Newsletter
October 18, 2024 – November 17, 2024
Soave
2021 Soave Classico (Gini)
Regular Price $19.99 – $203.90 case of twelve
Sale Price $14.99 – $152.90 case of twelve
Rina Russa
2022 Frappato ‘Rina Russa’ (Santa Tresa)
Regular Price $16.99 – $173.30 case of twelve
Sale Price $14.99 – $152.90 case of twelve
This is one of our favorite Sicilian reds and a great value. Santa Tresa’s organic Frappato grapes are grown in a vineyard of red sand. This results in an elegant red with mellow tannins. Give it a slight chill and serve with roasted vegetable couscous.
A True Classico
2018 Chianti Classico (Fonterutoli)
Regular Price $27.99 – $285.50 case of twelve
Sale Price $21.99 – $224.30 case of twelve
The Castello di Fonterutoli has been around since 1208 and the current owners, the Mazzei clan, have been there since 1435. The location in Castellina is prime Chianti Classico and the 2018 is ripe and ready. This has a wonderful forest floor aroma and lively cherry and juniper flavors. A great match for pork chops with garlic and sage.
The Liar
2020 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso ‘Il Bugiardo’ (Buglioni)
Regular Price $29.99 – $305.90 case of twelve
Sale Price $24.99 – $254.90 case of twelve
Pianrosso Brunello
2017 Brunello di Montalcino ‘Pianrosso’ (Ciacci Piccolomini)
Regular Price $84.99 – $866.90 case of twelve
Sale Price $74.99 – $764.90 case of twelve
Brunello di Montalcino has climbed to the top of the Tuscan hierarchy. These pure Sangiovese wines have proven to be super concentrated and exceptionally long lived. Ciacci Piccolomini makes an excellent entry-level Brunello, but for a few extra dollars their Pianrosso delivers an extra dose of intensity and elegance. Only produced in the best vintages, the Pianrosso spends 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels to add complexity and soften its tannins. The 2017 is now entering its mature drinking phase. Open for an hour before serving and this deep, dark red will be beautiful with a grilled porterhouse, or equally excellent with a mushroom ragù.
Listed prices are honored through November 17th, 2024. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 48, No. 11
Last month, we featured a Reuilly as a more affordable Sancerre-adjacent Sauvignon Blanc. This month, we continue our tour around Sancerre with this Menetou-Salon. The Raimbault family has been making wine in Sancerre for four centuries, but have recently expanded into its well-respected neighbor next door. Both appellations share similar soils, climate, and signature grape, but thankfully diverge in price. Their 2022 Menetou-Salon comes from a single vineyard which is worthy of its own cuvée. It’s a fresh and balanced Sauvignon Blanc brimming with lime peel and white blossoms over a backbone of striking minerality. If you ever find yourself in Sancerre in need of an elevating experience, take a ride in one of the Raimbault’s many hot air balloons to taste their wines while looking down at the vineyards that bore them. For the rest of us stuck on land, a glass with a scallop and avocado ceviche will be almost as magical. 
It takes a lot for the stodgy wine authorities in Burgundy to alter their venerated appellation system. But in 1999 they rewarded growers in the Mâcon villages of Viré and Clessé with their own appellation, putting Viré-Clessé on equal par with neighboring Pouilly-Fuissé and for that matter the revered Puligny-Montrachet. It certainly helped that two of the best producers of the Mâconnais, Jean Thevenet and Henri Goyard (now retired), had long produced delicious and age-worthy wines from the region. A recent taste of the 2022 from Cordier confirmed a new source for this excellent white Burgundy. This is a rich, rounded, dry Chardonnay with flavors of ripe pears and roasted grains. A great white for a roasted sea bass stuffed with fennel.
We thought for sure the days of sub-$20 Burgundy Pinot Noir were over, but we are happy to be proven wrong. This entry-level Bourgogne Rouge happens to also come from the Mâconnais in Southern Burgundy. Though Chardonnay firmly dominates here, small amounts of Pinot Noir and Gamay are also grown and make friendly and approachable red wines. This may not have the cachet and complexity of Village or Cru-level Burgundy from the Côte d’Or, but the 2022 makes a pleasing and affordable introduction to an increasingly unaffordable region. The supple body, fine tannins, fresh red cherry fruit, and hint of damp earth characteristic of French Pinot are all there. Lovely with a roast chicken and new potatoes. 
Rosés are now consumed year round, but we don’t want to have every rosé we featured in the summer around for the fall. Luckily, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a super juicy, contra-seasonal rosé. Cerasuolo means cherry-red, and the deep color and flavor extracted from the Montepulciano grape shows this off brilliantly. Atilia’s 2023 is a dark, chewy rosé with tart fruit flavors and peppery spice. This makes it delicious with the peppery foods of Abruzzo. Try this with a hot squid salad or a spicy pasta dish loaded with peperoncini. 
2018 St. Émilion Grand Cru (Château 
Roter Veltliner grows in Austria, but is genetically unrelated to Grüner Veltliner. Testing reveals it is close to Silvaner. Wimmer-Czerny is an organic producer and their 2022 Roter is a full-flavored, spicy, and minerally dry white. Try this delicious exotic white with pad thai or an herb-and-garlic-rubbed roast chicken.
