Brilliant Winery, Brilliant Vintage, Brilliant Sale:

Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres 2009 ($79.95) $44 vinopolflash special

Case-12 Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres 2009 $499 vinopolflash special ($41.59 / bottle)

Josh Raynolds 91 points “Bright red.  Very fresh and intensely aromatic, projecting scents of red berries, lavender and spices, along with a hint of white pepper.  Juicy and incisive, offering nervy strawberry and raspberry flavors lifted by a zesty spice nuance.  This silky, seamless, lithe Chateauneuf finishes with impressive clarity and snap and might well pass for a ripe New World pinot noir.”

lowest listed price elsewhere in USA is $65.99/ bottle

Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Quartz 2009 ($99.95) $66 vinopolflash special

Case-12 Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Quartz 2009 $744 vinopolflash special ($62 / bottle)

Robert Parker 94 points “The opaque ruby/purple-colored 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Quartz is a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah from one of the appellation’s more obscure lieu-dits. This stunning 2009 offers copious floral notes intermixed with crushed rock, wet stone, kirsch and black currant characteristics.”

Josh Raynolds 93 points “Vivid ruby-red.  Heady, complex bouquet evokes red and dark berry compote, lavender, sandalwood and minerals, with a lashing of Asian spices.  Sappy and alluringly sweet on the palate, displaying intense raspberry and mulberry flavors and slow-building florality.  Shows impressive power on the finish, where the lavender and spice notes carry through.”

average listed price in USA is $94/ bottle

Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve 2009 ($179.95) $109 vinopolflash special

Case-12 Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve 2009 $1199 vinopolflash special           (-$100 / bottle)

Robert Parker 94 points “Intense, full-bodied and opulent, it is presently as rich, powerful and promising as their top luxury cuvee, the dense purple-colored 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve. The latter wine normally towers above the other two cuvees, but it is also more backward because 40% of the blend is split between Mourvedre and Syrah aged in new oak casks and the balance of 60% Grenache is aged in 600-liter demi-muids. Its deep purple color is followed by expansive, broad, sweet kirsch and black raspberry fruit notes intermixed with hints of licorice, graphite and spice box. Full-bodied with terrific purity as well as an attractive earthy, truffle, meaty character, it is much more evolved and forward than most vintages tend to be as this cuvee often needs 8-10 years of bottle age in the more tannic, backward years. However, that is not the case with this 2009 Reserve. It should drink well for 15+ years.”

Josh Raynolds 94 points “(60% grenache and 40% mourvedre):  Bright ruby-red.  Pungent, assertive aromas of candied red fruits, cola, incense and potpourri, with a hint of vanilla in the background.  Stains the palate with deep raspberry and cherry flavors and becomes spicier with air.  Supple tannins lend shape to the extremely long, sweet, penetrating finish.  This is still a baby.”

lowest listed price elsewhere in USA is $165/ bottle

Clos Saint Jean Chateauneuf du Pape Veilles Vignes 2008 ($49.95) $29 vinopolflash special

The Rhone Report 92 points “Consistent with prior showings, the 2008 Clos Saint Jean Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is a superb ’08, and perhaps one of the few that possess a fair bit of flesh and baby fat at the moment. Licorice, minerals, and loads of black cherry fruit, medium to full body, and a deft, balanced profile all characterize this beauty and it should continue to show gorgeously for another decade.”  

best listed price elsewhere in USA is $34.99 / bottle – average listed price elsewhere in USA is $49 / bottle

Cave de Tain Hermitage ‘Gambert de Loche’ 2003 ($89.95) $27 vinopolflash special 

Wine Spectator 92 points Terrific fruit–fig, blackberry and boysenberry– with licorice, dark chocolate and tar notes as well. Stays fleshy and silky through the long finish, with mineral hints peeking in for added effect.”

 arriving Tuesday Feb 1 – lowest price listed elsewhere in USA is $47.99

Torbreck Les Amis 2004 doublemagnum 3L 2004 ($1199.95) $699 vinopolflash special only 1 available

Robert Parker 98 points “The brilliant 2004 Les Amis (100% Grenache aged 18 months in new oak) is fashioned from a vineyard planted in 1903.  While it does not have quite the size and power of the 2002 Les Amis, it is still a Grenache on steroids.  With wonderful purity, more elegance than the 2002, and remarkably well-integrated oak, I suspect it will shut down at some point, require 4-5 years of patience, then re-emerge and last for two decades or more.”

 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2003 magnum ($499.95) $299 vinopolflash special only 1 available

Robert Parker 99 points “Made from 8 separate Barossa vineyards(ranging in age from 94 to 158 years), it is primarily Shiraz with 4-5% cofermented Viognier. The wine was aged in 60% new French oak. The sensational, inky purple tinged 2003 exhibits a stunningly sweet nose of blackberries, blueberries, litchi nuts, smoked meats and a hint of apricots. Elegant yet super powerful, rich, concentrated, and long, it is a tour de force in winemaking as well as a modern classic example of Barossa Shiraz. It should drink well for 20-25 years.” 

Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2004 doublemagnum 3L ($1199.95) $799 vinopolflash special only 1 available

Robert Parker 99 points “The flagship 2004 Run Rig is 96.5% Shiraz and 3.5% Viognier with the Shiraz component aged for 30 months in a mixture of new and used French oak. Yields were a minuscule 14hl/ha(about 1 ton per acre). Saturated opaque purple black, it has a remarkably kinky, exotic perfume of fresh asphalt, pencil lead, smoke, pepper, game, blueberry and black raspberry. Full bodied and voluptuous in the mouth, the wine is dense and packed, with amazing purity, sweet tannins, and a complex collection of sensory stimuli. The wine demands 10 years of cellaring and will provide hedonistic delights through 2035+.” 

Torbreck The Factor Shiraz 2004 magnum  ($299.95) $189 vinopolflash special only 6 available

Robert Parker 97 points “Made from 100% Shiraz that spent 24 months in French oak (30% new), the exuberant, flamboyant 2004 The Factor offers up gorgeously pure blueberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with smoke, bacon fat, camphor, and graphite. Silky smooth, and, as David Powell says, “the most Barossa-like” of all his wines, it represents Powell’s rendition of a Cote Rotie. It can be drunk over the next 15-20 years.”

 Torbreck The Pict Mourvedre 2004 magnum  ($389.95) $199 vinopolflash special only 1 available

Robert Parker 95 points “A new offering, the 2004 The Pict, is a 220-case cuvee of 100% Mourvedre that tips the scales at 13.2% alcohol. Reminiscent of a 1998 Domaine Tempier Cuvee Speciale (a great vintage for that estate), it boasts an inky/blue/purple color, phenomenally intense blueberry and blackberry fruit characteristics, and hints of black truffles as well as fresh mushrooms. Deep and full-bodied, with superb fruit and the right amount of sweet tannin (a rarity for Mourvedre), this beauty should evolve slowly, and drink well for 15 or more years.”

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