Wednesday Newsletter 12-16-2020

In This Newsletter:

Andre Clouet:
New Grapelive Review


Trending

Trending Sweeties

New Magical Rhone Arrivals from Francois Merlin

Collector’s Corner
Henri Gouges Subscriber Special


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Andre Clouet:

New Grapelive Review


Andre Clouet Silver Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature, Champagne NV 750ML ($39.95) $33 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Andre Clouet Silver Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature, Champagne NV 1.5L ($119.95) $89 special, 26 magnums in stock now
Andre Clouet Silver Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature, Champagne NV 3L ($349.95) $279 special, 10 double-magnums in stock now
Case-6 Andre Clouet Silver Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature, Champagne NV 750ML ($249.95) $189 special (that’s only $31.50/bottle!)
Case-12 Andre Clouet Silver Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature, Champagne NV 750ML ($479.95) $359 special (that’s only $29.92/bottle and the lowest listed price in the USA today!)
Grapelive 92 points
“The beautiful “Silver” Andre Clouet 100% Pinot Noir non-vintage Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs is one of the best values in Champagne and this recent disgorgement is stunning and luxurious bubbly to enjoy almost guilt free. The Silver is a no dosage Brut Nature, meaning it is exceptional dry and vibrant in style, in a more grower-producer style, but still with regal richness and complexity with plenty of leesy brioche notes and a dense mouth feel showing lemon curd, quince, apple, wet stones, clove spice and hazelnut. With base of 2013 and a blend of reserve wines, this 100% Pinot Noir comes from all estate grown fruit from the mid slopes in the A Bouzy area, famous for Pinot Noir, on chalky limestone and clay soils that highlight the Silver’s mineral notes and ripe flavors. The Andre Clouet Champagnes are some of my favorite go to bubbly for any occasion, especially their zero dosage Brut offerings that have an additional zesty quality, like this one. The flexible personality, mature profile and charm here makes this Champagne an easy winner for sparkling wine enthusiasts and is also a crowd pleasing bottle for anyone and everyone, from novice to expert and has the substance and crisp detail to go with an array of dishes and flavors… Clouet uses traditional methods from start to finish with this Brut Nature Champagne seeing fermentation and aging in neutral French oak barrels, [and undergoing] full malolactic conversion, which definitely gives this wine added richness and depth. The Andre Clouet Champagne house is run by Jean-François Clouet, who was born and raised in Bouzy and still lives in the 18th century village house built by his ancestors. [He] strives to continue the regions tradition, but still is driven to elevate the quality levels here. Clouet farms some incredible Grand Cru plots around his home village of Bouzy as well as in the famous and very coveted middle slopes of Ambonnay with many vines in the best lieux-dits in the Champagne region. While great for celebrating events and special occasions, this Andre Clouet Silver Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature, with its beautiful and vivid mouse, goes sublimely well with food and makes for a noble companion with any meal. I am always impressed by Clouet’s lineup of Champagne(s), but especially so this stylish zero dosage Blanc de Noirs, which I highly recommend!”

The average price is $47

Shop out complete selection of Andre Clouet Champagnes on our web store!
 
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Trending

Oregon

Deep and concentrated. This wine pulls at you. It’s no surprise that John Paul announced to us that it is his favorite wine of the vintage. He referred to it as basically the Julia bottling, but with some Clos Electrique added. Just as this site shares the vineyard material with the estate vineyard, it also includes a barrel of Clos Electrique this year…
Cameron Winery ‘Arley’s Leap’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2018 750ML ($59.95) $49 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Cameron Winery ‘Arley’s Leap’ Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2018 750ML ($319.95) $275 special (that’s only $44.83/bottle and the lowest listed price in the USA today!) – case-six pricing ends December 26th!
Winery Note
“Arley’s leap harkens from a block of Pinot noir planted in 1990 at Abbey Ridge Vineyard. The eponymous hero was Bill and Julia Wayne’s old dog Arley, who survived a jump from a second story balcony when startled by a cat.”

