In other super exciting news we have decided to resume our in store tastings this month! We will be resuming tastings the second week of July starting off with a spirits tasting on July 8 and then wines with Matej on July 9. Look for an email with details as we get closer!
Zacharias
Peloponnese Rosé 2020
Reg. Price $14.99
Sale Price: $9.99
Greece
This is only the second Greek rosé that I am familiar with and just like the Zoe by Skouras it is killer. I tasted three different wines from Zacharias about a month ago and I brought in both whites and you will read about them in the future! Zacharias is from Peleponnese in Southern Greece and the area is very hot and Mediterranean, perfect for growing tons of fruit! Zacharias Winery was started in 2002 by Elias Zacharias but he had been making wine and studying agriculture for much longer than that! He graduated from the Agricultural University of Athens and loves to give back to his community so he has been offering people his agricultural services since 1974! He wants to use his agricultural skills along with modern winemaking techniques to get Greek wine on every table and showcase what the region can do! He focuses on indigenous varietals like Aghiorgitiko (Ah-your-yeek-tee-ko) which is what this rosé is made from. The vineyards span a staggering 40,000 square meters and the vast majority of those are within Nemea where there are some vineyards that were planted in 1960. This rosé is 100% Aghiorgitiko that is styled after Provence rosé so it is delicate, restrained and refreshing. Notes of wild strawberry, sour cherry and under ripe stone fruit are complimented by pronounced minerality and vibrant acidity. Enjoy this with food or just on your porch!
Borell-Diehl
Saint Lauren Rosé 1L 2020
Reg. Price $18.99
Sale Price: $14.99
Germany
Yes, it if from Germany, yes it is completely delicious and yes it is totally dry! Thankfully unless you are buying big bulk brands that have jumped on the rosé bandwagon there really aren’t sweet rosés out there anymore. I just recently tried the Borell-Diehl rosé that is brand new to the market and thank goodness it comes in a liter because a 750ml bottle wouldn’t be enough. Borell-Diehl is located in the Pfalz region of Germany which is much warmer and is one of Germany’s largest wine regions. They have been lauded for their red wines so it’s no surprise that they make some killer rosé as well! Borell-Diehl was founded after Annette Borell and Thomas Diehl married in 1990 and joined three of their family wineries into one. They started out with 5 hectares and have expanded it to about 35 over the years and they are just about to hand the reins over to their son, George. George has apprenticed at many well known wineries in Germany and has also interned in New Zealand and he is ready to take over the family estate. Their vineyards are all farmed sustainably and dry farmed which leads to more concentration and all of the fruit is hand harvested. The finished wine is light, refreshing, fruit forward and delicious! Notes of raspberry, candied cherry and watermelon make this the perfect summer treat! There is an extra glass in each bottle so invite some friends over!
Après Wine
Vin de Savoie Rosé 2020
Reg. Price $26.99
Sale Price: $20.99
Savoie, France
The wine world is really quite small here and everyone seems to know everyone which is one of my favorite things about the wine community. It’s always exciting to see people strike out on their own after working for larger companies in the industry and I love to support them! The Zacharias wine above is distributed by a small, two person company of industry veterans and this wine is imported by a different set of industry folk. In typical Boulderite fashion the duo was busy climbing 14ers and training for a half marathon and they wanted a project to combine their two great loves; the mountains and wine. They founded Alpine Wine Co to create the types of wine they enjoy drinking while paying homage to the high elevation regions surrounding the Alps. After translating their entire business plan into French they made a partnership with winemaker Jean-Charles in Savoie for their first vintage and here it is! The rosé is a blend of 60% Gamay and 40% Mondeuse (related to Syrah) that is from organically farmed 60 year old vines. Only 168 cases were made this year so it is crazy small production and the wine is delicious. Super light and refreshing, crunchy acidity, pink and red fruit notes and a good vein of minerality running through it. Not sure if you want to try wine from Savoie? Just get it and pretend it’s Provence, it will fool you!
