Vinopolis Monday Newsletter 1-2-23

In This Newsletter:



 
German Wine Sale 




Zorzal Vineyards and Winery 


Tan Fruit 


New Arrivals  

 

German Wine Sale

We’re having a huge sale on German wines throughout the entire month of January.

Sale Begins at 4pm on Monday, January 2nd
Sale Ends at 6pm on Tuesday, January 31st
     
5% off 6-11 bottles and/or large formats of German wines.

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


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.


If you buy a case-6 you can receive a 5% discount on any additional 1-5 bottles more of German wines. If you buy a case-12 all additional German bottles will receive a 10% discount.

This sale applies to ALL German wines. That’s over 500 wines discounted! Here are a few recommendations to get you started. 

Wwe Dr. H. Thanisch Bernkasteler Graben Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Mosel 2019 750ml $41.90 special, 22 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 91+ points
“The 2019 Bernkasteler Graben Riesling GG is adjacent to Thanisch’s Doctor parcel yet a bit less warm. From 60- to 70-year-old-vines, this is a smoky, intense and elegant Riesling with very fine, precise and crunchy gray slate aromas. Medium-bodied, intense and complex on the palate, this is a tight, long and structured dry Graben Riesling with a refreshing lemon aroma on the concentrated and refreshing finish. This is complex but very promising and currently pretty closed, although the bottle was opened two days earlier. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Weingut Brand Bros The Electric Acid Test Chardonnay, Pfalz 2021 750ml $18 special, 29 bottles in stock 
Drizly product description
“The forgotten border region of the northern Pfalz is riddled with limestone soils making it perfect for, among other things, certain varieties that do well in Burgundy, like, well, Chardonnay. Yet here the temperatures are a bit cooler, the nights a bit brisker, and so the Chardonnay that the young brothers Brand farm comes to us with a tad more acidity, a few thousand more volts of electricity than most of the more luxurious examples from Burgundy and the New World. This is no-nonsense, organically farmed, young-vine Chardonnay that is ripe, yet sizzles with energy and acidity. And just to make sure that the wine glows in the dark, the brothers add a small bit of Riesling to the cuvée (usually 10% or less) which turbo-charges everything, heightening and sharpening the aromatics, making the wine perfumed and even more explosive. Enjoy with lightning bolts and crudo.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

