Category Archives: Newsletter Archive

Vinopolis Wednesday Newsletter 01/11/23

 In This Newsletter:

 
Vin Santo


Value for money steals


German Wine Sale Continues


Collectors Corner 
Ab Fab Champagnes 
 

Vin Santo

Have you ever tasted Vin Santo? 

If not, then now is the time to try it. Vin Santo is an Italian dessert wine predominantly produced in Tuscany. It’s sweet and viscous, the perfect dessert wine. Expect notes of hazelnut, marzipan, caramel, honey, and dried apricot. 

Vin Santo has a rich history dating back to Antiquity. What makes this wine so special is the traditional method of production. To make Vin Santo, grapes first go through a process called “passito”, essentially laying out the grapes and setting them to dry for months. When the grapes have transformed into raisins they are put into small casks which is where the fermentation begins. With little to no human influence, the natural fermentation is guided by external environmental factors, making it a long and slow process taking up to four years! 

Please enjoy a bottle of Vin Santo! Here is what we have in stock now at Vinopolis. 

Badia a Coltibuono Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice, Tuscany 2006 375ml $69 special, 7 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 95 points “The 2006 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice is one of the best wines I have tasted from Badia a Coltibuono in some time. Sweet, dark and voluptuous, the 2006 shows all of the richness of a 100% Sangiovese Vin Santo, yet also possesses remarkable restraint for such a big wine, with plenty of intensity but no excess weight. A bevy of leather, licorice and clove notes round out the silky, mid-weight finish.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Isole e Olena Vin Santo del Chianti Classico, Tuscany 2010 375ml $59 special, 12 bottles in stock now
Importer note: “65% Malvasia del Chianti, 35% Trebbiano. Estate-grown, hand-harvested grapes are dried for 3-5 months before pressing, after which the must is racked into ‘caratelli’ (small barrels of varying composition) where it ferments and ages for five years before bottling. The wine remains on the ‘madre’ or starter culture for the entire aging/fermenting period, during which time it is neither racked nor filtered. The resulting wine comprises only 12-15% of the initial yield.”

Rocca di Montegrossi Vin Santo del Chianti Classico, Tuscany 2009 375ml $89 special, 24 bottles in stock
Antonio Galloni 94 points “The 2009 Vin Santo is a rich, exotic wine, as it always is. Readers will find one of the richest most intense Vin Santos being made today. Plush, tropical and ample in feel, Rocca di Montegrossi’s Vin Santo is bold and racy to the core. The 350 grams of residual sugar leave the wine with tremendous textural plushness.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Castello di Volpaia Vin Santo del Chianti Classico, Tuscany 2015 375ml $59 special, 9 bottles in stock now
Wine Enthusiast 93 points “Made of 60% Trebbiano and 40% Malvasia, this opens with aromas of maple syrup, ripe apricot and vanilla. The aromas carry over to the rich palate along with marzipan and acacia honey notes. It’s well-balanced and has a long finish. -Kerin O’Keefe”
Wilson Daniels tasting note “Scintillating amber. It is a full, balanced wine with intense flavors of cane sugar, apricot jam and sultan grapes. Warm and luscious with an almond finish.”

Avignonesi Vin Santo di Montepulciano, Tuscany 2001 375ml $169 special, 12 bottles in stock now 
Wine Advocate 98 points “The 2001 Vin Santo di Montepulciano (375 milliliters) is a divine and superbly delicious sweet blend of Trebbiano, Malvasia and Grechetto. The results are super concentrated and simmered down to a virtual reduction sauce of deliciousness. There are so many aromas to name, but some of the most evident highlights include candied orange peel, almond marzipan, caramel, toasted coffee bean, vanilla stick, mocha, dark honey and fragrant yellow rose. The mouthfeel is creamy, rich and deeply layered. I’m suggesting a slightly shorter drinking window here compared to the Occhio di Pernice. But, the truth is: I have no idea. I’m pretty sure these wines will outlive anyone of legal drinking age.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
 

Value for money steals
 
Looking to stock up on some fantastic wines without completely breaking the bank? Here is a list of  value for money wines, so good you might as well get a case! 

Vaglio Wines Chacra Malbec, Agrelo 2018 750ml $16 special, 36+ bottles in stock
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. Drink now.”
Brazos Wines importer note “This is 100% hand harvested Malbec is from a single vineyard in Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo. The wine is dark with notes of dark fruits like plum, raisin and blackberry pie. The supple tannins and hint of oak lead to a round, smooth finish wrapped in caramel and walnuts.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Oyster Bay Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2019 750ml $11.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
James Suckling 91 points “Attractive pinot noir with strawberry, smoke and spice aromas and flavors. Medium body, firm and lightly chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Real pinot character. Drink now.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Renato Ratti Ochetti Nebbiolo d’Alba, Piedmont 2019 750ml $19 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 92 points “Softly pliant and silky, the Renato Ratti 2019 Langhe Nebbiolo Ochetti shows fine and nuanced detailing with lots of genuine and delicate character of the grape. The fruit is subtle in this wine, but the bouquet affords more room to crushed stone, blue flower and powdered licorice. The wine’s finely shaped texture would work next to a simple plate of egg noodles and grated Parmigiano.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Bodegas Breca ‘Breca’ Garnacha Old Vines, Calatayud 2017 750ml $15.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Jeb Dunnuck 93 points “All old vine Garnacha from the Calatayud region of Spain, the 2017 Breca was all destemmed and brought up in larger French oak barrels. It’s another head turner offering rocking red and blue fruits, melted licorice, peppery herbs, and spicy, earth-like aromas and flavors. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and wonderfully textured, it could cost twice the price and still be a good value. Buy a case and enjoy bottles over the coming 3-5 years. This is a killer wine.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Ameztoi Rubentis Rosado, Getariako Txakolina 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Vinous 91 points “Pale orange. Finely etched red berry, citrus zest and floral aromas, along with building herb and mineral flourishes. Taut and nervy in the mouth, offering sappy strawberry, cherry and tangerine flavors that show fine delineation and spicy lift. Closes firm and right, with persistent red fruit notes and a refreshingly bitter edge.”
De Maison importer note “The iconic Ameztoi Rubentis rosé is a field blend of the local, indigenous hondarrabi zuri and hondarrabi beltza varieties, grown on traditional trellises high on the slopes rising above Getaria, an ancient Basque fishing village on Spain’s rugged northern coast. In the 2000s, when almost all of the other local wineries gave up on the indigenous red hondarrabi beltza vines, the Ameztoi family retained their old vines, in turn, lending their rosé such exceptional vibrancy and complexity. Rubentis, the region’s first pink wine, was inspired by the historic claret style wines which were once produced in the area long before the current global craze made rosé famous. The backbone of the blend comes from an old hondarrabi beltza vineyard planted in 1840, preserved by the Ameztoi family for generations. Ameztoi Rubentis is an authentic original, a wine that is often imitated but never replicated.”

Weingut Prinz Jungfer Riesling Kabinett, Rheingau 2020 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
James Suckling 94 points “A stunning Kabinett that’s brimming with red apple, white peach and pomegranate. Very tense interplay of fruit, racy acidity and mountain-stream freshness. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

G. B. Burlotto Elatis Vino da Tavola Rose, Piedmont 2021 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Vinous 91 points “The nose shows ripe honeydew and crushed yellow apple with sweet herbs and smoky minerals. On the palate, the 2019 Burlotto Elatis Rosato coasts with ease. It is cool-toned and riding a core of vibrant acids, minerals, and citrus-tinged fruits. The finish is long, buzzing with energy, and just begging for another sip. This is a unique and wonderfully stimulating blend of 60% Pelaverga, 35% Nebbiolo and 5% Barbera.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Domaines Ott Cotes de Provence ‘By.Ott’ Rose 2021 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 91 points “Call it a down year if you must, but the 2021 Cotes de Provence Rose Chateau de Selle remains one of the region’s top wines. Scents of tangerine, peach, crushed stone and lime zest mark the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is plump and juicy, finishing long and layered. The assemblage this year is 55% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Syrah.”
Vinous 90 points “Bright, peach skin color. Fresh pit fruit and red berry scents are complemented by building floral and orange pith nuances. Smooth and open knit, showing good breadth and depth to its juicy strawberry, tangerine and white peach flavors. The floral note recurs on the nicely persistent finish, which features a subtle hint of fennel.”

Ovum ‘Big Salt’ White, Elkton 2021 750ml $17 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Winery note “Big Salt™ is a white wine that embodies a day at the beach. It’s bright, fresh, dry and a bit salty (although no salt is added of course!) – once it’s done you’re left wanting more. We achieve this experience by letting mother nature create complexity – that is to say we allow all of the grapes to ferment together, with native yeast..rather than making a blend in the laboratory. Finding the right vineyards throughout Oregon that share the same cool climate is what it’s all about.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
 
German Wine Sale
 
We’re having a huge sale on German wines throughout the entire month of January.

Sale Begins at 4pm on Monday, January 2nd
Sale Ends at 6pm on Tuesday, January 31st
     
5% off 6-11 bottles and/or large formats of German wines.

10% off 12 or more bottles and/or large formats of German wines. 

Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.
Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or to case discounts. 
This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.

Buying a case-6 unlocks an additional 5% discount on all additional bottles of German wine purchased. Buying a case-12 unlocks an additional 10% discount on all additional bottles of German wine purchased. 

This sale applies to ALL German wines. That’s over 500 wines discounted! Here are a few recommendations to get you started. 

Okonomierat Rebholz ‘Im Sonnenschein’ Weissburgunder Grosses Gewachs, Pfalz 2020 750ml $119 special, 8 bottles in stock 
Winemaker Notes “Typical for a wine from this location is the smoky, spicy note in the fragrance, which was shaped by the shell limestone soil. At the same time, the old Pinot Blanc vines bring out the smoothness and a fruit reminiscent of pears, tangerines and fennel. The basis of this world-class Burgundy is the full ripeness of the absolutely healthy grapes, some of which come from vines that are almost 40 years old. The interplay of minerality and grape ripeness is reflected in the pronounced salty, mineral character that makes the wine very “long” in the mouth. Our restrained expansion in stainless steel tanks brings an absolutely unadulterated wine to the fore, which shows a perfect interplay between tension, maturity, power, fruit, fullness and mineral acidity. Like all Rebholz wines, the wine has great storage potential.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Weingut Pfeffingen Ungsteiner Herrenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Pfalz 2021 750ml $59 special, 15 bottles in stock 
Winemaker notes “Comes from what is perhaps the most interesting parcel in Herrenberg, which is listed as “Mardelskopf” in the cadastre. A special microclimate prevails here, protected by sandstone walls and hedges, Riesling grapes of the highest quality ripen here. This makes the wines from here unmistakable; they are characterized by mineral freshness, charming fruit play and a characterful body as well as special longevity.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Salwey Oberrotweiler Eichberg Grauburgunder Grosses Gewachs, Baden 2018 750ml $69 special, 12 bottles in stock 
Falstaff 94 points “Pale golden with reddish, coppery shimmers. Subtle oak, quince and blossom honey, very ripe honeydew melon, fine-grained phenolic notes in the mouth, firm acidity, structured and salty, great concentration, the acidity lasts a long time, but remains aromatically accompanied.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann Lammler Lemberger Grosses Gewachs, Wurttemberg 2019 750ml $79 special, 18 bottles in stock 
Falstaff 95 points “Initially closed in the fragrance, clove and some incense show up, yeast, beetroot and dark fruit. On the palate with a rather broad volume, mature acidity and nice spiciness, the fleshy tannins form the strong backbone, good density and minerality, quite a chunk, very young.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!



Collectors Corner
Ab Fab Champagne 
 
Louis Roederer Cristal Millesime Brut, Champagne 2014 750ml $349 special, 20 bottles in stock
#1 Top 100 Cellar Selections 2022 – Wine Enthusiast
Wine Spectator 98 points “This vivid Champagne shows up-front and linear definition, thanks to rapier like acidity, with finely meshed flavors of ripe black cherry and mandarin orange fruit, raw almond, anise and cardamom spice as well as a touch of honeycomb, which all unfurl and expand on the fine, creamy palate. Sleek acidity continues through to the finish, with additional racy character provided by a streak of minerally saline and chalk, which gains momentum through the midpalate and rings out on the well-cut, lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2040”
Antonio Galloni 98 points “The 2014 Cristal is another in a long line of gorgeous wines from Roederer and long-time Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. A dazzling, vibrant Champagne, the 2014 impresses with a stunning combination of fruit density and linear energy that brings to mind a hypothetical blend of 2012 and 2008. At times, the bubbles feel totally wrapped up in waves of creamy, resonant fruit to the point the mousse is barely perceptible, especially with aeration. The flavors are bright and finely sculpted, leaning very much into the citrus, floral and mineral end of the spectrum. The 2014 Cristal is a riveting Champagne. Don’t miss it.”