The Oregon case buy of the year!
Biggio Hamina Claygate Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge 2016 750ML ($39.95) $28 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Biggio Hamina Claygate Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge 2016 750ML ($199.95) $159 special (that’s only $26.50/bottle!)
Case-12 Biggio Hamina Claygate Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge 2016 750ML ($399.95) $299 special (that’s only $24.92/bottle!)
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 94 points
“Bright red. An exotically perfumed bouquet displays intense red fruit, potpourri and incense qualities. Spice and savory herb nuances build as the wine opens up. Bright and energetic in the mouth, offering densely packed and appealingly sweet raspberry liqueur, cherry and spicecake flavors that pick up a smoky mineral note on the back half. Plays power off of finesse deftly and finishes extremely long and floral, with sneaky, fine-grained tannins and a touch of exotic spices.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

France

A super grower from the Cote des Blancs village of Cramant.
Lilbert-Fils Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($69.95) $49 special, 27 bottles in stock now 
Wine Spectator 93 points
“This graceful Champagne is like the finely tailored suit that somehow never goes out of style, with a lovely overtone of minerally chalk and brine enticing you into the glass, where flavors of apricot and Marcona almond, and hints of passionfruit coulis and pickled ginger, ride the fine, satinlike mousse. Disgorged autumn 2018. Drink now through 2028.” [Disgorgement date may vary from review]

One of Champagne’s best known houses for a reason
Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($69.95) $54.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($419.95) $312 special (that’s only $52/bottle!)
James Suckling 92 points
“Fine bubbles combine nicely with the cooked apples, pie crust and lemon rind. Some biscuit, too. Full body. Layered and creamy with a crisp finish. Always delicious. Drink now.” [Reviewed July 2019]

Charles Heidsieck was one of the pioneers of the Blanc de Blancs style
Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs, Champagne NV 750ML ($99.95) $66 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
William Kelley – Wine Advocate 92 points
“Based on the 2012 vintage, the latest rendition of Heidsieck’s NV Blanc de Blancs incorporates some 20% reserve wines, derived from younger vintages to emphasize what Cyril Brun described as the “youthful” side of Chardonnay, in contrast to the mature expression of that cépage offered by the house’s Blanc de Millénaires. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, green apple and walnut oil, complemented by some of the empyreumatic nuances so typical of the base vintage, it’s a medium to full-bodied, elegantly textural and incisive wine that’s lively and inviting. It was disgorged last year with nine grams per liter dosage.”
Decanter 92 points “One of the pioneers of the blanc de blancs style, Charles Heidsieck only relaunched its 100% Chardonnay NV Champagne in 2018. Round but incisive and fresh, this has lovely balance between its creamy, woody mouthfeel and its fresh, saline acidity. A lovely food wine.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
The average price nationally is $92

A perpetual top value
Drappier Carte d’Or Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($49.95) $36 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Drappier Carte d’Or Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($299.95) $199 special (that’s only $33.17/bottle!)
Wine Spectator 92 points
“[Reviewed Nov 2017] This bright and zesty Champagne is lightly juicy and appealing, offering flavors of Honeycrisp apple, ripe white cherry, biscuit and pickled ginger. Balanced and lacy in texture, with a lingering, spiced finish. Drink now through 2022. 2,200 cases imported.”
Decanter 91 points “[Reviewed Oct 2019] Described by Drappier as ‘almost a blanc de noirs’, this Pinot Noir-dominant wine sourced from the Côte des Bar is the house’s calling card. 5% of the cuvée is matured in barrels for a year for added complexity and texture, and it’s bottled unfiltered with a fairly low dosage of 7g/l. There are some melon and apple scents on the nose along with a splash of red fruits, while the palate is intense, with notes of apple, quince and grape wrapped in a red-fruit veil. It’s full-bodied and long, with a lovely texture from the red wine tannins and oak-matured portion.”
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 90 points “[Reviewed Apr 2020] Disgorged in June 2019, the latest rendition of Drappier’s NV Brut Carte d’Or is showing well, bursting with pretty aromas of peach, honeyed orchard fruit and white flowers. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, chalky and incisive, with fine depth and tension and a penetrating finish.”
[Disgorgement may vary from reviews]

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
The average price nationally is $47


