Category Archives: Wineries We Cherish

Delamotte – Extended Tirage Masterpieces

8-20-2020

Delamotte is best known as the more affordable arm of Salon—the original luxury-collectible single vineyard Blanc de Blancs from Le Mesnil. While that’s understandable, it tends to ignore the fact that Delamotte is a Champagne house of not in its own right (it’s much easier for other merchants to shout “Salon for $$” than to sell the Champagne on its own merit). If one were making a case for Delamotte as a great producer on their own, you could look no further than their “Collection” wines.

These are the peak of the Delamotte range, held on the lees longer and disgorged late to capture the full glory of mature Champagne. They have the racy brightness of their Cote de Blancs origins balanced against toasty, rich flavors that only come with age. The best comparison for these wines might be Bollinger’s “RD” series, except that Bollinger always works from a place of power and Delamotte from elegance and finesse.

The only challenge with these wines is finding them—they’re extremely rare and so when we discover a parcel of them, we jump on it as quickly as we can. We’ve managed to secure a few different vintages, some of which have already sold out. The rest won’t last long.

In Stock Now:

Delamotte Blanc De Blancs Collection, Champagne 2000 750ML ($249.95) $219 special
Delamotte Blanc De Blancs Collection, Champagne 2000 1.5L ($599.95) $499 special

Delamotte Blanc De Blancs Collection, Champagne 2002 1.5L ($599.95) $499 special, 2 magnums in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2002 Blanc de Blancs Millésimé Collection is showing superbly, bursting from the glass with aromas of lemon curd, lime zest, white flowers, praline and walnut oil. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with muscular structuring extract, incisive acids and a long, complex finish. This is a beautifully complete, expressive vintage Delamotte that is beginning to drink well.”

Delamotte Blanc De Blancs Collection, Champagne 1999 750ML ($249.95) $219 special, SOLD OUT!
Wine Advocate 94 points “From a very warm and generous year, the 1999 Blanc de Blancs Collection (disgorged in October 2015) offers a rich and intense bouquet of ripe Chardonnay and buttercup. Rich, super ripe and intense, but also precise on the palate, this is a full-bodied, complex, mineral and fresh Champagne. It is very well-defined and even finesse-full, with great tension. This is at perfect maturity. It is a simply a great vintage Champagne that has been produced only in the vintages of 1964, 1970, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1990, 1999, 2000 and 2002.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “Flavors of baked plum, lemon preserves, biscotti and crystallized honey are enlivened and focused by well-cut acidity that firms this harmonious Champagne. Lacy in texture and fresh, with a zesty finish of delicate spice and mineral details. Disgorged 2018. Drink now through 2024. 25 cases imported.”
Antonio Galloni 92 points “The 1999 Brut Vintage (Collection) is a gorgeous wine that will especially please readers who enjoy Champagnes with the nuance that develops with time in bottle. Apricot jam, orange peel, hazelnut, dried flowers and lightly honeyed notes all develop in a rich, burnished Champagne endowed with tons of nuance intermingled with the freshness that Chardonnay in the Côte des Blancs expresses so eloquently. Certainly, the 1999 is a bit rustic relative to recent vintages here, but it nevertheless offers fine drinking.”

Borgogno & Figli Derthona Timorasso

Borgogno & Figli Derthona Timorasso – 8-18-2020

Arriving Friday, August 21st

Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Derthona Timorasso Colli Tortonesi, Piedmont 2018 750ML ($69.95) $54.50 pre-arrival special
Grapelive 94 point “A few years ago, Walter Massa of Vigneti Massa almost single handedly brought the rare Timorasso grape back from extinction and now it is one of the hottest white wines made in the Piedmonte region. We are seeing many great producers jumping on the bandwagon, including the famed Vietti and this beautiful expression by the legendary Barolo maker Borgogno. Tasted at Slow Wine earlier this year, the 2018 Borgogno Derthona DOC should be arriving to the United States soon, though you’ll have to really work hard to get your hands on it as it is extremely limited, but you’ll be greatly rewarded for your hard work and search if you get your hands on it. Borgogno’s Timorasso from organic vines is lightly floral, medium bodied with a lovely texture and fine minerality. It delivers a polished and lively performance highlighting the grape’s best qualities with layers of peach, citrus and quince fruits, leesy notes, white flowers and an array of herb and spices along with a nice saline and wet stone element. Derthona is the ancient name for Tortona, the town in southeast Piemonte, hence the appellation Colli Tortonesi (Tortona Hills) name. The Timorasso is widely believed to be one of the longest-aging white varieties in Italy, with many of the producers saying it takes a few years to get itself together in the bottle, adding a depth of flavor and making more of a palate impact with honeyed notes. It deserves serious attention, going well with a variety of foods including poultry, pork and fatty fish and decedent shellfish, even lobster or crab dishes. The Borgogno Timorasso doesn’t come cheap compared to other examples, like the Massa, which I also recommend trying, but it is a gorgeous white wine that is joyous rarity, that will be great addition to the cellar or a special occasion. The Borgogno Dertona DOC comes from the Monleale, [an area of] mostly hillsides around Tortona set on classic clay and limestone soils with good ripening coming from the great southeast and southwest exposures. [The terroir makes] for a more full bodied version, in some ways like the dry rich Alsatian Rieslings, but with a bit more softness and opulence, like Burgundy, especially when allowed to age. This 2018… is very refined and has remarkable clarity with a delicate light pale color and subtle acidity, which is very rounded. Borgogno, also known as “Giacomo Borgogno & Figli” which was founded back in 1761 by Bartolomeo Borgogno, was one of the very first elite Barolo producers and has an amazing track record for great wines, with their Nebbiolo bottlings being some of the most desirable wines in Italy. The Farinetti family acquired this historic winery in 2008, but is firmly committed to quality and the estate’s traditions… The 2015 marked the first vintage of their Timorasso white after the purchase of vineyard sites and the conversion to all organic practices. Borgogno also brought back the use of concrete for fermentations to give an extra element of classic and soulful expression to the wines throughout the range…”

Snowden: Napa Valley’s Best-Kept Open Secret

Snowden – 8/16/2020

Offering one of Napa Valley’s best quality-to-price ratios, Snowden has earned the respect of both its peers and consumers alike. Today we’re thrilled to offer their 2016 “Brother” bottling, as well as two vintages (2016 and 2017) of “The Ranch” bottling. Both wines punch well above their weight, offering what many consider the region’s best sub-$100 and sub-$50 Cabs respectively.

