6/24/19 The Cellar Door's 'THE FINE PRINT' HotSheet

2016 SOTTIMANO NEBBIOLO LANGHE
$23.99 BTL./$287.88 CASE

Sottimano is one of the leading producers of Barbaresco specializing in top-level Cru wines from the village and vineyards of Neive. Interesting enough is that their delicious entry Nebbiolo actually comes from a prestigious Cru site in Nieve called Basarin which borders the third of the 3 Barbaresco villages, Treiso and is aged 14-16 months in cask, hence 'Adolescent Barbaresco'.

Full on licorice whip, porcini mushroom and fresh earth aromas dominate the nose and follow through to a classy and beautifully balanced texture which allow it to carry over to the dinner table and although the structure and spine of the grand scale 2016 vintage has added an extra level of dimension and depth. Not exactly a deck wine to slam back on its own, it really requires you to consume it with your legs under the table. If you consider yourself a foodie and want to have a wonderful experience for not a bunch of money, get some of the wild mushrooms and try a bottle of this with risotto or pasta con fungi. Enjoy now though its tenth birthday.

2016 FONTSAINTE CORBIERES
'RESERVE LA DEMOISELLE
$17.99 BTL./$215.88 CASE

Last week was a very good day for our distributors as they brought a high percentage of delicious wine and were treated accordingly (we won't tell you what happens to them when they bring us plonk). The price for this red is always excellent, and we will say that if you love big reds, Southern French wines and great values, you will be tres fou if you don’t take advantage of what we sometimes lovingly refer to as ‘The Chateauneuf-Du-Pape of Corbieres’.

Domaine de Fontsainte are Corbieres pioneers who are always reliable and put out fantastic wines for great prices including this reserve cuvee. 60% Carignan from 112 year old vines, 30% Grenache, 10% Mouvedre and is a heady, dense mouthful of red wine yet one that maintains its excellent energy. Instantly after it is poured into the glass, Mediterranean aromas of crushed red raspberry, wind-swept herbs, lavender and pepper along with gentle cocoa notes. A soulful wine indeed, but the palate truly is a harmonious ensemble of savory richness and elegance that follows through to the ample dry and vibrant finish. A Corbieres of impeccable quality, this can age nicely for 5-7 years as well. Enjoy it with a bean casserole with sausage, grilled steak or pork chops.

2017 HERON CABERNET SAUVIGNON CALIFORNIA
$11.99 BTL./$143.88 CASE

A California Cab that everyone can drink! Laely Heron’s value-oriented wines always deliver so much for so little and this one is absolutely no exception.
A combination of Cabernet from Paso Robles and Clarksburg, this offering is nicely drawn out on the nose. Nice cedary aspects along with cocoa and peppermint play nicely off underlying earth and mineral scents. In the mouth, plenty of voluptuous Cab flavors are nicely set off by sneaky mineral tones. A sumptuous every day Cabernet that can be drunk now and often.

2017 METAIREAU MUSCADET SUR LIE
'PETITE MOUTON'
$16.99 BTL./$203.88 CASE

We can never get enough good Muscadet. Louis Metaireau has been one of the long-time leaders of this region and the man who is responsible for so much of Muscadet's current success. An outspoken proponent of the appellation, his effusive energy led to the formation of the "Arts et Vignerons" group, which strives for quality rather than quantity. Not to be confused with Muscat, the name Muscadet is the name of a region and the grape is Melon de Bourgogne and unlike Muscat, this grape which is suited to the Atlantic climate around the city of Nantes delivers wines that are sizzling-dry and very expressive to their soils.

With each vintage that we taste of this electric white wine, we are reminded of how much it has to offer and how impressive a great bottle of French white can truly be. The magic is in the soil, which is comprised of gneiss, granite and amphibolite rock. The 2010 Carte Noire possesses confidently intense aromas of mineral, oyster shell, lemon and perfumed, powdered rock fill the glass of this tightly wound white. It does not get much fresher than this with bracing acidity in the mouth and tons of lemon and lime citrus fruits, mineral, saline and chalk. The ultimate seafood wine…drink it with oysters, mussels, crab, halibut, etc., etc.

2017 KELLEY FOX
PINOT NOIR MIRABAI
$34.99 BTL./$419.88 CASE

‘2017 was certainly a year to celebrate with regard to my blocks at Maresh Vineyard after the extremely low yields in 2016. I was able to include barrels from all of my blocks at Maresh in this Mirabai: Block 1/Red Barn (planted in 1970), the Long Rows (1970) the Old Block (1970), Block 8 (1978), Block 10/Star of Bethlehem Flower Block and Block 7 (1991).