Italy

Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($89.95) $62.50 special, 24+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($539.95) $359 special (that’s only $59.83/bottle!)
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 97 points
“The Il Poggione 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows a darker and more concentrated appearance than many of its peers. The wine is beautifully abundant and fragrant in the most exuberant and expressive manner. You will recognize aromas of moist soil, tobacco and smoke. Candied cherry hovers over the entire bouquet. Fruit is sourced from older vines (all over 25 years old). Il Poggione occupies a special spot within the Montalcino appellation, and the area always produces slightly more concentrated and powerful wines. I find that to be particularly true in this gorgeous 2015 vintage. I am also very attracted to that almost dusty note of crushed mineral that rides long on the full-bodied finish. Il Poggione’s Brunello is also distinguished by firm, youthful tannin that need a few more years to unwind. Luckily, there are quite a few bottles to go around, with some 200,000 made.”
Eric Guido-Vinous 97 points “Il Poggione 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers up a dark, earthy, almost animal-like expression, showing black soil and undergrowth, giving way to crushed black cherry, dusty spice, and dried florals which lift the experience. On the palate, soft, fleshy textures usher in fresh cherry and strawberry, as brisk acids add energy, with savory herbs and minerals saturating, as the 2015 Il Poggione’s fruit nearly masks its structural core. The finish is long yet fresh, with classic, fine tannins, dried red fruits and pretty inner floral tones lingering throughout this perfectly balanced expression. The 2015 s pure class and built for the cellar.”
James Suckling 96 points “So many sour cherries rise up from the glass, along with orange rind and lemon peel. The full-bodied palate has a very serious and concentrated core of florals and fruit, and the tannins have an iron-fisted, strapping build. Long, chewy and structured. One of the best in years from here. Drink from 2025.”
Wine Spectator 95 points “Wild herb and Mediterranean macchia notes mark this expressive red. Though well-endowed with tannins, this is on the sleek side, showing vibrant acidity. Cherry, strawberry, floral and tobacco flavors join the party as this cruises to a long finish. Best from 2023 through 2042. 9,000 cases made, 1,750 cases imported.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $64.98
The average price is $79

Bruna Grimaldi Camilla, Barolo DOCG 2016 750ML ($41.95) $35.75 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Bruna Grimaldi Camilla, Barolo DOCG 2016 750ML ($479.95) $389 special (that’s only $32.42/bottle and the lowest listed price in the USA today!)
Bruna Grimaldi Camilla, Barolo DOCG 2016 1.5L ($99.95) $79 special, 9 magnums in stock now
Kerin O’Keefe-Wine Enthusiast 95 points
“Camphor, pressed rose, truffle and wild red-berry aromas are front and center on this full-bodied red. Juicy and delicious, the taut muscular palate has unexpected finesse, delivering juicy Marasca cherry, black raspberry, vanilla and licorice alongside enveloping, velvety tannins and fresh acidity. Thanks to the ripe, delicious fruit, you can’t detect the declared abv of 15%. Drink 2024–2036.”
James Suckling 94 points “Complex Barolo with crushed berries, walnuts and chocolate that follow through to a medium to full body, round and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Hints of bitter citrus at the end. Needs time to soften. Better after 2023.”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 93+ points “Bruna Grimaldi’s 2016 Barolo Camilla shows a fine and silky texture with just enough weight and texture to support elegant and fragile aromas. The bouquet reveals a subtle approach, followed by wild berry, violet, spice, tar and smoke that follow with slow and seamless transitions. The tannins are young and tight, but the texture of the wine is fine and silky overall. Fruit for this wine is a blend from the Raviole, Borzone, Roere di Santa Maria, Bricco Ambrogio and Badarina vineyards. It was previously a single-vineyard expression from a plot located behind the Grinzane Cavour castle, but that is no longer the case. Given the more-pronounced structure of the vintage, I have extended the drinking window, allowing for extra lead time for cellar aging. Some 18,000 bottles were produced.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
The average price nationally is $41

Dark and rich, a fantastic Barbera to enjoy with roasted and braised meals.
Poderi Aldo Conterno Conca Tre Pile Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont 2017 750ML ($37.95) $33 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Poderi Aldo Conterno Conca Tre Pile Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont 2017 750ML ($219.95) $189 special (that’s only $31.50/bottle!)
Case-12 Poderi Aldo Conterno Conca Tre Pile Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont 2017 750ML ($419.95) $359 special (that’s only $29.92/bottle and the lowest listed price in the USA today!)
Wine Advocate 93 points
“The 2017 Barbera d’Alba Conca Tre Pile is piled high with dark fruit intensity, soft tannins and a pinch of fresh acidity that breaks apart the wine’s rich fruit flavors. The hot vintage has taken well to the Barbera grape, accentuating its volume, richness and generosity. The bouquet offers black fruit, dried plum, spice, truffle-infused earth and toasted hazelnut. Some 20,000 bottles were made.”

