Evesham Wood Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022 750ml $24 special, 36 bottles available
Winery Notes “Although the Willamette Valley bottling is our least expensive and largest production bottling we put just as much of ourselves into it as our top cuvées. Vineyards such as Illahe (Mt. Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA) and Mahonia (Willamette Valley, in the Jory hills just south of Salem) that Evesham Wood has been working with for decades make up the bulk of the blend along with Eola-Amity Hills AVA sites: Prophet, Koosah, Jubilee, and Sojeau. Those grapes are fermented in small lots (1.25 ton, open-topped fermenters) and punched down twice a day. This vintage of the WV blend shows a bright nose with cherry, red apple, fresh flowers, and a touch of loam along with a textural creamy/silkiness component that’s balanced by juicy acid. Showing well now, watch this wine evolve over the next 3 months to 8-10 years.”

Woodward Canyon Cabernet Franc 2020 750ml $41.90 special, 12 bottles available
Owen Bargreen 93 Points “The 2020 ‘Estate’ Cabernet Franc is a beautiful new wine by Woodward Canyon. Black and red florals combine with green herbs, blackberry and shades of roasted plum. The palate is soft and refined with a silky texture and serious length. Showing good weight, this is beautiful Cabernet Franc that will cellar well for another ten plus years.”

“Nicolas-Jay”
 

Built from the unlikely friendship that bloomed between an American Music Executive and a famous French Winemaker, Jean-Nicholas Meo of Meo-Camuzet and Jay Boberg, formerly of MCA and IRS Records, Nicolas-Jay is dedicated to producing organic, dry-farmed, old-vine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the spirit of Burgundy’s most esteemed Grand Crus. 

Nicolas Jay Affinites Chardonnay 2020 750ml $49 special, 8 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast Editor’s Choice- Clarified butter, toast and spice aromas lead to a bright, lively, lemony palate. It’s completely captivating. Decant and pair with shrimp scampi with butter, lemon and fresh parsley.
 
Nicolas Jay Affinites Chardonnay 2021 750ml $49 special, 11 bottles available
Decanter 94 Points “Whispers of lemon curd and fresh mint soften the brace of crisp green apples and limes in this spirited, salt-licked Chardonnay produced by Jean-Nicolas Méo of Méo-Camuzet fame, music mogul Jay Boberg, and the American winemaker Tracy Kendall. Vinified entirely in neautral French oak with ambient yeast, it’s full-bodied.”
 
Nicolas Jay Bishop Creek Chardonnay 2018 750ml $79 special, 4 bottles available
Tasting Note “The wine is still reserved aromatically, but shows a pale straw color in the glass and offers pear, pear skin, meyer lemon and wet stone on the nose. The palate is defined by minerality and a vibrant core of acidity. Some oak impact is still present in the wine, which contributes subtle flavors of vanilla and toast. Juicy pear and citrus persist through the lengthy finish. A young wine which will improve greatly with age.”
 
Nicolas Jay Own Rooted Pinot Noir 2019 750ml $89 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Spectator 94 Points “Floral and savory, this Pinot offers elegance and dimension, with cherry and pomegranate flavors that mingle with orange peel, fresh violet and dusky spice. Finishes with polished tannins. Drink now through 2030.”
 

Nicolas Jay Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2021 750ml $49 special, 34 bottles available
Winery Notes “A beautiful garnet color is the first indication of a dense, concentrated harvest. It’s stunning at first approach with red cherry, black tea and subtle splashes of toasted clove, spices and citrus aromas. The fruit is crunchy and wet at this early stage, but a core of cinnamon spice and light menthol arrive to inter-mingle with these cold-pressed red fruit elements as the wine begins to stretch out. Alert acidity on the front-end gives way to granite, medium-weight tannins.”

Langoa Barton St Julien 2019 750ml $69 special, 5 bottles available
James Suckling 96 Points “Plenty of blackberry, currant and floral aromas. Some mint as well, following through to a full-bodied palate with layers of ultra-fine tannins and wonderful length. This is sophisticated and beautifully crafted with style and personality, displaying its terroir. Extremely well done.”

Clos De Sarpe St Emilion 2015 750ml $89 special, 13 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 97+ Points “Showing even better now than on release, the 2015 Château Clos de Sarpe might be one of the greatest wines to ever emerge from this tiny vineyard just outside of Saint Emilion. Dense purple/plum-hued, with an enormous bouquet of blueberries, blackberries, white truffles, violets, and spring flowers, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, an incredible sense of opulence, and silky, polished tannins. It’s absorbed just about every trace of its oak élevage, and while it’s an incredible drink today, it’s going to evolve for 30+ years or more.”
 
Chateau Le Crock Saint Estephe 2016 750ml $41.90 special, 24 bottles available
Chateau Le Crock Saint Estephe 2016 Case of 12 750ml bottles $449 special, 2 bottles available
Chateau Le Crock Saint Estephe 2016 Case of 6 750ml bottles $239 special, 2 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 94 Points “Cellar Sellection. Under the same management as Château Léoville-Poyferré in Saint-Julien, this estate belongs to the Cuvelier family. With its structured Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is made to age. Big tannins and concentrated fruits are full and dense.”
 
Chateau Leoville Barton St Julien 2019 750ml $119 special,  22 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points – #7 TOP 100 “The flagship 2019 Château Léoville Barton is brilliant, showing both the style of the estate as well as the vintage beautifully. It’s never the biggest or richest wine, yet it has a classic, vibrant, structured style that ages beautifully. Pure cassis, black currants, scorched earth, new leather, and graphite are just some of its nuances, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a lively spine of acidity, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. This textbook Léoville Barton demands a decade of bottle age and will keep for 30-40 years.”

Chateau Goubau “La Source” Cotes De Castillon 2015 $18 special, 24 bottles available
Chateau Goubau “La Source” Castillon 2015 Case of 6 bottles $99, 6 available
Winery note “The second wine of Chateau Goubau comes from the vineyard parcels facing south and south-west on the slopes bordering the domain’s natural source. Made from a blend of 95% Merlot grapes and 5% Cabernet Franc grapes, the wine is spicy and fresh with aromas of red fruits, plums and spice. On the palate the wine is crunchy and fruity with black fruit flavours and a touch of spice; the finish is lively and appealing. Drink now for next three years.”
 