J.B. Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Alte Reben Riesling Kabinett Trocken, Rheingau 750ml $31.90 special, 12 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 92 points
“The 2020 Wallufer Walkenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken offers a clear and delicately fruity bouquet with floral-scented apricot aromas. Pure, straight and fresh on the palate, this is a bone dry, crunchy and youthful Kabinett with crunchy phenols and just-ripe stone fruit. Stimulatingly crisp and salty on the finish. 12% stated alcohol. Glass stopper. Tasted at the domaine in July 2022.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel, Mosel 2020 750ml $125 special, 10 bottles in stock 
Wine Spectator 95 points
“A pretty white, this exudes elderflower, peach, lime, cumin and slate aromas and flavors. Creamy and elegant, with lively acidity providing structure and definition. Very consistent from beginning to end. Drink now through 2045.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94+ points “The 2020er Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese GK was made from shriveled rather than botrytized fruit and was fermented down to noble-sweet levels of residual sugar. It offers a superbly elegant and refined nose of wet stone, mango, herbs, apricot flower, almond cream, honeyed peach, candied grapefruit, and guava. The wine proves deliciously smooth and creamy on the palate and leaves a great feel of candied citrusy fruits and sweet exotic flavors in the well-delineated and precise finish packed with fruity notes of pear and peach. This gorgeous noble-sweet wine will need more than a decade to fully integrate its sweetness and has even some upside as it gains finesse and complexity. 2035-2060.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Kruger-Rumpf Abtei ‘1937 Reserv’ Riesling Trocken, Nahe 2018 750ml $36 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Vinous 91 points
“This bottling is sourced from the oldest vines, planted in 1937, on an exciting steep, stony site that the Rumpfs are restoring (and about which you can read much more in my reviews of the Rumpfs’ vintage 2016 and inaugural vintage 2015 renditions of Abtei Riesling, both of which originated entirely in this oldest parcel). In electing to segregate the fruit of these old vines for a separate bottling – while fruit from younger parcels 2020 informs the “regular” Abtei bottling (which in 2018 is designated A.P. #30) – the Rumpfs also decided to permit the fruit a bit longer skin contact and to raise the wine in a relatively new 1,200-liter cask. The nose anticipates the deeper sense of peachy fruit on tap here vis-à-vis the A.P. #30. The feel is glossy and silken, and the impressively sustained finish features a stony, alkaline and as such rather hard and austere sense of mineral matter, which serves for suitable counterpart to the fruit. What I miss are the mouthwatering salinity, herbal pungency and brightly juicy abundance of the A.P. #30. Those are not virtues that I anticipate emerging here with time in bottle, and since they were characteristics of previous Abtei bottlings, I tend to believe that skin contact and wood influence have made the unfortunate difference. But would that I might be lucky enough to one day re-taste the two wines side by side and perhaps be contradicted!”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Weingut Leitz Rudesheimer Klosterlay Riesling Kabinett, Rheingau 2018 750ml $20.90 special, 19 bottles in stock 
Importer note
“‘Lay’ is a very old word meaning slate and “Kloster” is the German translation of Abbey. The Klosterlay sits beneath the Benedictine Abbey of St. Hildegard, above the eastern edge of the village. Here, the Rüdesheimer Berg begins to gently undulate as it levels out toward the village of Geisenheim. Josi believes this site is destined for a fruity style and therefore always makes Kabinett from this vineyard.”
Wine Advocate “The first Rieslings of the very dry and warm as well as early 2018 vintage are also promising and stunningly precise and elegant due to the conditions of the vintage that brought nothing but perfectly ripe and healthy grapes. Leitz pressed the grapes in fractions, so he was able to keep the acidity fine and fresh even though it is naturally lower than in 2017… Doubtlessly, Leitz is one of the region’s best Riesling producers. Having said that, he is also one of the best Riesling ambassadors in the wine world, with regular tastings in the US as well as in Norway, two of his most important export markets.” 

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2017 750ml $26 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points
“The 2017er Kinheimer Rosenberg Spätlese AP 2 was harvested at 88° Oechsle. It exhibits beautifully complex and refined aromatics blending floral elements with vineyard peach, grapefruit and spices. The wine is slightly reductive at first on the palate as it displays quite some racy acidity wrapped into a straight and pure structure. Notes of grapefruit, orange zest and spices emerge in the finish and lead to a slightly herbal and freshly tart feel in the after-taste. This is packed with quite some elements and only needs a couple of years to fully shine. 2025-2037.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Markus Molitor Alte Reben Riesling Trocken, Mosel 2019 750ml $26 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 93 points
“Molitor’s 2019 Alte Reben Saar opens with a pure and concentrated flinty bouquet of crushed slate and lemon zest as well as floral aromas. Round, lush and with salty piquancy as well as fine and juicy fruit concentration that intermingles perfectly with the finessed acidity and mineral backbone, this is an excellent and highly stimulating picture-book Saar Riesling with a delicate grip of slate and tannins. Perhaps the finest Saar old-vines Riesling I have had from Molitor. Tasted in May 2021.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Peter Lauer ‘Neuenbersch- Neuenberg’ Fass 17 Riesling, Mosel 2017 750ml $46 special, 18 bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 94 points
“Florian Lauer’s 2017 Ayler Kupp Neuenberg Riesling Fass 17 is very clear and intense yet subtle and finely mineral on the elegant, fruity, well-defined nose. Round and textured on the palate, with a certain creaminess and melodiousness, this is an intense and mouth-filling yet vital and persistent classic Riesling that is neither too dry nor too sweet and comes along with remarkable finesse, mineral tension and complexity. Still too young but already very promising. Tasted in June 2019.”
John Gilman 93+ points “Happily, there was the 2017 Neuenberg sitting there ready to sample and it was really singing for such a young wine. This wine comes in at twelve percent alcohol and is very, very promising on both the nose and palate, albeit still properly reserved at such a young age. The bouquet delivers scents of lemon, grapefruit, tart peach, salty slate minerality, white flowers and lemongrass. On the palate the wine is crisp, medium-full and very refined, with an excellent core, great soil signature, impeccable focus and balance and a long, nascently complex and classy finish. First class juice. 2024-2065. 93+.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2019 750ml $31.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 93 points
“The 2019 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese is very clear, pure and flinty on the intense, elegant, crunchy and slatey nose. Salty, piquant and lush on the palate, this is a crystalline, pure and salty Badstube that is juicier and rounder than the 2018. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “The 2019er Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese was made from fruit picked at 90° Oechsle and was fermented down to sweet levels of residual sugar (69 g/l). It offers a very delicate and nicely perfumed nose of white flowers, rose petal, vineyard peach, apple, laurel, and herbs. The wine proves delicately juicy and refined on the smooth and slightly juicy palate and leaves a delicate sense of lightness in the more fruity-styled than really sweet-tasting finish. This is a joyful and remarkably easy-drinking expression of Spätlese. 2027-2044.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!
 



