Staff Favorites
Ahh, the Staff Favorites. These are wines that we love. Actually, that doesn't really go far enough. These are the fine wines that we are drinking and enjoying! We taste a ton of wines and find plenty that we are really quite fond of, but below are the wines that our wine specialists are taking home and getting to know. Intimately.
Ricosoli Toscana 2016
Region: Tuscany
Notes & Flavors
Ruby red color with delicate aromas of red berries and small red fruits followed by a soft mouthfeel with nice acidity giving way to a well-balanced and pleasant finish.
Blend: Sangiovese 60%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%
$1199
Chateau L'orangerie Bordeaux Rogue 2018
Region: Bordeaux
Notes & Flavors
Moderately dense garnet with purple. Very appealing, clean and youthful aroma of healthy, mature dark cherry and damson plum with faint spice notes. The wine is round, supple and medium bodied plus on the palate, thoroughly enjoyable now, and imparts a soft final impression with the barest touch of tannin. Modern in the best sense, L’Orangerie is an excellent entry-level red Bordeaux.
Blend: 85% Merlot & 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
$1199
Santa Julia Malbec Reserva 2018
Region: Mendoza
Wine Rating: 90 Points - Wine Advocate, 91 Points - James Suckling
Notes & Flavors
Dark violet with blue hues. Nose of ripe red and black fruits such as cherries, plums, and blackberries. Notes of vanilla, chocolate, and snuff. Medium-bodied flavor, with soft tannins and balanced acidity with a fruity and spicy finish.
91 Points, James Suckling
“A very bright, lithe and juicy young malbec that delivers intense fresh red cherries and plums with fine, assertive and focused tannins. Modern, fresh and delicious malbec.”
90 Points, Wine Advocate
“2018 is a very good vintage in the Valle de Uco, and the 2018 Reserva Malbec is produced with grapes from there. The Reserva range saw a big change with the 2015 vintage, especially in the oaking. Only a small percentage of the volume of this wine ages in well-seasoned oak barrels, no more than 10% to 15%, and the wine comes through as juicy and fruit driven, fresh, with bright fruit and a tender palate.”
$1299
Tombacco Biferno Rosso Riserva 2015
Region: Molise
Wine Rating: 90 Points - Decanter World Wine
Notes & Flavors
A velvety wine with a full flavour that, like the river from which it takes its name, it leads the way in lands at one with the sea and ancient traditions.
The brilliance of the garnet reflections on an intense ruby red, the Biferno is a wine with a full and aromatic taste.
Olfactory nuances ranging from ethereal vanilla to sharp notes of spices and cinnamon. In the mouth it is rich, velvety and harmonious, perfect with meat dishes, roasts and recipes made from beef and sheep noble cuts. Great matching with Italian traditional sausage and aged cheese.
Blend: Montepulciano 80% & Aglianico 20%
90 Points, Decanter World Wine
$1299
Ameal Loureiro 2019
Region: Vinho Verde
Notes & Flavors
With ripe citrus skin, lemon blossom, and green grass on the nose, this wine is like standing in a lemon grove on a warm afternoon. The palate is fresh and crisp, but there’s a mineral density present that gives serious structure to this otherwise fun-loving wine. The finish is long, clean, and leaves a lingering citrus oil delicacy on the palate.
$1499
J Mourat Collection Blanc 2019
Region: Loire Valley
Notes & Flavors
The J. Mourat Blanc Collection is a blend of 60% Chenin Blanc and 40% Chardonnay from 20 year old vines. The grapes are gently pressed, cold settled and the wine is fermented and aged all in stainless steel tanks. Light gold in color, the Blanc Collection displays aromas of green orchard fruits, lanolin and white flowers. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine has a sharp, broad acidity that delivers incredible freshness and helps to deliver a long, concentrated finish. Enjoy with roast chicken, seared trout or soft cheeses.
$1599
Requiem Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Region: Columbia
Wine Rating: 88 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Notes & Flavors
Requiem is a blend of grapes from six sites across the Columbia Valley, and specifically from three AVAs: Walla Walla (45%), Horse Heaven Hills (40%), and Red Mountain (5%). Each component is vinified separately and then undergoes a series of blending trials, looking for purity of fruit, complexity and outstanding quality that consistantly overperforms.
Grapes were harvested in the later half of September at between 24 and 27 brix, depending on elevation. The grapes were crushed into a combination of open top wood and stainless steel fermenters. After a 3 day cold soak, native yeasts were allowed to begin fermentation, which lasted for 18 to 32 days depending on the tank. Once dry, all the wine was racked in to 225L barrels from Taransaud (15%), François Frères (30%), Darnajou (25%) and Sylvain (30%) for 20 months - 40% new oak.
88 Points, Wine Enthusiast
"The second vintage of this wine is a blend of fruit from Walla Walla Valley, Horse Heaven Hills and Red Mountain appellations. Aromas of cocoa, green pepper, black cherry and black currant are followed by light but nicely balanced fruit flavors."
$1999
Paetra Pinot Blanc 2019
Region: Coast Range
Notes & Flavors
Our 2019 Pinot Blanc was hand harvested from old-vines grown at 750 ft above sea-level. It was fermented in 100% neutral oak barrels without commercial yeast or chemical additions. The resulting wine is very pure and mineral with hints of pear, exotic fruit and bright acidity. For me, Pinot Blanc provides sort of a bridge between chardonnay and riesling and because of that it's very versatile at table, but shellfish and oysters are it's best friends. I love where this is going! It has great texture, subtly aromatic fruit and the characteristic salinity that I’ve come to expect from this wine.
$2299
