Monday, July 20th, 2015
Flash Sale
2010 Brunellos under $40
Case price drops you half way to $30
Arriving Tuesday
Franco Pacenti Canalicchio Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2010 750ML ($49.95) $39 pre-arrival special
Case-12 Franco Pacenti Canalicchio Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2010 750ML ($549.95) $419 pre-arrival special (that’s only $34.92/bottle!)
Wine Enthusiast 95 points “Violet, rose, pressed powder, perfumed berry and forest floor are some of the aromas offered by this stunning wine. The palate is still tightly wound, but delivers juicy black cherry, white pepper and licorice alongside youthfully assertive but fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. Drink 2018–2030.” WE
Wine Advocate 93+ points “Initially subdued, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino reveals itself very slowly thanks to budding aromas of rose, cherry, licorice, tar and menthol herb. The Canalicchio vineyard sites (Sopra and Sotto) show fantastic results in this classic vintage. This wine opts for a less aggressive interpretation of the vintage with soft fruit, polished tannins and mild intensity. It is Brunello at 70% horsepower. That slower approach gives you more time to appreciate the delicate tones of brimstone and balsam herb that carefully rise from the bouquet. It would be interesting to see where this wine goes five years from now. My guess it that it will grow in intensity.” ML
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Caprili Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2010 750ML ($49.95) $39 pre-arrival special
Case-12 Caprili Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2010 750ML ($549.95) $419 pre-arrival special (that’s only $34.92/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 93 points “Caprili’s 2010 Brunello di Montalcino shows unique aromas with undertones of forest floor and wet earth with grilled herbs and dark fruit. You also get a heavier tone of dried fig and Graham cracker that distinguishes this particular expression of Sangiovese. The wine is smooth and polished with a nice sense of inner elegance. Silky tannins give Giacomo Bartolommei’s Brunello more immediacy and a more approachable drinking window. I very much appreciated the wine’s overall elegance.” ML
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
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Mid-West, East & South – Summer Shipping Saver
Whisk your wine through warmer weather!
Now for the summer season we are offering UPS Three Day Select Service for the price of UPS Ground for shipments normally travelling 4 or more business days.
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OREGON
Brick House Vineyards Chardonnay, Willamette Valley 2013 750ML ($29.95) $26 special
Brick House Vineyards Select Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge 2013 750ML ($37.95) $31.90 special
Winemaker Notes “When Mother Nature offers a bountiful year, we routinely bottle this entry level Pinot Noir. As the name implies, the “Select” is a selection of barrels representing all the vineyard blocks on the farm at the discretion of the winemaker. The most easy-going and approachable of all our Pinot Noirs, the “Select” is a moderately priced, estate grown wine and a worthy accompaniment to a casual meal of salmon, lamb or wild game.”
ITALY-TUSCANY
Siro Pacenti Pelagrilli, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2010 750ML ($59.95) $46 special
James Suckling 96 points “Aromas of dark berry, stone, dried Chinese mushroom and flowers. This is full-bodied, with layers of ripe, intense fruit and a long, long finish. Massive. Needs time to soften. Try in 2018.” JS
Antonio Galloni 95 points “The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli is one of the more open, resonant wines readers will come across. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, spice and new leather blossom as this rich, textured Brunello shows off its considerable personality. The flavors are dark, bold and voluptuous throughout, but supported by persistent veins of salinity. This is a fabulous wine from Giancarlo Pacenti. Although the 2010 is labeled ‘Pelagrilli’ 20% of the fruit comes from Pacenti’s holdings in the Piancornello district, in the south of Montalcino. Drink: 2015-2027.” AG
SPAIN
Bodegas Toro Albala Amontillado, Montilla-Moriles 1951 750ML ($279.95) $219 special
Wine Advocate 95 points “My favorite of the two Amontillados is the 1951 Amontillado Selección a rare, single-vintage Amontillado produced with Pedro Ximénez grapes as is the norm in Montilla-Moriles. It’s a bright mahogany color with an amber-green tint that reveals pharmaceutical notes and balsamic, with roasted, charred aromas and a sweetish palate that retains the sharpness expected in this kind of wine. It is lacking a bit in the mid-palate before ending with a slightly bitter, tarry finish. This is completely different to an Amontillado from Jerez.”
Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX Convento, Montilla-Moriles 1929 750ML ($459.95) $359 special
Wine Advocate 95 points “The extreme 1929 Don PX Convento Selección is a thick, dense and unusual, rare sweet beast. It is very dark with a green border, dense, oily and serious full-bodied palate with the profile of a PX from Jerez. With 500 grams of residual sugar per liter, it is a little monolithic, a little heavy and not so easy to drink. Still it is an impressive, very sweet wine that is really unique”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX Convento, Montilla-Moriles 1955 750ML ($379.95) $299 special
Wine Advocate 98 points “One more single-harvest, old sweet wine, the 1955 Don PX Convento Selección was bottled in September 2014 and it had been aged slowly in very old American oak barrels and getting thick and concentrated through evaporation. It’s 320 grams of sugar are (partially) compensated by 6.5 grams of acidity. It has a nose and palate of chocolate-covered candied orange, spices, molasses. I’d say the dominant aromas in the nose are dark chocolate. It’s very dense, developing notes of very concentrated licorice and balsamic, mint, camphor and evolving notes of petrol with time. Complex, rare and unique.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
AUSTRALIA
Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz, South Australia 2014 750ML ($37.95) $29 special
“Elegant, beautiful, full-bodied; Creamy, massive powerful dark chocolate flavours; Plum jam, mocha, liquorice all sorts; Raspberry, blackberry, coffee; Spice, anise, cigar shop.” -Winery Notes
Mollydooker The Maitre D Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale 2014 750ML ($37.95) $29 special
“Great aroma intensity; Distinctively Cabernet; Refined, elegant; Plums, blackberries, dark cherry, bramble, white pepper; Leather, Thai herbs, coriander, thyme, spice and cigar.” -Winery Notes
Mollydooker Two Left Feet Shiraz – Cabernet – Merlot, McLaren Vale 2014 750ML ($37.95) $29 special
“Perfect balance between Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot in seamless harmony; Smooth, creamy flavours; Plum, blackberry, liquorice; Perfect wine, like a meal in a glass; Spice, coffee, chocolate; Array of red & dark fruits with lovely warm, toasted oak.” -Winery Notes
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Just a reminder about our current shipping specials during this season:
For the Mid-West, East, and South during the summer season we are offering UPS Three Day Select Service for the price of UPS Ground for shipments that would normally travel four or more business days to their destination.
We offer flat rate shipping on any size single order / single shipment
-to Oregon for $17,
-Washington & Idaho for $20,
-and California for $25
These rates do not apply to orders held in storage here for any reason.
Multiple orders consolidated into one shipment do not qualify for flat rate shipping.
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Arriving This Month
Champagne Lanson
Arriving July 31st
“This emblematic wine owes its name to Victor Lanson, who in 1937, wanted to pay tribute to the House’s leading market, Great Britain. The colour black, the symbol of elegance, was a natural choice for this Champagne dominated by Pinot Noir. A combination of 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier, from numerous crus selected by the Winemaker and from almost ten different years. Lanson Black Label is further enhanced by three years resting in the cellar, including 6 months following disgorging, at which point it reaches perfect maturation. Lanson Black Label is a balanced alliance of power and elegance, freshness and complexity. It has the taste of spring and subtle hints of long-lasting honey-dew. Notes of ripe and citrus fruits give a sensation of lightness and fullness with a long, fresh finish. Black Label is perfect as an aperitif and a call to celebration.” –From the winery
Lanson Brut Black Label NV 750ML ($49.95) $33 pre-arrival special
Case-12 Lanson Brut Black Label NV 750ML ($479.95) $359 pre-arrival special (that’s only $29.92/bottle!)