Georges Laval Cumieres Les Hautes Chevres Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru Brut Nature Millesime, Champagne 2015 $249 special, 4 bottles in stock 
John Gilman 96 points “The 2015 les Haut Chèvres from Vincent Laval is flat out brilliant young wine. As readers will recall, after the 2009 vintage, this single vineyard bottling changed cépages, as Vincent had to replant his parcel of pinot noir vines planted in 1930, so this switched over to a pure pinot meunier cuvée from the same lieu à dit, with the vines having been planted in 1931 and 1947. The 2015 version was disgorged at the end of February of 2020 and is beautifully expressive aromatically today, wafting from the glass in a blend of white peach, beautiful, gently musky meunier floral tones, a complex base of chalky soil elements, a bit of buttery oak, a touch of fresh nutmeg and lemon blossoms. On the palate the wine is precise, pure and full-bodied, with a great core of fruit, even better mineral drive, bright, buried acids and stunning length and grip on the complex and vibrant finish. As this is non-dosé, it is still a very youthful wine, but it is so beautifully balanced that it is not all that hard to drink in its youth. But, it is really built for the cellar and I would not venture to touch a bottle until it has seen a full decade’s worth of bottle age, as there is so much more here to unfold with the passage of time! 2030-2065+.”
Importer note “100% Pinot Noir. Premier Cru.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Louis Roederer Cristal Vinotheque Edition Brut Millesime, Champagne 1999 750ml $1245 special, 3 bottles in stock 
James Suckling 98 points “The nose has such beautiful, autolysis character with brown-mushroom and toasted-almond aromas. The nose has still-fresh lemons and oyster shell. Very smooth, pastry-like texture on the palate with even layers and a core of fresh lemons and peaches. The striking thing here is the balance and melted-together complexity. In a very great place. This spent seven years sur latte, seven sur pointe and was disgorged in 2014. Drink now.” 
Antonio Galloni 97 points “Roederer’s 1999 Cristal Vinothèque is endowed with tremendous power and concentration, especially for a Champagne of its age. Palate staining minerals, chalk, white pepper, mint, citrus and orchard fruit soar out of the glass. Tasted next to the Rosé the Blanc has a slightly more toasty character along with more body and a stronger presence of the mousse, which in this wine wraps around the fruit. At the time, Cristal was made from 37 parcels. The Pinots were a blend from Aÿ (where the wines are naturally riper) and Verzenay, Verzy and Beaumont-sur-Vesle, (where Pinots are nervy and taut), while the Chardonnay was sourced from Avize, Mesnil and Cramant. Dosage is 7-8 grams per liter.” 

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Rose, Champagne 1990 750ml $599 special, 3 bottles in stock 
Wine Spectator 94 points “Beautifully done. Vigorous and almost chewy, this intense, full-bodied rosé exudes mint, berry and wood aromas and flavors. Muscular and dense, with a character that engages the palate and needs contemplation or food.”
Wine Enthusiast 94 points “It’s a pale wine, on the rose side of gold, a beautiful visual introduction to a stunning wine. The strawberry flavors are wrapped in a silvery texture, crisply dry, and despite the intensity of fruit, the wine seems weightless on the palate. It’s gorgeous now, but, amazingly, just a baby. It’s long-term future is assured. Twenty years from now, this will be heavenly.”
Robert Parker 94 points “This wine was recommended, but no tasting note was given.”

Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rose Millesime, Champagne 2013 750ml $619 special, 3 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 99 points “A candidate for wine-of-the-vintage honors in Champagne, Roederer’s 2013 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, red berries, stone fruit, freshly baked bread and tangerine oil. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, the vintage’s bright girdling acids are amply cloaked in exuberant, expressive and notably concentrated fruit; so while this Cristal is as tensile and age-worthy as one would expect, it’s also impressively fleshy and generous given the year. Concluding with an intensely sapid finish, the 2013 isn’t as overtly structured as the muscular, tightly wound 2012: rather, it’s the 2013’s alliance of cut and flesh, precision and charm that’s so compelling this year. This is another banner vintage for what I consider the reigning champion of the region’s tête de cuvée bottlings, and it will be worth an effort to acquire.”
Antonio Galloni 98 points “The 2013 Cristal Rosé is searingly intense right out of the glass, just like the Blanc, except it has a bit more fleshiness because of the skin contact on the Pinot. Cristal Rosé has one of the best track records for aging in Champagne. I suspect the 2013 will join the ranks of the epic vintages, but it is painfully tight today. The blend is 55% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ) and 45% Chardonnay (from Avize and Mesnil) done in the classic Roederer infusion style in which Pinot Noir is vinified on the skins and then blended with Chardonnay to complete the fermentation. About 25% of the lots were done in oak, while malolactic fermentation was blocked.”

De Venoge Louis XV de Venoge Brut Millesime, Champagne 2008 750ml $249 special, 23 bottles in stock
James Suckling 95 points “This is really punchy and broad-shouldered with muscular structure and citrusy undertones. Full body. Lightly tannic and a fresh and vivid finish. This is the first vintage without malolactic fermentation ever. One for the cellar. Better in 2022.”
Wine Advocate 93+ points “The straw-yellow/white-golden colored 2008 Louis XV Brut Millésimé blends 50% Chardonnay (20 % from Avize, 15% from Oger and 15% from Mesnil) with 50% Pinot Noir (41.5% from Verzenay and 8.5% from Bouzy). Disgorged in January 2018 with a dosage of six grams per liter, the 2008 displays a clear, pure, fresh, chalky-tinged and vinous nose with lemon, white fruits, brioche, hazelnuts, white blossoms and some caramel notes. Pure, lean, fresh and elegant on the palate, with a lingering hazelnut flavor, this is a straight yet complex cuvée with grip and a long, well-structured and textured finish. This 2008 is still terribly fresh and should benefit from further bottle aging. For the moment, I am missing the mouth-filling generosity of the 2006 and 1995. Mind that this is the first vintage of de Venoge’s prestigious Louis XV where the base wines didn’t undergo malolactic fermentation! Total production: 10,326 bottles. Tasted October 2018.”

Friday the 13th isn’t all bad luck

We have allocations of some fabulous champagne arriving on Friday the 13th.  There are very few bottles available jump on them while you can! 

Ulysse Collin ‘Les Pierrieres’ Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, Champagne NV (2017) $379 special, 2 bottles available
Wine Advocate 97 points “There are 5,400 bottles of the NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Pierrières (2017), disgorged in February 2022 after 48 months on the lees—and this is the last time there will be two disgorgements, as from next year onward, Les Pierrières will systematically see 48 months’ tirage before disgorgement. Wafting from the glass with scents of confit citrus fruit, lemon zest, spring flowers, almond paste, pastry cream and wet stones, it’s medium to full-bodied, satiny and precise, with terrific cut and tension, concluding with a long, saline finish. An additional year before disgorgement delivers a less primary, more integrated, seamless Champagne.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Ulysse Collin ‘Le Jardin d’Ulysse’ Extra Brut, Champagne NV (2016) $749 special, 2 bottles available 
Wine Advocate 96+ points “Based on the 2016 vintage, complemented by 10% reserve wines and disgorged this year after 60 months on the lees, Collin’s NV Extra-Brut Les Jardin d’Ulysse (2016) represents the second iteration of this new cuvée. Unwinding in the glass with notions of citrus oil, crisp green apple, mirabelle plum, pastry cream and nutmeg, it’s medium to full-bodied, racy and tightly wound, with terrific concentration and chalky structure, girdled by incisive acids, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. After having produced mono-cépage bottlings from terroir with more or less uniform expositions, the Jardin d’Ulysse is a complete departure from that formula, blending Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, and deriving from a site some 70% of which is oriented north, the rest south. This cuvée really needs a year on cork to start to show all its cards, and Collin is considering extending its time en tirage to 72 months to see what additional potential can be unleashed.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!



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Thank you from the team at Vinopolis!

Be well & drink well.

Vinopolis Sunday Newsletter 01/08/23

 In This Newsletter:




Anakota



German Wine Sale Continues 


Collector’s Corner


Highly Exclusive Pre-Arrival Special

 

Anakota

“I was amazed when I first saw Anakota. The gentle, southwest-facing slopes looked ideal for vineyards. The surrounding vegetation indicated the soils were low in nutrients and high in minerals. I could smell the intense character of the native grasses, thick underbrush and groves of trees. It was clear this had the potential to be a great site for grapes.” Pierre Seillan, Vigneron

Anakota is a premier winery located in Knights Valley AVA, Sonoma. Their viticultural practices are guided by a micro-cru philosophy which breaks down each vineyard block by block to accentuate concentrated expressions of the land. In James Sucklings 2022 year end wrap up, he gave 99 points to the 2019 Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley, ranking in as the sixth best wine of the year, we’re lucky to have it in stock now at Vinopolis!

Here are all of the wines from Anakota we have available now

Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2018 750ml $135 special, 13 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97+ points “Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard spent 12 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with bold scents of fresh blackberries, black currants and mulberries plus suggestions of cedar chest, pencil lead, iron ore and truffles, with emerging wafts of crushed rocks and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers firm, grainy, exquisitely ripe tannins and seamless freshness supporting layer upon layer of black fruits, finishing on a long-lingering fragrant earth note.”
Jeb Dunnuck 97 points “The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard hails from a single vineyard in Knights Valley located at 950 feet in elevation. It has a brilliant nose of savory red and black currants, dried herbs, saddle leather, and tobacco, with a decidedly Bordeaux-like vibe in both its aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied and nicely concentrated, with ripe tannins on the palate, this is a serious, captivating, incredibly impressive Cabernet that will shine for at least two decades. You could put this beauty in a lineup of First Growth Bordeaux and it would do just fine.”

Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2019 750ml $169 special, 6 bottles in stock 
James Suckling 99 points “Incredibly spicy and aromatic with pumice and cloves. Pops out of the glass. Cedar, too. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins adding tension and creaminess. Long and beautiful. All about class and breeding. Try after 2025.”
Wine Advocate 97 points “Deep ruby, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard offers its cassis aromas slowly, continually unfolding to accents of lavender, cured meats, chargrill, coffee and loads of savory spices. Matured 12 months in 70% new French oak, the palate is surprisingly lifted and silky, soaring with youthful fruit and spices, focused acidity and a streak of graphite driving the long finish. 1,379 cases were made. Hélène Seillan notes that the oak is sourced from about 15 different forests in France, and its singular, spicy, integrated oak is part of what makes this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon so distinctive.”

Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2019 750ml $169 special, 6 bottles in stock 
James Suckling 99 points “Incredibly spicy and aromatic with pumice and cloves. Pops out of the glass. Cedar, too. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins adding tension and creaminess. Long and beautiful. All about class and breeding. Try after 2025.”
Wine Advocate 97 points “Deep ruby, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard offers its cassis aromas slowly, continually unfolding to accents of lavender, cured meats, chargrill, coffee and loads of savory spices. Matured 12 months in 70% new French oak, the palate is surprisingly lifted and silky, soaring with youthful fruit and spices, focused acidity and a streak of graphite driving the long finish. 1,379 cases were made. Hélène Seillan notes that the oak is sourced from about 15 different forests in France, and its singular, spicy, integrated oak is part of what makes this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon so distinctive.”



 

German Wine Sale 
 
We’re having a huge sale on German wines throughout the entire month of January.

Sale Begins at 4pm on Monday, January 2nd
Sale Ends at 6pm on Tuesday, January 31st
     
5% off 6-11 bottles and/or large formats of German wines.

10% off 12 or more bottles and/or large formats of German wines. 

Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.
Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or to case discounts. 
This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.

If you buy a case-6 you can receive a 5% discount on any additional 1-5 bottles more of German wines. If you buy a case-12 all additional German bottles will receive a 10% discount.

This sale applies to ALL German wines. That’s over 500 wines discounted! Here are a few recommendations to get you started. 

