April Newsletter

Play Ball!

This is not how anyone in the U.S. wine industry wanted to start out the spring, but the prospect of tariffs on European wines (up to 200%) is dominating our thoughts. 

The President of the United States has threatened a 200% tariff on all European wines. If he goes through with it, the 200%, or even 50% tariff, will encompass all still and sparkling wines produced anywhere in the EU, regardless of the alcohol level. Most industry experts agree that it will severely cripple the U.S. wine industry and causing many American importers, distributors, retailers and restaurants to either drastically shrink their businesses or go out of business altogether. This will also hurt the transportation and logistics industries and the businesses that serve them. In addition, this will hurt most small to mid-sized American wineries who rely on wine shops and a supply chain that include the threatened distributors.

The United States wine industry is in lockstep against the tariffs.

Please consider submitting written testimony on wine tariffs on all European wines. Visit www.regulations.gov to submit written testimony.

Now, how about some wine?

We are offering six-pack discounts on a couple of the wines below. Six-packs ordered through the website will have discounts applied manually when we process your order.
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Peyrassol 2023 Provence Rose Cuvee des Commandeurs

$19.99 USD
$19.99 USD
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SALE $19.99 (was $24.99) With incoming Rosés subject to potential tariffs, NOW is the time to stock up on delicious Rosé! This is the essence of classical, refreshing, ultra food-friendly Provençal rosé. A beautiful light pink with orange tints, the Peyrassol’s nose has alluring aromas of raspberry, orange peel, melon, and minerals. The palate offers real depth and complexity with bright citrus notes balancing the fresh fruit and briny minerals framed by racy acidity on the silky palate. Um...more, please! Stock up for the long hot summer.

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Cameron 2023 Ribbon RIdge Pinot Noir, Willlamette Valley Oregon

$34.99 USD
$34.99 USD
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$197.94 ($32.99) six-pack | Here it is: Cameron's juiciest Pinot Noir of the vintage. Comprised of fruit from Foster Farms (no, not the chicken factory-farm) vineyard, the 2023 Cameron Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir is super aromatic and loaded with ripe Pinot fruit framed by suave tannins. If Cameron's Dundee Hills bottlings are not fruit-forward enough for you, this should do the trick. Limited. This is the last vintage of this wine, and you know, I think it’s my favorite version of the Ribbon Ridge Pinot yet. Figures. 

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Cameron 2023 Dundee Hills Chardonnay (Abbey Ridge & Clos Electrique), Willamette Valley, Oregon

$24.99 USD
$24.99 USD
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This is a perennial contender for Chardonnay value of the year. What else would you expect from old vine Abbey Ridge and Clos Electrique vines and fruit in the hands of John Paul and Tom Sivilli? Quite simply, I can’t think of a better Chardonnay from anywhere for under $25.00. An immaculate aromatic profile segues to the palate featuring an enticing tension between perfectly ripe fruit and good acidity with all of the essence of the great Abbey Ridge and Clos Electrique vineyards from start to finish. Get it now while the gettin’s good. Limited.

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Lopez de Heredia 2011 Reserva Vina Bosconia

$39.99 USD
$39.99 USD
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Of course we're gonna feature this wine! You know we love Lopez de Heredia and we're in the sharing mood. Looking for sub-$40 wine that can easily age 20+ years? Here you go! While delicious since its release, the 1994 Viña Bosconia in my cellar just started hitting its full stride a few years ago.  At 14 years old, the 2011 is already very expressive and enticing. Already delicious, this wine will continue to evolve in a positive manner for many years to come. Get it while the gettin’ is good. If it matters: “This garnet red wine presents aromas of sour cherry, cola, cedar and licorice, along with subtle hints of fresh herbs and dried flowers. Dry and medium-bodied, this nimble and silky red vibrates a chalky, taut flow, compacted by reactive tannins. The 2011 is a textured, long-lasting wine, its years in the bottle bestowing enticing, subtle complexity to this remarkable vintage.” - 94 Vinous / “Exhibiting a little more concentration than the 2010 release, balanced by the freshness that's a feature of Mercedes López de Heredia's reds, this is a serious, layered cuvée of Tempranillo with 15% Garnacha and just 5% of Mazuelo and Graciano combined. High toned and balsamic, with a volatile lift, understated oak and plenty of acidity and minerality. Earthy and complex.” - 94 Tim Atkin, MW & ”López de Heredia’s 2011 Viña Bosconia Rioja “Reserva” is crafted this year from a blend of eighty percent Tempranillo, fifteen percent Garnacha and five percent of Graciano and Mazuelo. The wine is just a touch riper than the Tondonia Reserva in this vintage, coming in at 13.5 percent alcohol and delivering a beautiful bouquet of dark berries, black raspberries, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, a touch of smoked meats, brown spices, a nice base of soil and a touch of bonfire in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil signature, ripe, seamless tannins and a long, tangy and beautifully balanced finish. This is still fairly primary in personality and the wine will be infinitely more complex if tucked away in the cellar for half a dozen years. It will age superbly. 2023-2085+” - 93 John Gilman, View from the Cellar

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Borgo Paglianetto 2023 Verdicchio di Matelica "Petrara", Marche, Italy

