Newsletter 5/22/23

 In This Newsletter:

Arrivals
Arterberry Maresh Dundee Hills, Terre Nere, and Arnauld Lambert
Staff Pick
David + Veronica
May Sale- Rhone Wines
 Our highest rated Rhone wines
June Sale- Spanish Wines
 June savings– starts NOW
Hidden Gems
A Devilish sparkler, a perfectly priced Willamette mainstay, and Barolo’s quiet neighbor
 
New Arrivals

Italy
 
“From the ashes of Etna: A volcanic triumph for Italian wine lovers” 
Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2021 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles available
Vinopolnote “One of our favorite Italian red blends. Made from 95% Nerello mascalese and 5% Nerello Cappuccino grown in the volcanic soils of Mount Etna. Red fruits with complex herbaceous and mineral notes on the palate alongside polished, but firm tannins combine for a very satisfying finish. Bottled un-filtered.”
 
France
 
“The Re-Arrival of two Favorites”
Arnaud Lambert Clos De Midi Saumur Blanc 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 36 bottles available
No review available for the 2021 vintage. 2019 review provided for reference
Wine Spectator 93 Points “This offers an expressive mix of yellow apple, persimmon and Meyer lemon flavors infused with light notes of hazelnut and hints of smoke. The acidity is electric, giving this plenty of verve and carrying all the elements to the long and seductive, lightly floral finish. Best from 2022 through 2034.”
 
Louis Roederer Brut Collection 243 NV 750ml $59 special, 18 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points “The NV Champagne Collection 243 Brut is the third release and is based on the 2018 vintage, with the addition of 30% of the perpetual reserve started in 2012 and 10% reserve wine that has been aged in oak. It is ripe and balanced, with yellow flowers, honeycomb, and plum, and it has elegant concentration and underlying tension, precise mousse, and rich salinity, with lingering notes of croissant and delicate smoke. This will be an exciting wine in the range to follow. Drink 2022-2037.”
Arriving May 26th
 
“Arterberry Marsh”
 
The response to Wine Advocate’s recent Arterberry Maresh and Tan Fruit reviews have been huge! We immediately sold out of their Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, but don’t worry if you weren’t able to snag a bottle, we’re bringing in more later this week. Don’t miss out!

Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 2021 750ml $33 special, 36+ bottles available
Wine Advocate 97 Points “The 2021 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills offers quality that sits well above its modest price tag with its pairing of concentrated flavors and a weightless frame. Medium ruby, it features cranberry sauce, pomegranate and rhubarb fruit with accents of tea leaves, lavender, bitter orange and amaro. The light-bodied palate is silky and seamless with an incredible core of flavor and a very long, bitters-laced finish. I would be excited to drink this wine any night of the week!”
Staff Pick
Oregon
Championship Bottle David + Veronica White 2021 750ml $19.50 special, 23 bottles available
Yes! Nothing cuts through the heat quite like a lean, clean white wine. A blend of Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay, this is a killer deal for a crisp, northern Italian style wine. The Pinot Blanc (about 60%) gives this wine great acidity and presence, while the chardonnay (about 30%) gives the mouthfeel a perfect amount of roundness.
-Tracy
June Sale- All Spanish Wines
Starts Today!!!

Buy 6-11 bottles for a 5% discount
Buy 12+ bottles for a 10% discount
 
Ends June 30th at 6pm… the best selection is NOW!

Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or case discounts.
Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.

This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.

Clos Erasmus Priorat 2019 750ml $228 special, 15 bottles available
Wine Advocate 98+ Points “The serious and powerful 2019 Clos Erasmus feels quite classical Priorat, with notes of graphite, black fruit and licorice; it’s a solid Priorat with weight, concentration and clout. There are still some smoke, toast and spice notes from the élevage—100% in barrel, some 40% of them new, for around 18 months—and the wine always needs a little bit of time in bottle. Despite the 15.5% alcohol, the wine comes through as balanced and with freshness, there is no heat or sensation of alcohol; you need the tannins and acidity to counterbalance the alcohol, and they are doing that here. This is more balsamic, aromatic and exuberant. It’s showy, hedonistic and rich, a solid Erasmus. The tannins are still quite present and need some more time to be resolved. 3,300 bottles were filled in May 2020.”
 