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel, Mosel 2018 750ml $79 special, 27  bottles in stock
John Gilman 96 points “The 2018 Juffer-Sonnenuhr Goldkapsel Auslese is even a hair better this year, as it shows just a touch more exotic creaminess on the attack, simply stunning backend mineral drive and great acids for the vintage. The bouquet is celestial in its blend of lime, mirabelle, pear, a lovely foundation of slate, honeycomb, just a whisper of mossiness and notes of lilacs and violets in the upper register. On the palate the wine is fullish, pure, focused and impeccably balanced, with superb acids and grip, laser-like focus and a very, very long and complex finish. This wine just dances across the palate. 2026-2085.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Clemens Busch Pundericher Marienberg Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2018 750ml $33 special, 24 bottles in stock 
Wine Spectator 94 points “Rich and exotic, featuring mango, brown spice, slate, smoke and citrus notes. Open and fluid in style, crafted with precision and intensity. The submerged acidity reveals itself on the finish, along with a tactile sensation on the palate. Best from 2022 through 2038.”
James Suckling 95 points “A very impressive Spätlese that’s so aromatic and expressive; it leads with dried apricots, passion fruit, melon sorbet, milk ice cream and earth. Sweet and powerful for this category, but the acidity runs right through the center palate, bringing the stone-fruit and tropical flavors to life and leaving the mouth with wicked resolve. Drink now.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Keller ‘Vom Muscheligen Kalk’, Rheinhessen 2021 750ml $33 special, 19 bottles in stock
Vinopol note: Mostly Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with a splash of Silvaner.

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten ‘Im Breumel’ Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Pfalz 2018 750ml $49 special, 36+ bottles in stock
James Suckling 97 points “Very floral with pretty herbal undertones, ranging from coriander to dill to mint. The flowers range from jasmine to honeysuckle to almond blossom. Understated and elegant from the outset. The palate has a very chalky feel to the texture with overlapping, firm lines of acidity and dainty citrus fruit. Immaculately ironed-out edges and well-defined, linear crease. Drink now or hold.
Winery Note “The age-worthy Riesling wines from this prime section of the Haardt Bürgergarten are characterised by the optimal balance between a concentrated Riesling fruit, lingering minerality, a delicate elegance and an elaborately interwoven, long finish – Riesling to perfection.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2018 750ml $89 special, 10 bottles in stock
John Gilman 97 points “Cornelius Dönnhoff has crafted one of the very best dry Rieslings that I tasted on this trip from the Hermannshöhle in 2018! The bouquet is deep, complex and again, so very elegant out of the blocks this year, delivering scents of pink grapefruit, tart tangerine, white flowers, a superb base of slate, lemongrass, citrus peel and just a dollop of upper register wild yeast tone. On the palate the wine is racy, focused, full-bodied and extremely mineral-driven, with a great core, laser-like focus and seamlessly balanced on the very, very long, very complex and utterly refined finish. Chapeau! 2033-2075+. 97.”
Wine Advocate 95+ points “The 2018 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling trocken –GG– is fascinatingly pure and fragrant on the nose. Crystalline, lush and intense,  this is a full-bodied, crystalline, precise, salty and persistent wine with linear tension, great grip and intensity. Tasted in July 2019.”
Vinous 95 points “Bittersweet, smoky herbal and nutty notes, along with an ore-like sense of deep mineral earthiness, serve as ideal foils for generously juicy ripe white peach and bright Meyer lemon. The feel is full and firm, and the finish is superbly multileveled, but with a strong emphasis on darkly earthy and minerally low-tones whose resonance sets the tongue and tonsils quivering. (And yes, it also refreshes.)”
 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
 
Collector’s Corner
 
Hors Categorie, Walla Walla Valley 2018 750ml $389 special, 2 bottles available 
Vinous 100 points “Literally translated as “a place of its own” the 2018 Syrah from Hors Categorie was sourced from a two-acre plot at 1,400 feet of densley planted 11 years old Syrah vines. Aromatically quite intense, it shows a very Cote-Rotie nose as green peppercorns, iron, bull’s blood, orange rind and black currant scents all take shape in the glass. The palate displays incredible balance and minerality, offering a dense core of blackberry compote, creme de violette, saline-drenched orange, and stony undertones. Glorious in its fresh youth, this has another decade or more to go in the cellar. It’s the finest edition of this wine tha I have tasted so far. Tasted twice with similar results.”

Weingut Keller Westhofener Morstein Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Rheinhessen 2020 750ml $579 special, 2 bottles available 
James Suckling 98 points “Extremely expressive nose with deep white-fruit, herbal and smoky aromas. Enormously concentrated, but very cool and pristine, thanks to the super-racy mineral acidity that gives the finish great power. Drinkable now, but best from 2023.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94+ points “The 2020er Morstein Riesling, as it is referred to on the consumer label, is a bone-dry wine made from 75-year-old vines and low yields (under 30 hl/ha) in one single old Fuder. It offers an aromatic, intense, and very complex nose of herbs, pineapple, grapefruit, mint, ginger, and a hint of camphor. The wine captures one’s attention as it proves hugely intense, compact, and dense on the palate. Notes of lemon and citrus are wrapped into plenty of spices and add to the feeling of razor-sharpness which emerges into the long and tight finish. There is also a light phenolic and powerful presence. This hugely impressive but still very primary dry Riesling will require a couple of years to fully show its potential. There is clear upside potential if it manages to gain finesse over time. 2025-2035+”

Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru ‘Cuvee Vieilles Vignes’, Cote de Nuits 2016 750ml $799 special, 5 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97 points “The 2016 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is superb, bursting from the glass with aromas of juicy cherries, peonies, blood orange, licorice, raw cocoa and espresso roast. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, deep and succulent, with a concentrated, layered mid-palate, satiny structuring tannins and vibrant underlying acidity, concluding with a long finish. Harvested on October 7 at a comparatively high yield by Ponsot’s standards of 38 hectoliters per hectare, this year seems to have been perfectly adapted to Ponsot’s style. Vibrant, elegant and expressive, the 2016 is quite different from the richer, more powerful 2015, but in the fullness of time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it surpassing its brawnier elder sibling.”
Vinous 94-97 points “(14% alcohol, vs. 14.5% for the 2015 bottling; the estate owns 3.35 hectares in this grand cru, mostly in the climat Clos de la Roche): Dark red with ruby tones. Fully ripe but reticent nose combines cherry and musky soil tones, lifted by a floral topnote. Compellingly sappy, thick and deep; an utterly seamless grand cru with outstanding depth of texture and an impression of energy and power to its red and black fruit and earth flavors. Boasts uncommon thickness of fruit and purity. The wonderfully long, slowly rising, edge-free finish shows terrific energy.”
           

Highly Exclusive Pre-Arrival Special 
 
Estimated arrival early February 2023

We have only one 6-case allocation of the highly exclusive Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits Collection. Very few people will ever have the opportunity to taste this line up. 

The Selosse Lieux-dits Collection contains:
1 Avize Les Chantereines (WA99, AG97, JG93)
1 Cramant Chemin de Chalons (WA96, JG96, AG95, DE94)
1 La Côte Faron (JS98, AG97, WA96, RJ96, DE95, JG94)
1 Le Bout du Clos (AG98, WA97, RJ96-97, DE95)
1 Les Carelles (LRVF100, B&D99, WA97, AG96, RJ95-96, JG95)
1 Sous le Mont (JG98, WA96, JS96, RJ95-96, AG95, DE94)

Case-6 Jacques Selosse Lieux-dits Collection Extra Brut, Champagne NV 750ml $6689 special, only one case-6 available  
Antoni Galloni Vinous “Anselme Selosse’s wines are among the most coveted bottles in Champagne. In recent years, Selosse’s lieu-dit Champagnes have ascended into the realm of the nearly unobtainable because of their tiny production. Two of the lieux-dits are sold only as part of the 300 or so boxed sets that are released each year, which makes tasting all six Champagnes together virtually impossible.”
Vineyard notes: “Situated 150kms east of Paris, the Champagne vineyards cover over 33,000 hectares and yield yearly approximately 320 million bottles of the most prestigious wine in the world. Between the cities of Reims and Châlons-en- Champagne, grapes have been cultivated since the Gallo –Roman period, but it was at the beginning of the 18th century that the blending of the different villages or crus and a method of vinification that permitted the obtainment of effervescent wines began to make them well-known throughout the world. Ever since this time, Champagne wines have been come recognizable not only for their famous bubbles, but also their finesse, vivacity and freshness and their famous thick glass bottles and corks held on by wire muzzles. The first official boundaries were drawn in 1927. The Champagne producing region was divided into 4 zones, the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley, la Côte des Blancs and la Côte des Bar in the very south of the appellation.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today! 



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Thank you from the team at Vinopolis!

Be well & drink well.

Vinopolis Friday Newsletter 01/06/23

 In This Newsletter:

 
Women in Wine



Biondi Santi


Sake 


German Wine Sale Continues


New Arrivals
 

Women in Wine

According to a 2022 career demographic report by Zippia, only 17.8% of winemakers in the US are women. It’s clear that change is needed. Fortunately many initiatives are working towards gender equity in the wine industry which have made significant strides towards progress. To continue this progress, we can all do our part in supporting women winemakers. 

Here is a list highlighting some of the winemaking women that we have in stock now at Vinopolis. 

Quintessa

Winemaker: Rebekah Wineburg

Quintessa Red, Rutherford 2019 750ml $249 special, 6 bottles in stock 
Wine Enthusiast 100 points “Cellar Selection. This is a winemaker’s master class in blending and understanding of a long-standing site. Dried herb, cedar and pencil shavings accent lifted red fruit and brilliant acidity on the palate, with a supple yet still youthfully grippy texture that is framed by structured, graceful tannins. Enjoy from 2029–2039. -Virginie Boone”
Jeb Dunnuck 97 points “I was blown away by the 2019 Red Blend from Quintessa, which is up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère, this full-bodied beauty has a perfectly balanced, seamless, yet expansive and classic 2019 style as well as gorgeous aromatics of cassis, flowers, chalky minerality, and integrated oak. It’s hard to resist already, but I have no doubt this will evolve for 20 years if stored properly.”
Decanter 96 points “Dark chocolate, violets and blackcurrants on the nose. Sticky, sweet, full, plush and ripe, fruit is dark – blackcurrant, black cherry and plum with lots of sweet liquorice and some earthy notes that give it a savoury touch. A bold and powerful style, you can feel the alcohol a bit and the wood still but there is good vibrancy and energy with a chiselled frame and generous freshness. Still extremely youthful with the structure fully on show, still settling and finding its refinement. 2% Carménère completes the blend. Ageing 22 months in French oak (60% new).”

Domaine Giraud

Winemaker: Mireille Giraud

Domaine Giraud Chateauneuf-du-Pape Grenaches de Pierre, Rhône 2017 750ml $89 special, 6 bottles in stock 
Jeb Dunnuck 96+ points “Lastly, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Grenaches de Pierre offers slightly more purity and elegance, yet certainly doesn’t come up short on power or concentration. Stunning black cherries, currants, underbrush, ground pepper, and earthy, rocky mineral notes all give way to a deeper, darker, rich, concentrated wine that’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age. It will see its 20th birthday in fine form.”
Wine Advocate 95 points “Drawn from sandy soils in the lieux-dits of La Crau and Pignan, the all-Grenache 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Grenaches de Pierre features wiry, herbal threads sewn into a fabric of tart cranberries and raspberries. It’s full-bodied and tannic, needing a few years to loosen up. Ultimately, it should reward the patient with a complex, silken tapestry of flavors.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Mijita Wine Co.

Winemaker: Lizzy Esqueda

Mijita Wine Co. Zenith Vineyard Skin-Contact Pinot Gris, Eola-Amity Hills 2021 750ml $26 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
VinopolNote: The dark side of skin-contact Pinot Gris, in terms of color at least. This is a beautiful rosy-amber in the glass, evoking flavors of semi-dried rose petals, freshly sliced melons, and lemon zest wrapped around a savory core. 
“Lizzy Esqueda’s first wine for her Mijita label is a skin-contact Pinot Gris aged in neutral oak and old acacia barrels. It is absolutely brilliant juice: I wish Pinot Gris lovers everywhere could taste it.” –Michael Alberty, Decanter Magazine

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Mijita Wine Co. Abbey Road Farm Vineyard Gamay Noir, Willamette Valley 2021 750ml $28 special, 9 bottles in stock 
VinopolNote: A shout out to the trending style of Gamay produced by such illustrious and fan-favorite Beaujolais as Anne-Sophie Dubois and Daniel Bouland, who in turn take their inspiration from Burgundy. This is no saccharine fruit-bomb, but a serious and seriously drinkable Gamay that will astound. This, folks, is the wine we’ve been waiting for. It’s exciting, bold, and fresh, with a prickly acidity that lingers on the finish. 