John Gilman 91+ points “The current release of Lanson’s Black Label is a lovely bottle of non-vintage Brut has now been in the market for a year and is really starting to blossom beautifully. I last tasted this bottling about a year ago, where it was still pretty tightly-knit, but an additional year of bottle age has allowed this wine to really start to sing, as it offers up a deep and very classy bouquet of apple, lovely and complex minerality, a touch of tangerine, brioche, white flowers and a topnote of lemon zest. On the palate the wine is pure, focused and full-bodied, with a lovey core, frothy mousse, crisp, well-integrated acids and excellent length and grip on the perfectly balanced and dancing finish. As is always the case with Lanson, time has worked its magic here and the wine has really opened up on both the nose and palate and it is quite clear that I underrated this a bit last year. 2014-2030. (Sep/Oct 2014)” JG
Lanson Rose – Experience the style of one of the first Rosé Champagnes created!
“Lanson Rose Label is a blend of 53% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier, from a number of crus and almost ten different years. Like Black Label, it is enhanced through a long maturation of at least three years in the cellar, including at least 6 months after disgorging. Lanson Rose Label is a subtle wine with very fine bubbles. Its aromas of rose and fine fragrances of red fruits echo its pale pink colour. The sensation is tender and long-lasting. It seduces with its unfaltering originality and a harmonious balance alternating between roundness and freshness.” -From the winery
Lanson Rose Label Brut Rose NV 750ML ($69.95) $44 pre-arrival special
John Gilman 91+ points “The current release of Lanson’s non-vintage Brut (Rose) is really a fine bottle, wafting from the glass in a mélange of tangerine, fraises du bois, wheat toast, excellent minerality and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with a fine core, excellent balance, elegant mousse and lovely length and grip on the zesty and refined finish. This is drinking very well in its youth, particularly for a non-malolactic wine, and this has to be one of the great sleepers in the market for high class and ageworthy non-vintage Brut Rosé. 2014-2025+. (Sep/Oct 2014)” JG
Wine Spectator 91 points “A steely rosé, backed by racy acidity and well-knit with a chalky undertow and flavors of crushed raspberry and apricot, fresh ginger, biscotti and ground spice. Drink now through 2018.” WS
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Pop the Bubbly!
IPNC Round One
In honor of IPNC (the International Pinot Noir Celebration), Vinopolis is kicking off a week-long celebration of all things Pinot Noir. We’ll have special features and highlights on this fantastic grape, with a focus on its native Burgundy, its home-away-from-home of Champagne and its adopted land of Oregon.
Kick off your IPNC celebration in style with one of these Pinot Noir-based Champagnes and sparkling wines!
Analemma Atavus Vineyard Blanc de Noir, Columbia Gorge 2010 750ML ($59.95) $49 special, 2 bottles available
Winery Notes–“Of citrine color and brilliant clarity to the eye, traditional autolytic character on the nose and a creamy textured palate, this wine appeals to all of the senses. Our Blanc de Noir is an expression of single variety, single vineyard and single vintage, honoring the individuality of this historic site. This wine is vinous in character, in which the bubbles preserve the expression of this special terroir. Alcohol 12.7%”
Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs, California NV 750ML ($24.95) $16 special, 14 bottles available
Case-12 Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs, California NV 750ML ($249.95) $156 special, 2 cases available (that’s only $13/bottle!)
“Floral raspberry aromas lead to crisp and appealing citrus, spice and cherry flavors, with a lively finish. Drink now.” Wine Spectator
Andre Clouet Silver Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature NV 750ML ($39.95) $33 special, 18 bottles available
VinopolNote: 100% Grand Cru, 100% Pinot Noir, no dosage
Antonio Galloni 91 points “The NV Brut Nature Silver is naturally a very focused, driven wine given the no-dosage style. This shows wonderful nuance and depth all the way through to the long finish, with bright aromas and flavors but less of the toastiness than some of the house’s other wines. The mousse and finish are both utterly impeccable in their elegance.” AG
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $36.89
Benoit Lahaye Essentiel Grand Cru Brut NV 750ML ($69.95) $49 special, 19 bottles available
Josh Raynolds–Vinous 92 points “(90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, from Bouzy and Ambonnay; 6 g/l dosage): Pale yellow-gold. Ripe Meyer lemon and strawberry aromas are complemented by suggestions of toasted brioche and anise. Sappy and precise on the palate, offering vibrant red berry and blood orange flavors that are given spine and lift by a zesty mineral quality. Closes minerally and long, with a sexy floral note lingering. Eighty percent of this fruit came from Ambonnay and the rest from Bouzy.” JR
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Demarne-Frison Goustan Brut Nature 1.5L ($149.95) $99 special, 5 magnums available
Distributor note “50% pinot noir from Les Clos de la Cote, 50% Chardonnay from Les Cotannes, and all from 2007. As the bulk of a tiny production from a new producer Goustan is a superb first effort, showing a hearty core with vibrant acidity.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Paul Dethune Grand Cru Brut NV 750ML ($49.95) $39 special, 24 bottles available
VinopolNote: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. 30-50% reserve wine. Disgorged July 2013.
