In This Newsletter:

Vosne-Romanée
Trending Oregon Wines
Grape of the Week: Verdicchio
German Vintage Guide: 2016’s Charm & Longevity


 
Vosne-Romanée
 

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Languedoc-Roussillon Sale
Nerd Alert Featurette: Filipa Pato & William Wouter



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Languedoc-Roussillon
 

The south of France is home to the Languedoc-Roussillon: a collection of unique sub-regions with distinctive and delicious wines. Generally speaking, the climate is warm with the Mediterranean providing the most significant influence to its weather.
 
This is the home of some of France’s best values in wine and some of the more modern-influenced styles. Subregions have stricter controls on grape types and styles, but many winemakers bottle under the various IGP designations. (IGP tells you where the wine in from but has looser restrictions for winemakers, which allows them to use alternative grape varieties and winemaking techniques.) It’s also where winemakers from more established regions go to stretch their wings, as seen by Chapoutier and Rene Rostaing.

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Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot Sale
Close-Out Featurette: Rocca di Montegrossi



Explore the Ancient Magics of Jura
 
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Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot
 

The Jura wine region in eastern France is easy to overlook. Home to unusual wines, unusual labels, and unusual characters (we’re looking at you, Ganevat), it doesn’t scream “user friendly.” But to leave the region entirely to the wine nerds is a serious disservice to the wonderous and elegant experiences captured within these oddly-shaped bottles.
 
At the crossroads of authentic terroir expression and uncommon though not impenetrable deliciousness are the wines of Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot. Are the wines unusual? Yes, but not in the love it or hate it sense. Unlike most Jura producers, the Tissots shy away from the more typical oxidative styles that at best add sherry-like notes of bruised apples and toasted walnuts (described unhelpfully by the esoteric wine term “rancio”).

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Arterberry Maresh and Tan Fruit Sale
Collector’s Corner: California Treasures


 
The Dualist Charm of Jim Maresh
 
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Arterberry Maresh and Tan Fruit
 

We love Oregon wines and we love the wines of Jim Maresh. You could say he knows a thing or two about wine.
 
As the third-generation in his family to make wine, Jim crafts Grand Cru-level Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the winery’s prized position in the Dundee Hills. His releases are praised by critics praise as “are some of the most impressive wines I’ve tried anywhere—not just in the US”, per Erin Brooks of the Wine Advocate.
 
The winery in question? Arterberry Maresh.
 
These are benchmark wines for the region that somehow capture Jim’s easy-going yet seriously-nerdy-under-the-skin personality.

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Vietti Sale
Rosé of the Day: Pink Pinot


 
Viva Vietti!
 
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Vietti Barolo & Barbaresco
 

Vietti is one of the benchmark producers in Barolo—a name that stands alongside Conterno, Mascarello, and Gaja in the short-list for the greatest in the region. Their style can be described as neo-classical. The wines aren’t ultra-traditional, but they do combine what the former owners and winemakers, Luca Currado and Elena Penna, value most about traditional wines of the Piedmont with modern cellar practices. The result is a set of wines that show tons of Nebbiolo character and distinct terroir signatures, but with a certain elegance that’s all Vietti.
 
The Barolos are the “Grand Cru” of the region and the crowning jewels of the estate.