This is the only listing in the USA today!
 

Marie Courtin 

Winemaker: Dominique Moreau

Marie Courtin ‘Indulgence’ Extra Brut Rose, Champagne 2018 750ml $119 special, 9 bottles in stock 
No reviews for the 2018 vintage. 2015 review provided for reference.
Antonio Galloni 95 points “The 2015 Extra Brut Rosé Indulgence is fabulous. Dried rose petal, herbs, mint, sweet red cherry and a host of savory accents all run through the 2015. Beguiling and nuanced at every turn, the Indulgence certainly lives up to its name! It is another wine in this range I absolutely adore. No dosage. Disgorged: September, 2020.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today! 

Marie Courtin Resonance Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut, Champagne, France NV 750ml $59 special, 9 bottles in stock 
No reviews for the 2019-base. Recent review provided for reference.
Antonio Galloni 92 points “The 2018 Extra Brut Resonance is bright, articulate and focused. This is an especially nervy expression of Pinot Noir. Bright acids and veins of salinity lend energy to this sculpted, taut Pinot Noir. Citrus peel, crushed rocks, mint jasmine and white pepper lend energy. No dosage. Disgorged: April, 2021.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Occhipinti 

Winemaker: Arianna Occhipinti 

Arianna Occhipinti Il Frappato Terre Siciliane IGT, Sicily 2020 750ml $44.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock
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.”

Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Bianco Sicilia IGT, Sicily 2021 750ml $29 special, 5 bottles in stock 
Importer note “60% Zibibbo/40% Albanello. From certified-organic vines, averaging 20+ years old and planted on chalky, sandy soils. The bunches are harvested by hand, destemmed and co-fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in concrete tanks. Maceration lasts approximately two weeks. The wine is aged in concrete tanks for 6 months and bottled unfiltered. Sulfur use is modest. “SP68″ is the Strada Provinciale 68, the country road on which the Occhipinti winery and home vineyard lie.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Sicilia Rosso IGT, Sicily 2021 750ml $29 special, 19 bottles in stock 
Importer note “70% Frappato/30% Nero d’Avola. From certified-organic estate vines, averaging 20+ years old and planted on chalky, sandy soils. The bunches are harvested by hand, destemmed and co-fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in concrete tanks. Maceration lasts approximately two weeks. The wine is aged in concrete tanks for 6 months and bottled unfiltered. Sulfur use is modest. “SP68″ is the Strada Provinciale 68, the country road on which the Occhipinti winery and home vineyard lie.”

Foradori 

Winemaker: Elisabetta Foradori

Foradori ‘Lezer’ Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, Trentino-Alto Adige 2021 750ml $26 special, 24 bottles in stock 
Importer Note “100% Teroldego. Lezèr (“light” in local dialect) was a new bottling born of the terrible 2017 vintage, when the fruit from the vines that go into the basic Foradori red bottling was devastated by a summer hailstorm. What fruit could be salvaged and ripened was turned into this short-maceration red wine, named for its light color, body and structure and labeled with a tractor-driving farmer battling the storm. It was Foradori’s first vin de soif style wine, and they enjoyed the change of pace so much that even in the warm, productive 2018 vintage, they decided to make it again; jungle plants appear at the border of the label as a humorous nod to the more “tropical”–as winemaker son Emilio refers to it–conditions of this vintage. Maceration is less than 24 hours in various vessels; fermentation is spontaneous and finishes dry. It is juicy, soft and bright.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Foradori Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, Trentino-Alto Adige 2021 750ml $36 special, 28 bottles in stock
James Suckling 97 points “Aromas that speak of freshness and maturity intermingle here, in a way that playfully calls those very categories into question. So much depth, vitality and finesse, the absence of obviously fruity aromas on the mid-palate not feeling like a lack. Then the finish pushes up face to face with the dazzling heart of the lemon. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.”

Hope Well Wines

Winemaker: Mimi Casteel


Hope Well ‘Sunday’s Child’ Pinot Noir, Eola Amity Hills 2021 750ml $75 special, 12 bottles in stock now
Mimi Casteel note “The three children of 2021 were born from a single lot of Pinot noir, a few rows of perfectly ripe fruit from all corners of the vineyard combined into one lot in the field, then separated at birth into three parts before vinification. For me, this was about pulling perfect Pinot Noir ripeness through a prism to see what was on the other side… Sunday’s Child went through a fully traditional Pinot noir maceration, on skins until dryness, and then to barrel to sleep for the next ten months.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Hope Well Chardonnay, Eola Amity Hills 2020 750ml $74 special, 10 bottles in stock now
Mimi Casteel note “Harvested September 30, 2020. 100% organically farmed Chardonnay. Whole cluster pressed, barrel fermented in french oak. No commercial yeasts or bacteria were used. Bottled September 2, 2021.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Hope Well Pinot Noir, Eola Amity Hills 2021 750ml $75 special, 6 bottles in stock now
Mimi Casteel note “This was the vineyard’s vintage. I used no new wood, just twice and third-filled barrels for everything. Fermentation began easily on its own after 2-3 days, and the fermentation curve was beautiful and clean throughout. Very gentle cap management employed here. I stepped out with one fermenter and used 50% whole cluster, because the stems had the most lovely warm spice aroma this year and it seemed a crime not to do a little. I pressed at dryness, and the barrels wintered quietly together while we moved and grafted. I always do this, but this winter the wines were told the stories and legends of their home, the one we took with us, the one in my heart, and the one upon which their own wood now grows. That is Hope Well.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!


Tiberio

Winemaker: Cristiana Tiberio

Azienda Vitivinicola Tiberio Trebbiano d’Abruzzo 2021 750ml $19 special, 23 bottles in stock 
Vinous 90+ points “The 2021 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo is intense yet fresh with vivid peach and young mango giving way to mint and white flowers. This washes across the palate with mineral intensity and pure orchard fruits, yet it comes across as round and soothing in feel. A salty flourish lingers, along with hints of lime, as the 2021 tapers off long and sapid. While not a wine for the ages, Cristiana Tiberio did a fabulous job dealing with the warm and dry conditions of the year. 2022 – 2025”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Azienda Vitivinicola Tiberio Pecorino Colline Pescaresi IGT, Abruzzo 2017 750ml $19.50 special, 18 bottles in stock 
Vinous 90 points “Abruzzo’s Tiberio winery has quickly risen to the top of the hierarchy not just in Abruzzo’s but in all of Italy. What the talented Cristiana Tiberio has achieved in the very hot 2017 vintage with Pecorino (a variety that does not like heat) is a testament to her talent. The 2017 Tiberio Pecorino is by no means the best Pecorino she has ever made (and frankly, it would have been very strange if it was otherwise, given the year’s weather), but it offers lovely balance with pure sage and kiwi notes that mingle with ripe orchard fruit nuances complicated by a saline edge. Both these wines made for a wonderful start to my meal, but they would have paired very well with all the other dishes I chose to eat this evening.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
 

Biondi Santi 
 
Biondi Santi produces world renowned wines in Montalcino, a highly prestigious village in Tuscany. Their high standards have upheld their reputation for consistently producing powerful wines vintage after vintage. Biondi Santi is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a classically styled, refined, and sophisticated wine. 

Here are a few Biondi Santi wines in stock now at Vinopolis

Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Annata, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2012 750ml $169 special, 12 bottles in stock 
Wine Enthusiast 96 points “Underbrush, ripe berry, new leather and Mediterranean herb aromas slowly take shape in the glass. Showing youthful tension, the vibrant palate delivers red cherry, pomegranate, white pepper and pipe tobacco notes framed by bright acidity and taut, refined tannins. It already shows great balance and finesse but is still young and tight. Drink 2022-2035.”
James Suckling 95 points “Love the dried lemon rind, florals and red fruits. Medium to full body and a solid core of fruit and spices. Long and flavorful finish. Just a hint of sweet tobacco. Better in 2020.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Annata, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2016 750ml $235 special, 7 bottles in stock 
Case-6 Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Annata, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2016 750ml $1319 special (that’s $109.91/bottle)
#23 Top 100 Cellar Selections 2022 – Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast 98 points “Cellar Selection. Aromas of rose petal, dark spice, woodland berries and camphor form the nose on this fragrant, elegant wine. Loaded with finesse, the linear, savory palate features red cherry, orange zest, star anise and black tea alongside tightly wound, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it impeccably balanced. It’s still youthfully austere, with fantastic aging potential. Drink 2026–2041. -Kerin O’Keefe”
Wine Advocate 97+ points “From a benchmark vintage, the Biondi-Santi 2016 Brunello di Montalcino reveals a gorgeous appearance with medium concentration highlighted by shiny hues of garnet and dark ruby. The first thing you notice is the compact dark fruit and rather robust textural fiber and power presented here. You almost bite into this wine, and you taste some fine grain linked to the young tannins. That, with the fresh acidity that is the hallmark signature of this estate, guarantees long cellar aging, and I would put my money on this vintage for long-long-term longevity. The fruit is compact and supple with dried cherry, blue flower, iron ore and candied orange peel. There is tobacco, balsam herb and gardening soil in a supporting role, and the wine is beautifully fleshed out but also rich in this balanced growing season. It surely needs more time to come together with pinpoint precision, but the wine’s elegance is a certainty.”

Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2011 750ml $459 special, 14 bottles in stock 
Wine Enthusiast 95-96 points “Beautifully balanced, this opens with alluring scents of wild berry, rose, baking spice and whiffs of chopped herb. Seamlessly combining ripe fruit and the firm’s trademark finesse, the bright elegantly structured palate delivers juicy wild cherry, crushed raspberry, white pepper and a hint of black tea framed in polished tannins and fresh acidity. It’s already tempting but the best is yet to come. Drink 2021–2031.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany 2018 750ml $99 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 94 points “Elegant, graceful and fine, the Biondi-Santi 2018 Rosso di Montalcino offers a delicate approach to the senses and it spreads over the palate with polished and silky intensity. The acidity is elevated in this vintage. A handful of historic producers in Montalcino are bringing the Rosso category up to the next level, and the venerable house of Biondi-Santi is one of them. This was a somewhat unusual vintage with prolonged cool spells alternating with moments of intense heat. However, this wine shows even ripening and is quite vibrant and tangy in terms of its acidity. In spectacular Sangiovese style, the wine ends with lingering tones of wild cherry, sweet earth, potting soil and perfumed violet.”

Sake
 
Indulge your senses in a bottle of Sake, a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. It’s delicious!

Here’s what we have in stock now at Vinopolis. 

Ama No To ‘Heaven’s Door’ Tokubetsu Junmai Sake 720ml $33 special, 4 bottles in stock 
VinopolNote: Ama No To is A “Grower Saké” (Made by the farmers who grew the rice since the brewery’s founding in 1917) from Akita Prefecture, one of the most northerly areas of the Japanese Mainland. Translating to “Heaven’s Door” the name and magatama on the label is derived from Shinto scriptures regarding Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess and patron of rice cultivation. Tasting notes include dried chamomile, Arabian Jasmine, cloves, golden apple and white miso with an off dry level of sweetness and light body.

Kanbara Bride of the Fox Junmai Ginjo Sake 720ml $33 special, 5 bottles in stock 
Producer note “This savory sake is inspired by local legends of Niigata’s annual fox-bride festival. Local lore tells of mysterious lights that appeared on nearby Mt. Kirin in the distant past, which are claimed to be the lanterns carried in the fox-bride procession. With a 50% polishing rate, this sake could technically qualify as a Junmai Daiginjo, but the savory notes and food pairing versatility identify more with the style expected from Junmai Ginjo. Intense aromas of grilled nuts, pistachio, and a hint of white chocolate. Ripe honeydew notes finish crisp with a hint of lingering sweetness.”

Suigei Tokubetsu Junmai Sake 720ml $28 special, 4 bottles in stock 
VinopolNote: Made from Akitsuho rice grown in Nara prefecture and fermented in Kochi Prefecture, this is meant to walk the line of both fruity and earthy styles of sake while still being clean, crisp and dry. Water is sourced from the nearby mountains, further emphasizing the inherent minerality. Tasting notes include green strawberry, fennel bulb, Muscadelle and Guérande salt.

