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This week’s arrivals cover serious ground—from benchmark Oregon Pinot Noir to alpine-tinged Etna reds and classic Piedmont—but the headline is unmistakable. A deep lineup from Weingut Markus Molitor is available on sale, and it’s the kind of collection that doesn’t come together often. These are bottles that speak to both breadth and precision, but more importantly, they give a rare, focused look at one of the Mosel’s most exacting and prolific masters working at full tilt.
The centerpiece is the 2017 Auslese range—a set of wines that has quietly achieved near-legendary status. Across the board, these bottlings have earned 98+ point scores from Wine Advocate, and tasting through them makes it immediately clear why. The 2017 vintage delivered a perfect intersection of ripeness and acidity, allowing Molitor to craft wines that are at once opulent and razor-sharp. These are not simply “sweet wines”—they are layered, mineral, and incredibly precise, with a sense of energy that keeps the richness in perfect check. Each vineyard—Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Ürziger Würzgarten, Saarburger Rausch—offers a distinct voice, making this feel less like a lineup and more like a masterclass in Mosel terroir.
What makes this offering especially compelling is just how rarely these wines are available in this kind of depth. To have numerous capsule selections from a top vintage, all with this level of critical acclaim, is something even seasoned collectors don’t see often. Whether you’re building a cellar or looking to experience Riesling at its absolute peak, this is one of those moments worth acting on—an extraordinary intersection of pedigree, vintage, and availability that tends to disappear quickly once the word gets out.
Oregon
Goodfellow Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2022 750ml $19 special, 36+ bottles available now (re-arrival)
Winery Note “Goodfellow Family Cellars Willamett e Valley Pinot Noir is comprised entirely of declassified barrels from our single-vineyard wines. Fruit is all sourced from sustainably farmed, non-irrigated vineyards, with old vines and exceptional character.”
Bergström Le Pré du Col Pinot Noir 2023 750ml $115 special, 6 bottles available now
James Suckling 95 points “Spiced, lightly savory and bright, this medium-bodied pinot offers aromas of vivid red and dark berries, dried blood oranges, wet earth, savory herbs, licorice and iodine. The palate is complete and broad, with well-defined tannins that are so polished and well integrated. It’s seamless and even throughout the long, persistent aftertaste, with zesty and peppery complexity. Drink or hold.”
Bergström Cumberland Reserve Pinot Noir 2023 750ml $44.50 special, 12 bottles available now
Jeb Dunnuck 94 points “The 2023 Pinot Noir Cumberland Reserve opens with aromas of raspberry liqueur, mocha, floral perfume, and savory notes of fresh sage. Medium-bodied, it offers ripe, detailed tannins, balanced acidity, and a long finish. While this vintage hints at opulence, the wine remains beautifully balanced and refreshing. It’s a stunning introduction to the vintage and a benchmark for the region as an appellation wine. “
James Suckling 94 points “”Bright and seductive, this pinot offers fresh cherries, crushed wild berries, violets, wet rocks and subtle spices on the nose. Racy and mouthwatering, with spicy and minerally tension, it has a medium body, a dusty texture to its tannins and a lingering and racy finish. Focused and very precise.”
Ovum Big Salt White Blend 2025 750ml $18 special, 24 bottles available now
2024 review provided for reference
Winery Note “BIG SALT is dry, aromatic and zippy. Salty lemon, ginger and aloe vera leap out of the glass. A short skin contact gives the palate textural complexity, even at a low 12.0% abv. In its youth, Big Salt continues to be Muscat forward, but we find as it ages into summer that Gewurz comes to the forefront, while oceanic citrusy Riesling shines after a year in the bottle. Not that anyone is aging BIG SALT, but you’ll be rewarded if you do!”
Ovum PNK Salt Rosé 2025 750ml $18 special, 24 bottles available now
2024 review provided for reference
Winery Note “Ripe cherries explodes from the glass with top notes of green fig, currants and geranium. It actually smells like red wine, which is unusual given the lack of skin contact. The palate has bracing acidity which is a reminder of why Cab Sauv ages so well, and is shocking given the wine has gone through full ML. Cherry Jolly Rancher abounds on the long, salty finish.”