Comando G Bruja De Rozas Sierra De Gredos 2020 750ml $29 special, 9 bottles available
Wine Advocate 94 Points “The first red to be bottled and sold is the 2020 La Bruja de Rozas, which feels a little more reductive this year. The grapes were picked before the torrential rains, so the wine shows a little riper than the wines that were picked after (the single vineyards). It’s flinty and with a note of struck match, with good ripeness at 14.5% alcohol. This is always aromatic and floral, pale and surprisingly ethereal and expressive, a very pleasant and surprising wine that tends to please most people. This is the wine that I buy in volume, as it’s a superb introduction to the Comando G portfolio and style at a very good price. Even though the nose is never short of spectacular, to me the signature here is the super fine grainy tannins from the decomposed granite soils. This goes back to the freshness of 2016 and 2018, perhaps a little rounder and less herbal, somewhere in between the two vintages. 43,175 bottles were filled in late August and early September 2021.”
 
Cvne Contino Gran Reserva Rioja 2016 750ml $59 special, 13 bottles available
Wine Spectator 91 Points “A graceful red, well-defined by sleek, taut tannins and bright citrus peel acidity, this is tightly meshed at first but notes of black raspberry, cherry reduction, eucalyptus, graphite and anise unfurl on the palate and linger on the finish. Tempranillo, Graciano, Grenache and Viura. Drink now through 2030. 2,147 cases made, 300 cases imported.”
 
Vinedos Paganos El Puntido Rioja Gran Reserva 2008 750ml $69 special, 19 bottles available
Wine Advocate 97 Points “I was greatly impressed by the 2008 El Puntido Gran Reserva, a wine with a more traditional profile than the majority of wines from the Eguren family. At age 14, the wine is glorious, still young and with a mixture of primary and more developed notes. It goes more in the direction of the old wines, with balsamic notes of incense and cedarwood, mushrooms and some berries and herbs. It’s complex and elegant, with fully resolved tannins. This was bottled back in May 2011, so it’s been in bottle for over a decade, and the texture shows it. It has 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.55. This matured in brand-new French oak barrels for 28 months, and the wine has absorbed the oak completely.”
 
 
 
May Sale- All Rhone Wines
Final Few Days

Buy 6-11 bottles for a 5% discount
Buy 12+ bottles for a 10% discount
 
Ends May 31st at 6pm… the best selection is NOW!

Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or case discounts.
Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.

Each 1.5L (Magnum) bottle will be counted as 2 bottles when applied to the discount.
Each 3.0L bottle will be the equivalent of 4 bottles.
6.0L bottles will be counted as 8 bottles.

This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.

St Damien Vacqueyras 2021 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles available available
Jeb Dunnuck 94-96 Points “The 2020 Gigondas Les Souteyrades is more structured, with notable acidity as well as tannins. Full-bodied aromas and flavors of blackberries, cassis, ground pepper, and violets give way to a rich, concentrated, focused Gigondas that’s going to benefit from a handful of years in the cellar. All of these 2020 barrel samples are brilliant.”

Pesquie Cuvee Ascensio Ventoux 2016 750ml $79 special, 3 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points “Mostly Grenache (5% Syrah) made with 30% stems, brought up all in concrete, the 2016 Ventoux Ascensio sports an inky purple color as well as sensational notes of blackberries, plums, licorice, violets, and crushed rocks. It’s deep, full-bodied, pure, and primordial, with ample tannin and a great finish. It needs 2-3 years of bottle age but is blockbuster stuff.”

Saint Damien Gigondas Souteyrades VV 2019 750ml $34.50 special, 36+ bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points “Lastly, the 2019 Gigondas Les Souteyrades is more classic, with pure dark, peppery fruits as well as garrigue, cedar, and leather notes. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and perfectly balanced, it has impressive tannins and will benefit from short-term bottle age. As with the other Gigondas here, you should expect 10-15 years of prime drinking. This cuvée is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre, aged all in foudre.”

