Your Holiday Party Shopping Guide 12-2-2023

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Special Feature
Vinopolis Holiday Shopping Guide

Your Holiday Party Shopping Guide

Let us help you host your next holiday party under budget
without sacrificing quality!

Overwhelmed by underwhelming options at the grocery store? Let us help you make your holidays brighter with our party shopping guide. From rock-bottom to elite, we’ve put together a list for any budget and palate. Shop our curated selections below or hop to our webstore for a complete list of case discounts!

Sparkling Wines

Why overthink it when you can pour the favorite Cava on wine lists in restaurants in Portland? Let the somms do the heavy lifting – you reap the rewards!
Torre Oria Brut Cava NV $14 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Torre Oria Brut Cava NV $144 special (that’s only $12/bottle!)
Winery note “Our brut sparkling wine is the signature beverage of Torre Oria. It’s our most demanded wine worldwide and the top exporting wine of our cellars. It’s a delicate selection of the best Macabeo and Chardonnay from our region. We pursued a secondary fermentation in the bottle, which may take up to 9-10 months. This results in a complex wine with a sweet, citric, tropical and enjoyable fresh taste. It also has a well-balance bubbling that ascends beautifully in the glass. And also leaves a lovely time lasting memory.”
 
A blend of Garnacha, Pinot Noir, and Trepat, this pink bubbles is loaded with fruit and character.
Mont Marcal Brut Rosado Cava, Catalonia, Spain 2020 750ml $18 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Mont Marcal Brut Rosado Cava, Catalonia, Spain 2020 750ml $99 special (that’s only $16.50/bottle!)
Winery note “Tasting notes: Colour: Intense and attractive redcurrant with violet tones. Fine bubbles and mousse. Bouquet: Dominated by berries such as cherries and blackberries, with a base of plum and fig compote and slight evolution of the lees. Palate: On the palate it is young, fruity, fresh, soft and above all very elegant. This is an ideal cava to drink as an aperitif and with a great variety of dishes, from croquettes, soft creamy cheeses, light white fish dishes, pasta, salads of red berries, carpaccios, to dishes made with cured sausages, white meats (veal, rabbit, milk fed lamb), poultry (quails, chicken wings), strong spiced and smoked food and a great variety of cakes. The fine mousse makes it refreshing and an ideal complement to help the digestion.” 
 
What does the staff serve at their holiday soirees? Gasparini Prosecco. It combines the complexity of a Champagne in an oh so easy to swallow price. We buy it by the case (it even ages well!)
Loredan Gasparini Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Veneto, Italy NV 750ml $16 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Loredan Gasparini Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Veneto, Italy NV 750ml $168 special (that’s only $14/bottle!)
James Suckling 92 points “[Reviewed Oct 2021] Lots of initial froth here, which takes a while to subside and allow the lovely lemon and lemon blossom aromas to rise out of the glass. There are hints of licoricy chalk here, too. On the rather dense palate, the chalk turns to fresh cream and the lemon is absorbed into the creamy mineral texture with enough fizz to keep the sparkle up. Lovely, enduring and creamy yet biting finish. This is very fine Prosecco. Drink now.”
Eric Guido-Vinous 89 points “[Reviewed December 2022] The NV Brut Prosecco Superiore lifts from the glass with a savory and smoky mix of flinty stone, crushed green apple and fresh tobacco leaf. It floods the palate with a crystalline bead of fine bubbles as sweet spice and notes of baked pear settle upon the senses. This finishes a bit short yet crisp, leaving nuances of candied citrus to linger.”
 
