Pingus PSI
$79.99
92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2014 vintage! The review: "The 2014 PSI is a blend of Tempranillo with 10% Garnacha and perhaps 1% of other grapes found interplanted with the other varieties in the old vineyards, mostly white Albillo. The idea here is to protect the old vineyards that are disappearing from Ribera del Duero and provide some added value to the grapes coming from them. They have identified a grand total of only 56 hectares of Garnacha in Ribera del Duero, and they have rented 20 of those to save them, because they were set to be uprooted. It has great freshness and energy, with an herbal/leafy touch in the nose that also adds complexity. It's a wine that seems to improve from vintage to vintage, and I believe the jump will be noticeable when they produce it in their own winery from the 2015 vintage onward. The Garnacha always has a lower pH than the Tempranillo, and helps to provide an extra spark of freshness. This is an approachable Ribera, but keeping the character of yesteryear. This is really what Ribera del Duero used to be: all old vineyards and no new oak whatsoever. Kudos to that! 210,000 bottles produced."
Failla Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
$79.99
A stunning white wine from the critically acclaimed Failla winery! Here's what Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has to say about the project: "The personal project of Ehren Jordan, who was the long-time apprentice at Turley Cellars. These are all elegant, cool climate, finesse-styled wines that were obviously influenced by European rather than New World models." Vinous gave the 2015 vintage a fine 88 points, and here's the review: "Lovely orchard fruit, citrus and yellow flower notes. This is a soft, understated style for the year, but there is good underlying depth and intensity backing up the fruit."
Bulliat Beaujolais Village
$25.49
The father-son team of Noël and Loïc Bulliat is currently in charge of the family estate. Loïc is the seventh generation to operate the domaine. There have been many changes with the acquisition of parcels since its creation in 1780, with vineyards now covering over almost 28 hectares distributed over eight appellations, including five “crus”, Morgon, Fleurie, Chénas, Chiroubles, and Moulin à Vent. Concern for the environment, respect for nature and the desire to express the terroir led the domaine towards the conversion to organic viticulture in 2010.
"Simple, delicious, uncomplicated...carefree Beaujolais wines that I would happily polish off over dinner," according to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate! That's the cool thing about Beaujolais wines — they're well-made, well-priced and very easy to drink. Drink this one now alongside a roast chicken and a baguette.
Egon Muller Scharzhof Riesling 2022
$137.99
Jean-Jacques Koch, Egon Müller's great great-grandfather acquired the Scharzhof estate from the "République Française" in 1797 after the French Revolution and the occupation of the West Bank of the Rhine River by the revolutionary government. The Scharzhofberg vineyard was likely planted by the Romans and belonged to the Monastery "St Marien ad Martyres" in Trier from its founding around 700 A. D. through the Middle Ages.
Egon Müller's vineyards are exposed to a northerly climate. Consequently, much depends on the vintage and on late harvesting. Regarding the winemaking process, however, Egon Müller's family's philosophy is based on the belief that the best wines are the ones that "make themselves". The Egon Müller-Scharzhof family lives in its own vineyards and oversees the day-to-day operation at the estate.
All of the family's wines are Rieslings. "Scharzhof" is their most basic wine. Qualitätswein by German legal standard, it is made of the grapes from their vineyards in Saarburg, Kanzem and Wawern and from the Wiltinger Braunfels and Wiltinger Kupp vineyards. The Kabinett wines, made from ripe grapes with low alcoholic content constitute the backbone of the production.
At the Scharzhof they favour a traditionally minimalist approach to winemaking. Their work continues to be based on the quality-driven philosophy of the late Egon Müller III.: "One hundred per cent of the quality of a wine is generated in the vineyard. It is impossible to reach even 101 per cent in the cellars but it is a great achievement to pack the full potential of the vines into a bottle".
They believe that it is the quality of their vineyards that allows them to produce the best grapes and they go to great lengths to fully exhaust this potential.
Their Northern climate is characterised by great annual fluctuations, which means that every year is full of new challenges. However, the foundations remain the same:
- Old vines of which some have ancient roots that originate from the 19th century.
- Low yields that never exceed 60 hl/ha and frequently are as small as 30 hl/ha.
- Intensive ploughing up to six times a year.
- Very restrained use of chemicals: no chemical fertilisers, no herbicides, no insecticides and as few fungicides as possible.
Content courtesy of http://www.pfv.org
Vilmart Grand Cellier Brut 1er Cru
$144.99
91 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for this outstanding Champagne! The review: "The NV Grand Cellier Premier Cru Brut offers a very clear and precise bouquet with citrus and some smoky/flinty flavors. Pure, clear and fresh on the palate, very precise and mineral, this is a remarkably finesse-full and expressive Champagne. It was disgorged in June 2015 with nine grams of dosage, but it tastes significantly more dry. The finish is full of tension and minerals, which makes this a seriously expressive Champagne of great elegance and ageing potential. The blend is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir."
Collective Arts Life in the Clds Single
$4.69
Just one more sample of Collective Arts IPA to add to that delicious pile. Simcoe and Mosaic make this as punchy with juice as you'd expect. The hazy, delicate body keeps that hoppy mess in balance (the good kind of hoppy mess), and remains incredibly crushable.
Paulaner Helles Lager Tall Can
$4.69
Bright and crisp with crackery, lightly lemony malt with floral hop notes and light body.
Speri St Urbano Valpolicella
$44.99
"Deep ruby with a rich, ample bouquet of spice and ripe red fruit confirmed on the full, layered palate," according to the importer. "The Speri family’s presence in the heart of Valpolicella goes back to 1874. Their vineyards (totaling 60 hectares/24 acres) are located in the finest districts of the Classico area. And every grape that goes into their wines is estate-grown and cultivated by the Speri family with just as much pride in the craft of viticulture – the hands-on, hard-working side of it – as the art of it. The vineyards are divided into three distinct crus: La Roverina, Sant’Urbano and La Roggia." Pair with red meats, perhaps game, or hard cheeses.
Tantalus Pinot Noir
$63.99
Just gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. "A rich garnet in colour, the nose is bursting of lingonberry, Bing cherry and sweet anise alongside floral notes of crushed rose petal and violet. Ripe raspberry and dark plum emerge on the palate with an intriguing graphite minerality on the finish. All sourced from our single vineyard estate, select Pinot Noir blocks were handpicked and vinified in small lots using entirely wild fermentation. The small batches were then placed into a selection of new and seasoned French oak barriques for 12 months and blended, unfined and unfiltered, just prior to bottling. Although enjoyed in its youth we see this wine aging gracefully over the next 7 to 10 years," according to the winery. And we agree!