In Today’s Newsletter:
Special Sale on Cameron’s 2018 Arley’s Leap
New Week – New Arrivals
Gatinois’ Glorious Äy Champagne
Bordeaux Re-Stocked
Cameron Arley’s Leap
Arriving Friday
Pre-Arrival Special Sale – Limited Case-6 Offer!
Deep and concentrated. This wine pulls at you. It’s no surprise that John Paul announced to us that it is his favorite wine of the vintage. He referred to it as basically the Julia bottling, but with some Clos Electrique added. Just as this site shares the vineyard material with the estate vineyard, it also includes a barrel of Clos Electrique this year…
Arriving Friday, December 11th:
Cameron Winery ‘Arley’s Leap’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2018 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Case-6 Cameron Winery ‘Arley’s Leap’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2018 750ML ($319.95) $275 pre-arrival special (that’s only $44.83/bottle!)
Winery Note “Arley’s leap harkens from a block of Pinot noir planted in 1990 at Abbey Ridge Vineyard. The eponymous hero was Bill and Julia Wayne’s old dog Arley, who survived a jump from a second story balcony when startled by a cat.”
Deep and concentrated. This wine pulls at you. It’s no surprise that John Paul announced to us that it is his favorite wine of the vintage. He referred to it as basically the Julia bottling, but with some Clos Electrique added. Just as this site shares the vineyard material with the estate vineyard, it also includes a barrel of Clos Electrique this year…
Arriving Friday, December 11th:
Cameron Winery ‘Arley’s Leap’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2018 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Case-6 Cameron Winery ‘Arley’s Leap’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2018 750ML ($319.95) $275 pre-arrival special (that’s only $44.83/bottle!)
Winery Note “Arley’s leap harkens from a block of Pinot noir planted in 1990 at Abbey Ridge Vineyard. The eponymous hero was Bill and Julia Wayne’s old dog Arley, who survived a jump from a second story balcony when startled by a cat.”
Vinopolis Wine Shop Curbside Pick Up
Order Online / By Phone / By Email
When you’re ready to pick up, just park in our lot,
give us a call, & we’ll bring your order to your car.
(If another adult is picking up for you,
please let us know their name when placing your order.)
www.vinopoliswineshop.com
info@vinopoliswineshop.com
503-223-6002
When you’re ready to pick up, just park in our lot,
give us a call, & we’ll bring your order to your car.
(If another adult is picking up for you,
please let us know their name when placing your order.)
www.vinopoliswineshop.com
info@vinopoliswineshop.com
503-223-6002
New Week – New Arrivals
California
Ramey Claret, Napa Valley 2017 750ML ($39.95) $33 special, 30 bottles in stock now
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2017 Claret is a blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 12% Petit Verdot, 8% Syrah and 2% Cabernet Franc. It opens with classic scents of chocolate-covered cherries, cedar, bay leaves and tobacco with a very classy frame of sweet spices. In the mouth, it’s medium-bodied and plushly fruited with a fine grain and great freshness, finishing long. 4,482 cases produced.”
Ramey Claret, Napa Valley 2017 750ML ($39.95) $33 special, 30 bottles in stock now
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2017 Claret is a blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 12% Petit Verdot, 8% Syrah and 2% Cabernet Franc. It opens with classic scents of chocolate-covered cherries, cedar, bay leaves and tobacco with a very classy frame of sweet spices. In the mouth, it’s medium-bodied and plushly fruited with a fine grain and great freshness, finishing long. 4,482 cases produced.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
Italy – Piedmont
Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio Monprivato, Barolo DOCG 2015 750ML ($199.95) $159 special, 7 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 97+ points “This is a true beauty. The Giuseppe Mascarello 2015 Barolo Monprivato borrows from the best of the Nebbiolo playlist. You get precision, abundance, focus and depth presented in proud and elegant fashion. Monprivato in Castiglione Falletto shows its worth as one of the best-performing sites in both 2015 and 2016. This warmer growing season presents red and purple fruit with cherry, plum and dried blackberry. A second wave of aromas washes over the senses with spice, licorice, tar and crushed limestone. The mouthfeel is stitched tightly together with interwoven layers of acidity, tannin and fleshy fruit.”
