New May Sale Wine – Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Epic Pricing; Featured New Arrival: 2012 Il Poggione; Just Between Ayoub & Me: New Ayoub Releases; 2013 Produttori del Barbaresco New Arrival; New Review for a New Arrival: 100 Year Old Vines & Under $20: Chereau-Carre Muscadet; Your Betz Bet: New 2014s; Staff Pick; May the Case Sales… Continue: Case-6 & Case-12 Highlights; Arriving Next Week: Pichler-Krutzler; May Sale Recap
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Just in Time for the May Sale
New Release – Arriving Tuesday, May 23rd
Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque – Fleur de Champagne Brut Millesime, Champagne 2008 750ML ($119.95) $99 pre-arrival special, ETA Tuesday, May 23rd
Decanter 93 points “Shimmering pale gold with green lights, radiant clarity; persistent tiny bubbles: riot of white flowers scents, hawthorn, then more stone-fruit than citrus, reine claude (greengage) and elderflower. Vibrant mouthfeel, invigorating, expansive – perfect with saline fruits de mer. Perrier Jouët Belle Epoque 2008 reminds me somewhat of the grace of the exceptional 1995, Cellarmaster Hervé Deschamps’ first solo vintage and still one of his best. Though the two vintages 13 years apart share the same grace and class, the 2008 is more mineral, reflecting a quite sunless summer season. Only the return of warmer weather at the start of September imbued the vintage with a freshness of great Chardonnay in tune with the subtly restrained power of Pinot Noir and a soupçon of rounded Meunier – that final little touch making the wine more pleasurable to drink soon, unlike other wines from the Champagne 2008 vintage, which need a lot more time. Chardonnay is from Cramant, Avize, and Mesnil, Pinot Noir from Ay and Ambonnay in the Montagne de Reims, and Pinot Meunier from Dizy.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $124.99
The average price is $144
See our special highlight on all case-6 and case-12 May Sale items below. For the complete list of our May Sale wines, see the bottom of this newsletter!
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Featured New Arrival
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2012 750ML ($79.95) $59 special
Case-6 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2012 750ML ($449.95) $333 special (that’s only $55.50/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 95+ points “Il Poggione is a Brunello superstar and a vintage like this reveals every reason why that affirmation is true. From the second the 2012 Brunello di Montalcino pours into the glass, you know you are in for something special. The wine is darkly saturated and rich in appearance. Absent are those slightly amber or browning hues you often get with Sangiovese in a hot vintage. Nor does the wine show flat or tired characteristics. Instead, the quality of fruit is vibrant and rich. This is a healthy, generous and exuberant Brunello with dark density and succulent fruit flavors that are followed by integrated spice and tobacco. The balance is impressive and one thing you get here is fresh acidity. This is not to be underestimated, because the acidity quota in the 2012 vintage across the appellation is not as high or evident as usual. This is one of the year’s best Brunellos.”
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Just Between Ayoub & Me
Newly Arrived
Ayoub Estate Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2015 750ML ($69.95) $59 special
“Perfumy and seductive nose with crushed red berries, dried rose petals, candied orange peel, nutmeg and freshly tiled earth. Satiny and complex on the palate, with generous medley of red fruit, candied orange peel, dark cocoa and spice flavors. The layered finish evolves endlessly on the palate. This is a beautiful wine yet powerful wine, “Iron fist in the velvet glove”. It needs time to reveal its full beauty; best from 2018 to 2028.”–Winery note
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Ayoub Vineyard Memoirs Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2015 750ML ($47.95) $36 special
“Memoirs is my fond personal tribute to my family. This year’s label features a picture of my mom Latifeh, to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of her passing. The 2015 Memoirs is a blend of Pinot Noir crafted from six select vineyards in the Dundee Hills & McMinnville AVAs. The enticing nose is layered with spiced cherry pie, strawberry coulis, cinnamon and cigar box. Soft dark red fruit on the palate leading into a profound mouth-feel that layer your tongue with fruit, elegance and exotic spices. This expression of Pinot Noir is of its purest form, a blend of all vineyards showing all colors of my mother’s memories. This is a beautiful wine and my mom will be proud! Best from 2017 to 2025.”–Winery note
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
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2013 Produttori del Barbaresco
New Arrival
“Two thousand thirteen …is shaping up to be an epic vintage of classic proportions and superb pedigree. The growing season was much more stable than 2012, but it is the last month of the year, a perfect September with warm days and cool nights, that yielded Barbarescos endowed with regal intensity. The 2013s remind me of the 2010s, but with more inner sweetness and mid-palate richness.” –Antonio Galloni
Produttori del Barbaresco ‘Barbaresco DOCG’, Piedmont 2013 750ML ($37.95) $29 special
Produttori del Barbaresco ‘Barbaresco DOCG’, Piedmont 2013 1.5L ($79.95) $59 special
Antonio Galloni 90 points “The 2013 is a tasty, easygoing Barbaresco to drink over the next decade or more. There is good depth in the glass, with pretty notes of tobacco, licorice, herb and worn-in leather that add nuance. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate and a closing burst of acidity meld into the finish. The tannins are present, but they are also pretty much buried by the creaminess of the fruit. A lovely impeccably balanced, understated wine that offers considerable regional and varietal expression. In other words: textbook. The Produttori’s Barbaresco has a track record of aging well, but the 2013 is also surprisingly accessible. It should drink well with minimal cellaring.”
