For a printable PDF of this weekend’s notes, click here!
Merlin-Cherrier Sancerre 2019
Origin: Bue, France
Retail: $33.95 | Sale: $30.56
Bué occupies a small pocket canyon behind Sancerre, and the hills rising above this village on three sides are covered in vines. Bué’s soils are composed of Sancerre’s two main types: caillottes and terres blanches. Caillottes, referring to stones, is a very stony, compact chalk without a lot of clay and marl. Wines from this region tend to be influenced by the caillottes, making this hamlet’s distinguished whites recognizable by their broadly floral aromas, their finesse, and their precision -such are Thierry’s wines. Quick to smile, hardworking, and a man of obvious intelligence, Thierry made his first wine in 1982 and works these vineyards side by side with two employees —plowing and hoeing are standard here. The classique Sancerre wine from this producer reflects Bué’s chalky terroir beautifully with its paradoxical generous precision. This is a blend of parcels from both soil types totaling 11.16 hectares (27.5 acres).
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Château Coupe Roses ‘La Bastide’ 2020
Origin: Minervois, France
Retail: $15.95 | Sale: $14.36
The family of Françoise Le Calvez—parents, son and daughter—manage Château Coupe Roses with passion and acumen high in the Mediterranean hinterlands. The soil is a classic French mix of limestone and clay, with the accent on limestone. The mountain elevations make for a cool microclimate in the sunny south of France, and this shows distinctly in their wines. The winery itself is a large nondescript building on one side of the village, while the “château” is an old automobile service station that Françoise’s father operated decades ago on the other side of the village.
A terrific buy for a true vin de terroir! Brought up in tank, this wine is a true expression of the garrigue underbrush of the high Minervois, laced with high-toned blueberry notes and underpinned by Carignan's tarry black notes.
50% Carignane | 50% Grenache | dollop Syrah
Broadbent Dão White 2019
Origin: Dao, Portugal
Retail: $11.95 | Sale: $10.67
Bartholomew Broadbent’s love for Portuguese wines stems from their eminent drinkability, restrained alcohol levels and the balance which makes them versatile enough to pair with all kinds of everyday fare. The Dão region sits on three plateaus and is surrounded by mountains, which protect the vineyards from any outside influences. The days are hot and the nights are cool with significant diurnal shifts. The soils are granite, schist and quartz.
The wine has aromas of fresh lemon, lime, orange zest, green apple, fresh white peach, a lemon verbena and tarragon herbal note, along with orange oil and white spring blossoms. On the palate the wine is dry and medium-bodied with refreshing acidity, and a mouthwatering citrus-driven finish.
100% Encruzado, Malvasia Fina, Bical & Gouveio
Badenhorst ‘Family White’ 2017
Origin: Swartland, South Africa
Retail: $41.95 | Sale: $37.76
In 2008, cousins Hein and Adi Badenhorst purchased Kalmoesfontein farm in the Paardeberg area in Swartland, South Africa. Together they restored a cellar that had been neglected since the 1930′s, where they now make natural wines in the traditional manner. The vines are un-irrigated and farmed as biologically as possible. A small percentage of the grapes are picked early for some acidity. Cool grapes are whole-bunched pressed, then the juice is transferred to very old casks for fermentation and maturation. Some of the juices are blended during this time. The aromas are very complex and change considerably in the glass. Perfume, spice, tea, stone fruit and citrus blossoms are just some of the notes you will pick up on. The texture, ripeness and gentle tannins result in a wine that has incredible length and complex flavor profile. The wine also has wonderful fruit volume characterized by stone fruit and mineral flavors. The finish is long and has slight phenolic edges supporting the fruit through the entire length of the wine.
32% Chenin Blanc | 19% Roussanne | supported by: Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Verdehlo, Viognier, Grenache Gris, Clairette Blanche
Santa Julia Reserva Mountain Blend 2019
Origin: Valle de Uco, Argentina
Retail: $11.95 | Sale: $10.76
Bodega Santa Julia was created in honor of Julia Zuccardi, part of the third generation of leaders from the Zuccardi Family. The Santa Julia winery represents the family’s commitment to producing the highest quality wines through sustainable practices that protect the environment and uplift the local community.