Spain
Bodegas Ordonez Nisia Verdejo, Rueda 2017 750ML ($17.95) $11.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 89 points “Coming from 40- to 80-year-old ungrafted vines of Verdejo, the 2017 Nisia was barrel fermented and spent 7 months on lees before bottling. It has a richer bouquet of golden apple, pineapple, and Meyer lemons as well as a medium-bodied, nicely textured, mouthfilling style on the palate. It has good acidity, plenty of fruit, and a clean finish. It’s rock solid.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
Gatinois’ Glorious Äy Champagne
Arriving Friday
Arriving Friday
Äy is an easy village to love in Champagne—and also a place that’s easy to have never heard about. It’s Pinot country but its biggest and most famous landowner, Bollinger, doesn’t have anything on their labels to let you know where they’re based. Nevertheless, that richer, more powerful style that everyone associated with Bollinger (and the other big producer in the town, Gosset) is very much the flavor of Äy. The Champagnes from the village show tons of rich fruit and opulent, impressive textures to match their cepage—there’s no doubt they’re Pinot based bubbles.
Of the producers in Äy, Gatinois might be the most undervalued. The family farms some of the best land in the town and works with a very high proportion of a massale selection of Pinot Noir called “Petite Pinot d’Äy” that has extremely small berries. These small berries ensure an exceptionally flavorful base wine that translate into the finished product—Gatinois’ wines are rich, textured and powerful. We’re excited to carry them again and they arrive Friday, just in time for New Year’s and other holiday celebrations.
Arriving Friday, December 11th:
Gatinois Aÿ Grand Cru Reserve Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($64.95) $49 pre-arrival special
70% 2015 vintage
Winery note “Attractive yellow hue with honeyed reflections. The complex nose offers white flowers, yellow fruits and candied citrus. 3 years of ageing in our cellars allows the champagne to develop a rich, smooth texture on the palate, with notes of stewed fruit, brioche and honey complemented by the generosity of Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir (80%), Chardonnay (20%). Terroir: Aÿ Grand Cru 100%. Aged “sur lattes“: 3 years.”
Peter Liem note “All Gatinois wines are labeled grand cru, as they are all pure Aÿ fruit, and while pinot noir is naturally predominant, all of the wines include a small proportion of chardonnay, anywhere between five and 20 percent. These are bold, hearty wines, with a mouthfilling depth of flavor, and due to the ripe pinot noir fruit, the wines always have a little color. “It’s a full-bodied style, with a lot of flavors and a lot of aroma,” said Pierre Cheval, the first time I ever visited him. “They’re wines for gastronomy, not for sitting around the swimming pool.” They serve as an excellent reference point for Aÿ, demonstrating a remarkable sense of place. The Gatinois range begins with the Tradition, blended from three vintages and released after three years of aging; a portion of the Tradition is held back for an additional year on the lees and released as the Réserve. The rosé is also based on a non-vintage blend, but it contains a higher content of pinot noir.”
Of the producers in Äy, Gatinois might be the most undervalued. The family farms some of the best land in the town and works with a very high proportion of a massale selection of Pinot Noir called “Petite Pinot d’Äy” that has extremely small berries. These small berries ensure an exceptionally flavorful base wine that translate into the finished product—Gatinois’ wines are rich, textured and powerful. We’re excited to carry them again and they arrive Friday, just in time for New Year’s and other holiday celebrations.
Arriving Friday, December 11th:
Gatinois Aÿ Grand Cru Reserve Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($64.95) $49 pre-arrival special
70% 2015 vintage
Winery note “Attractive yellow hue with honeyed reflections. The complex nose offers white flowers, yellow fruits and candied citrus. 3 years of ageing in our cellars allows the champagne to develop a rich, smooth texture on the palate, with notes of stewed fruit, brioche and honey complemented by the generosity of Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir (80%), Chardonnay (20%). Terroir: Aÿ Grand Cru 100%. Aged “sur lattes“: 3 years.”
