Bodegas Borsao
Macabeo/Chardonnay 2020
Reg. Price $14.99
Sale Price: $9.99
White Wine of the Month
Time flies when you’re having fun and it is absolutely nuts to me that this year will be 8 years that I have been in the wine industry. I have had the time of my life and in March I will be celebrating 4 years at B Town! During my time in the industry I have noticed several trends that make sense and a lot of trends that don’t make sense (looking at you hard seltzer). First of all, people love red blends and completely ignore white blends. The same can be said of Spanish wines; I can barely keep reds on the shelf but Spanish whites are underappreciated. Lastly is that Chardonnay continues to be both very polarizing and misunderstood. Taking all of those things into consideration tells me that this month’s white wine of the month is completely doomed. Three strikes and you’re out if it wasn’t so delicious. Bodegas Borsao is located in the Campo de Borja region of Spain which is on the southeastern side of Rioja. The region was recognized as a D.O. (Spanish wine region recognition) in 1980 and the region is known for old vine Garnacha although there are some crisp, citrusy white wines as well as rosés coming out of the region. This is a blend of 50% Macabeo and 50% Chardonnay that are hand selected and gently pressed to protect the delicate citrus notes. The Macabeo is fermented and aged in stainless steel while the Chardonnay is aged in oak on the lees for three months for texture. The finished wine is delicious and bursting with notes of ripe pineapple, lime zest, golden apple and balanced acidity. Drink this starting now and all through the spring and summer.
Goats do Roam
Red Blend 2020
Reg. Price $14.99
Sale Price: $9.99
Red Wine of the Month
With all of the price increases coming down the pipeline this year I will probably be doing even more South African and Southern Hemisphere wines. Goats do Roam white and red have been staples in my South African section for a while but the red has never gotten the attention it deserves. Goats do Roam comes from Fairview, a working farm in South Africa that owns all of their own vineyards, a rarity in the country. The vineyards are spread out over Paarl, Darling, Swartland and Stellenbosch and the winery has had the Integrity and Sustainability seal since 2010. Fairview, originally called Bloemkoolfontein, was settled in 1693 and was acquired by Lithuanian immigrant Charles Back in 1937. His son Cyril took over in 1955 and his son Charles Back II joined him in 1978. From the beginning Charles II wanted to do things a little bit differently and started planting different varietals such as Viognier, Tempranillo and Petite Sirah as well as making artisanal cheeses. In 2014 Charles II was awarded the International Wine Challenge Lifetime Achievement and that was just the start; now he is the most awarded South African winemaker. The Goats do Roam is named after some mischievous goats that got out of their pens and roamed about the vineyard and the wines are styled after the Rhone Valley. The red is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, and Cinsault and drinks like a classic Cotes du Rhone with more pepper notes and it’s a smidge more fruit forward. Enjoy this with grilled meats and stews!
Domaine Lafage
Côté d’Est White Blend 2020
Reg. Price $18.99
Sale Price: $12.99
The Domaine Lafage Côté Est is such a phenomenal white wine that it’s almost a crime that I haven’t featured it previously. Better late than never I suppose! Domaine Lafage is located in the Côtes Catalanes region of France on the west side of the Mediterranean coast. Domaine Lafage is imported by European Cellars, an importing company I wrote about years ago that was started by Eric Solomon. He built an empire of high quality southern French and Spanish wines after a stint oversees for school set him on a path with the Institute of Masters of Wine. He founded European Cellars in 1990 and they are an importer up there with the likes of Kermit Lynch and Rosenthal where you can blindly trust anything imported by them; it will be fantastic! European Cellars has been working with Jean-Marc & Eliane Lafage for over 20 years and their wines only get better with each passing vintage. The entire estate practices organic farming and the Côté Est is a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Chardonnay and 20% Roussanne. The vines are between 20 and 80 years old and all harvesting is done by hand. The wine is fermented in steel and then ages on the lees for three months before bottling but despite all of that the wine is surprisingly crisp. Notes of citrus zest give way to tropical fruit notes and is perfect to drink while we all wait for Spring.
Lapostolle
Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Reg. Price $19.99
Sale Price: $13.99
It’s all about Southern Hemisphere reds so far this year I guess! The Amalaya Malbec did so well last month that I decided to keep it going and hop over the Andes to Chile. Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and her husband Cyril de Bournet fell in love with the Colchagua Valley after visiting and founded Lapostolle winery in 1994. They sensed the potential the area had since at that point Chilean wine wasn’t on anyone’s radar. Today the winery owns 370 hectares spread over three different valleys, Colchagua, Casablanca and Cachapoul and the winery produces about 200,000 cases annually. The winery is obsessed with quality so they hand harvest 100% of the grapes and use an optical sorting machine to ensure they only get perfect grapes in the tank to ferment. For the Grand Selection Cabernet the wine is fermented in stainless steel before being aged in a combination of stainless steel and used barrels. The finished wine is incredibly well balanced and is a good representation of both where it’s from and the French winemaking heritage. The wine is not as fruit forward as most California Cabs but still has notes of ripe cherry, plums and raspberry and is balanced with subtle earthiness, baking spice notes and a very slight peppery note. This is a killer Cab, especially for under $20 so don’t miss this one before it sells out!
Gruet
Brut Sparkling Wine NV
Reg. Price $22.99
Sale Price: $16.99
15% Off Sale
Rosé Selection
I figured that February was a great time to blow out all of my rosés so I would have space for the new vintages coming in March and April but I will also be doing a bit of reorganizing and I need the racks bare! I will be moving the stand alone rosé rack in line with the other side so all of my rosés will be in a line and it will also allow me to expand my Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc selection on the other side. There are some killer wines discounted so don’t let the cold February days sway you, Colorado gets about 300 days of sun so you know it will peek it’s head out and you will wish you had a glass of rosé. I still have Zacharias 100% Aghiorgitiko rosé from Greece, the GD Vajra Rosabella Nebbiolo based rosé from Piedmont, La Mascaronne from Provence, Seehof from Germany and more to choose from so don’t wait! Drink pink!
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
Wine Tasting Friday 4 pm to 7 pm