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Our Newest Addition - Foppiano Vineyards!
September 2013
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Greetings!
In 1896 immigrant Giovanni Foppiano purchased a small working winery in Russian River Valley and began producing bulk wine for the communities of northern California and specifically the North Beach community in San Francisco. Growth and good-times continued for the company until in 1919 one of the darkest times in history descended upon the United States - PROHIBITION.
What's a winery to do during prohibition? Keep growing grapes for sale to individuals who we all know would never allow them to be crushed, would never introduce yeast and even if that happened they would never, ever allow the mix to warm up. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
In 1933 the 21st Amendment to the Constitution overturned the 18th (The Volstead National Prohibition Act) and the good times returned. Because Foppiano had made wine but not sold it during Prohibition, they were ready to hit the markets and grow their business. In 1937 they began bottling under the Foppiano name and by 1945 Foppiano Wine Company became the second largest bottler of wine in Sonoma County. In the mid-50's they got away from jug wines and began to vintage date wines and finish them with corks.
In 1967 the first varietal Petite Sirah was introduced to the market. A grape that failed in France, where they call it Durif, found the perfect climate in Sonoma. Today Foppiano Vineyards is considered the leader in Petite Sirah production by elevating this little-known grape to the top of its portfolio.
In addition to the new Foppiano Petite Sirah, I have here a selection of newly arrived vintages of some of our best. For more wines and more information, please visit us on the web.
All my best,
Chris.
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Foppiano "Lot 96" Petite Sirah 2011
$19.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
Winemaker Natalie West prefers to treat Petite Sirah grapes like Pinot Noir, using refined methods and tender care. Once in the cellar, the grapes experience a gentle press and are fermented in open top fermenters with punch downs three times a day for good colour extraction. She uses a limited amount of new and neutral French and Hungarian oak during aging to add complexity and depth to the wine.
On the nose, blueberries, dark chocolate and black cherry are the predominant aromatics with a touch of flowers and spice. In the mouth, Lot 96 tastes smooth, fruity and is very approachable with ripe blackberry, plum, blueberry and red cherry. It features well-integrated, supple tannins balanced with a strong backbone of acidity and fruit. The finish of blackberry and vanilla lingers for minutes. Enjoy this wine with grilled meats and hearty, aged cheeses.
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Champagne Vilmart & Cie.
"Coeur du Cuvée" 2005
$134.95 per bottle, 6 per case
"The Coeur de Cuvée has been one of Champagne's elite cult wines ever since champagne expert Tom Stevenson pronounced the 1990 "one of the three greatest champagnes made in the last 25 years." (He had similar praise for the 1996, his highest-scoring champagne from that remarkable vintage.)"
PeterLiem.com
I try to avoid hyperbole but I can honestly say, hand-to-heart, that the 2001 Coeur du Cuvée is one of the top five wines I've ever drank in my life, period. I'll never forget where I was and who I was with when I drank it. My mind was swimming in visions and flavours, it was utterly captivating - tunnel vision. And 2001 was a crummy vintage in Champagne.
As a grower-producer, Vilmart & Cie. owns and farms its own fruit, unlike most other top-flight Champagne houses, and the winemaking of Laurent Champs is masterful. The fruit here is from 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir from the Blanches Voies 1er Cru vineyard from vines over 50 years old. The base wine spends 10 months in 225 litre barriques of varying ages before the secondary fermentation. As the name implies, only the middle or "heart" of the pressed juice is used to make this wine.
Not only is this wine an outrageous value in high-end Champagne, comparable in quality (and I think exceeding) the most famous of Champagnes, each bottle comes in an individual box inside the case and makes a great presentation or gift.
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Alex Gambal Chassagne-Montrachet 2011
$70.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
Two vineyards contribute fruit to this village-level blend, Les Essarts and Blanchots Dessus, the latter borders the greatest Chardonnay vineyard, "Le Montrachet" to the south. Only 30% of the barrels are new, and the vinification is in the old Burgundian tradition. Gentle pressing and natural clarification is followed by fermentation with natural yeasts in barriques. Elevage takes place in these barrels for 10 to 16 months with no stirring of the lees until just before bottling. The wine is fresh, captivating and drinkable young and for 4-6 years.
