Vinopolpick Monday Bonus 7-5-21

Willi Schaefer, one of the Mosel’s most celebrated producers, is known for crafting wines that are approachable when young with beautiful fruit components. However, like all of the valley’s finest exports, they always impress with the ability to maintain vitality and finesse for 15+ years.

Graach, where today’s featured wines hail from, is one of the finest villages in the Mosel. It is home to beautifully exposed blue slate vineyards, and its wines often show more white and green fruit when compared to Wehlen or Piesport. Schaefer values purity and precision, and the bottlings we’re highlighting today are terrific introductions to the estate. And did we mention that they’re absolutely delicious?

“For many tasters, these are the Ne Plus Ultra of Mosel wine, and they have attracted an almost religious following. Thus my most frustrating agency, as there is never enough wine. It is hard to put a finger on exactly what it is that makes these wines so precious. There is a candor about them that is quite disarming. They are polished too, but not brashly so. They are careful to delineate their vineyard characteristics, and they offer fruit of sublime purity. They are utterly soaring in flavor yet not without weight. What many of you seem to have warmed to is their clarity, precision and beauty of fruit, so maybe I’ll leave it at that!” – Terry Theise

In Stock Now:

Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese #11, Mosel 2018 750ML ($119.95) $89 special, 19 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 95 points “According to Christophe Schaefer, the 2018 Domprobst Auslese AP #11 has just a tiny touch of botrytis in it, as it has almost exclusively been produced from golden berries. The wine is truly stunning on both the nose and palate, with the bouquet soaring from the glass in a blaze of pear, yellow plum, fresh pineapple, a gorgeous base of slate, citrus blossoms, bee pollen and lilacs. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and zesty, with a lovely core, great backend mineral drive and outstanding complexity and grip on the vibrant, snappy and electric finish. This is just beautiful Auslese! 2026-2085+.”

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

Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #5, Mosel 2016 750ML ($54.95) $49 special, 6 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht – Vinous 93 points “Ripe apple and pear garlanded in honeysuckle entice the nose, accompanied by high-toned suggestions of almond and pistachio extracts. A subtly creamy palate displays luscious fruit, heady inner-mouth perfume and rich nuttiness. There is less counterpoint or refreshment here than in the corresponding A.P. #10, but greater opulence has not precluded a delectable sense of delicacy, and the seductively soothing, superbly sustained finish offers a reassuring whisper of wet stone.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2016 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese (AP #5) has a lovey clear, piquant and still reductive nose that indicates tremendous complexity and richness. Round, super lush and elegant on the palate, this is a beautifully balanced and harmonious Spätlese that has an even riper and more textured character compared to the Spätlese #10.”
Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “This offers a gorgeous nose of slightly yellow fruits, ginger and earthy spices. The wine proves quite lively and nicely focused on the palate, with zesty acidity driving the aromatic profile. The wine is nicely elegant and well balanced in the focused and yellow peach infused finish. This is a gorgeous Spätlese in the making. 2026-2041”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #5, Mosel 2018 750ML ($89.95) $69 special, 6 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 94+ points “The 2018 Domprobst Spätlese AP #5 is far more reserved out of the blocks than the AP #10 version, and this wine will demand some extended bottle age before it really starts to hit on all cylinders. However, the potential here is outstanding and all that is needed is some patience to outwait the inherent structural reserves of the Domprobst. The bouquet is a fine mix of pear, apple, salty slate minerality, bee pollen, petrol and spring flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and very, very precise, with superb cut, a great core and a veritable slate bath of minerality on the long, tightly-knit and focused finish. This is going to be stellar. 2028-2075+.”


Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #5, Mosel 2019 750ML ($89.95) $59 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott-jamessuckling 98 points “Breathtaking complexity, thanks to an entire spectrum of fruit aromas (from apple to exotic fruit and a slew of berries), plus an entire microcosm of herbal and mineral notes! And the balance of racy acidity with all this and the merest hint of perceptible grape sweetness is like a lightning strike on a mountain top. Drink or hold.”

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

Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #10, Mosel 2016 750ML ($44.95) $39 special, 26 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2016 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese (AP #10) is one of three Spätlesen that were selected in 2016. The wine has a very clear and smoky bouquet of perfectly ripe, healthy Riesling berries and yellow-fleshed stone fruits. Round, lush and piquant, this is a very elegant and stimulating Spätlese with lingering, mouthwatering salinity. The wine is complex but not all too intellectual. It has a ripe but coolish-elegant character with a long, well-structured finish.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $50

Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #10, Mosel 2018 750ML ($59.95) $49 special, 6 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 93+ points “The AP #10 Spätlese from the Domprobst vineyard is also superb in 2018. The bouquet is bright and beautifully expressive for a young Domprobst, wafting from the glass in a blend of pear, apple, violets, bee pollen, a lovely base of slate and a gentle topnote of wild yeasts. On the palate the wine is fullish and nicely succulent on the attack, with truly beautiful purity to the fruit, fine soil signature and a long, perfectly balanced and zesty. I love the backend slate-acid duality that defines the backend of this wine. This is a Domprobst Spätlese that will only need three or four years in the cellar to really start drinking with style and generosity. 2023-2075.”


Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Grosses Gewächs, Mosel 2018 750ML ($79.95) $59 special, 16 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2018er Himmelreich GG, as it is written on the main part of the label, comes from fruit picked in the Himmelreich and Stablay parts of the vineyard, and was fermented spontaneously and aged on its gross lees in traditional Fuder cask until June 2019. It offers a stunningly complex nose made of lemongrass, mirabelle, grapefruit, herbs, wet stone, and delicately earthy spices. The wine proves stunningly playful and balanced on the light-footed but intense palate. It leaves a superbly engaging feel of fresh fruits, minerals, and herbs pepped up a most delicate touch of tickly acidity in the long and suave finish. The after-taste is all about airiness as more fruits, minerals, and refreshing elements add depth to the experience. This is a stunning expression of airy dry Mosel Riesling. What a huge success! 2023-2033”


Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese, Mosel 2016 750ML ($44.95) $39 special, 8 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht – Vinous 93 points “Scents of ripe pear and pineapple garlanded in heliotrope set the stage for a polished, subtly creamy palate performance at once luscious, invigoratingly tangy, and loaded with seductive inner-mouth perfume. I thought the corresponding Kabinett exquisitely delicate, but this Spätlese seems virtually weightless. The lingering finish is almost like an inhalation of flowers and wet stone, save for the tingling impingement of pear skin, a faint tang of pineapple core and a nip of cress. I sense that I may be in the minority, but I perceive 2016 as one of those vintages chez Schaefer where Himmelreich gives Domprobst a very serious run for its money.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2016 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese is clear and precise on the deep and flinty nose that also shows some floral aromas. Round, lush and sweet on the palate, with delicate acidity and lingering salinity, this is an elegant and already very accessible Spätlese with a very fine, aromatic, mineral, piquant and salty finish. A classic.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese, Mosel 2018 750ML ($59.95) $49 special, 13 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 93+ points “The Himmelreich has produced a beautiful Spätlese as well in 2018, and this is destined to be a long-lived and superb bottle. The complex nose is vibrant and refined, offering up scents of lime, pear, a nice touch of orange zest, bee pollen, elder flowers, lovely minerality and a topnote of citrus blossoms. On the palate the wine is medium-full, pure and zesty, with lovely inner tension between its beautiful fruit tones and mineral undertow. The finish is long, focused and bouncy, with lovely lift, cut and grip. 2022-2075.”


Love German Riesling? We have over 350 different options (not a typo!) in stock. Shop the entire selection on our web store now, including staff favorites like Peter Lauer and Von Winning, as well as more from Willi Schaefer.

Hype has surrounded Brunello di Montalcino’s 2015 vintage from the moment fruit began arriving in the region’s cellars. After 5 years of DOCG required anticipation-building, the wines were released to rave reviews, and the critical acclaim is well-deserved. These are some of the most spectacular Brunellos we’ve tasted in some time. Rich, dense, and possessing the structure to age gracefully, 2015 Brunellos are a requirement for any serious wine cellar.

“The 2015 vintage is a historical year for Brunello di Montalcino that nobody should miss. The wines show impressive precision of vivid fruit, fine tannins and freshness in acidity despite their ripeness and richness which makes them some of the most exciting in years. Winemakers in Montalcino were never better prepared to produce outstanding wines in a year like 2015 with their exactness in their vineyards and cellars from fine-tuned canopy management and crop thinning to optical sorting and soft fermentations. So many wine producers in Montalcino made excellent wines in 2015… These are Brunellos that will age beautifully for decades ahead making them historical in every sense of the word.” – James Suckling

Highlights, in Stock Now:

“Fluid and ever-changing”
Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2015 750ML ($149.95) $119 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Monica Larner – Wine Advocate 98+ points “Giacomo Neri and his family have crafted a wine that impresses from the first sip forward (especially when the wine is given ample time to open). The Casanova di Neri 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova must be treated with patience, and that patience is returned with many great rewards. Blackberry, plum and summer cherry are slowly folded into lasting flavors of spice, leather and beautiful balsam or medical herb. These are always a distinctive signature of this estate. The aromas flow with seamless transitions, and that fluid and ever-changing nature of the bouquet is what helps to build intensity and staying power. Fruit is harvested from a south- and southeast-facing slope at 250 to 300 meters above sea level. The soils are mixed loosely with crushed rock, allowing access to air and moisture. Indeed, pretty mineral accents appear as the wine takes on more air in the glass. What stands out most in this Brunello is the quality of the bouquet that is rigid and firm, yet not excessively so. You feel the structural texture of the wine as it sits firmly over the palate, yet there is mobility and softness to its many moving parts. I tasted this wine at various intervals over a 24-hour period. Tenuta Nuova was bottled in June 2018, and some 70,032 bottles were released.”


