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Cantalapiedra Viticultores ‘Lirondo’ 2022
Origin: Rueda, Spain
Retail: $24.95 | Sale: $22.46
Manuel Cantalapiedra trained as a classical pianist before taking up winemaking. With his family’s vineyards in the village of La Seca, in the heart of the Rueda growing area, he crafts virtuosic and interesting wines in a very traditional way. Harvesting by hand, fermenting with indigenous yeasts, and bottling without sulfur have become very rare in the Rueda DO; Manuel does all this and more. He works his family’s old plantings of verdejo, tempranillo, and garnacha organically with some biodynamic practices. This wine rested on the skins for six hours before fermenting in stainless steel. Bottled unfined and unfiltered after six months on the lees. Slightly cloudy in the glass, it exudes spicy yellow apple and meyer lemon, with a light texture, finishing clean. 100% Verdejo
Château Soucherie ‘L’Astrée’ 2023
Origin: Loire, France
Retail: $24.95 | Sale: $22.46
This grand château sits atop a hill overlooking the entire swath of the Côteaux du Layon appellation as it ambles downward toward the snaking Layon tributary to the Loire River. Through the skilled and low-intervention touch of cellarmaster Vianney de Tastes, this estate’s wines are intensely mineral, deeply typical evocations of Côteaux du Layon, Savennières and Anjou, and their evolution toward organic viticulture—now certified as such—has ratcheted up the wines’ expressiveness and dynamism. The Rosé de Loire is 100% hand-harvested Gamay—a variety whose occasional tendency toward shapelessness is counterbalanced by this cool microclimate—pressed directly and aged for four months in stainless steel. “L’Astrée'' is a wine of ethereally pale color and juicy, but controlled fruit. 100% Gamay
Zorzal Pinot Noir 2023
Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
Retail: $16.95 | Sale: $15.26
Zorzal is a boutique winery that was started in 2007. The winery and vineyards are located at approximately 4800 feet above sea level. The estate sits on a unique blend of sand, stones, and granite limestone and all of the grapes are hand harvested. Zorzal’s vision is to have a light hand in the winemaking so that the fruit and terroir can shine through. They strive to produce elegant wines that showcase the minerality and cool climate of this specific sub-region of the Uco Valley. The winery practices a combination of organic and sustainable farming, and tends to pick earlier than most in Mendoza to retain freshness and acidity in their wines instead of the overblown ripeness that is too often seen. This wine shows bright red fruits that jump out of the glass with notes of cola, dried leaves, and forest floor. The mouthfeel is rich, soft, and supple with light tannin and medium acidity. 100% Pinot Noir
Goyo Garcia Viadero Georgieva Clarete 2021
Origin: Ribera del Duero, Spain
Retail: $29.95 | Sale: $26.95
Goyo Garcia Viadero’s roots in Ribera Del Duero run very deep: he has been working in the area since before the establishment of the D.O., and his family has been working in viticulture for hundreds of years. Goyo’s approach makes him the region’s “black sheep”, as he has rejected additives, new oak, and intense extraction which are characteristic of the region’s wines. On the 40 hectares Garcia and his wife manage, the vines sit on a variety of soils, ranging from clay to limestone to alluvial sands. Perhaps what unites the plots is their impressive elevation: Finca Quemados and Finca El Peruco are over 900 meters above sea level (making them some of the highest altitude vineyards in the appellation), but even the ‘lower’ vineyards are a towering 800 meters or higher. Beautiful acidity in this bottle, smooth and medium bodied with lush red fruit, a fun earthy balsamic note and excellent spice development as it breathes. 100% Tempranillo