Category Archives: Newsletter Archive

Kumeu River Sale 3-13-24

Kumeu River is one of the leading estates in New Zealand (the country is also commonly referred to by its Māori name Aotearoa). Much of what we think of as standard winemaking practice in the country is really thanks to their efforts. They led the charge on growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, pioneered the use of indigenous yeasts, and also pioneered the use of screwcaps.
 
The estate began as a dream brought to fruition by decades of hard work by the entire family. Maté Brajkovich, originally from Dalmatia in southwestern Croatia, emigrated with his mother and sisters to join their father in New Zealand’s North Island. The family purchased a farm in Kumeu after years saving money earned by digging for resin from indigenous kauri trees. They farmed fruits and vegetables, and raised dairy cows. Although vines existed on the estate, they were hybrid varieties grown for home consumption. It quickly became apparent that the land was perfect for wine grapes. The family replanted and expanded production, and the wines took off. An international audience lapped up the dry reds.
 
It wasn’t until in the 1980s when Michael Brajkovich, the current winemaker and Maté’s son, began touring the wineries of Bordeaux and Burgundy that the family turned their focus on international varieties. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir took root, and today, their wines are international superstars. These are benchmarks for the region – a look at NZ terroir through the classic Burgundy lens.
 
These are wines for all-comers: Lovers of Burgundy will delight at these profound and unique wines, lovers of Oregon will rejoice at another successful cool-climate glimpse at our two favorite grapes, and lovers of New Zealand wines will appreciate another chance to enjoy this much-loved terroir through grapes beyond the now-ubiquitous Sauv Blanc.
 
Although there’s plenty to adore, there’s not too much to go around. Don’t miss these beauties!
 
“Despite being in the humid climes of West Auckland, New Zealand’s most famous Chardonnay producer continues to provide a benchmark for the rest of the country to emulate.” -Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, writing on the 2022 vintage
 
“Kumeu River continues to set the pace for New Zealand Chardonnay, from its unlikely base just west of Auckland.” -Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
 
5% off any 4-8 in-stock bottles of Kumeu River wine
10% off any 9 or more in-stock bottles of Kumeu River wine
 
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
 
Sale ends Saturday, March 16th at 9 am Pacific.
 
In Stock and On Sale Now from Kumeu River:
 
“Even at its so-called entry-level, the judicious handling of fruit, lees and oak offers layered styles.” -Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous
Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay, Kumeu 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $30.50 special, that’s $28.98 at 5% off and $27.45 at 10% off, 24 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “Aromas and flavors of sliced apples, lemon curd and hints of stone. Oyster shell. Lime undertones. It’s medium-bodied. Firm and fine phenolics. Tension and focus. Impressive for the vintage. Drink now or hold. Screw cap.”
 
Kumeu River Rays Road Chardonnay, Hawke’s Bay 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $35.50 special, that’s $33.73 at 5% off and $31.95 at 10% off, 13 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 94 points “Lemony and crisp with a stone and seashell undertone to the pretty fruit. Medium body, firm phenolics that tighten the wine on the palate. Racy and intense on the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
Erin Larkin-Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2022 Rays Road Chardonnay is fine and spicy, with a tense line of acidity and phenolics—they feel linear and interwoven—that stream through the fruit. This is a very pretty, pithy Chardonnay with ground white pepper, white flesh peach, crushed shells, layers of juniper berry and star anise/cut fennel inflections. I like the staying power of the fruit in the mouth. It is persistent and long. This is really nicely done, and I’m looking forward to seeing this wine (and this vineyard) more over its journey. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.”
 
“… in Kumeu, temperatures did not once hit 30˚°C [in 2022]. As a result, there’s an unexpected freshness to the 2022 wines. They don’t have the firm line of 2021, but acidities are in line with 2019 and 2020.”
-Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous
 
Kumeu River Coddington Chardonnay, Kumeu 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $53.50 special, that’s $50.83 at 5% off and $48.15 at 10% off, 14 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 97 points “Sliced apple, apple, sea shell and crushed stone aromas follow through to a full body yet it’s tight and structured with an impressive fruit, acidic and phenolic balance giving it focus and intensity. Drinkable but better in a few years. Screw cap.”
Erin Larkin-Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2022 Coddington Chardonnay leads with lemon balm/oil, green-olive brine, crème brûlée top (a.k.a. scorched brown sugar), peach fuzz, and an abundance of orchard fruit. In the mouth, kiwi fruit acidity (a.k.a. juicy, sweet, tart) defines the perimeters of the flavors and beckons you in for another, closer look. It’s very, very good, a distinct wine, pure, all aspects delineated and deliberate. I like this. It feels orderly and mathematical. If the wine had a sound, it would be a straight-pace bowl at the wickets, one flying out of stumps (name a better sound, I’ll wait). It’s not that immediately obvious, though; it builds and takes a while to assert itself, and I like that too. Very good. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.”
 
Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay, Kumeu 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $63.50 special, that’s $60.33 at 5% off and $57.15 at 10% off, 13 bottles in stock now
Rebecca Gibb MW-Vinous 96 points “The 2022 Chardonnay Hunting Hill is an impressive, focused style. It has a sense of energy, being almost buoyant with the movement of a skimming stone across your palate. There’s a powerful core of fruit here and it has plenty of substance within its no-more-than medium-bodied core before kerpow! It fires home with an almost spicy kick. Clever oak use, reminiscent of toasted nuts, meets restrained flavors of lemon and lime bitter and nectarine fruit. A wine that’s still in its cocoon so give it time. It may even have the edge of Maté’s… Big call.”
Erin Larkin-Wine Advocate 95+ points “The 2022 Hunting Hill Chardonnay is mouth-filling and obvious in its outlay of flavor in the mouth—yellow peach, apricot, Golden Delicious apple, beeswax/lanolin and ripe lime flesh. The flutter of acidity that feathers the fruit is compelling and alluring in its power and juiciness. An exciting wine. It’s a wine I want to drink (I will; the perks) and a wine I am enjoying considering too. It’s intellectual and sensorial/corporeal in equal measure. The Hunting Hill Vineyard was planted in 1982 and overlooks Mate’s Vineyard. This is a pleasurable, exciting, fleshy, complex, salty, kaleidoscopic wine. Excellent. Recommended. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.”
 
Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay, Kumeu 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $64.50 special, that’s $61.28 at 5% off and $58.05 at 10% off, 2 bottles in stock now
Rebecca Gibb MW-Vinous 95 points “The 2021 Chardonnay Hunting Hill is its usually sinewy, taut and lightly floral self. Often in the shadow of Maté’s Vineyard, Hunting Hill seems to be becoming more and more serious as the vines age – they’re around 20 years old. Expect a muscular, unyielding wine that has lemon and lime bitter notes, nectarine and even a whiff of seaside – all salty and briny.”
 