Complex, focused & polished
Castiglion del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($69.95) $46.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
James Suckling 97 points “Wonderful aromos of flowers, plums, terracotta and white pepper. Intense, yet ever so subtle. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins, and a long and intense finish. Shows excellent length. Drink after 2021.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Wine Enthusiast ‘Cellar Selection’
Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Pianrosso, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2015 750ML ($149.95) $99 special, 15 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 100 points “Lots of ripe and rich fruit with a decadent undertone of meat and spice that turns to pure fruit and licorice. Medium to full body, refined tannins and a fresh and bright finish. All about harmony. Better after 2021.”
Kerin O’keefe – Wine Enthusiast 98 points “Cellar Selection. Intense aromas of berry, iris, underbrush, botanical herb and camphor shape the enticing nose. Firmly structured, the taut, full-bodied palate offers juicy black cherry, raspberry, licorice and tobacco set against tightly knit, fine-grained tannins. Drink 2025–2035.”


“Remarkably balanced, singing already, yet it’s full of potential”
Tenuta Col d’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($59.95) $49 special, 15 bottles in stock now
Eric Guido – Vinous 94 points “At first, the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino is quite closed in the glass, to the point I move on to the wine next to it… However, upon returning to the glass a few minutes later, I come to realize that the 2015 simply needs time to come to life; and once it does, watch out. Here I find a gorgeous and intense display, mixing savory and sweet, as well as, earth and fruit, as dusty cedar and spice give way to ripe strawberry with a hint of citrus, with wild herbs and a hint of animal musk adding further depths. On the palate, silky textures meld into woodland red berry fruits, zesty spice, hints of cedar, savory herbs, saline minerals, and mounting tannins. The finish is long and structured, yet there remains enough primary fruit to balance it all out, as well as resonating acids, intriguing hints of citrus, and spice. This is remarkably balanced, singing already, yet it’s full of potential for the cellar.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “This combines the best characteristics of Sangiovese, with cherry and strawberry fruit, earth, leather and iron notes and balsamic elements of wild thyme, rosemary and Mediterranean scrub. Shows a bit of heat on the finish, yet remains fresh and long. Best from 2023 through 2042. 16,600 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.”


Fanti’s “best ever”
Tenuta Fanti Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($49.95) $33 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “There’s a beautiful interplay between bright, primary florals, such as rose petals and tulips and dust, hay bale and dried raspberries. The palate suggests a ripe, powerful persona with chewy, juicy tannins and a fine line of pretty acidity. Best ever. Drink in 2022.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

“Wonderful length and intensity”
Fossacolle Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($69.95) $59 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Fossacolle Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($479.95) $336 special (that’s only $56/bottle!)
James Suckling 97 points “Excellent ripeness of fruit here with glazed strawberries, blood oranges, red licorice and dried spices. Superb density and focus to the centre palate, which is layered, ornate, plush but balanced. The finish goes on and on with nutmeg, tar and saffron. Wonderful length and intensity. Drink from 2024.”


“Pure class and built for the cellar”
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($89.95) $62.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($539.95) $359 special (that’s only $59.83/bottle!)
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 97 points “The Il Poggione 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows a darker and more concentrated appearance than many of its peers. The wine is beautifully abundant and fragrant in the most exuberant and expressive manner. You will recognize aromas of moist soil, tobacco and smoke. Candied cherry hovers over the entire bouquet. Fruit is sourced from older vines (all over 25 years old). Il Poggione occupies a special spot within the Montalcino appellation, and the area always produces slightly more concentrated and powerful wines. I find that to be particularly true in this gorgeous 2015 vintage. I am also very attracted to that almost dusty note of crushed mineral that rides long on the full-bodied finish. Il Poggione’s Brunello is also distinguished by firm, youthful tannin that need a few more years to unwind. Luckily, there are quite a few bottles to go around, with some 200,000 made.”
Eric Guido-Vinous 97 points “Il Poggione 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers up a dark, earthy, almost animal-like expression, showing black soil and undergrowth, giving way to crushed black cherry, dusty spice, and dried florals which lift the experience. On the palate, soft, fleshy textures usher in fresh cherry and strawberry, as brisk acids add energy, with savory herbs and minerals saturating, as the 2015 Il Poggione’s fruit nearly masks its structural core. The finish is long yet fresh, with classic, fine tannins, dried red fruits and pretty inner floral tones lingering throughout this perfectly balanced expression. The 2015’s pure class and built for the cellar.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Love Brunello? We have 47 different options in stock, including more from the 2015 vintage. Shop the entire selection on our web store now.

Properly worn masks are required at all times.

10AM – 6PM Daily

Our maximum capacity is six customers at one time.

We also offer Curbside Pickup
Order Online / By Phone / By Email