Mid-Week Newsletter 6-10-2020

In Today’s Newsletter:

2017 Spottswoode

A Last Chance Restock!
Crushable White from Cameron Winery


White Rose Estate:
New Library Bottlings In Stock Now


Chateau de Rouanne:
Cool Pricing on a Hot Rhone Wine

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2017 Spottswoode

Spottswoode makes some of the most iconic wines in Napa from their beautiful estate vineyard. Their wines have been some of the most collectable, age-worthy wines in Napa since the 80’s and are sold almost exclusively to their mailing list. The wines easily compete with cult bottlings twice their price and are worth the trouble we have to go through to secure even these modest allocations—these are stunning bottles.

Arriving in July:

Spottswoode Family Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena 2017 750ML ($289.95) $225 pre-arrival special, only 24 bottles available!
Lisa Perrotti-Brown – Wine Advocate 97+ points
“Made of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple in color and prances out of the glass with vivacious blackberries, crushed black cherries, warm black currants and red currant jelly scents plus exotic hints of cassia, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise with a waft of underbrush. Medium-bodied, the palate has fantastic energy and beautiful poise, with bags of bright, crunchy black and red fruit plus a firm, fine-grained texture, finishing long and spicy.”
Antonio Galloni 96 points “Spottswoode’s 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon has been simply tremendous on both occasions I have tasted it so far. Sweet red cherry, red plum, flowers and mint give the 2017 striking freshness to complement its decidedly mid-weight structure. The intense heat of the vintage caused ripening to slow down and yielded a wine with just 13.7% alcohol, which is low for both the estate and Napa Valley in general. Spottswoode was one of the first estates in the valley to adopt a more moderate approach to farming and that really paid off in 2017, as a wine of this level in that year could have only resulted from impeccable farming. In a word: magnificent!”
James Suckling 96 points “A soft, velvety red with dark-berry, blackcurrant and plum aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, creamy and delicious. Pretty tension of fruit and tannins. Very refined. 89% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. Drink or hold.”
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points “Looking at the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, which was bottled two months prior to my tasting, it too has a Château Margaux-like complexity and elegance, with beautiful notes of crème de cassis, sandalwood, dried flowers, tobacco leaf, and lead pencil. Harvested all pre-fire, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, silky tannins, and remarkable purity, all making for a quintessential Spottswoode that’s going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for 20+ years.”

Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon, St Helena 2017 750ML ($89.95) $79 pre-arrival special, only 36 bottles available!
James Suckling 93 points
“Lots of blueberry and chocolate aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, round and soft tannins and a flavorful finish. 84% cabernet sauvignon and 10% merlot with cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. Drink or hold.”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown – Wine Advocate 92+ points “The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst is blended of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it offers soft spoken notes of dried lavender, wild blueberries, fresh black currants and kirsch plus hints of dried herbs, unsmoked cigars and spice cake. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness to support the muscular, beautifully retrained flavors, finishing on a lingering earthy note.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $84

In Stock Now:

Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, Napa County – Sonoma County 2018 750ML ($49.95) $39 special, 31 bottles in stock now
Lisa Perrotti-Brown – Wine Advocate 94 points
“The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc bursts from the glass with notes of lemon tart, key lime pie and orange blossoms with nuances of acacia honey, baking bread, fresh grapefruit and crushed stones. Medium-bodied, the palate has fantastically intense citrus and mineral notes, framed by great freshness and a silken texture, finishing very long and perfumed.”
Wine Spectator 92 points “Lemon meringue, spice and grapefruit flavors reveal whiffs of lanolin and spice lingering in the background, as well candied ginger and floral details. Balances focus and intensity, with a light body and fresh, juicy acidity. Drink now. 3,754 cases made.”