Jaboulet Hermitage La Maison Bleu 2019 750ml $59 special, 36 bottles available
Wine Advocate 94-96 Points “Even richer, darker and more powerful than the 2018 version, the 2019 Hermitage La Maison Bleue offers up some lifted, minty notes to accent its potent cassis fruit. Dark, dense, and Port-like without being overly heavy or dense, this full-bodied effort is long, intense and concentrated, with softly dusty tannins on the finish.”
 

Rocca Di Castagnoli Gran Selezione Stielle 2016 $49 special, 17 bottles available
Rocca Di Castagnoli Gran Selezione Stielle 2016 Case of 12 bottles $519 special, 2 cases available
Rocca Di Castagnoli Gran Selezione Stielle 2016 Case of 6 bottles $279 special, 1 case available
Vinous 95 Points “The 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Stielle is a beautiful and distinctive wine, but it also needs time to come together. Sangiovese bristles with energy and cut as this nervy, tightly wound wine shows off its personality. The combination of a high altitude site and whole clusters in fermentation yields a Chianti Classico endowed with notable power and intensity.”
 

Arriving Tuesday
 

Greywacke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 750ml $21.90 special, 36 bottles available
95 Points Wine Spectator “Distinctive, succulent and wonderfully complex, offering stone fruit flavors on a rich, smooth and mouthwateringly juicy frame, with notes of honeysuckle, honey-preserved ginger, creamy lemon curd, ripe mango and flowers. Hints of spices linger on the long, expressive finish”

Re-Arrivals
 

 
Kruger-Rumpf Munsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett 2018 750ml $16 special, 17 bottles available
Grapelive 92 Points “One of my favorites, Kruger-Rumpf’s Münsterer Rheinberg Kabinett is an excellent value and offering with subtle fruit sweetness and loads of mineral driven personality, which is all here in this 2018 vintage that is developing nicely, showing flinty stony character, a hint of diesel and rounded white orchard fruits. This pale gold Kabinett starts with crisp citrus, peach and green apple on the lighter and brighter framed medium bodied palate with zesty acidity that helps hide overt sweetness and gives the impression of a drier style, while still having a certain fleshy mouth feel, making it refreshing and flexible with a range of cuisine choices, it goes nicely indeed with spicy and or briny dishes. I last visited Georg Rumpf and the winery at harvest time in 2016, when I was able to see most of his vineyard sites, that are farmed with sustainable and organic methods, including the area where this Münsterer Rheinberg comes from, it’s pretty close to where the Nahe flows into the mighty Rhein River. Georg has really done an amazing job with these Kruger-Rumpf wines and there’s sublime array of top notch Rieslings to chose from here, with his classic Kabinett and Spatlese being exceptional examples, as well as his set of GGs and Erste Lage single vineyard Trockens, that are outstanding, with the Dautenpflänzer Grosses Gewächs and the Abtei Erstes Gewächs being my absolute favorites.”

 
Also Featured
 

Kruger-Rumpf Dautenpflanzer Riesling GG 2021 750ml $44.50 special, 12 bottles available
Mosel Fine Wines 91 Points “The 2021er Dautenpflänzer Riesling GG, as it is referred to on the consumer label, has a delicately ripe and aromatic nose of lily flowers, canned yellow peach, William’s pear, orange blossom, may tree, violet, and a dash of litchi. The wine is playful and zesty on the palate, where fresh flavors of orchard fruits make for a very attractive side. The finish is long and bone-dry in taste, with a hint of tartness in need of integration. This fruit-driven and aromatic dry wine will please lovers of the style. 2024-2031”
 
Kruger-Rumpf Abtei “1937” Riesling (Reserve) 2018 750ml $36 special, 36+ bottles available
Grapelive 94-96 Points “The 2018 barrel sample of Kruger-Rumpf’s Abtei 1937 was stunningly gorgeous with brilliant details, ripe extract density, vivid mineral tones and vibrant acidity showing a purity and vitality of youth, but with the complexity and length of its old vine material. Georg Rumpf has crafted a Trocken beauty here with layers of delicacy and substance. You will not be disappointed, I know I will be hustling to get some myself. The regular Abtei offering is one of my new favorite Nahe Rieslings and while I love all the latest Kruger-Rumpf wines, especially from the Grosse Lage: Münsterer Dautenpflänzer, Münsterer im Pitterberg and Dorsheimer Burgberg, as well as exotic Rumpf’s Scheurebe plus their off dry Kabinett, Feinherb and wonderfully balanced Spatlese(s) I have become obsessed with the Bingerbrücker Abtei im Ruppertsberg vineyard and wines. This ’18 starts with subtle aromatic charm with orange blossom, rosewater, flinty stones, salt lick and quinces before thrilling the palate with energy and white peach, tangerine, lime intensity, verbena, mint tea and tart green apple. This light/medium dry Riesling is brisk and racy, at first but gains depth and builds with air in the glass adding some leesy texture, it is totally thrilling and will only get better with bottle age. Terry Theise adds that, Kuger-Rumpf’s vineyards are farmed sustainably; bees are kept nearby to facilitate pollination and aid in overall bio-diversity. Periodically sheep are allowed to roam the vines helping to control underbrush. All vineyards are hand harvested to ensure that only optimally ripe grapes are selected. Stefan believed that “you can’t improve wine in the cellar, only make it worse…” and Georg has
 
Kruger-Rumpf Abtei “1937” Riesling (Reserve) 2020 750ml $39 special, 5 bottles available
James Suckling 97 Points “A truly unique wine that has the most beautiful golden nose that is fruity, but so much more than that. So many wild herb and flower nuances. Stunning concentration, combined with a feeling of weightlessness. Super-mineral finish that dances over the palate and off into the far distance. Drink or hold.”
 
Kruger-Rumpf Abtei “1937” Riesling (Reserve) 2021 750ml $41.90 special, 24 bottles available
Wine Advocate 93 Points “The 2021 Bingerbrücker Abtei Rupertsberg “1937” Riesling trocken shows a deep, clear, refined and elegant, complex and predominantly stony bouquet with notes of fresh lemon juice and some herbal nuances. Mouthfilling, round and vital on the palate, with crystalline and savory acidity, this is a silky, supple and fruit-intense but always elegant and refined dry Riesling from vines planted in 1937. The 2021 reveals a palatable phenolic structure and currently lacks some charm, but its stimulating lemon notes and saline vitality are highly promising. 12% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in October 2022.”