Kumeu River Pinot Noir Village, Kumeu 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $21.90 special, that’s $20.81 at 5% off and $19.71 at 10% off, 4 bottles in stock now
Winery note “Our love for Pinot Noir dates back to the mid-1980s when we planted our first block here in Kumeu. Having already started on our journey to create a world-class Chardonnay, we knew this grape needed a Burgundian counterpart because what grows well where great Chardonnay grows? Now produced from two sites, our Hunting Hill Vineyard in Kumeu and Rays Road in Hawke’s Bay, these two single vineyards show very different expressions of Pinot Noir. Hunting Hill Pinot Noir was planted in 1994 over clay and grown here in the warmer conditions of Kumeu, often providing a beautiful purity of black fruit characters. The Rays Road, in Hawke’s Bay, is a colder, higher altitude vineyard planted on limestone. It’s a much cooler site and provides very intense and focused Pinot Noir characteristics.”
From Wilson Daniels’ website, importer of Kumeu River wines for America: “Now, from the exceptional 2020 vintage, we have consolidated that quality expectation, and this year have blended the grapes from Rays Road (74%) with some outstanding richer Kumeu fruit (26%). The result is delicious. The wine displays a bright cherry red/burgundy color with lifted red fruit aromas. On the palate the wine is cool, round and fruity and with a nice hint of chalky tannin that keeps the wine dry and refreshing.”
 
Don’t miss our additional sales going on now:
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois
 
5% off any 6-11 in-stock bottles of Anne-Sophie Dubois wine
10% off any 12 or more in-stock bottles of Anne-Sophie Dubois wine
 
Bruna Grimaldi
 
5% off any 6-11 in-stock bottles of Bruna Grimaldi wine
10% off any 12 or more in-stock bottles of Bruna Grimaldi wine
 
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois sale ends Thursday, March 14th at 9 am Pacific. Bruna Grimaldi sale ends Friday, March 15th at 9 am Pacific.

Bruna Grimaldi: Value and Quality in Barolo 3-12-24

On Sale Now!
 
We’ve talked about the glory days of Barolo. Not the region, but back when you could find great Barolos for under $50. Well, it seems one estate has not allowed inflation to impact their pricing or quality: Bruna Grimaldi.
 
It should come as no surprise to any long-time subscribers to our newsletter to hear us say that Grimaldi craft classic, well-structured and delicious wines that outperform their modest price tags. The estate dates back to the 1990s, when Bruna (along with her husband, Franco Fiorino) began bottling her own wine. This decision came after decades selling off the exceptional fruit and bulk wine before eventually selling small amounts locally. As the word got out and international interest poured in, the wines have only improved.
 
The three Barolos that we’re featuring today are the Camilla, Bricco Ambroggio and Badarina. The wines tend to be fairly solid, built primarily for the cellar, but with an early opening, you can find that they’re enjoyable in the near term. All are distinctive and delicious. The Camilla is the only one blended from multiple sites, mostly from the ridgelines to the north of La Morra. Limestone found throughout the area lends to softer tannins and a more approachable style; perfect for drinking now. Bricco Abroggio is an outlier of a vineyard, and the wine is equally special. The site is predominantly clay and marl, so you’d expected a tannic powerhouse, yet it is light on its feet with great freshness and plenty of cellaring potential. Finally, the Badarina is the flagship and pride of the estate. Bruna’s mother was born there and the family lived in a small brick house on top of the ridge. This is Serralunga; the dominant soil is ancient sandstone, and the wine is built for the long haul. Structured and tight in its youth, it develops extraordinary aromatics with age.
 
Overall, Bruna Grimaldi’s quality/price ratio is simply unequaled in Barolo. These wines are beautifully expressive, polished wines that combine the cleanliness and rich, round flavors of a modern producer with a more traditional sensibility when it comes to oak usage. These are incredibly well-made wines and not one of them costs more than $50/750ml, a remarkable feat that’s aided by our strong relationship with their Oregon importer. So don’t buy just one. Stock up, especially during our three-day sale. You’ll want to see for yourself how well these develop over the next decade and beyond.
 
5% off any 6-11 in-stock bottles of Bruna Grimaldi wine
10% off any 12 or more in-stock bottles of Bruna Grimaldi wine
 
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
 
Sale ends Friday, March 15th at 9 am Pacific.
 
In Stock and On Sale Now from Bruna Grimaldi:
 
Bruna Grimaldi “Camilla”, Barolo DOCG 2019 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% off and $35.10 at 10% off, 36+ bottles in stock now
James Suckling 94 points “Notes of spiced cherries, red licorice, nutmeg and hazelnuts. It’s tight and chewy with a full body and velvety texture. It’s steady and lengthy and need a few years to soften. Try after 2026.”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 90 points “This wine represents an appellation-wide blend of fruit from Raviole and Borzone (in Grinzane Cavour), Roere di Santa Maria (in La Morra), San Lorenzo di Verduno (in Verduno), Bricco Ambrogio (in Roddi) and Badarina (in Serralunga d’Alba). However, in 2019, a hailstorm destroyed most of the crop from Raviole, so that cru does not feature here. The Bruna Grimaldi 2019 Barolo Camilla opens to medium-dark intensity. The bouquet is a bit closed, even reduced, but you do get black cherry, cassis and red licorice. This concludes with dry tannins. 20,000 bottles were released.”
 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $50
 
Bruna Grimaldi Badarina, Barolo DOCG 2015 750ml Displayed Price: $45, that’s $42.75 at 5% off and $40.50 at 10% off, 6 bottles in stock now
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 93+ points “($90) This wine has already evolved to show some tar and savory aromas. The 2015 Barolo Badarina offers pretty color saturation with linear and fresh lines of plum, black fruit, dark spice and tilled earth. The wine delivers much of the heft and power promised by this Badarina cru in Serralunga d’Alba. If you’re looking for a Barolo vintage to pair with a rich meat like liver or game, this could be the one. This is Bruna Grimaldi’s flagship Barolo, as her mother was born in Badarina and this site has always had special meaning to her family. Some 8,000 bottles were produced.”
 
This is the only listing in the USA today!
 
