Sunday Night Newsletter 6-5-2022

Rosé

California

Arnot-Roberts Montecillo Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley 2019 750ML ($149.95) $125 special, 6 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 98 points “The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Montecillo Vineyard is a headspinning wine. Rich, dense and explosive, the 2019 captures all the pedigree of this great site. Readers will find a towering, statuesque Cabernet of the highest level. Graphite, leather, dried herbs, menthol and licorice play off a core of intense, dark fruit. Potent, muscular tannins need time to soften, but, wow, what a wine. Best of all, the Montecillo is one of the most insane values readers will find in elite California Cabernet Sauvignon. I would be thrilled to own it.”


France – Champagne

One of the greatest growers in Champagne, the Reserve NV is a reference-point for blanc de blancs.
Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut NV 750ML ($79.95) $69 special, 24 bottles in stock now
Decanter 93 points “Made up, half and half, of base wine from the sunny 2018 harvest, and reserve wine from Rodolphe’s Perpetual Reserve which goes back to 1988, this is one of the most consistently excellent NV wines on the market. Its current iteration is especially impressive, floral, chalky, upstanding, and very complex; the palate sharing notes of dried apricot, plum and lemon pith with more developed intimations of sour honey and patisserie. An exemplary wine with real purity and precision on the finish. Drinking Window 2021 – 2024.”
2018-base. Disgorged October 2021.

Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2014 750ML ($379.95) $349 special, 6 bottles in stock now
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.”
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2014 Cristal is a terrific effort that transcends the vintage. Bursting from the glass with expressive aromas of ripe citrus fruit, nectarine, white flowers, freshly baked bread and subtle hints of honeycomb, it’s medium to full-bodied, vinous and fleshy, with an exuberant core of fruit that’s girdled by racy acids, resulting in a wine that’s simultaneously chiseled and demonstrative, meaning that early appeal doesn’t come at the expense of the requisite tension for long-term cellaring. Concluding with a long, aromatic and intensely chalky finish, it is a brilliant Champagne that will offer a broad drinking window. This bottle was disgorged in June 2021 with seven grams per liter dosage.”
Simon Field MW-Decanter 95 points “The rollercoaster growing season of 2014 is reflected to perfection by the innate tension here; ripe citric fruit and even a touch of exoticism (mango and fig) tempered by a fine shard of acidity and a lifted ethereal character, described paradoxically by chef de caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon as ‘weightless density’. Purity, energy and power make for very happy bedfellows, courtesy the chalky terroir and its organic husbandry. The texture is silky, the bubbles joyfully integrated and the finish resourceful and precise, its salinity deferential to the deep-digging roots. Disgorged: June 2021. Dosage: 7g/L. Drinking Window 2022 – 2030.”


France – Burgundy

Domaine Pierre Morey Monthelie Rouge 2019 750ML ($59.95) $49 special, 12 bottles in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 90 points “Offering up aromas of sweet berries, cassis and forest floor, the 2019 Monthélie is medium to full-bodied, bright and velvety, its generous core of fruit underpinned by lively acids and framed by beautifully refined tannins. It’s another lovely rendition of this under-the-radar cuvée.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Domaine Pierre Morey Bourgogne Chardonnay 2019 750ML ($49.95) $41.90 special, 6 bottles in stock now
“Notes of pear, white flowers and citrus zest introduce the 2019 Bourgogne Blanc, a medium to full-bodied, bright and precise wine with a fleshy core of fruit and chalky back-end grip.” -William Kelley, Wine Advocate

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Domaine Pierre Morey Les Perrières, Meursault Premier Cru 2019 750ML ($299.95) $259 special, 7 bottles in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 94-96 points “The 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières is brilliant, unwinding with scents of citrus oil, crisp Anjou pear, green apple, white flowers, crushed chalk and toasted wood. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and incisive, it’s electric and tightly wound, with terrific concentration, appreciable structuring dry extract and a long, mineral finish. As I’ve written before, Pierre Morey farmed this 0.55-hectare parcel before acquiring it at the end of the 1980s, and the composition of the soils suggests that this was the location where rejected stones from the quarry that lends the climat its name were discarded.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Domaine Pierre Morey Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2019 750ML ($599.95) $549 special, 1 bottle in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 94-96+ points “From a parcel in the celebrated Clos Poirier, which touches le Montrachet, Morey’s 2019 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru mingles notes of orange oil and pear with hints of blanched almonds, dried white flowers, beeswax and struck match. Full-bodied, satiny and layered, it’s rich and concentrated, with a deep, textural core, lively acids and a bright, saline finish. As usual, readers should note that this wine is identical to the Bâtard-Montrachet released under the Morey-Blanc label.”

