Our Hottest Deals, Reloaded
Subscriber Special – Casanova di Neri’s Cerretalto
Evening Lands Returns to Vinopolis
Tons of Gobelsburg Newley Added to the August Sale
First Offer! The Remarkable 2017 Huets
Our August Sale, In Full
Aldo Conterno and Scott Paul
The common theme for these two wines is pricing—we’re offering both the Scott Paul and the Aldo Conterno far below their usual asking price. In the case of the former, it takes a special occasion Pinot and makes it into a Tuesday night drinker, for the latter a collectors dream. This is your last chance to stock up.
(at $25/bottle off!)
Then there’s the price—it would be too good to be true if it weren’t, in fact, true. This is $25/bottle less expensive than our next closest competitor and over $30/bottle less than the average wine-searcher price.
Re-Arriving Friday!
Poderi Aldo Conterno Bussia, Barolo DOCG 2010 750ML ($89.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2010 Barolo Bussia is a gorgeous expression that hits all the high notes, both in terms of bouquet and mouthfeel. The nose is redolent of pressed cherries, tar, licorice, crushed granite and chopped mint. It offers the special characteristics that are so forth coming with the Nebbiolo grape. The wine caresses the palate with a fine and enduring sense of freshness and structure. The 2010 vintage is a stunner. Drink: 2016-2028.”
Antonio Galloni 93+ points “The 2010 Barolo Bussia is gorgeous and super-classic in every way. Dark red cherry, plum, spice, new leather and tobacco are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. The 2010 is a beautiful version of the Bussia, with less of the approachability of some previous vintages, but tons of potential for the future. There is a lot to look forward to here. This is one of the best versions of the Bussia I can remember tasting. The 2010 stands out for its precision and crystalline purity. Readers looking for a great 2010 Barolo that won’t kill the budget should check out the 2010 Bussia.’
The next best price is $86.80
Scott Paul – The Hottest Willamette Pinot in the Store
Re-Arriving Friday
Scott Paul La Paulee Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2013 750ML ($39.95) $18 pre-arrival special
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 91 points “Deep red. Bright and energetic on the nose, displaying intense red berry and blood orange scents, along with candied rose and allspice highlights. Silky, sweet and incisive on the palate, offering juicy strawberry and floral pastille flavors and a spicy kick of white pepper. Closes very long and nervy; fine-grained tannins lend shape and closing grip.”
Wine Enthusiast 91 points “Sophisticated and subtle, this lovely wine expresses varietal elegance, with a bouquet of roses and raspberries to begin. The jumble of pretty fruits is framed with citrus peel and a dusting of chocolate.”
Neal Martin-Wine Advocate 90 points “The 2013 Pinot Noir la Paulee comes from fruit sourced from Maresh and Nysa in the Dundee Hills, Azana in Chehalem and from the Ribbon Ridge, matured for ten months in neutral oak. It has a very natural, Côte de Beaune-like bouquet with ample brambly red fruit with hints of black tea developing with aeration. I appreciate the focus and definition here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, smooth in the mouth with just a faint honeyed note. Tart red cherries mingle with redcurrant and strawberry, segueing into a poised and fulsome finish. This should drink well over the next 7-10 years and represents great value.”
Scott Paul La Paulee Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2014 750ML ($39.95) $18 pre-arrival special
Winery Note “Brilliant red in color. The spicy nose starts with being savory and leads into an array of fresh raspberry, brambleberry, and marionberry. Finely pronounced tannins combine with layers of fresh elderberry and a great balance of acid are folded into razor focused tannins which has the palate finishing with class. Our home in Carlton, Oregon (a 1915 brick creamery) is an ideal spot to revel in the virtues of Pinot Noir, as we pursue Pinot Perfection. Our sustainably farmed vineyards are among the Willamette Valley’s finest (and dare we say, most perfect). Our 2014 bottling is a selection of superior lots from our blocks of Maresh and Nysa Vineyards in the Dundee Hills and Ribbon Ridge and Azana Vineyards on the Chehalem Mountains. Bold, bright berry flavors unite with a bounty of rose, spice and cherry aromas. Pure Oregon Pinot Noir.”