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Yuki Otoko – Yeti Junmai Sake 720ml $28 special, 5 bottles in stock 
Distributor note “Producer: Aoki Shuzo. Rice: Miyama Nishiki milled to 60%. Water: On-site well water from an underground current originating at Makihata-yama. Soft water. SMV +12. Acidity 1.2.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
           

German Wine Sale 
 
We’re having a huge sale on German wines throughout the entire month of January.

Sale Begins at 4pm on Monday, January 2nd
Sale Ends at 6pm on Tuesday, January 31st
     
5% off 6-11 bottles and/or large formats of German wines.

10% off 12 or more bottles and/or large formats of German wines. 

Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.
Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or to case discounts. 
This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.

If you buy a case-6 you can receive a 5% discount on any additional 1-5 bottles more of German wines. If you buy a case-12 all additional German bottles will receive a 10% discount.

This sale applies to ALL German wines. That’s over 500 wines discounted! Here are a few recommendations to get you started. 

Weingut Clemens Busch Marienburg Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2018 750ml $19 special, 36+ bottles in stock
James Suckling 92 points “Lightly smoky with some lemon pith and dried spices. There’s some light sweetness here, but it’s nicely balanced out by the edgy acidity. Taut and very precise on the finish. Drink now.”
Vinous 91 points “White peach, apple, honeydew melon and lime are tinged with lemongrass and cilantro on the nose, and with nippy cress on an otherwise polished, lusciously fruited and subtly soothing palate. Nearly 60 grams of sugar manage to come off as entirely supportive, and the lingering finish both soothes and stimulates. (This year’s village-level Busch Kabinett seemed oddly out-of-sorts on the sole occasion – side by side with this Marienburg – that I was able to taste it, so I have left it un-reviewed.)”
Wine Spectator 91 points “Shows yeasty notes at first, with accents of jasmine and hops, followed by electric acidity that fuels the green apple, lemon and nectarine flavors. Balanced and beautiful in terms of texture, exhibiting substance. Smoky details emerge on the well-defined finish. Best from 2021 through 2033. 550 cases made, 60 cases imported.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Schlossgut Diel Eierfels Riesling Trocken, Nahe 2018 750ml $33 special, 13 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 90-91 points “The 2018 Riesling Eierfels is deep, intense and flinty on the ripe and lemon-scented nose. Intense and lush on the palate, this is a medium to full-bodied, well-structured and concentrated dry Riesling whose grapes are sourced in the Burgberg and Goldloch. Elegant and yeasty, this has a refined and elegant texture with lingering crystallinity, power and mineral tension. Tasted as a sample in July 2019.”
Terry Theise note “This is like “Der Ott,” the top dry wine below the GGs, using (mostly) the material deemed insufficient for those lofty boys, but this vintage is ideal; more generous now, and with a toasted scree and conifer profile, a minerally German Riesling in a more yielding matrix; it’s still a most-particular kind of wine, but it’s welcoming rather than forbidding.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Schatzel Olberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Rheinhessen 2017 750ml $49 special, 17 bottles in stock 
Vinous 94 points “At 11.5% alcohol, this mid-August bottling leads with hauntingly musky, bittersweet suggestions of iris, peony and narcissus, allied to whiffs of lemon and tangerine. The silken palate brims with peach and citrus, billowing with persistent floral perfume and proving strikingly transparent to the mineral nuances that supply smoky, stony and mouthwateringly saline complexity to a vibrant, delicate, umami-laden and sensationally persistent finish. Schätzel attributes his Ölberg’s animation and sheer juiciness and its immediate appeal to the fact that this site is relatively well-watered and moisture-retentive in comparison with other portions of Nierstein and Nackenheim’s famed Roter Hang.”
Stuart Pigott 94 points “Considering this has only 11.5 per cent alcohol, there is extraordinary depth and vitality. The long finish is sleek and fine-grained, without any hint of edginess. Attractive white-fruit aromas, too. Drink or hold.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2018 750ml $69 special, 21 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 95+ points “The 2018 Halenberg Riesling GG is super precise, pure and fresh on the intense and stony, still reductive nose, with its notes of candied lemon and lime (that means: slightly greenish). On the palate, this is a rich and concentrated yet elegant, silky-textured, vital and powerful, persistently salty and tensioned Halenberg that is far too young to discover its full potential today. It’s rich and elegant, refined and slightly tannic and needs time to develop its full potential. Tasted in July 2019.”
John Gilman 94+ points “The Halenberg GG is also outstanding in 2018. The bouquet delivers a lovely and youthful combination of lime, grapefruit, slate, orange peel, a touch of cress, wild yeasts and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and nicely reserved in personality, with a superb core of fruit, lovely transparency and cut and a long, focused and nascently complex finish. This has superb potential. 2024-2060.”
Vinous 93 points “Crushed stone and sea breeze along with zesty lime and grapefruit characterize both the pungent nose and the formidably concentrated palate impression. Firmer in feel than the corresponding Frühlingsplätzchen and with sharper, more clearly defined citricity and stony inflections, this shares sense of fullness (at something over 13% alcohol) with the present collection’s other dry wines, but evinces no heaviness and at most the merest hint of heat. Mouthwatering salinity and a shimmering sense of crystalline stony impingement rather unexpectedly rise to the occasion on a finish whose sheer fruit intensity is so prominent.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!




New Arrivals
 
Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau, Rhône 2019 750ml $88 special, 37 bottles available 
Case- 12 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau, Rhône 2019 750ml $959 special (that’s only $79.91/ bottle)
Wine Advocate 96+ points “The 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau is a hugely successful vintage, marked by scents of sun-warmed stones, garrigue, black cherries and black olives. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it finishes with tremendous length and softly dusty tannins, which should help ensure a long, positive evolution.”
Vinous 95 points “Saturated ruby. Deep-pitched red/blue fruit liqueur aromas pick up suggestions of licorice, pipe tobacco and pungent flowers and herbs with air. In a lush, weighty style, offering expansive black raspberry, cherry cola, singed plum and fruitcake flavors sharpened by a jolt of spiciness on the back half. For all this wine’s richness, it’s energetic as well, showing solid, spice- and floral-driven persistence on the finish, which is framed by velvety, even tannins.”
Jeb Dunnuck 94+ points “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape is ruby/purple-hued and has the classic translucent color of the domaine. It’s more precise and focused than the Télégramme and will need more time, but it offers a complex, gorgeous bouquet of red and black fruits, crushed stone, wild fennel, and ground pepper. Pure, medium to full-bodied, and elegant, do your best to hide bottles for 5-7 years and it’s going to keep for two decades.”

Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau, Rhône 2018 1.5L $189 special, 13 bottles in stock 
James Suckling 96 points “Traditionally dominated by clairette (45%) and grenache blanc (30%), then roussanne and bourboulenc. The vines average 50+ years and there’s a very restrained nose with dialed-back white-pear and chalk aromas with dried flowers, too. The palate has a super fresh, zippy feel and a long, juicy and attractive core of fresh, salty minerals. The balance is innate and very fluid. Drink or hold.”
Wine Spectator 95 points “A nice throwback style, with a range of dried lavender and rosemary notes peeking out from a cedar-framed core of mulled cherry, blood orange and plum fruit. Features warm stone, licorice root and tobacco leaf accents that fill in through the energetic finish. A wine that’s very confident in its terroir. Best from 2024 through 2038. 2,495 cases imported.”

Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors, IGP Cotes Catalanes 2019 750ml $14.75 special, 24 bottles available 
Case-12 Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors, IGP Cotes Catalanes 2019 750ml $159 special (that’s $13.25/bottle)
Jeb Dunnuck 95 points “Based on 74% Syrah and 26% Grenache brought up in in a combination of concrete tanks (for the Grenache) and one year old demi-muids (for the Syrah), the 2018 Cotes Du Roussillon Bastide Miraflors is a knockout bottle of wine. It offers loads of black fruits, roasted herbs, peppered meat, violets, and bacon fat as well as full-bodied richness, a round, opulent style, ripe tannins, and a blockbuster finish.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Bodegas Muga ‘Prado Enea’ Gran Reserva, Rioja DOCa 2015 750ml $84.80 special, 8 bottles available 
Wine Advocate 97 points “The most classical of their wines, the 2015 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano, mostly from Rioja Alta (Sajazarra, Cellorigo and Fonzaleche), but the Garnacha is from different plots in the zone of Tudelilla at high altitude. These grapes are always picked last, but the wine has a similar alcohol level as the rest, around 14.5% in a warm year like 2019. The modus operandi is similar to other of the top cuvées—harvested into 200-kilogram boxes, destemming, optical sorting and fermentation in small oak casks with indigenous yeasts. The élevage in this case is extended to 36 months, and the barrels are only 10% new. This is, year in, year out, my favorite wine from Muga, and in this powerful and ripe year, these late-harvesting vines ripened thoroughly and delivered a full array of aromas and flavors so that the wine has plenty of depth and complexity. It has a very classical profile, with incipient tertiary notes, perfumed, floral and rich, textured and beautifully balanced. They compare this 2015 with 2009 and 2005 in terms of style but with freshness in the style of 2001 and 2010. It’s enjoyable but should also develop for a long time in bottle. One of the finest Prado Enea vintages. 108,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2018. There’s no 2012 or 2013 of this. There will be a 2016 and 2019, but no 2017 or 2018. 2020 is still a question mark, they have not yet decided it.”
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points “The 2015 Prado Enea Gran Reserva comes from a hotter, riper vintage, but it shares similar gamey, exotic aromatics of red and black fruits, sappy herbs, flowers, leather, iron, and background cedary oak. Rich, medium to full-bodied, incredibly pure, and balanced, it has ripe, still present tannins, impeccable balance, and a great finish. This is a classic expression of this cuvée that can be enjoyed any time over the coming two decades or more.”

Descendientes de J. Palacios Villa de Corullon, Bierzo 2020 750ml $46 special, 36+ bottles available 
Wine Advocate 97 points “I was blown away by the 2020 wines in barrel in June 2021 and found the 2020 Villa de Corullón very ready, open, expressive, floral and ethereal. It destroyed the idea I had of a warm and ripe 2020. Ricardo Pérez Palacios told me he was thinking of bottling the 2020s earlier, as they didn’t need a long élevage, just nine or 10 months in barrel. The wine is pale, the palest Corullón ever, with 13.7% alcohol—perhaps the vines got blocked and didn’t develop more color compounds or sugar. The wine makes me think of a red from Jura; it has a different profile and is more delicate, ethereal and full of light and energy. Pérez, who hates comparisons with other regions, couldn’t stop saying that it felt like a Morey Saint Denis! It’s all flowers and red fruit, with a lot of super fine tannins (the 2019 tannins are rougher) that are round and give it a velvety texture with no rusticity—elegant and balanced. There is a nice balance between tannin and acidity, something this has in common with the 2019, which makes the vintages quite unusual, because being warm, the wines show balance. Today, it feels more like Moncerbal than the Moncerbal bottling; nevertheless, Corullón is around 40% from Moncerbal. … It has to be my favorite Corullón to date.”

Descendientes de J. Palacios Las Lamas, Bierzo 2019 750ml $149 special, 6 bottles available 
Wine Advocate 97 points “The grapes used for the 2019 Las Lamas come from a selection of 1.75 hectares they own in the paraje in the village of Corullón, not far from the winery that gives this wine its name. This is a south-facing location with a tendency to good ripeness and generous wines. It fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in a combination of oak barrels and foudres for eight months. This is the prototype of a wine from clay-rich soils; it’s round and vinous, refreshed by the altitude and the slate. This is more lactic than the Moncerbal, very classical and with fine but grainy tannins. Whatever it is, with years in bottle, this is more vinous and rounder and the Moncerbal is sharper. 5,520 bottles, 118 magnums and some larger formats produced.”

