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2018 Terry Theise Austrian Wines:
Gobelsburg, Ott and Alzinger
A Trove of Rougeard with Perfect Provenance
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2018 Terry Theise Austrian Wines
All Wines ETA December:
Schloss Gobelsburg Lamm Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal 2018 750ML ($69.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “Lamm as a rule is buckwheat-y, rusky, savory but not thick, like a vegetable-veal stock with barley, yet oddly also like lamb itself. (“Lamm” doesn’t mean lamb, but is rather a dialect word for “loam.”) It is a great wine though virtually without fruit per se. Its poise of gloss and power, intensity and outline, mass and transparency are emblems of the paradox without which no wine is truly great. If Renner commences the birds to sing, Lamm commences the wolves to howl. This `18 has its customary virtues though it also suggests alcohol could be an issue. Is it eucalyptus spice or jalapeño heat? I liked it better in a moderate-sized tulip, unusually, where it was almost elegant and certainly showed more fruit.”
Terry Theise note “The vineyard lies at the foot of the Gaisberg, on eroded gneiss with a lot of paragneiss, mica and amphibolite, all under a blanket of loess. Its wines are as good as the Lamm, which is a warmer site giving wines of greater amplitude and stature. Yet Renner’s quality of flavor and complexity of nuance are incomparable, and I often have it next to the Lamm just to make sure I’m not being diddled by my subjective preference for minerality. I’m not. In fact the stellar quality of these wines over the past bunch of years has given them a reputation above their “station,” as Michi himself has noticed. No question Lamm is more formidable, but no question Renner is more complex. The `18 is one of the splendors of the vintage, and a superb GV that’s quickly becoming my very favorite; it has the creaminess of “important” GV but also the detail of pixilated nuance of Riesling, and a sheer beauty of fruit that really doesn’t alight on GV per se. It reminds me most, perhaps, of Rougeard Chenin in its strange capacity to offer density, clarity and an obscure and mysterious richness.”
Terry Theise note “What used to be a radish nettle-y sort of wine has crossed the rubicon as the vineyard got older, and is now more yellow than green, a GV with twinges of hyssop and mints and radishes, but it moves ever closer to Renner in its mirabelles and salts and physio sweetness. The site’s on a plateau on alluvial soil dragged down and deposited by the Danube when it retreated and left a sort of “beach” of big rocks. It also introduces a labeling concept whereby the site name is by itself on the front label, with the grape variety on the back. We’re describing it as we always have, and you won’t confuse it for Riesling (or anything else) because the vineyards don’t overlap; it’s only GV from here, from Renner, Grub and Lamm. And it’s only Riesling from Gaisberg and Heiligenstein.”
Terry Theise note “I remember when Meursault smelled like this. Our `17 is not one of the more prayerful Traditions; it’s more savory. It’s really great cooking smells coming from the kitchen; it’s irresistibly salty and as crisp as barley-rye crackers. It’s a fine, strong, generous gentleman.”
Terry Theise note “A zippy version of a wine that’s always too good, perilously good; classy texture of torn silk, a finish of mizuna.”
Schloss Gobelsburg Gaisberg Riesling, Kamptal 2018 750ML ($47.95) $39 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “Gaisberg for me is always a moonlight wine, as if somehow the grapes ripened at night when the moon is waxing. Its manifest complexity is sometimes behind a veil. It takes at least 5 years to reveal itself. Accordingly I suspect it’s underrated since we’re always tasting it so young. And Michi makes no concession to “presentability;” the wine is the wine, and this `18 is dark, coniferous and spicy, even shoot-smoky; the salt and blueberry emerge in the tulip glass and with air—a lot of air—the conversation of flavors emerges. But these cards are held close.”
Terry Theise note “Right now this is vivid on its lime and smoke sides, with the tropical fruits and spices still in bud; lots of fir and balsam and the sweet kelp of (an Oolong tea called) Fu Shou Shan. Already superb, it needs just one more note in the chord to be truly great.”
Terry Theise note “Look, this is just heart-rendingly beautiful. The chiseled piquancy emerging from its stately beauty is hardly of-this-world. If you sometimes wonder “Have I forgotten how to love?” take a sip, and watch those old hidden lights come on.”
