I was able to get some great deal this month, especially on some super small production wines! The single vineyard Chardonnay from J.C. Somers and the Etna red blend are not to be missed.
We have a fully stacked tasting calendar this month kicking off with 4 Noses on April 2 and Ryan from Giuliana will be pouring the Scinniri red on Friday, April 3 along with other Italian wines. We are welcoming Toucan cocktails for a tasting on Thursday, April 9, Westbound and Down on April 16, 2 Towns Cider on April 23 and beers from a local distributor on April 30.
La Cappucina
Soave 2024
Reg. Price $15.99
Sale Price: $11.99
White Wine of the Month
Domaine de Fenouillet
Vaucluse Rouge 2021
Reg. Price $19.99
Sale Price: $12.99
Red Wine of the Month
I always love wines from the Rhone Valley and with as big as an area and as many different grapes are planted it’s easy to find something for everyone. Brothers Patrick and Vincent Soard of Domaine de Fenouillet in Ventoux can trace their wine making roots back to their great grandfather who was winning medals for his wine as early as 1902. Their grandfather Louis specialized in making the decadent dessert wine Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and their father, Yvon, worked in the vineyards and expanded them in Beaumes de Venise and the surrounding area. Yvon sold the grapes he grew to the local cooperative but in 1988 at their mother’s insistence Patrick and Vincent decided to return the estate to its former glory. This little Vaucluse red is a great bistro style, quaffable red wine that holds a slight chill wonderfully because room temperature red wine is too warm. It is 70% Marselan (a heat tolerant cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache) and 30% Merlot that doesn’t see any oak. The finished wine is fruity enough to appease the New World drinker while maintaining enough structure for the rest of us.
J.C. Somers
La Revanche Chardonnay 2022
Reg. Price $27.99
Sale Price: $19.99
I hadn’t intended to continue to shove Oregon Chardonnay down your throat but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. Jay Christopher Somers is an Oregon native who has been making wine in the Willamette Valley for over 30 years. He worked at Cameron Winery and Adelsheim in Oregon as well as Dry River in New Zealand before founding J. Christopher Winery in 1996. J. Christopher focused on small production wines that followed the traditional methods used in the Loire Valley and Burgundy which continues to guide his winemaking style today. His wife Ronda Newell-Somers collaborated on the J.C. Somers line with his and they are getting back to their roots of small production, terroir driven wines. The wine labels feature the New Moon which is a nod to the new phase of their winemaking journey. The fruit for his La Revanche Chardonnay comes from the 24 acre Anahata Vineyards in the Eola Amity Hills which was planted in 2015 to various clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Chardonnay was fermented and aged in 600 liter barrels but did not go through malolactic fermentation. Only 150 cases of this wine were made and the finished Chardonnay really is like Chablis in Oregon. Flinty, salty minerality with lemon and lime rind tamed by a slight stone fruit note. To fully hammer home how special this wine is I have to remind you that most wine does not come from a single vineyard. A single estate quite possibly, but from a handful or even two handfuls of vineyards that may or may not be close to each other. A single vineyard wine at this price point will not come around again any time soon, if ever.
Passopisciaro
Scinniri 2020
Reg. Price $24.99
Sale Price: $18.99
I could probably fill the entire store with only Italian wines and still not be able to represent every grape and every region in the country. The country and winemaking history is just too vast. Winemaker Andrea Franchetti was born and raised in Rome surrounded by free spirits and artists which is how he led his life. He spent time in Afghanistan and New York before going back to Italy and opening restaurants in Rome and the Marche before moving back to New York and starting a wine importing company. He went where the wind took him and it took him to restoring a ruined country home on the outskirts of Tuscany. While having no winemaking experience whatsoever he decided he wanted to plant vines on this property so he just popped over to Bordeaux for a quick course from winemaking giants before planting his vineyards. This adventure eventually found him Sicily where he decided to restore an abandoned winery on the slopes of Mount Etna, an active volcano and the unique terroir hypnotized him. He helped revitalize winemaking in the area and planted non native grapes like Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, and Cesanese d’Affile. This wine is a blend of the main grape in the area, Nerello Mascalese along with Petit Verdot and Cesanese d’Affile for a super tiny production of about 5,000 bottles a year. Fermentation is in stainless and the wine spends 10 months of large oak barrels. The finished wine is darker than a lot of Etna wines with an unmistakable smoky earthiness. Dark fruits, black cherry, tea and dried herbs balance out the tannin and acidity on this incredibly unique gem from high elevation Etna.
Mirabello
Prosecco Rosé
Reg. Price $19.99
Sale Price: $13.99
Bubbles have gotten expensive and it’s really bumming me out. I used to have a plethora of choices at my finger tips that would be less than $20 on the shelf or *gasp* less than $15 on the shelf. That is one of the downsides of being in this industry as long as I have, especially these days with the pricing madness. I remember what I used to sell things for 10 years ago and then I get very sad. At least this month there is relief, just in time for Easter, graduation and Mother’s Day. I have carried the regular Mirabello Prosecco for a handful of years but I recently got offered a super special deal on the rosé because I am friends with the manager of this company. Mirabello is made by Adria Vini, a cooperative that was founded in 2003 and jointly owned by Boutinot Imports and Araldica Castelvero who is a leading cooperative in Piedmont. Together they work with growers all over Italy to focus on indigenous varietals and quality at an affordable price point. The Prosecco rosé is a blend of 90% Glera, the grape in Prosecco and 10% Pinot Noir for color and some delicate aromatics. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and the finished wine is fresh and dry with notes of watermelon, lemon curd, dried herbs and bright acidity.
Masseria li Veli
Torrerose Rosato 2024
Reg. Price $17.99
Sale Price: $13.99
The weather unfortunately has been warm for a while but the rosé deals are starting to trickle in while distributors want to clear warehouse space for the most recent vintage arriving. That means Spring is on its way! Masseria li Veli is a producer in Puglia in southern Italy (the heel of the boot to be specific) that produces all of the southern Italian grapes that you would expect to find. One of my favorites of theirs before I found this one was their Susamaniello, an almost extinct grape that makes a Côtes du Rhône-esque red but Negroamaro is more well known. This estate has a long history of viticulture all the way from the Romans, through Napoleon, feudal law and into modern day but it was bought by its current owners in 1999 once they sold their Tuscan estate, Avignonesi. The Falvo family has Puglian roots and they were drawn to the 128 acre estate with the dream of making it into a benchmark producer in the area through vineyard management and vinification and I would say that they are well on their way. This rosé is 100% Negroamaro that is fermented in stainless steel and aged for a mere three months for a bight, Provence-esque wine despite the warm climate it comes from. Notes of wild strawberry, raspberry, tomato leaf and balanced minerality make this the perfect patio pour.
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