'Characteristic of 2017, the nose is beautifully perfumed. While there is (in its youth) a sense of fragility and nerviness, there is power that is more tensile in nature than in obvious structure or bulk. The Mirabai 2017 is an utterly transparent, light red with youthful, fuschia highlights at the edges. It is far deeper in flavor than the colour might suggest. It has the classic Maresh sun-warmed Hood strawberry and spice, with the classic Red Hills of Dundee silkiness, but this wine is fleet-footed, aerial, mercurial, and evokes flight, wind, and swift movement. Over time, this will likely be one of my most complex and age-worthy Mirabais to date.’ – Kelley Fox

2016 RAMEY CHARDONNAY
'RUSSIAN RIVER'
$39.99 BTL./$479.88 CASE

Many of you who know us well can figure when we put a California chardonnay on the list, and especially one that is more on the high end, we really believe in it! There aren’t many wine-folk in California that we would ever refer to as geniuses, but David Ramey would definitely qualify. David’s expertise with Dominus, Chalk Hill and Matanzas Creek as well as at his eponymously named estate resonates and goes beyond what anyone would ever expect in California Chardonnay.

Unlike many others in California, this chardonnay is not a Louisville Slugger baseball bat and three pounds of butter. It has some intertwined oaky, buttery notes, but done with lots of class and accented by pronounced orange, restrained mineral and cinnamon. The mouth-feel is seducing, rich, very balanced and mouth-watering from front to back. Overall, this is one of the most resoundingly fine expressions of chardonnay from California. If you love the best of the best in Chardonnay, don’t miss on this excellent favorite from one of Sonoma’s most famous regions. HALF BOTTLES AVAILABLE - $19.99 PER SPLIT

2017 ZOLO MALBEC
$11.99 BTL./$143.88 CASE

Better than Mexican food night in a tiny house is this tasty everyday Malbec from Argentina.

Very archetypal with blackberry fruit, mint and mocha that are nicely put together and well honed. In the mouth, there is nice depth along with excellent integration of woodsmoke, earth, plummy fruit and finely grained tannins. The finish is bold but with its high elevation influence, maintains nice coolness and calls one back for sip after sip. Perfect for Wednesday evening consumption and will pair with cheeses, pasta, burgers or burritos.

2016 PILLOT CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET
'VIEILLES VIGNES' ROUGE
$39.99 BTL./$479.88 CASE

The village of Chassagne-Montrachet is home to some of the greatest white wines in the world; however, 40% of the wine that emerges from these vineyards is red and made from Pinot Noir. Many of you have consumed numerous bottles of Laurent Pillot’s top-level white and red wines over the many years that we have featured them and Laurent’s 2016s are stunning. Harvested from four small plots planted between 1959 and 1969 and aged in 20% new oak, this miniscule production red wine is a hair-raising Burgundy and Cotes-de-Beaune value.

Very little of this cuvee was produced in 2016 due to the frost that wiped out a bunch of grapes in the spring. What remained and combined with the season was extra special indeed. Darker-tinged than usual, with late-arriving griotte cherry aspects showing as the wine opens. Cool and detailed, aromatic with an underlay of nutmeg and pepper. Layered and penetrating from these old vines. Moves in waves and fills the entire palate then glides into a sensual finish that does clamp down. Not inaccessible now with aeration, however, give it until the end of 2020 and drink through 2028.

2016 POGGIO SCALETTE 'IL CARBONAIONE'
$54.99 BTL./$329.94 - SIX PACK

Located in Greve in the Chianti zone, Poggio Scalette was founded in 1991. The estate became famous for Super Tuscan wines, especially this particular 100% Sangiovese offering. White the Chianti Classico came later, this wine opened many people’s eyes as to what 100% Sangiovese (which is now fully legal in Chianti) could achieve. Like many other areas of Italy, 2016 is magical and this wine garnered 97 points from Jamessuckling.com.

‘What a crazy nose of pure fruit, featuring pressed violets, lavender, dark plums, cherry compote, orange rind, lemon zest, boysenberries, vanilla, Thai basil and bay leaf. The fruit is so overt and generous, yet presented in an unimaginably sleek way, the firm tannins keeping it compact and silky throughout, while the tangy acidity cuts right through to the long, structured finish. – 97 POINTS’. Definitely one for the cellar, give it until 2022 and drink through 2035.

FRIDAY SIPS

Provençal Pink Parade

FEATURED ROSE WINES:

2018 Bastide Blanche Bandol Rose
2018 Charvin Cotes-du-Rhone Rose
2018 Roquefort Cotes-de-Provence Rose ‘Corail’
2018 Castillon Bandol Rose