Spottswoode Family Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena 2015 750ML ($249.95) $225 special, 10 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 100 points
“Composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the deep purple-black colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon has a beautiful nose of dried roses, lavender and Chinese five spice over a core of warm blackcurrants, kirsch and wild blueberries, plus wafts of fallen leaves and dusty earth. The medium to full-bodied palate features the most amazing intensity of perfumed red, black and blue fruit flavors supported by exquisitely fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. Truly stunning.”
Jeb Dunnuck 99 points “A more exuberant, sexy wine than the 2014, yet still in the house style emphasizing elegance and purity, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate knocks it out of the park with its huge nose of crème de cassis, plums, Asian spices, scorched earth, tobacco leaf and graphite. This flows to a full-bodied, opulent, incredibly concentrated wine reminiscent of the 2013 on steroids. Full-bodied, with building tannin, integrated acidity, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish, this is a tour de force in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the greats. It has three to four decades of life ahead of it.”
Antonio Galloni 96+ points “The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon possesses off the charts ripeness as well as a level of exoticism that recalls the 2010. An infusion of dark red cherry, plum, white flowers, leather, tobacco and menthol accompany this super-expressive, sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon. Violet, licorice and a host of spiced nuances develop with time in the glass. In 2015, Spottswoode’s Cabernet is decidedly luscious and flamboyant, but I would give it a few years to shed some baby fat. There is plenty to look forward to.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Spottswoode Family Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena 2014 750ML ($199.95) $169 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Robert Parker 96+ points
“This first-growth estate in St. Helena has produced a 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon that is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. It is certainly one of the wines of the vintage. Gorgeously opaque purple, it offers up notes of spring flowers, blueberries, blackcurrants, some baking spice and graphite. It is full-bodied, concentrated and rich, with layers of fruit. The wine builds and builds on the palate, with a great finish of 45+ seconds. This is a sensational 2014 to drink over the next 20+ years.”
Antonio Galloni 96 points “Spottswoode 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is striking. Black cherry, plum, graphite, spice and menthol are some of the signatures. Intensely mineral and savory, the 2014 comes across as a slightly restrained version of the 2013. The flavor and tannin profiles are both quite similar, but the 2014 is a bit smaller-scaled in all of its dimensions. That is not a bad thing, as the 2014 will be ready to drink sooner. This is an impressive showing.”
James Suckling 96 points “Amazing burnt-orange and currant aromas with tar and lead pencil. Blackberries, too. Changes all the time. Mesmerizing. Full-bodied and powerful with super-polished tannins and a long and intense finish. The polished and fine tannins coat your mouth. Glorious. Needs three to four years to soften.”

Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon, St Helena 2016 750ML ($99.95) $79 special, 22 bottles in stock now
Wine Enthusiast 95 points
“EDITOR’S CHOICE. This wine continues to overdeliver on its price point, offering elegant yet powerful aromas of fig, forest floor and earth. Firm tannins offer grip around flavors of black currant, sage, cedar and flint, with spicy clove lingering on the finish.”
James Suckling 94 points “Attractive, fresh, violet-like flowers, roasting herbs and cassis, leading to a medium-to full-bodied palate that has a smoothly succulent resolve at the plum-soaked, velvety finish. A blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon with touches of petit verdot, merlot, petite sirah and cabernet franc and a dash of malbec. Drink or hold.”

Love Cali Cabs?

Don’t miss your chance to stock up on the latest releases from Dominus, Eisele, Marietta Cellars & more on our web store!
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Last Chance Restock!

Crushable White from Cameron Winery
 
We secured the final allocation of this crushable white from John Paul. It’s the perfect picnic wine for this time of year!

Cameron Winery ‘Giovanni’ Pinot Bianco, Willamette Valley 2019 750ML ($21.95) $17.70 special, 36+ bottles in stock… for now!
Winery Note
“The Italian side of our clan (the Cameronis) also influences part of our white wine program. In this case the wines of Friuli and Alto Adige offer a model that works exquisitely with much of our fruit. The Pinot Bianco (given the nomer “Giovanni”) is fermented in stainless steel, typically in 3 different lots with appropriate aromatic yeasts, and bottled in its exuberant youth in the early Spring.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

We offer 15 wines from Cameron Winery in stock now.

