Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Nouvelere
$48.99
Philippe and Vincent retained about 32 acres of the family’s vineyards after the parent company was sold, including most notably a parcel of the original Thalabert vineyard, which is situated in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation. The parcel from the Thalabert vineyard that originally belonged to Paul Jaboulet Aîné was renamed Nouvelère, commemorating the ‘new era’. This 100% Syrah is picked from 50+-year-old vines and aged for 24 months in oak, 30% in 25hl barrels (called foudre) and 70% in small 228l oak barrels. Notes of exotic spice and campfire smoke circle the core of black cherry and blueberry fruit along with fine-grained tannins and vibrant acidity.
Le Grand Verdus Reserve Blanc
$56.99
This Bordeaux white is produced entirely from Sémillon, from 80-year-old vines, a rarity in Bordeaux. There is an intriguing bouquet of tropical fruit aromas with delicate floral notes. Hints of honey and almonds add a velvety texture, while a subtle minerality underscores the wine's elegance.
In 1973, Philippe Le Grix de la Salle left the Créon cooperative and started up his winery. This was the birth of Grand Verdus as a wine Château in the classic Bordeaux mould. Under the courtyard of the 400-year-old structure are the wine cellars. At the same time, some Premiers Grand Crus Classés of the Médoc are also developed. With the help of Emile Peynaud, a famous professor at the Faculty of Oenology of Bordeaux and “mentor” of Philippe Le Grix de la Salle, a modern Bordeaux Château is born.
Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Blanc
$47.99
Made from 100% Marsanne, this rich and expressive white wine typically shows notes of lemon-driven citrus, pineapple, passion fruit and honeydew melon. It typically is vinified and aged in a combination of 80% stainless steel tanks and 20% used oak casks.
For 6 generations, the Jaboulet family has been producing wines in the Côtes-Du-Rhone. After nearly 30 years on the Paul Jaboulet Aine estate, where Philippe Jaboulet ran the family's vineyards, he and his son Vincent decided to leave the company to establish their own family estate, Domaine Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet. Located in the northern Rhone Valley, about one mile south of Tain l'Hermitage, the domain was founded in 2006. Philippe and Vincent retained about 13 hectares of family vineyards, including, first of all, the site "Talaber", which was renamed "Nouvelaire", which means "new era".
Carlisle Alicante Bouschet
$74.99
In the last 20 years, Carlisle has bottled Alicante Bouschet only four times – 2004, 2013, 2016, and now, with this vintage, 2021. While the variety is one of their favourites for blending, providing ample colour and adding a bit of complexity, it can fall short as a complete wine, but in these particular vintages, every component is in place, a beautiful nose, delicious flavours, and a long finish. Aged in all neutral oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Note: Black as a moonless night deep in a bamboo forest (trust us, that’s black!) Blackberries and boysenberries abound in the deep, concentrated aromas. A touch of dark earth as well. Medium-full to full-bodied with plenty of fresh blackberry, ample acidity and suave tannins. While there is plenty of fruit to this wine, it is by no means jammy thanks to its low pH and high TA. This will age well.
Burgos Porta Mas Sinen Coster
$78.99
Mas Sinen is the name of the 15 hectares of organic vineyards and winery run by Poboleda native Salvador Burgos, a man of incredible energy and enthusiasm. Situated on a steep hillside outside the village, where only mules, not machines, work the land, Mas Sinen produces 4 wines, some from rare pre-phylloxera grapes which yield tiny quantities of juice. His friend, Sergi Mendez shows us around, explaining the mineral-rich content of the water that trickles down the hills through the llicorella soil is potable. “We try to put our terroir into the bottle,” says Burgos. The yield is so tiny, that 2 vines yield no more than a glass of wine. The grey stone-faced winery is small but old, boasting of basket-presses ranged alongside steel tanks. In the tasting room, we taste the 2018 Mas Sinen. It is still a baby, Burgos declares, “It will be ready in 2021, after 6 months in barrel.” Burgos’ wines are ageworthy, but he shrugs this away with “Yes, it can age. But wine is made to be enjoyed, and because Priorat production is so small, its wines are rarely aged. They are drunk very quickly.”
Foradori Teroldego
$48.99
Here is what Foradori importer Sedimentary Wines says about Elisabetta Foradori:
"Elisabetta was thrust into the wine-making scene at a very early age after the death of her father. It was 1985 and she had just graduated from high school. She had always been in touch with nature and when she took over the vineyards she began to replant her vineyards using massale selection – not because of any overriding grand plan- but because it felt right. It is largely thanks to these efforts by Elisabetta and a few other dedicated growers in the Mezzolombardo area of Trentino that the Teroldego grape has survived."
"We think Elisabetta Foradori makes the best Teroldego wines in the world. Her Foradori is a good introduction to Teroldego for people who have not had it before – the elegance of this wine – matches the elegance of its maker. Her two single-vineyard anfora aged Teroldegos (Sgarzon and Morei) are some of the most special wines in the world (unfortunately, they are made in minute quantities), and her Granato is arguably the top Teroldego wine in the world – it is a deep, dark, concentrated wine made only from her best grapes."
Heartland Cabernet Langhorne Creek
$24.99
The Heartland story began in the late 1990’s when winemaker Ben Glaetzer (of Amon Ra fame) became excited about the outstanding quality of fruit being grown in some of South Australia’s lesser-known regions, in particular Langhorne Creek. Together with industry veterans Scott Collett, Grant Tilbrook and more recently, Nick Keukenmeester, they grew Heartland into an award-winning winery. It offers blackcurrant and berry fruits wrapped in a neat parcel of dried herbs, and a hint of eucalyptus. A touch firmish in the mouth, but the finish is long and seemingly endless.
Morette Bardolino Classico
$29.99
Located just south of Lake Garda, in Peschiera del Garda, Veneto. Le Morette winery produces top-quality Lugana DOC white wines and reds in the Bardolino Classico DOC. Bardolino is similar to Valpolicella, with the same permitted grapes; it has a different terroir and is typically a bit lighter. The winery has about 40 hectares of sustainably farmed vines and has a “Friends of Biodiversity” certificate. It's a blend of 65% Corvina, 30% Rondinella, 5% Molinara, hand-harvested at the end of September. Fermented in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 26°C, with an 8-day maceration with skin contact. Aged for a further two months in bottle before release.
San Leonardo 2020
$179.99
At San Leonardo they consider the family’s first real winemaker to be Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga, who was trained not only to produce great wine but also to manage the family's viticultural endeavours. With Bordeaux at the forefront, he was encouraged to pursue his healthy curiosity for the world’s great wines. This interest led to his decision to study oenology in Lausanne and to deepen his knowledge with research trips to France and Tuscany. The latter was where, on the San Guido property of Sassacaia, he began the long, endearing partnership with Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who revealed all the secrets of the Bordeaux blend to Carlo and became his “oenological godfather”. Giacomo Tachis served as their consulting winemaker for many years before turning that job over to Carlo Ferrini, and in the Italian wine world, it doesn't get any better than those two. The wine is a brilliant ruby red with attractive depth. The aromas are alcohol and fruit-rich when the wine is young, mellowing with bottle aging into ripe plum fruit layered over a faintly grassy background note. Dry, soft and well-balanced on the palate, it reveals a pleasing bitterish twist in the finish. Ideal with rice and pasta in tomato or meat sauces, and filled pasta, as well as grilled meats, poultry, white meats and soft cheeses.