Chateau Haut Bages Liberal Pauillac 2018 750ml $66 special, 12 bottles available
James Suckling 97 Points “Pretty blackberries, blueberries and violets with some crushed-raspberry aromas follow through to a full body with wonderfully crafted and pure tannins that intertwine wonderfully with the blue fruit and blackberries. Long and endless. A triumph here. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try after 2026.”

Pichon Baron Pauillac 2019 750ml $199 special, 14 bottles available
Wine Advocate 97-100 Points “Very deep purple-black in color, the nose skyrockets from the glass with vibrant scents of freshly crushed blackberries, black raspberries and blackcurrant pastilles followed by perfumed sparks of fragrant earth, clove oil, lilacs, crushed rocks, molten chocolate and cinnamon toast. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with layer upon layer of black fruit, mineral and exotic spices, framed by beautifully ripe, finely-grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing with a lingering soft-spoken whisper of floral and earth notions. This is an absolutely beguiling expression that is classic Pauillac, and yet it is Pauillac like no other.”

Chateau Leoville Barton St Julien 2019 750ml $119 special, 22 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points – #7 TOP 100 “The flagship 2019 Château Léoville Barton is brilliant, showing both the style of the estate as well as the vintage beautifully. It’s never the biggest or richest wine, yet it has a classic, vibrant, structured style that ages beautifully. Pure cassis, black currants, scorched earth, new leather, and graphite are just some of its nuances, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a lively spine of acidity, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. This textbook Léoville Barton demands a decade of bottle age and will keep for 30-40 years.”

Reserve De Leoville Barton 2019 750ml $47.50 special, 12 bottles available
Decanter 92 Points “Shiny glossy fruit on the nose, floral and pretty. Bright pink in the glass full of blackcurrant and cherry aromas. Nice plushness on the palate with chewy tannins that have a touch of dryness/chalkiness and drive of fresh red fruit, with some creamy, chalky aspects coming in on the finish. Nicely balanced. It’s balanced and fresh, light and playful. Not showy, but easy. Touch of cedar wood on the edges at the finish. Drinking Window 2023 – 2030.”
 
Chateau Capbern Saint-Estephe 2018 750ml $36 special, 24 bottles available
Chateau Capbern Saint-Estephe 2018 Case of 12 750ml bottles $389 special, 1 available
Chateau Capbern Saint-Estephe 2018 Case of 6 750ml bottles $199 special, 2 available
Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points “It has a deep, dark, earthy, classic Saint-Estèphe bouquet that gives up lots of cassis and almost blue fruits as well as ample chocolate, damp earth, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. With a full-bodied, rich, opulent mouthfeel, loads of sumptuous dark fruits, sweet tannins, and a great finish, this brilliant 2018 brings lots of fruit and opulence, yet stays weightless and balanced, with solid underlying structure. A hidden gem in the vintage, this is every bit as good as the 2016, and it’s going to shine for two decades or more.”

La Gaffeliere Saint Emilion 2018 750ml $99 special, 18 bottles available
Vinous 99 Points “The 2018 La Gaffelière is hands down one of the wines of the vintage. Towering in its stature and vertical lift, the 2018 dazzles right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, mocha, spice, licorice and leather all run through this deep, wonderfully pliant Saint-Émilion. The 2018 is rich, deep and beautifully resonant, with tremendous depth and tons of stature that builds, all framed by beams of supporting minerality that confer vibrancy. La Gaffelière is distinctive, alluring and arresting right out of the gate. It is another magnificent showing from this reborn estate. The blend is 63% Merlot and 37% Cabernet Franc. Magnifique!”

Chateau Goubau “La Source” Cotes De Castillon 2015 $18 special, 24 bottles available
Chateau Goubau “La Source” Castillon 2015 Case of 6 bottles $99, 6 available
Winery note “The second wine of Chateau Goubau comes from the vineyard parcels facing south and south-west on the slopes bordering the domain’s natural source. Made from a blend of 95% Merlot grapes and 5% Cabernet Franc grapes, the wine is spicy and fresh with aromas of red fruits, plums and spice. On the palate the wine is crunchy and fruity with black fruit flavours and a touch of spice; the finish is lively and appealing. Drink now for next three years.”
 
Chateau Gloria St Julien 2019 750ml $49 special, 17 bottles available
Vinous 96 Points “The 2019 Gloria has a compelling nose: black fruit, crushed rocks, tobacco and very subtle marine scents that are all beautifully combined. Perhaps the most precise and delineated nose among an impressive array of Saint-Julien’s this year. The palate is medium-bodied with a lively opening. A touch of soy infuses the black fruit; fine-boned with wonderful sapidity on the finish. Extraordinary length. Serious.”
Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points “Showing beautifully, with the polished, pure, elegant style of the vintage, the 2019 Château Gloria sports a deeper ruby/purple color as well as great aromatics of cassis and assorted blue fruits to go with smoked tobacco, cedar pencil, damp earth, and floral notes. I love its purity, and it’s just a quintessential, medium to full-bodied, layered Saint-Julien that can be drunk today or cellared for a solid two decades. It should be a no-brainer purchase for the wine lovers out there.”
 
Clos Du Marquis St Julien 2019 750ml $69 special, 6 bottles available
Wine Advocate 94+ Points “The 2019 Clos du Marquis is another cuvée from the Delon family that’s smaller than usual this year, as fully 20% of the vineyards that inform this bottling are in various stages of replanting, with the objective of bringing the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon vines up to more than 70%. Exhibiting aromas of inky cassis, plums, incense, wood smoke and spices, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, with lively acids, beautifully powdery tannins and a supple, more immediately charming profile than its big sibling across the street, Léoville-Las Cases.”

Clos De Sarpe St Emilion 2019 750ml $79 special, 14 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points “I love this estate, and their 2019 Château Clos De Sarpe offers the newer, balanced, elegant style of recent vintages while still bringing beautiful fruit and opulence. Cassis, blueberries, graphite, tobacco damp earth, and violet notes are just some of its nuances, and this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mid-palate, awesome purity of fruit, good acidity, and a great finish. It’s going to take a decade of bottle age to hit maturity and will evolve for 30 to 40 years. This classic, beautiful, old-school yet pure and balanced Saint-Emilion deserves a place in your cellar.”