Bruna Grimaldi Badarina, Barolo DOCG 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $49, that’s $46.55 at 5% off and $44.10 at 10% off, 17 bottles in stock now
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 93 points “With fruit from Serralunga d’Alba, the Bruna Grimaldi 2018 Barolo Badarina opens nicely and completely, relative to its young age, within a few hours of popping the cork. The character of the wine is hearty and firm, although there is also a silkiness or smoothness that is especially associated with this vintage. You get some of those vaguely metallic aromas of rusty nail or iron ore that come with the Serralunga d’Alba territory. There is also plenty of dark fruit, licorice and wild rose. Fruit from the special Vigna Regnola site is blended into this wine in 2018 because no Riserva was produced. This is a release of 6,000 bottles.”
 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $66
 
Bruna Grimaldi Badarina, Barolo DOCG 2019 750ml Displayed Price: $49, that’s $46.55 at 5% off and $44.10 at 10% off, 33 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 94 points “Note of dark spices, chocolate and bark with red and dark berry character. Full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins and firm texture. It’s tight and muscular with juicy and vivid red fruit underneath, before a flavorful finish. Needs some time in the bottle. Try from 2026.”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2019 Barolo Badarina sees fruit from Serralunga d’Alba. The wine shows medium-rich concentration with aromas of red berry fruit and dried cherry. At the back are subtle notes of rusty nail, black licorice and crushed rose. Bruna Grimaldi and her family make wine in their winery in Grinzane Cavour but farm various parcels across the appellation. The Badarina often comes across as the boldest and most structured wine in the portfolio. Some 6,500 bottles were released.”
 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $67
 
Bruna Grimaldi Bricco Ambrogio, Barolo DOCG 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $41.90, that’s $39.81 at 5% off and $37.71 at 10% off, 7 bottles in stock now
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 92 points “From a vineyard site in Roddi with classic Sant’Agata marl soils and fossils, the Bruna Grimaldi 2018 Barolo Bricco Ambrogio shows pretty harmony and balance, with a considerably softer character that finishes with very smooth and silky tannins. The fruit is compact and fresh with wild cherry and cassis. That more tart flavor profile cedes to floral notes and some earthy tones as well in this production of 4,500 bottles.”
 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $48
 
Bruna Grimaldi Bricco Ambrogio, Barolo DOCG 2019 750ml Displayed Price: $44.50, that’s $42.28 at 5% off and $40.05 at 10% off, 34 bottles in stock now
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 93 points “The Bruna Grimaldi 2019 Barolo Bricco Ambrogio (with 4,500 bottles made) boasts a very vibrant and lively garnet color that is slightly on the darker side of your standard Nebbiolo. This cru site in Roddi tends to make accessible Barolos, and you could say the same for this edition. The wild card, however, is the excellent 2019 vintage, which gives this wine more abundant fruit density and structure. Generally speaking, you get a bigger bolder wine this year.”
James Suckling 92 points “This shows notes of ripe cherries and cranberries with red flowers, citrus peel and savory herb undertones. It’s firm and structured with a full body and taut tannin structure. Hints of nut shell and nutmeg in the aftertaste. Better from 2026.”
 
You guessed it: this is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $60
 
Shop the sale on our webstore now!

 
Don’t miss our additional sale going on now:
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois
 
5% off any 6-11 in-stock bottles of Anne-Sophie Dubois wine
10% off any 12 or more in-stock bottles of Anne-Sophie Dubois wine
 
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois sale ends Thursday, March 14th at 9 am Pacific.

Vinopolis Newsletter – Friday 3-11-24

 In This Newsletter:

Special Arrival
Dom Perignon Luminous
Arrivals
GD Vajra Nebbiolo, Giuseppe Quintarelli, Flaneur Wines, and more!
Close-Out Sales
Save big on some of our best wines!
Collector’s Corner
A rare Vertical of Felsina Chianti plus more Italian collector’s sets and bottles

Special Arrival
 
 
Dom Perignon Luminous Collection Brut Millesime, Champagne 750ml $259 special, 6 bottles available
James Suckling 97 Points “This is a DP that shows the ripeness of the 2009 vintage yet remains full of energy. Gorgeous aromas of cream, apple, mango, honeysuckle, and chalk follow through to a full body and super fine, tight texture. Dense and agile. Vinous. It’s like a top grand cru white Burgundy. Think Batard-Montrachet. More depth than the 2006. Drink now.”
Decanter 96 Points “Unbroken sun through August and early September helped to shape an idyllic harvest, on 12th September. Superb maturity of fruit in flawless health has produced a wine with wafting scents of both fresh and confit of spiced lemon and wild cherry. Despite the heat, the wine has freshness, vitality and length. Still a youngster, this will grow greatly by 2019. A more stylish son of the ’03, and cousin of the slender and charming ’06. Disgorged June 2016.”
Vinous 94+ Points “The 2009 Dom Pérignon is a gorgeous, totally seductive Champagne that will drink well right out of the gate. Medium in body and unusually open-knit at this stage, the 2009 is one of the most accessible young Dom Pérignons I can remember tasting. It is an excellent choice to drink while waiting for the release of the stellar 2008 and some recent vintages that remain very young, including the 2006. Despite the warm, ripe personality of the 2009 Dom Pérignon is quite gracious, but there is plenty of depth underpinning the fruit. With each successive tasting, the 2009 seems to have gained more power and breadth, especially on the finish. Above all else, the 2009 is decidedly restrained for a warm, radiant vintage. It is not as overtly flamboyant as the 2002 nor as phenolically intense as years like 2003 and 2006. Instead, the 2009 is a beautifully balanced Champagne, with all of its elements in the right place. Tasted three times.”

Arriving Tomorrow


G.D. Vajra
 
“This wine is our quest for the innocence of Nebbiolo, its purest expression.” – Giuseppe Vaira
G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy 2022 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ bottles available
Winery Notes “The 2022 Langhe DOC Nebbiolo has a lively light garnet color. On the nose, it displays raspberry, red cherry and mountain wild berries, florals with violet and rose whiffles, a hint of lavender and mint all wrapped in an ethereal scent. On the palate, there is elegance, aromatic fragrance of crunchy red fruits, orange zest, chalky minerality and a lifted finish.”
New Arrivals

 
FRANCE
Domaine de la Pepiere


Break out the oysters! This stellar new vintage of a Vinopolis favorite is going to be a constant companion to our favorite season.
Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie ‘La Pepie’, Loire, France 2022 750ml $16.50 special, 36 bottles available
Winery notes “In 2016, Pépière’s classic, earliest-release bottling saw an addition to the label, the “La Pépie” moniker, because of the necessity of adding non-estate fruit to the production (Pépière had 85% of their own crop devastated in 2016 due to mildew). It marks the first time the estate has purchased fruit. It comes from neighboring parcels that match their terroirs and work philosophy. The wine is a combination of said purchased fruit and estate fruit, 50% of which comes from vineyards that could technically produce cru bottlings.”
 
Lowest price on the West Coast
 
ITALY
 
Giuseppe Quintarelli
 

“Nothing is ever hurried at Quintarelli. The wines take their time and are given the time they need. In the still, quiet calm of the family cellars above the town of Negrar, along the winding via del Cerè, deep in the Valpolicella zone, the wine from the family’s hillside vineyards ages patiently and gracefully in large casks until it is ready. Every release is a masterpiece, a testament to time, tradition, skill, and passion, the creations of a master artisan. You can’t really compare these wines to any other in the region, or anywhere else in the world. They really are in a class and a category all their own.” –Kermit Lynch
 
Giuseppe Quintarelli ‘Alzero’ Cabernet Veneto IGT, Italy 2013 750ml $399 special, 2 bottles available
Importer Note Veneto meets Bordeaux? Or vice versa? This very special wine is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Merlot. All grapes are dried like a traditional Amarone and aged in French Oak first, followed by Slavonion oak. This wine is a perfect mesh of two of Europe’s greatest wines!
 
