In This Newsletter:
Join the Cult: Cayuse & Friends Sale
Close-Out Featurette: Dal Forno
Explore The Oregon Side of Walla Walla
Stock Up & Save On:
Cayuse, Christophe Baron Champagne, Horsepower & No Girls
Join the Cult: Cayuse & Friends Sale
Close-Out Featurette: Dal Forno
Explore The Oregon Side of Walla Walla
Stock Up & Save On:
Cayuse, Christophe Baron Champagne, Horsepower & No Girls
If you find yourself in Eastern Oregon, you might be surprised to find a cult. Er, cult winemaker, that is. Champagnois-turned Oregonian Christophe Baron is the man behind some of Walla Walla Valley’s finest wines that are nearly impossible to source. Though mostly associated with Washington state, a quirk in geography means the bottom smidge of this Valley is in Oregon. That smidge contains a subregion of the Valley: The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. And Baron more or less put it on the map.
His Walla Walla portfolio now includes Grenache, Syrah, Tempranillo, and more sourced from Oregon and Washington. Representing the pinnacle of the region’s reds, we’re never surprised when they rake in top notch scores.
We’re equally pleased that we can offer you these mailing list-mostly gems, including Champagnes from his family’s vines. Shop now or browse highlights below!
His Walla Walla portfolio now includes Grenache, Syrah, Tempranillo, and more sourced from Oregon and Washington. Representing the pinnacle of the region’s reds, we’re never surprised when they rake in top notch scores.
We’re equally pleased that we can offer you these mailing list-mostly gems, including Champagnes from his family’s vines. Shop now or browse highlights below!
5% off any 3-5 in-stock bottles of wine by Christophe Baron
10% off any 6+ or more in-stock bottles of wine by Christophe Baron
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Friday, August 28th at 9 am Pacific.
10% off any 6+ or more in-stock bottles of wine by Christophe Baron
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Friday, August 28th at 9 am Pacific.
We offer 28 in-stock options from Christophe Baron on sale now, including:
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Christophe Baron ‘Les Hautes Blanches Vignes’ Brut Nature, Champagne 2019 1.5L Displayed Price: $269, that’s $255.55 at 5% off and $242.10 at 10% off, 3 magnums in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “Very creamy and focused Champagne with notes of cherry blossoms, jasmine, pink grapefruit, white peaches, fennel and brioche. It’s medium-bodied with a very fine and delicate mousse that dances across the palate. Bone dry with beautiful balance and length. 100% pinot meunier from a vineyard planted in 1969. From organically grown grapes. In magnums only. Zero dosage. Disgorged May 2023. Drink or hold.”
Horsepower Vineyards ‘The Tribe Vineyard’ Syrah, Walla Walla Valley 2016 750ml Displayed Price: $169, that’s $160.55 at 5% off and $152.10 at 10% off, 13 bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 97+ points “The 2016 Syrah The Tribe is largely in the same mold with a gamy, meaty, backward profile. Smoked meats, earthy dark fruits, ground pepper, and wood smoke are all present in this medium to full-bodied, concentrated Syrah that’s going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for 15-20 years.”
Horsepower Vineyards ‘The Tribe Vineyard’ Syrah, Walla Walla Valley 2017 750ml Displayed Price: $169, that’s $160.55 at 5% off and $152.10 at 10% off, 4 bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 97 points “Beautiful notes of red and black raspberries, tobacco, plum sauce, loamy earth, and loads of floral notes emerge from the 2017 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard, another tight, closed wine that’s going to benefit from bottle age. Medium to full-bodied, with notable freshness as well as plenty of underlying structure, it reminds me of Côte Rôtie from the Cote Blonde lieu-dit with its incredible floral character as well as its seamless texture. Beautifully done and one of the standouts in the lineup in 2017, give bottles a healthy decant if drinking any time soon, and my money is on it benefiting from 2-3 years of bottle age and evolving for 15-20 years or more.”
Cayuse Vineyards Impulsivo Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley 2017 750ml Displayed Price: $149, that’s $141.55 at 5% off and $134.10 at 10% off, 1 bottle in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 95 points “While I don’t think the 2017 Impulsivo matches the 2016, it’s certainly not far off. Showing the more elegant style of the vintage, it offers a gorgeous perfume of smoked black cherries, redcurrants, green tobacco, bloody meat, sandalwood, and Asian spices that opens up with time in the glass. Ethereal, medium to full-bodied, and seamless on the palate, it has flawless balance, polished tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. It’s just beautifully put together and one of the more approachable vintages of this cuvée. It can be drunk with incredible pleasure today (give it an hour decant) or cellared for 15+ years or more.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Cayuse Vineyards Camaspelo Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $129, that’s $122.55 at 5% off and $116.10 at 10% off, 5 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 94 points “A cabernet sauvignon–based blend with some merlot and just a dash of tempranillo, this offers an attractive dark-fruited nose with hints of crushed walnuts, bay leaves, blackcurrant bush and wet stones. The palate is framed and tight yet finely textured, showing a juicy flow of fruit underneath a firm and chewy tannin structure. Long and tightly wound. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try in 2028.”