Weingut Bernhard Ott Rosenberg Gruner Veltliner, Wagram 2018 750ML ($79.95) $66 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “ROSENBERG – among Austria’s few greatest GV icons, this is the best young vintage I’ve ever tasted. Often I’ve found this wine inscrutable, at least in its infancy, but this `18 is blazing and clearly in its own class. Intensely coniferous and herbal, but also regal with a refined green “sweetness”, with spice and mineral as expressive nuances. A smiling, stirring monument not just of GV but of the entire culture of wine.”
Terry Theise note “SPIEGEL – the high-elevation and loess-over-gneiss (among other elements) give this wine a minty lift I adore in hot years. In `18 we have us an Altoid of GV; mint, orchid and lemon grass lead into a giddy spazzy wine playing notes that only dogs can hear, with flavors that could shatter glass. Yet it’s not brash or gaudy, just a quivering GV at its radishy spearminty best.”
Terry Theise note “STEIN – loess over gneiss again but in this case it’s the gneiss that shows, and the wine would fit neatly into a group of Kamptal Grand Crus. Does fit! This `18 is erogenously mineral almost to a point of sourness on the finish. A smaller glass suppresses the brilliant aromas but the palate is juicier and more coherent and the finish is “merely” mineral. In any case it’s a mineral monster of primordial salts.”
Terry Theise note “In essence this is the runoff from the Grand Crus and as such I love and appreciate it, and y’all seem to prefer to trade up to the sexier Crus. Yet for me this wine offers 98% of what I love about those Crus, and the “loss” of 2% of power is compensated by a gain in both drinkability and affordability. Sorrel and matja now, showing the herbal “sweetness” of its primary-rock component; it’s stylish and satisfying, serious but not brooding.”
Terry Theise note “The first of the `18 surprises; whereas this wine usually indicates a tangible leap ahead of Am Berg, in `18 this is less overt; the wine is saltier but not so much richer as denser, like the stock after an extra few hours on the stove; fennel, legume, collagen— an inferential GV.”
Terry Theise note “The entry to GV is an analog wine, all middle and umami, but in `18 it’s a super-expressive middle, along lines of Hiedler’s “Loess” though more solid and stern. For an everyday wine it’s more generally vinous than specifically varietal.”
Weingut Leo Alzinger Durnstein Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, Wachau 2018 750ML ($34.95) $28 pre-arrival special
Terry Theise note “This is the best Federspiel wine I’ve ever tasted, and was a candidate for wine-of-the-vintage. Honestly, it’s fabulous; one of those 3-class upgrades you sometimes get in `18 with the “small” wines. Only the best Hirtzberger Federspiels have ever shown this class and beauty of fruit. Every one of GVs prettiest and most winsome flavors is here.”
Terry Theise note “Super high-toned and tarragon-like; juniper and Dragonwell; markedly cool, quivering, wintergreeny. There’s a quickening here, a rush of Spring melt and the new cress by the water, piercing and yet comforting, the ice cold water will gurgle and pool and splish again and the cress will be green and sweet—but back to the matter at hand; this is fiendishly long, and masterly.”
Terry Theise note “How inconvenient that my usual-favorite of Alzinger’s Rieslings is the one they barely make. It’s a tiny plot and they get “around 800 bottles” in a good year. Yes—bottles. All I can say, after all these years, is—from this tiny place comes one of the earth’s great wines, the terminus of every great facet of Wachau Riesling, the herbs from this, the peaches and plums from that, the mangoes from another, the smoke from yet another—all there. This `18 has its spells and angles and salts and roasts and smokes and incenses. But my shaman-riesling is still waking up from his psilocybin dream. Patience….”
Terry Theise note “Essentially the lower slopes of Höhereck (and Kellerberg, obliquely) it usually gives the most stone-fruit driven among these Rieslings, appealing but not always complex. But wow, this `18. It’s a fluid dream of blossoming apricot trees; lapidary, as if it were fined with oxytocin. Sink safely into the flowering world, the bed is made of petals, and the evening birds will sing you to sleep. It’s a wine of delicious limbs, and a bed that was never so sweet.”