Winery note “This champagne’s intense nose and sparkling colour with tints of ripe wheat will seduce you. On the palate, its aromas of underbrush, honeysuckle and bergamot invite you to the forest and the spice market. Its freshness and liveliness are combined with its creamy flavour. A distinguished wine with a delicate honey finish. This Grand Cru champagne expresses all its complexity and deliciousness with a veal filet, foie gras and apple-apricot chutnet, or a grilled beef.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Savart Premier Cru L’Accomplie Brut NV 750ML ($59.95) $41.90 special, 11 bottles available
Josh Raynolds–Vinous 91 points “(80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay; 7 g/l dosage; disgorged on June 13, 2014): Pale gold. A nuanced bouquet displays aromas of white peach, pear skin, ginger and buttered toast, supported by a smoky mineral undertone. At once dense and energetic, with chalky minerality adding freshness and lift to gently sweet, oak-accented orchard and pit fruit flavors. Pick up a spicy nuance with air and finishes long and velvety, with impressive mineral snap and lift. Half of this wine was aged in oak.” JR
Savart Premier Cru L’Ouverture Blanc de Noirs Brut NV 750ML ($49.95) $37 special, 4 bottles available
Josh Raynolds–Vinous 90 points “(100% Pinot Noir; 9 g/l dosage; disgorged on August 28, 2014): Light yellow. Pungent mineral- and spice-accented aromas of ripe orchard and pit fruits, with a sexy floral overtone. Fleshy but focused and dry, offering vibrant nectarine and melon flavors with a refreshingly brisk jolt of lemon zest adding grip and lift. Closes on a smoky, minerally note, with very good energy and persistence.” JR
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Vilmart & Cie Cuvee Rubis Brut Rose NV 750ML ($79.95) $69 special, 15 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 93 points “(90% pinot noir and 10% chardonnay, from 2010 and 2009; aged on its lees for 15 months and disgorged in September, 2012): Pale pink. High-pitched raspberry, floral pastille and spicecake aromas are deepened by notes of iodine and anise. Silky and seamless on the palate, offering intense red berry flavors and a hint of honeysuckle. Finishes sappy and long, with exotic spice and floral nuances and lingering minerality.” ST
Wine Spectator 93 points “Smoke and graphite notes underscore the ripe strawberry and cherry fruit in this lacy, finely meshed rosé Champagne, accented by ginger biscuit and ground clove notes. Fresh and mouthwatering, presenting a lasting, chalky finish. -AN”
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Domaine Vissoux
The family owned Domaine Vissoux is currently run by Pierre Chermette, who took over from his parents in 1982 at 22 years old. He uses a naturalist approach to winemaking: by reducing yields and hand-harvesting in the vineyard, to using indigenous yeast and not chaptalizing his wine (which is allowed in parts of Beaujolais up to 17 grams of sugar per liter). The majority of of southern Beaujolais soil is limestone-clay, however the soil at Domaine du Vissoux is granitic, contributing a bit more structure to the wines, and really expressing the terroir from this small plot. Semi-carbonic fermentation is a traditional approach in Beaujolais, and Chermette chooses to make his wines true to the typicity of the region; “This is the traditional Beaujolais vinification method. I use it because it is perfectly adapted to the Gamay grape and our terroir.”