Horsetail Pinot Noir 2021 750ml $28 special, 11 bottles available
Vinopolnote “Coattails is a partnership between the three sons – Jared, Michael, Jr., and Nathan – of Michael G. Etzel, operating partner of Sequitur and Beaux Frères Vineyards in the Ribbon Ridge AVA of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Raised on the estate until each of the three departed in his own time to Oregon State University, these second-generation winemakers are employing the benefits of learning the craft firsthand as far back as their earliest memories will take them, while also collectively discovering their own voices in both the vineyard and winery.”
 

Nicolas Jay Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2021 750ml $49 special, 34 bottles available
Winery Notes “A beautiful garnet color is the first indication of a dense, concentrated harvest. It’s stunning at first approach with red cherry, black tea and subtle splashes of toasted clove, spices and citrus aromas. The fruit is crunchy and wet at this early stage, but a core of cinnamon spice and light menthol arrive to inter-mingle with these cold-pressed red fruit elements as the wine begins to stretch out. Alert acidity on the front-end gives way to granite, medium-weight tannins.”
 

Italy
 

Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera Bricco Pernice 2015 750ml $99 special, 36+ bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 97 Points “Cellar Selection. Enticing scents of rose, iris, perfumed berry and an earthy whiff of truffle shape the fragrant nose on this dazzling wine. The delicious, full-bodied palate boasts structure and a weightless elegance, delivering juicy Marasca cherry, cherry compote, cinnamon and star anise. Taut polished tannins and fresh acidity provide balance and an elegant structure. It’s already irresistible but will also age well for years. Drink 2022–2035.”

Felsina Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colonia 2010 $149 special, 12 bottles available
Advocate 95+ Points Wine “When you hear the story of the effort that went into making the Colonia vineyard, you have to wonder if the fine folks at Fèlsina are absolutely mad. It took them two years of dynamite blasting to clear the imposing rock that had forced previous generations of the Poggiali family to virtually abandon this site. But an ambitious Giovanni Poggiali takes credit for making this spectacular vineyard what it is today. The wine produced here is quickly becoming the second flagship product after Fontalloro. The 2010 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colonia is a wine of enormous beauty and depth. This is Sangiovese at its highest expression and any doubt I had about the previous vintage (which was the first time this wine appeared as a Gran Selezione) have been washed away by this current release. What really stands out are the wine’s precise mineral and graphite aromas that lend an incredible sense of focus and balance. The oak element is also beautifully integrated.”

Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana IGT 2018 750ml $99 special, 12 bottles available
Decanter 100 Points “Finely textured, with a nuanced perfume that fills the glass and takes you to the intense underbrush of Tuscany. Succulent and yet savoury, this has a lilting freshness that is overlaid with ripe berry fruits, sage and white pepper spice, and clear minerality in terms of its scraping texture that makes your mouth water on the finish. Feels light and sculpted and yet has an intensity that skewers you to the spot. This is a great wine, with scope and imagination that doesn’t want to let you go.”

Talenti Brunello Di Montalcino 2017 750ml $49 special, 24 bottles available
Vinous 93 Points “The bouquet on the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is to die for, offering cloves and balsamic spices that give way to crushed cherries, sage and fresh mint. It’s elegant yet lifted in feel, with silky textures carrying the ripe wild berry fruits effortlessly across the palate. Saline-minerals combine with grippy tannins toward the close, slowing the 2017’s momentum ever so slightly, yet still permitting the most beautiful display of hard red candies and violet florals to linger incredibly long.”

 

Faiveley La Framboisiere Mercurey Monopole 2021 750ml $59 special, 12 bottles available
Vinopolnote “This wine reveals a powerful, fruity nose combining rich notes of red and black fruits and a subtle hint of oak. La Framboisière offers a powerful palate dominated by crunchy red fruits. Its velvety tannins and exceptional length make it a pleasure to drink.”

Faiveley Clos Du Roy Mercurey 1er Cru 2021 750ml $69 special, 6 bottles available
(Wine not yet reviewed, 2020 vintage provided for reference)
Wine Advocate 93 Points “The 2020 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos du Roy wafts from the glass with aromas of cherries, raspberries and plums mingled with hints of raw cocoa and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, it’s lively and refined, with velvety tannins and a polished, charming profile that marks it out as another of the more elegant wines in the range this year.”
 
Faiveley Mercurey Blanc 2021 750ml $44.50 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Spectator 91 Points “Lean, displaying apple, lemon, vanilla, clove and citronella flavors. Gains intensity and depth as this evolves on the palate, ending in a cascade of fruit, mineral and spice notes.”

Domaines Ott By.Ott Cotes Provence Rose 2022 750ml $24 special, 36 bottles available
Vinopolis “Pale and pretty in crystal-clear pink with orange undertones. The nose is delicate and fruity with notes of white peach and apricot mixed with passion fruit and mango. The taste is full, fresh and crisp with echoes of the fruity aroma amplified by citrus zest and sweet spices (cinnamon and cardamom).”
 
Domaines Ott Chateau De Selle Provence Rose 2022 750ml $51.90 special, 18 bottles available
Vinous 93 Points “The 2022 Rosé Château de Selle Cru Classé opens with a striking bouquet, blending dusty dried flowers with ginger, a spritz of lemon and crushed apples. It’s supple and soothing to the senses, with a textural wave of white strawberry, candied orange and sweet inner florals. A core of brilliant acidity maintains a fantastic balance as this tapers off long and potent. A mineral staining and citrus hints tease the taste buds. Please pour me another.”
 
Domaines Ott Chateau Romassan Bandol Rose 2022 750ml $51.90 special, 30 bottles available
Vinopolnote “Its pale, ethereal pink color tinted with gold or orange, releases a bouquet of citrus fruits and white orchard flowers. On the palate, the immediate effect is lively and bright, revealing notes of pink grapefruit, fleshy fruit and, once the wine has had a chance to breathe, hints of fruit tart. The finish is complex and lasting.”

La Chablisienne Chablis Les Clos 2018 750ml $59 special, 22 bottles available

 

Jaboulet Hermitage La Maison Bleu 2019 750ml $59 special, 36 bottles available
Wine Advocate 94-96 Points “Even richer, darker and more powerful than the 2018 version, the 2019 Hermitage La Maison Bleue offers up some lifted, minty notes to accent its potent cassis fruit. Dark, dense, and Port-like without being overly heavy or dense, this full-bodied effort is long, intense and concentrated, with softly dusty tannins on the finish.”
 

