Category Archives: Special Features

Wine of the Day: Domaine Léon Barral Faugeres 2012 4-8-16

Domaine Leon Barral Faugeres 2012 750ML ($37.95) Buy Now: $31.90 special

“I remember my first Faugeres wine like my first Jimi Hendrix record: I don’t recall where, or which it was, even, but I remember perfectly the feeling that this was unique, special, worthwhile… So many of the producers in Kermit Lynch’s portfolio have achieved that same effect, at once jarring and welcome. The Faugeres from Barral – like Hendrix – so wonderfully walks that line between edgy and suave, punk and soulful.

“Didier Barral is a postcard producer for Lynch, someone to check in on from time to time to get a feel for that vintage and region, even if he’s riffing differently than the other guys. Farming biodynamically, he relies on a miniature ecosystem in order to work his vines.… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Teofilo Reyes Ribera del Duero 2011 4-7-16

Teofilo Reyes, Ribera del Duero 2011 ($29.95) Buy Now: $24 special
Case-12 Teofilo Reyes, Ribera del Duero 2011 ($319.95) Buy Now: $259 special
Bodegas Reyes was founded by Juan Jose and Luis in 1994, under the supervision of his father, Teofilo Reyes, who hoped to bring some continuity from his 50 years of experience.% 100 Tempranillo. The wine is hand harvested and aged in French and American oak for 16 months. On the palate, wonderfully dense, layered dark fruit gives way to supple tannins and a nice, long finish. Notes of spice, oak, and anise compliment this well produced wine. Great value at $24 per bottle, or our case-12 special for $21.58 each! -Troy… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Domaine Cheveau Macon Davaye ‘Les Belouzes’ 2014 4-6-16

Domaine Cheveau Macon Davaye Les Belouzes, Burgundy 2014 750 ($24.95) Buy Now: $21.90 special
Case-12 Domaine Cheveau Macon Davaye Les Belouzes, Burgundy 2014 750ML ($279.95) Buy Now: $219 special (that’s only $19.92/bottle!)
Domaine Cheveau deliver, principally, two crucial things: value and terroir. Their cuvees succinctly and playfully get at the heart of what each vineyard is trying to say. With “Les Belouzes”, it’s a triangulation of honeysuckle, toast, and lemon which lingers on the palate without overstaying its welcome. This is the kind of bottle to convert Chardonnay-sayers over to the good side. Fantastic wine. – Tyler… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Michel Lafarge Bourgogne Rouge 2005 4-5-16

Domaine Michel Lafarge Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Burgundy 2005 750ML ($59.95) Buy Now: $49 special

New releases of old wines feel like a secret you’ve been let in on. I’m not talking about hundred-plus dollar wines buried under a decade of patience – though those can certainly be a treat! – but rather those bottles you walk past in a shop and take a second, third, and fourth glance at. The price seems right but the vintage evokes memories of former selves: poor fashion choices, friends we’ve lost touch with, long-forgotten celebrity scandals and political strife…

The 2005 Bourgogne-level Pinot from Lafarge is nothing short of a postcard from Volnay. Dark fruits mingle with sizzling acidity, a touch of meatiness, and a hint of black tea; there’s a paradoxical blend of freshness with maturity here which is intriguing without being distracting.… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: San Fereolo ‘Dolcetto di Dogliani’ Superiore ’01/’05/’07 4-4-16

San Fereolo Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore DOCG, Piedmont 2001 750ML ($59.95) Buy Now: $49 special
San Fereolo Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore DOCG, Piedmont 2005 750ML ($39.95) Buy Now: $33 special
San Fereolo Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore DOCG, Piedmont 2007 750ML ($34.95) Buy Now: $28 special

How often can you witness the stages of a wine’s development in this manner? The ’01 was such a treat a few weeks ago, and the others sing in such nice harmony with it. This stuff is Dolcetto like you’ve never seen it. Piedmont which you’d never expected. Try them – I dare you! We don’t have much left, so I wanted to make sure it got into the right hands. – Tyler

Importer note: “The most important wine of the estate.… Read the rest