Chermette has expanded the family domaine into the crus of Fleurie and Moulin a Vent. Their Moulin a Vent bottling, Les Trois Roches, is the Chermette’s top cuvee. It is named for the three parcels it is sourced from in the famed Moulin à Vent cru. Rochegrès is said to give the finesse, Roche Noire the liveliness of fruit, and Rochelle the power. The Fleurie Les Garants is a south-west facing site on pink granite soil, producing intensely flavored fruit. The Fleurie Poncie is silky and floral, making it an excellent pairing with a wide range of savory dishes.
Domaine Vissoux Wines Available Here Now:
Pierre-Marie Chermette Vissoux Beaujolais Rose Griottes 2014 750ML ($19.95) $16 special, 3+ cases available
Wine Advocate 88 points “A delicious effort, the light salmon/pink colored 2014 Les Griottes Beaujolais Rose has pretty orange blossom, framboise, citrus and underbrush characteristics in its soft, forward, supple and highly quaffable profile. Dry and clean on the finish, it’s about as easy-drinking as they come and should be consumed over the coming summer months
Pierre-Marie Chermette Vissoux Fleurie Garants 2012 750ML ($29.95) $24 special, 12 bottles available
Josh Raynolds-Vinous, 91 points “Bright ruby. High-pitched, mineral-laced red and dark berry scents are complicated by notes of white pepper and anise. Silky and open-knit, offering sappy black raspberry and lavender pastille flavors that tighten up with air and pick up an exotic blood orange note. Shows very good clarity and lift on the finish, which is framed by silky, even tannins.”
Pierre-Marie Chermette Domaine du Vissoux Moulin-a-Vent Les Trois Roches 2012 750ML ($29.95) $21.90 special, 11 bottles available
Josh Raynolds-Vinous, 91 points “Bright violet. Pungent dark berry, cherry pit, rose oil and licorice scents, with hints of cracked pepper and woodsmoke in the background. Shows very good clarity and lift on the palate, offering juicy blackcurrant, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors that flesh out and gain sweetness with air. Sappy and focused on the finish, which features fine-grained tannins and a whiplash of vibrant dark fruit and floral pastille qualities.
Pierre-Marie Chermette Domaine du Vissoux Fleurie Poncie 2012 750ML ($29.95) $24 special, 2+ cases available
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 90 points “Vivid ruby-red. High-pitched black raspberry, cherry and lavender scents, along with hints of smoky minerals and blood orange. Fresh, sappy and light on its feet, offering tangy red and dark berry flavors that open up and deepen with air. Quite approachable already, showing no obvious tannins and finishing spicy and long
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Time to Say Good Buy
Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Reserve, Napa Valley 2010 1.5L ($399.95) Was $149, Now $99
Case-6 Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Reserve, Napa Valley 2010 1.5L ($2,199.95) Only $519 (that’s $86.50 / 1.5L bottle)
Packaged in individual magnum glass-faced wooden gift boxes
Vinopolnotes- Jack Nicklaus Wines, a line of handcrafted, limited-production wines from California’s famed Napa Valley is a partnership between Terlato Wines and golf legend Jack Nicklaus and his family. The Golden Bear Reserve Commemorative Series was inspired by the 50th anniversary of Jack’s first major championship. Each year for the next 18 years, Nicklaus wines will release a single limited-edition 1.5-liter bottle Napa Valley red blend to celebrate each one of Nicklaus’ major championships. Produced by Terlato Wine Group, each release will be limited to 1,000 bottles and each bottle will be packaged in an individual wooden display box and accompanied by a letter from Jack that includes his reflections on that major victory.
The wine? A prototypical Napa Cabernet-Merlot blend drawn from barrel selections taken among the Terlato family of Napa wineries, from the tremendous 2010 vintage. “Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Reserve is a crimson color. Intense aromas of red and black fruit (dark cherries, plums) are layered with spicy notes of anise and clove. Concentrated flavors of dark plum and raspberry followed by a lush, full-bodied and bright acidity on the mid palate. The smooth, velvety tannins grant this wine a persistent, lingering finish.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $139.95
The average price is $166
Back tomorrow to briefly tell you about our German/Austrian/Alsatian sale!