Spain
Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina 2024 750ml $24 special, 24 bottles available now
Producer Note “Visual: pale white with greenish, his bright tone has a fine and elegant bubbles. Smelling: fine and sophisticated fragrance, reminiscent of green apples and grapes, with a minty note. To taste: dry in the beginning, harmonious in the mouth, has a wide and aromatic final, and cheerful by their bubbles.”
Olivares Altos de la Hoya Monastrell 2023 750ml $16 special, 24 bottles available now
Decanter 91 points “Earthy and savoury, featuring notes of dark berries, cigar box, and charred meat. The palate is described as fresh and juicy, featuring inky fruit, fine tannins, and a complex, well-integrated structure.”
Italy
De Forville Langhe Nebbiolo 2024 750ml $21.90 special, 12 bottles available now
Importer Note“This cuvée is a selection of Nebbiolo from the younger vines of the various “cru” in Barbaresco supplemented by grapes from the neighboring village of Neive. The average age of the vines is 30 years. The wine is fermented in stainless steel for 10 days to 2 weeks and then is refined in large oak barrels for an additional year before being bottled. An astonishing value…as are all of the fine wines from this remarkable estate.”
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli 2019 750ml $119 special, 7 bottles available now
Vinous 98 points “Brooding and balsamic, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli is a dark stallion of a
wine with a bouquet to meditate to, wafting up exotic spices, flint, incense, dried roses, black cherries and hints of ashen stone. It’s racy yet complex and sensual, with silken textures and masses of mineralinflected red berry fruits, all guided by a core of zesty acidity as a tinge of sour citrus adds tension throughout. Pleasantly chewy yet still mouthwatering, the 2019 leaves a web of fine tannins, along with a hint of orange zest and cloves to linger on and on and on. This is drop-dead gorgeous.”
Decanter 97 points “The estate’s prize plot, Vigna Paganelli was planted in 1964. Fabrizio Bindocci says that while it performs well even in the most challenging vintages, it is only bottled separately in the best years. The rejected fruit of three successive selections is completely discarded, rather than used for another wine. Gorgeously perfumed but properly restrained, the 2019 doles out nutmeg, cinnamon, black tea and incense on a persistent backdrop of dried cherry and black plum. Dense and sizeable but deftly balanced in its proportions, it remains effortlessly afloat as it expands assuredly across the palate. Soft, grainy tannins leave the mouth cleansed, yet this needs time, gratifyingly, for all its intricacies to be revealed.”
Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2024 750ml $33 special, 24 bottles available now (re-arrival)
Winery Notes “Nerello Mascalese (roughly 98%); Nerello Cappuccio (roughly 2%). The Terre Nere vineyards are located at extremely high altitudes – 2100′ to 2900′ above sea level. The hot sun, cool breeze and cold nights make Terre Nere wines extraordinarily fine and elegant. A brilliant cohesion of craft, skill and deliciousness!”
France
Olga Raffault Chinon Rosé 2024 750ml $21.90 special, 12 bottles available now
John Gilman 90 points “The 2023 Chinon Rosé from Domaine Olga Raffault is another lovely example. It comes in at 12.5 percent octane, is a pale salmon color and offers up a lovely bouquet of watermelon, blood orange, rose petals, a nice, delicate touch of spice tones and white soils. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, bright and focused, with lovely depth of fruit, good soil signature, sound framing acids and a long, well balanced and complex finish. This is a touch more vinous in style than the lovely, more ethereal Chinon Rosé from Domaine Baudry, and hence really will be best if served at table, rather than as an apéritif. A fine bottle of Rosé.”
Closiers Saumur-Champigny Les Closiers 2023 750ml $34.50 special, 12 bottles available now
Vinous 90 points “The 2023 Le Closier is a succulent style that still manages to achieve a sense of restraint. Just 30% spent nine months in barrel for nine months, followed by nine more months in bottle before release. It is refined, elegant and already drinking well despite its youth. Expect primary fruit flavors of raspberry and rhubarb, a light body and sweet fruit flesh on the mid-palate. Delicate tannins coat the palate and show a sensitive hand. The 2023 is a success from a challenging year.”
Lanson Clos Lanson Blanc de Blancs Brut 2007 750ml $295 special, 3 bottles available now
Wine Enthusiast 97 points “Produced from a small walled vineyard close to the Lanson winery in Reims, this is a splendid wine. Its richness is balanced by the intense freshness and minerality of the Chardonnay, with apple and citrus flavors that still in the background. Now mature, this wine is ready to drink.”