A Shining Star of Brunello
Casanova’s Cerretalto
Arriving Friday:
Only 6 bottles remaining!
Casanova di Neri Cerretalto, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2012 750ML ($399.95), Was $319,
$299 Subscriber pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 98 points “Flavors of medicinal herbs, juniper, macerated cherry, plum, tobacco and spice are the hallmarks of this intense red, which is ripe and concentrated, yet sleek and focused. Spice notes chime in on the long, minerally and firmly tannic finish. Best from 2023 through 2040”
Wine Advocate 98 points ” The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto offers a prolonged, flowing and carefully massaged drinking experience that drapes over the senses with some studied intensity and lots of intriguing complexity. This wine nails that perfect balance between power and elegance (that elusive exchange that so many winemakers hope to achieve) with effortless precision. Bold cherry fruit and spice are tightly woven together. In the mouth, the wine shows texture, depth and succulence. Generally speaking, this is not my favorite vintage in Montalcino, but this wine suddenly made me forget that thought. (ML)
Only 6 bottles remaining!
A Modern Oregon Classic, Back at Great Prices
Evening Lands was founded by an all-star team, headlined by Dominique Lafon, who secured a long term lease on the fabled Seven Springs vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills. Running it as an estate property, Evening Lands has elevated the historic site, modernizing some of the viticulture and replanting diseased blocks.
The current team, led by Sashi Moorman and Raj Parr, has taken the label and the vineyard to new heights, with the wines displaying previously unseen levels of fineness and elegance. We’re offering their base wines, the 100% Seven Springs Vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, at some of the best prices on the West Coast. These arrive Friday and are very much worth paying attention to if you love Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Arriving Friday:
Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills 2015 750ML ($39.95) $33 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 93 points “Subtly powerful and rich, with expressive black cherry and spicy cinnamon aromas and layered plum and licorice flavors that build toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2024. 3,372 cases made.”
Wine Spectator 92 points “Supple and polished, with apple and wet stone aromas and harmonious lemon and jasmine flavors that linger lushly on the finish. Drink now through 2020. 665 cases made.”
Venerable Austrian August Sale Additions
Only 18 bottles available!
Schloss Gobelsburg Langenlois Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal 2016 750ML ($31.95) Was $26, Now $20.90 pre-arrival special, ETA August 10th
Wine Advocate 90 points “The 2016 Langenlois Kamptal Grüner Veltliner is sourced from different vineyards of the village including Redling, Geppling, Spiegel, Thal and others and opens with a clear, deep, fresh and slightly flinty bouquet of ripe fruits. Very elegant and mineral on the palate, this is a lovely, mineral, well structured, pretty complex and aromatic Grüner Veltliner that combines the character of the fruity-elegant loess and the vital, racy and gravelly Grüner Veltliner expressions. The wine shows good mineral structure, stimulating salinity on the finish and comes along as a pretty complex wine already.”
Now it’s even lower!
The next best price is $27.07
Schloss Gobelsburg Schlosskellerei Gobelsburger Riesling, Kamptal 2016 750ML ($19.95) Was $16, Now $14 pre-arrival special, ETA August 10th
Wine Spectator 93 points “Peach and grapefruit flavors hold court in this focused white, picking up accents of floral, apple and mineral. Intense and long, with a vibrant aftertaste echoing the complex flavors. Silky texture. Drink now through 2025. 650 cases imported.”
The next best price on the West Coast is $16.99
The average price nationally is $18
Only 12 bottles available!
Schloss Gobelsburg Gobelsburger Zweigelt, Kamptal 2015 750ML ($17.95) Was $14, Now $11.90 pre-arrival special, ETA August 10th
James Suckling 91 points “With its big black cherry and blackberry fruit but moderate tannins and a nice freshness this is rather like a good Beaujolais. An excellent picnic wine. Drink now or hold for a year or two.”
Now it’s even lower!