$19.99 USD
$19.99 USD
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In the Marche along the Adriatic coast, if you jump over the first set of hills, you'll find a beautiful little north-west running valley called Matelica. Smaller and cooler, this region produces a different sort of Verdicchio where the wines are lean, fresh, and mineral driven. This month, try two bottlings from Borgo Paglianetto, a relatively young property created from the merger of two older estates. First up, the "Petrara" which is from a single organically-farmed vineyard facing dead south. Harvested somewhat later and riper, this wine has a more solar feel. It is, however, incredibly generous and pure with aromatics that all but leap from the glass offering unmistakable notes of lemon and lemon blossom. Layers of fresh yellow citrus comprise the palate offering zippy acidity, ample weight, and a bit of that characteristic mineral smack. The name of the game here is balance and pleasure and it’s so drinkable and down right delicious. Drink now with fried olives or Pasta alle Vongole, with shrimp and have “classic Italian weeknight.” Careful not to get addicted. - Lance’s Pick

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Borgo Paglianetto 2021 Verdicchio di Matelica "Vertis", Marche, Italy

$25.99 USD
$25.99 USD
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From older vines (35 years) and a cooler plot with two years of aging in the cellar, the "Vertis" is a clear step up in class. Pale straw-yellow with a bright glint, it offers more delicate aromas of white peach, white flowers, green apple skin, and a sharper mineral vein. The palate courses with tension from the weight and mineral drive making it incredibly persistent and precise. It’s easily top of the class for Verdicchio and certainly one not to miss. Dare I say this wine has some parallels to old school Chablis with similar weight and minerality? Definite cellar potential of 5-10 years. - Lance's Pick

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Jean Pierre Gaussen 2016 VdP Mont-Caume, Provence

$19.99 USD
$19.99 USD
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Jean-Pierre Gaussen issues some of our favorite traditionally-styled Bandol. This is his "baby Bandol" from nearby Mont-Caume. We’re not sure what the exact percentages are, but this wine is built on Mourvedre and it sure shows both in the nose and on the palate. Aromas of game, damp soil, underbrush and blackberries segue to a medium-full-bodied palate with a reprise of the aromatic themes. Coupled with the aromatic and flavor profile, the surprising structure could lead one to easily mistake this for a traditional young Bandol. Enjoy with wild game, garlicky lamb and cassoulet over the next four years.

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Clos Guirouilh 2020 Jurancon Sec, SW France

$21.99 USD
$21.99 USD
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This dry white wine stopped me dead in my tracks while tasting through a lineup of very good wines from much better known regions. Jurançon is a tiny appellation in Southwestern France and is one of those appellations wine geeks and sommeliers like to talk about but nobody ever sees, much less drinks. Well, here it is! After tasting it initially and going back to it after tasting through the rest of the line up (including some powerful red wines),the word "intense" kept coming back to me. Exotic aromas of bees wax, ripe nectarine, minerals and other stuff I can't articulate segue to the luxurious palate filled with stone fruit, citrus, spices and a core of minerality cutting through the palate from start to finish. The full-bodied palate is rich and powerful and kept bright and lively by fresh acidity. It delivers a level of complexity and persistence unusual to find in any wine, especially at this price level. Oh, it's a blend of old vine 85% Gros Manseng and 15% Petit Courbu from cool hillside vineyards in the Lasseube terroir. And, it's freakin' delicious! - And very limited.

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Quinta da Serradinha 2018 Tinto, Castelao et al, Lisboa, Portugal

$25.99 USD
$25.99 USD
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Geek Alert: This wine is so savory being comprised of primarily Castelao with Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro and Tinta Miuda. I’m not sure how to describe this wine or what to tell you about it, but I am really taken by this Portuguese red. Other than how savory it is, the Castelao et al is a lighter-bodied red wine with crunchy red berry fruit, an intense limestone terroir expression and it just pulses with energy. Enjoy with grilled sausages, burgers, chicken etc. over the next several years. An outstanding summertime red because it’s not too heavy, has excellent acidity and can take a slight chill if so desired.

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Quinta da Serradinha 2019 Tinto, Baga, Lisboa, Portugal

$39.99 USD
$39.99 USD
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$215.94($35.99) six-pack | Geek Alert: Like the Serradinha Castelao et al above, this is a really intriguing red. This 100% Baga has all of the savory notes and terroir expression of the wine above, but with a little darker fruit, more weight, depth and structure. Delicious and complex now, this Baga will only improve and gain in complexity over the next decade. I’ve enjoyed Bagas with 20+ years on them, and I imagine this wine will drink well for 20+ years too. Go for it.

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Domaine de Marzilly - Champagne Ullens Brut

$49.99 USD
$49.99 USD
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SALE $49.99 (Reg. $55.99) | In case you missed it this offer while out on spring break, we have a little left: We freakin’ love this Champagne! Owner/winemaker Maxime Ullens de Schooten has had some excellent tutelage (but we can’t say from whom) that has propelled him from upstart to the 2020 "Winemaker of the Year" from the renowned Gault Millau -a new Champagne star has been born! From the great 2019 vintage base, this is a blend of 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. This is very vinous and especially food-friendly. This complex Champagne offers an a sort of autumnal palette of dried fruit and nuts and brioche. The Champagne Ullens Brut has exceptional balance and while it makes for a splendid aperitif, it really excels at the table. - Super-duper limited.

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