Broc Cellars Makes you Rethink Cabernet
When you think of California Cabernet, probably many things come to mind. Rich. Oaky. Expensive. Today’s wine will make you rethink the category.
Gour de Chaule Gigondas Cuvee Eugene 2016
Gour de Chaule is a bastion of traditional wine-making in the AOC. Their history dates back to Great-Grandfather Eugene, who started the winery in 1900.
Simple Pleasure from Bordeaux? Really?
Bordeaux is a big place, and today we’re going to travel many miles from the place where those kinds of more serious wines are made. Leave the Medoc and all its Rothschild splendor, cross the city of Bordeaux, and traverse up the Garonne river another 40 kilometers or so.
New Discovery: Natural Sauvignon Blanc from the Pfalz
If you’ve ever had the wonderful Sauvignon Blancs from Von Winning, you know that Germany’s Pfalz district (adjacent to Alsace in France) is very much capable of being a secret source of this noble grape. Today, we offer an alt version of Von Winning’s Sauvignon Blanc: an all natural gem made by Stefan Bietighofer.
Rocks and Minerals from Domaine de Montbourgeau
Over the decades, Montbourgeau has become known for their white wines; like the best in the region, they are complex with saline notes, waxy yellow fruit and, above all, tons of intense minerality. You can taste the terroir.
Rasteau: Your New Years Value Red
The Domaine de Trapadis makes one of our favorite Rasteaus, as they produce wines that are pure-fruited, chiseled, and possess none of the heaviness that you get from some Rhones. Their wines are delicious cooler-weather wine, offering fruit that is generous and warming but never over-powering.
Pecina: Traveling to Rioja
Drive south of Bilbao, Spain and you will eventually emerge from the green, lush hills of Basque country and descend into what looks at first like a desert.You have arrived in Rioja, and it’s not really a desert but instead the most famous wine region of Spain.
Vilmart: A Grower Champagne that Bucks the Trend
Champagne Growers aren’t limited to any one style, and we love what Vilmart brings to the table (ideally your dining room table): a Grower Champagne that is rich and luxurious. In fact, we recently had one of Vilmart’s importers come by the shop to indulge us in a blind tasting that featured Vilmart head-to-head against one of the most rich and luxurious wines of them all, Krug, and it was unquestionably the case that Vilmart’s was the better wine.
Ferrando: 2019 was Great in Carema Too
The 2019 vintage in Piemonte is on the minds of Nebbiolo maniacs around the world. Blessed with intensity and concentration, the wines of the top producers are bound for incredibly long, delicious lives and the scores in the press and the prices in the market clearly reflect this deserved excitement.
Montevertine: Non-Chianti Sangiovese Magic
Montevertine's wines do what only our very favorite Chiantis can: they are purely, deliciously Chianti, but also perfect expressions of their limestone-soiled Radda subzone. And their new release of the "basic" Pian del Ciampolo and their mid-priced "Montevertine” prove it.
Nanclares: Salty, Simple Albarino
Albariño is one of our favorite under-the-radar varieties. It’s minerally, versatile and terroir-transparent, and it’s still possible to find extraordinary examples of this grape from Galicia’s best winemakers for less than $30.
Blissful Blends from Château Ollieux Romanis
Chateau Ollieux Romanis is a benchmark producer in Corbieres. The estate’s wine producing history dates back to the 18th century but it was very recently reunited after being split for over 130 years. Since then they’ve earned themselves an international reputation with their suave, satisfying wines.