A Trove of Rougeard
With Perfect Provenance
This is like winning a vinous lottery (if winning the lottery were a result of hard work and careful sourcing). These wines are directly from the cellar of the importer/distributor for these bottles. All were bought on release and carefully stored until now—it’s hard to imagine a better source for these outside of buying directly from the cellar of the estate (and good luck with that). We’re able to offer you excellent pricing as well, as most of these wines are either national wine-searcher lows or very close—and no one else has the sort of sourcing we do. Feel free to call or email or, as always, you can view and buy the wines in our webstore.
In Stock Now:
Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas, Rhone 2016 750ML ($31.95) $26 special
Jeb Dunnuck 92 points “Leading off the wines from bottle, the 2016 Gigondas is a classic wine from this estate, offering a deeper ruby/purple color as well as tons of garrigue, peppery spice, and earth intermixed with ample red and black fruits. Polished, rounded and sexy, with sweet tannin, it has a modern style that won’t appeal to traditionalists yet is beautifully done. The blend is 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and the rest Cinsault.”
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 92 points “Vivid ruby-red. Lively, expansive red berry, floral pastille and white pepper scents, along with suggestions of garrigue and smoky minerals. Sweet, focused and seamless in the mouth, offering juicy raspberry, spicecake and lavender flavors that deepen steadily on the back half. Clings with very good authority on the gently tannic finish and leaves succulent floral and herb notes behind.”
Joe Czerwinski-Wine Advocate 92 points “Hints of garrigue accent raspberries and Rainier cherries in the 2016 Gigondas. This blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault is full-bodied and supple, with no hard edges, just lovely fruit. Long, seamless and delicious for drinking over the next 6-7 years, it’s a terrific introduction to the fruit-forward style at this estate. Tasted twice with consistent notes.”
Chateau du Mourre du Tendre Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tres Vieilles Vignes, Rhone 2015 750ML ($79.95) $59 special
Importer Note “Château Mourre du Tendre tends 3ha of vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the lieu-dits of Le Crau, La Guigasse and Saintes-Vierges – all sandy terroirs. While primarily Grenache, planted in 1929 and 1945, there is a small portion of Mourvedre that Jacques Paumel added in 1967 to compliment the final blend. Spending at least 3 years in concrete tanks and foudre before release, it perhaps answers the question, what would Roberto Conterno do if he owned a vineyard in Châteauneuf-du-Pape? …Farming at Mourre du Tendre is minimalist and traditional. Everything is done by hand and the family has never used pesticides in their vineyards. The harvest is conducted in several passes and the grapes are carefully sorted when they reach the cellar. The Paumel family makes powerful and traditional wines and the fruit is not destemmed, fermentations occur spontaneously after a short semi-carbonic maceration, and the elevage is quite long – averaging about three years in a combination of concrete tanks and foudre. The resulting wines are charming, bold and structured with much more in common with Barolo and Barbaresco than most anything else you will find in the region. Needless to say they age beautifully and gracefully, even the Côtes-du-Rhône. Sadly we only receive tiny quantities.”
Casa Castillo Monastrell, Jumilla 2017 750ML ($17.95) $14 special
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2017 Monastrell has some 12% Garnacha, and in 2018, it will probably have almost 20% Garnacha; at that point, they will remove the Monastrell name from the label and sell the wine as Casa Castillo, with no varietal mentioned. They have decided that the blend of Monastrell with Garnacha makes sense, so they’s been increasing the percentage of Garnacha in their vineyards and reducing the Syrah, a variety they think makes less sense on their property. This has notes of fresh fruit with a spicy touch and is quite pure, not reflecting heat at all. The palate is juicy, vibrant and tasty, with super fine tannins and a spicy finish. A blend of 20-something plots, this wine reflects the general character of the estate. It has 15% alcohol, reflecting the natural conditions, but with an incredible balance that makes the alcohol feel perfectly integrated. A true bargain in its finest vintage to date. They produced around 186,000 bottles of this wine. The same blend is bottled throughout the year. What I tasted was bottled in January 2019.”
