The Aficionado: mixed
New Members
LE MONDE PINOT NERO ROSÉ SPARKLING
About the winery: Le Monde lies between the banks of the Livenza and Meduna rivers, close to the border between the provinces of Treviso and Pordenone in Friuli Grave. The winery headquarters, built in the eighteenth century maintains the architectural characteristics of the time. Originally property of the Pistoni family, the wine farm together with the vineyards was acquired Alex Maccan in 2008. Alex is now the owner and winemaker.
Stolpman Syrah
From the winemaker: "The most representative “flagship” bottling of the vineyard, Estate Syrah has become the calling card not only for Stolpman, but for the Ballard Canyon AVA. Estate Syrah also symbolizes the evolution in viticulture and winemaking at Stolpman Vineyards. In the 1990s and well into the 2000s, this wine was made in a more heavy-handed style – employing extended macerations, forcefully extractive punch-downs multiple times daily, and new French oak barrels – all in the effort to make bigger, more powerful wines. Today we rely on concentration derived from our version of dry-farming – no irrigation from fruit-set through picking. We are able to harvest small, undiluted grapes at the peak of freshness without the jammy flatness associated with dehydrated fruit. Confident that our grapes provide plentiful color, flavor, and texture; we now manage our fermentations much more gently – delicately circulating the juice in an effort to eliminate harsh tannin and elevate the purity and nuance of the finished wine. All in all, Estate Grown Syrah now reaches a finer balance and is more delicious drunk both young, and fully mature."
BOW & ARROW GAMAY
From the winemaker: "My name is Scott Frank and Bow & Arrow is my interpretation of the Willamette Valley’s humble terroir. The most important parts of that equation are the Willamette Valley and “humble.” Our growing region is frequently approached as a grand terroir destined to produce prestigious wines with an implicit Burgundian influence. I’m honored to make wine here. Still, the valley I know and love is as much a blue-collar agricultural area as it is a boutique wine destination. It’s as much a collection of relatively simple, clay dominated soils as it is home to multi-generation family estates and renowned AVA’s. Bow & Arrow uses a different template to explore this different, simpler side of the Willamette Valley. Instead of Burgundy, we pay homage to the refreshing and decidedly working class wines of France’s Loire Valley."
HENRY PELLÉ LES BORNÉS
From the winemaker: “The perfect combination of the different areas of the Menetou-Salon region. ‘Les bornés’, which means ‘clay soil’ in Berrichon —the local dialect— is an aromatic wine. The nose is reminiscent of the grape variety and the taste is full, rich and tender. A truly pleasurable wine that will reach its fullest potential in 2 to 3 years.”
Natural Mix
Division Noveau Gamay
From the winemaker: "Mais oui…Le Division "Nouveau Nouveau" est arrivé! 2021 marks the tenth vintage of our Beaujolais-inspired Nouveau made with 100% Gamay Noir from Carousel Vineyard, planted at high up lands of the Yakima Valley, within the Columbia Valley AVA. Like our friends in Beaujolais, nouveau wines are typically the first wines released from any given vintage, created to celebrate the end of harvest. Beaujolais Nouveau Day, the third Thursday in November, is when these wines are released to the general public. We stick to this tradition and release our Nouveau Nouveau on the same day, with a celebration of winemakers and wine drinkers all over the world to pop these fresh, fruity, and quaffable reds to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and all of the hard work involved in making the year’s wine. Nouveau is all about drinking, not thinking – so grab some friends, grab some nouveau, and enjoy!"
DELINQUENTE WINE CO. “TUFF NUTT” BIANCO PET NAT
From the winemaker: “This year’s Bianco Pet Nat so bright and clean – intense tropical and citrus fruit bursting from the glass, it just screams drink me. Perfect beady, fuzzy fizz pops in the mouth, where the fruits are present but increasingly we see more of the herbaceous, savoury, moreish characters come through. Fresh, persistent, delicious – a wine made for sunshine savouring.”