Giuseppe Quintarelli Primofiore Veneto IGT, Italy 2020 750ml $69 special, 3 bottles available
Importer Note “50% Corvina and Corvinone, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The “first flower” is the youngest red wine released by the estate every year.”
 
Tenuta delle Terre Nere
 
Tenuta delle Terre Nere Cuvee delle Vigne Niche Montalto Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy 2022 750ml $44.50 special, 15 bottles available
Vinous 94 Points “Spicy and full of tension, the 2022 Etna Bianco Le Vigne Niche Montalto bursts from the glass with a blend of lemon zest, minty herbs, young peaches and crushed rocks. This opens with a pretty inner sweetness and crisp minerality, rushing the palate with ripe orchard fruits elevated by candied citrus. The Montalto finishes with fantastic length and potency, lightly structured and tactile. This gorgeous Etna Bianco is drinking beautifully today yet with the balance to promote medium-term cellaring.”
 
Tenuta delle Terre Nere Cuvee delle Vigne Niche Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy 2022 750ml $44.50 special, 13 bottles available
Vinous 92 Points “The 2022 Etna Bianco Superiore Le Vigne Niche Salice entices with a mineral laden bouquet that blends white flowers and pine with chalk dust and cardamon. Soft and round, it fills the palate with a savory herbal thrust and white pit fruits, taking on a salty flourish toward the close. The Saline finishes with medium length and salty flourish while. A gentle tension slowly fades.”
 
Lowest price on the West Coast
 
Tenuta delle Terre Nere Prephylloxera ‘La Vigna di Don Peppino’ Calderara Sottana Rosso Etna, Sicily, Italy 2021 750ml $149 special, 3 bottles available
James Suckling 98 Points “This has impressive depth and complexity with an array of red and dark berries mixed with dark chocolate, ground spices and burnt orange peel. All of this fragrance sits on a bed of smoked, ashy, dark stone and wet asphalt undertones. Full and deep with very fine, silky tannins. So much tension and force here. It goes on for minutes, ending with a seamless, textural finish. From ancient, pre-phylloxera vines. Try now, but this will age beautifully.”
 
Lowest price on the West Coast
 
GERMANY
 
Von Winning Deidesheimer Leinhohle Riesling Trocken, Pfalz, Germany 2021 750ml $36.50 special, 12 bottles availability
Wine Enthusiast 90 Points “This is rather light, with a graceful profile decorated with notes of yellow plum, quinine and lemongrass. The midpalate is supple and balanced, while the finish is juicy, inviting you to grab a bite of cheese.”
 
Lowest price on the West Coast
 
AUSTRIA
 
Weingut Brundlmayer Chardonnay, Niederosterreich, Austria 2021 750ml $69 special, 12 bottles available
Falstaff 95 Points “Light golden yellow, silver reflections. Fine wood spice, a touch of caramel, blossom honey and orange peel, vanilla echo as well as some papaya and spicy nuances. Juicy, elegant, salty, white tropical fruit, tobacco finish, mineral echo, very good persistency, reductive finish, will benefit from bottle age.”
 
Only listing in the United States!
 
Weingut Brundlmayer Ried Heiligenstein Riesling Erste Lage, Kamptal DAC, Austria 2022 750ml $59 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95 Points “Outer quote mark Bründlmayer’s 2021 Riesling Ried Heiligenstein 1ÖTW is the second edition that contains the pickings from the former Heiligenstein Lyra that was bottled alone for many years until the 2019 vintage. So, there are just two selections remaining from the Kamptal’s oldest and finest Riesling grand cru, where Bründlmayer holds 69 of the 200 total terraces in the central part of the site. Cultivated on perm sandstone soils, the 2021 Heiligenstein opens with a clear and intense nose full of ripe and elegant Riesling aromas intertwined with weathered stone and slightly flinty and saline aromas. Full-bodied, intense and powerful on the palate, this is a rich yet elegant and persistent Heiligenstein that was entirely vinified in stainless steel. The finish is long, tight and complex, very saline and indicates great aging potential.
 
Lowest price on the West Coast
 
 
Re-Arriving Tomorrow
 
 
Flaneur Wines
 
Flaneur Wines Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2022 750ml $28 special, 24 bottles available
Staff Notes “This pinot noir is juicy, concentrated, and full of darker berry fruit and spice showing on the nose and palate. The structure has bright acidity and a long finish and is very approachable. This wine is ready to drink now and makes the perfect pairing pinot!”
Close-Out Sales
 

FRANCE
 
Was $69
Charles Ellner Seduction Brut Millesime, Champagne, France 750ml Display Price: $59 special, 18 bottles available
International Wine Review 93 Points “The 2007 ‘Seduction’ is a lovely showing from this house. This begins to impress with inviting aromas of baked apples, pears and lemon oil with hints of toast and chalky mineral nuances all taking shape. On the palate this displays a wonderful elegant side, but with plenty of energy from the underlying acidity which drives this wine through the complex finish. Overall this is a fantastic bottle of Champagne that is drinking beautifully today and still has a few more years of drinking pleasure ahead.”

Lowest price on the West Coast
 

Was $79
Domaine Benjamin et David Duclaux Cote Rotie Maison Rouge, Rhone, France 2018 750ml Display Price: $69 special, 26 bottles available
Joe Czerwinski-Wine Advocate 96 Points “From arguably the most famous lieu-dit in the southern portion of the appellation, the Duclaux brothers’ 2018 Cote Rotie Maison Rouge is a showstopper … It’s a superb example of the generally softer, more elegant style found around Tupin et Semons.”
 
Was $79
Moillard Epenots, Pommard Premier Cru, France 2019 750ml Display Price: $69 special, 22 bottles available
Anna Lee C. Iijima-Wine Advocate 94 Points While the nose is subtle, the palate of this powerful Pinot Noir is lavish, with sun-kissed blackberry and black-plum flavors. Generous and weighty in mouthfeel, it’s structured by firm, bristling tannins and a vibrant lift of acidity. The forward fruit is charming young but the wine should gain complexity and finesse through 2035 and hold further.
 
Lowest price on the West Coast

GERMANY
 
Was $79
Weingut Donnhoff ‘Felsenturmchen’ Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe, Germany 2020 750ml Display Price: $66 special, 18 bottles available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 98 Points “If you are a terroir fundamentalist, then this enormous depth of smoky and wild-herb character will light your fire…”
 
ITALY
 
Was $88
Caiarossa Rosso di Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy 2016 750ml Display Price: $59 special, 15 bottles available
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 96 Points “The 2016 Caiarossa will be released in September. This wine is a blend of seven grapes—42% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot, 15.5% Syrah, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 4.5% Sangiovese and 1% Alicante. This vintage sees a slightly higher percentage of Cabernet Franc than usual, but I am told that the 2018 edition will see more Syrah instead. The bouquet presents a beautiful first wave of dark fruit that pushes the limits of ripeness but remains safely within the realm of elegance. The aromas are balanced and focused with blackberry, cassis, and light touches of salty or rusty mineral. The wine is not too constructed or big in the mouth, rather is shows a delicate level of elegances that absolutely seals the deal.”
 