Jeb Dunnuck 91 points “Another smoking value brought in by Eric Solomon, the 2017 Monastrell (there’s 12% Grenache) is a rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured effort that offers a Bandol-like character in its blue fruits, ground pepper, violets, and chocolate aromas and flavors. Aged 10-12 months all in larger foudre, it a ripe, sexy, balanced effort that knocks it out of the park on the value scale. Drink it over the coming 3-4 years.”
Savart L’Accomplie Premier Cru Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($69.95) $55 special
Case-6 Savart L’Accomplie Premier Cru Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($379.95) $309 special (that’s only $51.50/bottle!)
Savart L’Accomplie Premier Cru Brut, Champagne NV 1.5L ($149.95) $119 special
Disgorged October 2018. Blend is 50% 2016 and 50% 2015.
Antonio Galloni 92 points “The NV L’Accomplie is a blend of equal parts 2016 of 2015 vintages. Dried apricot, pear, dried flowers and chamomile are some of the notes that grace this mid-weight, sublime, totally refined entry-level Champagne from Fred Savart. All the elements are impeccably balanced in this sublime, refined Champagne. L’Accomplie is 80% Pinot and 20% Chardonnay from Ecueil and Villers-aux-Noeuds. Dosage is 5 grams per liter.” [Review is for November 2017 disgorgement in 750ml]
This is the lowest listed price for a magnum in the USA today!
F.X. Pichler Durnsteiner Liebenberg Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau 2015 750ML ($69.95) $48 special
Wine Advocate 93-94 points “The 2015 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Dürnsteiner Liebenberg comes from 70- to 80-year-old vines on a rare calcareous slate soil. The wine displays a very clear and pure, pretty open and lovely spicy, crystalline and flinty bouquet with ripe pip fruit aromas. Very distinguished and rather coolish in its expression. Full-bodied, round and elegant, with tension, salt and grip in the finish, this is a charmingly ripe and juicy but also challenging mineral and piquant Veltliner from one of the most exciting terroirs. The finish is powerful and complex but also fresh and stimulatingly piquant. Pichler has bottled this wine since 2010.”
Daniel Bouland Morgon Bellevue ‘Schiste’, Beaujolais 2017 750ML ($34.95) $27 special
Jeb Dunnuck 93 points “The 2017 Morgon Schiste Bellevue is a brilliant Beaujolais and certainly worth seeking out. Loads of minerality, as well as ripe dark fruit fruits, give way to a medium-bodied, silky 2017 that has high yet integrated acidity, plenty of tannins, and superb overall balance. There’s no harm in drinking bottles today, but I suspect this cuvée will still be going strong in 10-15 years.”
Wine Advocate 92 points “Rich aromas of raspberries and cherries introduce the 2017 Morgon Bellevue, a full-bodied, velvety but reserved wine with a deep, layered mid-palate, superb concentration and juicy acids. After the expressive Chiroubles and Côte de Brouilly, the Bellevue is a little more closed after its recent bottling, but it will be superb in the fullness of time.”
What a steal of an aged sherry.
Valdespino Don Gonzalo Oloroso Viejo VOS Sherry, Andalucia, 375ML ($26.95) $19.90 special
Wine Advocate 95 points “The NV Don Gonzalo Oloroso 20 Anos VOS, produced with Palomino grapes from the Carrascal vineyards, is fermented in stainless steel and aged for over 20 years in oak botas. It is a very serious Oloroso, even if it’s not totally dry. It offers bitter almonds, hazelnuts, incense, Cuban cigar ash, and dark chocolate as well as a complex, a very intense, round and ample palate. This wine really fills your mouth. Very intense and with great acidity, it represents very good value for the quality it delivers. A tamed beast. Drink 2013-2019.” WA
(Chetillons, Oubliee and More!)
