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Rich, creamy whites
Gerard Betrand “Cigalus” $49.99
Liquid Farms “Golden Slope” $57.99
Bodega Chacra Mainque 2017 $64.99
Alright here we have some of my favorite things; Chardonnay and other textural white wines. We start off with retired professional rugby player turned wine maker Gerard Bertrand who took over the family winery at 22 after his father’s death. Today he has some of the largest vineyards in the Langeudoc with a staggering 850 hectares (2,048 acres) spread over several properties. He has elevated wine from the region to an entirely different level while doing it biodynamically and now he is the largest producer of biodynamic wine in the world. Any way you look at it he is a complete legend and every wine from his most affordable to his top tier are phenomenal. The Cigalus is a blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc that sees 7 to 8 months in wood and boasts ripe peach, almonds, citrus peel and honey. Liquid Farms hails from the Santa Ynez Valley and makes Chardonnay in the more restrained, acid driven, old world style. Founder Jeff Nelson and winemaker James Sparks wanted to see what California could do with a lighter hand and less oak. The Golden Slope is their homage to Meursault; candied almonds, honeysuckle, lemon sorbet and just a kiss of oak is where it’s at. Mainque is probably the most off the wall Chardonnay I have in my store because it is Chilean and made by a Burgundian power house. Piero Incisa della Rocchetta is the man behind Bodega Chacra from Patagonia on a quest to find the best expression of the terroir and micro climate in Patagonia. All the vineyards are farmed biodynamically and the Mainque is done in collaboration with none other than Jean-Marc Roulot. The Chardonnay is picked earlier before fermentation in barriques and aging in a combination of concrete eggs, stainless steel and used French oak. Salinity, lemon zest and zippy acidity make this a Chablis lover’s treat. This is a bargain considering that Domaine Roulout Meursault goes for hundreds of dollars.
Pinot Noir
Failla Seven Springs $69.99
Two Paddocks $47.99
Domaine Marc Roy Gevery-Chambertin Clos Prieur 2017 $109.99
The man behind Failla is one of my favorite winemakers and his wines are stunning. Ehran Jordan learned about wine and winemaking by being a translator in France for a buddy that worked for Kermit Lynch and he was the wine maker at Turley for 18 years. Failla is his project since then and he is making beautiful, Burgundian style Chard and Pinot Noir all up and down the west coast. The Seven Springs Pinot Noir comes from Eola-Amity Hills in Oregon and shows Ehran’s light handed wine making. The vineyards are farmed organically and grown on volcanic soil and the wine is 30% whole cluster and sees just shy of a year in mostly used French oak. Two Paddocks is from Central Otago in New Zealand, one of the best but most overlooked area for Pinot Noir. Two Paddocks was started in 1993 with 5 acres of vines and the first harvest was in 1997. They were so blown away with the quality of fruit that they planted an additional 5 acres of vines and make wine from several different vineyards. All of the vineyards are farmed organically and the work is all down by hand. They go easy on the oak so the fruit can really shine through. The flagship bottling of Two Paddocks is a barrel selection that is aged in mostly used French oak for 10 months fermented with native yeasts and 46% whole cluster. Gevery-Chambertin is one of the most well known and sought after regions in the Cote de Nuits in Burgundy and Alexandrine Roy is the fourth generation to take care of the family’s 4 hectares. The vineyards are farmed organically and everything is done by hand to get the best quality fruit. The Clos Prieur vineyard sits in the heart of Gevery-Chmbertin directly below the Grand Cru site Mazis-Chambertin on a bed of iron and clay on top of limestone. The fruit is all de-stemmed and fermented in stainless steel before seeing a bit of new oak at aging. The wines are silky and elegant as opposed to powerful and have red fruit notes.
Italy
Paolo Bea San Valentino 2011 $71.99
Casanuova delle Cerbaie Brunello 2011 $61.99
Luigi Oddero Barolo 2009 $89.99
Three big guys from Italy for you here; two from well known regions and one oddball. Paolo Bea is from the hills of Montefalco in Umbria where records of the family go back into the 1500s. Paolo Bea is the king of Sagrantino, an ultra tannic grape that produces incredible age worthy wines. I would say decant this but decant pretty much every wine listed here. All the vineyards are organic and worked by hand and the Bea family grows most of what they ear. The San Valentino is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Montepulciano from a 50 year old vineyard. Silky texture with tart cherries, leather and savory herbs. Casanuova delle Cerbaie is from Tuscany and is fairly new on the block since it was started in the late 80’s. The estate is just below the village of Montalcino on hills comprised of limestone, marl and clay that gets south west exposure for good ripeness. The quality is there and this Brunello is delicate and beautiful with subtle fruit notes, pronounced earthiness and a savory finish. The Oddero family has been a part of Barolo production since the 1800’s and the family had an incredible 70 hectares of vineyards until 2006 when there was a schism in the family and the massive holdings were divided in two. Luigi took his half of the family estate and since his death in 2010 it has been cared for be his two children and his wife. The estate is all organically farmed in La Morra, an area that produces more delicate, pretty Barolo. This 2009 is aged and ready to drink now with balanced woodsy notes, dried orange peel and spice.
