Three great wines from three magnificent producers. These are down to the last few cases so snap them up before it is too late!
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Roccolo Grassi
Amarone della Valpolicella DOC 2007
REGION: Veneto, ITALY
VARIETALS: Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella and Croatina
PRICE: $114.00 / bottle
FORMAT: 6 x 750ml
AVAILABLE: 3 cases
DRINKABILITY: 2013 - 2030
95 POINTS - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
"Opaque ruby-purple. Brooding aromas of blackberry, cocoa, coffee and plum jelly. Very rich, dense and concentrated but fresh thanks to harmonious acidity that nicely frames the ripe red and black fruit flavors. This multilayered, supple wine finishes with polished tannins and an exceptionally long, rising finish. Though it's a highly concentrated monster, it manages to come across as balanced and not at all over-the-top. Amarone does not get much better than this. The grapes were air-dried for roughly two months and the wine was aged in 50% new oak and 50% one-year-old French barriques for 26 month."
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Alonso del Yerro
'Maria' Ribera de Duero DO 2009
REGION: Ribera de Duero, SPAIN
VARIETAL: 100% Tempranillo
PRICE: $100.00 / bottle
FORMAT: 6 x 750ml
AVAILABLE: 5 cases
DRINKABILITY: 2013 - 2030
(92-95) POINTS - Wine Advocate Issue #189
"The 2009 Alonso del Yerro, tasted from a barrel sample, is purple/black in color with outstanding density and richness. It is a promising effort from what looks to be a great Tempranillo vintage in Ribera del Duero. Derenoncourt finds it reminiscent of the 2004.
The current owners purchased this estate in 2002 and hired Stephane Derenoncourt of Bordeaux renown as consultant. The Alonso del Yerro cuvee, made from 100% Tempranillo, typically goes through ML in barrel followed by 12 months sur lie with batonnage in new French oak. The Maria cuvee (also 100% Tempranillo) is fermented in new oak vats, goes through a longer maceration than the Alonso bottling, and is aged in new French oak for 18 months sur lie with batonnage."
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Bodegas Hacienda Monasterio Ribera del Duero DO Reserva 2007
REGION: Ribera Del Duero, SPAIN
VARIETALS: Tinta del Pais (Tempranillo) and Cabernet Sauvignon
PRICE: $95.00 / bottle
FORMAT: 6 x 750ml
AVAILABLE: 3 cases
DRINKABILITY: 2013 - 2030
93 POINTS - Wine Advocate Issue #189
"The 2007 Reserva offers up a complex bouquet of spice box, violets, mineral, incense, and assorted black fruits. Smooth-textured, ripe, and well-balanced, it will benefit from several more years of cellaring and will deliver prime drinking from 2013 to 2027.
Hacienda Monasterio is located between Pesquera and Valbuena del Duero. The estate is planted primarily to Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) but there is also some Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Oenologist/winemaker Peter Sisseck (of Dominio Pingus fame) has managed wine production at Hacienda Monasterio since 1990. Alcoholic fermentation is with native yeasts and malolactic fermentation occurs in French oak. The wine is aged in 40-50% new barrels, usually for 18 months, followed by 1 year in bottle prior to release."
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