Wednesday Newsletter 9-16-20

Brianne Day is one of the Oregon wine industry’s rising stars, building a reputation that lead to a recent James Beard nomination. Sourcing fruit from throughout the Pacific Northwest, she crafts some of the region’s most distinctive and exciting wines.  Today we’re thrilled to offer an incredible deal on Day’s 2016 Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir. At $21 off the winery’s price per bottle (and over $25 off by the case!), this is an opportunity we had to pass along.

Day describes their Momtazi bottling as their “our flagship Pinot Noir from one of Willamette Valley’s most prized biodynamic vineyards and our most age-worthy wine.”  It‘s normally the most expensive Pinot in the Day Wines lineup at $54, but we’re able to offer it for just $33 per bottle and $28.75 per bottle on case purchases.

For those unfamiliar with Momtazi Vineyard, it is one of the Willamette Valley’s most prized biodynamic vineyards.  This reputation owes to the fact that no chemicals have been used on the property since it was planted to vine in 1997.  And today, the Momtazi family uses strict biodynamic practices.  This is a vineyard that many of the state’s most celebrated wineries source from and display the vineyard name proudly on their label.

So take advantage of this killer deal and see what one of Oregon’s up and coming winemakers can do with some of Oregon’s most cherished fruit. 

In Stock Now:

Day Wines ‘Momtazi Vineyard ‘ Pinot Noir, McMinnville 2016 750ML ($53.95) $33 special
Case-6 Day Wines ‘Momtazi Vineyard ‘ Pinot Noir, McMinnville 2016 750ML ($299.95) $189 special (that’s only $31.50/bottle!)
Case-12 Day Wines ‘Momtazi Vineyard ‘ Pinot Noir, McMinnville 2016 750ML ($599.95) $345 special (that’s only $28.75/bottle!)
John Gilman 93 points “The 2016 Momtazi Vineyard bottling of Pinot Noir from Day Wines is the ripest of these 2016s, as it comes in at fourteen percent octane. It is beautifully black fruity on the nose (as all the examples from Momtazi have been that I have been fortunate enough to taste), offering up scents of black plum, sweet dark berry, black tea, balsam bough, a beautiful base of soil tones, chicory, gentle spice tones and a bit of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with a fine core of fruit, great mineral drive and grip, ripe, well-integrated tannins and a long, tangy and promising finish. While this is the ripest of the 2016 pinots from Brianne Day, it is no less pure or precise and is a great bottle in the making. 2024-2055.”
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 92 points “Limpid red. A highly aromatic bouquet evokes fresh dark berries and baking spices, along with smoky mineral and musky earth overtones. Juicy and broad on the palate, offering alluringly sweet black raspberry, cherry, rose pastille and spicecake flavors that deepen steadily with air. Delivers a suave blend of power and energy and finishes with finely woven tannins and strong, floral-driven persistence.”
Winery Note “Momtazi Vineyard is a certified biodynamic site nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Range, composed primarily of uplifted marine sedimentary loams and silts with alluvial overlays and an underlying base of basalt. One of the revered vineyards in Willamette, this is our cornerstone source for Pinot noir. We are always thrilled to work with this fruit, as it’s some of the most coveted in in the Valley. Many people wish they could get their hands on it, and we’re fortunate that we do. Easily our most intense and deeply fruited Pinot noir, the wine displays hallmark Momtazi notes of black cherry and black raspberry, both on the nose and on the palate. Additional notes of sandalwood spice and forest floor emerge with air, giving a glimpse at the complexity to come. It’s a moody, broody teenager at present, which is no surprise given the vineyard’s reputation for structure. The tannins are suave but sturdy, and the well-integrated acidity holds everything together seamlessly in an enchanting marriage of power and finesse. As flagship wines go, the 2016 Momtazi is a worthy standard-bearer.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

If you love big, powerful red wines and you’ve never had the top wines of Domaine de Fondreche, you need to rectify that situation soon.  These are some of the gutsiest, most expressive wines in the Rhone, with incredible critical praise and a price tag that’s equivalent to mid-tier CdP.  From their mostly Syrah “Divergente,” which puts a lot of $80 Hermitage to shame, to their “Il Etait Une Fois,” a Chateauneuf destroyer, their wines represent excellent values and compelling drinking experiences. Because of the obscurity of Ventoux, these aren’t as expensive as they probably should be, despite a multitude of scores in the high 90’s for their wines (case in point, 97 and 95 for the pair today). 

In 15 years, we think we’ll look back on these the way we do now with Gigondas, Cornas and other formerly sleeping giants of the Rhone—the pricing will seem unbelievable.  These powerful wines are only going to get more attention and acclaim and their window of affordability won’t last much longer.

In Stock Now:

Domaine de Fondreche Ventoux Divergente, Rhone 2016 750ML ($79.95) $66 special, 8 bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 97 points “Reminding me of one of the Sélections Parcellaires Hermitage from Michel Chapoutier, the 2016 Ventoux Divergente is 90% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre that was mostly destemmed and brought up in foudre. Crème de cassis, black raspberries, peppered meats, graphite, and liquid rock notes all flow to a fat, unctuous, sexy Syrah that has beautiful acidity, fine tannin, and a huge finish. It’s a true “Wow” wine that needs to be tasted to be believed. Put this in a blind lineup of top Hermitage and shock all your friends.”
Wine Advocate 94 points “Less immediately showy and approachable than the 2016 Persia, the 2016 Ventoux Divergente is tight and focused, deserving of a couple of years in the cellar. Smoke, black olive and plum notes dominate this full-bodied wine, picking up hints of espresso on the long, tannic finish.-JC”

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

Domaine de Fondreche Ventoux Il Etait une Fois, Rhone 2016 750ML ($59.95) $49 special, 21 bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 95 points “The flagship is the 2016 Ventoux Il Etais Une Fois, which is mostly Grenache with tiny amounts of Syrah and Mourvèdre brought up all in foudre. Violets, red and black fruits, spice, and dried earth/limestone minerality all give way to an elegant, medium to full-bodied Grenache that gains depth, freshness, and purity with time in the glass. It has fine, building tannin, a seamless texture, and a great, beautiful finish. Over the previous few years, the quality of this cuvée has soared, and this is one of the finest to date.”
Wine Advocate 94 points “Coming in at the top end of the range I projected for it last year, the stunning 2016 Ventoux Il Etait Une Fois is a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah. It’s a voluptuous, full-bodied mix of black cherries and subtle spice notes, all carried by a seamless, plush, creamy-textured palate through a long, concentrated finish. Wow.-JC”

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

Shop our extensive red Rhone selection on our web store!