This zero dosage Champagne offers bold berry and warm pie crust notes. Never austere or shy, this wine delivers delicious flavor with precision and poise.
Andre Clouet Silver Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature Champagne NV 750ml $39 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Andre Clouet Silver Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature Champagne NV 1.5L $89 special, 13 magnums in stock now
Andre Clouet Silver Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature Champagne NV 3L $279 special, 17 double magnums in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 92+ points “[Reviewed Apr 2021] Clouet’s NV Silver Brut Nature Grand Cru is a pure Bouzy Pinot Noir that was disgorged without any dosage. This disgorgement displays a medium intense golden color and a complex and refined bouquet of ripe and pureed apples and discreet chalky as well as brioche aromas. The palate is elegant, straight and fresh, very pure and salty on the finish. This is a challenging Brut Nature that needs to be aged for two or three years to gain complexity and finesse and to smooth its current edges. The finish is mineral, limestone and salty but also a bit drying at this moment.”
 
A sister estate to Salon offering wines at a fraction of the price, Champagne Delamotte is enchanting and captivating. Share at your next party and you might just stun your most talkative guest into silence.
Delamotte Brut, Champagne NV 750ml $59 special, 33 bottles in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 90 points “Pillowy and charming, the latest rendition of Delamotte’s NV Brut offers up attractive aromas of orchard fruit, fresh bread and citrus oil. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and elegant, with a pretty pinpoint mousse and lively balancing acids, it’s drinking well out of the gates but will also develop gracefully for a few years in the cellar.”
Wine Spectator 90 points “A creamy Champagne with a delicate mousse, featuring a subtle range of poached raspberry, lemon curd, oyster shell and almond paste flavors. Sleek and mouthwatering. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Drink now. –AN”
Importer note “Assemblage : 60% chardonnay – 35% pinot noir – 5% pinot meunier (MAJ Septembre 2021). Villages : Le Mesnil, Avize, Oger, Cramant, Ambonnay, Tours sur Marne, Vallée de la Marne. Vin de base : 2017. FML faite. Vieillissement sur lies : 36 mois. Dégorgement : Juin 2021. Dosage : 8g/l.”
 
A lesser-known producer but a bottle to crave, this elegant Champers is moderate in body and anything but in complexity.
Comte Audoin de Dampierre Grande Cuvee Brut, Champagne NV 750ml $49 special, 33 bottles in stock now
Wine Spectator 91 points “A vivacious, balanced Champagne, with the lively mousse and mouthwatering acidity framing notes of Asian pear, salted almond, verbena and ground ginger. Chalky finish. Drink now through 2024. 9,000 cases made, 800 cases imported. — AN”
 
This energetic Tête de Cuvée Champagne will leave lovers of light-bodied and delicately-colored pinks in awe.
Pommery Cuvee Louise Brut Rosé Millesime, Champagne 2004 750ml $219 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “This is a new release and shows wonderful finesse and beauty. You know that the moment you see the pale-amber color. It’s medium bodied with freshness and energy and a long, vivid finish. A joy to taste. Drink now.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “Ripe strawberry and baked white cherry flavors are set on the creamy mousse of this bright rosé Champagne, underscored by hints of almond biscotti and candied pink grapefruit peel. Clean-cut and minerally on the zesty finish. Drink now through 2027. 416 cases made, 12 cases imported.”

 
This is the only listing in the USA today!
The average price world-wide is $243

 
White / Rose Wines
 
Rich and crisp, this Rhone white offers a lot of punch in a small package.
Saint Cosme ‘Micro-Cosme’ Sauvignon – Viognier, Vin de France 2022 750ml $14 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
50 % Viognier, 50 % Sauvignon.
Importer note “Sauvignon Blanc brings acidity to the blend while Viognier provides fleshiness and texture. Blending the two varieties results in an aromatic and fresh-tasting wine with aromas and flavors of lemon, grapefruit, boxwood, elderflower and mango. Micro-Cosme Blanc’s crisp and fruity flavors can be enjoyed simply on its own or with a wide range of foods. Try this wine with garden salads, ceviche, and grilled fish. Micro-Cosme Blanc is an unconventional blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc are traditionally grown in different regions but Louis Barruol believes them to be complementary. The wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks.”
 