A complex nose with a bouquet of plums, cherries, and jam, expressing both spicy and vanilla notes; it blends wonderfully with the blueberry and violet aromas of the Cabernet Franc. In the mouth, the Cabernet Franc adds dark fruit and spices to the velvet tannins and rich Malbec flavor, making a perfect combination that results in a complex, elegant wine of great concentration.
70% Malbec | 30% Cabernet Franc
Quinta de la Rosa Estate Red 2018
Origin: Valle de Uco, Argentina
Retail: $18.95 | Sale: $17.05
Located 60 miles inland from Porto, Quinta de la Rosa is set in the heart of the Alto Douro, with steep terraced vineyards that give the impression of tumbling into the river below. The estate is situated on the south east facing banks of the River Douro. The Bergqvist family is now known as a pioneer of the Douro. As farmers first, the terroir-driven quality of Quinta de la Rosa’s red wines has been credited with helping put the region on the map for serious oenophiles. This young wine is the estate wine from this showpiece Douro estate. Intense violet colour that shows the concentration of the wine, aromas still very young with enormous complexity that, whilst difficult to define, shows all of the Douro – mature dark red fruit, floral, cistus, herbal and schist elements are all present. On the palate, dense and rich but at the same time not heavy. Long and complex with a good, balanced tannin structure which give tension and structure to the wine without destroying the elegance and equilibrium.
60% Touriga Nacional | 12% Touriga Franca | 8% Tinta Roriz | 5% Sousão
Tascante ‘Buonora’ Etna Bianco 2019 Sicilia
Origin: Sicilia, Italy
Retail: $21.95 | Sale: $19.76
Buonora is Tenuta Tascante’s white wine from Mount Etna’s indigenous Carricante grape variety. Prized for its high acidity and abundant productivity, Carricante is a multi-facited grape that ripens late and gains complexity with ageing. Grapes for the Tenuta Tascanate Buonora are sourced from cool-climate vineyards on the north and east faces of the volcano’s slopes. Historically Buonora is one of the vineyards used for its acidity and productivity. It expresses well the vertical elements of the wines of the volcano. A wine that reflects the nature of the territory it comes from, the Etna volcano. Bursting with flavors of lemon and lime driven by mouthwatering acidity. It comes across initially as an easy-drinking white, but a subtle smoky salinity emerges with exposure to air. It's a fresh, mineral-laden alternative for fans of Chablis and Sancerre.
100% Carricante
100% Carricante Tascante ‘Contrade Pianodario’ Etna Rosso 2016
Origin: Sicilia, Italy
Retail: $53.95 | Sale: $48.56
Sicily’s star is ascendant in the wine community, and it seems that when anyone looks at Sicily these days, their eyes are immediately drawn to the island’s most prominent topographic feature, the great volcano Mount Etna. Etna wines are almost as hot as the lava inside that peak, metaphorically speaking. Sicily has been well known as a major source of Italian wine forever, but until relatively recently it was viewed as a producer of bulk wines for export or cheap everyday wines. With the revolution in quality that has taken place on the island in the past decade, though, that reputation has been turned on its head, and Sicilian wines are being sought out by wine buyers and consumers—none more so than the wines of Etna. The Tasca d'Almerita family, one of Sicily's oldest and most esteemed wine families, is now led by seventh generation Alberto Tasca. The family, who has been making wine across Sicily for over 200 years, is a leading producer of Etna wines at its Tenuta Tascante estate (the name is a portmanteau of Tasca and Etna). The estate was founded in 2007 with the purchase of two vineyards on the north face of the volcano. Contrada Pianodario is located at 2,400 feet above sea level between the town of Randazzo and Montelaguardia. The nine acres of vineyards are characterized by terraces of dry stone walls with an average slope of 7% and the volcanic soil formations in the vineyards date from 4,000 to 30,000 years.
Underbrush, wild berry, blue flower, camphor and wet stone aromas lift out of the glass. The smooth palate is loaded with finesse, delivering succulent red cherry, strawberry compote, blood orange, star anise and a hint of tobacco framed in taut, polished tannins. Bright acidity keeps it beautifully balanced, and a tangy mineral note graces the close.
100% Nerello Mascalese