Lowest price in the United States
 
Was $149
Castello del Terriccio Lupicaia Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy 2009 750ml Display Price: $128 special, 8 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95 Points “Beautifully resonant in the glass, the 2009 Lupicaia is a standout. Sweet red cherries, flowers, mint, anise, savory herbs and spices all ring out in a supple, gracious wine loaded with class. The 2009 needs a few years for some of the contours to soften, but it is a gorgeous wine with tons of personality. This is a decidedly round, sexy Lupicaia that is going to offer plenty of enjoyment over the course of the next fifteen years or so.”
 
Lowest price in the United States
 
Was $49
Cresti Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino Do ut des Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy 2016 750ml Display Price: $39 special, 36+ bottles available
James Suckling 95 Points “The fruit here really takes your breath away with its intensity, as well as purity. Blackberry crumble, pressed violets, ink, iodine, charcoal, vanilla and resin…”
 
SPAIN
 
Was $99
Familia Nin-Ortiz ‘Nit de Nin’ Mas d’en Cacador, Priorat DOCa, Spain 2017 750ml Display Price: $89, 24 bottles available
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 97+ Points “… It has kept very good freshness and great balance. It’s tasty, pungent and long, with power and elegance and all the components to develop nicely in bottle…”
 
Lowest price in the United States
 
Was $1,199
Dominio de Pingus ‘Pingus’, Ribera del Duero, Spain 2019 750ml Display Price: $1,049 special, 3 bottles available
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 99 Points “I tasted the bottled 2019 Pingus two weeks after bottling. Even at this early stage and after the operation, the wine is super harmonious and elegant. They really outdid themselves here and produced an amazingly fresh, aromatic and harmonious wine in a warm vintage. It’s incredibly textured, with refined, very fine-grained and chalky tannins. It’s very balanced, and there’s no excess of anything; it has 14% alcohol, perfect ripeness and a velvety mouthfeel. It gets more floral with time in the glass, getting nuanced and really interesting. It delivers what the barrel sample promised one year ago, when the wine already surprised me. I think the word that best describes this wine is precision—it’s clean, focused, balanced and delineated. Bravo!”
 
Lowest price in the United States
 
UNITED STATES
 
Was $133
Cayuse Vineyards Impulsivo Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley, USA 2020 750ml Display Price: $119, 23 bottles available
Jeb Dunnick 94+ Points “…medium to full-bodied richness, a nicely balanced, layered mouthfeel, and ripe tannins that emerge on the finish. I like its concentration, and its tannins are polished and beautifully integrated…”
 
Lowest price in the USA
 
Was $1,099
Screaming Eagle ‘The Flight’, Napa Valley, USA 2019 750ml Display Price: $999 special, 4 bottles available
James Suckling 99 Points “Extremely floral and aromatic with violets and lavender throughout. Black olives, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, very fine-grained tannins that run the length of the wine. Goes on for minutes. A greenish undertone comes out at the end with some spearmint, green tea and green olive… already stunning.”
 
Collector’s Corner

Italian collector gift sets!

 
 Felsina
 
A very limited opportunity…
 NEW!  Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia Vertical Annate 6-PACK 750ml bottles $399 special, 3 cases available
 
Each Case includes 1 bottle of each:
 
Felsina Berardenga Rancia, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Italy 2013 750ml
Wine Advocate 95 Point “Here is another highlight of the vintage. The 2013 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is a dark, moody and sophisticated wine. It does not reveal itself immediately or in any obvious way. Instead, it doses out its intensity in careful measurements. The whole performance is seductive to say the least. That slow momentum leads to dark cherry with spice, grilled herb, wet earth and dried rose. Felsina’s Riserva Rancia is a very elegant wine, both on the nose and in the mouth.”
 
Felsina Berardenga Rancia, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Italy 2016 750ml
Decanter 97 Points “The south-facing Rancia vineyard reaches altitudes of 420 metres, overlooking the lower-lying vineyards of Colli Senesi. It boasts complex soils of calcareous clay layered with the chalky white limestone-like alberese and schistose galestro. This 2016 vintage is simply stunning. It’s stately yet gracious, with personality for days, leading with a sumptuous nose of smoke, exotic spice and iron-rich earth. Ripe fruit coats the mouth yet it remains buoyant and tangy as chalky tannins charge in to frame the palate. A seductive wine with an appetising, savoury edge and a long, long life ahead.”
 
Felsina Berardenga Rancia, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Italy 2017 750ml
James Suckling 95 Points “Plenty of fruit concentration with cherry and strawberry aromas and flavors. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and lots of concentration. Intense and rich. Give it a year or two to come together.”
 
Felsina Berardenga Rancia, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Italy 2018 750ml
Wine Advocate 95 Points “The 2018 is an unusual vintage that shows an especially austere character. Off the bat, it must be said that the Fèlsina 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia would certainly benefit from more cellar time and a long drinking window. The Rancia is elegant and streamlined with a medium-bodied style that breaks from some of the more concentrated vintages we’ve seen in the past. The bouquet reveals a lot of dark or black character with blackcurrant, tar, resin, iron ore and a dusty hint of dry graham cracker (which reminds us of the vintage heat). Structurally, the wine offers a solid and firm footing, but it would benefit from further evolution.”
 
Felsina Berardenga Rancia, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Italy 2020 750ml
Wine Advocate 95 Points “The 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia shows beautiful minerality with dusty notes of crushed limestone or flint. This is the wine’s special signature, and it shines through in a warm vintage such as this. Rancia also offers an upfront quality of red and purple fruit tones. The 2020 vintage displays pretty concentration and richness with wild cherry and plum, but ultimately the wine leaves you with that elegant mineral sendoff. Rancia will require extra bottle age.”
 
Arianna Occhipinti
 
Arianna Occhipinti Vini Contrada 3-PACK 2019 750ml $249 special, 2 gift packs available 
 
Each Case includes 1 bottle of each:
 
Arianna Occhipinti Pettineo  (PT) Vino di Contrada Terre Siciliane IGT, Sicily 2019 750ml
Monica Lerner- Wine Advocate 93 Points “With fruit from 60-year-old vines, the Arianna Occhipinti 2019 Frappato Vino di Contrada PT (with 2,200 bottles made) reveals a bright and very lifted bouquet with dried cherry skin, wild rose, cast iron and grilled herb. The wine shows medium-weight texture and fine tannins that feel especially integrated in this wine from the Contrada Pettineo. This site has reddish sand soils with a layer of tuffaceous rock.”
Winery Notes “This historic contrada, a term used to refer a small district of the countryside, is located beyond Serra San Bartolo ridge; historically it has always produced very elegant wines thanks to a deep layer of marine sand (50-60 cm), with little presence of limestone rocks on the surface. Our Chiusa di Pettineo vines are nearly 60 years old. Originally planted in a head trained or albarello system from which the previous owner then transformed into a trellised system, now with the vines climbing between the trellises into monumental heights. The wines of the Pettineo are usually fruit-driven with a more silky tannin yet possessing quite lively acidity.”
 
