Month: February 2015

Thank you Le Paulee for putting us in a Burgundy State of Mind!

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Laurent Cognard is destined to become a force to be reckoned with in the echelon of supreme white Burgundy producers! This is a superlative Premier Cru at a fantastic price!
COGNARD-1ER-CRU-BASSETS

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2011 Domaine Laurent Cognard Montagny
Premier Cru Les Bassets
$396 case

90 Points Wine Spectator

“This juicy white is all about harmony, with lemon, apple, melon and mineral notes mingling on the firm, vibrant structure. Clean and long. Drink now through 2018. Only 300 cases imported!”
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New Burgundy Releases!

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Two remarkable, classic producers from the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits. Both Bitouzet Prieur and Jean Chauvenet have historic, blessed holdings in their respective regions and their wines are the benchmark to which all should strive. These are wines that truly lift our spirits and sing the promise that Spring is Coming!

White Wine from Cote de Beaune
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2011 Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrieres $447 6pack
Magnums $162 each
“Sweet Spot Outstanding”—Burghound, 92 Points AG

Perhaps the consistently greatest white wine from Bitouzet-Prieur, the “Perrieres” is firmly mineral, quite spicy elegant; a great wine of class and breed with remarkable density and a wine of extraordinary potential.  Two barrels are reserved for the US market; magnums are rare!

Red Wine from Cote de Nuits

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2012 Domaine Jean Chauvenet Nuits St Georges $336 6pack
Magnums $130 each
“Outstanding Top Value”—Burghound

A classic version of the appellation.  The average age of the vineyards that compose this cuvee is 45 years. A deeply colored wine with vivacity; somewhat stern in its youth but with excellent balance and black fruit flavours. Our advice is to grab some magnums fast!!!

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2012 Domaine Jean Chauvenet Nuits St Georges Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Perrieres
$588 6pack
“Outstanding” —Burghound

We have the pleasure of accessing wine from the regal cru of “Perrieres”, a profoundly stony site that produces a wine of great breed and class, a wine with a fine capacity to age. One of the most elegant and intellectual wines of this part of the Cote de Nuits.

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2012 Domaine Jean Chauvenet Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains
$720 6pack
“Outstanding”—Burghound

The “grand cru” of this domaine; recognized as one of the most glorious sites within the appellation, the Chauvenet holdings here are old and produce a wine that embodies all of the wonders of Nuits Saint Georges; there is a deep fruitiness with both black and red fruits on exhibit, an earthiness that manages to be compelling and also elegant, all set upon a background of robust tannins that support a weighty but athletic wine; a wine that rewards substantial cellaring.

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New Kid on the Block!

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We just found this little jewel from Washington, only 200 cases made! Since 1993 this beautiful estate has been dedicated to crafting superior wines of structure and elegance, preserving the typical characteristics of Washington state grapes.

Only the best barrels of each vintage are selected to make the Reserve, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend that promises to age gracefully.

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2011 Matthews Estate Reserve $420 6pack
Columbia Valley, Washington State
94 Points Wine Advocate

“Even more impressive, with smoking raspberry, blackberry, spring flowers, toast and hints of licorice, the 2011 Reserve is medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated (especially in the vintage), layered and elegant, with fabulous purity and freshness. It too has ultra-fine tannin and impressive length on the finish. Made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 6% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc that spent 19 months in 100% new French oak, it will shine through 2025.”
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Special Sale! California Dreaming Away the Winter Blues

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This stunning lineup from Napa and Sonoma will remind you there are at least six reasons to live!
California 6-Pack!
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Regular Price $551 6pack
Sale Price $499 6pack
includes one bottle each
 
2012 Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
96+ Galloni “Majestic!”
2012 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 40th Anniversary Edition Napa Valley
96 Parker “Amazing!”
2011 J Davies Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District Napa Valley
93 WA Stunning balance of both power and elegance!
2009 Hidden Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Impassable Mountain Sonoma 
96 RP “Brilliant!”
2008 Mayacamas Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
A Classic Beauty from one of the original masters!
2009 Robert Foley Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
94 WS From one of the more interesting and exciting new winemakers in Napa!

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Meo Camuzet!

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Méo-Camuzet is one of the most celebrated domaines of the Côte d’Or, located in the heart of prestigious Vosne-Romanée. The domaine boasts some of the most spectacular appellations and crus of Burgundy. By 1985, in lieu of continuing to rent out their highly-pedigreed vineyards, the winery made the bold decision to slowly start reclaiming the land for their own bottlings. As Henri Jayer had spent over forty years farming parcels from Méo-Camuzet under his own label, the domaine called upon him for guidance. For three years, he mentored Jean-Nicolas Meo during the transition and the rest is history!

meocamuzet

Jean-Nicholas Méo calls 2012 a “very elegant vintage where good vineyard work was indispensable. The growing season was a bit like that of 2010 but in the end it has more acidity and the wines are more tightly knit.”

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2012 Domaine Meo-Camuzet Corton Perrieres Grand Cru $275 bottle

94 Antonio Galloni “The 2012 Corton Perrieres pulses with pure energy and brilliance. Dark red stone fruits, crushed rocks, spices and wild flowers are some of the many notes that meld together in the glass. Though medium in body, the 2012 finishes with substantial understated power and intensity. I wouldn’t expect the 2012 to drink at its finest anytime soon.” Drink 2022-2042

2012 Domaine Meo-Camuzet Echezeaux Les Rouges du Bas Grand Cru $375 bottle

96 Antonio Galloni “A wine of extraordinary beauty and finesse, the 2012 Echezeaux is simply stunning. Black fruit, iron, cloves, new leather and licorice all burst from the glass. There is plenty of underlying structure, but the fruit is so deep and intense the overall impression is one of seamlessness. Asian spices, tar and star anise add compelling dimensions of exoticism on the close. In 2012, the Echezeaux is cool, sophisticated and full of promise. Readers who can find the 2012 should not hesitate, it is stunning.” Drink 2024-2042

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Top Wines Under $20!