Cayuse Vineyards En Chamberlin Vineyard Syrah, Walla Walla Valley 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $135, that’s $128.25 at 5% off and $121.50 at 10% off, 5 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 96 points “This has an earthy, savory profile with aromas of smoked bacon, plum skins, charcoal, black peppercorns and stones. Full-bodied and wide on the palate with massive, compact tannins. It’s refined and textured yet finishes tight and firm, lingering with notes of iodine and seashells. From biodynamically grown grapes. Better from 2028.”
Horsepower Vineyards Fiddleneck Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $179, that’s $170.05 at 5% off and $161.10 at 10% off, 6 bottles in stock now
Owen Bargreen 100 points “‘Fiddleneck Vineyard’ Grenache shows very different flavor and aromatic profiles — yet is clearly equal in overall quality. This Grenache was sourced from this stony site first planted back in 2015. Exuding class, this delivers a Chateau Rayas quality to this wine in terms of its purity of red fruits. The nose takes on hauntingly good range, offering pomegranate seed, kelp and blood orange zest tones alongside wet rock and hints of beef drippings. The aromatic range is mind-bending. The palate is liquid silk in its red fruit purity, showing dizzying underlying finesse and a generous mouthfeel. A total stunner, enjoy this beautiful wine now and over the next eight years to come.”
Horsepower Vineyards ‘High Contrast Vineyard’ Syrah, Walla Walla Valley 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $179, that’s $170.05 at 5% off and $161.10 at 10% off, 6 bottles in stock now
Owen Bargreen 98 points “The 2022 Horsepower Vineyards ‘High Contrast Vineyard’ Syrah is sourced from vines set on a combination of ancient cobblestones and silty loam soils. Stored for 15 months in all neutral oak barrels, this opens with suggestions of black tea, Mandarin orange zest and exotic spices alongside beef brisket, Kalamata olive, charcuterie and smoldering stones. The palate is plush and soft with a pillowy texture and beautiful underlying acidity. Salty and savory, enjoy this beauty now and over the next eight years.”
Cayuse Vineyards Impulsivo Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $149, that’s $141.55 at 5% off and $134.10 at 10% off, 12 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “Very expressive and savory, this offers wild berries, plum skins, crushed coffee beans, wet forest floor and hints of raw mushrooms. It’s full-bodied, meaty and structured yet layered with delicious fruit, the mineral freshness adding vibrancy and energy. Firm and tightly packed in the finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try from 2029.”
Cayuse Vineyards ‘Widowmaker’ En Chamberlin Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley 2017 750ml Displayed Price: $179, that’s $170.05 at 5% off and $161.10 at 10% off, 1 bottle in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 97+ points “The 2017 The Widowmaker En Chamberlin is another Bordeaux look-alike (it reminds me of a wine from the Graves region) that has loads of blackcurrant and cassis as well as leafy tobacco, cedar pencil, chocolate, cold fireplace and Asian spices on both the nose and palate. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, it has a wonderfully seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. This beautiful, elegant yet powerful Cabernet Sauvignon will drink well for 20-30 years or more.”
In a few wine regions throughout the world, there exists one individual or family that defines the style of the region. When it comes to Valpolicella, the Dal Forno family does just that, crafting deeply concentrated expressions for over thirty years.
Established in 1983 by Romano Dal Forno, the estate vaulted to the heights of perfection in the Venato. The family employs traditional winemaking techniques, such as extended drying of the grapes before pressing, to craft their serious and seriously concentrated wines.
Vines hail from the foothills at around 1,000 feet above sea level. Here, the family’s 65 acres are planted to indigenous varieties such as Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella, grown and pruned according to ancient traditions.