Spain
 

Lopez Heredia Todonia Gran RSV 2001 750ml $199 special, 8 bottles available
Wine Advocate 98 Points “The grapes ripened properly and thoroughly, and the wine has great balance for a long aging in bottle. This is 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in their 153-year-old oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in used barrels for 10 years. It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 6.4 grams of acidity (tartaric). The nose shows young (tasting it blind, you’d guess a 10-year old wine, not a 20-year-old wine!). It has a nose of sweet spices, underbrush and cigar ash, somewhat balsamic, bramble fruit with perfect ripeness, integrated and young but starting to show some tertiary complexity. The palate is velvety and medium-bodied, with fine-grained, chalky tannins denoting a limestone soil that brings finesse and texture and a sapid, tasty, almost salty finish. This is going to make a beautiful bottle of old Rioja in 30 years’ time!”
 

Blankiet Paradise Hills Vyd Mythicus Cabernet 2013 $249 special, 1 bottle available
Wine Advocate 96+ Points “The 2013 Mythicus is so backward, but a wine of extraordinary intensity. Loads of tannin, massive extract, a blue/purple color, gorgeous purity and overall depth make for a compelling wine, but this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon effort is one for patient connoisseurs. Forget it for 5-7 years, and drink it over the following three decades.”

Blankiet Paradise Hills Vyd Proprietary Red 2016 750ml $219 special, 1 bottle available
Vinous 98 Points “The 2016 Proprietary Red Paradise Hills Vineyard is magnificent. Deep and expressive on the palate, the 2016 possesses tremendous intensity but delivered in an understated voice. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, new leather and spice develop with time, but it is the wine’s total sense of poise that once again is truly impressive.”

Melka Estates La Mekerra Proprietary Red 2010 750ml $119 special, 1 bottles available
Tasting Note “The 2010 Mekerra is a striking Cab franc/Merlot blend that entirely illustrates how wonderfully complex and impressive Cabernet franc can be. Mocha, blackberry, grilled herbs along with cedar and new leather leap from the glass in this rich and unctuous wine. A seamless structure and long finish will allow this wine to age easily 15-20 years. La Mekerra Vineyard soils are rich in both volcanic ash and clay – perfectly suited for Cabernet franc and Merlot.”
 
Melka Estates La Mekerra Proprietary Red 2012 750ml $149 special, 1 bottle available
Robert Parker 98 Points “This is Philippe Melka’s Northern California version of Cheval Blanc and he has pulled it off brilliantly. A real look-alike for that great estate in St.-Emilion, this wine has beautiful mulberry, black cherry and blackcurrant fruit mixed with licorice, forest floor and incense. Terrific in texture, opulent, full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning purity, yet a freshness and liveliness that is just remarkable.”
 
Rudd Oakville Estate Red 2015 750ml $179 special, 1 bottle available
Wine Advocate 98+ Points ” …has a very deep purple-black color and is scented of freshly crushed black currants, blackberries and black cherries with touches of cedar chest, pencil lead, menthol, Chinese five spice and violets, plus a waft of sandalwood. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is very finely crafted with amazing freshness and vivacity, framed by firm, ripe, fine-grained tannins and finishing with lingering exotic spice notes.”
 
Saxum Heart Stone Vyd Paso Robles 2013 750ml $119 special, 1 bottle available
Wine Advocate 95 Points ” …shows the class and purity of the vintage in its complex, floral-laced aromas of dark fruits, spice and minerality. Full-bodied, seamless and silky, with no hard edges and terrific purity, it’s another 2013 from Smith that will open up with another year in bottle.”

Malbec: A Grill’s Best Friend
8 Great Malbecs For Your Next Cook Out

 

Astruc D’a Malbec 2019 750ml $14 special, 23 bottles available
Astruc D’a Malbec 2019 Case of 12 750ml bottles $128 special, 5 cases available
Tasting Notes  “Deep purple red with ruby tints. Powerful and complex with a quintessence of floral, plums, mocha and black current aromas with toasted notes. Aromas of clay, sweet pickling spices, and mulberries with a tangy, fruity yet dry medium body and a black cherry jam, aloe, and grilled pepper and lime accented finish with chewy tannins.”
 
Vaglio Chacra Malbec 2018 750ml $16 special, 36+ bottles available
Vaglio Chacra Malbec 2018 Case of 12 bottles $169 special, 4 cases available
James Suckling 93 Points “A dense, compact malbec with intense, blackberry and wet-earth character. Full body. Creamy texture. Tangy and delicious on the finish. Ends with green tobacco and tar. Excellent.”
 
Vaglio Temple Malbec 2018 750ml $16 special 36+ bottles available
Vaglio Temple Malbec 2018 case of 12 750ml bottles available $169 special, 4 cases available
James Suckling 93 Points “This is always a delicious red with lots of crushed-berry and walnut character. Full-bodied, dense and juicy. Lots of old-vine character. Succulent.”
 
Clos D’audhuy Les Polissons Cahors Malbec 2020 750ml $19 special, 22 bottles available
Winery Notes “Les Polissons is produced from 30-year-old vines, this is a generous and open wine that is made to be drunk young. It has broad berry fruits, supple tannins and refreshing acidity.”
 
Zorzal Eggo Tinto De Tiza 2017 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles available
Wine Advocate 94 Points “The mouthfeel of the 2017 Eggo Tinto de Tiza was like biting into a piece of chalk (“tiza” is the Spanish word for chalk), the texture provided by the limestone-rich soils from Gualtallary, especially in the higher part of this large region. This wine is about the place, the soils, the local vegetation, the austerity and the wilderness.”
 
Peter William Malbec 2019 750ml $30.90 special, 24 bottles available
Winery Note “Our only Bordeaux Varietal, most often seen on its own from Argentina. This is a big, bold mouth-filling wine of great depth.”
 
Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Gaultallary 2019 750ml $41.90 special, 5 bottles available
Wine Advocate 97 Points “It fermented in small concrete vats with indigenous yeasts at some 26 degrees Celsius for 20 days. This is vibrant and expressive, with a complex nose and especially a lively palate with effervescent acidity and very fine-boned with elegant but firm tannins (they say “Serralunga-like” tannins). I find the recurring iron-like note of blood and fresh meat here too, intermixed with the wild flowers, herbs and spices. This has depth and complexity, and if Altamira is Barbaresco, Gualtallary is Barolo… 10,000 bottles were filled in January 2022.”
 
