48 Hour Sales: Pierre Peters Chetillons & Zorzal; Ending Tonight – Monprivato Sale Price; #Trending; Wine of the Week: Piedmont’s Soul, Rock Star Roots – CasaSmith Barbera; Staff Picks; New Releases: Miani & Clos du Val & Burgundy Best Buy; Lisini Brunello; Colheita – Single Vintage Tawny Ports: ’52/’78/’89/’96/’03
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48 Hour Sale
& New Score, Too!
Pierre Peters “Les Chetillons”
Single Vineyard, Grand Cru Champagne
Pierre Peters Cuvee Speciale ‘Les Chetillons’ Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Champagne 2010 750ML ($149.95) Was $128, Now $109
Wine Spectator 95 points “Fine and lacy, this textbook blanc de blancs offers a lovely range of dried apricot, crushed hazelnut, fleur de sel and spun honey notes. Beautifully balanced and fresh, with a long, chalk-tinged finish. Drink now through 2030. 200 cases imported.”
Sale Ends Thursday at Midnight!
Offer limited to the 41 bottles on hand
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But Wait, There’s More!
48 Hours
2 Wines
30% Off The Best Listed Prices in the Country
Zorzal
Zorzal Eggo Blanc de Cal, Tupungato, Argentina 2014 750ML ($29.95) Was $24, Now $18, 36+ bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2014 Eggo Blanc de Cal is pure Sauvignon Blanc from two different vineyards in Gualtallary. The full clusters are pressed and the must was fermented and aged in contact with the lees for nine to ten months in their famous egg-shaped cement vats. This is more subtle and earthy, less Sauvignon, with the fruit expressing itself in a lower-pitched voice, more of a baritone. It’s also has a little wider, pungent and powerful character in the mouth. This is only around 13% alcohol, and even though in 2014 it didn’t go through malolactic fermentation, it’s still a very light and fresh wine. Groundbreaking Sauvignon. 4,800 bottles were produced, fruit of two eggs.” LG
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Zorzal Eggo Filoso Pinot, Tupungato, Argentina 2014 750ML ($29.95) Was $24, Now $18, 31 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2014 Eggo Filoso Pinot Noir is produced with fruit from Gualtallary. It fermented after carbonic maceration in cement vats and like the whole Eggo line, it matured in cement eggs for some nine months and never saw any oak. Pale-colored, floral and showing a lactic touch, it is earthier than the Gran Terroir. The palate is medium-bodied, with floral flavors, very good acidity and a fine texture.”
This was the lowest listed price in the USA today,
Now it’s even lower!
The next best price is $37.99
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Sale Ends Thursday at Midnight!
Monprivato Sale
Ending Tonight!
Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio Monprivato, Barolo DOCG 2011 750ML ($159.95) Was $119, Now $99
Wine Advocate 95 points “No matter the vintage – hot or cold – this special wine always stays true to itself. The 2011 Barolo Monprivato is not as precise or polished as the excellent 2010 vintage, but the wine offers abundant elegance and generosity nonetheless. Dark fruit is followed by pipe tobacco, licorice and cola. These elements achieve a beautiful level of balance, depth and unity. Some tartness appears on the close. This wine demonstrates that you can’t beat an excellent vineyard site when it comes to making iconic wines.”
Wine Spectator 95 points “This is expressive, with alluring cherry, strawberry, floral and mineral flavors building to a long, expansive finish. The elegant profile belies the serious structure underneath, which should allow this red to develop over the next 15 to 20 years. Offers fine berry fruit and a minerally aftertaste. Best from 2018 through 2033.”