“This is the guy to catch right now in the Côtes. I can’t remember a more consistently galvanic and scintillating collection, and if you already thought Péters was outstanding, you’d better buy the air-rights for your palate, because it’s about to soar up to the sky. I think there’s a harmonic convergence going on now, having to do with an alignment among several excellent vintages, Rodolphe Péters’ consolidation of his regime, and some other imponderable thing. After many years doing this “wine” thing, you know when someone’s in the zone, just like you know it with a musician or an athlete. Péters is showing a virtuosity that only looks easy, but that actually arises out of years of smart hard effort.
“There are a lot of good growers in Mesnil, among whom Péters is—at the very least—first among equals. His wines are firm and starched and profoundly vinous. They aren’t soft or fluffy. They’re Champagnes for people who love wine”– Terry Theise
Arriving ETA Late September
Pierre Peters Cuvee Speciale ‘Les Chetillons’ Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Champagne 2012 750ML ($149.95) $136 pre-arrival special
Antonio Galloni 97 points “The 2012 Blanc de Blancs Les Chétillons is fabulous. Rich and explosive in the glass, the 2012 has all of the intensity of a ripe year, but without the more tropical leanings of vintages like 2002. What comes through most is the raw intensity of a year in which yields were reduced sharply by frost. The 2012 Chétillons is going to need at least a few years to come into its own, but it is brilliant even in the early going. Hints of lemon confit, white flowers mint and chalk develop with air, but it is the interplay of 2012 richness and Le Mesnil tension that makes for an utterly compelling, vivid Champagne of the highest level. This is a hugely promising wine. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: November, 2018.”
Pierre Peters ‘Reserve Oubliee’ Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne (’13) NV 750ML ($149.95) $119 pre-arrival special
Antonio Galloni 94 points “The NV Réserve Oubliée (2013 base) is the finest edition of this wine yet. Airy, weightless and gracious, but with plenty of depth, the Réserve Oubliée is absolutely fabulous. A range of floral, savory and citrus nuances emerge from a Champagne endowed with tremendous class and personality. As a reminder, the Réserve Oubliée is the same base wine as the Cuvée de Réserve, but aged an extra year on the lees and bottled under cork rather than crown seal. Disgorged: November, 2018.”
Pierre Peters Millesime Bdb L’esprit De 2014, Champagne 750ML ($99.95) $89 pre-arrival special
Antonio Galloni 91 points “The 2014 Brut Blanc de Blancs L’Esprit is brilliant. Tense and finely cut, the 2014 marks a return to a more chiseled, taut expression of Chardonnay. There is much to admire in the 2014, a wine that delivers tons of precision and energy, with more than enough mid-palate richness to avoid the youthful austerity that is sometimes found in this wine. The brisk, finely-cut finish adds to the wine’s considerable appeal. Dosage is 4.5 grams per liter.”
Pierre Peters Cuvee Rose for Albane Brut, Champagne (2016) NV 750ML ($99.95) $89 pre-arrival special
(2016 base)
In addition to some fantastic wines that are currently in stock, we’ve just secured stocks of the new “Marie Magdala” rose, made from the highest altitude vineyards the estate owns on the cliffs overlooking the bay of Cassis. We’re also getting in the new vintage of their top white, the “Bel-Arme” blanc—a wine that combines the richness of the Rhone with the brightness of the Mediterranean sea. We’d recommend stocking up on these now so you can make sure to have enough of these when they arrive.
Arriving ETA September:
Clos Ste Magdeleine Bouches Du Rhone Rose “Marie De Magdala,” Provence 2018 750ML ($47.95) $39 pre-arrival special
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 93 points “Shimmering salmon skin. Displays vibrant, mineral-accented red berry and blood orange scents, along with a sexy floral overtone that gains strength with air. Juicy and sharply focused on the palate, offering intense red currant, strawberry, orange peel and lavender flavors that deftly combine power and delicacy. Finishes with sharp delineation and superb, mineral-driven persistence, leaving a sexy floral note behind.”
Kermit Lynch Note “This is a 100% Grenache rosé—the only such rosé we import—from some of Clos Sainte Magdeleine’s highest-altitude vines. Notes of peaches, sea spray, and strawberries come together in a gorgeously balanced, medium-bodied wine that you will want to drink all year.”