Italy

Boira Pinot Grigio Veneto IGT 2020 750ML ($19.95) $17 special, 12 bottles in stock now
Importer note “Boirà is a certified organic winemaking project between the Italian producer Cantine Volpi and Bottle Green. Bottle Green is the largest importer and agent for organic wines in the United Kingdom. This project is a return to the past when the use of chemicals and fertilizers did not exist and when producers had more respect for nature and natural processes. 2011 was the first vintage produced. Each vineyard has been researched and chosen because of its ideal conditions for growing organically cultivated grapes. The juice is then brought to the Cantine Volpi in Piedmont where Carlo Volpi oversees vinification and bottling in his state of the art cellars.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana IGT 2019 750ML ($119.95) $95 special, 11 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 97 points “Very attractive combination of dried fruit and spices with black cherries and plums. Aromas of flowers and sandalwood, too. Full-bodied and very refined, yet intense, with plush, velvety tannins that are wonderfully integrated and intertwined with the fruit. Ripe center palate. Tight at the end, suggesting the need for some serious bottle age. Very structured. Try after 2025.”
Decanter 96 points “The 20th anniversary bottling of Testamatta made, from the 2019 vintage, in brand new winemaking facilities in Florence. This just shines from the moment it’s poured. Layered and complex this is a gem of a wine filled with cherry, raspberry, damson and caramel notes alongside a savoury edge that makes it so moreish. Tannins that support but don’t overwhelm give a nice overall weight to the palate while the flavous linger on the long finish. Made from old vines on stony soils on the Tuscan hilltops. Grapes are selected and sourced from the best five vineyards, which are divided into parcels and harvested up to eight times. Fermentation is in open-top barriques for the smaller parcels and in barrels or stainless steel for the larger ones without any temperature controls. Maceration for 7-10 days then moved into old barriques for 20 months. Drinking Window 2024 – 2045.”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 94 points “A pure expression of Sangiovese, the Bibi Graetz 2019 Testamatta is a wine in constant evolution. Bibi has added 17 more hectares of vineyard to the program, with 12 hectares in Fiesole (north of Florence) and 5 hectares in San Donato in Colle (south of Florence) with 70-year-old vines. The base of the wine sees fruit from old vines planted in the 1950s in the cool-climate Lamole subzone of Chianti Classico. These new terroirs bring a lot more aromatic nuance and complexity to the wine with perfumed blue flower, candied orange peel, wet earth and plumy black fruit. White Alberese soils add a strong chalky mineral signature to the finish of this elegantly streamlined and linear Tuscan red.”


Germany

Wein-Erbhof Stein Secco Sparkling Rosé, Mosel 2021 750ML ($29.95) $26 special, 12 bottles in stock now
Vom Boden importer note “Steep slate soils; second fermentation in tank; Pinot Noir with approximately 20% Cabernet and Merlot, élevage all stainless.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Müller-Ruprecht Blanc de Noir Trocken Rosé, Pfalz 2021 750ML ($21.95) $19.90 special, 11 bottles in stock now
Vom Boden importer note “This is an estate KP Keller introduced us to in 2020 and we took a small flyer on the rosé last year, based solely on the extreme cut of the basic Riesling and, well, we were blown away. This is from the limestone Pfalz, where Pinot Noir does quite well. We’ve secured a bit more of this for 2021 and we expect fireworks. If you haven’t heard of Frühburgunder it is an early ripening, delicate and elegant cousin to Pinot Noir. A very soft crushing to not get too much color, with as little skin contact as possible to make it ultra light. Very aromatic, soaring red fruit, lots of citrus, a salty minerality.”
(Still rosé)

Julian Haart “1,000L” Riesling, Mosel 2021 750ML ($27.95) $24 special, 24 bottles in stock now
Named for the 1,000L fuder the wine is aged in, this is from 25+-year-old vines grown in the Grand Cru Goldtröpfchen.