Descendientes de J. Palacios Moncerbal, Bierzo 2020 750ml $149 special, 6 bottles available 
Wine Advocate 97 points “I find the 2020 Moncerbal a little more closed than the other 2020s, darker and serious. It’s still moderately ripe, with 13.8% alcohol, sweet tannins and a soft texture. Today, it shows a little austere and very calm????? it whispers. It’s quite discreet. It was bottled in October 2021, during the 2021 harvest. This is already certified organic from 2020 onward. Approachable already. 5,000 bottles were filled in October 2021. These wines were usually bottled in January/February of the following year, so in 2020 they had a shorter ??levage in barrel. The wines were ready earlier. Drink Date 2022-2030”

Paraduxx Winery Red, Napa Valley 2019 750ml $31.90 special, 24 bottles available 
James Suckling 91 points “Aromas of blueberry, black cherry and blackberry. Medium-to full-bodied with velvety tannins. A solid core of black fruit on the palate with some toasted complexity. Black tea comes through.”
Wine Advocate 91 points “A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petite Sirah, 12% Zinfandel, 11% Petit Verdot, 7% Syrah and 5% Malbec, the 2019 Proprietary Red Wine delivers notes of cassis, blackberries and blueberries on the nose, backed by an underlay of mocha-tinged oak. It’s medium to full-bodied, decently concentrated and nicely balanced, marrying silky tannins to a bright, vibrant finish”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Lanson Pere & Fils Brut, Champagne NV 750ml $39 special, 36 bottles available 
Winemaker note “Lanson ‘Père & Fils’ Brut is a brand new, enriched evolution of the classic Lanson Black Label Brut, and is named after the first bottle of Champagne Lanson ever produced. Created as a tribute to the Lanson family , Champagne Lanson ‘Père & Fils’ is aged in the cellars for a minimum of 4 years to allow the wine to flourish and its aromas to develop perfectly. Blended using a selection of the best Champagne Crus from 10 different vintages, the result is a rich, elegant Champagne with a fresh finish. After 4 years of ageing, the ‘Père et Fils’ Cuvee unveils a magnificent bright golden colour, animated by tiny bubbles. The nose reveals aromas of ripe fruits, honey and spices. On the palate, this blend offers a complex, full and persistent impact with honeydew flavours.”

Love & Squalor Pinot Noir Garageland Willamette Valley 2019 750ml $19 special, 12 bottles available 
Winery note: “The Garageland Pinot Noir is a multi-vineyard and multi-appellation blend. The name is stolen from The Clash, and is an homage to all of the artisans – from musicians and painters, to vintners and food makers, who toil away behind nondescript roll-up doors. Like all of my wines, this bottling reflects my hands-off winemaking style, and draws attention to the vibrant delicacy, heady aromatics, and natural acidity that all the hallmark of a well-balanced wine.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Love & Squalor Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2019 750ml $24 special, 24 bottles available 
Winery note “The 2019 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is a multi-vineyard, multi-appellation blend intended to capture the essence of the vintage.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Love & Squalor Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2017 750ml $39 special, 12 bottles available  
Winery note:  “A selection of the winemaker’s four favorite barrels in the cellar. Sourced from Vista Hills Vineyard (667 and 777), Temperance Hill Vineyard (667, 113, 114 and Pommard) and Sunnyside Vineyard (Gamay and Wädenswil). · Moderately light garnet color in the glass. Nicely perfumed with aromas of Bing cherry, cola and mocha. A harmonious wine with a good acid underbelly and modest tannins. The mid-weight, brambly dark red cherry and black raspberry fruits are satisfying.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!


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Thank you from the team at Vinopolis!

Be well & drink well.

Vinopolis Wednesday Newsletter 1/4/23

 In This Newsletter:


Hope Well Wines


New Arrivals 


German Wine Sale Continues 


Collector’s Corner  

 

Hope Well Wines

“Hope Well wine is the alchemy between the natural world, my deep love for this ground and the unsung heroes whose strong hands, hearts and minds have helped me make it. Human. Nature. Hope Well.” -Mimi Casteel

Mimi Casteel is a once in a lifetime winemaker. Her background is as inspiring as it is long and varied, working stints as a firefighter, botanist, and ecologist. After many years studying, interacting, and living within the natural environment, it was a likely transition to begin making wine. Although, when she started Hope Well wine, she was not uninitiated. Mimi is a second generation winemaker, daughter of Ted Casteel and Pat Dudley, who pioneered winemaking in the Eola-Amity Hills region during the 1970s. It was there, at her family’s vineyard and winery, Bethel Heights Vineyard, where an understanding of winemaking began to form.  

She’s developed Hope Well Wines into an impressive project focusing on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Riesling. The diversity and depth of her knowledge is evident in her conscientious winemaking ethos. Speaking of her practices, Mimi notes “Regenerative farming is really about looking at an ecosystem upon which we are trying to impose an agricultural system and repairing the broken cycles of nutrient and energy flows by facilitating those flows from a functional, structural standpoint.” (sourced from Wine Enthusiast). As a loyal practitioner of regenerative agriculture, Mimi’s wine project is only a subset of her farm, which also includes an apple orchard, vegetable garden and is home to many animals like sheep, llamas, alpacas and goats.

Off the back of her parent’s legacy, Mimi Casteel is creating a legacy of her own. A legacy of land stewardship, dedication to craft, and strong leadership paving the way towards a more sovereign food system. Her winemaking is a refreshing reminder of the relationship we have with the products we consume and the responsibility we all share to the environment from which they’re sourced. The wine industry should be so honored to have her.

We have a range of Hope Well wines in stock now at Vinopolis, here are just a few.

Hope Well ‘Sunday’s Child’ Pinot Noir, Eola Amity Hills 2021 750ml $75 special, 12 bottles in stock now
Mimi Casteel note “The three children of 2021 were born from a single lot of Pinot noir, a few rows of perfectly ripe fruit from all corners of the vineyard combined into one lot in the field, then separated at birth into three parts before vinification. For me, this was about pulling perfect Pinot Noir ripeness through a prism to see what was on the other side… Sunday’s Child went through a fully traditional Pinot noir maceration, on skins until dryness, and then to barrel to sleep for the next ten months.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!



Hope Well Chardonnay, Eola Amity Hills 2020 750ml $74 special, 10 bottles in stock now
Mimi Casteel note “Harvested September 30, 2020. 100% organically farmed Chardonnay. Whole cluster pressed, barrel fermented in french oak. No commercial yeasts or bacteria were used. Bottled September 2, 2021.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Hope Well Pinot Noir, Eola Amity Hills 2021 750ml $75 special, 6 bottles in stock now
Mimi Casteel note “This was the vineyard’s vintage. I used no new wood, just twice and third-filled barrels for everything. Fermentation began easily on its own after 2-3 days, and the fermentation curve was beautiful and clean throughout. Very gentle cap management employed here. I stepped out with one fermenter and used 50% whole cluster, because the stems had the most lovely warm spice aroma this year and it seemed a crime not to do a little. I pressed at dryness, and the barrels wintered quietly together while we moved and grafted. I always do this, but this winter the wines were told the stories and legends of their home, the one we took with us, the one in my heart, and the one upon which their own wood now grows. That is Hope Well.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

See our full range of Hope Well wines on our website.




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New Arrivals 

Vignobles de la Coulee de Serrant ‘Clos de la Coulee de Serrant’, Loire 2019 70ml $135 special, 36 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 98 points “Produced from seven hectares of vineyards aged from 40 to 50 years old, Joly’s 2019 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant opens with a clear, bright yet enormously dense and complex bouquet of crushed stones, herbs and fine but dense and multilayered fruit that needs air to open up, yet it shows its class immediately. On the palate, this is a rich and intense, full-bodied, tight and concentrated yet elegant and stimulating salty Chenin with firm tannins intertwined with a crystalline acidity that carries this highly complex icon wine to a long and compact yet elegant finish. There is a remarkable purity, freshness and energy in the aftertaste that you sometimes might have missed in former vintages.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Louis-Benjamin – Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang, Loire 2019 750ml $139 special, 3 bottles in stock
Rebecca Gibbs MW 96 points “What I love most about the 2019 Pur Sang is its focus and precision; the compact, light bodied core carries masses of fragrance across the palate and beyond on the long finish. There’s clarity and freshness, with a thread of acidity and minerality pulling the wine through like a needle and thread. It is starting to show the very first hints of time in bottle with a hint of almond alongside the ripe melon notes and nettle tea character. Impressive stuff from this three-hectare parcel in the village of Saint Laurent l’Abbaye, about 5km northeast of the Dagueneau domaine.”
 
Beaux Freres ‘Belles Soeurs Cuvee’ Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge 2019 750ml $89 special, 12 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 96 points “Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Pinot Noir The Belles Soeurs has alluring wild red and black berry fruits with wafts of garrigue, Earl Grey tea leaves and Angostura bitters. The palate is silky and intense with layered, graphite-tinged fruit and a very long finish that’s notable for its purity and persistent perfume.”
Vinous 95 points “Vivid ruby. Expansive red and blue fruit aromas show fine definition, complemented by succulent floral, exotic spices and mineral notes that build with air. Sappy, appealingly sweet and energetic in style, offering boysenberry, Chambord, candied rose and five-spice powder flavors braced by a spine of juicy acidity. The floral note repeats emphatically on the impressively long finish, which features polished tannins and reverberating red fruit character.”
Jeb Dunnuck 95 points “The 2019 Pinot Noir The Belles Soeurs is elegant with the perfume of raspberry, cherry pie, dried roses, and cinnamon. The palate is vibrant and tension-driven with rose hip, hibiscus, and orange zest. I love this for its focused and direct nature, which will warrant some time in cellar to unfold. Drink 2024-2037.”

Luke Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope 2020 750ml $19.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Winemaker note “LUKE Cabernet Sauvignon offers aromas dominated by marionberry and dark chocolate, accented by hints of mint and molasses. Supple, focused and expressive, layering coffee-accented blackberry and currant flavors with polished tannins and hints of cedar and smoke.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Louis Roederer Cristal Millesime Brut, Champagne 2014 750ml $349 special, 22 bottles in stock 
#1 Top 100 Cellar Selections 2022 – Wine Enthusiast
Wine Spectator 98 points “This vivid Champagne shows up-front and linear definition, thanks to rapierlike acidity, with finely meshed flavors of ripe black cherry and mandarin orange fruit, raw almond, anise and cardamom spice as well as a touch of honeycomb, which all unfurl and expand on the fine, creamy palate. Sleek acidity continues through to the finish, with additional racy character provided by a streak of minerally saline and chalk, which gains momentum through the midpalate and rings out on the well-cut, lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2040”
Antonio Galloni 98 points “The 2014 Cristal is another in a long line of gorgeous wines from Roederer and long-time Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. A dazzling, vibrant Champagne, the 2014 impresses with a stunning combination of fruit density and linear energy that brings to mind a hypothetical blend of 2012 and 2008. At times, the bubbles feel totally wrapped up in waves of creamy, resonant fruit to the point the mousse is barely perceptible, especially with aeration. The flavors are bright and finely sculpted, leaning very much into the citrus, floral and mineral end of the spectrum.”

German Wine Sale
 
We’re having a huge sale on German wines throughout the entire month of January.

Sale Begins at 4pm on Monday, January 2nd
Sale Ends at 6pm on Tuesday, January 31st
     
5% off 6-11 bottles and/or large formats of German wines.

10% off 12 or more bottles and/or large formats of German wines. 

Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.
Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or to case discounts. 
This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.

If you buy a case-6 you can receive a 5% discount on any additional 1-5 bottles more of German wines. If you buy a case-12 all additional German bottles will receive a 10% discount.

This sale applies to ALL German wines. That’s over 500 wines discounted! Here are a few recommendations to get you started. 