MOLITOR’S LEGENDARY 2017 AUSLESE WINES
ON SALE NOW!
3-5 BTLS, 5% OFF – 6+ BTLS, 10% OFF
Molitor Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese *** GK 2017 750ml $99 special, 19 bottles available now
Molitor Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese GK 2017 375ml $59 special, 16 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 98 points “Molitor’s 2017 Riesling Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) offers a deep, pure, precise, smoky, highly concentrated yet refined and coolish nose of stewed stone fruits, candied lemons and grapefruits that intermingle with crushed stone and some leathery aromas. Lush and round on the generous but precise and highly finessed palate, this is an almost weightless Auslese with a honey-sweet yet piquant and salty finish. This is another laser-sharp but also sensual highlight of the vintage, not only at Markus Molitor. Tasted at the domain in April 2019.”
Molitor Erdener Treppchen Auslese *** GK 2017 750ml $99 special, 11 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 98+ points “The 2017 Riesling Erdener Treppchen Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) is bright and even floral (hyacinths) on the clear, slatey, highly refined but aromatic nose with its precise stone fruit and delicate flinty aromas. Silky, sweet and round, with great finesse, elegance and seamless, perfectly balanced texture, this is a lean but lush, incredibly fine and filigreed Auslese with a long, fresh, piquant and salty finish. A divine Riesling whose acidity is perfectly intermingled with the fruit and texture. Tasted at the domain in April 2019.”
Molitor Graacher Himmelreich Auslese *** Green 2017 750ml $89 special, 13 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 98 points “The 2017 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese *** (Green Capsule) is intensely yellow in color and, straight from the bottle, still has prominent smoky oak aromas but also highly intense yet refined fruit on the nose as it opens. This aromatic bouquet combines perfectly ripe and concentrated Riesling scents with the crunchy-coolish slate notes of the Himmelreich and, after a couple of days of aeration, adds concentrated lemon zest and pink grapefruit aromas. Rich and lush but highly elegant on the palate, this is a precise, finessed, nobly textured and juicy Himmelreich with very fine tannins and a long, complex and elegant finish. This is a nearly perfect, nearly dry Auslese, and the seamless texture makes this highly concentrated and refined Riesling flow down your throat without any effort. Give it air, give it time, give it years! This Auslese just flows. And one day, it will stay in your memories forever. Fabulous. Divine. Unforgettable. Tasted three times in April 2019.”
Molitor Kinheimer Hubertuslay Auslese *** GK 2017 750ml $99 special, 11 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 99 points “The 2017 Riesling Kinheimer Hubertuslay Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) is clear and concentrated, on the deep and complex nose with stewed peach aromas intertwined with spicy notes of a fleeting kiss of oak and nougat. It has a highly elegant, refined and salty-piquant palate with fine grip and mineral tension. This Hubertuslay is rich, lush and sweet, with remarkable concentration but also weightless finesse and a lean, salty-piquant finish that tickles the palate. Lemon chutney flavors intertwined with the crystalline salinity characterize the long finish of this beauty. Tasted at the domain in April 2019.”
Molitor Kinheimer Rosenberg Auslese *** GK 2017 750ml $89 special, 15 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 98+ points “The 2017 Riesling Kinheimer Rosenberg Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) is super fine and delicate on the concentrated and peach-scented nose, which reveals an unexpected subtleness for this terroir that normally leans toward ruthless opulence. On the palate, this is a lush, highly refined and salty Auslese with amazing purity, piquancy, finesse and elegance. The acidity is pronounced but also delicate and gives this very fine Auslese piquancy and precision. Tasted at the domain two times in April 2019.”
Molitor Saarburger Rausch Auslese ** GK 2017 750ml $69 special, 12 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 98 points “The 2017 Riesling Saarburger Rausch Auslese ** (Golden Capsule) is intense and concentrated on the fresh and piquant nose that indicates fine botrytis with lemon confit and pumpernickel notes. Lush and smooth as well as refined and piquant on the palate, this is an incredibly fruity and mouth-filling Auslese with great finesse and a lightweight but intense and aromatic body. The finish is intense but delicate, full of layers and finesse. A gorgeous Auslese from the Rausch in Saarburg. Tasted in April 2019.”