In Stock & On Sale Now:
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Dal Forno Romano Vigneto Monte Lodoletta Valpolicella Superiore, Veneto 2016 750ml Was $135, Now $112, 2 bottles in stock now
Eric Guido-Vinous 95 points “The 2016 Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta is intense, with a captivating bouquet that blends cedar shavings, savory herbs and balsamic spices with rum-soaked cherries, sweet lavender and dark chocolate. This sweeps across the palate with silken textures, delivering masses of tart red and black fruits along with hints of espresso bean. Crunchy mineral tones and zesty acidity add dramatic lift. The 2016 tapers off long and staining, sporting a pleasantly bitter tinge of cocoa as grippy tannins resonate. The 2016 is a well-muscled dancer yet still youthfully coiled.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Dal Forno Romano Vigneto Monte Lodoletta Valpolicella Superiore, Veneto 2017 750ml Was $138, Now $119, 6 bottles in stock now
Eric Guido-Vinous 95 points “Taking in the 2017 Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta reminds me of all of the desserts spices and confections experienced on Christmas day. An array of medicinal cherries plum sauce ginger cookies cloves cinnamon and dried roses captivate. There’s tremendous depth here but it maintains fantastic freshness. This is wildly spicy and intense yet deep with brilliant acidity adding energy seldom found in Valpolicella which enlivens the crunchy red fruits and pretty inner florals within. The 2017 finishes dramatically long and perfumed resonating on sour blackberries currants and a bitter hint of cocoa. This goes far beyond the expectation of Valpolicella with the power and aromatics of an Amarone but with a liveliness that will allow it to excel at the dinner table.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Dal Forno Romano Vigneto Monte Lodoletta, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2012 750ml Was $379, Now $329 special, 12 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 97 points “A decadent nose of treacle tart, chocolate, tar, tons of black fruit such as blackberries and mulberries and even ash and licorice. A dense, layered mouthfeel makes for a full-bodied palate that’s explosive yet somehow so refined and pretty all at the same time. The finish goes on and on. Incredible now, but better to wait for this giant to settle well into 2020.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Dal Forno Romano Vigneto Monte Lodoletta, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2015 750ml Was $419, Now $379 special, 10 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 100 points “This is black as pitch in the glass and, yes, there’s a light, tarry edge to the super-concentrated prune, date and currant fruit. But even more interesting are the complex notes of bitter-orange liqueur, aged balsamic, fresh roasting herbs, cinnamon, roasted chestnuts, black tea and licorice. The more you decant in advance, the more nuances will emerge. It’s full-boded with huge concentration and lots of chewy tannin that is managing to hold the fruit back for now. This needs plenty of time to develop in the bottle. Just superb. One of the greatest Dal Forno’s ever.”
Established in 1983 by Romano Dal Forno, the estate vaulted to the heights of perfection in the Venato. The family employs traditional winemaking techniques, such as extended drying of the grapes before pressing, to craft their serious and seriously concentrated wines.
Vines hail from the foothills at around 1,000 feet above sea level. Here, the family’s 65 acres are planted to indigenous varieties such as Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella, grown and pruned according to ancient traditions.
In Stock & On Sale Now:
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Dal Forno Romano Vigneto Monte Lodoletta Valpolicella Superiore, Veneto 2016 750ml Was $135, Now $112, 2 bottles in stock now
Eric Guido-Vinous 95 points “The 2016 Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta is intense, with a captivating bouquet that blends cedar shavings, savory herbs and balsamic spices with rum-soaked cherries, sweet lavender and dark chocolate. This sweeps across the palate with silken textures, delivering masses of tart red and black fruits along with hints of espresso bean. Crunchy mineral tones and zesty acidity add dramatic lift. The 2016 tapers off long and staining, sporting a pleasantly bitter tinge of cocoa as grippy tannins resonate. The 2016 is a well-muscled dancer yet still youthfully coiled.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Dal Forno Romano Vigneto Monte Lodoletta Valpolicella Superiore, Veneto 2017 750ml Was $138, Now $119, 6 bottles in stock now
Eric Guido-Vinous 95 points “Taking in the 2017 Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta reminds me of all of the desserts spices and confections experienced on Christmas day. An array of medicinal cherries plum sauce ginger cookies cloves cinnamon and dried roses captivate. There’s tremendous depth here but it maintains fantastic freshness. This is wildly spicy and intense yet deep with brilliant acidity adding energy seldom found in Valpolicella which enlivens the crunchy red fruits and pretty inner florals within. The 2017 finishes dramatically long and perfumed resonating on sour blackberries currants and a bitter hint of cocoa. This goes far beyond the expectation of Valpolicella with the power and aromatics of an Amarone but with a liveliness that will allow it to excel at the dinner table.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Dal Forno Romano Vigneto Monte Lodoletta, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2012 750ml Was $379, Now $329 special, 12 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 97 points “A decadent nose of treacle tart, chocolate, tar, tons of black fruit such as blackberries and mulberries and even ash and licorice. A dense, layered mouthfeel makes for a full-bodied palate that’s explosive yet somehow so refined and pretty all at the same time. The finish goes on and on. Incredible now, but better to wait for this giant to settle well into 2020.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Dal Forno Romano Vigneto Monte Lodoletta, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2015 750ml Was $419, Now $379 special, 10 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 100 points “This is black as pitch in the glass and, yes, there’s a light, tarry edge to the super-concentrated prune, date and currant fruit. But even more interesting are the complex notes of bitter-orange liqueur, aged balsamic, fresh roasting herbs, cinnamon, roasted chestnuts, black tea and licorice. The more you decant in advance, the more nuances will emerge. It’s full-boded with huge concentration and lots of chewy tannin that is managing to hold the fruit back for now. This needs plenty of time to develop in the bottle. Just superb. One of the greatest Dal Forno’s ever.”
We offer 85 wines on our Close-Out Sale in stock now.
Shop the sale on our webstore now!
Don’t miss our additional sale going on now:
Kunstler
5% off any 4-7 in-stock bottles of Kunstler
10% off any 8+ or more in-stock bottles of Kunstler
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Kunstler sale ends Wednesday, August 27th at 9 am Pacific.