Greetings,
If you’ve followed my emails for over a year, you’re probably anticipating the huge inventory reduction that we run just before the end of the year. With thousands of bottles of wine to move, we’re planning three days of dramatic discounts, making this a fabulous opportunity to try out some amazing wines and re-stock your cellar for 2019.
With savings of up to 50% below retail and even lower than our normal discounts, each day we’ll focus on a specific area of the warehouse, beginning today with our white wines…
Offer valid through 12-31-18 at 12:00PM PST and only while supplies last…
2014 Joseph Jewell Russian River Valley Chardonnay
JOSEPH JEWELL
2014 CHARDONNAY
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
When a winery’s Pinot Noir ranks as the best value wine that I’ve ever experienced, my expectations are set really high for their Chardonnay as well. I’m happy to tell you that Joseph Jewell’s 2014 Russian River Chardonnay exceeded every expectation… Stunning on every level, and just like their Pinot, the mouthfeel and textures are absolutely sublime, which is a a hallmark of their brand. The compelling textures are achieved in part from fermenting in both stainless steel tank and French oak Barrels. At the winery’s $35/btl retail price this wine will have you feeling like you’re on cloud 9, but if you join our Insider’s Club email list (it’s free) you’ll unlock special offers.
The 2014 Russian River Valley combines two unique Chardonnay clones, Old Wente and Starr Ridge. The grapes were forged from steep hillside vineyard and the flavors are clear and precise and wash over your palate with energy and momentum. Kept for 15 months in barrel, the 2014 is simply gorgeous right now… the only downside is there were less than 400 cases made.
JOSEPH JEWELL
2014 CHARDONNAY
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at: $35/btl
Tasting Notes: “Yellow straw color in the glass, this beauty has classic aromas of lemon curd, ripe apple, spring flowers and toast. Elegant and bright on the palate with succulent flavors of mixed citrus and apple with a supple opulence. It is beautifully constructed, impeccably balanced and finishes long and smooth with all of the elements integrated in a seamless, beautiful wine.”
Customers that enjoy Joseph Jewell Russian River Chardonnay may also enjoy these two terrific wines…
2017 Far Niente Napa Valley Chardonnay
FAR NIENTE
2017 CHARDONNAY
NAPA VALLEY
When making a list of Napa Valley’s most paradigmatic and historically significant Chardonnay producers, the name Far Niente is carved in stone, quite literally. The winery was established in 1885 and prospered until prohibition in 1919. In 1979 wine country pioneer Gil Nickel purchased the Estate and during the three year restoration, the name Far Niente was found carved in stone in front of the winery where it still remains today. Nearly forty years later, their Chardonnay is considered by many to be a Benchmark for Napa Valley Chardonnay. I’ve enjoyed their Chardonnay for years and for me the 2017 stands out for it’s remarkable balance, penetrating fruit and brilliant details.
Composed from superlative vineyard sources located in Napa Valley’s idyllic Coombsville region, the 2017 Chardonnay holds true to the Far Niente style of rich opulence and lavish detail. It reveals mystical elements that come with finely laced tropical notes, liquid floral and toasted almond. Fans of top-quality California Chardonnay shouldn’t miss this stunning release.
