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."
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
Domaine Tempier Blanc
$94.99
Limit of one per household
A blend of Clairette, Bourboulenc and Ugni Blanc; characterized by minerality, freshness, citrus fruit white blossoms. This white can be enjoyed now and up to 8 years from the vintage should you wish to experience the wine as it develops in bottle.
White wine accounts for just 3% of Domaine Tempier’s total wine production. It is made from grapes grown on the estate’s finest vineyards which benefit from limited exposure to sunshine. This results in the grapes ripening slowly which allows the wine to mature with good balance after spending 8 to 10 months in oak casks.
Foradori Nosiola
$66.99
At the age of just 20 Elisabetta Foradori (above) found herself in charge of the family winery, based in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains in Trentino, way back in 1984. It’s been quite a journey for her, and over time she has moved in a more natural direction, looking to get the ultimate expression of the place and the main variety here, Teroldego.In pursuit of this expression, she converted to biodynamics in 2002, and was certfied in 2009. There are 28 hectares of vines here, with three-quarters of this Teroldego (they did a mass selection and so now have 15 different clones, plus grew some from seeds), plus Manzoni Bianco (a cross of Pinot Blanc and Riesling), Nosiola and Pinot Grigio, with production around 150 000 bottles a year. These vineyards are surrounded by mountains, and there are two main soil types: calcareous clay and alluvial. While many in the region grow on a high-yielding pergola system, most of her vines are vertically trellised. Since 2012, Emilio, one of her four children, has worked with her, and she has gradually taken a more natural direction. Part of this direction is a move towards using clay. Elevage is in a mix of large wood (oak and acacia), and increasingly these clay amphorae (tinajas from Spain, which are unlined). Jamie Goode
Nosiola is an ancient grape variety native to Trentino, at one time planted widely throughout the region but whose cultivation is now restricted to the Valle dei Laghi and the hills above Trento and Pressano. It is a variety that gives a strong expression of its character only when grown in poor soils, giving rise to wines of great delicacy and longevity. A varietal that is traditionally fermented on the skins. Foradori's Nosiola is aged 8 months on the skins in amphora. We love this Nosiola for its brightness, slight tannic grip, wild-flower and savory characteristics.
Peter Wetzer Solmo Furmint
$41.99
"Peter Wetzer grew up in a winemaking family, and while he studied the world of wine he came to realize he vastly preferred the wines that were made more naturally. In 2007 he purchased five different vineyards around the town of Sopron, in the northwest part of Hungary. Sopron was formerly the capital of Burgenland, so it is not surprising that the Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch) variety is so commonly found here. Peter works Kékfrankos on five different vineyard sites comprising 2.5 hectares and additionally has 1 hectare of furmint vines he planted himself near the Ság volcano, and another hectare of vines from a few different varieties like Pinot Noir. He works to have very healthy soil, with natural biodiversity, and minimum spraying with copper sulfate and a nettle tincture he makes. He believes in minimal intervention in the vines, never tilling the soil or trimming the leaves. All grapes are hand harvested, and the vineyards are all fermented separately."
"The grapes for this cuvée come from the eastern side of the Somló volcano. Soils here are Basalt, Tuffeau, and Loam as one might expect. The grapes are crushed by foot and then whole cluster pressed in an ancient and tiny hand cranked basket-press. The wine then ferments in neutral puncheon over the fall and winter. Once the wine is dry it gets racked into stainless steel for five months. A small amount of Sulphur is added at bottling." Juice imports
Rabl Gruner Veltliner Loess
$27.99
Rudi Rabl comes from a winemaking tradition that dates back to 1750. The love for nature and grapes, the ecological work in the vineyard with herbal plants and the knowledge of the professional processing ensure an excellent quality of the different types of wine. In the basement, modernity is combined with traditional values. Ecology is an important factor and the winery has been certified as “Sustainable Austria” since 2015. Among the highlights of the awards in recent years is the “White Winemaker” of the Year 2019 at IWSC in London, the two Decanter Trophy Winners Grüner Veltliner Dechant and Riesling Steinhaus, as well as the 2017 regional winner in the Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc categories. In addition, the winery was awarded “Winery of the Year” in Kamptal.
Saint Veran Chateau de Fuisse
$41.99
The VINCENT family—owner of Château Fuissé for five generations since 1862—assures the continuity of the domaine. Thanks to the transmission of the family’s savoir-faire gained over three centuries, each generation has added land, improved quality and enhanced the worldwide renown of the wines of Château de Fuissé.The Saint-Véran vineyards are located in the north of the appellation and are adjacent to Pouilly-Fuissé. Limestone and clay soils in this appellation yield wines that are at once firm, rich yet vibrant and pure with great minerality.
Domaine Reine Juliette Picpoul
$25.99
The Queen Juliet estate is located in the heart of Languedoc less than 10 kilometres from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea 50 km south of Montpellier. The vineyard enjoys a microclimate tempered by breezes and marine mists. Picpoul produces a crisp white wine that will make you long for a comfortable beach chair and some sand! The Picpoul de Pinet from Domaine Reine Juliette is fermented in stainless steel and released shortly after winemaking is complete in order to capture the freshness and youth of the wine. The nose has aromas of freshly cut grass, herbs, and salty air, with citrus fruits and minerality on the palate.
Piron Beaujolais Blanc
$31.99
Dominique Piron’s family has been growing grapes here since the 16th century, and Dominique took over the estate in 1971. Piron farms 45 hectares of vineyards scattered among several different crus in Beaujolais, namely Morgon, Chénas, Brouilly, Régnié and Moulin-à-Vent. He owns some parcels, rents others, and also buys 20 hectares worth of carefully selected grapes from their neighbours. Regardless of where the grapes are sourced, Piron is responsible for every aspect of quality control from the vineyard management to the marketing of the finished wine. They take such great care of each of their crus that even the simple Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages wines are carefully selected from single-vineyard parcels. Each of their terroirs is unique, yet they are all granite-based soils—the ideal grounding for the Gamay grape. Piron farms sustainably, although he has also been experimenting with organic methods to achieve a rich biodiversity in the vineyards.