Vina Cobos Marchiori Estate Malbec 2018 750ml $99 special, 2 bottles available
Vinous 97 Points “The 2018 Malbec Viña Cobos Marchiori comes from vines in Perdriel. The wine was aged for 18 months in 52% new oak. A vivid violet hue in the glass. The extremely complex nose delivers rose, fresh plum, hints of black pepper and subtle notes from the aging process alongside bold, slightly balsamic aromas such as thyme and bay leaf. It’s in the mouth where it truly comes into its own: expansive but gentle with good intensity, energy and complex, delicate flavors.”
James Suckling 97 Points “Blackberry, blueberry, dark-mushroom and dark-walnut aromas follow through to a full-bodied, tight palate and a gorgeous, dark-berry center palate. Creamy and polished. Lovely finish. Violets and mushrooms. From 80-year-old vines. Hard not to drink now, but better in 2024.”
 

James Suckling 99 Points- #7 James Suckling’s Top 100 Wines of 2019- “The aromas here are so spellbinding with shitake mushrooms, wet earth and moss, as well as tree bark and, finally, dark fruit. The palate is incredible as it builds and grows with full body, but always tight and reserved. It shows so much depth and complexity. Please try not to touch this until 2025”

Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana IGT 2018 750ml $99 special, 12 bottles available
Decanter 100 Points “Finely textured, with a nuanced perfume that fills the glass and takes you to the intense underbrush of Tuscany. Succulent and yet savoury, this has a lilting freshness that is overlaid with ripe berry fruits, sage and white pepper spice, and clear minerality in terms of its scraping texture that makes your mouth water on the finish. Feels light and sculpted and yet has an intensity that skewers you to the spot. This is a great wine, with scope and imagination that doesn’t want to let you go. Genuinely stands out among the wines of this tasting, and these are a fine array of wines. As with Colore, Bibi Graetz selects only old vines, the youngest 50 years old from five different vineyard sites across Tuscany, all farmed organically. Fermentations in open 225l barrels with natural yeasts and manual punch downs.”
  

 
La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Rioja Reserva 2015 750ml $39 special, 33 bottles available
James Suckling 96 Points “A rich nose of raspberry, crushed strawberry, blueberry, coconut, cedar and sweet spice. It’s medium-to full-bodied with fine tannins and fresh acidity. Creamy, balanced and layered with vibrant, spicy character. Long and polished.”
 
Vinedos Paganos El Puntido Rioja Gran Reserva 2007 750ml $59 special, 10 bottles available
Wine Advocate 96 Points “Putting my nose in the glass of the 2007 El Puntido Gran Reserva transported me to the classical Riojas from yesteryear. The wine has a fully developed nose with all the textbook descriptors of a good aged Rioja—forest floor, cigar ash, cold bonfire, truffle, cherries in liqueur, blonde tobacco, spices and iodine. But this is a classical Gran Reserva that has something that was not that traditional, and it comes from a single vineyard and matured in brand new French oak barrels for 28 months.”
 

 
Quinta Do Noval Touriga Nacional 2016 750ml $46.50 special, 11 bottles available
Decanter 96 Points “Made only in top years from the best lots, like all Noval’s reds this is fermented in stainless steel then aged in French oak – in this case for 10 months in 35% new oak. Signature orange blossom riffs make for a delicate interplay of fruit and flower. A plume of fine, schistous tannins and bright acidity gently but persuasively anchor and extend its inky, perfumed black berry and plum fruits, with hints of bergamot, milk chocolate, clove, cedar and cinnamon. Very fine and such a great example of the variety, and nearly half the price of the Reserva!”
 
Graham Vintage Port 2017 750ml $99 special, 30 bottles available
Decanter 98 Points “Based on Touriga Franca from south-facing slopes at Quinta dos Malvedos, with Touriga Nacional from quintas Vila Velha and Vale de Mealhadas  topped out with fruit from old vines at Quinta da Tua and 10% Sousão. It’s a very deep blue-black colour with an expressive, super-ripe nose of plum, mint and bergamot which springs from the glass. The palate is rich, velvety and voluptuous in typical Graham’s style. The initial richness makes the tannins, which show up on the ripe, broad, mouthwatering finish. Wonderful purity and definition. A real wow of a wine!”
 

 
Bodega Cuvelier Los Andes Grand Vin 2016 750ml $36 special, 24 bottles available
Vinous 91+ Points “Bright medium ruby Blackberry, cassis, licorice, herbs and complementary oak spices on the nose, plus a violet high note. Densely packed and smooth, with its brooding flavors of crushed dark berries currently carrying strong oak notes of licorice and bitter chocolate, not to mention the firm herbal edge of the vintage. Quite pungent–even peppery–after the 2015 Colección, finishing with dusty tannins and a penetrating quality that augurs well for improvement in bottle. This blend will need at least a couple years to reveal its full personality”

Eye Opening Rarities
 

 

 
Bedrock is first and foremost a mission-driven operation dedicated to preserving and rehabilitating old vineyards around California. These vineyards, planted by California’s viticultural pioneers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are living pieces of history. From their humble beginnings in 2007 making wine in an old chicken coop to the world of high scores in major wine publications they have remained focused on coaxing high-quality terroir driven wines from their eclectic vineyards.
 
Bedrock Evangelho Heritage Red 2021 750ml $44.50 special, 24 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points “From Zinfandel grown in the pure sand soils of this incredible site, the 2021 Evangelho Vineyard Heritage is lifted and pure with raspberry liqueur, fresh flowers, and brushy earth. Medium-bodied, with a highly refined structure, it reveals a floral perfume of herbes de Provence and rose petals that lasts long after the wine has dissipated. With fine tannins and a gorgeous, sandy mineral texture, it’s a beautiful wine to drink over the next 10 or more years.”
 
Bedrock The Bedrock Heritage Sonoma Red 2021 750ml $51.90 special, 24 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points “A deep but transparent red, the 2021 The Bedrock Heritage is about 50% Zinfandel and offers aromas of fresh pencil shavings, black cherry, roasted herbs, and fresh flowers. Full-bodied, it has fine sweet tannins and note of ripe berries, mocha, and turned soil. Drink over the next 10 years.”
 