Although the 2011 isn't reviewed yet, the 2009, the last vintage we had in Ontario received the following from "Burghound" Allen Meadows,
"Discreet wood frames white and yellow orchard fruit, resin and soft earth aromas that merge seamlessly into rich, generous and extract-rich flavours that possess excellent volume on the textured and beautifully long finish. This forward effort is a lovely Chassagne villages and worth considering. Outstanding. Drink 2013+"
89 points, burghound.com, Feb 2011
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Tenuta Valdipiatta
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2010
$30.95 per 750ml bottle, 12 bottles per case
$17.95 per 375ml bottle, 12 bottles per case
Just arrived is the 2010 Valdipiatta. This wine follows an equally strong 2009 vintage. The wine has impact, acidity, richness and exotic flavours that are the hallmark of good Sangiovese. If you like new-world fruitiness and presence but appreciate the finesse of Tuscany, you should really try this wine.
"Bright, packed with black cherry, plum and herb flavours, this is firm and muscular, featuring a medium-bodied frame, with a finish of black tea and tobacco. Best from 2016 through 2026. 3,300 cases made."
92 points, Wine Spectator, Sept 2013
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Fontodi "Vigna del Sorbo"
Chianti Classico Riserva 2009
$71.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
Year over year Fontodi's Vigna del Sorbo represents one of the best values in high-end Tuscan wine. Sure, one can buy Chianti Classico Riservas for $35-45 dollars, but I would argue that none reach the heights of quality of "Vigna del Sorbo".
This is a single-vineyard blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in Troncais and Allier barrels 50% of which are new for 24 months. It is a towering wine, powerful, complex, fresh and built to age.
"The 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo is impressive. The overtness of the year is nicely balanced by the inherent freshness and acidity of Sangiovese. Hints of tobacco, cedar, licorice and spices are layered into the insistent finish. This is a terrific showing. I very much like the energy, length and focus of the fruit. I can't wait to see how this develops over the coming years. The Vigna del Sorbo is a bit overlooked in the Fontodi stable, but it is often striking, especially after a few years in bottle. This historic vineyard is planted to 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Sorbo has an element of freshness that the Flaccianello doesn't have. I will not be surprised if over time it enjoys a more gradual and finessed evolution in bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027."
94+ points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, June 2012
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Conundrum Red 2011
$25.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
The year was 1989. Bill Cosby and Roseanne Barr ruled television and Chicago's "Look Away" was tops on the Billboard Charts (my favourite band still to this day). Caymus introduced "Conundrum" to the world, instantly defining a category in wine not before seen - the California white blend.
Fast forward 22 years. Caymus produces its first "Conundrum Red", a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petit Verdot and Muscat - a grape which brings exotic and interesting aromatics to the wine. This wine is "Caymus" through and through - full bodied, velvety, creamy and spicy with a rich barrel component. There is a hint of sweetness for balance and a long, Amarone-like finish.
If you're a fan of the Caymus Cabernets and Caymus Zinfandel, I highly recommend this wine for "everyday" drinking, or as an after-dinner wine in lieu of port or Amarone. It's highly versatile, and could be paired with anything from crispy-edged ribeyes to rigatoni Bolognese or even a simple cheese plate.
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Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
$59.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
One of California's great "second" wines is the Estate Cabernet from Ridge, formerly named "Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet/Merlot". It is sourced entirely from the Monte Bello vineyard high atop the Santa Cruz mountains - the pacific to the west and Cupertino to the east. This limestone ridge produces some of the state's most terroir driven reds and whites and is a "gold mine" of affordable, age-worthy wines.
In 2010 the Monte Bello vineyard produced two historic reds. The flagship has received 19/20 points from Decanter and 96+ points from Antonio Galloni when he was at Wine Advocate with the note "Count me among those who will be thrilled to own this magnificent California classic." This affordably priced "baby-Monte Bello" isn't far behind:
"Great structure and precision, with deep cassis and black cherry fruit, cedar and forest-floor shadings, and an extraordinarily long finish. Drink 2014-2024."
18.5/20 (95 points), Decanter magazine, Sept 2013
"Readers who can't (or don't want to!) wait for Ridge's Monte Bellos to hit their stride should consider the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. A gorgeous wine, the 2010 is laced with dark plum, black cherry, jasmine and crushed rocks aromas. Firm yet beautifully integrated tannins support the saline, crystalline finish. 2013-2025."
