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Paolo Scavino Sale
Grape of the Week: Albariño


 
The Affordable Elite
 
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Paolo Scavino
 

Barolo is awash in famous names and infamously high pricing. Fortunately, several estates can still be found that offer the unusual combination of high quality and affordable pricing. One such estate is Paolo Scavino.
 
Enrico Scavino led the estate for over 70 years until his passing last year. He experimented with different techniques to find the best production methods while never compromising on fruit quality or the cleanliness of the winery. Today, his daughters, Elisa and Enrica, oversee the winery, ensuring its continued legacy of quality. They vinify each parcel separately and age the Barolos in large casks. Any grapes or wine that don’t meet their high standards are sold off in bulk, which can be up to 30% of their production in a given vintage.

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Künstler Sale
Collector’s Corner: Morlet


 
Impeccable Riesling
 
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Weingut Künstler
 

While the Mosel Valley captures the majority of press about German wine, the Rheingau was once the face of the entire country’s production with prestige dating back to the Roman era. The topographic isolation provided by confluence of the Taunus Mountains and Rhein River creates an oasis for growing Riesling. In contrast to other growing regions that feature a high percentage of slate, the Rheingau is characterized by high proportions of sandstone and quartzite. 

Gunter Künstler, owner and winemaker of Weingut Künstler since taking over from his father in 1992, makes fabulous Rheingau Riesling. He is based in Hochheim, where the river Main branches off of the Rhein River.

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Déhu Champagne Sale
Close-Out Featurette: Biondi-Santi


 
Terroir-Driven Champagne
 
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Benoît Déhu
 

“Readers who have not tasted these incredibly distinctive Champagnes owe it to themselves to do so.” -Antonio Galloni, Vinous
 
The eighth generation Champagne winemaker in his family, Benoît Déhu cut his teeth at Bollinger before striking out on his own in 2010. Working with his family holdings in the Marne and barrels made from the forest bordering the property, Déhu meticulously crafts some of the finest grower Champagnes available.
 
Déhu has been blessed with the characteristic terroir of the Marne that contributes to his wine’s incredible aromatics and structure, namely the green clay overlaying pure limestone chalk. To best capture the terroir essence of his vineyards, he eschews new oak for aging, dosage for sweetness and flavoring, and intervention in general.

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Molitor Gold Capsule Sale
Nerd Alert Featurette: Coteaux Champenois


 
When Gold Does Not Glitter
 
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Molitor’s Fully-Sweet Gold Capsule Wines
 

With broad holdings across of some of finest vineyards in the Mosel, Markus Molitor crafts dozens of highly lauded Rieslings each vintage. He believes that every single sub-parcel and selective pick should be vinified to its utmost potential. The result is a deeply rewarding if sprawling portfolio.
 
The top tier of sweetness is his gold capsule wines, which he describes as “fruity.” These bottles hold the classic sweetness levels for the respective pradikat levels, so a Kabinett Gold Capsule will show more restraint, a Spätlesen will offer richness and versatility, while Auslesen offer bold, dessert-level sweetness.