Newsletter
October 18, 2022 – November 14, 2022
From October 18th through November 14th
Le Pigeoulet
2019 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse (Le Pigeoulet)
Sale Price $17.99 – $172.70 case of twelve
While we appreciate the French appellation system for its logical aspects, it still has its head-scratching idiosyncrasies. Le Pigeoulet from the Famille Brunier (of Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s Vieux Télégraphe) is produced from wines from the full-fledged appellations of Côtes du Rhone and Ventoux, but when blended it becomes a humble Vin de Pays de Vaucluse and thus a great bargain. Here old vine Grenache delivers a deep, dark red with olives, plums, and leather. Great for a roast leg of lamb and garlic stuffed eggplant.
Apremont
2021 Apremont ‘Cuvée Gastronomie’ (Jean Perrier)
Sale Price $13.99 – $134.30 case of twelce
Fondue season is upon us and this Apremont is the ideal accompaniment. This stony, minty, and dry Savoyard white made from Jacquère is cool and fresh with just enough cut to match melted cheese and boiled potatoes. Equally good with a flash-sautéed sole meunière.
La Pepie
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine (La Pepie)
Sale Price $13.99 – $134.30 case of twelve
Pinot & Gamay
2020 Coteaux-Bourguignons ‘Les Deux Complices’ (Jean-Baptiste Duperray)
Sale Price $13.99 – $134.30 case of twelve
Les Deux Complices is a spicy and fruit-laden blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir. This is essentially an affordable, quaffable red Burgundy. Great for a roasted salmon along with garlic and rosemary potatoes.
Collioure
2020 Collioure ‘La Bergerie des Abeilles’ (Domaine de la Rectorie)
Sale Price $15.99 – $153.50 case of twelve
Buried in deep southeast Roussillon along the Mediterranean and the Spanish border, the appellation of Collioure is little known and underrated. Domaine de la Rectorie’s dry reds are stellar as is their Banyuls desscrt wine (see inside). Falling into the value category is their organic Bergerie des Abeilles. This plum-scented, earthy red is perfect for a cassoulet with duck confit or a grilled tuna steak.
Gigondas
2020 Gigondas ‘Les Terres’ (Domaine de Piéblanc)
Sale Price $24.99 – $239.90 case of twelve
Case prices reflect 20% sale discount!
Listed prices are honored through November 14th, 2022. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 46, No. 11
Schioppettino is rarely grown outside of Italy’s northeastern region of Friuli, where it is mostly produced in the DOC of Friuli Colli Orientali. Even within this small area, it is at its best near the commune of Prepotto, which is now a recognized subzone. Though nearly wiped out after phylloxera devastated the area’s vineyards in the early 20th century, Schioppettino was rescued in the 1970s thanks to the efforts of a few families and the mayor of Prepotto, who planted the variety surreptitiously while lobbying for legal recognition. Now it is regarded as one of the great red wines of Friuli. This is an elegant medium-bodied red with dark fruit, violet aromas, and peppery spice framed with gentle, ripe tannins. Try with sausages and roasted rosemary potatoes topped with melted raclette. 
Diano d’Alba and Dogliani are two high-elevation villages that have fittingly been given the top designation for Dolcetto in Piedmont. Fortunately, we grabbed the last cases available of the 2020 from Einaudi. This is a gorgeous, generous purple beauty that is great with pasta, rice, and mushrooms.
We are not-so-secret devotees of the Veronese wines of Soave and Valpolicella. To us Soave is an underrated and delicious dry white with a gorgeous balance of crisp fruit and soft minerality. Valpolicella is a bit more complicated. At one end there is charming, fresh, fruity Valpolicella, and at the other end there is full-bodied, dense Amarone. Ca’ La Bionda makes excellent versions of these, but truly excels with wines in their middle range from their Casal Vegri vineyard. Every year they make a delightful fresh version (the current vintage 2019 has a lovely balance of fruit and forest floor flavor). Only in exceptional vintages do they age a few barrels from Casal Vegri for 10 years, which becomes the Decennale. The 2010 has just arrived and it’s amazing. At first there are dried fruit aromas and hints of leather. The palate remains fresh and lively, but it is the finish that shows why Ca’ La Bionda makes this wine. The length is impressive, expansive, and full of complex, deep, delicious flavors. This is not a Ripasso nor an Amarone; it is a beautifully mature dry red to meditate over with cheese and charcuterie.
The Monemvasia winery is back with an organic white that blends two grape varieties important in their corner of the Peloponnese. Kydonitsa and Assyrtiko work together marvelously to make a fresh and nuanced white with zesty grapefruit aromas, soft quince fruit, herbal sage notes, and a long, minerally, dry finish. Great as an apéritif with oysters, fish crudo, or soft cheeses.
Alexander Loersch has made a splash on the German wine scene, and now you have a chance to let him make a splash in your glass. This dry Riesling has a juicy bounce and playful acidity that make it a delicious accompaniment for pork chops with applesauce. You will find gracious minerality that comes from the blue slate (Blauschiefer) which gives this wine its name. The 2020 was spontaneously fermented in stainless steel vats to let the crisp and zesty fruit truly shine. A zippy delight!
During the 1970s the Godello grape was on the verge of extinction. Only a few hundred vines remained in Galicia. Rescued and thriving, today it is the favored white grape across the Denominacions of Valdeorras, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, and Monterrei. The 2021 Fraga do Corvo is our new favorite. The wine name and label refer to the crows that sit on the electrical wires near the vineyard and perform a ‘natural’ grape selection, reducing the yield and increasing concentration. This collaboration creates a deep, rich, dry white with herbs, minerals, and crunchy orchard fruits. A lovely wine for scallops and assorted shellfish.
Stefan Bollig-Lehnert does not appear to have caught the bug to produce dry Rieslings. Instead, he likes wines with a balance between ripe fruit and crisp freshness. This 2018 Auslese turns up the dial considerably. This is an unabashedly sweet Riesling. His personal three star designation indicates that this wine could qualify for Beerenauslese, but that he likes to over deliver. Here one smells a panorama of perfect fruits and then a wave of tactile sweet flavors accented by lively crispness. Try this as the fall season lingers with apple and pumpkin pie and aged cheddar cheese.
The great Roussillon Vin Doux Naturel, Banyuls will forevermore be associated with chocolate. And there’s a reason for that, because they are absolutely delicious together. Banyuls is made like Port but doesn’t require long aging. The 2020 from Rectorie is sweet but structured with cherry fruit and pleasing dusty tannins. This will be a great match with your favorite bar of chocolate, but also with a cake or a mousse.
2020 Douro Tinto (Castello d’Alba)