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Subzero temperatures mean cooking at home and drinking wine, lots of wine! Stock up today on this impressive “Barolo of the South” that is fresh, graceful and aromatic and won’t break the bank.

irpinia

2010 Salvatore Molettieri Irpinia Aglianico Cinque Querce $216 case

“I love aglianico, the great red grape of Campania and Basilicata, but I don’t drink the wines nearly as often as I wish. This dense, powerful wine is tannic and structured, with spicy flavors of dark fruits. Drink with plenty of red meat.” – Eric Asimov “Worth the Search, 20 Wines Under $20” January 2015

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Pinot Noir for Valentines Day!

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Superstar veteran winemaker Robert Brittan left behind his 30 years at Far Niente and Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa to fulfill his dream of making Pinot Noir from unique sites in cooler climates — and we are glad he did! This is an amazing wine drinking experience not to be missed!!

2011 Brittan Vineyards Pinot Noir Basalt Block
Willamette Valley, Oregon $294 6pack

94 Points Wine Advocate

“Brittan’s 2011 Pinot Noir Basalt Block delivers an impressively sappy and dense, vibrant and buoyant combination of tart red currant and blackberry with clean red meat juiciness; salt; crushed stone; and somehow, mysteriously crystalline traces. Such a range of complexity across fruit, animal, and mineral dimensions in such a still youthful wine is among the striking aspects of Brittan’s and his vineyard’s talents, as is their sense of energy, which unsurprisingly is almost palate-shaking on the present occasion, kinetics being another forte of the 2011 vintage. The tannins here are ultra-fine (even if the corresponding Gestalt Block bottling goes them one better!) and the finish is every bit as mouth-coating as it is vibratory. I suspect this will continue to impress through at least 2022.”

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Show Off Your Magnum Size Love This Valentine’s Day!

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You will definitely get lucky holding a sexy Trimbach Torpedo!

2007 was a miracle vintage for Trimbach: a warm spring and a beautiful harvest season resulting in top, dry, precise wines. Pierre Trimbach (11th generation to continue the purist vision for this exceptional terroir) considers this vintage one of the best ever produced in Alsace.

Clos St Hune

Magnums 2007 Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile $140 each

Dry, bone dry, precise, pure, with some beautiful ripe fruits. Let’s say a true Frédéric Emile as you love it! Start to drink it or keep it for ages. 18/20 Jancis Robinson

Magnums 2007 Riesling Clos Ste Hune $440 each

is more than promising: it is already gorgeous and giving a lot. Deep intensity with some mineral shades, characteristic from the wine. It’s a Riesling for aging and for gastronomy, it will be at the top in a few years from now…19/20 by Jancis Robinson

96 Points Wine Advocate

“Trimbach’s 2007 Riesling Clos Ste-Hune displays genuine intrigue in its array of floral, mineral and animal shadings focusing on narcissus, musk, shimmering crystalline stoniness, alkalinity, and savory salinity. Grapefruit and orange are tinged with juniper berry, quinine, as well as hints of white truffle that enhance the resemblance to 1996 (although Trimbachs compare this with their 2001). And while less austere than the corresponding Frederic Emile, this is no less penetratingly or exhilaratingly long. An amazingly extract- and energy-rich, kaleidoscopically multi-faceted Ste-Hune, it should be absorbing to follow for a quarter century or more. I cannot recall a collection at this address that was more consistently fine.”

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The much anticipated 2010 Brunellos are starting to trickling in!

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Wines of traditional elegance that are aged exclusively in large Slavonian oak. Even diehard Burgundy lovers will fall to the charms of this Brunello made by Paolo Vagaggini, one of the most sought after monologists in Tuscany!

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gianni

2010 Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino

$360 6pack

95 Points James Suckling

“The aromas of iron, burnt orange, and dried cherry are compelling. Mineral undertones as well. Meat, earth. This is full body, firm and lightly toasty. Structured. This needs at least three years to soften. Muscular style as always but succulent too. Best ever from here!”

Nebbiolo Never Tasted So Good!

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From the greatest vintage in Barolo in decades, the Master Blaster Angelo Gaja has created two wines for the Ages!!

nebbiolo

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2010 Gaja Conteisa Nebbiolo $1530 6pack
97 Points Wine Advocate

“The 2010 Conteisa is a stunner with all the overwhelming elegance that is inherent to this vintage. It opens steadily to reveal red flower, cassis, baking spice, anisette and tobacco. The aromas are expressive and deep with enduring richness. The tannins are slightly sweet and already soft. This is a collectors’ choice. Drink: 2018-2040.”

2010 Gaja Sperss Nebbiolo $1650 6pack
97 Points Wine Spectator “Collectibles”
96 Points Wine Advocate

“The 2010 Sperss delivers a broad approach to the bouquet with bold flavors of red fruit, spice and milk chocolate that caress the palate. The wine sports a broad frame with beautiful fruit filling at its core. The tannins in Sperss are very firm and structured and this wine won’t be ready for five to ten more years. Drink: 2018-2040.”