Newsletter
December 7, 2015 – January 14, 2016
(At Significantly Reduced Prices)
Bandol
2010 Bandol (Château de Pibarnon)
Regular Price $49.99 – Sale Price $39.99 NET
Bandol is the great red wine of Provence. In the seaside village of Bandol the Mourvèdre grape thrives, producing deep, scented wines. The 2010 from Pibarnon features hearty blackberry fruit, gorgeous ripe tannins, and a spicy, foresty finish.
Cru Barbaresco
2011 Barbaresco ‘Ovello’ (Cantina del Pino)
Regular Price $49.99 – Sale Price $39.99 NET
Renato Vacca’s Barbarescos are sculpted masterpieces. The Ovello vineyard is the apex of his production, and the 2011 will age gracefully into an ethereal beauty with its underlying juiciness and long, lean finish.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2013 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Clos du Mont Olivet)
Regular Price $35.99– Sale Price $27.99 NET
When it comes to affordable, ageable, traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Clos du Mont Olivet always delivers. The 2013 is a more approachable vintage, with jammy raspberry flavor, but it will age and improve for another ten years.
Pouilly-Fuissé
2013 Pouilly Fuissé ‘Vieilles Vignes’ (Domaine Guerrin)
Regular Price $29.99 – Sale Price $23.99 NET
Now that the Montrachets and the Meursaults have priced themselves into the ionosphere, Pouilly-Fuissé has become an affordable white Burgundy again. Domaine Guerrin’s 2013 from old vines is a full-bodied, rich wine with a long, flinty finish.
Wachau Grüner
2014 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel ‘Hinter der Burg’ (Prager)
Regular Price $37.99 – Sale Price $29.99 NET
Classed Growth Médoc
2012 Cru Classé Médoc (Château Cantemerle)
Regular Price $43.99– Sale Price $34.99 NET
Château Cantemerle, a fifth growth Medoc, has been quietly making great wines the last few vintages and the prices have been reasonable given the long history of the estate. The 2012 is a charmer, with sweetly floral aromas, a lovely, earthy, dry palate, and an elegant, long finish.
Vin Jaune
2008 Arbois Vin Jaune (Jacques Puffeney)
Regular Price $89.99 – Sale Price $69.99 NET
Arbois Vin Jaune from the Jura is a fascinating dry white wine. It is made entirely with the Savagnin grape variety, aged for 6 and a half years in barrels under a layer of natural yeast, and bottled in its own 620 ml bottle called a Clavelin. The result is a steely, crisp wine with an intense precision of flavors like walnuts and mushrooms. It is a magic combination with the Comté cheese of the region and is also amazing with chicken and mushrooms if you use a bit of the wine in the sauce. Jacques Puffeney is one of the best producers in the Jura and now that he has announced his retirement and sold his vineyards his wines be will even more cherished. This 2008 amazes.
Amarone
2010 Amarone Classico ‘Ravazzol’ (Ca’ la Bionda)
Regular Price $49.99 – Sale Price $39.99 NET
Ca’ la Bionda excels in making a drier-styled Amarone. This wine comes from the Ravazzol vineyard, a limestone slope with vines that average an amazing 50 to 70 years of age. After harvest the grapes are dried until late January, during which time they lose 40 percent of their weight in water and yield a rich, concentrated must. After a long, slow fermentation the wine is aged in 3000 liter barrels for 36 months. The 2010 is a powerful, tannic wine, but paradoxically light and elegant all the same. Its gorgeous color and panoramic nose of violets and dried fruits make this labor-intensive wine a particularly impressive feat.
Listed prices are honored through January 14th, 2016. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 40, No. 1
2013 Penedès ‘Mas Petit’ (Parés Balta)
2014 Rueda (Menade)
Hold onto your Homburgs, Scheurebe is not a cross between Silvaner and Riesling, but a cross between Riesling and an unknown variety. Lost in the mists of time between 1916 and now is knowledge of exactly what Georg Scheu concocted at the Alzey research center in the Rheinhessen. Though production is declining, there is still interest in this intense, refreshing white grape. Geil in the Pfalz has made a bone-dry 2014 Scheurebe that has the racy flavors of Riesling along with hints of black currant and grapefruit. Try this with all the spicy curries in your repertoire.
We were fortunate to receive a second shipment of the great Cuvée S Pouilly-Fumé from Hubert Veneau. The 2014 is a great Sauvignon Blanc laden with the fine flinty minerality that the Silex soils bring to the grape. Have this full-flavored dry white with a roast salmon and a side of wilted spinach.
The Monferrato region in Piedmont is said to be the ancestral 
Francois Cazin is a thoughtful vigneron who makes compelling great-value wines in Cheverny. Even in less-than-great vintages he makes wine that surprises with its focus and concentration, so it is gratifying to see what he does with an excellent vintage. The 2014 vintage in the Loire was gilded by a warm and dry September. This 2014, a blend of Sauvignon and Chardonnay, has wonderful aromas of citrus and pear followed by an overall crispness and a big, long finish. Have this beautiful white with haddock atop some garlic-laced greens.
Delhommeau’s Saint Vincent cuvée is one of the best values in Muscadet. Now after a long wait we have received their 2010 Clos Armand old-vine super cuvée. This has all the powerful earthy mineral flavors of sur lie aged Muscadet along with polished roundness and real depth. A great match with a simple steamed lobster.
Dow’s Vintage Ports have long been among the best, but it has been in recent years that their LBV has shown a significant rise in quality. The 2009 is packed with dark plum and fig fruit along with suggestions of chocolate and baking spices. Break out the stilton and walnuts, but do not hesitate to try it with the Old Quebec cheddar from the cheese department.
Domaine de la Janasse’s Réserve Côtes du Rhône is made from Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, and Mourvèdre grapes grown in vineyards adjacent to their Châteauneuf du Pape vineyards. The 2012 is a polished, rich red with black pepper, provençal herbs, and dark, concentrated fruit. This will pair best with a slow roasted leg of lamb.
Folks who liked the initial release of Spencer Trappist Ale will probably adore their new Holiday Ale. Its light brown color and light spiciness is beautifully balanced between fruity sweet and hoppy dry. Have this with a roast turkey and all the holiday trimmings.
Prosecco Brut (Valdo)
Cava Brut Nature Reserva (German Gilabert)
Sale Price $13.99 – $151.09 case of twelve
This is the season for triple-crème, which pairs so well with sparkling wines. From the Côtes Du Rhône area of Southeast France, Saint Angel is a soft-ripened square of pasteurized cow’s milk with a thin, bloomy, hint-of-mushroom rind and decadent buttery paste.
From Caseificio dell’Alta Langa in Piedmont, Italy, a gorgeous soft-ripened pasteurized goat’s milk robiola. Cakey at the center, it softens as it meets the thin, rippled rind. Calm in 
At 7 years, this is the oldest cheddar that we offer, and it’s intense! The texture is smooth and not as crumbly as one would expect from a cheddar of this vintage, which renders it more versatile and easier to work with. It retains the robust flavor of a younger cheddar and adds some serious tang. Made in Quebec with raw cow’s milk.
2013 Pinot Blanc (Trimbach)
2014 Pays d’Hérault Carignan (Mont Gravet)
2014 Pé Tinto (Esporão)