Wednesday Newsletter 12-2-20

Oregon

Domaine Drouhin Oregon is one of the landmark names in Willamette Pinot.  They were the original “French import,” long before Meo-Camuzet, Jadot or Liger-Belair thought the region was worth investing in and they’ve been an important player ever since.  While they’re best known for their bottlings off of their original vineyard in the Dundee Hills, their “RoseRock” estate in the Eola-Hills has quietly been making some of the best wines in the DDO portfolio over the last few years.

The top wine that Drouhin Oregon makes under the RoseRock label is called Zephrine and it’s a monument to everything we love about Willamette Valley Pinot, especially from the Eola-Amity Hills.  Dark fruited, with beautiful floral and spice accents, it’s a wonderful wine that’s only going to get better in your cellar. 

Domaine Drouhin Arthur Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($34.95) $29.90 special
James Suckling 93 points “This has a lightly spiced, fresh pear and lime edge with a sense of restraint and freshness. The palate has a lightly creamy feel with fresh, driving clarity of pears and light peaches. Lemons to close. Some stainless and some oak here, keeping it fresh. Drink in the next five years.”
Wine Advocate 92+ points “The 2017 Chardonnay Arthur was aged 10 months in about 15% new oak and has pure aromas of golden apples, quince, toast, honey, almonds and notions of elderflower, hay and chamomile. The light to medium-bodied palate is silky and delicate with mouthwatering acidity and a long, lively finish. This restrained, elegant Chardonnay will benefit from another year in bottle.”
Wine Enthusiast 92 points “This cuvée is sourced from the Dundee Hills estate vineyard. It’s a pretty wine with pleasing flavors of apple, spice, toast and sandalwood. All Dijon clones, it’s not quite as ripe as recent vintages, but nicely focused and balanced through the long finish.”

Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($44.95) $38.90 special
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 93 points “Deep scarlet. Highly fragrant red and dark berries, baking spices, vanilla and candied flowers on the seductively perfumed nose. A smoky mineral accent adds definition and lift to sappy, alluringly sweet cherry cola, black raspberry and spicecake flavors that show very good depth and fine definition. Smooth and seamless in texture, finishing with impressive power, a hint of smokiness and discreet, well-knit tannins.”
Wine Advocate 93 points “Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir has lovely, layered aromatics of crushed boysenberries, red currant jelly, cinnamon stick, autumn leaves, violets, orange peel and amaro. It’s light to medium-bodied with a silky texture, oodles of spice, a grainy frame and seamless freshness, finishing spicy.”

Domaine Drouhin Laurene Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($79.95) $66 special
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 95 points “Shimmering ruby-red. High-pitched red fruit, floral and exotic spice aromas are complemented by suave incense and vanilla flourishes. Sweet, seamless and penetrating on the palate, offering vibrant raspberry, boysenberry, cherry preserve and spicecake flavors that convey a deft blend of power and delicacy. Finishes extremely long and precise, with resonating floral character and well-judged, polished tannins that sneak in late.”
James Suckling 95 points “A selection of around 100 barrels from the Dundee Hills estate pinot, this has a deeply grounded and confidently defined feel on the palate with density of tannin and a strong, noble core that carries long and builds so convincingly. Long, sustained, seamless quality to the finish. Drink over the next decade.”
Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2017 Pinot Noir Laurene is a selection of the best barrels from Domaine Drouhin fruit. Pale to medium ruby, it has an open-knit nose of crushed blackberries, spiced cranberry sauce, forest floor, allspice, citrus peel and tree bark. It’s medium bodied with intense, spicy fruits, a grainy frame and seamless freshness, finishing very long.”