Shop the entire collection on our web store now!
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

White Rose Estate:

New Library Bottlings In Stock Now


Our Great Oregon Library Exploration continues with select bottlings from White Rose Estate. Specializing in producing high quality, limited release runs of Pinot highlighting whole cluster fermentation, these are always highly sought after and gorgeously expressive wines of elegance. The White Rose Vineyard in the Dundee Hills AVA was originally planted to own-rooted Pommard clones in the late 70s and early 80s. Owner Greg Sanders has since expanded his holdings and developed partnerships with other quality-minded vineyards to produce single-vineyard bottlings from Anderson Family Vineyard and Guillen Vineyard, two notable, dry-farmed sites.

It’s impossible to mention White Rose Estate without noting Sanders’ unique winemaking philosophy: the “Neo-Classical Objective.” In short, his goal is to produce a classical, age-worthy presentation of Pinot Noir, and does so with old vines, careful monitoring of tannins, and exacting picking to harvest grapes at the perfect maturity for long-term aging. The downside to this focus on ageability? Well, modern wine buyers don’t always have the patience to cellar these beauties until they reach their full potential. Fortunately for you, we’ve secured an extensive selection of perfectly cellared wines from 2009 – 2015. As with our Ayoub offering from yesterday, we only have limited bottles of each of the cuvees and vintages on offer. So don’t wait!

“The objective of our winemaking is to present the terroir of our vineyards in a pure, focused style, enabling an expression of elegance and clarity that only great vineyards can achieve. Aromatic complexity and depth of flavors that demonstrate varietal typicality are the fundamental goals for all our wines.” –Winemaker’s note

Highlights In Stock Now from White Rose Estate:

White Rose Estate Anderson Family Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2015 750ML ($119.95) $99 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 93 points
“(40 percent new oak) Vivid red. Highly perfumed aromas of red fruit liqueur, cherry cola, musky flowers and Asian spices, along with a smoky mineral overtone. Energetic and graceful in style, offering sweet, mineral-laced raspberry, dried cherry, rose pastille and spicecake flavors that spread out steadily with air. Conveys a suave blend of power and finesse and finishes very long, displaying harmonious tannins, outstanding clarity and lingering spiciness.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

White Rose Estate Anderson Family Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2011 750ML ($119.95) $99 special, 2 bottles in stock now
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 92 points
“Bright red. High-pitched aromas of red berries, Asian spices, potpourri and white pepper. Fresh and incisive on the palate, offering tangy raspberry and strawberry flavors and complicating notes of spicecake and candied rose. Bright, sharply focused with excellent finishing clarity and spicy persistence.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

White Rose Estate Guillen Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2015 750ML ($99.95) $89 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 94 points
“Brilliant red. Pure, highly expressive aromas of ripe red berries, potpourri, cinnamon and candied rose. Juicy, spicy and seamless in texture, offering sexy raspberry and cherry preserve and spicecake flavors highlighted by a jolt of smoky minerality. Intensely flavored and light on its feet. The impressively long, perfumed finish delivers firm mineral cut, resonating florality and outstanding clarity.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

White Rose Estate Guillen Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2013 750ML ($99.95) $89 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 93 points
“Dark, bright red. Suave, highly perfumed nose offers intense scents of raspberry liqueur, cola and five-spice powder, along with a sexy floral overtone. Sweet, concentrated red fruit and floral pastille flavors are underscored by suggestions of anise and spicecake. At once powerful and graceful, finishing with superb focus and length and silky-yet-gripping tannins.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