A fruit-forward white with verve and panache that will entertain from cocktail hour through the main course. And at only $10.75/bottle by the case? A must!
MAN Family Wines ‘Free-Run Steen’ Chenin Blanc, Coastal Region, South Africa 2022 750ml $11.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 MAN Family Wines ‘Free-Run Steen’ Chenin Blanc, Coastal Region, South Africa 2022 750ml $129 special (that’s only $10.75/bottle!)
Decanter 93 points “A slightly smoky, granitic expression with more of the fynbos, dried herbs and subtle reductive notes. The acidity is perceived only slowly, but builds in the mouth to a refreshing finale that is lemony, mineral and long.”
Winery Notes “The 2022 MAN Family Wines Chenin Blanc is a light straw color. Vibrant notes of quince, pear and pineapple on the nose. White peach, green apple and a burst of citrus, with well-rounded acidity, minimality and a rich mouthfeel. Crisp and fresh, rounded acidity and medium texture on the palate.”
 
We’ll hand the mic off to Stephan Reinhardt of the Wine Advocate: “This is one of the finest two-starred Auslesen I have tasted from Markus Molitor, and it kisses the three-star level. I can only recommend buying some cases and enjoying this beauty over the next 20 to 30 years.”
Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ** White Capsule (Dry), Mosel, Germany 2017 750ml $66 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ** White Capsule (Dry), Mosel, Germany 2017 750ml $369 special (that’s only $61.50/bottle!)
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 97 points “From 80- to 120-year-old vines, the intensely citrus-yellow colored 2017 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese ** (White Capsule) offers an absurdly deep, highly intense, complex and concentrated bouquet with lime confit, perfectly ripe white stone fruits and flinty notes of crushed stones and lemon zest. On the palate, this is a dense, rich and powerful yet highly elegant and seamlessly textured Sonnenuhr with very fine tannins and a tightly woven structure that channels the immense power of this dry Riesling. ‘Physical drinking starts here,’ Markus Molitor says with a smile, and indeed, this is a spectacularly strong and concentrated Riesling. Despite its power, density and tension, the 2017 is super elegant and silky and reveals perfectly ripe, interwoven acidity and spicy piquancy. This is a fascinating Riesling with outstanding finesse and a very long, promising finish. This is one of the finest two-starred Auslesen I have tasted from Markus Molitor, and it kisses the three-star level. I can only recommend buying some cases and enjoying this beauty over the next 20 to 30 years. Tasted in March and April 2019.”
 
Crafted by Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Cloudline’s rosé will leave you dreaming of summer while the snow falls. Flexible at table, enjoy with goat cheese tarts, savory apple dishes, and roasted chicken or pork.
Cloudline Cellars Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2021 750ml $11.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Cloudline Cellars Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2021 750ml $119 special (that’s only $9.92/bottle!)
Winemaker’s Notes (Drouhin) “The 2021 Cloudline Rosé of Pinot Noir expresses a floral nose of strawberry blossom and hawthorns. A beautiful salmon color, the wine has the lively texture of classic rosé and a flavor palate that includes strawberry, kiwi and a touch of lemongrass. Consider this a summer dream for any time of the year!”

 
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $17 (yikes!)

 
Red Wines
 
Marries the food-friendliness of Pinot with the explosively delicious flavor of Grenache.
Saint Cosme ‘Micro-Cosme’ Grenache – Pinot Noir, Vin de France NV 750ml $13.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
60% Grenache, 40% Pinot Noir. Aged in concrete tanks.
Importer note “This fusion of Grenache and Pinot Noir delivers aromas and flavors of strawberry, gingerbread, almond, cinnamon and heirloom rose. Micro-Cosme Rouge carries the Vin de France designation due to its unique production method. The wine is made from blending wines from multiple vintages in concrete tanks starting with the 1999 vintage. The result is a wine that is both vibrant and complex. Delicious with stews, grilled meats, dark fish, and tomato-based dishes such as ratatouille.”
 
