Category Archives: Rare and Classic Archive

Browse our articles on our curated selection of rare and classic wines from such regions as Burgundy, Barolo, Rioja, Napa Valley and beyond!

Monvigliero In Stock Now!

Burlotto Monvigliero 2018

October 21, 2022

2018 Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero bottlesG.B. Burlotto was considered among the absolute greatest winemakers in the world for the seventy plus years he was at the helm. After his passing in 1927, the winery and his hometown of Verduno slipped into obscurity. Now Fabio Alessandria, the great-great-grandson has taken over and Burlotto regained the place it deserves among the top echelon of small producers in the Piedmont. Tradition is first and foremost for Fabio, going so far as to use gentle crushing by foot followed by a sixty day maceration period, once common but now virtually unheard of in Barolo. The technique is used for the home vineyard of Monvigliero and the soft touch develops a wine of remarkable character with notes of cedar, olives in herbs, and something rich – like truffles – the feel is structurally powerful, but so elegant as to be shimmery. … Read the rest

New Salvioni La Cerbaiola Releases Arriving in April

Salvioni La Cerbaiola

ETA April! (Published 3-29-2022)

You’ve heard of iconic Brunello’s like Biondi Santi but Salvioni should also be on your radar as well. With less than 10 acres or 1/5th of their property planted to grapevines, pampered doesn’t begin to cover the winegrowing philosophy. Grown at over 1,200 feet above sea level, there is a near constant breeze that assists in maintaining acidity and reducing disease pressure. The confluence of breezes and high elevation ensure that freshness is maintained even in exactingly hot vintages like 2017. The resulting wines combine jammy ripeness with lifted acidity, almost Napa-esque. 

In order to maximize the power of their old vines, yields are highly reduced and spend more than the required time in vat and bottle.
… Read the rest

Tan Fruit – Arterberry Maresh

Tan Fruit: Explore Oregon Terroir with Jim Maresh of Arterberry Maresh 

Tan Fruit Wine BottlesYou know the Maresh family for their stunning examples of old-vine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In the spirit of experimentation Jim decided to launch a separate label, named Tan Fruit, in order to craft Oregon Chardonnay completely untethered. After blowing us away during a visit to the shop and sweeping Wine Advocate’s 2021 Oregon Chardonnay awards, there’s something special going on! Jim noted that his goal was “to explore outside of the Dundee Hills.” In future vintages, he will continue to explore, sourcing from a mixture of vineyards, new sources, and even new regions within Oregon.

He began Tan Fruit to “experiment and play around with techniques” for crafting Chardonnay, but the essentials for making Oregon Chard great in the winery will always be in his mind to pick early, age in a combination of steel and oak, and to ferment bone dry.
… Read the rest

Cordero di Montezemolo

Cordero di Montezemolo Enrico VI
December 14, 2021

An Unbeatable Deal!
Cordero di Montezemolo was founded in 1340.  We’ll let that sink in for a second. That’s a long time, by any measure, and when you have one family, in the same place, farming the same land, generation after generation, they are bound to become really good at it.  That’s very true here.  The Montezemolo wines have always been really wonderful, classic examples of Piedmontese wines in their respective categories.  With reviews off the charts for the 2017, now’s the time to stock up, especially since our pricing beats the competition out of the park!

Arriving in Friday, December 17th:

Cordero di Montezemolo Enrico VI, Barolo DOCG 2017 750ML ($119.95) $89 pre-arrival special
Case-6 Cordero di Montezemolo Enrico VI, Barolo DOCG 2017 750ML ($579.95) $512 pre-arrival special (that’s only $85.33/bottle!)
… Read the rest

Cantina del Pino – 2017s Arriving Friday!

Cantina del Pino

December 13, 2021

Though Cantina del Pino has only been producing since 1997, the Vacca family and their estate vineyard have been a part of Italian winemaking for over 100 years. Domizio Cavazzo established the vineyard in 1894, becoming one of the first winemakers to produce Nebbiolo under the name Barbaresco. Keep in mind this was 72 years before the creation of the official appellation in 1966. An advocate for Langhe farmers, Cavazzo’s vineyard was well known, recognizable by the large Mediterranean pine tree he planted on the day his first son was born. In 1912, the Vacca family took over the estate and have worked the land for four generations, becoming known for world class wines from the historic vineyard.
… Read the rest