White Rose Estate White Rose Vineyard “Hand Select” Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2010 750ML ($79.95) $59 special, 1 bottle in stock now
Winemaker’s note
“The “Hand Select” project started in 2005 and spawned from the idea that there are certain vines within our vineyard that produce wines with more vibrant flavor and depth. We decided to mark these vines based on our sensory evaluation in the vineyard, then harvest and ferment them separately to produce a wine that offers the best expression of our site.  Not only has this project resulted in great wines, it also gives us direction when we choose to propagate and plant new vineyards.  We take cuttings from these “Hand Selected” vines to plant our new vineyards, theoretically creating new vineyard sites from only the best plant material within our vineyard.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

White Rose Estate White Rose Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2015 750ML ($149.95) $119 special, 2 bottles in stock now
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 95 points
“Limpid red. Sexy, highly fragrant aromas of red fruit liqueur, Asian spices, incense and minerals, plus cola and floral pastille nuances. Palate-staining yet lithe, alluringly sweet raspberry, cherry pie and floral pastille flavors are energized by blood orange and smoky mineral flourishes. Fine-grained tannins lend shape and gentle grip to the impressively pure and focused finish, which displays excellent clarity and insistent cinnamon and floral pastille qualities.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $125

White Rose Estate White Rose Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2012 750ML ($149.95) $119 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 93 points
“Vivid ruby-red. Potent mineral- and spice-accented scents of candied red fruits, Asian spices and potpourri, with a deeper licorice nuance in the background. Vibrant red and dark berry flavors show liqueur-like power without any excess weight. Spicy, incisive pinot with serious finishing thrust, silky tannins and a suave floral pastille quality that clings on the finish.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

White Rose Estate White Rose Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2011 750ML ($149.95) $119 special, 4 bottles in stock now
White Rose Estate White Rose Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2011 1.5L ($279.95) $219 special, 1 magnum in stock now
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 92 points
“Light red. High-pitched scents of red berries, blood orange and dried flowers, with an exotic patchouli nuance that gains power with air; smells like a Phish or Widespread Panic concert, without the gnarly human aromatics. Light-bodied, sharply focused redcurrant and bitter cherry flavors show excellent intensity and pick up a smoky nuance with air. Closes sweet and long, with a jolt of star anise and silky, gently gripping tannins.”
David Schildknecht-Wine Advocate 92 points “Leather, black tea, tobacco, resinous herbs and roasted red meats vie for attention with cherry, red raspberry, and their distilled counterparts in the complex nose of White Rose’s 2011 Pinot Noir White Rose Vineyard, putting me somewhat in mind of a Syrah steeped in southern French garrigue. Crunchy and pit-tinged red berries are joined by tart rhubarb on the firm but glycerol-slicked palate, while the smoky and resinous notes concentrate into a mouthwatering and invigorating finishing savor. Here is a fine example of the sheer energy as well as some of the levity that typifies vintage 2011 Willamette Pinots, not to mention of Sanders’ “neo-classical” ideal. I am sure it will be well worth following through 2020 and hopefully (not to mention if its author is right!) for quite some time thereafter.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

White Rose Estate Winemaker’s Cuvee Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2014 750ML ($99.95) $89 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 94 points
“(92 percent whole clusters) Brilliant red. An exotic, highly expressive bouquet evokes red and dark berry liqueur, Asian spices and smoky minerals, along with a suave floral pastille overtone. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering sappy red and dark berry and spicecake flavors given lift and spine by juicy acidity. Distinctly elegant but in no way lacking in depth, this seamless Pinot finishes extremely long and spicy, delivering silky tannins that fold smoothly into the vibrant fruit.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

White Rose Estate Winemaker’s Cuvee Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2012 750ML ($99.95) $89 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 94 points
“Bright ruby-red. Pungent aromas of redcurrant, cherry skin, sassafras and potpourri, with a high-pitched, spicy quality adding vibrancy. Energetic red fruit flavors show a sexy, liqueur-like quality, with complicating notes of blood orange, rose and smoky minerals. Silky, seamless and sweet, finishing with excellent clarity and harmonious tannins. This extremely elegant pinot boasts a compelling blend of richness and energy, and the structure to age.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
 
Shop all 24 White Rose Estate bottlings in stock now on our web store!