The 2013 Crus will arrive next spring, browse the offers below and visit our web store to order!
Produttori del Barbaresco Asili, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($69.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Montefico, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Montestefano, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Montestefano, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 1.5L ($119.95) $99 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Muncagota, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 1.5L ($119.95) $99 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Paje, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Pora, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Rabaja, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($69.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Rabaja, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 1.5L ($149.95) $119 pre-arrival special
Produttori del Barbaresco Rio Sordo, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
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New Review for a New Arrival
While reviewing the new vintages of Muscadet, David Schildknecht of Vinous Media took a look at the current release from Chereau-Carré: their 2012 vintage of the Cuvee des Ceps Centenaires Muscadet. The estate is a family-owned property dating back to the 15th century on prized vineyard land in the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine. While it’s rare to find wines produced exclusively from vines that are over 100 years old, let alone produced in a hands-off method using hand-picked grapes, this Muscadet has it all and more – at a steal of a price. Act fast as we were only able to secure a small release from this smaller-than-average vintage (and we’re offering it at the lowest price in the USA, of course!)
Chereau-Carre Comte Leloup du Chateau de Chasseloir Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie Cuvee des Ceps Centenaires, Loire 2012 750ML ($24.95) $18 special
David Schildknecht – Vinous 92 points “This mineral bath of a Melon features a mouthwatering savor akin to oyster liquor, accompanied by refreshingly bright lemon tinged with iodine and suffused with crushed stone. The palate is polished and palpably lees-enriched. Hints of moss and wet stone on the nose are reprised in a sustained finish transparent to a multitude of nuances. With something shy of 25-hectoliter-per-hectare yields, the 2012 crop here amounted to little more than half the Chasseloir norm, and the resulting concentration is formidable without engendering any sense of opacity or weight.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $22
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Your Betz Bet
All Best Prices, Too!
Newly Arrived
Betz Family Winery Pere de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 2014 750ML ($89.95) $79 special, 20 bottles available
Wine Advocate 94-97 points “…the 2014 Cabernet Sauvigon Pere de Famille is another terrific wine from this estate. Deeper in color than the 2013 (which is common) and offering fabulous red and black fruits, dried herbs, graphite and a dusty pebble-like minerality, it has full-bodied richness, ultra pure tannin and while a big, concentrated effort, it always shows a pure, elegant style. It two will have two to three decades of longevity.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Betz Family Winery Clos de Betz, Columbia Valley 2014 750ML ($69.95) $59 special, 8 bottles available
Wine Advocate 92-94 points “The inky colored 2014 Clos de Betz is certainly one of the top Merlot dominated wines in Washington state. Giving up lots of blackberry, plum, bouquet garni and licorice, it’s full-bodied and layered on the palate, with a sexy, hedonistic vibe that’s common in this big, rich vintage. It has good density through the middle and will keep nicely, but it should also put a smile on your face early in its life as well.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Betz Family Winery La Serenne Syrah, Yakima Valley 2014 750ML ($69.95) $57 special, 10 bottles available
Wine Advocate 93 points “The pure, elegant and textured 2014 Syrah la Serenne offers that classic violet and floral characteristics of the cuvee, as well as medium to full-bodied richness, lots of black raspberry fruit, fine, sweet tannin and a great finish. It’s not as powerful or concentrated as the La Cote Rousse, yet it’s a joy to drink and will cruise for a decade or more on its balance and purity.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
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Staff Pick
Andy:
To truly love Riesling I’ve traveled a long road. Tasting wines such as the Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese from 2015 made me realize just what I’d been missing. An Auslese of exceptional lightness and lacy elegance, dazzling with slate rich citrusy fruit and acidity all while downy soft on the palate. Lingering without any heaviness, as a vivid dream of what was tasted half a minute ago. 2015 is a benchmark vintage for the Mosel, and the chance to enjoy wines as beautiful as this makes up for years of missing out.
Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese, Mosel 2015 750ML ($39.95) $36 special, 36+ bottles available
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2015 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese is bright, pure, very fine, floral and flinty on the nose. It is provided with perfectly ripe and concentrated, slate-flavored fruit aromas intermixed with lemon and grapefruit notes. This is a lush, piquant and elegant, filigreed and finessed Auslese. It has great finesse and provided with a lot of Spiel and salt. The finish is pure, piquant and salty, but also lush and generous. This is a very precise, straight and stimulating, highly digestible Auslese with a lot of energy, tension and aging potential. It is very clear and there is no hint of botrytis here.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
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May the Case Sales…
Continue by the Six and Dozen!
Case-12 Bow & Arrow Rhinestone Red, Willamette Valley 2015 ($299.95) $219 May Sale special (that’s only $18.25/bottle!)
Bow & Arrow Rhinestone Red, Willamette Valley 2015 1.5L ($59.95) $39 May Sale special
Bow & Arrow Rhinestone Red, Willamette Valley 2015 750ML ($24.95) Was $21.90, Now $19.60
Grapelive 94 points “Scott Frank’s Rhinestones 2015 maybe the best under $25 wine I’ve ever tasted from Oregon. In fact the 2015 is so good I almost prefer it to some over $50 Pinot Noir offerings. This is serious stuff that really delivers the quality and depth you’d not maybe expect from this fun blend. Sourced from organic/biodynamic vineyards, mostly Johan Vineyards, and picked a bit early, Bow & Arrow gets detailed ripeness, but with zesty freshness of acidity. The fruit is very gently handled with partial whole cluster and, in traditional Loire Valley style, low oak winemaking is employed. Like Passetoutgrains in Burgundy or Cheverny in the Loire, this blend has long been an interesting marriage of varietals with the Pinot Noir giving beauty, depth and earthy charms while the Gamay gives color, vibrancy and fruitiness. This wine goes even further with this vintage taking to a new level: this Rhinestones will change all perception on what can be achieved with this blend of grapes and it should be honored as one of the great terroir wines of its generation. It redefines Oregon’s paradigm! The 2015 starts with a nose of dark roses, spice, truffle and blue fruits leading to a vivid palate of black cherry, blueberry, plum and tart currant fruits along with walnut/cedar, peppery stones, sage/mint/anise, cinnamon and iron/mineral tones finishing long and lingering with strawberry, earthy beet root and lavender. The texture is amazing and the mouth feel is exceptional considering how alive and bright this brilliant medium weight wine is. It is a satiny stunner with glorious vitality and grace. Don’t over think the grapes or label: this wine is the new Oregon and it deserves your open mind and attention. Drink this over the next 5 to 10 years. What a truly fantastic effort! I’m a huge fan of Frank’s wines, but this is by far the best vintage of Rhinestones. Also look for their straight Gamay Noir, Melon (think bone dry, leesy Muscadet) and Sauvignon Blanc. These Loire inspired wines are lovely Oregon surprises that will thrill and seduce the senses.”
John Gilman 92 points “The 2015 version of Rhinestones is a blend of sixty percent pinot noir and forty percent gamay. The wine is a tad tight when first opened, but with a bit of swirling offers up a lovely bouquet of red and black cherries, a touch of pepper, spit-roasted meats, fresh herbs and dark soil tones. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and tangy, with a fine core, lovely focus and grip and a long, moderately tannic finish. This is 12.5 percent octane and absolutely laser-like on the palate, with superb backer energy. I am sure this is intended as an early quaffer for restaurants in Portland, but this has the balance and structure to also age very well indeed! 2016- 2030.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $23.95
Case-12 Matello ‘Souris’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2012 750ML ($449.95) $299 May Sale special (that’s only $24.92/bottle!)
Case-6 Matello ‘Souris’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2012 750ML ($249.95) $166 May Sale special (that’s only $27.67/bottle!)
Matello ‘Souris’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2012 750ML ($41.95) Was $37, Now $29
Josh Raynolds–Vinous 93 points “Vivid ruby-red. Heady, complex scents of fresh red and dark berries, incense and Asian spices, with a bright mineral overtone. Intense black raspberry and spicecake flavors convey a shapely, seamless quality. Fleshes out and deepens with aeration and finishes sweet and extremely long, with lingering smokiness and harmonious tannins.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $41.95
Case-12 Domaine Collotte Marsannay Les Champsalomon 2014 750ML ($359.95) $249 May Sale special (that’s only $20.75/bottle!)