Kermit Lynch Note “I haven’t experienced deep winter on the Mediterranean coast, but if I had to guess, I imagine it’s similar to what we experience here in Berkeley—clear blue skies and brisk air, some rain and fog, and the occasional frost or dusting of snow on the coast mountain peaks. (I can imagine eyes rolling in the Midwest and Northeast.) Due to an extended aging on the lees, the Bel-Arme has the added depth and roundness for a bracing winter day. With a touch of creaminess following the crisp stone fruit, it’s a Mediterranean white in a cashmere sweater. – Dustin Soiseth”
Clos Ste Magdeleine Cotes Du Provence Rose, Provence 2018 750ML ($27.95) $21.90 pre-arrival special
Clos Sainte Magdeleine Cassis Blanc ‘Bel-Arme’, Provence 2016 750ML ($51.95) $39 special
Kermit Lynch Note “Vines planted on the terraced slope, below the Cap Canaille / All grapes are de-stemmed and crushed before pressing / Juice is delivered by gravity to a temperature-controlled stainless steel tank /The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation /Wine is fermented and aged in concrete egg /Aged in egg for 6 months on fine lees with bâtonnage once a week /Wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered”
Case-12 Clos Sainte Magdeleine Cassis Blanc, Provence 2017 750ML ($399.95) $328 special (that’s only $27.33/bottle!)
Grapelive 93 points “I’m a huge Cassis Blanc fan. I think it is one of the great wines of France, one of the wine world’s best kept secrets, and Clos Ste. Magdeleine is one of the best producers, imported by the famed Kermit Lynch. This elite Provence winery makes stunning versions and this 2017 absolutely rocks my world! Clos Saint Magdeleine, now run by Fancois Sack, was originally founded by Jules Savon, who won the Gold Medal for the domaine at the World’s Fair in 1900 and put this estate on the map. The Sack family, who have been in charge for four generations, continue to make awesome wines in this picturesque village on the Mediterranean sea, not far from both Bandol and Marseille, where Cassis is a favorite at the best bistros and cafes… The vineyards of Clos Sainte Magdeleine [are] particularly stunning, and a place I hope to visit in person. These vineyards jut out on to a private cape to meet majestic shoreline and spectacular limestone cliffs, poised above gorgeously beauty of the sparkling, azure Mediterranean, which even from pictures is breathtaking, I can only imagine witnessing it in the flesh. It is well known that only a handful of vignerons today are fortunate enough to produce A.O.C. Cassis, with Domaine Bagnol and Clos Sainte Magdeleine being the top. The small quantities available are largely consumed locally, making it hard to find, but well worth searching out, especially this one. The 2017 Cassis Blanc is made from organic grapes, about 40% Marsanne, 30% Ugni blanc, 25% Clairette and 5% Bourboulenc… I always find that the basic cuvee with its higher percentage of Clairette Blanc is the most interesting to my tastes and seems have a bit more vitality and intriguing aromatics with a wonderful mineral quality, while the upper end single vineyard/parcel Bel-Arme (with much more Marsanne) offers a more textural feeling and is fuller. While still fabulous, I much prefer the regular Cassis and its refreshing form, especially this warm vintage. The all organic Clos Sainte Magdeleine Cassis Blanc is all de-stemmed and gravity pressed and then the juice is fermented and aged in 100% temperature-controlled stainless steel tank with some lees contact and with full malos. Aged in total for between 14 to 18 months in tank, Clos Sainte Magdeleine Cassis Blanc’s success lies in, as Kermit Lynch puts it, an uncanny ability to capture a dichotomous nerve and sun-kissed unctuousness, making it both incredibly food-friendly and delicious entirely on its own, of which I complete agree with. Bright with layers of lime, tangerine, orange blossom, wet and saline rich stones, a touch of almond oil, verbena and unripe peach/apricot along with zippy acidity and clove spice this vintage has a hint of ripe apply creaminess from the Marsanne when in warms in the glass giving the impression of serious intention without taking away from the fantastic energy. This is brilliant wine and perfection on a warm evening. Drink over the next 3 to 5 years, though there is no reason to wait.”