Peter Liem note “All Gatinois wines are labeled grand cru, as they are all pure Aÿ fruit, and while pinot noir is naturally predominant, all of the wines include a small proportion of chardonnay, anywhere between five and 20 percent. These are bold, hearty wines, with a mouthfilling depth of flavor, and due to the ripe pinot noir fruit, the wines always have a little color. “It’s a full-bodied style, with a lot of flavors and a lot of aroma,” said Pierre Cheval, the first time I ever visited him. “They’re wines for gastronomy, not for sitting around the swimming pool.” They serve as an excellent reference point for Aÿ, demonstrating a remarkable sense of place. The Gatinois range begins with the Tradition, blended from three vintages and released after three years of aging; a portion of the Tradition is held back for an additional year on the lees and released as the Réserve. The rosé is also based on a non-vintage blend, but it contains a higher content of pinot noir.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Gatinois Aÿ Grand Cru Rosé Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($69.95) $55 pre-arrival special
70% 2015 vintage
John Gilman 92 points “[Review is for previous release, provided for reference.] The Gatinois non-vintage Brut Rosé currently in the market is its customary blend of ninety percent pinot noir and ten percent chardonnay, with all of the fruit hailing from the village of Aÿ. It is from the base year of 2014, with all of the vins clairs having undergone malolactic and the still red wine added to the bottling hailing from sixty year-old vines in Aÿ (after a full year of barrel aging for the red wine). It was aged sur latte for three years prior to disgorgement and finished with a dosage of six grams per liter. The wine offers up an outstanding bouquet of cherries, rhubarb, gentle spice tones, wheat toast, chalky soil tones and a bit of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with lovely mineral drive, elegant mousse and fine length and grip on the complex and very nicely balanced finish. This is first class Aÿ Rosé! 2020-2035+.”
Peter Liem note “All Gatinois wines are labeled grand cru, as they are all pure Aÿ fruit, and while pinot noir is naturally predominant, all of the wines include a small proportion of chardonnay, anywhere between five and 20 percent. These are bold, hearty wines, with a mouthfilling depth of flavor, and due to the ripe pinot noir fruit, the wines always have a little color. “It’s a full-bodied style, with a lot of flavors and a lot of aroma,” said Pierre Cheval, the first time I ever visited him. “They’re wines for gastronomy, not for sitting around the swimming pool.” They serve as an excellent reference point for Aÿ, demonstrating a remarkable sense of place. The Gatinois range begins with the Tradition, blended from three vintages and released after three years of aging; a portion of the Tradition is held back for an additional year on the lees and released as the Réserve. The rosé is also based on a non-vintage blend, but it contains a higher content of pinot noir.”
Winery note “Intense hue with salmon-coloured highlights. Our Grand Cru Brut Rosé displays the characteristic elegant style of Gatinois Champagnes. The nose and palate offer up a subtle bouquet of red fruit (strawberries, blackberries, cherries) and a dash of spice which evolves into lingering notes of morello cherries on the rich finish. The dosage remains discreet at 6g/l. A pleasurable champagne, a champagne with heart, characterised by elegance and warmth, ideal for an impromptu aperitif with friends and perfect for gift giving. It is also excellent with food, try it paired with seared Atlantic salmon, pink on the bones, or with desserts such as a red fruit gaspacho.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
Gatinois Aÿ Grand Cru Tradition Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($54.95) $44 pre-arrival special
70% 2016 vintage
Antonio Galloni 91 points “The NV Brut Grand Cru Tradition is gorgeous, but it really needs another 6-12 months on the cork, as it is very reticent today. Dried flowers, red plum, mint and chalky notes add aromatic intrigue to play off the natural richness of the Pinot fruit, which is also evident in the wine’s copper-toned color. A Champagne of power and resonance, the Gatinois Brut Tradition has so much to offer. Best of all, it is a superb value. The blend is 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, all from estate holdings in Aÿ. Dosage: 7 gr/L. Disgorged: July, 2019.” [Disgorgement date may differ from review]
John Gilman 90 points “The new release of Brut Tradition from Louis Gatinois is from the base year of 2016 and was disgorged in September of 2019. It is its customary blend of eighty percent pinot noir from Aÿ and twenty percent chardonnay. The vins clairs all go through full malo and the blend includes thirty percent reserve wines. The bouquet is deep, youthful and classic Aÿ in personality, offering up scents of peach, apple, hazelnut, chalky soil tones, bread dough and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, broad-shouldered, bright and zesty, with a fine core of fruit, frothy mousse, very good depth and complexity and a long, well-balanced finish. The thirty percent reserve wines give this wine a nice patina of age on both the nose and palate. Good juice. 2020-2035.”