Spain

“This full-bodied, rich, powerful wine has an incredible sense of elegance and finesse”
Bodegas Muga Seleccion Especial Reserva, Rioja DOCa 2015 750ML ($49.95) $36 special, 17 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 96 points
“The balance and purity to this wine is really impressive with blackberries, black truffles and dark fruit. Wet earth. Full body. Tight and compact. Structured, long and powerful. Superb length. Compressed and polished texture. Drink in 2022.”
Jeb Dunnuck 95 points “The 2015 Selección Especial checks in as 70% Tempranillo and the balance Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano that’s an old vine and terroir selection. Aged 6 months in new oak followed by 24 months in 90% French oak and 10% American oak, it has a beautiful bouquet of blueberries, black raspberries, crushed violets, incense, and cedar. This gives way to a full-bodied, rich, powerful wine that has an incredible sense of elegance and finesse on the palate. It’s a brilliant Rioja that can be drunk today or cellared for 10-15 years or more.”
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 94 points “The very perfumed, expressive and floral 2015 Selección Especial is a lot fresher than the stereotype of the vintage I had before I tasted 2015 widely. It’s a year that has turned out fresher than what the weather during the growing season pointed at. It was a dry and warm year, but the wines have very good freshness, which in this case feels exceptional. My first surprise was how aromatic and open the wine is for such a young age, with aromas of lavender and other Mediterranean herbs jumping from the glass. I expected that from the 2016s, but I thought the 2015 was going to be more closed and reticent. The palate is medium to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins, balanced, fresh and very clean. This combines energy and elegance with classical Rioja character. 220,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2017.”

Casa Castillo Las Gravas, Jumilla 2017 750ML ($37.95) $33 special, 36 bottles in stock now
Case-12 Casa Castillo Las Gravas, Jumilla 2017 750ML ($419.95) $369 special (that’s only $30.75/bottle and the lowest listed price in the USA today!)
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 95 points
“The 2017 Las Gravas is surprisingly floral and ethereal, perfumed and elegant. Syrah has disappeared from the blend of this wine—it now has 20% Garnacha to complement the Monastrell—and they think this is going to be the blend that stays in this wine, which has seen more changes in its life than the rest of the portfolio. This is for sure the most elegant vintage for this bottling; the wine matured in 500-liter barrels and then spent four months in 5,000-liter vats after the blend was done. There are no aromas of oak whatsoever, and the wine is surprisingly fresh, as if the Garnacha helps to contain the power of Monastrell on the gravel soils, adding texture and perfume. This is beautiful. 26,500 bottles were filled in March 2019.”

Casa Castillo El Molar Tinto, Jumilla 2017 750ML ($24.95) $19.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Casa Castillo El Molar Tinto, Jumilla 2017 750ML ($299.95) $219 special (that’s only $18.25/bottle!)
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 94 points
“There is a high-pitched red fruit note on the nose of the 2017 El Molar, and it’s a wine with a lot of light, something that is quite remarkable for a warm and Mediterranean year like 2017. This is a Garnacha that feels like a wine from a cool year, with plenty bright red fruit. I tasted it two weeks after it was bottled, and it felt completely harmonious and relaxed. As with most of the 2017s, this seems like the finest vintage for this wine. It has a lighter color and a more fragrant nose, and it’s immediately identifiable within the Casa Castillo range. 28,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2019.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

#9 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2020 arriving Friday, December 18th:

Beaux Freres ‘The Beaux Freres Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge 2018 750ML ($109.95) $85 pre-arrival special
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 95 points
“Brilliant ruby. Intense red and blue fruit, floral and spice qualities on the highly perfumed nose, along with hints of cola and licorice. Juicy and precise, offering concentrated raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors that take on a five-spice-powder nuance with air. Plays power off delicacy with a sure hand and finishes extremely long and silky, with polished tannins framing lingering red fruit and candied rose notes. 45% new oak.”
Wine Spectator 95 points “A wine of presence and expression, impeccably structured yet elegantly layered, with evocative raspberry, rose petal and brown baking spice notes that pick up richness and tension toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2029. 3,088 cases made.”