DOMINÓ FOXTROT
About the wine: From a hilly part of the Alentejo, Serra de São Mamede and Portalegre. Old vines averaging 80+ years-old from granitic and clay soils. The wine is an interesting blend of Alicante Bouschet and Trincadeira (or Tinta Amarela in the Douro) and a field blend of different Muscat varieties, white and red (Nunes, Hamburg, Leona, Petits Grains, Alessandria). The bunches are kept whole and the wine goes through a soft maceration with the stems for five days. It is pressed and fermented in stainless steel. After two months it got racked into old barrel where it rested for a year. This is a perfect example of Vitor’s red wines: a pale and delicate ruby color, with just hints of berry fruit, and enough grip to keep you interested.
SFERA MACERATO
From the winemaker: “A slightly chilled down liter bottle with a crown cap is just the thing for an apertivo or an impromptu dinner. We’ve been searching for the right PortoVino producer for Italian liters for a while. We knew we wanted with buckets of low alcohol deliciousness, yet not in that international glou-glou style where the soil, grape, and terroir gets washed out.”
Traditional Mix
Luigi Giordano Langhe Rosso
From the winemaker: "A stone’s throw from Barbaresco’s village centre, the winery and its vineyards were founded by Giovanni Giordano in the 1930s during a time of profound crisis in the Italian wine world. After a period of growing and selling grapes, Giovanni’s son, Luigi, made the bold decision to vinify his own grapes in 1960. Luigi Giordano is now a fourth-generation winery whose vineyards are planted in some of Barbaresco’s most prestigious crus, including Asili and Montestefano. One particular Barbaresco bottling from the cru of Cavanna showcases the winery’s elegant, hands-off style of winemaking and currently represents the only single-vineyard cru of its kind on the market.”
HENRY PELLÉ LES BORNÉS
From the winemaker: “The perfect combination of the different areas of the Menetou-Salon region. ‘Les bornés’, which means ‘clay soil’ in Berrichon —the local dialect— is an aromatic wine. The nose is reminiscent of the grape variety and the taste is full, rich and tender. A truly pleasurable wine that will reach its fullest potential in 2 to 3 years.”
Le Monde PINOT NERO ROSÉ SPARKLING
About the winery: Le Monde lies between the banks of the Livenza and Meduna rivers, close to the border between the provinces of Treviso and Pordenone in Friuli Grave. The winery headquarters, built in the eighteenth century maintains the architectural characteristics of the time. Originally property of the Pistoni family, the wine farm together with the vineyards was acquired Alex Maccan in 2008. Alex is now the owner and winemaker.
Stolpman syrah
From the winemaker: "The most representative “flagship” bottling of the vineyard, Estate Syrah has become the calling card not only for Stolpman, but for the Ballard Canyon AVA. Estate Syrah also symbolizes the evolution in viticulture and winemaking at Stolpman Vineyards. In the 1990s and well into the 2000s, this wine was made in a more heavy-handed style – employing extended macerations, forcefully extractive punch-downs multiple times daily, and new French oak barrels – all in the effort to make bigger, more powerful wines. Today we rely on concentration derived from our version of dry-farming – no irrigation from fruit-set through picking. We are able to harvest small, undiluted grapes at the peak of freshness without the jammy flatness associated with dehydrated fruit. Confident that our grapes provide plentiful color, flavor, and texture; we now manage our fermentations much more gently – delicately circulating the juice in an effort to eliminate harsh tannin and elevate the purity and nuance of the finished wine. All in all, Estate Grown Syrah now reaches a finer balance and is more delicious drunk both young, and fully mature."
Modern Mix
Kokomo Zinfandel
From the winemaker: "Our Dry Creek Zinfandel is comprised of fruit from two different vineyards: Mizany Vineyard and Pauline’s Vineyard. Although both are located in Dry Creek Valley, the different vineyards bring two unique wines with their own distinct personalities. Mizany Vineyard is planted to the DuPratt clone of Zinfandel, which has a spicier character with a darker fruit profile. It is a field blend comprised of Zinfandel with a 5 % blend of Carignan, Alicante Bouschet, and Petite Sirah, much like the first vineyards planted in Dry Creek Valley. Pauline’s Vineyard is planted to the old mother-clone of Dry Creek. This vineyard is on the valley floor in the famous Cortina gravelly loam. We take a lot of pride that Dry Creek Valley is known to grow the best Zinfandel in the world, and we feel like blending two different vineyards gives us an overall picture of the special terroir that is Dry Creek Valley."