Weingut Donnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett, Nahe 2018 750ml $21.90 special, 36 bottles in stock
Vinous 92 points “Fresh pear and apple are tinged with ginger and sea breeze on the nose, then succulently deployed on a buoyant, polished palate. The mouthwateringly salt-tinged finish is transparent to shimmering stony notes and a mysterious ore-like earthiness surprisingly reminiscent of Hermannshöhle. “The grapes were almost too ripe for Kabinett,” remarked Dönnhoff of this bottling, “but you still have that citric sense of acidity.” Had he succumbed to his inclination to start picking a week later than the estate in fact did, we would not have a Krötenpfuhl Kabinett – an observation that Dönnhoff, with a smile, declines to contradict. The wine weighs in at 9.5% alcohol, and I don’t think it would have benefited from one gram less residual sugar than whatever it has.”
John Gilman 91+ points “The 2018 Krötenpfuhl Kabinett was still in cask and really showing beautiful potential on both the nose and palate. The bouquet is a lovely and delicate mix of apple, tart orange, salty minerality, white flowers and an esthery topnote of bee pollen. On the palate the wine is medium-full, pure and dancing, with beautiful fruit, a lovely foundation of minerality, bright acids and excellent length and grip on the vibrant finish. This has really good acids for the vintage. 2019-2050.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Veldenzer Elisenberg Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2018 750ml $21.90 special, 33 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 92-94 points “The 2018 Elisenberger Riesling Kabinett is dense, cool, very precise and flinty-mineral on the nose, which is still reductive but exciting. Coming from a coolish side valley that was picked at roughly 84° to 85° Oechsle at the end of September, this is a gorgeously lush and mouth-filling Riesling with the mineral piquancy of quartzite soils. There is no aggressive acidity here, there is nice tartaric acidity that makes this a seductive Kabinett you can’t resist. This is a fabulous, very long and enchanting Riesling. The wine has slightly more than 50 grams of residual sugar and comes in at 8.5% alcohol. It was scheduled to be bottled a couple of days after I tasted it from the cask at the end of March 2019.”
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “The 2018er Veldenzer Elisenberg Riesling Kabinett was harvested at 84° Oechsle and was fermented down to fruity-styled levels of residual sugar (50 g/l). It offers a beautiful nose made of white peach, cassis, gooseberry, pear, laurel, herbs and spices. The wine develops the delicate creaminess of a Spätlese on the otherwise nicely crisp palate. The finish is long and nicely fruity. Ripe mirabelle and some herbs join the zesty side in the after-taste. 2028-2048.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Markus Molitor Alte Reben Riesling Trocken, Mosel 2018 750ml $29 special, 22 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2018 Riesling Alte Reben is perfectly ripe and pure on the intense yet elegant and refined, crystalline nose. Round and juicy on the palate, this is a rich and creamy-textured, finely tannic and phenolic Riesling with grip, but this old-vines Riesling cannot disguise its 2018 origin. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”
James Suckling 92 points “The lovely sliced-pear, white-peach and blood-orange nose eases you into this well-proportioned dry Mosel. The crisp acidity nicely balances the generous body and the touch of tannins. Good length and some nice herbal notes and complexity at the finish. Drink or hold.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten ‘Im Breumel’ Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Pfalz 2018 750ml $49 special, 36+ bottles in stock
James Suckling 97 points “Very floral with pretty herbal undertones, ranging from coriander to dill to mint. The flowers range from jasmine to honeysuckle to almond blossom. Understated and elegant from the outset. The palate has a very chalky feel to the texture with overlapping, firm lines of acidity and dainty citrus fruit. Immaculately ironed-out edges and well-defined, linear crease. Drink now or hold.
Winery Note “The age-worthy Riesling wines from this prime section of the Haardt Bürgergarten are characterised by the optimal balance between a concentrated Riesling fruit, lingering minerality, a delicate elegance and an elaborately interwoven, long finish – Riesling to perfection.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
           

Collector’s Corner 
 
Louis-Benjamin – Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume Asteroide, Loire 2019 750ml $1499 special, 2 bottles available 
Rebecca Gibbs MW 92 points “Just 400 bottles of Pouilly Fumé Asteroide were made in 2019 from the same vineyard as Pur Sang, but the winemaking is different: half of the wine goes in a glass wine globe (a bit like a bonbonne), the other half in a barrel. This is a more varietal expression of the grape and the vineyard with nettle tea, dill and boxwood. Winemaker Jean-Philippe Agisson suggests this varietal character might be down to the influence of the wine globe. There’s a firm, tangy finish and a touch of savory, nuttiness on the length. The Pur Sang is a more complete wine than the Asteroide despite the latter having the rarity X factor due to being ungrafted. Certainly doesn’t represent good value!”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Falletto di Bruno Giacosa ‘Falletto Riserva – Falleto Vigna Le Rocche’ Barolo DOCG 2016 750ml $799 special, 2 bottles available 
James Suckling 100 points “This is the second 100-point Vigna Le Rocche, following the 2015. What the former had in intensity of fruit and transparency, this has in structure and power. The purity of fruit is sensational in this young Barolo, offering blackberries, black truffle and iron. Rust too. This is so tannic and powerful with incredible structure. This may be the most structured Barolo from Bruno Giacosa I have ever tasted as a young wine. Speechless. Full-bodied and so intense, yet it remains fresh and agile. Traditional in every sense of the word, but this is clear and clean. A classic in the making. It will be in the market January 2022. Leave this for at least six to eight years. Try in 2027.”
Wine Advocate 98 points “The Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche sees its fruit sourced from the oldest vines in the Falletto cru. This wine boasts all the signature touches of Serralunga d’Alba with the massive structure, density and the long aging potential that comes with Nebbiolo grown in this village. The wine spreads evenly over the palate, imparting its considerable fruit weight and generally leaving a big impact. This Barolo is really quite lovely and beautiful. The bouquet is fluid and ever-shifting, showing new sides with firm fruit, blackberry, smoke, rusty nail and mineral with every swirl of the glass. I visited this vineyard site shortly before tasting this wine and marveled at the beautiful peacocks that roam free between the rows of vines.”

Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX Convento Seleccion, Montilla-Moriles 1929 750ml $299 special, 2 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95 points “The extreme 1929 Don PX Convento Selección is a thick, dense and unusual, rare sweet beast. It is very dark with a green border, dense, oily and serious full-bodied palate with the profile of a PX from Jerez. With 500 grams of residual sugar per liter, it is a little monolithic, a little heavy and not so easy to drink. Still it is an impressive, very sweet wine that is really unique”

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Vinopolis Monday Newsletter 1-2-23

In This Newsletter:



 
German Wine Sale 



Zorzal Vineyards and Winery 


Tan Fruit 


New Arrivals  

 

German Wine Sale

We’re having a huge sale on German wines throughout the entire month of January.

Sale Begins at 4pm on Monday, January 2nd
Sale Ends at 6pm on Tuesday, January 31st
     
5% off 6-11 bottles and/or large formats of German wines.

10% off 12 or more bottles and/or large formats of German wines. 

Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.
Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or to case discounts. 
This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.

If you buy a case-6 you can receive a 5% discount on any additional 1-5 bottles more of German wines. If you buy a case-12 all additional German bottles will receive a 10% discount.

This sale applies to ALL German wines. That’s over 500 wines discounted! Here are a few recommendations to get you started. 

Wwe Dr. H. Thanisch Bernkasteler Graben Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Mosel 2019 750ml $41.90 special, 22 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 91+ points “The 2019 Bernkasteler Graben Riesling GG is adjacent to Thanisch’s Doctor parcel yet a bit less warm. From 60- to 70-year-old-vines, this is a smoky, intense and elegant Riesling with very fine, precise and crunchy gray slate aromas. Medium-bodied, intense and complex on the palate, this is a tight, long and structured dry Graben Riesling with a refreshing lemon aroma on the concentrated and refreshing finish. This is complex but very promising and currently pretty closed, although the bottle was opened two days earlier. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Weingut Brand Bros The Electric Acid Test Chardonnay, Pfalz 2021 750ml $18 special, 29 bottles in stock 
Drizly product description “The forgotten border region of the northern Pfalz is riddled with limestone soils making it perfect for, among other things, certain varieties that do well in Burgundy, like, well, Chardonnay. Yet here the temperatures are a bit cooler, the nights a bit brisker, and so the Chardonnay that the young brothers Brand farm comes to us with a tad more acidity, a few thousand more volts of electricity than most of the more luxurious examples from Burgundy and the New World. This is no-nonsense, organically farmed, young-vine Chardonnay that is ripe, yet sizzles with energy and acidity. And just to make sure that the wine glows in the dark, the brothers add a small bit of Riesling to the cuvée (usually 10% or less) which turbo-charges everything, heightening and sharpening the aromatics, making the wine perfumed and even more explosive. Enjoy with lightning bolts and crudo.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

J.B. Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Alte Reben Riesling Kabinett Trocken, Rheingau 750ml $31.90 special, 12 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2020 Wallufer Walkenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken offers a clear and delicately fruity bouquet with floral-scented apricot aromas. Pure, straight and fresh on the palate, this is a bone dry, crunchy and youthful Kabinett with crunchy phenols and just-ripe stone fruit. Stimulatingly crisp and salty on the finish. 12% stated alcohol. Glass stopper. Tasted at the domaine in July 2022.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel, Mosel 2020 750ml $125 special, 10 bottles in stock 
Wine Spectator 95 points “A pretty white, this exudes elderflower, peach, lime, cumin and slate aromas and flavors. Creamy and elegant, with lively acidity providing structure and definition. Very consistent from beginning to end. Drink now through 2045.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94+ points “The 2020er Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese GK was made from shriveled rather than botrytized fruit and was fermented down to noble-sweet levels of residual sugar. It offers a superbly elegant and refined nose of wet stone, mango, herbs, apricot flower, almond cream, honeyed peach, candied grapefruit, and guava. The wine proves deliciously smooth and creamy on the palate and leaves a great feel of candied citrusy fruits and sweet exotic flavors in the well-delineated and precise finish packed with fruity notes of pear and peach. This gorgeous noble-sweet wine will need more than a decade to fully integrate its sweetness and has even some upside as it gains finesse and complexity. 2035-2060.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Kruger-Rumpf Abtei ‘1937 Reserv’ Riesling Trocken, Nahe 2018 750ml $36 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Vinous 91 points “This bottling is sourced from the oldest vines, planted in 1937, on an exciting steep, stony site that the Rumpfs are restoring (and about which you can read much more in my reviews of the Rumpfs’ vintage 2016 and inaugural vintage 2015 renditions of Abtei Riesling, both of which originated entirely in this oldest parcel). In electing to segregate the fruit of these old vines for a separate bottling – while fruit from younger parcels 2020 informs the “regular” Abtei bottling (which in 2018 is designated A.P. #30) – the Rumpfs also decided to permit the fruit a bit longer skin contact and to raise the wine in a relatively new 1,200-liter cask. The nose anticipates the deeper sense of peachy fruit on tap here vis-à-vis the A.P. #30. The feel is glossy and silken, and the impressively sustained finish features a stony, alkaline and as such rather hard and austere sense of mineral matter, which serves for suitable counterpart to the fruit. What I miss are the mouthwatering salinity, herbal pungency and brightly juicy abundance of the A.P. #30. Those are not virtues that I anticipate emerging here with time in bottle, and since they were characteristics of previous Abtei bottlings, I tend to believe that skin contact and wood influence have made the unfortunate difference. But would that I might be lucky enough to one day re-taste the two wines side by side and perhaps be contradicted!”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Weingut Leitz Rudesheimer Klosterlay Riesling Kabinett, Rheingau 2018 750ml $20.90 special, 19 bottles in stock 
Importer note “‘Lay’ is a very old word meaning slate and “Kloster” is the German translation of Abbey. The Klosterlay sits beneath the Benedictine Abbey of St. Hildegard, above the eastern edge of the village. Here, the Rüdesheimer Berg begins to gently undulate as it levels out toward the village of Geisenheim. Josi believes this site is destined for a fruity style and therefore always makes Kabinett from this vineyard.”
Wine Advocate “The first Rieslings of the very dry and warm as well as early 2018 vintage are also promising and stunningly precise and elegant due to the conditions of the vintage that brought nothing but perfectly ripe and healthy grapes. Leitz pressed the grapes in fractions, so he was able to keep the acidity fine and fresh even though it is naturally lower than in 2017… Doubtlessly, Leitz is one of the region’s best Riesling producers. Having said that, he is also one of the best Riesling ambassadors in the wine world, with regular tastings in the US as well as in Norway, two of his most important export markets.” 