Zorzal Vineyards and Winery
 
Zorzal was founded with the intention to put Gualtallary, in the Valle de Uco, Mendoza on the map. Since their founding in 2008, they’ve already developed a reputation for producing high quality terroir driven natural wines. Still up and coming, this winery is one to keep any eye on. 
    
The vineyard sits approximately 4,400 feet above sea level, with maximum sun exposure contributing unique properties to the wines. This elevation makes the 70 acre vineyard the highest in Gualtallary, providing the site with a long diurnal range. A mixture of sand, granite stone, and calcium carbonate materiel enrich the base of the terroir. These growing conditions allow Zorzal to produce Malbec, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Mencia and Semillón. At harvest time everything is handpicked. 

“Maximum respect for the terroir and minimal intervention in the winemaking are the two pillars of Zorzal Wines. Through our wines, we seek to convey to the world the essence, excellence and uniqueness of our terroir – Gualtallary, in the Uco Valley.” -Juan Pablo Michelini, Winemaker

Zorzal applies minimal intervention to their winemaking, using organic vinicultural methods and relying on indigenous yeast during fermentation. The winery itself is housed in a spectacular four level building, intentionally designed to allow gravity-flow winemaking, a practice which avoids the use of pumps, allowing the gentle extraction of color, flavor and tannin. This technique also reduces contact with oxidation, preserving concentrated flavors and aromas.

Zorzal’s EGGO releases are most notable. The carefully crafted single vineyard wines are all vinified in concrete eggs “These wines are a line where we want to express what is happening in the world today, where the trends are to enhance and preserve the purity of each variety, and at the same time to preserve the living expression of the terroir.”

We have exclusive access to many of Zorzal’s wines. See which wines we have in stock below, all of which are the only listings in the USA today!


EGGO range 

Zorzal Eggo Blanc de Cal, Tupungato 2019 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock now 
Wine Advocate 94 points “2019 was cooler than 2018, and the 2019 Eggo Blanc de Cal is even fresher and stonier than the 2018 I tasted last time. This wine is never about the grape variety, and it’s like liquid chalk, even more so in 2019. It matured in concrete eggs for 10 months. This is always produced from a limestone-rich plot in the Tupungato Winelands. Half of the wine fermented with the skins, but it doesn’t have any “orange” characteristics. It’s sharp and super tasty. Amazing value. 7,775 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!

Zorzal Eggo Franco Cabernet Franc, Tupungato 2017 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock now 
Wine Advocate 93 points
“The 2017 Eggo Franco is pure Cabernet Franc cropped from seven-year-old vines on alluvial soils high in calcium carbonate. It fermented with 10% full clusters in concrete vats, where it matured with the full lees until bottling at the end of the year. It’s very varietal, herbal and spicy, with good structure and body, great balance and power, with fine-grained, chalky tannins. 6,000 bottles produced.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Zorzal Eggo Tinto de Tiza, Gualtallary 2017 750ml $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock now 
Wine Advocate 94 points
“The mouthfeel of the 2017 Eggo Tinto de Tiza was like biting into a piece of chalk (“tiza” is the Spanish word for chalk), the texture provided by the limestone-rich soils from Gualtallary, especially in the higher part of this large region. This wine is not about the varieties (it’s a blend to start with) but about the place, the soils, the local vegetation, the austerity and the wilderness. 33,000 bottles. It was bottled in January 2018.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Other releases


