Hot Sheets


THE CELLAR DOOR'S 'UP YOUR GAME' HOTSHEET
Etna White, Reserve Oregon Pinot Noir
Beaujolais, Cote-Rotie, Nebbiolo
94-Point Muga Rioja, Dry Vouvray


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2022 HIRSCH BEAUJOLAIS VILLAGES
$19.99 BTL./$239.88 CASE

Born and raised in Alsace, Celine and Nicolas Hirsch fell in love with the Beaujolais region and produce wines from old vines from Chenas, Moulin-A-Vent and Julienas. Their inspiration is the Beaujolais Gang of Four, Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Guy Breton, and Jean-Paul Thevenet, four trailblazers of the region. This particular Beaujolais Villages is all from the Chenas Cru on the lower portion of the slopes.

Classic pretty Gamay aromas of creamy strawberry and bing cherry play nicely off pure granitic minerality, fresh earth and dried lavender. Fine elegant tannins frame this round and extremely likeable red that is the perfect foil for warmth in winter. Have with everything from squash soups, Korean BBQ, a plate of soft-ripened cheeses and especially roasted chicken.



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2022 TERRE NERE ETNA BIANCO
$24.99 BTL./$299.88 CASE - LIMITED

Mamma Mia, this is something I have been impatiently waiting on since I visited this Sicilian estate last April! Maybe not the oldest estate on Mt. Etna, but surely the most important influential, perhaps the biggest development for this wine (and the red) is the estate is no longer purchasing fruit for these village wine selections, so it is all from the Terre Nere estate sites. 70% Carricante, 20% Catarratto, 5% Grecanico & 5% Inzolia from vines ranging from five to eighty years old and grown between 2000 and 3000 feet on Mt. Etna.

Aged entirely in stainless steel tanks, aromas of honeysuckle, acacia, orange peel, lime and flint. The texture has impressive depth with fine depth of fruit along with superb saline and mineral aspects that really shine on the smashingly extensive, almost chiming finish. In my best two word statement regarding this wine - AMBROSIALLY YUMMY! Enjoy with lighter pasta dishes highlighted with vegetables and/or shellfish, cod dishes as well as fresh swordfish or tuna.



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2021 AZELIA LANGHE NEBBIOLO
$24.99 BTL./$299.88 CASE

Cousins and direct neighbors of Paolo Scavino, Luigi and son Lorenzo Scavino make phenomenal wines from the Barolo village of Castiglione Falletto as well. Over 100 years of lineage, this estate has gone from being strong to having super strength under Lorenzo's stewardship.

Like others in the area, Azelia's Langhe Nebbiolo is declassified Barolo younger vine vineyards in Castiglione and Serralunga that deliver wines of early accessibility. 2021 is a delicious, sumptuous, classy and forward vintage. Ethereal aromas shine from this sultry siren and are redolent of strawberry; licorice, porcini mushroom and fresh earth all dominate the nose. Poised, personable and beautifully balanced this wine luxuriates and although the generosity of the vintage has an added cushion of fruit, it is definitely a wine to have with your legs under the table. If you consider yourself a foodie and want to have a wonderful experience for not a lot of money, try with Porcini risotto or pasta con fungi. The wine will also shine with braised tenderloin of beef, carrots and mushrooms. Enjoy now and over the next 4 to 6 years.



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2021 LOS MORROS CARMENERE
$11.99 BTL./$143.88 CASE

The Carmenere grape was originally planted in the Medoc in Bordeaux and is part of the Cabernet family. While virtually extinct there due to it being difficult to ripen in Bordeaux's conditions, it is alive and thriving in Chile.

Los Morros's version is an assertive charmer. Leather, spice, tealeaf, black licorice and black plum shine on the nose and follow through to a texture that is broad, polished and persistent; it is a yummy, full-flavored wine that is perfect for every-evening consumption.



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2019 ISSALY-RAMAYE GAILLAC
'CLOS RAYSSAC'
$19.99 BTL./$233.88 CASE

Located about 45 minutes outside of the city of Toulouse, the wines from the Gaillac region are a pure taste of France in the bottle. These dark wines could definitely be compared to a dark movie like Fargo, which is both disturbing and yet can cause you to laugh at moments.

Made from local grapes (60% Duras, 40% Bracoul) displaying scents of wild spices and wild little red fruits. Mineral, sanguine and licorice also turn up and all follows through to a supple, round and amply brisk texture that is soulfully France. Drink with duck, pork belly, soft-ripened cheese, smooth pate, pretty much anything that is bad for the blood sugar but good for the soul.