A whole-cluster co-ferment of primarily Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre that offers big and bold flavors with lively tannins. Lovers of hearty American and French wines will never tire of this!
Chateau de Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Les Deux Albion, Rhone, France 2020 750ml $20.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Chateau de Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Les Deux Albion, Rhone, France 2020 750ml $225 special (that’s only $18.75/bottle!)
Chateau de Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Les Deux Albion, Rhone, France 2020 1.5L $39 special, 36+ magnums in stock now
Wine Spectator 92 points “Ripe and polished yet fresh, this red seduces with ripe, generous anise, vanilla-laced blackberry and cherry flavors, then turns dark and brooding on the palate, with smoldering iron, garrigue, menthol, black pepper and dark earth notes framed by fine-grained tannins. Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Clairette. Drink now through 2027.”
 
This light-bodied (and low alcohol) red makes an excellent pairing with appetizers; perfect for those looking for an outside of the box Pinot-alternative!
Garganuda Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy 2018 750ml $18 special, 24+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Garganuda Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy 2018 750ml $199 special (that’s only $16.58/bottle!)
Producer note “Light and agile to the palate. Fine astringency. Well balanced freshness and sapidity. Rich red berries aroma and palate.”
Importer note “Organic & biodynamic-practicing. Low sulfite. Fermented spontaneously using low-intervention. Unfined & unfiltered. 80 % Corvina; 20% Rondinella. Garganuda is a project by Andrea Fiorini who from an early age cultivated an interest in wine, thanks to the passion transmitted by his grandparents winemakers. In him, the desire to produce a wine as was once done, recovering the historical characteristics of Soave, far from conventional homologations and schemes, began to manifest itself. A desire that came true following the meeting with Stefano Menti who, with his support, allowed him to introduce into the vineyards an agriculture from biodynamic model and in the cellar spontaneous fermentation. The same school of thought Andrea applied it also when he began to cultivate black grapes and to vinify his Valpolicella. Garganuda was the first company to obtain the DOC Soave certification from the production of natural wines.”
 
What do the French elite pour for their parties? This Côte de Brouilly Beaujolais is sourced from twelve acres of the estate’s best parcels and is poured in French embassies worldwide, thus the name “Ambassades.”
Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes Cote de Brouilly Cuvee des Ambassades, Beaujolais, France 2020 750ml $25 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes Cote de Brouilly Cuvee des Ambassades, Beaujolais, France 2020 750ml $142.50 special (that’s only $23.75/bottle!)
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 93 points “Brilliant violet. Expansive, spice- and mineral-accented red fruit and spicecake scents show fine delineation and pick up a suave floral note with air. Juicy, sharply focused and alluringly sweet, offering vibrant raspberry, boysenberry and five-spice powder flavors that deepen slowly through the midpalate. Shows superb energy and finishes seamless and impressively long, with polished and reverberating mineral and floral notes.”
 
Consistently one of our fastest-selling red wines, this beloved producer is at the front wave of the new generation of modern Spain: crafting terroir-driven wines that still reflect the incredible value Spain offers. This offers the nuance of Pinot or Syrah through the lens of Mencia, a Spanish native grape.
Raul Perez Ultreia Saint Jacques, Bierzo, Spain 2021 750ml $22.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Raul Perez Ultreia Saint Jacques, Bierzo, Spain 2021 750ml $249 special (that’s only $20.75/bottle!)
Wine Advocate 93 points “The biggest volume of the winery is the 2021 Ultreia Saint Jacques, which represents some 170,000 bottles, and according to Raúl Pérez, it’s the most difficult wine to make here. They now work a lot to produce this wine, a blend of 11 wines selected from the 17 they made. It’s a wine that represents Bierzo and is from a year when they used more grapes from sandy soils. It has 13.16% alcohol and a pH of 3.66; it’s serious and restrained but juicy and easy to drink. Seventy percent of the wine matured in barrel and the rest in troncoconic oak vats.”
 