Jancis Robinson 18/20 points “Very pale ruby. More stony and liquorice-like than Villero. Brooding concentration but holding back on the nose. Lithe and very elegant palate with amazing tactile and fine tannins. Has the wow factor.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $142
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#Trending
Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 2015 750ML ($19.95) $14.80 special
Wine Advocate 92 points “One of the best values I’ve tasted in a long time, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from the team at K Vintners was hand-harvested, natively fermented and aged all in French oak. Smoking good notes of cassis, black currants and hints of plum all emerge from this rich, beautifully textured, layered beauty that has solid tannic grip, a silky, elegant texture and a great finish. It has real elegance and finesse and is a dark fruited, unctuous beauty to drink over the coming 3-4 years.”
Fattoria Le Pupille Elisabetta Geppetti ‘Poggio Valente’, Morellino di Scansano Riserva DOCG 2011 750ML ($31.95) $28 special
James Suckling 94 points “This is a selection of the best sangiovese on the property. The owner says the goal is to make something to compete with the best Brunello. And so it is. Full-bodied, firm and lively. Wonderful texture and length. Ripe and delicious. Superb. Drink or hold.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $39.99
Elio Grasso Runcot, Barolo Riserva DOCG 2006 750ML ($159.95) $119 special
Antonio Galloni 96+ points “The 2006 Barolo Riserva Runcot is a huge, structured wine bursting at the seams with fruit. The French oak (100% new) is beautifully integrated. Today the wine is understandably quite reticent but its pedigree is hard to miss. Flowers, licorice and minerals linger on the finish. The 2006 Runcot needs time, most likely lots of it. Let me just say I can’t wait to taste this powerhouse once it has had more time in bottle. It is a dazzling effort.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
Elio Grasso Runcot, Barolo Riserva DOCG 2008 750ML ($169.95) $119 special
Wine Advocate 97 points “The 2008 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is an exceptional wine that is only made in the best years. It was produced in 2008, 2010 and 2013. The wine undergoes a 40-day maceration time with four years in oak and one more year of bottle aging. The results are sublime and generous. Riserva Rüncot opens to a beautifully tempered and expressive bouquet that exhibits elements of wild berry, forest floor, candied fruit, licorice, cola and dried ginger. The balsamic signature is particularly beautiful and elegant. Smooth and silky tannins denote the mouthfeel and carry the wine forward over the palate. This is one of the top releases from Piedmont this year.”
Antonio Galloni 95+ points “The 2008 Barolo Riserva Runcot is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Smoke, tar, licorice, menthol, plums and spices form a tapestry of undeniable class. The sweet, perfumed fruit typical of the 2008s here is evident in the glass. A rich, sumptuous wine, the 2008 Runcot is fabulous. The 2008 spent 45 months in new French oak, all of which it has handled with superb grace. Even though the Runcot is one of the few Barolos that handles new French oak this well, once again I wonder what it might taste like if aged like the rest of the Grasso Barolos. Dark red/black fruit, spices, new leather and smoke add the last nuances of complexity.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $144
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Wine of the Week!
Piedmont’s Soul, Rock Star Roots
“So complex it’s almost hard to describe” – Charles Smith
Hot sultry weather brought depth and intensity to this incredible find from a single vineyard (Jack’s) planted in a stony & sandy, ancient riverbed. Weather cooled just in time to preserve that charming Italianeque acidity. Do what the Piedmontese do and drink this ‘wine of the people’ with just about everything!