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2019 MUGA RIOJA RESERVA
$29.99 BTL./$359.88 CASE

94 Points - The Wine Advocate...By now Rioja aficionados know the brilliance of Muga, one of the leading producers of Spain's most famed growing region. This modern-traditionalist makes wines in both styles and this offering is more in the traditional camp.

Possessing a fabulous nose that will certainly make you pause and take notice, this precise, detailed, very poised Rioja delivers up scents of mocha, red cherry, prominent savory/sweet herbs. In the mouth, its classic old-school techniques penetrate deeply and show nice movement. Dry texture that is very silky; dusty, oaky cocoa tones with a drawn-out, minerally, rather sultry finish. This wine has nice accessibility now but will easily age 8-10 years if not more.



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2021 ZILLIKEN RIESLING
KABINETT 'SAARBERG'
$23.99 BTL./$287.88 CASE

Kabinett means Kabinett at Zilliken and not Spatlese! In fact at 8% alcohol, it is amazing at just how energetic and crystalline that it truly is, then again, that is what Saar Rieslings are all about, especially those from the steep Saarberger vineyard.

Blazing with nectarine, lime, slate and a subtle underlay of saline and subtle peppermint, the nose here is absolutely thrilling. In the mouth, this unqualified delicious medium-dry white bursts, lifts and moves throughout the mouth with a finish that seemingly floats like a cloud. Most importantly, this calls you back for glass after glass. Not only is this wine impeccable now, it will age nicely for 8-10+ years. Drink with white sausages, Thai/Szechuan cuisine or smoked mussels. Owner/winemaker Dorothee Zilliken says her goal is to produce Riesling with the highest level of lightness and finesse and she surely accomplished this with this beautiful wine.



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2021 PERRAULT-JADAUD VOUVRAY SEC
'LES GRIVES SOULES'
$27.99 BTL./$335.88 CASE

This is the most exciting, high quality new Vouvray that I have tasted in quite a while and after experiencing the wine, I felt that this young couple's wines are already in the region's upper echelon. Established in 2008, the small Domaine has since grown to 8 hectares with this wine coming from a site with 50-year-old Chenin Blanc vines.

Like Riesling, Chenin Blanc has a bit of a stigma to it. Yes, this grape can be made into a thick sweet dessert wine, a semi-sweet wine, or something like this, absolutely bone dry. Earl Grey tea scents combine with prominent orange, cut flowers, lemon and lanolin that continually build as it unfolds in the glass. Linear and lightning-like acidity buffers the excellent intensity on the almost perfumy palate Super-long, super-saturated and super-energetic on the profound finish. have it now with salmon, either grilled or with a sorrel cream sauce or other substantial seafood preparations, but honestly, this will age and develop nicely for at least a decade.



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2021 MCKINLAY PINOT NOIR
'SPECIAL SELECTION'
$46.99 BTL./$281.94 - SIX PACK

Recently we highlighted McKinlay's Willamette Valley cuvee but this elusive producer also makes some top-level Reserve wines. The Special Selection bottling combines attributes from Estate fruit along with Ladd Hill Vineyard to achieve the goal of concentration, complexity, length and balance.

Perfumed aromas of red berries, spice and roses with a hint of licorice lead to layers of lush red fruit and underbrush on the palate. Fine tannins frame and extend the rich flavors that are a bit packed in right now but poised for sexy greatness. Having been producing wine and the special Selection since the mid-80s, McKinlay Pinots are always a great expression of where they are grown and are some of the most sought after, especially since it isn't produced every vintage. This is certainly one to put into the cellar. Drink 2026 - 2035+.



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2019 DOMAINE DUCLAUX
COTE-ROTIE 'LA GERMINE'
$65.99 BTL./$395.94 - SIX PACK

A Cote-Rotie producer since 1928, Domaine Duclaux has quietly become one of the appellation's leading estates. The beauty of their wines is that their pricing hasn't gone into orbit like many others. Only 13 acres are farmed with four Cote-Rotie wines and one Condrieu produced, Brothers David and Benjamin Duclaux continue to rock and make some of the most sensuous Syrahs from the Cote-Blonde portion of the region.

97% Syrah with 3% Viognier from three southern Cote-Rotie sites, putting your nose into this French Syrah makes you feel a bit like a lion tamer or a horse whisperer. This is an intense and wild beauty, with incomprehensible depth of flavor and sneaky power placed on a gracefully elegant frame. Wild Rhone Valley spice, acacia flowers, tapenade, crème du cassis and dark berries waft from the glass. The approximately 20% new French wood is so perfectly integrated into this young wine that it serves as a lovely frame for the deep complexity of flavor. If you love the great Syrahs of the world, do not let this stunner out of your site. Drink 2025 - 2035+.






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