Schug Sonoma Pinot Noir
$36.99
Walter Schug’s connection to winemaking traces back to his family’s heritage in Germany’s Rheingau region. In the 1920s, his father started producing Pinot Noir from the iconic Assmannshausen Höllenberg vineyard, which was originally planted in the 12th century. This early exposure to vineyards and winemaking played a significant role in shaping Walter’s passion for crafting Pinot Noir. In 1959, after receiving his degree in viticulture and enology from Geisenheim University, Walter left Germany for a winemaking internship in Delano, California. At the end of his internship, his supervisor was so impressed with his skills and dedication that he was offered the position of the retiring assistant winemaker. After stints at some of Napa's best wineries, his love for pinot noir led to the decision to establish his own label. When Phelps Winery ceased production of this variety, Walter saw an opportunity to channel his passion and expertise into crafting outstanding pinot noir wines. This move allowed him to express his unique style and approach to winemaking. In 1980, he finally opened his own winery in Carneros, setting the stage for a long and respected career.
Quails Gate Pinot Noir
$42.99
Ben Stewart left a successful banking career in 1979 to become General Manager of both Quails' Gate and Mt. Boucherie Vineyards. In 1989, after many years searching for the ideal vineyard location, he founded Quails' Gate Estate Winery. This Pinot is made from grapes from select vineyards resulting in warm cherry and plum aromas, fine tannins, a silky mouthfeel and slightly spicy, smoky finish. A winner!
Protos Roble
$26.99
Bodegas Protos, from the Greek meaning "first", is named after the completion of the first large, modern wine cellar in the region of Comarca. Made from 100% Tempranillo, this charming red is full and concentrated on the nose with ripe berry and a touch of oak flavours on the palate.
The Tinta del pais (Tempranillo) grapes are harvested from the Burgos and Valladolid vineyards which contain 25+ year old vines. This the baby of the family, a bright, easy-drinking red that spends six months in both French and American oak barrels. It has a Morello cherry core with some blue fruits and a touch of spice.
Ken Wright Savoya Pinot Noir
$104.99
90 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2014 vintage of this Pinot Noir from Oregon. The review: "The 2014 Pinot Noir Savoya Vineyard comes from southeast facing vines planted in 1999. It has fine delineation on the nose, very good terroir expression with a light oyster shell influence. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, a little ferrous in style with edgy red and black fruit towards the finish. This is a well-crafted Pinot Noir with good structure and it should drink well over the next decade, possibly longer."
Schug Carneros Pinot Noir
$51.99
This classic Carneros region Pinot Noir offers a wide range of flavors and aromas, in the tradition of the finest red Burgundies of France. This is a complex wine with a rich bouquet full of cherries, berries and a hint of spicy new oak. Flavors of bright cherry, currant and strawberry are followed by a spicy, smooth texture and elegant finish. Excellent with duck or wild salmon.
Sassicaia 2022
$447.99
From a previous vintage:
In the 1920s the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta dreamt of creating a ‘thoroughbred’ wine and for him, as for all the aristocracy of the time, the ideal was Bordeaux. This is how he described it in a letter to the esteemed wine critic, Luigi Veronelli dated 11 June 1974:
“…the origins of my experiment date back to the years between 1921 and 1925 when, as a student in Pisa and often a guest of the Salviati Dukes in Migliarino, I drank a wine produced from one of their vineyards…which had the same unmistakable “bouquet” as an aged Bordeaux….”
In the 1940s, having settled with his wife Clarice on the Tenuta San Guido on the Tyrrhenian coast, he experimented with several French grape varieties (whose cuttings he had recovered from the estate of the Dukes Salviati in Migliarino) and concluded that the Cabernet had "the bouquet I was looking for."
A wine made mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon was a fundamental change to the Tuscan and Piedmont tradition of Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, respectively. The innovative decision to plant this variety at Tenuta San Guido was partly due to the similarity Mario Incisa had noted between Tuscan terrain and that of Graves in Bordeaux.