FAR NIENTE
2017 CHARDONNAY
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $70.00/btl
Your Price: $54.99/btl
YOU SAVE 21%
Winery Notes: “Aromas of melon, sweet citrus and white blossom floral layered with notes of flint, yeast and sweetly toasted oak. A smooth and focused entry is followed by a silky midpalate with ripe flavors of honeydew and lemon, supported by just of touch of wet stone, yeast and toasted hazelnuts. The finish is long and structured with citrus rind and mouthwatering acid.“
Customers who enjoy Far Niente Chardonnay may also enjoy these two terrific Chardonnays…
RAMEY
2014 CHARDONNAY
PLATT VINEYARD
Retails at: $65.00/btl
Your Price: $49.99/btl
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “The 2014 Chardonnay Platt Vineyard has expressive pink grapefruit, warm peaches and brioche notes with hints of praline and ginger. Medium-bodied with great richness and depth in the mouth, it has a lovely creamy texture offset by a wicked backbone of freshness, finishing long with mineral and savory/yeasty layers.” 95 Points
|
PAHLMEYER
2016 CHARDONNAY
NAPA VALLEY
Your Price: $79.99/btl
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “The 2016 Chardonnay has a lovely savory, yeasty/toasty nose over a core of warm grapefruit, fresh apricots and allspice with a touch of candied ginger. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling stone fruit and spicy layers, supported by great freshness and finishing long and creamy.” 95 Points
|
2016 Silverpoint ‘Petaluma Gap’ Chardonnay
SILVERPOINT
There are a lot of reasons why Chardonnay is one of the most widely planted varieties in the world, and one of the most popular among consumers. It’s one of the richest of the white wine varieties, yet can also have amazing balance. Silverpoint’s new 2016 Chardonnay from the Petaluma Gap perfectly highlights these qualities ….and it’s one of the best Chardonnays that I’ve tasted this year. It was authored by Don Van Staaveren who was responsible for authoring the Chateau St. Jean wines and made history when his 1996 Cinq Cepages was recognized as the #1 wine on the Spectator Top 100 list, and the first Sonoma wine to garner the #1 spot. Chardonnays of this extraordinary quality and value don’t come around often, and with just 167 cases produced, I wouldn’t hesitate to order yours…
Hailing from the Rodgers Creek Vineyard located in the Petaluma Gap, this is a source for single vineyard wines from Ramey, Sojourn and Cherry Pie. Spending 15 months in oak and aged sur lie, a French term meaning literally ‘on the sediment’, plays a large role in contributing to this wine’s rich, opulent texture. If you’re searching for a sensational bottle of Chardonnay to share with your friends and family… this is it.
SILVERPOINT
2016 CHARDONNAY
PETALUMA GAP
Retails at: $45.00/btl
Tasting Notes: “Rich and pale gold with a creamy texture balanced by a lively acidity. Hints of melon and white peach. Voluptuous. A long juicy finish lets you linger with this Chardonnay.“
2016 Chavy-Chouet Les Narvaux Vineyard Meursault
CHAVY-CHOUET
2016 MEURSAULT
LES NARVAUX VINEYARD
What makes the village of Meursault and the wines produced there so special? You might argue it’s the location in the heart of the Côte de Beaune between Volnay and Puligny-Montrachet. Others would opine that Meursault is one of the oldest and most celebrated places in the world producing Chardonnay. For me, it’s the hallmark characteristics of Meursault that I find profound… Classic Meursault should have deep complexity, citrus fruits and fresh floral notes coupled with rich, nutty flavors of toasted almonds and roasted hazelnut, subtle stone and liquid mineral qualities. Chavy-Chouet’s single vineyard Meursault Les Narvaux has everything that I look for in a great bottle of Meursault and at under $100/btl you’ll think you are dreaming the moment you taste it.
Even the most devout Burgundy aficionado probably hasn’t heard of Chavy-Chouet’s Meursault Les Narvaux and with a mere 50 cases imported into the US, I’m not at all surprised. The wine comes from a hillside parcel, perched right above Premier Cru vineyards Poruzots and Genévrières, where the soft, chalky, clay soils are shallow and gravelly, with bare rocks and marl that produce exceptional fruit. With the price of Meursault often reaching hundreds of dollars per bottle, this is the perfect introduction to superior quality white Burgundy at a relative value.
CHAVY-CHOUET
2016 MEURSAULT
LES NARVAUX VINEYARD
Your Price: $69.99/btl
Winery Notes: “Nose of honeysuckle, white fruits, and crushed rocks. Rich, creamy, clean and pure in the mouth, with flavors of tangerine, white peach, melon and honey. Incredibly vibrant, fresh and delicious. Only 50 cases imported.”
Customers that enjoy Chavy-Chouet Meursault may also enjoy these two terrific White Burgundies…
2017 Ghost Block Morgaenlee Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
GHOST BLOCK
2017 SAUVIGNON BLANC
MORGAENLEE VINEYARD
YOUNTVILLE, CA
The Ghost Block Vineyard lies adjacent to the Yountville cemetery, and legend has it that the ghost of George Yount, founder of Yountville haunts the cemetery on moon-lit nights… The historic family that owns the vineyard has been farming in Napa Valley since 1903, and has owned the Ghost Block parcel since 1930, yet producing the first vintage of Ghost Block in 2004. Their 2017 Sauvignon Blanc from the MorgaenLee Vineyard in Yountville summons detailed tropical fruits, rock minerals, shaved coconut and supple cantaloupe. The flavors are long, lingering, and unlike Yount’s ghost, they’re full of life. The only thing scarier than the haunted cemetery is running out of this chillingly delicious Sauvignon Blanc.