Arianna Occhipinti Fossa di Lupo (FL) Vino di Contrada Terre Siciliane IGT, Sicily 2019 750ml
Monica Lerner- Wine Advocate 93 Points “One of three single-vineyard wines from Arianna Occhipinti, the 2019 Frappato Vino di Contrada FL shows sweet cherry, grilled rosemary and lingering tones of iron ore or rusty nail. This vineyard has red and dark brown soils with lots of stones. Those ferrous notes come though, and the wine closes with a clean, lean-bodied texture. Production for this organic and biodynamic wine is 2,200 bottles.”
Winery notes “Another historical contrada and backbone of my work since 2004. The soils are sandy with shades that go from red to chestnut brown and with a substantial presence of limestone rocks on the surface. After the first 40 cm of sand, we arrive at a layer of solid, hard limestone. The vines were planted in albarello: the typical training system with planting distances traditional of the Vittoria area. This contrada faces the Hyblaean Mountains at northeast; from here the wines typically originate as fruity but also austere, presenting great acidity. “
 
Arianna Occhipinti Bombolieri  (BB) Vino di Contrada Terre Siciliane IGT, Sicily 2019 750ml
Monica Lerner- Wine Advocate 94 Points “Pouring from a bottle with a red wax capsule, the Arianna Occhipinti 2019 Frappato Vino di Contrada BB opens to a fun, especially punchy and bright bouquet with wild berry and blue flowers. From a site with sandy soils and white rocks, this wine is especially botanical in character with dried herbs and lavender common to the Mediterranean basin. Freshness is a protagonist, and the wine closes with dry but mild tannins. Only 2,200 bottles were made in 2019.”
Winery Notes “Here we are situated on a point with high limestone content in the soil, facing the Serra San Bartolo. Here the lands can vary from colours of deep chestnut to white, but the surface’s layer of sand is decisively lower: only 25 cm. Just below this thin layer you will and solid limestone. In a part of this contrada you will and more clay-limestone soil, visibly different with more of a presence of white on its surface. It’s here, in the Vigna Strada that this wine is born, oral and straightforward, with highly persistent acidity.”
 
…also giftable from Italy
 
Bartolo Mascarello Barolo DOCG, Piedmont, Italy 2007 750ml $419 special, 2 bottles available
Vinous 97 Points “Mascarello’s 2007 Barolo shows just how compelling this vintage can be, even now. Sensual, layered and totally voluptuous in the glass, the 2007 shows the more flamboyant side of Barolo. I find the wine’s voluptuous, engaging personality impossible to resist. Sure, 2007 is not a classic vintage, but when a wine is this good, I say: Who cares?”
Wine Advocate 96 Points “The 2007 Barolo has grown tremendously over the last few months. Some bottles have been more closed than others, but what is certain is that the wine is putting on weight. The 2007 appears to have a long drinking window ahead. It is without question one of the wines of the vintage.”
 
Gaja Conteisa, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2015 750ml $249 special, 2 bottles available
Wine & Spirits 98 Points “From the La Morra side of the Cerequio MGA, the 2015 is deeply resonant, its dark fruit tones layered with notes of cedar, tobacco and porcini. The Gaja family has worked extensively on canopy management since the warm 1997 and 2003 vintages, and this shows in the pleasantly tart flavors of black cherry and strawberry they achieved in the warm, dry 2015 growing season. The flavors weave together in a suave, seamless texture, expanding with air while maintaining precision and freshness. —S.J.”
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 97 Points “The 2015 Barolo Conteisa is a heady, exotic wine, and also one of the most complete, alluring Conteisas I have ever tasted. Conteisa is usually a wine of grace and understatement. The 2015, on the other hand, is a bold, sweeping Barolo that saturates the palate with stunning depth and volume. Even with all of its intensity, the 2015 remains vibrant. This is such a complete, harmonious wine.”
 
Vietti Lazzarito, Barolo DOCG, Italy 2019 750ml $239 special, 24 bottles available
Wine Advocate 98 Points “With fruit from Serralunga d’Alba, the Vietti 2019 Barolo Lazzarito is a historic cornerstone wine of this mighty portfolio. It is also one of the Vietti Barolos that consistently delivers extreme quality and pleasure with each new release. Like the other wines presented here, winemaking is straightforward, with submerged cap fermentations lasting 30 to 35 days (although those times were reduced in 2019 because this vintage was not suited to long maceration times). Serralunga d’Alba always delivers power and richness. There are aromas of dried tobacco leaf, perfumed tea, crushed rose and iron ore. The bouquet is extremely expressive.”
Vinous 97 Points “The 2019 Barolo Lazzarito continues a trend seen in recent years in which the focus has been more about finesse than raw power. Intense red fruit, iron, dried herbs, chalk, dried rose petal and white pepper all run through this deep, virile Barolo. The power and intensity of Serralunga really come alive on the heady, explosive finish. Bright saline notes linger on the deep, resonant finish. A Barolo of raw, unbridled power, the Lazzarito demands patience.”

Anne-Sophie Dubois: Staff-Favorite Beaujolais 3-11-24

On Sale Now!
 
With parcel-specific soil maps recently released and winemakers looking to highlight the characteristics of the terroir of their own vineyards, older techniques more similar to Burgundian winemaking have taken root in Beaujolais. The resulting wines are still juicy and lovely, but with added depth and mineral crunchiness not often found in Gamay wines. This is how the vanguard of winemakers is shaping one of the most exciting areas in France, if not the world.
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois, a Champenois native with her training in Volnay, is making some of the most perfumed and elegant wines off of her 20-acre hilltop vineyard in Fleurie. She is, in some circles, already a name-brand, rock star producer.  Generally speaking, though, she’s not well known enough.  The wines she makes are clearly from Beaujolais, but seem to have the soul of Burgundy.  Her winemaking style is definitely influenced by natural wine (there are no tricks in the cellar and no new oak) but she uses sulfur and the wines are clean and elegant.
 
While she makes a ‘young vine’ semi-carbonic wine (Les Cocottes – delicious in its own right), her two wines of note are the Alchemiste and Les Labourons. The wines come from 40 and 60+ year old parcels, respectively. Alchemiste is fully destemmed fruit, macerated for approximately 3 weeks with native yeasts, then aged for 13 months in both cement tanks and some larger oak casks.
 
Les Labourons, formerly known as Clepsydre, marks the transition to fully organic (mostly biodynamic) practices in her vineyard. This wine is comprised of the best fruit from the oldest parcel of vines on the estate. The vinification is the same, though the wine is aged completely in neutral barrels rather than partially in tank. Anne-Sophie says that this wine shows more concentration and depth due to the age of the vines and the truly beautiful fruit that is available. While both will age nicely, the Labourons should be the wine you lay down for 10+ years.
 