Located at the confluence of several of Napa Valley’s most acclaimed appellations, including Rutherford and St. Helena, Snowden is a Beverly Hills estate without the 90210 zip code. This location, on the gentle hillside of the Vaca Mountains, allows the estate’s third generation winemaker Diana Snowden Seysses to produce wines of power and nuance. Having trained in both Napa and Europe, her wines combine prototypical Napa muscle with freshness and intricate fruit. Napa Valley producers, especially those with comparable pedigrees that so convincingly achieve this balancing act, are notoriously expensive. Snowden is a rare Napa classic which remains relatively affordable.

The quality of the estate’s fruit has been an open secret within the valley for decades, and many of Napa’s most respected names have purchased fruit over the years, including Silver Oak and Caymus. However, we’re here to publically out Snowden for the greater good. These prices do not reflect the quality on offer, and the wines deserve a place on your dinner table.

In Stock Now:

Snowden Vineyards ‘Brothers Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2016 750ML ($89.95) $79 special
#91 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2019
Antonio Galloni 96+ points “The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Brothers is the best wine I have tasted from Diana Snowden-Seysses. Rich, explosive and savory, the 2016 dazzles with intensity in all of its dimensions. Graphite, smoke, savory herbs and spice notes wrap around a core of dark fruit in a vertical, towering Cabernet Sauvignon that captures all the vintage has to offer.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “Offers a tasty core of plum and blackberry fruit, backed by lively anise and apple wood notes. Restrained overall, with an alluring freshness and a subtle charcoal hint lingering deftly at the end. Drink now through 2032. 639 cases made.”

Snowden Vineyards The Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2016 750ML ($59.95) $49 special
Antonio Galloni 93 points “Snowden’s 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon The Ranch is gorgeous. Dark, powerful and beautifully structured, the 2016 Ranch is a huge overachiever. In 2016, the Ranch is a wine of real power, gravitas and character. Black cherry, plum, lavender and savory herbs all develop in the glass, but it is the wine’s persistence and overall balance that stands out in this deeply flavorful, classically built Cabernet from Snowden. Best of all, the 2016 is a superb wine for the money.”
James Suckling 92 points “Elderberries, blueberries, blackberries and hints of hazelnuts and walnuts. Medium to full body, focused acidity and a medium-chewy finish. Drink in 2022.”

Snowden Vineyards The Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2017 750ML ($54.95) $41.90 special
Antonio Galloni 90 points “The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon The Ranch is an attractive, mid-weight wine that shows the more gracious, understated side of the year. Floral and spice notes give the 2017 lovely aromatics to play off a core of sweet red berry fruit. This is a very pretty wine.”

Sequitur

April 2020

Sequitur Extends Mike Etzel’s

Beaux Freres Legacy

Mike Etzel, the founder and winemaker of Sequitur, is a living legend in the Willamette Valley. He co-founded Beaux Freres in the late 80’s and was the winemaker there until recently passing the duties to his son. Never one to rest on his laurels or stay still, though, he began planting a vineyard adjacent to Beaux Freres in 2010—a project that became what we know as Sequitur.

It’s helpful to think of Sequitur as a distillation of everything Mike Etzel learned while starting and producing Beaux Freres over the decades. The Sequitur vineyard sits right next to the Beaux Freres “Upper Terrace” but is planted to a wider array of clones at tighter spacing. It’s been farmed biodynamically since the beginning and is sheltered with Douglas Fir—in short, it’s the fully realized vision of a man who’s helped define Willamette Valley Pinot.

The winemaking style is exactly what you’d expect—these are wines that are made by the same hand that delivered so many high scores to Beaux Freres (though his son, Mikey, is the day-to-day winemaker). Big, powerful and bold, these nevertheless have energy and grace that we think comes from the extra-attentive farming and unique clonal selection in the vineyard. In short order, they’ve established themselves as one of the very best producers in the Willamette Valley and deserve your attention as such.

Jean-Marc Millot – Glorious Burgundies

Jean-Marc Millot – Grand Crus

(and Some That Should Be)

March 16, 2020

At this point, it’s amazing that there are hidden gems left to discover in Burgundy. No other region in the wine world is as scrutinized, and the market is generally efficient and ruthless in finding quality. That a producer like Jean-Marc Millot could somehow escape widespread attention until the last few years boggles the mind, especially when given the quality of his holdings.

This is a domaine making excellent wines from very old vines in some of the best vineyards in France. They own parcels in the Grand Crus of Echezeaux, Grands-Echezeaux and Clos Vougeot—and their only premier cru wine is from Suchots, which is easily Grand Cru in quality (and location). Most wineries would kill to be able to make any one of those Grand Crus—to produce all three is a luxury that few have.

To produce these vineyards at this quality? Well, it’s only a matter of time before Jean-Marc Millot blows up. These are fantastic bottles of Burgundy, with loads of Vosne character and finessed, pure personalities. Lovers of Burgundy, you won’t see verticals of these wines available often, so grab them while you can.

See the complete list below or shop on our webstore!

Arriving ETA Late March: