Vinopolis Monday Newsletter 2/27/23

 In This Newsletter:

 

 

Dolin Vermouth de Chambery Blanc, Savoie 750ml $16 special, 22 bottles in stock 
VinopolNote: Dolin is a respected producer of AOC French-style vermouths from Chambery, France in the Alps.  The recipes that are still followed today were developed in 1821.  It was granted AOC in 1932.  Expect these to be subtle in aromas and sweetness and enjoyable as aperitifs over ice.  They produce three styles: dry, blanc and rouge.  The dry has less than 30 g/L sugar, and the others are 130 g/L.  The neutral base wines are left to macerate with local herbs and plants for several months before being sweetened and fortified.  The rouge is colored with certain plants and caramel.  Try these with traditional French appetizers such as pates, charcuterie or escargot.

Lisini Ugolaia, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2016 750ml $99 special, 24 bottles in stock
Wine Spectator 96 points “Shows saturated flavors of black currant, blackberry, cherry, earth and a hint of dark chocolate embedded in the dense structure. Juicy and balanced in a sleek way, with the fruit persisting through the lingering aftertaste. Best from 2024 through 2042. 650 cases made, 100 cases imported.’

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Piaggia – Vannucci Poggio de Colli Toscana IGT, Tuscany 2020 750ml $66 special, 21 bottles in stock 
Vinous 97 points “The darkly alluring 2020 Cabernet Franc Poggio de’ Colli takes its time in the glass, slowly awakening with a dusty mix of red currants, pepper-tinged rose, exotic curries and the slights tough of animal musk that adds gravitas. This is velvety smooth yet finessed. It’s cool-toned in feel with a potent wave of tart raspberry fruits that saturates the palate with savory spice and mineral tones. It leaves a coating of fine tannins and a staining of berry concentration through the finale, tapering off sapid and long, yet perfectly balanced. What a radiant vintage for the Poggio de’ Colli, Piaggia’s varietal Cabernet Franc. Revisit it in five years to see some real sparks fly. “

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Hanna Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2020 750ml $39 special, 36 bottles in stock 
Wine Enthusiast 93 points “Black pepper and black olive nuances blend with black cherries and dark choc- olate in this medium- to full-bodied wine that includes 24% Malbec. An elegant feel, silky texture and nicely restrained flavors give the wine a charm all its own. Best through 2030.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

This next deal is not to be missed! We just got in an allocation of Château Grimont’s Rosa Bonheur “art label” edition. This wine is a classy and characterful Bordeaux at an unbeatable price point, secure your bottles of our allocation! 

Chateau Grimont Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux 2020 750ml $14 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Decanter Magazine 90 points “Scented bramble on the nose. Smooth, supple, and energetic….Bright strawberries, red cherries, and raspberries supported by chalky tannins. Soft flecks of spicy licorice linger in the mouth giving the wine Fram and body. Bold, full style, with great drive and persistence, that needs time but feels well worked. Classy and characterful. In organic conversion.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Arriving this Friday March 3rd

Espectacle del Montsant, Montsant 2018 750ml $119 special, 32 bottles in stock
Wine Spectator 98 points “As with other wines, I also tasted the 2018 Espectacle del Montsant next to the 2017 to catch up, as I last tasted the region some 16 months ago. 2018 was a cooler year of slow ripeness, and the grapes achieved an amazing 16% alcohol. The wine is truly spectacular, true to its name. It has tons of violet notes and aromatic herbs, the palate is gentler, and the tannins are rounder, polished and elegant. It has full body but isn’t heavy. There is a lot of complexity, and the wine developed slowly in the glass, showing nuances of cereals, kirsch, orange peel and lots of spices and herbs. It’s opulent and full, deep and complex. Amazing in its style. Some 6,500 bottles produced.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

 

We have the best rosé selection around! Why wait for spring? 

Our huge February long rosé sale is ending tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28th at 6pm. 
     
5% off 6-11 bottles and/or large format rosés. 

10% off 12 or more bottles and/or large formats of rosés. 

Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.
Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or to case discounts. 
This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.

Buying a case-6 unlocks an additional 5% discount on 1-5 additional bottles of rosé purchased. Buying a case-12 unlocks an additional 10% discount on all additional bottles of rosé purchased. 

This sale applies to ALL rosé wines. That’s over 85 wines and thousands of bottles discounted! Here are a few recommendations to get you started.