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Trending Sweeties

Great for stocking stuffers, dessert pairings, birth year wines, or a late night snack!

A steal of a price on one of Spain’s hidden gem sweeties.
Telmo Rodriguez ‘Molino Real,’ Malaga 2009 500ML ($59.95) $21.90 special, 36+ 500ml-bottles in stock now
Case-6 Telmo Rodriguez ‘Molino Real,’ Malaga 2009 500ML ($349.95) $119 special (that’s only $19.83/bottle!)
No reviews available for the 2009 vintage.  Review of the 2010 provided for reference.
Luis Gutierrez – Wine Advocate 94 points
“The 2010 Molino Real is the flagship and initial wine produced here, a sweet Moscatel from the schist slopes of Málaga at altitudes over 550 meters high, fermented with indigenous yeasts in 225-liter French oak barrels where the wine matures for 20 months. The grapes are dried in the sun for two weeks to get more concentration. The nose is extremely aromatic with notes of condensed milk, a touch of volatility and bay leaf; it is extremely complex, attractive and extremely young with the giveaway note of syrup that denotes youth. The wine has 13.5% alcohol and 127 grams of residual sugar. It was a relatively late harvest and the growing season was cooler and warmer than the average. The palate is extremely balanced with perfect harmony between sweetness and acidity leaving the palate with a fresh, minty sensation, rich, intense, with the spiciness of the grape, fine and elegant. I tasted 2009 and 2007 for context, and they are both young, as these are wines thought for the long haul. 7,8824 half-liter bottles were produced. ($75)”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Sauternes with this much bottle age at this price? Yes, please.
Chateau Coutet, Barsac 2004 750ML ($79.95) $59 special, 23 bottles in stock now
Wine Enthusiast 94 points
“A fresh, delicious wine, the natural richness of the botrytis balanced beautifully with acidity. It is ripe but delicate, a style that floats over the sweet fruit.”

Kopke Colheita Port, Portugal 1981 750ML ($144.95) $99 special, 8 bottles in stock now
Jamie Goode-Wine Anorak 96 points
“This is quite special. Wonderfully spicy and raisiny with some fresher citrus and mineral characters, as well as cedary notes. Direct, thrilling and intense.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $115

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New Magical Rhone Arrivals from Francois Merlin
 
After studying under Rene Rostaing, Francois Merlin planted his first vineyard in the late 1980s. Since then, he’s been meticulously caring for his tiny acreage and making exquisite if under-the-radar Rhone wines. Preferring to let the grapes speak for themselves, he ages the wines in mostly neutral oak and steel. These are fresh and vibrant wines that, coming from the warm 2018 vintage, are beautiful now with grippy tannins and balanced acids indicating a long life ahead of them, particularly the Cote Rotie and the Saint Joseph. The IGP Syrah is a winner and a staff pick for winter meals.

Domaine Francois Merlin Cote Rotie, Rhone 2018 750ML ($79.95) $54.50 special
Case-6 Domaine Francois Merlin Cote Rotie, Rhone 2018 750ML ($479.95) $299 special (that’s only $49.83/bottle!)
Decanter 93 points
“A very soft style, very ripe and juicy. Fairly tannic, but they’re ripe and yielding with flavours of black fruit coulis and touch of liquorice. It has fairly high alcohol with a saline finish – there’s freshness despite the very ripe fruit. This is a palate-coating, fairly opulent style but will be good when it’s ready – has length.”
 
This is the only listing in the USA today!
 
Domaine Francois Merlin Saint-Joseph, Rhone 2018 750ML ($39.95) $29 special
Case-12 Domaine Francois Merlin Saint-Joseph, Rhone 2018 750ML ($479.95) $299 special (that’s only $24.92/bottle!)
Decanter 91 points
“An approachable wine that has lifted cedar and incense on the nose. Very plush with soft fruits, slightly lacking in acidity perhaps, but it’s an authentic representation of the vintage, not overly corrected. Good natural sense to the fruit, it’s expressive, unrestrained. Not overly marked by oak spice. South-facing granite terroir, 70% of vines are 45-years-old, the rest are 15-years-old. All destemmed, 12 months in barriques and demi-muids, from 1 to 4 years-old.”‘