Austria

Weingut Weninger ‘Ponzichter’, Burgenland 2019 750ML ($24.95) $19 special, 12 bottles in stock now
Importer note “Ponzichter is the colloquial word for the German grape growing minority in Sopron – it means ‘bean grower’ since they’d often farm vegetables between the rows. The grapes (Pinot Noir and Zweigelt) are grown on Loam and Gneiss in both Austria and Hungary. The grapes were fermented in open-top vat, partly crushed and partly as whole berries. After 18 months in 40-year-old cask, the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with only 10ppm of sulphur. 12% ABV”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Spain

Restocked!
R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Cubillo Crianza, Rioja DOCa 2012 750ML ($39.95) $28 special, 16 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “Wonderful aromas of mushrooms, bark, cigar tobacco and plums with just a hint of citrus. Full-bodied with incredible softness and complexity. Subtle chocolate, fruit and walnut in the aftertaste. Goes on for minutes. Fantastic wine. Classic, textbook Rioja. A joy. Incredible value! Drink or hold.”
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 93 points “I was quite impressed by the 2012 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza, a classical Rioja that is nicely crafted, with less aging in barrel than the rest of reds and therefore with more fruit character and less López de Heredia signature. This was born as a red for tapas, a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo with 13.5% alcohol. It matured in well-seasoned American oak barrels for three years. It has ripe fruit (black rather than red) without excess and a pinch of spices and a twist of oak. 94,500 bottles produced. There are seven lots of this. I tasted a bottled that was filled in May 2018.”
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 92 points “Glistening ruby. Spice-accented aromas of red berries, cherry cola and candied rose, plus a smoky nuance in the background. Supple and energetic in style, with a core of zesty acidity adding lift and cut to bitter cherry and red currant flavors that take a sweeter turn through the midpalate. Finishes long and smooth, delivering gentle tannic grip, a snap of peppery spices and repeating florality.”

Winery-cellared release!
R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva, Rioja DOCa 2001 750ML ($219.95) $199 special, 1 bottle in stock now
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 98 points “The 2001 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva is the follow-up of the 1995. There is a sense of harmony and elegance, of nuance and subtleness that wasn’t quite the same in the Bosconia, as comparing both wines is inevitable. They started picking the red grapes the 15th of October, and the last grapes were picked the 29th of October with good weather. The grapes ripened properly and thoroughly, and the wine has great balance for a long aging in bottle. This is 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in their 153-year-old oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in used barrels for 10 years. It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 6.4 grams of acidity (tartaric). The nose shows young (tasting it blind, you’d guess a 10-year old wine, not a 20-year-old wine!). It has a nose of sweet spices, underbrush and cigar ash, somewhat balsamic, bramble fruit with perfect ripeness, integrated and young but starting to show some tertiary complexity. The palate is velvety and medium-bodied, with fine-grained, chalky tannins denoting a limestone soil that brings finesse and texture and a sapid, tasty, almost salty finish. This is going to make a beautiful bottle of old Rioja in 30 years’ time! 25,000 bottles produced. It was bottled after being fined with egg whites in July 2012.”
James Suckling 97 points “Wow. This is really something on the nose, offering ripe plums that are highlighted with old and used leather, walnut and cedar, reminiscent of the interior of a fine vintage sports car. Full-bodied with very fine tannins and delicious, ripe fruit that continues on for minutes. Tile and dark berry at the end. Still tight and fresh for the vintage. A great wine. Drink or hold.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia Reserva, Rioja DOCa 2010 1.5L ($149.95) $119 special, 1 magnum in stock now
VinopolNote: One of the world’s elite wine estates, this is an historical estate that is held in the highest esteem among insiders. The most shocking secret about the winery? For all the extraordinary grace, complexity and age-worthiness of the wines these are simply the best value in wine money can buy.


South Africa

Hamilton Russell Ashbourne Pinotage, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley 2016 750ML ($79.95) $66 special, 5 bottles in stock now
Decanter 93 points “For those who are sceptical of the ability of Pinotage to make fine wine, this is an eye-opener. From a 1.3ha single-vineyard, planted in 1996, this is an ultra-classy wine. There’s a hint of smoke on the nose and the palate is full of juicy, ripe, dark-berry fruit with fine acidity and a graphite driven dryness to finish. A hint of oak is evident, imparting extra layers of fine tannins and density to the palate. Drinking Window 2020 – 2025.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!