Proprieta Sperino ‘Rosa del Rosa’ Rosato Coste della Sesia, Piedmont 2021 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Vinous 93 points “Good luck pulling away from the 2021 Rosa del Rosa, with its sweetly scented bouquet that mixes notes of dusty rose and ripe strawberries with enriching hints of butter cream and vanilla bean. This sets off all of the pleasure indicators with soft textures complemented by sweet red fruits, then contrasted by sour citrus and, finally, a bump of juicy acidity that keeps the energy high. There’s plenty of length to keep the palate reeling with mouthwatering pleasure, as the Rosa del Rosa, a varietal Nebbiolo Rosato, tapers off wickedly fresh and long. This is, yet again, one of the top Italian Rosès of the vintage.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Chateau Routas Coteaux Varois en Provence Rose 2021 750ml $14.50 special, 34 bottles in stock 
James Suckling 91 points “Pale rose-tinted rosé with aromas of buttercups, white strawberries, pink grapefruit and wet stones. Light-bodied with fresh acidity and a creamy, delicate palate. Elegant. Drink now.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Bodegas Bleda Castillo de Jumilla Rosado, Jumilla 2020 750ml $10.90 special, 25 bottles in stock 
Winery note “From a harvest in early September, this Monastrell rosé displays an intense array of strawberry and rose notes, woven between a harmony of crisp, blood-orange acidity and a giving, mineral texture. Fresh, tasty and well balanced. Good acidic structure. Excellent with seafood and all types of fish and light meats.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Ameztoi Rubentis Rosado, Getariako Txakolina 2021 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Vinous 91 points “Pale orange. Finely etched red berry, citrus zest and floral aromas, along with building herb and mineral flourishes. Taut and nervy in the mouth, offering sappy strawberry, cherry and tangerine flavors that show fine delineation and spicy lift. Closes firm and right, with persistent red fruit notes and a refreshingly bitter edge.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Pierre-Marie Chermette Domaine du Vissoux Les Griottes Rose, Beaujolais 2021 750ml $16.60 special, 36 bottles in stock 
Vinous 90 points “Translucent orange-pink. Lively and sharply focused on the nose, presenting ripe red berry and floral scents and a hint of botanical herbs. Smooth and broad on the palate, offering bitter cherry, red currant and candied rose flavors that firm up and become spicier with air. Closes long and silky, with resonating floral and spice notes and strong cling.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

This limited time sale applies to ALL Palacio and Palacios wines. That’s hundreds of bottles that can discounted! 

Purchase 6-11 bottles of any combination of Palacio or Palacios to receive 5% off 
Purchase 12 or more bottles of any combination of Palacio or Palacios to receive 10% off 

Sale ends Friday March 3rd at 10am 

Discount will not display online, we will adjust your invoice before charging your card.
Discount does not apply to pre-arrival wines or to case discounts. 
This is first come / first served and limited to stock on hand.

Here’s what we have in stock now.

Palacio

Alvear Palacio Quemado La Raya Vino de la Tierra de Extremadura 2018 750ml $27 special, 19 bottles in stock 
Vinous 94 points “Dark garnet. Intensely perfumed, mineral-driven red and blue fruit, potpourri and incense scents show excellent clarity and spicy lift. Palate-staining raspberry, boysenberry, spicecake and floral pastille flavors deepen steadily through the back half. Manages to come off powerful as well as lithe and shows no rough edges. Finishes smooth and extremely long, featuring sneaky tannins and lingering red fruit, mineral and floral notes.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Alvear Palacio Quemado Los Acilates Vino de la Tierra de Extremadura 2016 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Vinous 93 points “Deep, shimmering ruby. A pungent, mineral-accented bouquet evokes fresh cherry, boysenberry and exotic spices, along with a suave floral overtone. Sappy and expansive on the palate, offering appealingly sweet red and blue fruit and floral pastille flavors and a suggestion of baking spices. The impressively long, sweet, floral-tinged finish is shaped by fine-grained tannins that fold smoothly into the wine’s vibrant fruit.”
Wine Advocate 92 points “The elegant, floral and perfumed 2016 Los Acilates reflected a cooler year with a longer growing season, which resulted in higher yields that achieved perfect ripeness. The aromas and flavors are precise and pure, and there is a sense of harmony that I like very much. The spectrum of aromas is about red fruit and flowers with just a pinch of spices. The palate is very elegant, with fine-grained tannins and a dry, chalky texture that I often associate with limestone soils. Delicious! 7,000 bottles produced.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Alvear Palacio Quemado La Zarcita Vino de la Tierra de Extremadura 2018 750ml $18 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Vinous 91 points “Opaque magenta. Red and blue fruit, floral and spice qualities on the expressive nose. Supple and appealingly sweet, offering spice-accented raspberry and boysenberry flavors and a musky hint of licorice. Finishes long and juicy, with repeating florality and gentle tannins adding final grip.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Palacios

Descendientes de J. Palacios Moncerbal, Bierzo 2020 750ml $149 special, 6 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 97 points “I find the 2020 Moncerbal a little more closed than the other 2020s, darker and serious. It’s still moderately ripe, with 13.8% alcohol, sweet tannins and a soft texture. Today, it shows a little austere and very calm?????it whispers. It’s quite discreet. It was bottled in October 2021, during the 2021 harvest. This is already certified organic from 2020 onward. Approachable already. 5,000 bottles were filled in October 2021. These wines were usually bottled in January/February of the following year, so in 2020 they had a shorter ??levage in barrel. The wines were ready earlier. Drink Date 2022-2030”