Winery note “Predominantly Pinot Noir (80%) which brings richness, structure and a delicious character. The 20% of Chardonnay adds a feminine touch to the blend. There is also a significant proportion of reserve wines in the blend (30%). The champagne is aged “sur lattes” (horizontally on racks) in our cellars for 2 years before the yeasts are disgorged.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
Bordeaux Re-Stocked
Featured Bordeaux Wines Arriving Friday, December 11th:
Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux 2010 750ML ($179.95) $149 pre-arrival special
Jeb Dunnuck 98 points “A wine that could easily be mistaken for a First Growth, the 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is an incredibly powerful, full-bodied wine by this estate’s standards, yet it nevertheless holds onto a terrific sense of elegance as well as perfect balance. A huge nose of blackcurrants, smoked earth, tobacco, lead pencil, and spice give way to a concentrated, blockbuster styled Margaux that has thrilling depth of fruit, masses of ripe tannins, and great length and finesse on the finish. This brilliant wine is just now seemingly on the edge of its drink window and offers immense pleasure, yet it has another 30-40 years of life ahead of it. Along with the 2015 and 2016, it’s the greatest wine made at this estate in the past two decades.”
James Suckling 98 points “Beautiful clarity of fruit with raspberries and currants on the nose. Roses and other flowers too. It’s almost hard to describe, but there’s a real purity. Full body, with fabulous balance and depth. It has everything in the right place. Best ever? Try it in 2018.”
Wine Enthusiast 96 points “One of the top Margaux wines, this is in top form, finely balanced and as elegant as it is powerful. It is darkly structured, dense yet balancing tannins with ripe black plums. It expresses the complexity of the vintage. A wine for serious, long-term aging.
Wine Advocate 95+ points “To reiterate, the 2010 Rauzan Segla is like a super-duper version of the 1986. Displaying fabulous density, an inky purple color and a superb nose of forest floor with a hint of menthol as well as loads of creme de cassis, mocha and touches of chocolate and subtle oak, this full-bodied, deep, concentrated wine represents only 45% of the estate’s production. It is certainly not for those who can’t wait a few years for it to round into shape, as I suspect it needs at least 5-8 years of bottle-age, but it should last for half a century or more…a timeless classic from the appellation of Margaux.”
Neal Martin-Vinous 95 points “The 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is simply one of the finest releases in recent years. It has a heavenly bouquet with wild strawberry, subtle floral notes and great precision. The palate is nothing powerful, less flamboyant than the 2010 Palmer, yet endowed with incredible precision and length. All you could really want from a Margaux. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “Flashy style of Margaux, with alluring warm cocoa and black tea aromatics followed by cashmere-textured plum sauce, steeped fig and blackberry confiture notes. The well-integrated structure makes this seem almost accessible now, but the ample length and a smoldering tobacco note make a case for cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2030.”