Domaine Drouhin Roserock Zephirine Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills 2017 750ML ($64.95) $52.50 special
James Suckling 96 points “This has a very impressive sense of density and power with such immaculate detail and definition, in terms of tannin and fruit. The aromas are in the spicy and floral zone with blue-fruit and leafy nuances. Deceptively elegant and convincingly excellent pinot noir. Drink across the next decade.”
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 94 points “Limpid ruby-red. Highly perfumed, mineral- and spice-accented red fruit liqueur, incense and potpourri scents show fine definition and assertive lift. Appealingly sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering vibrant raspberry, cherry, red currant and blood orange flavors that deepen and take on spicecake and floral pastille nuances on the back half. Shows outstanding focus and solid thrust on a long, floral-tinged finish shaped by subtle, polished tannins.”
Erin Brooks-Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2017 Zéphirine Pinot Noir is a selection of the best barrels from the Roserock vineyard. Pale to medium ruby-purple, it’s scented of crushed boysenberries, blackberries, cranberries, bergamot and forest floor with touches of dried rose petals and violets. Medium-bodied and über silky, it offers great intensity and flavor layers, grainy and fresh with a long, layered finish.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “A dynamic wine, showing both grace and structure, this opens like a flower bloom, revealing notes of raspberry, crushed stone, fresh violet and savory tea. Builds richness and tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2027. 1,830 cases made.” 

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
The average price nationally is $57

France – Bordeaux

While most reasonably priced Bordeaux is commercial and unremarkable, this wine bucks the trend.  Hands on farming and winemaking make this a wine of place and personality.  It’s no wonder why it remains beloved in France.  The only outstanding question is how long this open secret across the pond will remain under the radar in the United States.

Chateau La Bastienne, Montagne-Saint-Emilion 2016 750ML ($34.95) $21.90 special
James Suckling 93 points “Very rich blackberry and vibrant fruit aromas in the mulberry and dark-plum spectrum with a concentrated palate that offers a very fleshy and attractive set of supple fruit, framed in ripe, sturdy tannins. Try from 2022.”
Wine Advocate 90 points “The 2016 La Bastienne is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and features fragrant roses, oolong tea and baking spices scents with touches of warm plums, black cherries and raspberry pie. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with expressive red berry and floral layers with a fine-grained frame and long, lively finish.

Lascombes has been one of the biggest over-performers in Margaux, with a string of successes since the 2000 vintage—but the 2010 might be their best ever. Boasting a 96-point Robert Parker score, it’s a fantastic wine from a vintage that Vinous called a “modern classic” and Wine Spectator rated 99-points, their highest ever score for a Left Bank year.  As you might expect, decade-old Bordeaux isn’t growing on trees, so now’s the time if you’re looking to stock up.

Chateau Lascombes, Margaux 2010 750ML ($149.95) $119 special
Wine Advocate 96 points “The wine hits all cylinders in 2010. The average alcohol for the bottled wine is 14%. It has a gorgeously sweet nose of creme de cassis, spring flowers, subtle barbecue smoke and charcoal followed by full body, beautiful intensity, great purity, stature and length. The influence of any oak is minimal, despite the fact that 90% new French oak was used. Needless to say, this is an example of modern-styled winemaking at its finest, and arguments that such wines will not age well, do not represent their terroir , and are soul-less, are totally groundless. Give it five or so years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25-30 years. This is one of the great Margaux wines of the vintage.”
Decanter 94 points “Lascombes in 2010 has exuberance and precision and confidence, and a sense of fun. At the 10 year mark the power of the tannins is clear and evident. It’s a big, concentrated, exuberant wine but it has delicacy and construction and persistency. Drinking Window 2020 – 2042.”

Monbousquet’s second wine is a prime drinker right now
Angelique de Monbousquet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2016 750ML ($39.95) $30.90 special
Case-6 Angelique de Monbousquet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2016 750ML ($239.95) $175 special (that’s only $29.17/bottle and the lowest listed price in the USA today!)
James Suckling 93 points “Unique aromas of cherries, ash and grilled meat. Full body with juicy tannins and round texture. Delicious finish. Very soft and approachable. Hard not to drink now. Better in 2024.”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate 90 points “The 2016 Angelique de Monbousquet is deep garnet-purple colored and features bold scents of crushed blackberries, warm plums and raspberry pie with hints of dried herbs, underbrush and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals loads of minerally sparks interspersed with the vibrant red and black fruit layers, finishing pleasantly chewy.”
Jeb Dunnuck 90 points “From the stellar team at Château Pavie, the 2016 Angélique de Monbousquet is a sexy, medium to full-bodied, incredibly delicious Saint-Emilion that boasts a huge nose of blackcurrants, chocolate, tobacco leaf, and graphite. It has outstanding purity, ripe tannins, and is one seriously good mouthful of wine. Drink it over the coming decade.”