92 points, Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, July 2013
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Ridge Geyserville 2011
$50.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
Besides the great wines made by Ridge in Santa Cruz, they also produce two of the most famous Zinfandels in California, which both come from Sonoma County - Geyserville and Lytton Springs. The Lytton Springs more specifically is from Dry Creek Valley.
With over 40 vintages of both wines as a reference, these single-vineyard "field blends" show capacity for tremendous evolvement in the cellar, but both drink well upon release. Both wines excelled in 2011 and since they come in six-bottle cases, it's recommended to buy a case of each and enjoy them side by side over the years.
"78% Zinfandel; 16% Carignane; 4% Petite Sirah; and 2% Other. Another stunner under the Geyserville moniker, this rich, nicely layered offering combines red and black berries with touches of dried leaves and black pepper in its mid-volume aromas. And, as promising as the nose seems to be, the wine is even more deeply packed on the palate where its blackberry, raspberry, darkly spiced fruit is joined by background notes of creamy oak. Latter palate tannin assures that this version of Geyserville will enjoy the long-aging abilities of its predecessors."
95 points, Connoisseur's Guide to California Wines, May 2013
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Ridge Lytton Springs 2011
$50.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
"The 2011 Lytton Springs is an intriguing wine. It is at once quite tannic, but also medium in body, as most wines are in this vintage. The structure of Petite Sirah is felt in the wine's tannin. Dusty red cherries, flowers and sweet herbs wrap around the finish. There is a translucency to the 2011 that is highly appealing. In 2011, only 50% of candidate parcels were used in the final blend. The 2011 is 82% Zinfandel, 16% Petite Sirah and 2% Carignane. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2031."
(92-94) points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Aug 2012
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Chateau Montelena
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
$59.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
In the company of many modern Napa Valley Cabernets Montelena's is often described as "old-world" in style, displaying higher acidity and less overt oak than many of its contemporaries in Napa Valley. This makes the wine food friendly and poised to age.
2010 was a difficult year for some vintners in Napa and terrific for others. Montelena was one of the latter. A wet growing season was followed by a heat spike in August and many wineries had to drop fruit to the tune of 40%. Wineries that make fresher style wines that emphasize acidity celebrated a successful vintage with dark colours and distinct flavours:
"A big, mouth filling wine, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, shows the personality of the vintage in its intense fruit. There is plenty of underlying structure in this deep, resonant Cabernet Sauvignon. Mint, flowers and sweet red berries are some of the nuances that are woven into the finish. This is far from an easygoing Napa Cabernet. Although delicious today, it should drink well for a number of years. Another year or so in bottle should help the elements come together even more fully. The 2010 is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. "
92 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Dec 2012
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Altamura
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
$116.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
A highly anticipated release is the 2010 Altamura. Grown in the cool Wooden Valley in southern Napa, Frank Altamura's winery is the only one in this part of Napa. It is a powerhouse of a wine, striking and rich, with flavours and aromas of blackberry, licorice, rose and baking spices. They can be enjoyed young if you savour power and poise, or put some away for a few decades and enjoy them along the way.
The 2010 is not yet reviewed by the press, but the lowest score it has received from Wine Spectator since 2005 is 93 points. The 2007 was named #5 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator in 2010.
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Peay Vineyards "Pomarium" Pinot Noir 2011
$77.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
The newest release of Pomarium promises to be one of the best so far. A formal apple orchard's soil differentiates this wine from Peay's other estate-designate "Scallop Shelf" which is grown in soils heavily littered with fossilized marine shells.
Peay Vineyards is located in the newly recognized Fort Ross-Seaview appellation of northern Sonoma County. The wineries here are among California's pinnacle of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers.
"Ruby-red. Sexy aromas of candied redcurrant, raspberry, cola and potpourri. Offers vibrant red fruit compote and floral pastille flavours, supple texture and bright tangy lift. Leaves a strong impression of spicy red fruits behind, along with notes of candied rose and lavender. Distinctly elegant and precise Pinot, with a suave blend of power and elegance."
93 points, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2013
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Chris McLean
416 961 2294 x 29
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