% reserve wine.
The Thrilling Wines of Francesco Rinaldi
The estate of Francesco Rinaldi crafts wines that offer everything we’re looking for in Piedmont—traditionally made and affordable. Stylistically they are elegant and approachable, blending the inherent power of Barolo (especially in a vintage like 2015) with a softer touch in extraction. These are thrilling wines that are always priced very attractively, an amazing feat considering the history and renown of the estate. They’re best known for their two cru bottlings, Cannubi and Brunate, which are from a couple of the most storied vineyards in all of Barolo. But don’t sleep on the rest of the lineup. All of the Nebbiolo-based wines are extremely age-worthy, but the 2015s seem to show a bit more flesh and early drinkability than usual.
In Stock Now:
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont 2016 750ML ($29.95) $21.90 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Winery Note “The vineyards located in Barolo, in the flatter areas of the Cannubi hill, have a sandier soil; in La Morra, in the areas of Zonchetta and Boiolo, the soil is more clayey with calcareous components. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled cement or stainless steel tanks with the skins contact for at least 15 days. After racking, the various lots from the different vineyards are blended and then aged in medium-capacity Slavonian oak barrels for at least a year. Refinement in bottles for several months gives the wine a vibrant red ruby color with violet reflections and an ethereal and intense bouquet. The taste is dry, robust and suitable for medium-term aging.”
In Stock Now:
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont 2016 750ML ($29.95) $21.90 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Winery Note “The vineyards located in Barolo, in the flatter areas of the Cannubi hill, have a sandier soil; in La Morra, in the areas of Zonchetta and Boiolo, the soil is more clayey with calcareous components. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled cement or stainless steel tanks with the skins contact for at least 15 days. After racking, the various lots from the different vineyards are blended and then aged in medium-capacity Slavonian oak barrels for at least a year. Refinement in bottles for several months gives the wine a vibrant red ruby color with violet reflections and an ethereal and intense bouquet. The taste is dry, robust and suitable for medium-term aging.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont 2017 750ML ($31.95) $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont 2017 750M ($359.95) $239 special (that’s only $19.92/bottle!)
Winery Note “The vineyards located in Barolo, in the flatter areas of the Cannubi hill, have a sandier soil; in La Morra, in the areas of Zonchetta and Boiolo, the soil is more clayey with calcareous components. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled cement or stainless steel tanks with the skins contact for at least 15 days. After racking, the various lots from the different vineyards are blended and then aged in medium-capacity Slavonian oak barrels for at least a year. Refinement in bottles for several months gives the wine a vibrant red ruby color with violet reflections and an ethereal and intense bouquet. The taste is dry, robust and suitable for medium-term aging.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Barolo DOCG, Piedmont 2015 750ML ($59.95) $41.90 special, 17 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 91 points “The 2015 Barolo is gracious, airy and light on its feet. Sweet tobacco, cedar, dried cherry, spice and licorice are all nicely lifted in a sensual, open-knit Barolo that will drink well right out of the gate. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. Rinaldi’s straight Barolo is a terrific wine in its peer group.”
Importer Note “Francesco Rinaldi e Figli makes two non-cru denominated bottlings, one of Barbaresco and one of Barolo, made from a blend of different parcels. The Barolo is made from vineyards in the towns of Barolo, Castiglione Faletto and La Morra…the standard Barolo bottling is aged for three years in large cask before it is bottled and made available for sale. Both wines are built for aging, and typically will be at their best from six to ten years out from the vintage. Like all of the wines from Giuseppe and Paola Rinaldi, they are beautiful, classic expressions of their underlying terroirs, with well-integrated tannins, tangy acids and beautiful complexity and balance. Both improve immeasurably if decanted an hour prior to serving.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Barolo Le Brunate, Barolo DOCG 2015 750ML ($79.95) $52.50 special, 25 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 91 points “Rinaldi’s 2015 Barolo Brunate is a powerful, dense wine. Hints of spice, licorice, leather, game and cherry develop with time in the glass. The power and intensity of the year are very much in evidence. But there is also a slightly roasted quality and an aggressiveness in the tannin that I am not used to seeing. Tasted three times with consistent notes.”
Importer Note “The two flagship bottlings at Francesco Rinaldi e Figli are the single cru Baroli, Brunate and Cannubi. Brunate is one of the greatest vineyards the Barolo region, lying on the border between La Morra and Barolo proper, with each village sharing the vineyard (though with the lion’s share lying within the village boundaries of La Morra). Wines from the Brunate vineyard are prized for their depth, power and brilliant balance, and the example from Francesco Rinaldi e Figli is one of the very greatest examples of Brunate made. In a great vintage it demands at least a decade to really begin to soften, and generally is not in full bloom until its twentieth birthday.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Cannubi, Barolo DOCG 2015 750ML ($79.95) $59 special, 9 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 93 points “Today the 2015 Barolo Cannubi is an elegant, classy wine. The Cannubi also seems to have handled the heat of the summer more gracefully than the Brunate. Silky and sensual, the 2015 is very attractive today. The aromatics are perhaps just a touch forward, but the 2015 makes up for that with its suave, inviting personality. Crushed flowers, mint, licorice and sweet berry fruit add to the wine’s charm. I wouldn’t push my luck on aging too much, but the 2015 is undeniably appealing.”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 93 points “Revealing an open-knit and immediately welcoming personality, the Francesco Rinaldi & Figli 2015 Barolo Cannubi offers a good taste of that inner sunshine and warmth that so beautifully defines this vintage. The Cannubi vineyard is one of the first sites to ripen, and the wines tend to show enormous elegance and Nebbiolo fruit purity. This vintage is particularly successful in its showing of wild berry fruit, rose hip and chopped mint. The tannins are silky and fine.