Antoniolo
Bricco Lorella Rosé 2020
Reg. Price $25.99
Sale Price: $16.99
Italy
I typically write up GD Vajra’s rosé for this newsletter but that will come a little bit later this year. I wanted to get this Nebbiolo rosé in your hands and glasses as soon as possible! Antoniolo is from just north of Piedmont in Gattinara, an area you don’t see a ton of wine from in the market and you definitely don’t see anything affordable. The vineyards for Antoniolo have been in the family since 1948 when a lot of families were leaving the area to go work in Piedmont’s factories. While the mass exodus was happening, Mario Antoniolo was busy buying up all of the best vineyards sites that were suddenly available. By the 1970’s the family had vineyards in many of Gattinara’s best crus including a monopole on the Osso San Grato vineyard. Monopoles are very special in the wine world because often times multiple producers are making wine from the same vineyards but a monopole is when a designated area is controlled by one winery. Today the winery is run by Mario’s grandchildren Alberto and Lorella and they are busy continuing the family’s work! The vineyards are all sustainably farmed and fermentations are done slowly with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats. The rosé is 100% Nebbiolo that is lightly pressed and spends about three hours on the skins. The finished wine is intensely mineral driven with vibrant acidity, medium body and notes of candied strawberries, rhubarb, resinous herbs and under ripe stone fruit.
Clos Fornelli
Sciaccarellu Rosé 2020
Reg. Price $18.99
Sale Price: $14.99
Corsica, France
See it’s not even like I’m doing two French rosés because Corsica is basically Italian so if anything I’m doing one and a half French and one and a half Italian rosés. Clos Fornelli is a brand new rosé to the store this year and I have been very impressed! Clos Fornelli is located on the eastern side of Corsica just above the Tyrrhenian Sea and owners Josée Vanucci and her husband Fabrice Couloumère organically farm 18 hectares of vines. They are focused on making low intervention wines where all the work is done in the vineyard with well cared for fruit! They grow classic Corsican varietals like Vermentinu, Sciaccarellu, and Niellucciu and the average vine age is 25 although they do have some pushing 35. The grapes previously went to a cooperative but in 2005 Josée Vanucci decided to start bottling it herself. The rosé is 100% Sciaccarellu (shock-a-rel-u) that is aged for six months on its lees which are the leftover yeast cells. Lees aging for wines give them not only more complexity but incredible texture. Clos Fornelli isn’t the super light, delicate rosé style that France is known for and I love that about it. It reminds me more of some Italian wines with some age where it shows more savory characters and has notes of candied orange peel among the red fruit notes. This is a beautiful rosé but to do it justice have it with food! Asian food is killer with this!
Upwell
Rosé 2020
Reg. Price $18.99
Sale Price: $14.99
California
They make some of your favorite Cab and Pinot Noir and now they make a rosé! Upwell Wine Company is a project spearheaded by Eric Clemons of Coeur Wine Co who believes that you should be able to get a great bottle of wine from California for under $20. He works very closely with growers and wine makers to source affordable, everyday priced wines that will over deliver for the price. Eric Clemons got his start in the wine industry early when he was just 19 years old working for a Finger Lakes winery and retail store in Ithaca. He was attending Cornell for Hotel Administration where he took every available class for wine and got completely hooked. After college he worked for Skurnik Wines who was and still is one of the best importers and distributors in the industry. He was the youngest sales rep in the company’s history when he started at 22 and after working there for 10 years he decided to start his own business. He started Coeur Wine Company in 2013 to focus on small producers who make terroir driven wines with sustainable farming practices and thank goodness for that, a lot of incredible producers are in the portfolio. The rosé is a really weird blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Zin, Merlot, Chenin, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay that is organic and comes from vines averaging 85 years old. The wine has super low sulphur levels if that’s your jam, otherwise it’s just plain good juice.
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 *Starting July 8*
Wine Tasting Friday 4 pm to 7 pm *Starting July 9*