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2017 750ml $26 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “The 2017er Kinheimer Rosenberg Spätlese AP 2 was harvested at 88° Oechsle. It exhibits beautifully complex and refined aromatics blending floral elements with vineyard peach, grapefruit and spices. The wine is slightly reductive at first on the palate as it displays quite some racy acidity wrapped into a straight and pure structure. Notes of grapefruit, orange zest and spices emerge in the finish and lead to a slightly herbal and freshly tart feel in the after-taste. This is packed with quite some elements and only needs a couple of years to fully shine. 2025-2037.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Markus Molitor Alte Reben Riesling Trocken, Mosel 2019 750ml $26 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 93 points “Molitor’s 2019 Alte Reben Saar opens with a pure and concentrated flinty bouquet of crushed slate and lemon zest as well as floral aromas. Round, lush and with salty piquancy as well as fine and juicy fruit concentration that intermingles perfectly with the finessed acidity and mineral backbone, this is an excellent and highly stimulating picture-book Saar Riesling with a delicate grip of slate and tannins. Perhaps the finest Saar old-vines Riesling I have had from Molitor. Tasted in May 2021.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Peter Lauer ‘Neuenbersch- Neuenberg’ Fass 17 Riesling, Mosel 2017 750ml $46 special, 18 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 94 points “Florian Lauer’s 2017 Ayler Kupp Neuenberg Riesling Fass 17 is very clear and intense yet subtle and finely mineral on the elegant, fruity, well-defined nose. Round and textured on the palate, with a certain creaminess and melodiousness, this is an intense and mouth-filling yet vital and persistent classic Riesling that is neither too dry nor too sweet and comes along with remarkable finesse, mineral tension and complexity. Still too young but already very promising. Tasted in June 2019.”
John Gilman 93+ points “Happily, there was the 2017 Neuenberg sitting there ready to sample and it was really singing for such a young wine. This wine comes in at twelve percent alcohol and is very, very promising on both the nose and palate, albeit still properly reserved at such a young age. The bouquet delivers scents of lemon, grapefruit, tart peach, salty slate minerality, white flowers and lemongrass. On the palate the wine is crisp, medium-full and very refined, with an excellent core, great soil signature, impeccable focus and balance and a long, nascently complex and classy finish. First class juice. 2024-2065. 93+.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2019 750ml $31.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2019 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese is very clear, pure and flinty on the intense, elegant, crunchy and slatey nose. Salty, piquant and lush on the palate, this is a crystalline, pure and salty Badstube that is juicier and rounder than the 2018. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “The 2019er Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese was made from fruit picked at 90° Oechsle and was fermented down to sweet levels of residual sugar (69 g/l). It offers a very delicate and nicely perfumed nose of white flowers, rose petal, vineyard peach, apple, laurel, and herbs. The wine proves delicately juicy and refined on the smooth and slightly juicy palate and leaves a delicate sense of lightness in the more fruity-styled than really sweet-tasting finish. This is a joyful and remarkably easy-drinking expression of Spätlese. 2027-2044.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!
 



Zorzal Vineyards and Winery
 
Zorzal was founded with the intention to put Gualtallary, in the Valle de Uco, Mendoza on the map. Since their founding in 2008, they’ve already developed a reputation for producing high quality terroir driven natural wines. Still up and coming, this winery is one to keep any eye on. 
    
The vineyard sits approximately 4,400 feet above sea level, with maximum sun exposure contributing unique properties to the wines. This elevation makes the 70 acre vineyard the highest in Gualtallary, providing the site with a long diurnal range. A mixture of sand, granite stone, and calcium carbonate materiel enrich the base of the terroir. These growing conditions allow Zorzal to produce Malbec, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Mencia and Semillón. At harvest time everything is handpicked. 

“Maximum respect for the terroir and minimal intervention in the winemaking are the two pillars of Zorzal Wines. Through our wines, we seek to convey to the world the essence, excellence and uniqueness of our terroir – Gualtallary, in the Uco Valley.” -Juan Pablo Michelini, Winemaker

Zorzal applies minimal intervention to their winemaking, using organic vinicultural methods and relying on indigenous yeast during fermentation. The winery itself is housed in a spectacular four level building, intentionally designed to allow gravity-flow winemaking, a practice which avoids the use of pumps, allowing the gentle extraction of color, flavor and tannin. This technique also reduces contact with oxidation, preserving concentrated flavors and aromas.

Zorzal’s EGGO releases are most notable. The carefully crafted single vineyard wines are all vinified in concrete eggs “These wines are a line where we want to express what is happening in the world today, where the trends are to enhance and preserve the purity of each variety, and at the same time to preserve the living expression of the terroir.”

We have exclusive access to many of Zorzal’s wines. See which wines we have in stock below, all of which are the only listings in the USA today!


EGGO range 

Zorzal Eggo Blanc de Cal, Tupungato 2019 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock now 
Wine Advocate 94 points “2019 was cooler than 2018, and the 2019 Eggo Blanc de Cal is even fresher and stonier than the 2018 I tasted last time. This wine is never about the grape variety, and it’s like liquid chalk, even more so in 2019. It matured in concrete eggs for 10 months. This is always produced from a limestone-rich plot in the Tupungato Winelands. Half of the wine fermented with the skins, but it doesn’t have any “orange” characteristics. It’s sharp and super tasty. Amazing value. 7,775 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!

Zorzal Eggo Franco Cabernet Franc, Tupungato 2017 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock now 
Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2017 Eggo Franco is pure Cabernet Franc cropped from seven-year-old vines on alluvial soils high in calcium carbonate. It fermented with 10% full clusters in concrete vats, where it matured with the full lees until bottling at the end of the year. It’s very varietal, herbal and spicy, with good structure and body, great balance and power, with fine-grained, chalky tannins. 6,000 bottles produced.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Zorzal Eggo Tinto de Tiza, Gualtallary 2017 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock now 
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 not about the varieties (it’s a blend to start with) but about the place, the soils, the local vegetation, the austerity and the wilderness. 33,000 bottles. It was bottled in January 2018.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Other releases

Vina Zorzal Corral de los Altos, Navarra 2018 750ml $24 special, 26 bottles in stock now 
Case- 6 Vina Zorzal Corral de los Altos, Navarra 2018 750ml $135 special (that’s only $22.5/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 92 points “All the guest winemakers that take part in the Lecciones de Vuelo joint venture with Viña Zorzal are offered to produce their interpretation of the paraje Corral de los Altos in Fitero. The 2018 Corral de los Altos is Zorzal’s own interpretation of a 45-year-old plot of 2.1 hectares of Garnacha planted on a north-facing stony part of the village. The grapes fermented in stainless steel with some 25% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in seven used (second and third use) 500-liter oak barrels. This has contained ripeness and a medium to full-bodied palate with the classical chalky tannins and texture from the limestone-rich soils and the length and tastiness they provide”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Vina Zorzal ‘Cuatro del Cuatro’, Navarra 2018 750ml $29 special, 17 bottles in stock now 
Case- 6 Vina Zorzal ‘Cuatro del Cuatro’, Navarra 2018 750ml $165 special (that’s only $27.5/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 94 points “The pure Graciano 2018 Cuatro del Cuatro was first produced in 2015 as an homage to the Sanz brothers’ father, who kept his Graciano vines when the majority ripped them up. They have seen that, with a soft vinification, the variety is not as rustic as most think and, in fact, can be quite elegant. 2018 was a tricky vintage for the variety, and the wine has moderate alcohol (13.3%), a very low pH (3.35) and notable acidity (six grams of tartaric acid per liter). It was produced with grapes grown in the village of Corella (especially from a vineyard planted in 1978), which has more Mediterranean influence that Fitero, the other village where they have the majority of their vineyards. This is a super serious Graciano, fresher than the majority of varietal bottlings out there, as they have lost the fear of harvesting it earlier, and it delivers a very spicy wine, with lots of black and even white peppercorns. I think this is very much in line with the 2016. It matured in used oak barrels of different sizes, and they did a barrel selection to produce 2,900 bottles of it.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Vina Zorzal Garnacha, Navarra 2020 750ml $14 special, 12 bottles in stock now 
Case- 12 Vina Zorzal Garnacha, Navarra 2020 750ml $149 special (that’s only $10.65/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 92 points “The incredibly young and juicy 2020 Garnacha was produced with grapes from different villages, Corella, Cintruénigo, Fitero and Lerga, hence a regional blend that for the first time contains grapes from the cooler Lerga that adds lower pH, more freshness and complexity to the blend. They do a soft extraction in stainless steel using 20% full clusters and indigenous yeasts, achieving a wine with moderate alcohol (13.47%) and good freshness (pH 3.47). I felt like the wine had gone one step up in complexity and depth from the previous vintage; it’s precise, harmonious, elegant and nuanced and keeps varietal purity. It’s medium-bodied and has very fine tannins with herbal freshness, reminiscent of acid berries and bay leaf. This is a steal! One to buy by the case… 137,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!



Tan Fruit 

Tan Fruit is an experimental Chardonnay project by Jim Maresh of Arterberry Maresh. Upon its initial release it received a 99 point vintage rating from Wine Advocate “The Chardonnay Tank Fruit comes from the same Oak Grove fruit as that vineyard designate, but was aged a bit longer, with 12 months in oak and another 12 months in stainless steel. It is pure, ultra perfumed, intense and layered, with alluring white peaches and lilac interwoven with cashews and honeycomb on the nose. The palate derives incredible energy from the push-pull of those deeper tones with salty, energetic acidity, and it finishes with extraordinary length.”

Here’s what we have in stock now

Tan Fruit Maresh Vineyard Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 2019 750ml $59 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97 points “The 2019 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard comes from Dijon clones planted in 1991, and it was matured in about 35% new oak. This vintage is pure and tensile, with scents of tarragon and fragrant herbs, beeswax and almonds, with plush white peach fruit. The palate combines intense ripe fruit with a spine of tangy, tense acidity, and it finishes with tremendous length. Allow it another 3-5 years in bottle.”

Tan Fruit Vojtilla Vineyard Chardonnay, Chehalem Mountains 2019 750ml $56.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97 points “Vojtilla is a small, four-acre vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains that sits at around 500 to 600 feet in elevation and, says Jim Maresh, is influenced by the nearby Willamette River. Harvested in October this vintage, the 2019 Chardonnay Vojtilla Vineyard comes from Dijon clone vines planted in 1991, and it was matured in about 25% new Damy barrels. It has a stunning perfume of quince paste and mushrooms, pastry and flowers, and the palate is satiny, plush and pure, with a seamless tangy streak and long, powerful finish.”

 
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New Arrivals 

Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2019 750ml $169 special, 6 bottles in stock
James Suckling 99 points “Incredibly spicy and aromatic with pumice and cloves. Pops out of the glass. Cedar, too. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins adding tension and creaminess. Long and beautiful. All about class and breeding. Try after 2025.”
Wine Advocate 97 points “Deep ruby, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard offers its cassis aromas slowly, continually unfolding to accents of lavender, cured meats, chargrill, coffee and loads of savory spices. Matured 12 months in 70% new French oak, the palate is surprisingly lifted and silky, soaring with youthful fruit and spices, focused acidity and a streak of graphite driving the long finish. 1,379 cases were made. Hélène Seillan notes that the oak is sourced from about 15 different forests in France, and its singular, spicy, integrated oak is part of what makes this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon so distinctive.”
 
Anakota Wines Helena Dakota Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2019 750ml $169 special, 6 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 99 points “The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard explodes with violets, aniseed and cast iron, with a deep core of crushed blueberries and black cherries, evolving continually with each approach to the glass. The palate is stunning with its intensity and lift, pure fruits, pixelated tannins and focused acidity that drives the very long finish. Its exceptional balance and super pure flavors, plus that characteristic streak of iron that appears across the Anakota portfolio, really take the 2019 Helena Dakota to the next level.”
James Suckling 97 points “The essence of cabernet sauvignon on the nose with cassis and fresh flowers. Full-bodied with orange peel, blackberry, cassis and hints of rose stems. Creamy and powdery tannins. Needs time to come together. Try after 2026, but already beautiful.”
 
Verite Le Desir, Sonoma County 2019 750ml $449 special, 3 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 100 points “The 2019 Le Désir is an exceptional blend of 83% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, offering complex, layered flavors, soaring aromatics and very detailed expression. Deep ruby-purple in color, its aromas unfold slowly and offer new nuances with each return to the glass: Morello cherries, warm chocolate, dried thyme, desiccated roses and dried herbs. The full-bodied palate offers concentrated, floral fruits, pixelated tannins, bursts of fresh acidity and a very long finish with layer after layer of detailed flavor. 2,500 cases were made.”
 
Verite La Muse, Sonoma County 2019 750ml $449 special, 3 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 99 points “The 2019 La Muse is a blend of 90% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc and 5% Malbec. Deep ruby-purple, it explodes with cassis, violets and aniseed, with wafts of thyme, tobacco and iron, offering new nuances with each return to the glass. The full-bodied palate is powerful and refined, with loads of rounded tannins, focused freshness and ethereal character. It’s exceptionally expressive and structured and should be very long lived in the cellar.”
 
Verite La Joie, Sonoma County 2019 750ml $449 special, 3 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 99 points “The 2019 La Joie is an elegant expression that offers power, freshness and expressive, floral character. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, it has a deep ruby color and opens slowly from black cherries and blueberries to accents of violets, ground coffee and licorice. The full-bodied palate has generous, grainy tannins, detailed, perfumed flavors and bright acidity, finishing with an alluring iron character. 2,500 cases were made.”




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Thank you from the team at Vinopolis!

Be well & drink well.