Raventos Blanc de Blanc
$44.99
Raventós i Blanc is a winery with one of the longest-documented wine-growing traditions in the world. The family farm and winery outside of Barcelona has belonged to the Raventós family since 1497. Five centuries working 90 hectares of vines and forest, a dynasty closely associated with the land from one generation to the next. Today, Pepe Raventós, who represents the twenty-first generation of the family, farms 44 plots using biodynamic winegrowing methods and is committed to maintaining the estate of vines, wood and lake as a complete entity. Raventós i Blanc is faithful to tradition and upholds the relationship between man and nature at the very core of its production philosophy.
Rosier Rose Brut Magnum
$56.99
In France, Crémant is the term used for sparkling wines made in the same method as Champagne but from outside of the actual Champagne region. The Rosier family left their native Champagne area, moved to Limoux and began making wine in January of 1982, full of hope and energy after purchasing a vineyard property in the village of Villelongue d’Aude. They began by restructuring the vineyard and took out all the old red Aramon vines to make way for Chardonnay, Chenin, Mauzac and Pinot Noir. Their first ‘cuvée’ was created in 1983, a scant production of 600 bottles. The following year 6000 bottles were produced under the ‘appellation’ Blanquette de Limoux. In 1985, they outgrew the space in Villelongue and moved to Limoux to larger premises and were able to increase production, thanks for the most part to our expansion into the American market. They now produce 650,000 bottles of Blanquette de Limoux and Crémant de Limoux in a specially designed, ultra-modern ‘Chai’ (wine production plant and storehouse) and have established a presence outside France in sixteen countries around the world.
Raventos De Nit Magnum
$96.99
Raventós i Blanc is a winery with one of the longest-documented wine-growing traditions in the world. The family farm and winery outside of Barcelona has belonged to the Raventós family since 1497. Five centuries working 90 hectares of vines and forest, a dynasty closely associated with the land from one generation to the next. Today, Pepe Raventós, who represents the twenty-first generation of the family, farms 44 plots using biodynamic winegrowing methods and is committed to maintaining the estate of vines, wood, and lake as a complete entity. Raventós i Blanc is faithful to tradition and upholds the relationship between man and nature at the very core of its production philosophy.
Lieser Niederberg Helden Kabinett
$47.99
From 1904, Schloss Lieser served as the principal cellar and press house for Freiherr von Schorlemer’s prestigious and far-flung hundred acres [or “45 hectares”] of Mosel and Saar vineyards, most of which were shed in the 1970s when the estate changed hands and slid into a long decline. Thomas Haag, from the venerable Mosel wine-making family Weingut Fritz Haag, and his wife Ute took up the position of Head Winemaker and Director of the estate in 1992. At this time the estate was just six hectares, located almost entirely in the Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) Lieser Niederberg Helden.
After working at the winery for five years, by which time they had already restored much of the estate’s reputation, Thomas and Ute were able to purchase the property in 1997 and began making immediate investments in the cellar and vineyards. “This was a slow process,” said Thomas. Each year, rather than taking the profit out of the winery, the Haag’s reinvested and started purchasing other Grand Cru vineyards in the Mosel. Early on, they purchased a small parcel of Graacher Himmelreich, but it was not until the latter part of the 1990s that they started to truly expand the domaine. In 2002, the Haag’s purchased prime parcels in the Brauneburger Juffer and Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr, expanding their holdings to four Grosse Lagen or Grand Crus. Today they own 25 hectares of eight Grosse Lagen (Grand Crus) spread over 185 different plots. Schloss Lieser enjoys the topmost rating in Germany’s several wine guides, the most widely respected of which, the Vinum Weinguide Deutschland, rates only two estates in the Greater Mosel five stars out of five: Schloss Lieser and Egon Müller!
Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port
$89.99
93 to 95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2015 vintage! The review: "The 2015 Guimaraens Vintage Port is a field blend coming in at 101 grams per liter of residual sugar. This was a tank sample when seen, out of barrel, the final blend and awaiting bottling in a couple of weeks. It should be released by the time this article appears. This is the blend Fonseca releases when there is no "classic" vintage declaration. It is usually intended to be approachable a bit earlier, much like a second wine. It seems pretty impressive this year, though. Round, big and lush, it might well be the best of the 2015s from the Fladgate Partnership, especially on the hedonism scale. It also seems to be the most concentrated of the Fladgate Partnership's wines this issue, full bodied and mouth coating. With air, this shows plenty of tannins underneath, too, but the mid-palate depth balances everything perfectly. Underneath that first rush of everything is intensely flavorful and fresh 2015 fruit."
Taylor Fladgate Historical -The Mallet
$65.99
This is the third limited release in Taylor Fladgate's Historical Collection. The series celebrates the common bottle shapes used in a variety of eras throughout the history of Port Wine.
From The Producer
"The most recent addition to the series is a bottle moulded in the distinctive ‘mallet’ shape which had become well established in England by the 1730s. It represents the transition from the early ‘onion’ bottle to the straight sided ‘cylinder’ shape, similar to that of modern bottles, which emerged from around 1750. The Historic Limited Edition series will continue in future with further releases of bottles inspired by the classic bottle shapes of the past.
For each of the historic bottles in the series, Taylor Fladgate’s skilled blenders have created a wood aged Reserve Port drawn from the company’s extensive reserves and matured in oak casks in its ‘lodges’ in Oporto. Fully aged, these superb limited edition blends are ready for immediate enjoyment."
Taylor Fladgate Very Old Port
$1,484.99
Why VVOP, because the classifications for Tawny Ports end at 50 years, and don't stretch all the way to 80. This legendary wine from Taylor Fladgate comes in a bespoke decanter, and a handsome wood case. It was scored at 99pts by James Suckling.
Producer Description
"The VVOP is the latest in a series of limited releases of very fine and rare Ports drawn from Taylor Fladgate’s treasury of very very old cask-aged reserves. This unique blend is one of the oldest wines released to date. It is made from a selection of rare lots matured in wood in Taylor Fladgate’s cellars, some of which have been quietly concentrating to a magical quintessence since before the Second World War."
Quinta Do Noval Colheita 2005
$99.99
The history of Quinta do Noval is marked by the action of visionaries:
António José da Silva, a port shipper from Porto, acquired Quinta do Noval in 1894, after its devastation by phylloxera. He restored the property by replanting the vines. Luiz Vasconcelos Porto, his son-in-law, was the author of a vast programme of innovations. He transformed many of the narrow older terraces into broader terraces. This permitted a more efficient use of the land and a better exposition to the sun.
Since 1993, Quinta do Noval is part of the international viticultural group of AXA Millésimes. A new bottling line and warehouse was completed in 1997 in Alijo, near Pinhão. This project made Quinta do Noval the first of the traditional Port shippers to centralise all its activities in the Douro Valley. In the 90's, around a hundred hectares of the domaine have been replanted, adapting pruning methods to suit each parcel. Today, we have high quality grapes which on one hand assure the excellence of Quinta do Noval Ports and on the other hand the production of Douro wines since the 2004 vintage.
Quinta Do Noval Colheita 2007
$102.99
The history of Quinta do Noval is marked by the action of visionaries: António José da Silva, a port shipper from Porto, acquired Quinta do Noval in 1894, after its devastation by phylloxera. He restored the property by replanting the vines. Luiz Vasconcelos Porto, his son-in-law, was the author of a vast programme of innovations. He transformed many of the narrow older terraces into broader terraces. This permitted a more efficient use of the land and a better exposition to the sun. Quinta do Noval made its name with the declaration of the 1931 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port, and the 1931 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port. Because of the global depression and the enormous production and shipment of the 1927 Vintage, most shippers did not declare the 1931. This success established Quinta do Noval among the great names of Vintage Port in the English and American markets, a leading position in terms of reputation which is maintained today.