Charles Smith Casa Smith Jack’s Vineyard Barbera, Walla Walla Valley 2012 750ML ($37.95) $28 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Charles Smith Casa Smith Jack’s Vineyard Barbera, Walla Walla Valley 2012 750ML ($419.95) $299 special, (that’s only $24.92/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 93 points “A perfumed, elegant, beautifully complex red (I can’t say it really screams Barbera though…Pinot Noir or Grenache would be my guess in a blind tasting), the 2012 Barbera Jack’s Vineyard started out slightly reduced and closed, but man did it open up beautifully with time in the glass, and it really didn’t start firing on all cylinders until the second day. Its medium ruby color is followed by a nuanced perfume of ripe strawberries, kirsch liqueur, spice-box, herbes de Provence and charcuterie. Seamless, medium-bodied, ethereally textured and ultra-fine, it’s drinking great today, yet I suspect it will keep nicely for 4-5 years.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $33.45
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Staff Picks
Andy:
In the fall my neighborhood starts to get pretty rich with food. There are a good many large backyard gardens, a couple of dedicated fishermen, and a couple who raise ducks and geese. When we all got together for a cassoulet dinner two weeks ago, one request from the duck keepers was something from the northern Rhone that wouldn’t break the bank, but tasted delicious. I know that they don’t drink anything too funky, so we went in on a 6 pack of the Delas Freres Saint Joseph Cuvee Francois de Tournon. They’re substantial, and it is early to be dipping into these, but the wine opened up beautifully. All of the scents were pure and clean: boysenberry, five-spice, a little bacon-like smokiness. It hits your mouth like an explosion of fruit, but with a clean break where the acidity keeps your mouth watering for more. The cassoulet’s salty smokiness really brought out the fruit and cola notes, but, as we turned to dessert, different fruit pies highlighted the savory and baking spice aspects of the wine. It’s versatile, but not limitless. I wouldn’t take this to a salmon bake, but I would have it with most game, sausage, or roasted root dishes. Always a great value in the Rhone, this definitely exceeded expectations.
Delas Freres Saint-Joseph Francois de Tournon, Rhone 2013 750ML ($44.95) $28 special, 36 bottles available
Case-6 Delas Freres Saint-Joseph Francois de Tournon, Rhone 2013 750ML (199.95) $149 special (that’s only $24.83/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 92 points “Similar to the Saint Epine release quality-wise, the 2013 St Joseph Cuvee Francois de Tournon offers more richness, breadth and layer compared to the tighter, more focused, granite-influenced Saint Epine. Plum, black raspberry, licorice, cracked pepper and graphite flows to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, structured 2013 that needs 3-4 years of cellaring; it will have two decades of longevity. Coming mostly from vineyards around Tournon and Mauves, it spent 12 months in 30% new French oak.”
Josh Raynolds–Vinous 92 points “Vivid ruby. Highly perfumed, exotic scents of black raspberry and blueberry preserves, incense and smoky minerals carry a spicy topnote. At once ripe and lively on the palate, offering palate-staining red and dark berry and cherry cola flavors and subtle floral character. Finishes spicy and very long, displaying harmonious tannins and a lingering violet note.”
Wine Spectator 92 points “Ripe and concentrated without sacrificing cut, this lets a pure beam of raspberry and blackberry coulis rush forth, backed by mouthwatering anise, black tea and iron notes. Latent grip allows the finish to linger. Best from 2016 through 2022.”
Jay:
Master Sommelier Greg Harrington left the high-end culinary world to settle in Washington and produce great wines. With an eye to Rhone and Bordeaux styles, he delivers wines that can take some time to develop. That said, his “Lower East” is produced from his declassified barrels and is generally ready to drink sooner. Gramercy’s 2014 “Lower East” Cabernet Sauvignon offers great value and delivers big red fruit: it’s bold yet restrained. Intense and earthy, this wine is delicious now, but is still a little tight and aggressive on the tannins. Let it breathe before serving with rich cuts of beef or let it age awhile in your cellar to soften.
Gramercy Cellars ‘Lower East’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 2014 750ML ($37.95) $27 special
Wine Advocate 91 points “Coming from the Columbia Valley, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Lower East from Gramercy is a polished, classy Cabernet Sauvignon that has lots of spice box, black currants and dried herbs in a supple, rounded, delicious and textured style. It’s ideal for drinking over the coming 5-7 years.”