Vina Zorzal Corral de los Altos, Navarra 2018 750ml $24 special, 26 bottles in stock now 
Case- 6 Vina Zorzal Corral de los Altos, Navarra 2018 750ml $135 special (that’s only $22.5/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 92 points
“All the guest winemakers that take part in the Lecciones de Vuelo joint venture with Viña Zorzal are offered to produce their interpretation of the paraje Corral de los Altos in Fitero. The 2018 Corral de los Altos is Zorzal’s own interpretation of a 45-year-old plot of 2.1 hectares of Garnacha planted on a north-facing stony part of the village. The grapes fermented in stainless steel with some 25% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in seven used (second and third use) 500-liter oak barrels. This has contained ripeness and a medium to full-bodied palate with the classical chalky tannins and texture from the limestone-rich soils and the length and tastiness they provide”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Vina Zorzal ‘Cuatro del Cuatro’, Navarra 2018 750ml $29 special, 17 bottles in stock now 
Case- 6 Vina Zorzal ‘Cuatro del Cuatro’, Navarra 2018 750ml $165 special (that’s only $27.5/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 94 points
“The pure Graciano 2018 Cuatro del Cuatro was first produced in 2015 as an homage to the Sanz brothers’ father, who kept his Graciano vines when the majority ripped them up. They have seen that, with a soft vinification, the variety is not as rustic as most think and, in fact, can be quite elegant. 2018 was a tricky vintage for the variety, and the wine has moderate alcohol (13.3%), a very low pH (3.35) and notable acidity (six grams of tartaric acid per liter). It was produced with grapes grown in the village of Corella (especially from a vineyard planted in 1978), which has more Mediterranean influence that Fitero, the other village where they have the majority of their vineyards. This is a super serious Graciano, fresher than the majority of varietal bottlings out there, as they have lost the fear of harvesting it earlier, and it delivers a very spicy wine, with lots of black and even white peppercorns. I think this is very much in line with the 2016. It matured in used oak barrels of different sizes, and they did a barrel selection to produce 2,900 bottles of it.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Vina Zorzal Garnacha, Navarra 2020 750ml $14 special, 12 bottles in stock now 
Case- 12 Vina Zorzal Garnacha, Navarra 2020 750ml $149 special (that’s only $10.65/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 92 points
“The incredibly young and juicy 2020 Garnacha was produced with grapes from different villages, Corella, Cintruénigo, Fitero and Lerga, hence a regional blend that for the first time contains grapes from the cooler Lerga that adds lower pH, more freshness and complexity to the blend. They do a soft extraction in stainless steel using 20% full clusters and indigenous yeasts, achieving a wine with moderate alcohol (13.47%) and good freshness (pH 3.47). I felt like the wine had gone one step up in complexity and depth from the previous vintage; it’s precise, harmonious, elegant and nuanced and keeps varietal purity. It’s medium-bodied and has very fine tannins with herbal freshness, reminiscent of acid berries and bay leaf. This is a steal! One to buy by the case… 137,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!



Tan Fruit 

Tan Fruit is an experimental Chardonnay project by Jim Maresh of Arterberry Maresh. Upon its initial release it received a 99 point vintage rating from Wine Advocate “The Chardonnay Tank Fruit comes from the same Oak Grove fruit as that vineyard designate, but was aged a bit longer, with 12 months in oak and another 12 months in stainless steel. It is pure, ultra perfumed, intense and layered, with alluring white peaches and lilac interwoven with cashews and honeycomb on the nose. The palate derives incredible energy from the push-pull of those deeper tones with salty, energetic acidity, and it finishes with extraordinary length.”