Ghost Block Sauvignon is aged 10 months Sur Lie, a french term meaning “on the sediment.” This style of winemaking adds palpable levels of richness and body which meld perfectly with the Island fruits, minerals and firm acidity. At our tasting, we were so captivated by the 2017 that it’s not only haunting the wine racks in our shop, but we’re pouring it by the glass in the tasting room. Come by for a taste…
GHOST BLOCK
2017 SAUVIGNON BLANC
MORGAENLEE VINEYARD
YOUNTVILLE, CA
Your Price: $24.99/btl
Winery Notes: “A ripe full bodied sauvignon blanc that has a great balance of aromas. A grassy herbal scent with tropical tones and flavors of melon and pear which lead to a nice mid-palette weight of tropical and stone fruits. The lasting finish is full with pleasant oak undertones.“
Customers who enjoy Ghost Block Morgaenlee Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, may also enjoy these two Whites…
2017 Crocker & Starr Bridesmaid Napa Valley Proprietary White
CROCKER & STARR
2017 BRIDESMAID WHITE
AVA, NAPA VALLEY
Everybody loves being the guest that brings the best wine to the party… Even better is when the wine itself is contagiously fun and energetic. Crocker & Starr’s new 2017 Bridesmaid White exudes those qualities and the 2017 is delightfully engaging, provocative and full of life. The 2017 tosses a bouquet of sweet flowers and citrus leaves before waltzing down the aisle with exotic passion fruit, Island mango, honey drizzled pear, and orange zest. This exciting blend is a collaboration of declassified barrels of premium wine lots, carefully selected from several of Napa Valley’s premier wineries after their own blends are complete. The wine that makes it into the bottle often had an intended retail of more than double the price…
Bridesmaid was inspired through Pam Starr’s work at notables as Spottswoode and Gemstone and at under twenty per bottle, this is a delicious introduction to the wines of Crocker & Starr. The blend consists of remarkably high-quality Sauvignon Blanc wed with a small amount of Semillon, adding a silkiness to the wine that’s simply mesmerizing. I strongly recommend stocking up on this gorgeous declassified jewel.
CROCKER & STARR
2017 BRIDESMAID WHITE
AVA, NAPA VALLEY
Your Price: $19/btl
Winery Notes: “This brilliant Sauvignon Blanc blend is pale straw yellow in the glass and the aroma is loaded with honeysuckle, lychee, lime leaves, and laced with the slight salinity of oyster shell. Mouthwatering flavors of lemon meringue pie, key lime, honeydew melon, and white peach gleam on the palate. And the Semillon adds jelly richness to the wine’s medium-bodied, perfectly balanced center. The wine shines all the way through the savory finish, which is lined with crushed seashell. You will love this so much that a case simply won’t be enough.“
Customers who enjoy Crocker & Starr Bridesmaid White may also enjoy these two terrific wines…
2015 Walter Hansel Chardonnays
WALTER HANSEL
2015 CHARDONNAYS
CAHILL LANE | NORTH SLOPE | CUVEE ALYCE
Each time I share a bottle of Walter Hansel Chardonnay, I get an unequivocal feeling that I’ve under-paid for it, because the wine inside the glass mimics Chardonnays at a significantly higher price. When the winery comes up in a conversation, it’s very easy to reminisce about how they’re a model of consistency, and how their wines continually outshine the vast majority in their category. Then comes the reviews, which always shine. Robert Parker writes that they’re “… consistently terrific wines… realistically priced… consumers couldn’t have a better friend than proprietor Stephen Hansel.” Their 2015 Chardonnays are brilliantly detailed, profound and offer a glaring sense of value with every sip. I strongly recommend stocking up, because there’s never enough to meet demand.