France
Mas de Daumas Gassac 2018 $84.99
Chateau Brainare Ducru 2016 $124.99
Domaine Mordoree La Dame Voyageuse 2016 $99.99
I have so much to say about all of these wines but here is the cliff notes version. Mas de Daumas Gassac is one of my favorite wineries. It’s located in the Langeudoc on a bed of glacial sandstone like the best terroir in the Côtes d’Or in Burgundy and has Grand Cru potential. The family that bought it in the 70’s took that as a challenge and planted mostly Cab Sauv that came from Bordeaux. The big boy red blend is their flagship wine and is a blend of 75% Cab Sauv and the rest is “20 rare grape varieties” that is aged in used oak for about 15 months. Delicious, earthy, mineral driven and unlike any other red you’ve had. Chateau Brainare Ducru is a classified fourth growth from St. Julien on the Left Bank of Bordeaux. Deep gravel soils with clay deposits are the envy of their neighbors and the wine they produce is silky, dense and elegant. The wine is a blend of 64% Cab, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cab Franc. Domaine de la Mordoree is located in Tavel and is known for their rosé and their Châteauneuf-du-pape. The winery is certified biodynamic and the La Dame Voyageuse is all hand harvested from 50 year old vines grown on clay. The wine is a blend of 90% Grenache, 4% Mourvèdre, 4% Syrah,1% Counoise and 1% Vaccarese that is fermented in a combination of oak and stainless steel before aging. Notes of licorice and sweet reds fruits, this wine will reward you for your patience with either aging for 2 to 10 years or decanting.
Champagne
Gaston Chiquet Special Club 2013 $89.99
Henri Goutorbe Special Club 2006 $99.99
Bereche et Fils Reflet d’Antan $159.99
Special Club Champagne really is special because the wines are blind taste tested at multiple spots in production to make sure its up to snuff. It is basically blind tasted, peer reviewed Champagne. The Club was founded in 1971 as a way to focus on terroir and propel the quality of Champagne forwards and there are only 28 producers involved. Each February the top still wine is blind tasted by a panel to decide if the vintage is worthy of Special Club bottlings since they are not made every year. If they proceed each producer’s wines are tasted twice more to make sure they are quality before they can purchase the bottles for their Special Club wines. The Chiquet family have been synonymous with quality Champagne for more than 100 years and the current generation farms 23 hectares in the Vallée de la Marne which is roughly the middle of Champagne. There is no wood used at the estate since the south facing crus provide enough depth and complexity along with older vines. The Special Club is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir that comes from Premier Cru vineyards and is aged on the lees for at least six months if not longer before disgorgement. The Goutorbe family also resides in the Vallée de la Marne and has 25 hectares of vineyards including in the Aÿ Grand Cru. The 2006 Special Club is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay that all comes from the Aÿ Grand Cru and it stays on its lees for at least 7 years. Bereche et Fils is from the northern most Montagne de Reims and has 9 hectares of equal parts Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay that enjoys biodynamic farming. The Reflet d’Antan is a very special bottle of wine that is equal parts all three grapes that is part of a perpetual blend started in 1985. Each year they use one third of the perpetual blend and two thirds of wine from that harvest before topping off the blend. The wine has incredible depth and minerality. Brioche, sea salt, dried apricot and incredible texture are some of the many components to this wine. This is the best Champagne I have ever had.
Big Reds
Cade Howell Mountain 2017 $128.99
Odette Estate Stag’s Leap 2017 $179.99
Darm’s Lane Bon Passe 2015 $71.99
Is it just me or does Cali Cab scream gift? I have plenty more where this came from but these three Cabs are pretty darn special. Partners Gavin Newson, Gordon Getty and John Conover are involved in both Odette Estate and Cade but they are known most for Plump Jack wines. They wanted an estate to complement the valley floor terroir of Plump Jack so in 2005 they bought a 54 acre estate high above the clouds on Howell Mountain and Cade was born. The 2017 Cade rings in at a beefy 15.6 ABV and is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot that was aged in French Oak with 75% new. Dark, dense and chewy with notes of blackcurrant, boysenberry, dark cherry and cacao nibs, this is the ultimate Cab lover’s dream. Odette Estate’s history goes back to the 1970’s but the Plump Jack trio bought it in 2012 and just like Cade it is all organic and LEED certified. The 2017 Stag’s Leap Cab is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 8% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot that is aged in a combination of French and American oak for 20 months. The Odette has classic notes of creme de cassis and plums but is slightly more delicate and prettier than the Cade. Notes of lilacs, potpourri, raspberry, cherries and rose petals make this as elegant as the queen. While Darm’s Lane doesn’t come from the same pedigree as the other two the juice in the bottle is amazing and the yield is basically nothing. Only 3,000 cases of wine are made a year and the Bon Passe is a blend of 97% Cabernet with 3% Petit Verdot that is aged in a combination of new and used American and French oak for 21 months. Only 600 cases were produced and it falls stylistically between the Cade and Odette. Notes of dark cherry, cassis, cacao and ripe boysenberry with a lingering finish and chewy tannins make this one a winner.
I can’t wait to explore these wines and more with you!
Pop into the store for all of your beverage needs and don’t forget about our in store tastings!
Beer Tasting Thursday 5 pm to 7 pm *On hold for Covid*
Wine Tasting Friday 4 pm to 7 pm *On hold for Covid*