Decanter 93 points “The source of this very traditional wine is Rinaldi’s 2.2ha holding in Cannubi Boschis. It can be a very structured wine, but in 2015 there’s greater opulence than usual. Tasted from cask, it displays heady juicy raspberry aromas, discreet but perfumed. It’s concentrated on the palate but also fresh and silky, combining lush textures with tension and drive thanks to welcome acidity on the persistent finish. Drinking Window 2021 – 2038.”
Importer Note “The other single vineyard bottling is the Cannubi, which is made from the single greatest vineyard in the village of Barolo, as well as one of the most famous individual crus in the entire region. Cannubi was the first vineyard name to be famous in the Barolo region, and to this day a bottle of 1752 Cannubi is still treasured by the wine-producing family of Manzone, and is considered the oldest, extant bottle of Barolo still in existence. The vineyard is most famous for the fabulously perfumed wines that it produces, for Cannubi is not the most powerful cru in Barolo, and much like Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, it is cherished for the fabulously complex aromatics and round, suave palate impression that it provides when fully mature. This is not to say that Luciano and Paula Rinaldi’s Cannubi is a delicate wine, for it is a deep, intensely-flavored and concentrated Barolo of great pedigree and elegance- once it is fully mature. Like the Rinaldi Brunate bottling, eight to ten years is required in top vintages, and the wine is really at its blazing best at age fifteen to twenty.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Gavi DOCG, Piedmont 2019 750ML ($21.95) $18.50 special, 21 bottles in stock now
Winery note “The color of the wine is pale straw-yellow; the aroma is fresh and fruity. The taste is dry and delicate.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Nebbiolo d’Alba, Piedmont 2016 750ML ($34.95) $24 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Vinopolnote: A bright, savory and energetic example of Nebbiolo meant for early consumption. Great value!
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Nebbiolo d’Alba, Piedmont 2017 750ML ($34.95) $26 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Francesco Rinaldi & Figli Nebbiolo d’Alba, Piedmont 2017 750 ($389.95) $259 special (that’s only $21.58/bottle!)
Winery Note “Traditional vinification is carried out in cement tanks with skin-contact fermentation for 15-20 days and automatic pump-overs. The wine is aged for one year in medium-capacity Slavonian oak barrels. This is followed by refinement in bottles for several months to enhance the freshness and bouquet of the wine. The color is ruby-red, not too intense, respecting the character of the Nebbiolo grape variety. The aroma is ethereal with scents of flowers and fresh fruit. The taste is dry with a good body.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Love the wines of Piedmont? We have over 190 different options in stock now. Shop the entire selection, including famous names like Brovia, Cappellano, Gaja and more, on our web store now.
Sub-$22 Napa Valley Red Blend
Rutherford Hill’s Barrel Select
Rutherford Hill’s Barrel Select
It’s become nearly impossible to find great value in Napa Valley, especially within the white-hot Red Blend category. However, there are exceptions to every rule, and Rutherford Hill’s Barrel Select is just that. Looking for a new go-to weekday big red? Look no further.
In Stock Now:
Rutherford Hill Barrel Select, Napa Valley 2016 750ML ($34.95) $21.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Rutherford Hill Barrel Select, Napa Valley 2016 750ML ($359.95) $238 special
Antonio Galloni 92 points “The Merlot-based 2016 Barrel Select is round, sumptuous and juicy. Soft curves and voluptuous fruit give this mid-weight blend plenty of near and medium term approachability. Sweet red cherry, plum and pomegranate fruit are nicely pushed forward.”
Love Golden State wines? We have over 85 different options in stock now. Shop the entire selection, including bestsellers like Marietta Cellars, Mount Eden, Snowden and more, on our web store now.
In Stock Now:
Rutherford Hill Barrel Select, Napa Valley 2016 750ML ($34.95) $21.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Rutherford Hill Barrel Select, Napa Valley 2016 750ML ($359.95) $238 special
Antonio Galloni 92 points “The Merlot-based 2016 Barrel Select is round, sumptuous and juicy. Soft curves and voluptuous fruit give this mid-weight blend plenty of near and medium term approachability. Sweet red cherry, plum and pomegranate fruit are nicely pushed forward.”
Love Golden State wines? We have over 85 different options in stock now. Shop the entire selection, including bestsellers like Marietta Cellars, Mount Eden, Snowden and more, on our web store now.
Vinopolis is an independent wine shop in Portland that opened in 2004. Our goal has always been to offer the finest, broadest, and largest selection of wines at the best prices to our customers in Portland, in Oregon, across the West Coast, and throughout the United States. Thank you for reading and for continuing to support our team.
Stay safe, be well, & drink well.
Stay safe, be well, & drink well.