Domaine Gourt De Mautens Vaucluse IGP 2015 1.5L $199 special, 3 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points “The Chambolle-Musigny of the Rhône, the 2015 IGP Vaucluse from Jerome Bressy is a totally sensational blend of 50% Grenache and the balance a mix of Mourvèdre, Carignan, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Cinsault, Syrah, and Terret Noir (we’re getting close to all the varieties). Aged in a mix of concrete tanks, foudre, demi-muids, and barrels, bottled unfined and unfiltered, this naked beauty has just about everything you could want from a bottle of wine.”

Henri Bonneau CDP Celestins 2012 750ml $419 special, 4 bottles available
Wine Spectator 97 Points “This defines old school, with savory detail and notes of roasted chestnut, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar and brick dust leading off, backed by a core of currant, cherry and plum fruit flavors that is lightly dried yet nonetheless fresh and racy in feel. Singed juniper and bay leaf hints score the finish. Likely to hold just like this for some time. Best from 2020 through 2040.”
 
Vintage Wine Points Price/Quantity
2020 Saint Cosme St Joseph 750ml Jeb Dunnuck 91-93 Points $39 special, 54 bottles available
2020 St Damien Gigondas Clovis Saurel 750ml Jeb Dunnuck 94-97 Points $44 special, 4 bottles available
2019 St Damien Gigondas Vieilles Vignes 750ml Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points $31.90 special, 21 bottles available
2018 Monteillet Condrieu Chanson 750ml Decanter 96 Points  $69 special, 16 bottles available
2018 Domaine Du Tunnel Cornas 750ml Jeb Dunnuck 95-97 Points $69 special, 33 bottles available
2017 Domaine Grand Veneur CDP Vielles Vignes 750ml Jeb Dunnuck 97+ Points $75 special, 19 bottles available
Hidden Gems

Cave Mont Blanc Caronte Rosato Xbrut NV 750ml $26 special, 23 bottles available
Vinopolnote “Made in the Aosta Valley, the region of north-western Italy that borders the French and Swiss Alps. Produced in the Champagne method from the indigenous Petite Rouge grape, Cave Mont Blanc is a cooperative winery, founded in 1983, with a focus on the region’s ancient viticultural traditions and this wine, Caronte (Charon in English), the “ember-eyed” ferryman of greek myth and notably, Dante’s Inferno. Let this beautiful, high-altitude sparkling wine ferry you to heaven with its delicate perlage, exceptional crispness, fresh red fruit flavors, and a hint of toast.
 
Lundeen Estate Pinot Noir “Mon Pere” 2021 750ml $26 special, 36 bottles available
Winemaker’s Note “Meaning “My Father” in French, “Mon Pere” is meant to honor my father and fathers everywhere while providing tremendous value in a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. As such, it is the flagship bottling and largest production wine Lundeen makes to be able to reach far and wide with the message of valuing family, integrity, and stewardship. The creation of the wine always begins with grapes from the Lundeen Estate vineyard on which I am a 3rd generation Lundeen raising a 4th. Beyond this estate, the “Mon Pere” bottling contains wines from various vineyards I farm throughout the northern Willamette Valley. As it is broadly sourced as well as hand-crafted, “Mon Pere” always has complexity beyond what is typical at its price point.”
Cantalupo Ghemme Anno Primo 2015 750ml $39 special, 12 bottles available
Vinopolnote
 “The regions around and to the north of Barolo and Barbaresco just don’t get enough attention. Places like Ghemme and Gattinara have been growing nebbiolo for hundreds of years and as slightly cooler climates, they require more maceration time, resulting in somewhat lighter styles that still feature great concentration.”
Vinous “The 2015 Ghemme Anno Primo is a powerful, bold wine. Muscular tannins wrap around a core of red cherry, spice, mint, new leather, licorice, blood orange, dried flowers and earthy notes. There is quite a bit of depth here, but also some elements of rusticity that are likely to remain. This powerhouse Ghemme needs quite a bit of air, and food to match!”

 
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Thank you from the team at Vinopolis!
Be well & drink well.