‘Graves’, or ‘gravel’ in French refers to the rocky terrain which distinguishes the Bordeaux area; similarly, the gravely vineyard sites in Tuscany impart the same characteristics on Sassicaia, "stony ground", as its cherished French brother.
The Marchese's first vintages were not warmly received. Critics accustomed to light, local wines were not encouraging; it was not taken into consideration that wines made from the more complex Cabernet Sauvignon grape would need more time to mature and develop.
And thus from 1948 to 1967, Sassicaia remained a strictly private affair, only to be consumed at Tenuta San Guido.
Each year, a few cases were stored to age in the Castiglioncello di Bolgheri cellar. The Marchese soon realized that by ageing the wine it improved considerably.
Friends and relatives now urged Mario Incisa to experiment further with his project and perfect his revolutionary winemaking style. It was not until 1968 that Sassicaia was first commercially released – the welcome was worthy of a Bordeaux Premier Cru.
Over the next few years, the cellar was moved to a temperature-controlled location, steel fermentation vats replaced wooden vats, and French barriques were introduced to the aging process.
Tenuta San Guido's newest release is the 2021 Bolgheri Sassicaia.
"This is a classic vintage of an Italian icon now celebrating its 50th vintage. The Tenuta San Guido 2018 Bolgheri Sassicaia lays out a familiar blueprint that borrows from the proven track record of this landmark estate that extends into the hills just beyond the Tyrrhenian shores of Tuscany. This vintage is crystalline and pure in its delivery, and if you are familiar with previous editions, it is impossible to mistake this wine for anything but Sassicaia.
The growing season started off cool and wet but turned to warm and dry conditions comfortably before the harvest. Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc in a supporting role deliver a graceful mid-weight texture that holds back style-wise in terms of phenolic density. The wine's careful balance is achieved thanks to the nuanced character of the fruit, the present acidity, the well-managed structure and the contained alcohol. The palate is lifted and bright, the finish is polished and long, and the wine skips over any heaviness on the mid-palate. The bouquet is especially intriguing with a very lively plummy fruit element that is enhanced by baker's chocolate, pepper spice, iron ore, caramel and pie crust. There is also a green character that adds positively to the bouquet with aniseed, tea leaf, soya, menthol rub and black olive. The fruit maturity is spot-on with no elements that feel over or underripe. Overall, the 2018 Sassicaia weighs in with a svelte frame and long persistence. Moreover, it is distinguished by the archetypal elegance and pedigree of the classic vintages of the past. This new release gives you much pleasure to await."
- Robert Parker - 100 Points
Spottswoode Cabernet
$397.99
This is one of the classic California Cabs, and the 2016 vintage, the 35th, earned a perfect 100pt score from Wine Advocate. This Cabernet Sauvignon is big and rich without being overwrought. Lovely aromatic nuances give way to great mouthfeel and length with wonderful, dynamic energy. Aged 20 months in French oak barrel (60% new). The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot.
Wine Advocate, Lisa Perrotti-Brown 100 POINTS: "An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase, and consume. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is still very tight and youthful, slowly unfurling to reveal a multifaceted wine with tons of black, blue and red fruit sparks – plums, cherries, black currants and red currants – with dark chocolate, cedar chest, black tea and red roses in the background plus wafts of pencil lead and prosciutto. Medium-bodied and firmly textured by superbly ripe, grainy tannins, it has a fantastic core of intense, complex layers, finishing on an edifying mineral note. Wow! 2022–2060. (October 2018)"
Cos Pithos
$61.99
A fascinating red wine from Sicily, from one of the leaders in the natural wine movement. Here's what Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has to say about it: "This wine is famously aged in clay amphora that are buried underground to keep temperature and moisture levels intact. COS was one of the first estates in Sicily to use amphora for aging and refining its wines. It started a trend that has gained much popularity today." Pair with beef or venison.
Cignale IGT
$91.99
92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2011 vintage! The review: "As always, the 2011 Cignale is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot (aged for 24 months in oak). The wine represents a joint venture between vintner Alessandro François and importer Neil Empson, and it has brought lots of attention to Castello di Querceto over the years. This edition shows dark cherry and dark fruit layers with generous spice, cinnamon and grilled herb."