Bedrock Rose Of Mourvedre ‘Ode To Lulu’ 2022 750ml $21.90 special, 24 bottles available
Winery Note “The 2022 Ode to Lulu Rose features a blend 60% Mourvedre, 35% Grenache, and 5% Syrah. Ode to Lulu is Bedrock’s love letter to Lulu Peynaud from the great Bandol estate Domaine Tempier they love so much. Sourced from vines averaging 60 years old. As always, the winemakers aim for a balance between ethereal lightness combined with straight-up delicious fruit qualities.”
 

 
Bedrock Alta Vista Gewurztraminer 2019 750ml $29 special, 18 bottles available
Antonio Galloni 93 Points “The 2019 Gewürztraminer Alta Vista Vineyard Old Vine is another compelling wine in this range. Readers will find a dry Gewürztraminer that emphasizes a whole range of savory and floral notes. Even so, the 2019 exudes richness and the layers open with time in the glass, bringing out the wine’s creaminess.”
 
Bedrock Old Hill Ranch Heritage Red 2018 750ml $59 special, 1 bottle still available
Vinous 96 Points “The 2018 Old Hill Heritage Wine is one of the many drop-dead gorgeous wines in the Bedrock range this year. The field blend of 30 varieties confers unusual complexity and nuance. Lavender, mint and sweet red cherry fruit develop, but it is the balance of power and finesse that I find most compelling. There are just so many layers of the Old Hill. Readers lucky enough to find it are in for a real treat.”

 
Domaine Des Bosquets Gigondas Le Plateau 2019 750ml $69 special, 30 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95-97 Points “The nearly 100-year-old Mourvèdre vines cropped a mere 10 hectoliters per hectare for the 2019 Gigondas Le Plateau, meaning there are just three demi-muids. It’s a powerful, richly tannic version of this wine, full-bodied but not inelegant, marrying plummy fruit with spicy complexities reminiscent of tree bark, star anise, clove and more. While reasonably open as a barrel sample, I suspect it will close down and require several years of aging after release yet be capable of drinking well for two decades.”
Wine Spectator 96 Points “This shows a prominent leather-wrapped and cassis-soaked rosemary flavor profile, while bitter cherry and plum fruit notes make a bid for attention. The finish is paved with warm stone and smoldering garrigue accents, along with a long, lingering tobacco edge. A Bandol-esque version of Gigondas. Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache and Clairette. Best from 2025 through 2040. 180 cases made, 15 cases imported.”
 

Shaking off decades in the popular imagination as a land of organized crime and violent natural disasters, Sicily has quietly become a destination for international tourism and wine lovers alike. In the shadow of Mount Etna, Sicily’s climate is typically Mediterranean but wholly unique, featuring mineral rich volcanic soils and dramatic, mountainous vineyard aspects perfectly suited to viticulture. With star producers like Occhipinti, Feudo Montoni, and Terre Nerre, Sicily has quickly become one of the most unique and exciting wine regions in Europe.

 

Donnafugata Sherazade Nero D’avola Sicilia 2020 750ml $21.90 special, 18 bottles available
Vinous “The 2020 Nero d’Avola Sherazade wafts up with a smoky mix of grilled herbs and crushed blackberries. It’s soft and enveloping, enlivened by a tart twang of acidity, while showing red and blue wild berry fruits. This tapers off perfumed, and it leaves a gentle tug of tannin as hints of licorice slowly fade.”

Feudo Montoni Perricone Del Core Sicilia 2016 750ml $19.50 special, 12 bottles available
Vinous 93 Points “Deep ruby-red. Perfumed aromas of red cherry, raspberry, sweet spices, and fresh flowers. Clean, suave and round, ripe red cherry and vanilla flavors are complicated by hints of grilled nuts and marzipan. Finishes very clean, not to mention juicy, on the very long, very bright back end.”
 
Feudo Montoni Passito Rosso NV 375ml $39 special, 28 half bottles available
Vinous 94 Points “Bright deep red with an orange rim. The nose really opens with aeration to offer sweet red plum, dehydrated red cherry, cinnamon and raisins. Then similar flavors to the aromas lifted by juicy, harmonious acidity. Finishes very long and suave with saline nuances and repeating notes of raisins. Lovely, light on its feet dessert wine that seems less sweet than it really is thanks to its piercing acidity. One of the best sweet wines I have tasted so far this year. This is a blend of air-dried Nero d’Avola and Perricone aged in wood barrels for seven months and then twelve months in bottle prior to going on sale.”
 
Feudo Montoni Vrucara Nero D’avola Prephyllox 2015 750ml $49 special, 2 bottles available
Wine Advocate 94 Points “Tasted from magnum, the 2015 Sicilia Nero d’Avola Vrucara is a dark and penetrating wine with a chiseled and pungent side that delivers dried cherry and blackberry preserves. There is a point of ripeness, maybe even jammy cherry with lots of inky dark fruit. I knocked off a point or two compared to the previous edition because I am less a fan of that ripeness. You get cherry liqueur or cherry syrup sweetness on the close. However, this remains one of the benchmark bottles for Sicily’s banner grape Nero d’Avola.”
Vinous 93+ Points “Good full ruby-red. Aromas and flavors of red/dark berries, plum, smoke, coriander and herbs. Juicy, taut and precise, with musky notes that extend onto the long, very smooth back end.”
 
Feudo Montoni Vrucara Nero D’avola Prephyllox 2016 750ml $49 special, 22 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 93 Points “Made with bush-trained pre-phylloxera vines, this fascinating wine needs time to breathe before releasing intense aromas of menthol, dried earth, ripe black-skinned berry and star anise. The aromas carry on to the smooth, juicy palate along with ripe plum, black cherry, vanilla and a hint of iron. Soft tannins provide gentle support.”
 
Feudo Montoni Vrucara Nero D’avola Sicily 2018 750ml $59 special, 12 bottles available
Vinous 94 Points “The 2019 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana slowly blossoms in the glass, unfurling with a layered and deep display of black cherries, licorice camphor and pine. Further swirling unlocks balsam herbs, plum sauce and dusty rose. It rushes the palate with a wave of silken textures, filling the senses with red currants, blueberry and hints of candied citrus. Fine tannins emerge through the finale, previously masked by ripe inner fruits, making for a lightly structured finish. A salty flourish gives way to hints of graphite and black licorice that linger on and on. While I’m accustomed to Calderara Sottana being one of the more structured and backward wines from the Terre Nere portfolio, the 2019 possesses an early appeal that I find quite attractive. That said, there’s an underlying power here that only cellaring will unlock.”
Wine & Spirits 94 Points “Vines up to a century old yielded the fruit for this smoky and meaty wine. Its black-cherry and plum flavors are deep and dense, laced with notes of roasted fennel and warm spice. A cool layer of graphite balances the wine’s peppery spice notes, the flavors all riding above a core of bristling minerality. The tannins were still smoothing out after three days, suggesting this has the structure and intensity to age gracefully.”
 