Descendientes de J. Palacios ‘Petalos’, Bierzo 2020 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 93 points “The regional red 2020 Pétalos comes from 90 hectares of vineyards, mainly from Corullón and Villafranca del Bierzo and the districts of Viariz, Hornija, Valtuille de Abajo and Otero. It mixes expositions, altitudes and soils and wants to paint a picture of Bierzo in the warm 2020 vintage. They reckon it’s 92% Mencía with 5% other red grapes (Alicante Bouschet, Gran Negro, Pan y Carne and Negreda) and 3% whites (Valenciana, Jerez and Godello) with an average yield of 26 hectoliters per hectare. The grapes were picked from August 28th to September 24th and fermented partly destemmed in stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts for 43 days with a slow malolactic fermentation that lasted two months. The wine matured in barrel for around eight months (malolactic was fast, and the wines were put in barrel early) and was bottled unclarified, unfiltered and non-stabilized with cold. It has good ripeness with 14% alcohol (their upper limit) and moderate acidity at 4.6 grams (of tartaric acid). It’s a little more fruit-driven, a vintage of sun, jovial and juicy, approachable and round with very fine, slightly powdery tannins. The fruit is darker than in the 2019. This is still young, and, as it happens with even the most approachable wines from the region, it should be even better in a couple of years. I tasted it again in mid-December, and the wine is showing better and better; time in bottle has done it some good, and the wine has settled and is getting more balanced. I don’t feel the sun now; it’s harmonious and more serious, juicy and tasty. A little better than anticipated.”

Descendientes de J. Palacios Villa de Corullon, Bierzo 2020 750ml $46 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97 points “I was blown away by the 2020 wines in barrel in June 2021 and found the 2020 Villa de Corullón very ready, open, expressive, floral and ethereal. It destroyed the idea I had of a warm and ripe 2020. Ricardo Pérez Palacios told me he was thinking of bottling the 2020s earlier, as they didn’t need a long élevage, just nine or 10 months in barrel. The wine is pale, the palest Corullón ever, with 13.7% alcohol—perhaps the vines got blocked and didn’t develop more color compounds or sugar. The wine makes me think of a red from Jura; it has a different profile and is more delicate, ethereal and full of light and energy. Pérez, who hates comparisons with other regions, couldn’t stop saying that it felt like a Morey Saint Denis! It’s all flowers and red fruit, with a lot of super fine tannins (the 2019 tannins are rougher) that are round and give it a velvety texture with no rusticity—elegant and balanced. There is a nice balance between tannin and acidity, something this has in common with the 2019, which makes the vintages quite unusual, because being warm, the wines show balance. Today, it feels more like Moncerbal than the Moncerbal bottling; nevertheless, Corullón is around 40% from Moncerbal. … It has to be my favorite Corullón to date. 22,183 bottles and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in October 2021.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Descendientes de J. Palacios Las Lamas, Bierzo 2019 750ml $149 special, 5 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97 points “The grapes used for the 2019 Las Lamas come from a selection of 1.75 hectares they own in the paraje in the village of Corullón, not far from the winery that gives this wine its name. This is a south-facing location with a tendency to good ripeness and generous wines. It fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in a combination of oak barrels and foudres for eight months. This is the prototype of a wine from clay-rich soils; it’s round and vinous, refreshed by the altitude and the slate. This is more lactic than the Moncerbal, very classical and with fine but grainy tannins. Whatever it is, with years in bottle, this is more vinous and rounder and the Moncerbal is sharper. 5,520 bottles, 118 magnums and some larger formats produced.”

Alvaro Palacios ‘Les Terrasses’ Velles Vinyes, Priorat DOCa 2019 750ml $34.50 special, 80 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 94 points “The regional 2019 Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes was produced with a blend of grapes from 80 plots in eight villages from Priorat, 82% Garnacha with 17% Cariñena and 1% white grapes, a year unusually high in Garnacha and unusually low in Cariñena that suffered a lot from the heat. The destemmed and lightly crushed grapes fermented in concrete and oak vats with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in French oak barrels for 12 months. What happened here is that Cariñena was burned by a heat spike of 43 degrees Celsius on the 28th of June, and there was a wildfire in Montsant that perhaps could have warmed things up even more. I think there might be a change toward more Garnacha and elegance in the wines from Álvaro Palacios in Priorat, as this is brighter and less rustic than this wine used to be, more polished, perfumed and fine. The year of heat and drought. 101,600 bottles produced.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “A juicy red, offering raspberry ganache and red licorice flavors, a fragrant skein of dried sage and milled white pepper and rich hints of smoke and toast. This concentrated, medium- to full-bodied version remains fresh and focused, thanks to the tang of orange peel acidity and fine, taut tannins. Garnacha and Samsó. Drink now through 2028. 8,200 cases made.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!