2022 December Newsletter

I can’t believe that it’s the end of another year! Thank you all very much for supporting our small business another year and I can’t wait to see what opportunities next year holds!
This month I have picked wines to go with every day meals but also wines to go with the cold weather! The wines are crowd friendly and affordable, perfect to stock up with for holiday parties this winter!
Christmas Eve: 10am to 7pm
Christmas: Liquor stores are CLOSED by law
New Year’s Eve: 10am to 8pm
New Year’s Day: Closed! We are relaxing and drinking fluids!

Cheers,
Sarah

 

La Lisse

Chenin Blanc 2021

Reg. Price $15.99

Sale Price: $10.99

White Wine of the Month

Here’s a wine I’m sure a lot of you will recognize! The La Lisse Chenin Blanc debuted in my November 2019 newsletter and it has continued to be one of my best selling French white wines. While Chenin Blanc’s home is generally in the Loire Valley in north western France it also thrives in the Haute Vallée de L’Aude near Limoux. The vineyards for La Lisse are planted on clay and limestone at slightly higher elevations to keep the vineyards cool and preserve the elegant acidity that Chenin Blanc is known for. Since the vineyards stay cooler at elevation the vineyards are among the last to be harvested so the grapes have intense complexity and texture with racy acidity. The fleshy texture is complimented by some vinification and aging in a combination of new and used French oak barrels that bring out rich, golden apple and honeysuckle notes. Lime zest and saline minerality cut through the decadence to create a perfectly balanced, show stopping wine that will pair with just about anything you would drink with white wine. This is delicious on a nightly basis but also at a price for holiday parties! Stock up so you can have some in your fridge and have some on hand for unexpected guests.

Dominio de Eguren

“Codice” Tempranillo 2019

Reg. Price $14.99

Sale Price: $8.99

Red Wine of the Month

Cold months always make me think of Spanish reds, something rich and fuller bodied with just the right balance of fruitiness and oak. Typically I lean towards Garnacha but the Codice Tempranillo is just too good to pass up. The Eguren family started making wine five generations ago in 1870 and focused on wines from Rioja and they now have six different wineries across Spain. They set themselves apart by being diligent about their vine selection, canopy management and pruning and sustainable farming. Canopy management and pruning is important to lower yields to make sure that you get the best possible quality for the fruit you grow. The Codice is 100% Tempranillo that has some grapes sourced from their vineyards in Rioja and Toro which means that there is another Tempranillo clone called Tinta de Toro involved. Tinta de Toro has thicker skins to withstand the heat and produces an inky, dark and slightly more tannic wine. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and neutral oak with aging in neutral oak to let the fruit shine through. This is the perfect red for cold nights, parties, beef dishes or your favorite comfort food. Enjoy this with pizza or lasagna as well!

Belisario “Le Salse”

Verdicchio di Matelica 2020

Reg. Price $19.99

Sale Price: $13.99

Verdicchio is quickly becoming one of my favorite fall whites. I have tasted a lot of crisp, citrusy and green apple Verdicchio that is perfect for summer but suddenly I have found more textural, rounder Verdicchio with notes of melon, golden apple and caramelized pastry. The Le Salse’s importer is moving distributors so I got a killer deal on this and bought everything that my distributor had! The Le Salse is from the Marche which is where most Verdicchio hails from and is named after the salt springs that flow underground throughout the town of Matelica. It is made by Belisario which is a high quality cooperative in the area and the grapes come from their high elevation vineyards in the Alto Elsina Valley. The wine is certified organic and the vines are on the older side, about 28 years old which gives the fruit depth and complexity. The wine is fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel for 20 days which gives it texture as it sits with the yeast lees. Only about 4,000 cases are produced a year so get it while you can! This makes me think of a Chenin Blanc and has notes of bruised apple, candied fruit notes and a slight salinity.

Achados Perdidos

28 Uvas 2018

Reg. Price $18.99

Sale Price: $13.99

We poured this in one of the tastings in November and it was a hit! This wine wasn’t necessarily even supposed to make it into production and there are still some things left unknown about it like which grapes are actually even in it. “Achados e Perdidos” means “Lost and Found” in Portuguese which suits this wine so incredibly well. João Silva e Sousa and Francisco Baptista were searching for old vines in the Douro Valley to make wine from when a friend shared a bottle of red with them that his grandfather had made. His grandfather made a small amount of wine for his immediate and extended family and all he could say about it was that it was a field blend. João and Francisco were impressed with the wine and wanted to work with the vineyards and the rest is history. This wine is a blend of 28 different grapes that is farmed organically and fermented with native yeasts in concrete vats. The wine is aged in stainless steel and never touches oak so you get the vibrancy of the fruit. The finished blend is medium bodied and bursting with notes of wild berries, plum and spices with balanced earthiness.

Graham Beck

Brut Rosé NV

Reg. Price $28.99

Sale Price: $18.99

I feature a ton of South African wine in my newsletters but I think this is the first time that I have featured a sparkling wine from South Africa. Graham Beck has been one of my favorite sparkling wines for quite some time but unfortunately has taken many price increases like the rest of the world. Recently my sales rep was able to work out a deal that almost gets it down to their old prices so I am happy to feature it! Graham Beck was founded in 1983 by the late Graham Beck when he bought a farm right outside Robertson. He had built a fortune for himself by doing many things from home renovation, coal mining and horse breeding but his dream was always to have a winery. The terroir of Robertson mimics Champagne with its natural limestone deposits so the sparkling wines over deliver for the price. The Brut Rosé is a blend of 34% Chardonnay and 66% Pinot Noir that is pressed whole cluster and vinified and aged separately. The finished wines are blended together for the secondary fermentation and aged on the lees in bottle. The finished wine is very elegant with notes of cherries, strawberries, and minerality with vibrant acidity and a delicate mousse.

Domaine Saint Vincent

Brut Sparkling Wine NV

Reg. Price $19.99

Sale Price: $14.99

You know I love finding affordable wine made by people who really know what they’re doing so Domaine Saint Vincent is a no brainer for me. Domaine Saint Vincent is the second label of Gruet, a sparkling wine producer in New Mexico that was founded by a French Champagne Producer. This way you don’t have to worry about land prices and scarcity like Champagne AND it is a second label which is always where the bang for the buck is. Gilbert Gruet was born in Bethon, France, a region in the Marne in 1931 and grew up to dream of growing grapes. In 1952 with his wife, Danielle, he began producing Champagne on a plot of land from his father and in 1967 he created a co-op in the village of Bethon. While the family was travelling through the southwestern part of the US Gilbert decided to plant an experimental vineyard in New Mexico in 1983 and today two of his four children live on site. In traditional Champagne fashion the wine is a blend of 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that is aged on the lees and made in the traditional Champagne method. This is one of the best values for sparkling wine on my shelves so stock up!

I can’t wait to explore these wines and more with you!
Pop into the store for all of your beverage needs and don’t forget about our in store tastings!

Beer Tasting Thursday 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Wine Tasting Friday 4 pm to 7 pm