As unabashed Anne-Sophie fans, every new release is celebrated (and purchased) by our staff. Her wines, even in difficult years, yield perfumed, vibrant wines with substance and backbone. 2022 was by all accounts a phenominal year in the region. To quote Neal Martin from Vinous when writing on the most recent vintages including the “very promising” 2022, “The future is Beaujolais.” Positive sentiments were echoed by a number of publications, including the Burgundy Report, Wine Spectator, and Wine-Searcher. It was a hot year with severely reduced yields, resulting in concentrated, rich wines with early-drinking appeal and a promising future in the cellar, especially from estates such as Dubois. So snag multiple bottles of this staff-favorite estate while they’re on sale (and still in stock) for rewarding drinking over the next ten years.
 
“These are wines of depth that are built for aging, although they aren’t forbidding in their early days.” — Josh Raynolds, Vinous, writing in 2021
 
“What can be more pleasurable than a fresh, crisp Fleurie, maybe slightly cooled and allowed to warm in your glass. Not much, especially when it comes from talented Anne-Sophie Dubois. She just has the right approach to winemaking – adhering to traditional methods of vinification and allowing her Fleurie to ‘sing.’” — Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
 
5% off any 6-11 in-stock bottles of Anne-Sophie Dubois wine
10% off any 12 or more in-stock bottles of Anne-Sophie Dubois wine
 
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
 
Sale ends Thursday, March 14th at 9 am Pacific
 
In Stock and On Sale Now from Anne-Sophie Dubois:
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois Fleurie Les Cocottes 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $28, that’s $26.60 at 5% off and $25.20 at 10% off, 36 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 91 points “Very fresh Fleurie brimming with pomegranates, rosehips, oranges and wild strawberries. It’s medium-bodied and bright, with refreshing acidity and crunchy tannins. Drink now or hold.”
Importer note “Starting with the 2015 vintage, Anne-Sophie has decided to release a different side of her Fleurie. Up until then, all of her Fleuries were 100% destemmed and fermented in a Burgundian-style. In stark contrast to her usual style, she is making Les Cocottes with 100% whole cluster and using carbonic maceration. It is released the spring after the vintage and is intended to be fruit driven and drunk early & often. The label was drawn by Anne-Sophie herself. (She’s really into art.)”
 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois Fleurie l’Alchimiste 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $31.90, that’s $30.31 at 5% off and $28.71 at 10% off, 36+ bottles in stock now
James Suckling 92 points “I like the violet and cassis notes here mingling with mulberries and purple plums. It’s medium-bodied, fresh and lively, with purple fruit wrapped up in silky tannins. Lots of energy. Drink or hold.”
Winemaker Notes “From southwest facing vineyards in Fleurie AOC. Soils are highly granitic. Dark berried fruits, tempered by mineral and black tea nuances. Seamless and very elegant.”
 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois Fleurie Les Labourons 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $37.50, that’s $35.63 at 5% off and $33.75 at 10% off, 36+ bottles in stock now
James Suckling 92 points “This has an inviting nose of raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and nutmeg. Touch of tobacco. It’s medium-bodied, very fresh and poised. Very fine, precise tannins. Drink or hold.”
Importer Notes “Whereas previously the wine was a selection of the oldest fruit, Anne-Sophie has decided to take the selection one step farther and make it a selection of the best fruit from the old vine parcel. Les Labourons is the name of the lieu dit in Fleurie. In 2017, after receiving her organic certification, she wanted to rename the wine and have a new label drawn to showcase the new chapter in her winemaking. Despite the label and name change, Anne Sophie’s approach to vinification is the same as vintages past. It is 100% destemmed and aged for around 13 months in 228L neutral oak barrels.”
 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois ‘Sans Detour’, Vin de France 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $28, that’s $26.60 at 5% off and $25.20 at 10% off, 17 bottles in stock now
VinopolNote: This is one for the wine geeks. Produced from 20% Gamay and 80% Gamaret (pronounced like “Gamma Ray”—we did mention we’re geeks, right?) a clone of Gamay first created in Switzerland. Expect blackberry and strawberry notes, plus mild tannins and a soft undercurrent of earthy minerality. Highly recommended.
 
This is the only listing in the USA today!
 
Shop the sale on our webstore now!

 
Don’t miss our additional sale going on now:

Tempier and Bandol
 
5% off any 4-8 in-stock bottles of Bandol wine
10% off any 9 or more in-stock bottles of Bandol wine
 
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
 
Tempier and Bandol sale ends Tuesday, March 12th at 9 am Pacific.

Envinate in Unstoppable (Sale!) 3-10-24


 

5% off any 6-11 in-stock Envinate wines
10% off any 12 or more in-stock Envinate wines
Sale ends Wednesday March 13th at 9AM PST
 
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice
before processing your charge.
 
Back in 2019 when I first tasted the wines of Envinate I was impressed but cautious with my enthusiasm. I told myself that these spicy, exotic red and white wines from the Canary Islands and smaller appellations in Spain would be a temporary moment in the zeitgeist of wine trends. A blip on the timeline for new wave wines coming out of Spain. I was wrong. These wines have continued to improve vintage after vintage and now represent the revolutionizing wine movement in Spain as it’s foremost exciting producer. The 2021 and 2022 releases are profound with incredibly elegant acidity, smoky red & white fruits, and unbeatable food pairability. 

You know what I was also wrong about? The prices. I had figured that these wines and their somewhat limited production scale (take a look at their vineyards on the Canary Islands and you’ll see what I mean) would catch the cult wine geek demand curve and become completely unaffordable for the general enthusiast looking to explore modern Spanish wine. Instead, the prices continue to be wildly approachable with the wine in bottle far out performing what the consumer will pay. If you take advantage of our discount offering today, the price you pay will be comically at odds with how good the wine is you’ll be drinking. It’s hard to fathom how these wines are even present in the global market given how wildly difficult it is to produce them. The Canary Islands offer a challenging environment for winemaking, with steep volcanic slopes, windy conditions, and varying microclimates. Envinate embraces these challenges and crafts wines that reflect the character of the islands while pushing the boundaries of traditional winemaking.

The grapes they’re using also completely reinvent the notion of noble varieties in the mind of the wine nerd. Grapes such as Listan Blanco, Listan Negro, Listan Prieto, Listan Gaucho, Baboso, Negramoll, Albillo Criollo, Marmajuelo, Gual (missing several I’m sure) present themselves in wines coming from Tenerife while Mencia, Garnacha Tintorera, Brancellao, Merenzao, Grao Negro form cuvees from the mainland in Ribeira Sacra. If you’re looking for something new to experience in Spanish wine, look no further.