LE MONDE PINOT NERO ROSÉ SPARKLING
About the winery: Le Monde lies between the banks of the Livenza and Meduna rivers, close to the border between the provinces of Treviso and Pordenone in Friuli Grave. The winery headquarters, built in the eighteenth century maintains the architectural characteristics of the time. Originally property of the Pistoni family, the wine farm together with the vineyards was acquired Alex Maccan in 2008. Alex is now the owner and winemaker.
STOLPMAN SYRAH
From the winemaker: "The most representative “flagship” bottling of the vineyard, Estate Syrah has become the calling card not only for Stolpman, but for the Ballard Canyon AVA. Estate Syrah also symbolizes the evolution in viticulture and winemaking at Stolpman Vineyards. In the 1990s and well into the 2000s, this wine was made in a more heavy-handed style – employing extended macerations, forcefully extractive punch-downs multiple times daily, and new French oak barrels – all in the effort to make bigger, more powerful wines. Today we rely on concentration derived from our version of dry-farming – no irrigation from fruit-set through picking. We are able to harvest small, undiluted grapes at the peak of freshness without the jammy flatness associated with dehydrated fruit. Confident that our grapes provide plentiful color, flavor, and texture; we now manage our fermentations much more gently – delicately circulating the juice in an effort to eliminate harsh tannin and elevate the purity and nuance of the finished wine. All in all, Estate Grown Syrah now reaches a finer balance and is more delicious drunk both young, and fully mature."
San Román Prima
From the winemaker: "A vintage of contained yields, and rainfall was minimal throughout the cycle. Winter was mild, with no frosts, and spring was moderate and dry, which delayed budbreak until the end of April. After flowering and fruit set, the vines showed fewer bunches due to the lack of water. A gradual ripening of the grapes, thanks to the cool temperatures at the end of the summer, contributed to an optimal phenolic balance. The grapes were harvested at the beginning of September with a favourable concentration of tannins and aromas."
3 Powerful Reds + 1 Crisp White
HENRY PELLÉ LES BORNÉS
From the winemaker: “The perfect combination of the different areas of the Menetou-Salon region. ‘Les bornés’, which means ‘clay soil’ in Berrichon —the local dialect— is an aromatic wine. The nose is reminiscent of the grape variety and the taste is full, rich and tender. A truly pleasurable wine that will reach its fullest potential in 2 to 3 years.”
J. BRIX “LA BELLE RÊVEUSE” SYRAH
From the winemaker: "La Belle Rêveuse – The Beautiful Dreamer. Syrah was one of the varieties we worked with when we frst made our own wine; and so the dream became reality. "
PÉPIÈRE VAL DE LOIRE CÔT-MERLOT "LA PÉPIÈ"
About the wine: “82% Côt (aka Malbec)/18% Merlot. Only three of Pépière's 43 certifed-organic hectares of vines are planted to black grapes: Côt, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (known locally as Breton). They are in the 10-hectare "home" vineyard in Clisson, where the rocky, granite-rich soils yield top-tier Melon de Bourgogne; the black grapes are in a section with a gentle slope and southwestern exposure. As with the Cabernet Franc, the Côt and Merlot are harvested by hand, destemmed and crushed, with only the free-run juice used for the wine. It is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, followed by around five months of aging in stainless steel. The wine is classified as a Vin de Pays de la Loire, as there is no allowance for red wine in the Muscadet AOC.”
San Román Prima
From the winemaker: "A vintage of contained yields, and rainfall was minimal throughout the cycle. Winter was mild, with no frosts, and spring was moderate and dry, which delayed budbreak until the end of April. After flowering and fruit set, the vines showed fewer bunches due to the lack of water. A gradual ripening of the grapes, thanks to the cool temperatures at the end of the summer, contributed to an optimal phenolic balance. The grapes were harvested at the beginning of September with a favourable concentration of tannins and aromas."