2014 Ramey Platt Vineyard Chardonnay
RAMEY
2014 CHARDONNAY
PLATT VINEYARD
If you’ve ever wondered if a winemakers experience could manifest itself directly into the flavors, profound complexity and vivid characteristics in a wine, just try one of David Ramey’s Single Vineyard Chardonnays… David is one of the great pioneers in the California wine industry, having helped put many iconic wineries on the map, including Dominus, Rudd and Jericho Canyon. His first vintage of Chardonnay was at Simi Winery in 1980 and he’s taken everything that he’s learned along the way and poured it into his own label Ramey Wine Cellars which he started in 1996. His single vineyard selection of Chardonnays offer Grand-Cru level complexity and they have the scores to back it up. 2014 is the final vintage of his Platt Vineyard designate Chardonnay and with a stellar 95 Point score from Robert Parker, don’t hesitate to secure yours…
Emerging from the cool and wind-swept Platt Vineyard, located within a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, this absolutely brilliant expression of cool climate Chardonnay was aged for 19 months in François Frères barrels and bottled without filtration. Bearing a concentrated core of green orchard fruits interwoven with veins of rocky minerals, tangerine oil and nutmeg, the wine’s stunning finish goes on and on and on, which is unlike the amount of this wine available, which certainly won’t last…
RAMEY
2014 CHARDONNAY
PLATT VINEYARD
Retails at: $65.00/btl
Your Price: $49.99/btl
YOU SAVE 23%
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “The 2014 Chardonnay Platt Vineyard has expressive pink grapefruit, warm peaches and brioche notes with hints of praline and ginger. Medium-bodied with great richness and depth in the mouth, it has a lovely creamy texture offset by a wicked backbone of freshness, finishing long with mineral and savory/yeasty layers.” 95 Points
Customers who enjoy Ramey Platt Vineyard Chardonnay may also enjoy these two terrific Chardonnays…
DuMOL
2016 CHARDONNAY
WESTER REACH
Your Price: $56.99/btl
Winery Notes: “ Orange zest, white flower, sweet sage and hay aromas yield to softer peach and apricot. The palate is full of energy and vigor with clear-cut fruit intensity and savory character. Ripe stone fruits dominate with an underscore of oatmeal and marzipan. Texture builds with a core of old vine extract balanced with vibrant lime and oyster shell freshness. The finish is long, cleansing, and refined. Drink between 2018 and 2022.”
|
PAHLMEYER
2016 CHARDONNAY
NAPA VALLEY
Your Price: $79.99/btl
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “The 2016 Chardonnay has a lovely savory, yeasty/toasty nose over a core of warm grapefruit, fresh apricots and allspice with a touch of candied ginger. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling stone fruit and spicy layers, supported by great freshness and finishing long and creamy.” 95 Points
|
2017 Domaine du Grand Pre Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes
DOMAINE du GRAND PRE
2017 MÂCON-LUGNY
LES CHARMES (CHARDONNAY)
With the price of Burgundy climbing to new heights, sometimes it pays to look just outside the expensive Cote D’Or region… One of my favorites is the Mâconnais which is well-known for producing extraordinary values in Chardonnay, including Pouilly-Fuisse which is found in a sub-region of the Mâconnais. The 2017 Domaine de Grand Pre Macon-Lugny Les Charmes is vivid, precise and energetic. Upon aeration the wine unwinds layers of white peach, caramelized pear, lemon drop, and minerals. The wine effortless caresses your palate with beautiful weight and lovely acidity. With a mere 50 cases imported into the US, this truly rare Mâcon will certainly leave a long lasting impression for those lucky enough to taste it.
Perched on a plateau made of clay, limestone and chalky soils, the Les Charmes vineyard produces fruit of remarkable qualities. The nearly 1/2 century old vines yield a stunning expression of Mâcon Chardonnay. The quality is transparent from the first sip and a keen line of acidity perfectly compliments the mineral-core, tropical fruits and honeyed ginger. With the limited number of cases imported into the US, and the excitement surrounding the 2017 vintage in Burgundy… don’t wait to secure your case of this gorgeous white Burgundy.
DOMAINE du GRAND PRE
2017 MÂCON-LUGNY
LES CHARMES (CHARDONNAY)
Your Price: $29.99/btl
Winery Notes: “Great nose of minerals and white flowers. Nice richness, balance, acidity and structure in the mouth, with flavors of honeydew, pear, spice and a cleansing salinity on the finish. A harmonious, vibrant wine. ‘Les Charmes’, an 11 hectare vineyard with vines averaging 35 years of age, is located in the prime growing area of Mâcon on clay and limestone soils on east facing slopes, farmed organically. Fermented with native yeasts, aged 8 months in stainless steel tanks. 50 cases imported.”
Customers that enjoy Domaine du Grand Pre Macon-Lugny Les Charmes may also enjoy these two terrific Chardonnays…