There’s never a bad time for tasty and affordable Bordeaux
Chateau Goubau, Cotes de Castillon 2015 750ML ($27.95) $21.90 special
Case-12 Chateau Goubau, Cotes de Castillon 2015 750ML ($299.95) $228 special (that’s only $19/bottle!)
Importer note “It is well known that gifted winemaker Jacques Thienpont has a knack for sourcing unique and exceptional properties. His latest acquisition reaches beyond the ultra-premium micro-cuvees he is known for with Chateau Le Pin and Chateau L’If. Chateau Goubau (to be renamed Chateau l’Hetre with the 2016 vintage) matches exception quality with value, and naturally, a unique microclimate within the Cotes de Castillon appellation. At 100m on the Saint Philippe d’Aiguilhe plateau, the property is situated at the highest point in Bordeaux. Produced from 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the clay and chalk subsoil is perfectly suited to the biodynamically-farmed vines. Here is an exclusive opportunity to explore M. Theinpont’s first vintage with the property, which is all but certain to go up in value in vintages to come… as demonstrated by Thienpont’s l’If, which has more than tripled in price since the first release in 2012.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Portugal

Niepoort Vintage Port 2017 750ML ($119.95) $99 special
Wine Advocate 99-100 points “The 2017 Vintage Port is a field blend from old vines (80 to 100 years old). It comes in with 89 grams per liter of residual sugar. This was set for bottling in two weeks, but it was the final blend. Even when open for a couple of days, this was still tight, muscular and concentrated, grabbing the palate and never letting go. On opening, it was fragrant and delicious, but even then, there was plenty of muscle and evident concentration. The concentration and power merely improved as it aired out—unlike a lot of 2016s (which year Niepoort did not declare). Tasting it after several days open showed that it shut down and closed up in terms of expressiveness, but it definitively proved that it’s an old-school, long-haul wine. Dry, stern and long on the finish, this is brilliant. It is hard to think of any basis on which this is not perfection just now—Niepoort says it is the best he’s ever made. It’s certainly the best I’ve seen from him, and it is a leading candidate for “Wine of the Vintage,” although certainly not the only one. Finally, this is going to require patience. Nothing about it says “drink me now.” It should age brilliantly. If you lack a cellar and patience, look away.”
James Suckling 98 points “Wow. Smoky and intense on the nose with dried fruits and slate undertones. Lots of wet earth too. Full body, sweet yet dry and tannic on the palate. Very powerful and focused. Racy and powerful. A fantastic center palate of fruit. A blend of touriga franca, tinto cao, tinta francisca, tinta amarela, sousao, tinta roriz and others. Drink in 2025 and onwards.”
Neal Martin-Vinous 96 points “The 2017 Vintage Port was picked early to obtain optimal ripeness, commencing 24 August and finished 26 September. Yields are some 30% below the previous year. The fruit was foot-trodden in granite lagares and matured in large barrels in Vila Nova de Gaia. It has a refulgent purple colour. The nose is explosive, a heady cornucopia of blueberry, black cherries and crème de cassis, later just a touch of lavender. There is no holding back on these aromatics. The palate follows suit with sumptuous black fruit, quite tannic but simultaneously rounded and lavish/velvety in texture. Touches of fresh fig and raisin appear towards the finish. Drop dead gorgeous.”

Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 2003 750ML ($119.95) $99 special
Robert Parker – Hedonist’s Gazette 100 points ” I noticed the Chinese love to have both a sweet wine and a vintage port at the end of a meal, which is pretty much over-kill for me. However, I was blown away by the 2003 Taylors vintage port. The Great Wall of China, Black Tie Dinner.”
Pierre Ravoni – Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2003 Taylor’s has a lovely ripe, primal bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, vanilla and marmalade that shows slightly better delineation than the Fonseca. The palate is medium-bodied with very composed, refined tannins that belie the heat of that summer. There is wonderful focus here and fine tension, the finish offering precise notes of black cherries, mulberry, cloves and white pepper. This is one of the finest Ports of a precocious vintage. Tasted May 2013.”