This Chateau was revamped in 2005 to focus on quality, with smaller yields and organic agricultural practices. Merlot-based, with Cab Franc and Sauv as spice, this wine has a moderate addition of new oak giving hedonistic hints of vanilla to the bold red and black fruit notes.
Chateau Goubau ‘La Source’, Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France 2015 750ml $18 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Chateau Goubau ‘La Source’, Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France 2015 750ml $99 special (that’s only $16.50/bottle!)
Winery note “The second wine of Chateau Goubau comes from the vineyard parcels facing south and south-west on the slopes bordering the domain’s natural source. Made from a blend of 95% Merlot grapes and 5% Cabernet Franc grapes, the wine is spicy and fresh with aromas of red fruits, plums and spice. On the palate the wine is crunchy and fruity with black fruit flavours and a touch of spice; the finish is lively and appealing. Drink now for next three years.”
 
A cellar-worthy red that will knock your socks off now. Bold and expressive, this is a Frenchman’s vision of a Spanish superstar grape through the lens of American terroir: worldly and captivating.
Cayuse Vineyards Impulsivo Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley 2018 750ml $129 special, 6+ bottles in stock now
Case-3 Cayuse Vineyards Impulsivo Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley 2018 750ml $375 special (that’s only $125/bottle!)
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points “Showing beautifully, with pure cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as loads of dried flowers, cedar, tobacco, and dried herbs, the 2018 Impulsivo is medium to full-bodied and has a seamless, elegant texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It shows more meaty, almost bloody nuances with time in the glass, and it’s certainly a singular expression of Tempranillo. The tannins are present yet polished and ripe, and it has a great mid-palate as well as the balance and elegance to drink nicely today yet also improve with short-term cellaring and keep for two decades.”
 
Fruit-forward with gentle tannins, this 2018 Barbaresco offers the best of both worlds: immediacy and complexity. Why wait?
Giuseppe Nada Casot, Barbaresco DOCG, Italy 2018 750ml $33 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-12 Giuseppe Nada Casot, Barbaresco DOCG, Italy 2018 750ml $359 special (that’s only $29.92/bottle!)
Case-6 Giuseppe Nada Casot, Barbaresco DOCG, Italy 2018 750ml $189 special (that’s only $31.50/bottle!)
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2018 Barbaresco Casot is a fragrant and immediate wine that shows a good amount of ripeness and richness up front. This was a cool vintage overall, although the fruit ripened quickly toward the end of the growing season. There are sweet cherry aromas with spice and licorice. The wine drapes over the palate with silky and smooth intensity. The Casot vineyard is distinguished by layers of bluish tufo soil and layers of looser sand. Production is 10,000 bottles.”
 
Sweet Wines
 
Sugar and spice and everything nice, this lightly sweet Riesling plays well with fruit tarts and cheese courses, without the cloying richness of a true dessert wine (you know, the bottles that you never seem to have an occasion to open!)
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spatlese, Nahe, Germany 2020 750ml $41.90 special, 24+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spatlese, Nahe, Germany 2020 750ml $238 special (that’s only $39.67/bottle!)
James Suckling 98 points “A giant Spätlese that’s packed to the gills with peach and berry fruit, salty minerality and supernaturally vibrant acidity. Such complexity that it’s hard to express in such a string of adjectives. Breathtaking freshness at the finish. Decades of aging potential. Drink or hold.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2020 Halenberg Riesling Spätlese is wild and spicy on the clear, fresh and elegant as well as aromatic nose. Full-bodied, piquant and juicy on the palate, this is a gorgeously aromatic Halenberg that needs years to open up and gain finesse. The Halenberg is richer, more sumptuous and sweeter than the Frühlingsplätzchen but still reductive on the finish. 8.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.”


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