Domaine Collotte Marsannay Les Champsalomon 2014 750ML ($34.95) $24 May Sale special
Wine Spectator 92 points “This is pure, with cherry, black currant and spice flavors fused to a firm, dense structure. A graphite element emerges as this cruises to a long, gripping, spice-infused finish. Best from 2020 through 2030. 150 cases imported.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $29.96
Case-12 Domaine Collotte Marsannay Le Clos de Jeu 2014 750ML ($359.95) $249 May Sale special (that’s only $20.75/bottle!)
Domaine Collotte Marsannay Le Clos de Jeu 2014 750ML ($34.95) $24 May Sale special
Wine Spectator 92 points “There’s fine purity here, with cherry, raspberry, violet and iron flavors. Succulent yet taut, with dense, refined tannins. Shows fine balance and length, featuring bright fruit from start to finish. Best from 2018 through 2027. 100 cases imported.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $29.99
Case-12 Domaine des Cassagnoles Gros Manseng, IGP Cotes de Gascogne 2015 750ML ($149.95) Was $119, Now $99 (that’s only $8.25/bottle!)
Domaine des Cassagnoles Gros Manseng, IGP Cotes de Gascogne 2015 750ML ($14.95) Was $11.90, Now $9
Winery Notes “The Gros Manseng produces fleshier, more ample wines with fruity apricot and pear aromas. It is a lively wine, but not to excess, with a persistent final. It may be kept for several years and should be drunk chilled, at a temperature of 50-53°”
Case-12 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Girard, Rhone 2014 750ML ($479.95) $299 May Sale special (that’s only $24.92/bottle!)
Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Girard, Rhone 2014 750ML ($44.95) $28 May Sale special
Wine Advocate 87-90 points “Similar to the classic cuvee, the 2014 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Girard is a custom blend for importer Peter Weygandt. Showing a touch darker fruit and possibly more concentration, it has building tannin and a solid finish. It has outstanding potential.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $38.99
See the complete list of all on May Sale wines at the bottom of this newsletter!
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Arriving Next Week
Pichler-Krutzler
Erich Krutzler is a famous winemaker in his own right, having started the Moric project in Burgenland before moving around the region making internationally recognized wines, however until he married the daughter of FX Pichler, his name was less than recognizable to most wine lovers in the US. His project with his wife, Pichler-Krutlzer, is based around the great vineyards of the Wachau and has captured our hearts. Krutzler prefers brighter, fresher wines than his father-in-law, so these wines tend to have a little less power and a lot more versatility at the table. They’re breathtakingly complex, but you can actually drink them with food. Also (and more importantly) their priced much more reasonably than the FX wines.
Pichler-Krutzler Trum Riesling, Wachau 2013 750ML ($27.95) $16 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 91 points “From a slightly south-facing gravel/alluvium site with 10- to 20-year-old vines, the 2013 Riesling Smaragd Trum opens with a very clear and well-concentrated stone-fruit aroma underlined by cool, stone flavors. This medium-bodied, densely woven and lovely mineral Riesling is intense, well balanced, very elegant and extremely stimulating, lovely, pure and concentrated. The finish is aromatic and indicates a still young wine with an aging potential of more than ten years.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Pichler-Krutzler Wunderburg Riesling, Wachau2012 750ML ($59.95) $38 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 93 points “Harvested in early November and subject to very slow fermentation that finished with 13% alcohol and from which a lot of CO2 was left behind even in January of 2013, the Pichler- Krutzler 2012 Riesling Wunderburg offers satiny texture and surprising fullness yet at the same time the transparency to nuance characteristic of all of the best wines in the present collection. Szechuan pepper, crushed stone, bittersweet flowers and peach kernel are perceived through a clear, juicy, luscious matrix of lime and white peach, leading to a finish not only refreshing and invigorating but almost fiery in its incisive intensity even as it remains rich in ripe fruit. Look for this beauty to yet grow in stature and to prove worth following through at least 2022. In Pichler and Krutzler’s conscientious and talented hands, this little-known site is starting to live up to its name (“miracle castle”)!”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
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May Sale Recap
The sun is high
And June is nigh
Yet no need to cry
You’ve time to buy
May Sale has eleven days left!
Shop the sale!
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Thank you for reading!