Gulfi Cerasuolo Di Vittoria Classico 2017 750ml $48 special, 17 bottles available
Vinous 93 Points “Deep ruby. Intense violet/black cherry on the very perfumed nose. Then big dense and juicy, with ripe black cherry and candied violet flavors complicated by flint and aromatic spices. Finishes long with building tannins and a strong floral note derived from the Frappato. An outstanding Cerasuolo di Vittoria.”
 
Gulfi Cerasuolo Di Vittoria 2019 750ml $21.90 special, 8 bottles available
Vinous 90 Points “The 2019 Cerasuolo di Vittoria is lifted, presenting a pure display of sweet violets, black cherries and hints of wet stone. It impresses further with silky textures that envelop the palate in bright red and blue fruits, along with a refreshing wave of juicy acidity. Hints of spiced orange and inner florals linger long through the lightly structured finale. This is an equal-parts blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato that is aimed at immediate satisfaction, but in a nicely balanced style.”
 
Gulfi Nerosanlore 2016 750ml $59 special, 36 bottles available
Vinous 97 Points “Luminous red. Precise, brooding aromas of ripe red cherry, flint, orange rind, cinnamon, lavender and violet, complicated by iodine and earth. Silky and sappy with refined but very concentrated extract, this smothers the taste buds but stays vibrant and not at all heavy, offering lovely definition and lift to the red cherry, raspberry, floral and mineral flavors. Finishes extremely deep and long, with ultra-suave tannins, mesmerizing inner-mouth perfume and extreme refinement; very Barolo-like. A lovely multilayered wine showcasing the elegant side of Nero d’Avola that very few producers ever manage to showcase.”
 
Cantina Horus Corda Pazza Rosso 2020 750ml $29 special, 24 bottles available
Importer Notes- “La Corda Pazza” was the title of a book published in 1970 by Leonardo Sciascia, a Sicilian by birth who was an influential critic, public intellectual, and playwright. It is an in-depth exploration of Sicily’s unique history and culture, one made more exceptional (and insular) due to its island geography “a crazy chord,” or corda pazza, of influences exerted by generations of invaders and colonizers. What the wine version of La Corda Pazza is meant to express is a proud, inimitable Sicilian-ness, or what Sciascia called Sicilitudine. So, that’s our word of the day, friends: Sicilitudine (see-chee-lee-TU-dee-nay). It means Sicilian first, Italian second, and, despite the presence of Syrah in the blend, “international” a very distant third. It’s a wine that, like the essay it’s named for, dives deep into what it means to be Sicilian.  Giuseppe used a third each of Nero d’Avola, Frappato, and Syrah and aged the wine only in tank to preserve its freshness and soil character. For those accustomed to bigger, darker, sappier expressions of Nero d’Avola (many in the ’90s and 2000s aimed for Shiraz-level intensity), this will be a revelation: It is medium-bodied, silky, and bright, more Burgundian in scale but resolutely Mediterranean in its flavor profile”.
 
Cantina Horus Grillo Sole E Terra 2021 750ml $26 special, 12 bottles available
Importer Notes – “First time we’ve brought in this wine but the response to the reds was so great we had to try the Grillo.  From hillside vineyards at 170 meters in Ragusa.  He sneaks about 10% of the wine into barrel to facilitate the aging potential of Grillo and give it just enough texture to reach escape velocity.  (Love my Sicialian tank reds but the tank whites sometimes leave me wanting). The timing of the arrival is perfect.  Just look outside your window and you’ll see.  Go ahead..  take a look.  It’s nice, isn’t it?”
 
Cantina Horus Vittoria Frappato Sole E Terra 2021 $28 special, 20 bottles available
Importer Notes “Giuseppe Romano is the grower-winemaker — he’s the in-between neighbor of Giusto (COS) and Arianna Occhipinti, and many folks feel he is “the guy” who put Valle dell’Acate and Frappato on the map in decades past. And, as I most amusingly learned, anytime you go out in public with this geezer in Sicily, many people literally bow to him and say “Domo Arigato, Mr. Frappato”. It’s a trip…but that’s apparently the story. Before COS, before Ari, he put Frappato on the map. Giusseppe has always been a hired hand — he’s in his 60’s now, and this is the first time he’s been behind the wheel of his own operation.  The wines are just pure expressions of the style that yanked Sicily into the current era.” 

Occhipinti Il Frappato Sicilia 2020 750ml $44.50 special, 33 bottles available
James Suckling 93 Points “Aromas of suede, dried rose and dried strawberry. Medium-bodied with slightly firm tannins. Linear on the palate and rather pretty, fresh and long. Drink or hold.”

Tenute Bosco Piano Dei Daini Etna Bianco 2019 750ml $19 special, 28 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast “A blend of organically farmed grapes composed of 90% Carricante and 10% Catarratto, Grecanico, Minella and Inzolia, this has delicate but enticing aromas of white spring flowers, botanical herbs and citrus. The radiant, tangy, mineral-driven palate is lean but elegant, suggesting Meyer lemon, saline and yellow apple accompanied by racy acidity.”
 
Tenute Bosco Piano Dei Daini Etna Rosso 2018 750ml $19 special, 12 bottles available
Falstaff 92 Points “Clear garnet red with a brick edge. A delicate scent of herbs fills the air, along with tobacco and cedar wood, behind them ripe blueberries, a hint graft. Describes a lively arc, a lot of freshness, velvety interwoven tannins, medium-bodied in the body, stretches with fine pressure over the palate, mineral in the finish.”
 
Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2021 750ml $24 special, 30 bottles available
Wine Spectator 91 Points “A lively red that dances across the palate, with juicy wild cherry and strawberry fruit, light, fine tannins and fragrant accents of tea leaves, violet, graphite and spices. Drink now through 2028.”