Molitor Saarburger Rausch Auslese *** GK 2017 750ml $99 special, 14 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 99 points “Like the Bockstein, the 2017 Riesling Saarburger Rausch Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) is also enormously concentrated on the nose, where fine botrytis aromas intermingle with dried apricots, peaches, notes of quince, lime and lemon chutney and even fig mustard. Concentrated and velvety on the viscous palate, this is a pretty sweet but highly refined and salty-piquant Auslese with an enormously long and concentrated finish. This is a wine to be served in 20 or 30 years, unless you like this bigger but balanced style at this early age. The wine seems to be less racy because the acidity is already integrated and provides structure for the sweet, stewed fruit, but it comes back on the finish and reveals the piquancy and precision of an Eiswein with botrytis. Tasted at the domain in April 2019.”
Molitor Ürziger Würzgarten Auslese *** GK 2017 750ml $119 special, 17 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 98+ points “The 2017 Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) is a very intense and concentrated yet pure and fruity Auslese provided with refreshing crunchy, herbal and iron-rich, clayey slate aromas. This displays perfect botrytis on a bright, pure, fresh and delicate bouquet full of ripe stone and citrus fruits as well as notes of crushed stones. It is fascinatingly fresh and salty-piquant on the palate, with pronounced acidity; this is a sweet but weightless Auslese with acidity that cuts through fruit and slate and tickles the tongue. This is a highly stimulating and crystalline Auslese that is impossible to spit out. Simply amazing! Tasted at the domain in April 2019.”
Molitor Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese *** GK 2017 750ml $128 special, 10 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 99 points “The 2017 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) is subtle and discreet yet concentrated and deep on the delicate nose, with clear (white) peach, spicy lemon chutney and crystalline slate notes. Lush, piquant and silky, with very clear, elegant fruit and great finesse, this is a rich but lean and precise Wehlener Sonnenuhr whose acidity is terribly fine but defined and merciless as a laser beam. This is a gorgeous and already stimulating Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese of great class and style. Tasted at the domain in April 2019.”
Molitor Zeltinger Himmelreich Auslese *** GK 2017 750ml $99 special, 13 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 98 points “The 2017 Riesling Zeltinger Himmelreich Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) offers a concentrated, super precise and refreshing bouquet of lemon chutney, candied grapefruit zests and spicy slate aromas. What piquancy and precision! It’s already sharp as a laser beam on the nose. The palate is concentrated, highly refined and elegant but nervy and salty in the vibrating underground. This Auslese has a seamless texture and reveals great finesse with stimulating salinity and crystal clear, even filigreed structure. This is an amazing, Eiswein-like Auslese that will last four or more decades. It is also a historical first for Markus Molitor, who hasn’t produced a three-starred Auslese in this cru before. Tasted at the domain in April 2019.”
Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese *** GK 2017 750ml $299 special, 12 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 100 points “As always, Molitor’s 2017 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) is one of the ripest and most concentrated Auslesen of the vintage. Incredibly clear and intense notes of ripe peaches and mangoes on the nonetheless delicate and fresh nose intertwine with noble slate, fine oak and nougat aromas. The wine is round and elegant on the palate, with stunning vivacious, filigreed acidity that gives it lightness, great finesse, lots of salt and tension and stimulating grip. This is still a baby, but in terms of complexity and finesse, it’s one of the finest wines Markus Molitor has produced in 2017. I cannot remember having tasted a three-starred Auslese from the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr that was so fresh, lean and filigreed. This 2017 Sonnenuhr is precise as a Swiss watch. Tasted at the domain in April 2019.”
Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Beerenauslese * 2017 375ml $199 special, 17 bottles available now
Wine Advocate 100 points “The 2017 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Beerenauslese * (Golden Capsule) is intense, fine and flinty on the highly precise nose with crunchy slate and grapefruit notes. Dense and concentrated on the palate, it has sweet but elegant and highly refined fruit intertwined with salty-finessed slate salinity and delicate acidity. This is a beautifully balanced BA from Molitor’s most important grand cru vineyard. Many readers might prefer its sweet and charming richness to the delicate finesse and crystallinity of the Würzgarten BA, which will be ready to drink sooner. But this Zeltinger Sonnenuhr in turn will gain even more finesse and drinkability over the years. Tasted at the domain in April 2019.”
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