Category Archives: Wineries We Cherish

Wine of the Day: Saint Cosme Les Deux Albion 2014 10-14-16

Chateau de Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Les Deux Albion 2014 750ML ($21.95) Buy Now: $16.60 special

Louis Barruol has 14 generations of winemaking on his side at Château Saint-Cosme. Since 1490, Barruol’s family represents Rhône winemaking better, and more exhaustively, than most. The Saint-Cosme line-up of Gigondas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Côte-Rotie impresses wine connoisseurs and critics every year, which makes the Côtes du Rhône Les Deux Albion a smart choice for a table wine. Côtes du Rhône reds provide delicious early drinking, and the 2014 vintage lends a touch of lightness to the plump nature of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre. Let a breeze of garrigue and Rhône warmth help you keep it summer on the inside, no matter the time of year, for well under twenty bucks.… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: CVNE Cune Crianza 2012 Rioja 10-12-16

CVNE Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana Cune Crianza, Rioja DOCa 2012 750ML ($14.95) Buy Now: $11.90 special

Order a glass of Crianza at a bar or restaurant in Spain, and odds are they’ll have Cune to pour. Ripe, balanced, and full of bright cherry notes, Cune is, before anything else, delicious. It also happens to go well with a variety of foods, from classic jamón and cheese, to steaks and roasts, even with fish in Spain. But that price! Una locura! At $11.90 a bottle, anyone with a taste for Spanish wine, for Tempranillo, or for a superb table red should add a bit of Cune to the bodega. Trust in its ubiquity in the land where they drink wine the way we drink bottled water.… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Saint Cosme Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2012 10-4-16

Chateau de Saint Cosme Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2012 750ML ($49.95) Buy Now: $39 special, 36+ bottles available

Case-6 Chateau de Saint Cosme Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2012 750ML ($239.95) Buy Now: $219 special

Louis Barruol has 14 generations of winemaking on his side at Saint Cosme. His family represents Rhone winemaking better, and more exhaustively, than most. Gigondas may be home for Saint Cosme, but when it comes to making Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Barruol changes his cap. The wine – 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 18% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault, 2% Clairette – ages for 24 months in used oak barrels, for example, and is bottled without filtration. For a year like 2012, this results in a wine of finesse and freshness: classic, you might say. Delicious, you could also say: ask the critics.… Read the rest

Winery of the Week: Domaine Huet, Moelleux 2015 9-30-16

Domaine Huet, founded in 1928, makes one of the longest-lived, most balanced and expressive Chenin Blanc wines in all of France. Generations of commitment, biodynamic farming, and a traditional winemaking style result in a monument to Vouvray. The Huet Moelleux has become a classic. Its botrytis sweetness seductively displays the Chenin Blanc’s sublime ageability. Huet grows grapes in three different parcels. Le Haut-Lieu vineyard produces the most straight-forward wines. Le Mont’s low-yielding vines make supple wines. And Le Clos de Bourg, whose shallow, clay-limestone soil drains especially well, provides wines of great structure and ageing potential. Wines that sell themselves, but the Moelleux arrived today, we’ve still got some Demi-Sec, and after selling out we’re re-stocked on Sec. What cellar should go without some of Huet’s golden nectar?… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Twill Cellars Chardonnay, Willamette Valley 2014 9-28-16

Twill Cellars Chardonnay, Northern Willamette Valley 2014 750ML ($27.95) Buy Now: $24 special

Oregon Chardonnay that reflects its origins: humble, straight forward, and charming like a farmhouse in the valley where it was grown. Twill Cellars works hard at not over-working their wines. Fermentation unravels at its own pace, when and how nature says, like the leaves do in autumn. Neutral oak and no subsequent racking let the Chardonnay speak for itself, and for its home. Thanks to wines like this, I’m beginning to prefer Oregon Chardonnay to Pinot. – Daniel

Winery Note: Intense aromas of meyer lemon and white peach are complemented with notes of flint, toasted coconut and lime leaves. On the palate, concentrated and mouthwatering notes of lemon curd, fleur de sel and graham are followed with a very long, concentrated and vibrant finish.… Read the rest