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Domaine Francois Merlin Syrah Broceliande, IGP Collines Rhodaniennes 2018 750ML ($79.95) $19 special
Case-12 Domaine Francois Merlin Syrah Broceliande, IGP Collines Rhodaniennes 2018 750ML ($479.95) $199 special (that’s only $16.58/bottle!)
Staff pick!
Shows dark fruit, spice, and warm iron on the nose. Leather and black cherries leads into gingerbread and dried cherries with air. On the palate, the wine is impactful with flavors of spice and black berries. The light astringency of the tannins and solid acidity keep everything in check. There’s an aroma of black tea, plum and dark chocolate on the finish. A fantastic wine to pair with roast meats, game, or ratatouille.

This is the only listing in the USA today!
 
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Vinopolis Wine Shop Curbside Pick Up

Order Online / By Phone / By Email

When you’re ready to pick up, just park in our lot,
give us a call, & we’ll bring your order to your car.


(If another adult is picking up for you,
please let us know their name when placing your order.)

www.vinopoliswineshop.com

info@vinopoliswineshop.com

503-223-6002

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Collector’s Corner

Henri Gouges Subscriber Special
 
Henri Gouges is one of the great names in Burgundy—a legendary domaine with wines that age beautifully and remains one of the best values in top-end Burgundy. To make those values even better, we’re dropping the prices on a bunch of great Gouges bottles with a bit of bottle age.

We’re looking at perfectly cellared bottles from the 2009-2014 vintages, at prices that are much closer to current releases than you’d expect given the quality of the wines and their age.  We have a broad assortment of these bottles—perfect picks for to get a head start on cellaring (or in a few cases, perfect picks for your cellar now.

Henri Gouges, who founded the venerable estate, was one of the first in Burgundy to estate bottle—at the time the winery was founded most just sold grapes or wine to negociants.  He also was instrumental in creating the AOC system in Burgundy and sorting out the vineyard classification system.  The estate is based in Nuits, with holdings in most of the major crus and an incredible standard of quality across the board.  The current generation, Christian and Pierre (grandsons of Henri) are making some of the finest wines in the estate’s history.

In Stock Now:

Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 2010 750ML ($99.95) Was $89, Now $79 Subscriber Special, 1 bottle in stock now
Stephen Tanzer 87-89 points
“Bright medium red. Slightly reduced aromas of black fruits, licorice and fresh herbs. At once supple and precise, with juicy cherry fruit dominating. On the lean side but offers very good focus and cut. The black cherry quality carries through to the firmly tannic yet pliant finish.”
Antonio Galloni 87-88 points “The 2010 Nuits St. Georges(from tank) reveals dark shades of fruit with more depth than the Bourgogne. It comes across as fleshy and round. Hints of tar, licorice and violets add complexity on the finish. This is a very pretty villages.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Domaine Henri Gouges Les Chaignots, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 2012 750ML ($99.95) Was $89, Now $79 Subscriber Special, 2 bottles in stock now
Burghound 89-91 points
“A spicy and slightly floral nose also features cool and pure aromas of primarily red berry fruit and soft earth hints. There is a relatively refined mouth feel thanks to the fine grained tannins that shape the middle weight flavors as well as the delineated, dusty and lingering finish.”
Antonio Galloni 89-91 points “Beams of bright acidity and minerality run through the 2012 Nuits St. Georges Les Chaignots. Freshly cut flowers, mint, dark raspberries and chalk flow effortlessly. This is a decidedly vertical Nuits built on energy. The style is a bit compact, but pretty all the same.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Domaine Henri Gouges Les Chenes Carteaux, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 2012 750ML ($99.95) Was $89, Now $79 Subscriber Special, 2 bottles in stock now
Neal Martin-Wine Advocate 93 points
“The 2012 Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Chênes Carteaux has a clean and bright bouquet with brambly red berry fruit, plenty of undergrowth, damp tobacco and roof tile scents. This is very expressive with fine delineation and the linearity that it demonstrated from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tensile tannin, plenty of citric fruit, quite linear at the moment with a sense of energy on the stony, stoic finish. Excellent.”
Antonio Galloni 90-92 points “Blue and purple fruit, smoke, licorice, violets and cloves flesh out in the 2012 Nuits St. Georges Les Chênes Carteaux. This is an especially round, supple Chênes Carteaux with tons of near and medium-term appeal. The round, silky finish is polished and beautifully resonant, all of which suggest the 2012 will drink better earlier than some of the other wines in this range.”
Burghound 89-92 points “Here too there is a touch of spice on the well-layered nose of both red and dark currants that is liberally laced with pungent earth notes. This is bigger and richer than the Chaignots with excellent volume, punch and power, all wrapped in a detailed, saline and impressively persistent finish. While the structure is firm, the tannins are relatively fine-grained and the overall impression is not especially rustic.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $89