Arriving Friday from White Rose Estate

White Rose Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015 750ML ($39.95) $28 pre-arrival special
Case- 6 White Rose Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015 750ML ($219.95) $159 pre-arrival special (that’s only $26.50/bottle!)
Case-12 White Rose Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015 750ML ($399.95) $299 pre-arrival special (that’s only $24.92/bottle!)
Wine Spectator 91 points
“Expressive violet and cherry aromas open to well-structured red plum, clove and savory tea flavors that finish with refined tannins. Drink now through 2024. 525 cases made.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $33.75

We offer 147 Pinot Noirs in stock now from the Willamette Valley,
including exclusive deals from Sequitur & Goodfellow 
and recent Eric Asimov/NYT picks like Crowley & Eyrie.
Shop our selection on our web store!
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cool Pricing on a Hot Rhone Wine

Chateau de Rouanne is a new project from the team at Saint Cosme, located in Vinsobres, in the northern part of the southern Rhone.  While Saint Cosme had been buying grapes from Rouanne for years, they recently bought the entire property and the 2018 is the inaugural vintage under the Chateau de Rouanne label.  Jeb Dunnuck just reviewed the new (first) release and concludes it’s a winner—exactly what we thought when we tasted it the first time.

Saint Cosme is probably our top selling producer, year in and out.  We carry a variety of their wines, from their single vineyard, estate grown Gigondas to their excellent value negociant bottlings from the Northern Rhone.  When we heard they had purchased a historic estate in Vinsobres, we had high hopes—and the wine lives up.

Chateau de Rouanne dates back to Roman times, with limestone and sandy marl soils planted to a massale selection of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre.  Vinsobres is pretty far north for the Southern Rhone and reminds us of where Gigondas was 10-15 years ago, both in terms of pricing and climate.  In Saint Cosme’s hands, that’s a very, very good thing, as we think you’ll see.  At $28, this was a fantastic buy.  At $24? Well, this is going to distort our perception of value in the Southern Rhone.

In Stock Now:

Chateau de Rouanne, Vinsobres 2018 750ML ($31.95) Was $28, Now $24 Subscriber Special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Decanter 90 points
“There’s some interest here – it’s just a touch rustic perhaps from the ample use of stems, the tannins are a little fibrous and grainy. A good intensity of fruit however, bright, juicy and fresh. Tannins are pretty fierce, so give it a year or two to settle. There’s a whiff of Provençale herbs and oregano with a saline finish. Alcohol is high, but overall the effect is balanced. A solid start. In organic conversion, old vines on limestone marls. The first vintage since this estate was bought by Louis Barruol of Château de Saint-Cosme.”
Jeb Dunnuck 90 points “The 2018 Vinsobres comes from an estate owned by Louis Barruol (of Château Saint Cosme in Gigondas) and checks in as a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre, all from a single parcel just outside the village of Vinsobres. Revealing a deep purple, translucent hue as well as lots of mulberry and black raspberry fruit interwoven with notes of ground pepper, violets, and game, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a rounded, supple, elegant texture, notable purity, and outstanding length. Seeming to have one foot in the Northern Rhône with its gamey, violet characteristics and one foot in the south with its richness and opulence on the palate, it’s a terrific, noteworthy Vinsobres to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years.”

We offer 33 wines from Saint Cosme in stock now and arriving in July.

Shop the entire collection on our web store now!
 
 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vinopolis is an independent wine shop in Portland that opened in 2004. Our goal has always been to offer the finest, broadest, and largest selection of wines at the best prices to our customers in Portland, in Oregon, across the West Coast, and throughout the United States. Thank you for reading and for continuing to support our team.



Stay safe, be well, & drink well.