Chateau Tour De Pez, Saint-Estephe 2016 750ML ($34.95) $28 pre-arrival special
“The 2016 Tour de Pez is a tasty, mid-weight Saint Estèphe. Nothing in particular stands out, as all the elements are very nicely balanced. Sweet red cherry, smoke, plum, and white pepper all grace this impeccable balanced wine” –Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2016 Tour de Pez comes sprinting out of the blocks on the nose with precocious black cherries and blueberry fruit, violets and iris following just behind. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, quite tensile in the mouth with good acidity, flecks of brown spice and meat juices imparting a savory vein on the finish. There is plenty of character to this Saint Estèphe and it should age with style.” –Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux 2010 750ML ($179.95) $149 pre-arrival special
Jeb Dunnuck 98 points “A wine that could easily be mistaken for a First Growth, the 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is an incredibly powerful, full-bodied wine by this estate’s standards, yet it nevertheless holds onto a terrific sense of elegance as well as perfect balance. A huge nose of blackcurrants, smoked earth, tobacco, lead pencil, and spice give way to a concentrated, blockbuster styled Margaux that has thrilling depth of fruit, masses of ripe tannins, and great length and finesse on the finish. This brilliant wine is just now seemingly on the edge of its drink window and offers immense pleasure, yet it has another 30-40 years of life ahead of it. Along with the 2015 and 2016, it’s the greatest wine made at this estate in the past two decades.”
James Suckling 98 points “Beautiful clarity of fruit with raspberries and currants on the nose. Roses and other flowers too. It’s almost hard to describe, but there’s a real purity. Full body, with fabulous balance and depth. It has everything in the right place. Best ever? Try it in 2018.”
Wine Enthusiast 96 points “One of the top Margaux wines, this is in top form, finely balanced and as elegant as it is powerful. It is darkly structured, dense yet balancing tannins with ripe black plums. It expresses the complexity of the vintage. A wine for serious, long-term aging.
Wine Advocate 95+ points “To reiterate, the 2010 Rauzan Segla is like a super-duper version of the 1986. Displaying fabulous density, an inky purple color and a superb nose of forest floor with a hint of menthol as well as loads of creme de cassis, mocha and touches of chocolate and subtle oak, this full-bodied, deep, concentrated wine represents only 45% of the estate’s production. It is certainly not for those who can’t wait a few years for it to round into shape, as I suspect it needs at least 5-8 years of bottle-age, but it should last for half a century or more…a timeless classic from the appellation of Margaux.”
Neal Martin-Vinous 95 points “The 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is simply one of the finest releases in recent years. It has a heavenly bouquet with wild strawberry, subtle floral notes and great precision. The palate is nothing powerful, less flamboyant than the 2010 Palmer, yet endowed with incredible precision and length. All you could really want from a Margaux. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “Flashy style of Margaux, with alluring warm cocoa and black tea aromatics followed by cashmere-textured plum sauce, steeped fig and blackberry confiture notes. The well-integrated structure makes this seem almost accessible now, but the ample length and a smoldering tobacco note make a case for cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2030.”
Chateau Tour De Pez, Saint-Estephe 2016 750ML ($34.95) $28 pre-arrival special
“The 2016 Tour de Pez is a tasty, mid-weight Saint Estèphe. Nothing in particular stands out, as all the elements are very nicely balanced. Sweet red cherry, smoke, plum, and white pepper all grace this impeccable balanced wine” –Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2016 Tour de Pez comes sprinting out of the blocks on the nose with precocious black cherries and blueberry fruit, violets and iris following just behind. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, quite tensile in the mouth with good acidity, flecks of brown spice and meat juices imparting a savory vein on the finish. There is plenty of character to this Saint Estèphe and it should age with style.” –Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
Chateau Palmer Alter Ego de Palmer, Margaux 2015 750ML ($119.95) $89 pre-arrival special
James Suckling 96 points “This is sensational, characterized by such purity and beauty and with aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate, walnuts, cedar and lavender. Full-bodied, tight and focused – in part thanks to sensational tannin tension that is intense yet polished. Needs five to six years of bottle age to come together. Great second wine of Palmer.”
Wine Cellar Insider 94 points “Rocks, stones, flowers, wet earth and inky, dark cherry, plum and even darker chocolate notes are all over the place. From the nose to the palate, you find the same expressions and complexities. The wine is richly textured, sensuous, silky and sweet. There is length and purity, This is better than any vintage of Palmer from the 70’s, most of the 80’s and the 90’s! This is the best vintage of Alter Ego ever produced.”
Thanks for reading!