Here’s what we have in stock now

Tan Fruit Maresh Vineyard Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 2019 750ml $59 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97 points
“The 2019 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard comes from Dijon clones planted in 1991, and it was matured in about 35% new oak. This vintage is pure and tensile, with scents of tarragon and fragrant herbs, beeswax and almonds, with plush white peach fruit. The palate combines intense ripe fruit with a spine of tangy, tense acidity, and it finishes with tremendous length. Allow it another 3-5 years in bottle.”

Tan Fruit Vojtilla Vineyard Chardonnay, Chehalem Mountains 2019 750ml $56.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock 
Wine Advocate 97 points
“Vojtilla is a small, four-acre vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains that sits at around 500 to 600 feet in elevation and, says Jim Maresh, is influenced by the nearby Willamette River. Harvested in October this vintage, the 2019 Chardonnay Vojtilla Vineyard comes from Dijon clone vines planted in 1991, and it was matured in about 25% new Damy barrels. It has a stunning perfume of quince paste and mushrooms, pastry and flowers, and the palate is satiny, plush and pure, with a seamless tangy streak and long, powerful finish.”

 
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New Arrivals 

Anakota Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2019 750ml $169 special, 6 bottles in stock
James Suckling 99 points
“Incredibly spicy and aromatic with pumice and cloves. Pops out of the glass. Cedar, too. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins adding tension and creaminess. Long and beautiful. All about class and breeding. Try after 2025.”
Wine Advocate 97 points “Deep ruby, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard offers its cassis aromas slowly, continually unfolding to accents of lavender, cured meats, chargrill, coffee and loads of savory spices. Matured 12 months in 70% new French oak, the palate is surprisingly lifted and silky, soaring with youthful fruit and spices, focused acidity and a streak of graphite driving the long finish. 1,379 cases were made. Hélène Seillan notes that the oak is sourced from about 15 different forests in France, and its singular, spicy, integrated oak is part of what makes this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon so distinctive.”
 
Anakota Wines Helena Dakota Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 2019 750ml $169 special, 6 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 99 points
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard explodes with violets, aniseed and cast iron, with a deep core of crushed blueberries and black cherries, evolving continually with each approach to the glass. The palate is stunning with its intensity and lift, pure fruits, pixelated tannins and focused acidity that drives the very long finish. Its exceptional balance and super pure flavors, plus that characteristic streak of iron that appears across the Anakota portfolio, really take the 2019 Helena Dakota to the next level.”
James Suckling 97 points “The essence of cabernet sauvignon on the nose with cassis and fresh flowers. Full-bodied with orange peel, blackberry, cassis and hints of rose stems. Creamy and powdery tannins. Needs time to come together. Try after 2026, but already beautiful.”
 
Verite Le Desir, Sonoma County 2019 750ml $449 special, 3 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 100 points
“The 2019 Le Désir is an exceptional blend of 83% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, offering complex, layered flavors, soaring aromatics and very detailed expression. Deep ruby-purple in color, its aromas unfold slowly and offer new nuances with each return to the glass: Morello cherries, warm chocolate, dried thyme, desiccated roses and dried herbs. The full-bodied palate offers concentrated, floral fruits, pixelated tannins, bursts of fresh acidity and a very long finish with layer after layer of detailed flavor. 2,500 cases were made.”
 
Verite La Muse, Sonoma County 2019 750ml $449 special, 3 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 99 points
“The 2019 La Muse is a blend of 90% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc and 5% Malbec. Deep ruby-purple, it explodes with cassis, violets and aniseed, with wafts of thyme, tobacco and iron, offering new nuances with each return to the glass. The full-bodied palate is powerful and refined, with loads of rounded tannins, focused freshness and ethereal character. It’s exceptionally expressive and structured and should be very long lived in the cellar.”
 
Verite La Joie, Sonoma County 2019 750ml $449 special, 3 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 99 points
“The 2019 La Joie is an elegant expression that offers power, freshness and expressive, floral character. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, it has a deep ruby color and opens slowly from black cherries and blueberries to accents of violets, ground coffee and licorice. The full-bodied palate has generous, grainy tannins, detailed, perfumed flavors and bright acidity, finishing with an alluring iron character. 2,500 cases were made.”




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