The next best price is $16.20
Schloss Gobelsburg Steinsetz Gruner Veltliner Reserve Erste OTW Lage, Kamptal 2016 750ML ($37.95) Was $28, Now $21.90 pre-arrival special, ETA August 10th
Wine Enthusiast 92 points “Fresh lime and ivy hits you first, followed by a leesy hint and some pear on the nose. The palate comes in with salty savoriness that suggests yeasty miso, chervil and lovage, with lots of white pepper accented by a little spritz. Brightened by fresh lemon notes, this makes for a spicy, elegant and slender wine with a light touch and real depth.”
The average price is $30
Only 12 bottles available!
Schloss Gobelsburg Lamm Gruner Veltliner Reserve Erste OTW Lage, Kamptal 2016 750ML ($69.95) Was $59, Now $44, pre-arrival special, ETA August 17th
James Suckling 96 points “This smells like being in a room full of drying herbs and flowers. Rich and creamy from the high ripeness but with a freshness that’s discrete yet ever present. At no point on this wine’s long glide across the palate does it seem the least bit fat or heavy. Drink now.”
The next best price is $58.99
The average price is $65
Only 18 bottles available!
Schloss Gobelsburg Heiligenstein Riesling Reserve Erste OTW Lage, Kamptal 2016 750ML ($69.95) Was $59, Now $44 pre-arrival special, ETA August 17th
James Suckling 96 points “This is still quite yeasty, but in a rather attractive way. Behind that yeasty creaminess, which will fade somewhat with time, is a great wine that is deep, firm and complex. The finish expands like a concertina until the minerality envelops you. Drink now.”
Wine Enthusiast 94 points “An aromatic cloud of orange and lemon zest rises from the glass. With air, the citrus notions become more heady and intense. They perform the same trick on the palate, shimmering in an aromatic array of bergamot, lemon, tangerine and orange. There’s a vein of freshness, unforced concentration and the promise of a long future ahead. Drink 2020–2030.”
Now it’s even lower!
The next best price is $62.83
Only 18 bottles available!
Schloss Gobelsburg Gaisberg Riesling Reserve Erste OTW Lage, Kamptal 2016 750ML ($44.95) Was $36, Now $28 pre-arrival special, ETA August 17th
James Suckling 95 points “Great lemon, white peach and spice aromas are married to a medium body with a hint of creamy richness at the front. Then comes the austere finish with a ton of mineral power. Drink now and for some years to come.”
Wine Enthusiast 94 points “The nose of this wine is still subdued. Hints of wet earth and pure lemon notes can barely be discerned. With a few swirls of the glass, tender hints of blood orange zest pervade nose and palate, alongside spiky, bright lemon notes. The body is slender and taut but brims with gorgeous citrus aromas. Lovely now but sure to last. Drink 2018–2030.”
Now it’s even lower!
The average price is $40
Only 18 bottles available!
Schloss Gobelsburg Zobing Riesling, Kamptal 2016 750ML ($37.95) Was $28, Now $21.90 pre-arrival special, ETA August 17th
James Suckling 90 points “Cooked apple and lime aromas with hints of loam. Full body, layered and rich with lots of fruit. A big and fruity style. Lightly sweet. Medium finish. Drink now.”
Now it’s even lower!
The average price is $30
Schloss Gobelsburg Tradition Riesling Reserve, Kamptal 2015 750ML ($59.95) Was $49, Now $39 pre-arrival special, ETA August 17th
Wine Advocate 93+ points “The 2015 Riesling Tradition has a super clear, fresh, precise and mineral-scented bouquet of white stone fruits and even pineapples and mango. But all is discreet and interwoven with the overall aromatic complexity. On the palate, this is a firmly structured, pure and mineral dry Gaisberg with ripe peach aromas, racy but integrated acidity and fine tannins carrying this Riesling to a long, aromatic, dry and stimulatingly salty finish. This wine is very attractive today but will gain complexity over the years. It is still fruitier compared to the 2014 and thus more difficult to score regarding its true nature. It is a great dry, pure and crystalline Riesling in any case. Tasted in July 2917 at the domaine.”