Domaine Henri Gouges Les Pruliers, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 2015 750ML ($119.95) Was $99, Now $89 Subscriber Special, 1 bottle in stock now
Neal Martin – Wine Advocate 93-95 points
“The 2015 Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers has a more feminine, more fruit-driven bouquet than the NSG Clos des Porrets, very pure crushed strawberry, red cherry and cranberry aromas that gain intensity all the time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with blood orange on the entry, plenty of lively red berry fruit with admirable mineralité and tension on the finish. This is a superb les Pruliers from Domaine Gouges and it should give a couple decades worth of drinking pleasure.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “A chunky block of cherry, raspberry, sweet smoke and stone flavors, locked in a grip of tannins, with plenty of rich, ripe fruit to match. Best from 2022 through 2035. 125 cases imported.”
Stephen Tanzer 91-93 points “Good medium red. Very reticent aromas of plum, licorice and menthol hint at a chocolatey ripeness. In a rather rich, fat style, offering good concentration and sappiness to the thick, deep flavors of dark raspberry, spices and bitter chocolate. Comes across as a bit more tannic than the preceding samples, and perhaps a touch warmer at 13.2% alcohol. This fruit was picked two days later than the adjacent Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges.”
Burghound 90-93 points “This too is firmly reduced. The velvety, round and seductively textured medium-bodied flavors also possess excellent volume and mid-palate concentration with a very high level of phenolic maturity to the firm supporting tannins on the moderately austere and rustic finale. This too is very definitely classic Nuits in character that will require plenty of patience.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $103

Domaine Henri Gouges Les Pruliers, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 2011 750ML ($119.95) Was $89, Now $79 Subscriber Special, 2 bottles in stock now
Stephen Tanzer 91 points
“Bright medium red. Reticent high-toned aromas of slightly jammy red fruits and earth. Sweet and ripe; richer and deeper than the Porrets Saint-Georges, with silky red cherry, currant and spice flavors enlivened by pungent peppery acidity. Nicely balanced, round wine with good buffering extract.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average price is $87
 
Domaine Henri Gouges Les Pruliers, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 2008 750ML ($119.95) Was $99, Now $89 Subscriber Special, 2 bottles in stock now
Neal Martin-Vinous 92 points
“The 2008 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Pruliers 1er Cru has a pretty bouquet with cranberry, pomegranate, bergamot and Vervane tea aromas that gently unfold from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite crisp and certainly conveying more energy and tension than the 2007. It gently fans out towards the finish that is a little ferrous in style, with a dash of cracked pepper on the finish. Excellent. Tasted at the Gouges retrospective at La Cabotte.”
Stephen Tanzer 91 points “(this wine, the Vaucrains and the Saint-Georges were bottled in April of 2010): Good bright medium red. Enticing, very pure aromas of cherry, raspberry and flowers. Quite juicy and precise; not a fleshy wine but intensely fruity, taut and pure. Impressively long, rising finish. Gregory Gouges told me he finds most of the family’s 2008s to be agreeable now and probably best drunk early for their youthful fruit. He’s not convinced that the wines have enough dry extract for extended aging.”
Burghound 90-92 points – Sweet Spot Outstanding “Here is a distinct herbal character to the spicy red berry fruit and earth suffused nose that marries into rich, supple and attractively detailed middle weight flavors that possess good mid-palate concentration and culminate in a complex, harmonious and precise finish. A Pruliers of finesse and refinement.”
 
This is the only listing in the USA today!

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We offer 28 different bottlings.
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Vinopolis is an independent wine shop in Portland that opened in 2004. Our goal has always been to offer the finest, broadest, and largest selection of wines at the best prices to our customers in Portland, in Oregon, across the West Coast, and throughout the United States. Thank you for reading and for continuing to support our team.



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