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Arriving Friday
Miani
A Giant in Friuli
“These new releases from Miani and proprietor Enzo Pontoni show that Friuli’s most inspired, quality-obsessed grower continues to push the boundaries with brilliant whites and reds that showcase the pedigree of the region’s best sites. Miani fans have a lot to look forward to this year. Enzo Pontoni is releasing the first wines from his new Zitelle property. There are numerous other developments taking place in this tiny, garage-like winery in the heart of Friuli’s Colli Orientali as well. One of the Friuli’s most ambitious growers, Pontoni is not resting on his laurels, but rather pushing ahead with his usual drive, total obsession for perfection and passion for the land. The best time to catch Pontoni is still at the end of the day or when it is raining. Otherwise, he pretty much spends every waking hour, except for lunch, in the field” –Antonio Galloni
“If there is a better set of white wines made in Italy than Miani’s Friulano, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Ribolla Gialla and seldom-made Malvasia, I have yet to encounter them. Simply put, Enzo Pontoni’s wondrous, world-class wines have few peers. Unfortunately for collectors, however, they are made in homeopathically small quantities (only 1,200 bottles a year of the Ribolla Gialla, for example) and finding them requires serious effort.” -Ian d’Agata
Miani Friulano Colli Orientali del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia 2015 750ML ($79.95) $69 pre-arrival special
Miani Sauvignon “Zitelle Alto” Colli Orientali del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia 2015 750ML ($119.95) $99 pre-arrival special
Antonio Galloni 93 points “The 2015 Sauvignon Zitelle is a terrific introduction to the Miani house style. The Zitelle possesses lovely varietal aromatics and layers of intense fruit, but with a bit less overall intensity in all of its components than some of the bigger whites in this range. The more medium-bodied style makes for a Miani white that can be enjoyed pretty much upon release, whereas some of the other 2015 whites need time in bottle to be at their best.”
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Clos du Val
Arriving Friday
Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Hirondelle Vineyard Stags Leap District, Napa Valley 2014 750ML ($149.95) $119 pre-arrival special, 12 bottles available
Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Hirondelle Vineyard Stags Leap District, Napa Valley 2014 1.5L ($299.95) $239 pre-arrival special, 3 magnums available
Antonio Galloni 94 points “Deep, inky and enveloping, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Hirondelle Estate Vineyard captures all the elements that make Stags Leaps Cabernets so compelling. A host of lavender, mint, sage, graphite and crème de cassis notes flesh out in an effortless, noble Cabernet Sauvignon endowed with notable depth and intensity.”
Clos du Val Winemaker’s Signature Series Three Graces Red Blend, Napa Valley 2014 750ML ($199.95) $169 pre-arrival special, 9 bottles available
Antonio Galloni 95+ points “The 2014 Three Graces is a new wine from Clos du Val that replaces the former Reserve. Inky, rich and powerful, the 2014 possesses superb intensity and resonance, with plenty of dark fruit spice, lavender and French oak notes. I suspect it will be at least a few years before the 2014 starts to show its full potential.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Also Arriving Friday
Round Pond Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford 2013 750ML ($119.95) $89 pre-arrival special
Case-6 Round Pond Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford 2013 750ML ($599.95) $499 pre-arrival special (that’s only $83.17/bottle!)
Antonio Galloni 94 points “Dark red cherry, plum, smoke, chocolate, gravel and mineral notes are all delineated in a wine with distinct Rutherford personality. Firm, dusty tannins support the long finish. The 2013 can be enjoyed now, but it will be even better in time.”
Wine Advocate 93+ points “As for the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, this Rutherford cuvée is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah. Supple fruit, again black cherry liqueur, licorice, spice box and blacker fruits cascade over the palate in this medium to full-bodied, beautifully made, pure wine. Drink it over the next 15-20 years.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $101
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Burgundy Best Buy!
Close out sale on one of the great vintages in recent history. This is an incredible deal from one of the most highly regarded negociants in Burgundy!
Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge, Burgundy 2012 750ML ($27.95) $16 pre-arrival special
Case-12 Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge, Burgundy 2012 750ML ($299.95) $169 pre-arrival special (that’s only $14.08/bottle!)