Now it’s even lower!
The average price is $54
The Remarkable 2017 Domaine Huet Vouvrays
These are wines we stock year in and out and we’re excited to feature our first offer on the exciting 2017 vintage (you can view the 2015 and ’16’s in stock on our website). 2017 looks to be an exciting year for the estate (as it is across France) with bright, mineral driven wines that showcase the prime terroirs Huet is known for.
If you’re new to the estate, know that they make wines from three vineyards (Le Haut Lieu, Le Mont and Clos de Bourg) at varying levels of sweetness. To that last point, don’t make the mistake of skipping anything past Sec—the Demi-Secs are especially useful at the table and long lived, with the sugar adding fruit and body but not much in the way of perceptible sweetness. Moelleux is a specialty of the Loire and is a beautiful wine that is a perfect partner for cheese and contemplation.
Of the three vineyards, Le Haut Lieu produces wines with the most fruit and the softest texture, accessible young. Le Mont is the most mineral and often requires the most time to find itself as a wine and the Clos de Bourg is a bit of a combination of the two. Gaston Huet thought it the best terroir in Vouvray, but a bottle of well aged Le Mont Demi is an effective counter argument. Whichever combination you go for, stock up—there have been three short harvests in a row in Vouvray and many producers’ reserves are running low.
Arriving ETA September:
Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Sec, Loire 2017 750ML ($34.95) $28 pre-arrival special
Importer note “The original Huët vineyard is nearly 9 hA. It has the richest soils of the domaine’s three crus—a deep limestone-clay—and the wines are generally the estate’s most approachable. In some vintages, small quantities from nearby estate parcels may be added to Le Haut-Lieu.”
The average price is $36
Importer note “For many insiders, the argument over Vouvray’s greatest vineyard comes down to two sites: Le Mont and Clos du Bourg. Undisputably a grand cru vineyard, Le Mont enjoys a choice site on the Première Côte. With less clay and more stone than Le Haut-Lieu, Le Mont yields young wines of intense minerality. With age, the wines develop great length and finesse.”
The average price is $40
Importer note “Gaston Huët believed this to be the greatest of all Vouvray vineyards. With the Première Côte’s shallowest, stoniest soils, its wines often synthesize Le Mont’s intense minerality with Le Haut-Lieu’s generous texture.”
The average price is $40
Wine Spectator 93 points “Plump and lively, with a core of bold ginger, McIntosh apple and almond notes followed by quince and persimmon flavors. Shows buried minerality, but also an ever-so-slightly off-dry wink on the finish, making this especially fun to drink. Drink now through 2032.”
The average price nationally is $41
Wine Spectator 94 points “Delightfully ripe and lively, with a mix of white peach, ginger, yellow apple and quince flavors that are carried by bright minerality and mouthwatering acidity. Light floral hints gild the finish, while the fruit drives through. Thoroughly delicious, and built to age well. Drink now through 2033.”
The average price nationally is $43
Wine Spectator 93 points “This glistens, with glazed pear, warm persimmon, green plum and quince flavors, all carried by elegant white ginger and verbena notes. A light gilding of piecrust adds to the flattering feel, though there’s ample acidity here for balance and drive. Drink now through 2032.”
The average price nationally is $44
Wine Spectator 96 points “A beauty, with an inviting display of succulent yellow apple, green plum, pear, persimmon and quince flavors that ripples lengthily through the finish, while light verbena, ginger and honeysuckle notes dart around. A long green tea echo runs through the finish. Shows terrific range and purity, with the sweetness easily harnessed for balance. Best from 2019 through 2040.”
Only 12 bottles available!
Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont Premiere Trie Moelleux, Loire 2017 750ML ($69.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 97 points “This sports a flamboyant edge, with apple crumble, ginger cream, quince paste, green tea and honeysuckle notes forming a wide panoply of aromas and flavors, while sweet and racy accents contrast, creating a lengthy finish where everything hangs in harmony. A stunning show of fruit and precision. Drink now through 2040.”
The average price is $66
Just head to our website or check out the full list below!
