8/25/25 The Cellar Door's 'CONVIVIAL & CLEVER' Wine Sheet

2022 FATTORIA DI PETROIO
CHIANTI CLASSICO
$19.99 BTL./$119.94 - SIX PACK

Based in the famed Castelnuovo Berardenga zone of Chianti Classico, Fattoria di Petroio is a small producer delivering wines that outpunch their weight class.

Diana Lenzi dazzled in the 2022 vintage, harnessing the power of the vintage to produce a wine of substance and style. Sporting sexy fruit and minerality, hearty cherry, underbrush and savory spices flow from the glass following to a texture that possesses depth and personality without being flamboyant or overdone. Character and spine present, it is an excellent accompaniment to any Italian-inspired meal. Amazingly, it still sells for twenty dollars. Drink through 2031.

2020 FATTORIA DI PETROIO
CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA
$34.99 BTL./$209.94 - SIX PACK

Chianti Riserva and Gran Selezione are not produced yearly at Petroio. Diana is very instinctual and meticulous when choosing to make these wines. They must be special and distinctive to the vintage and her vines all while never sacrificing the quality of her benchmark Chianti.

When I visited Tuscany last October, I had the chance to enjoy bottles of the 2020 and it does not disappoint! Savory cherry pit, sage, Tuscan spice and floral tones waft from the glass. Layered, silky, and virtuous, with depth and persistence instantly transporting you to that most memorable Tuscan vacation and the trattoria where you had a food/wine epiphany of this great region. Deeper and more complex than the Classico, this will drink well end 2026 – 2035 although not inaccessible now.

2022 CLOS DE GAMOT CAHORS
'LE GAMOTIN'
$19.99 BTL./$239.88 CASE

Malbec is the main attraction of Cahors, the famed growing region in the Dordogne and better known as ‘the black wine of France.’ The characteristics of this wine are so French that one sniff may send you running for a pack of smokes, a baguette, paté and a white flag for purposes of surrender!

Clos de Gamot’s ‘Le Gamotin’ combines noble, sturdy history with modern, fruity accessibility. Aged in concrete and large barrels to maintain brightness and underlying suppleness, ravishing tones of black licorice, blackberry, hints of tar, and spices flow. It is very drinkable now and is at home with sausages, paté en croute, bleu cheese or a pan-seared rib-eye.

2023 I CLIVI FRIULANO 'SAN PIETRO'
FRIULI COLLI ORIENTALI BIANCO
$23.99 BTL./$287.88 CASE

Cool as a fan, the white wines of Friuli always steal my heart, however, those made from the Friulano grape often cause love at first sight. One of my go-to estates, I Clivi is a top producer.

From a single vineyard with seventy-year-old vines, this Friulano tends to walk on clouds. Depth and succulence, scents of cassis leaf, peach pit, apple, lime, pronounced, aromatic stoniness from the sandstone soil along with saline step forward. Packed but contradictory as there is ample vibrancy that increases, then becomes very linear and food friendly on the drawn out, elevated finish. A grand scale Italian white wine, it matches beautifully with Proscuitto (San Daniele in particular), grilled prawns as well as grilled eggplant or asparagus dishes.

2022 QUINTA DO PORRAIS
DOURO TINTO
$11.99 BTL./$143.88 CASE

As consistently stated, we will always feature a wine or two each week under fifteen dollars. This week’s choice is from Portugal’s delicious Douro region.

A scrumptious everyday drinker filled with dark berry tones and hints of savory herbs. Succulent in the mouth, it shares aspects of cinnamon, earth, and pepper on the finish. A fun red to try with an array of cheeses, meats and good company.

2022 COWHORN SPIRAL WHITE
APPLEGATE VALLEY
$23.99 BTL./$287.88 CASE

43% Viognier, 40% Roussanne and 17% Marsanne from the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. Cowhorn is committed to biodynamic farming and Rhone varietals. A few years back the property was sold so I was skeptical about the future of the wines but safe to say, the quality has remained at lofty standards.

Alluring and fragrant peach, orange and star anise aromas shine and carry into a viscous, ripe, generous palate. As it moves to the back of the mouth, more zesty citrus aspects bring everything together. A wonderful effort - don't be shy about drinking it.

2022 LI VELI SUSUMANIELLO
'ASKOS' SALENTO ROSSO
$23.99 BTL./$287.88 CASE

Owned by the Falvo family who formerly owned Avignonesi in the Tuscan village of Montepulciano, Li Veli is one of the innovators and leaders of the Southern Italian region of Puglia.

Susumaniello is an ancient, rediscovered varietal to an area that was solely about Primitivo and Negraomaro. The origins of this grape are varied, with theories that it came from Greece or the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. Vivacious plum, rhubarb, almond, allspice and cedar/tobacco characteristics unfold from the glass. In the mouth, dry and nuanced flavors coat the mouth highlighting tones that replicate the crunchy portion of a cherry, just around the stone. The finish draws out and somersaults into textbook, yet upscale Southern Italian with its tangy, earthy qualities and wildness. Pair this delicious wine with slow roasted meats, something with a spicy Asian influence or just a simple, well-ripened pecorino cheese.

Owned by the Falvo family who formerly owned Avignonesi in the Tuscan village of Montepulciano, Li Veli is one of the innovators and leaders of the Southern Italian region of Puglia.

2017 FOOLHARDY CABERNET
SAUVIGNON 'COLUMBIA VALLEY'
$45.99 BTL./$275.94 - SIX PK

The abundance of wineries in Walla Walla is nothing short of amazing. I remember going there in 1996 and seeing maybe six wineries, now there are over 100+ winemaking operations in the area. Owned and operated by two wine industry veterans, Jonathan Edelman worked fourteen years in Burgundy and came up through Michelin-starred restaurants. Dan Sogg was originally a Boston importer who then did a stint with Lurton in Bordeaux then nine years as an editor at Wine Spectator. The name Foolhardy was chosen as it ‘accurately captures the reality of starting a winery.’

Preferring to release with a bit of bottle age, 2017, one of my favorite vintages in Washington. At age eight, this is starting to sizzle and will be good for another 10-15 years - but why wait! The heart of this wine is from the two older vine Cabernet blocks at Red Willow (Yakima AVA, planted 1991) and Elephant Mountain (Rattlesnake Hills AVA, planted 1999). 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. A core of sultry fruit and dark chocolate framed by subtle, spicy oak take the lead. Violet and red raspberry scents give way to velvety flavors of blackberry and bing cherries, with earth tones offering an intriguing counterpoint on the lingering finish. Gaining more dimension with air, decant about an hour before serving.

2022 COLLOTTE GEVREY
CHAMBERTIN 'LES EVOCELLES'
$74.99 BTL. - 12 btls available

Based in Marsannay and renowned as one of the village’s finest producers, Domaine Collotte also has small holdings in the prestigious village of Gevrey-Chambertin. From the Evocelles site that is located high above the village, Phillippe and daughter Isabelle Collotte’s site is less than one-acre with vines planted in 1955.

Gevrey-Chambertin personified, the 2022 flaunts licorice, violet, strawberry, exotic Indian spices and cracked pepper. In the mouth it has an excellent, almost approachable core of broad flavor. Deep and integrated and an unbridled, sneaky-long finish with excellent clarity and focus lingers on and on. On the second taste is when you realize its youth and need to go into the cellar. Drink this well-kept secret 2028 – 2035.