Importer notes: “A beautiful ruby color. This wine has pleasant, fresh, red-fruit aromas on the nose, which we find again on the palate. It has rich and very ripe substance, with fine round tannins. It’s a very well-structured and pleasing wine.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $19.99
The average price is $23
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Arriving Friday, October 27th
Lisini Brunello
Lisini is a well-established winery, one of the original 25 wineries of Montalcino to form the Brunello Consortium in 1967. The winery is located on 154 hectares (380 acres) in the municipality of Sant’Angelo, 24 of which grow vines of Sangiovese. Not only are they an established wine maker, but they were growing olives and making extra virgin olive oil before their foray into wine. Although the weather in Montalcino in 2012 was difficult with a particularly wet winter and a hotter summer, an earlier than usual harvest preserved some quality grapes even if the yield was less than ideal. Lisini’s 2012 Brunello was aged 42 months in Slovenian oak which tends to impart a subtler flavor and milder tannins, and then held in bottle for 6-8 more months before release.
Lisini Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2012 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 94 points “This is round, exuding black cherry and blackberry flavors, allied to a pliable profile. The acidity and tannins emerge on the finish, where everything falls into place. Fine freshness, tobacco and mineral details emerge in the end. Best from 2020 through 2033.”
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Raise a Glass of Port!
Colheita – Single Vintage Tawny Ports
Arriving Mid-November
Burmester Colheita Port 1952 750ML ($449.95) $349 pre-arrival special
Wine Enthusiast 96 points “This is an astonishing wine for its age. It shines with fruit and with rich toffee flavors that are balanced by acidity. It’s a warm, ripe wine, intense and concentrated. The dryness of such a long wood aging (the wine was only bottled in 2015) is really only a background to the richness.”
Wine Advocate 95 points “The 1952 Colheita, bottled in November 2015, is a field blend coming in at 127.9 grams per liter of residual sugar. When people talk about old Tawnies being dried out, maybe they should taste this. Lush, surprisingly fresh and enticingly sweet on the finish, this is a rather elegant Burmester that is perfectly balanced and very friendly, yet nicely concentrated. It proves its age by the fine tension on the finish coupled with the complex medley of flavors that old Tawnies produce. The acidity gives this some life and vigor that many others do not have. It retains that classic, long finish. This seems so young and lively that it will be hard to stop drinking it. It doesn’t immediately make you go “wow,” but it is so easy to drink that you may not stop until there’s none left.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Burmester Colheita Port 1978 750ML ($99.95) $79 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 94 points “An elegant colheita, offering layers of toffee, cream, dried mango and apricot tart that are long and rich, with a solid backbone of acidity. The endless finish of white chocolate, almond tart and orange rind is filled with appealing smoky notes.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Burmester Colheita Port 1989 750ML ($69.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 93 points “The 1989 Colheita Tawny Port was bottled in 2015 with 103.6 grams per liter of residual sugar. Fresh and balanced, with a feeling of liveliness, this is more about restraint and elegance than mid-palate weight, but it shows fine concentration of flavor on the finish and delivers more than adequate mid-palate concentration as well. It also has more power than anticipated on first taste. Tightening fast as it warms, its fresh feel if laced with just a touch of Whiskey that provides the perfect counterweight to the tension on the finish and fine flavors. It is a bit understated, but lovely.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $75
Burmester Colheita Port 1996 750ML ($59.95) $39 pre-arrival special
Burmester Colheita Port 2003 750ML ($39.95) $33 pre-arrival special
Producer note “This is a wine of exceptional quality and elegance, a CASA BURMESTER classic that is made from a single harvest – a “Vintage Tawny” – aged in small 550-litre oak barrels in our Vila Nova de Gaia Cellars. It is bottled, at the very least, after seven years and in accordance with demand.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
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Thank you for reading!