Importer Notes:
“Envínate (translates as “wine yourself”) is the brainchild of 4 friends, winemakers Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez.  This gang of 4 formed back in 2005 while studying enology at the University of Miguel Hernandez in Alicante. Upon graduation, they formed a winemaking consultancy, which evolved into Envínate, a project that focuses on exploring distinctive parcels mainly in the Atlantic-inflected regions of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands. Their collective aim is to make profoundly pure and authentic wines that express the terruño of each parcel in a clear and concise manner. To this end, no chemicals are used in any of the Envínate vineyards, all parcels are picked by hand, the grapes are foot-trodden, and the wines are fermented exclusively with wild yeasts, with a varying proportion of whole grape clusters included. For aging, the wines are raised in old barrels and concrete, and sulfur is only added at bottling, if needed. The results are some of the most exciting and honest wines being produced in Spain today.”

Featured Envinate Wines:

Envinate Albahra Tinto 2022 750ml $25.50 special, 36+ bottles available
Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2022 Albahra is from a year of good quality and good quantity, when the blend was slightly different, 62% Garnacha Tintorera, 30% Moravia Agria, 5% Garnacha and 3% Pardillo, because they rented a vineyard where they also have white (Pardillo) grapes (they might produce a white in 2023). 2022 in the Mediterranean zone was a dry year but it was not as warm as in other zones of Spain, and they think it was the best year so far for the Moravia Agria. So, the wines have more freshness and more acidity. Another big change is that 2022 was the first year that was vinified in their new winery in the zone. So, it’s a much fresher wine than the 2021, which was a warmer year”

Envinate Benje Blanco 2022 750ml  $29.50 special, 30 bottles available
Wine Advocate 93+  “All wines are unfiltered and unfined, and the 2022 Benje Blanco showed a little cloudy but with an extremely expressive, nuanced and elegant nose, very subtle. It was a cooler year with more freshness, so they used less flor (which is always used to sharpen the whites), and the palate is long and vertical, very tasty. This is the finest vintage of this wine to date. 21,000 bottles and 240 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2023.”
Jose Pastor Importer Note “100% Listán Blanco. From several parcels of 70–110-year-old vines at 900-1200m elevation farmed by Envínate and 15 local families. Viticulture here is highly traditional: vines grow untrained, the soils [are] worked by hand, and no chemicals are used.”

Envinate Benje Tinto 2022 750ml $29.50 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Advocate 94+ points “The red 2022 Benje is floral, expressive, clean and elegant, reflecting a very good year in the region, with notes of rose petals and talcum powder, a fine texture and very elegant tannins. This has to be the most elegant Benje to date. 28,000 bottles. It was bottled in July 2023.”
Jose Pastor Importer Note “90% Listán Prieto, 9% Listán Blanco, 1% Tintilla. From several parcels of 70–120-year-old vines at 900-1200m elevation farmed by Envínate and 15 local families. Viticulture here is highly traditional: vines grow untrained, the soils is worked by hand, and no chemicals are used.”

Envinate La Santa Ursula 2021 750ml $54.50 special, 6 bottles available
James Suckling 96 points “Beautiful nose full of white pepper funk, grapefruit, wild raspberries, chalk and mineral. On the palate, this is ethereal and lively but super tense with a bit more verticality than the equally attractive, funky but linear Táganan. Textured, mineral and wild finish that develops in the finish. Goes on and on. Delicious and so drinkable now, but this can age, for a decade, too, if not more.”

Envinate Migan Tinto 2021 750ml $49 special, 10 bottles available
James Suckling  98 points “Nervy, nicely funky, precise and mineral nose with a “protective” flintiness and an alluring peppery edge to the wild berries and pomegranate. Fine, dissolved tannins with a mealy, dusty texture, tapping into a super tangy, fresh palate full of grapefruit zest and wild berries. Really long and irresistible now, but can age.”



Ribeira Sacra vineyard parcels

Envinate Lousas Aldea 2021 750ml $44.50 special, 15 bottles available
James Suckling 96 points “Excellent depth with a vibrant lift of pepperiness to the wild and airy bramble fruit and minerality. Chalky and broad on the palate but really weightless with chalky tannins and a fresh, refined finish. Delicious now.”

Envinate Lousas Doade 2021 750ml $59 special, 4 bottles available
James Suckling 95 points  “Fine, chalky nose with fresh brambly fruit, pomegranate, tile and white pepper. Lots of wild fruit on the palate with fine, fresh tannins and a long finish full of wild herbs and some cooked grapefruit. So drinkable now, why hold?”
89% Mencía, 10% other varieties

Envinate Lousas Seoane 2021 750ml $84.50 special, 3 bottles available
Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2021 Lousas Parcela Seoane comes from a field blend of 90% Mencía and 10% other varieties on gneiss and quartz soils, with old vines, all fermented together with full clusters that were foot trodden, and then the wine matured in neutral 228-, 400- and 500-liter oak barrels. It has 13% alcohol and good freshness and acidity. It is a bit austere and closed, somehow with less energy than how the 2022 was showing today. 2,200 bottles were filled in November 2022.”

Envinate Misturado de Abeleda 2021 750ml $54.50 special, 8 bottles available
Jose Pastor Importer Note “Misturado de Abeleda is sourced from a centenarian parcel located in Ribeiras do Sil. This is a  rare, mixed-planted parcel, with about 70% red and 30% white grapes. The grapes were hand-harvested, foot-trodden and co-fermented 100% whole cluster with wild yeasts in open top plastic tubs, then raised in used 300 and 400 liter French oak for 11 months with no racking. The finished wine is bottled without fining, filtration or added SO2. A throwback to Ribeira Sacra’s early days.”
 
ENVINATE WINES  VWS PRICE  AVAILABLE LINK
ENVINATE ALBAHRA CHINGAO 2022 $31.50 5 Link
ENVINATE ALBAHRA CHINGAO 22 MAG $89.00 3 Link
ENVINATE ALBAHRA TINTO 2022 $25.50 36+ Link
ENVINATE BENJE BLANCO 2022 750ML $29.50 30 Link
ENVINATE BENJE TINTO 2021 MAG $79.00 1 Link
ENVINATE BENJE TINTO 2022 750ML $29.50 12 Link
ENVINATE BENJE TINTO 2022 MAG $77.00 2 Link
ENVINATE LA SANTA URSULA 2021 $54.50 6 Link
ENVINATE LOUSAS ALDEA 2021 $44.50 15 Link
ENVINATE LOUSAS ALDEA 2021 MAG $99.00 3 Link
ENVINATE LOUSAS DOADE 2021 $59.00 4 Link
ENVINATE LOUSAS ROSENDE 2021 $54.50 8 Link
ENVINATE LOUSAS SEOANE 2021 $84.50 3 Link
ENVINATE MIGAN 2017 $69.00 1 Link
ENVINATE MIGAN CHINGAO 2022 750 $44.50 4 Link
ENVINATE MIGAN CHINGAO 2022 MAG $94.50 2 Link
ENVINATE MIGAN TINTO 2021 750ML $49.00 10 Link
ENVINATE MISTURADO DE ABELEDA 21 $54.50 8 Link
ENVINATE PALO BLANCO 2021 750ML $54.50 3 Link