Austria Hirsch 2003 Zöbinger Gaisberg RieslingWhen wine just tastes like perfect dry Riesling from Austria who needs a tasting note? It has a fleshy, ripe quality yet with a poise that transcends the vintage, exactly what we would expect from Hirsch. Gaisberg provides mineral-driven Riesling with a round mid-palate and notes of meadow flowers and fresh vegetable gardens. RSG white | 26 in stock | $39.99 $29.99 |
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Beaujolais Coudert 2008 Fleurie Cuvee ChristalAlain Coudert at the Clos de la Roilette makes this "regular" cuvée from a different parcel on a more typical Fleurie terroir. Plum, raspberry and floral aromas and a soft medium-bodied palate. A lovely wine that is more of a pure fruit expression than the Clos de la Roilette, not for long-term aging but to enjoy over the next few years. (Only available at Chambers Street) red | 5 in stock | $14.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Champagne Combining aspects of Biodynamic and organic agriculture, Brigandat uses natural yeasts for the primary fermentation which takes place in cement lined cuvees. This Champagne has a creaminess imparted by 8-10 weeks of lees contact that is accentuated by a racy mineral component from limestone soils. The NV Brut is made from 100% Pinot Noir, and the current release has a base wine from the 2005 vintage. This is a ripe, expressive Champagne that is delightful to drink – full of character and with a pleasant savory undertone. RSG white sparkling | 20 in stock | Organic | $30.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Cote-de-Beaune Bize, Simon 2005 Savigny-Les-Beaune "Aux Grands Liards" red | 12 in stock | $52.99 |
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Bize, Simon 2005 Savigny-Les-Beaune "Les Bourgeots"red | 9 in stock | $52.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Germany Christoffel Erben 2008 Mosel Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese For me this was The Auslese of Christoffel's 08 collection... all the apple and ripe fruit of this nook in the Mosel, and yet... slate - a truly transparent expression of the precariousness of steep-slope slate sites. white | 6 in stock | $51.99 $45.99 |
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Fritz Haag 2008 Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese # 6 Known for finesse, Fritz Haag's wines are all about precision, clarity and filigreed fruit. The concentration of an Auslese balanced by an astounding grace - purple flowers, seashell minerality and incredibly finish. white sweet | 1 in stock | $59.99 $49.99 |
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Haart, Reinhold 2008 Mosel Piesporter Goldtrophfche Spatlese Erste Lage white medium-sweet | 4 in stock | $44.99 |
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Karthauserhof 2008 Ruwer Riesling Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Auslese As can be expected, increased density and intensity and complexity from the Spatlese. Pear, fresh herbs, river stones and a glacier water purity on the tremendously long undulating finish. white | 8 in stock | $58.99 $45.99 |
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Karthauserhof 2008 Ruwer Riesling Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg SpatleseAnother Wow. A very cool petrol-flower twinge that is disconcertingly beautiful. Tremendous depth and precision. white | 13 in stock | $41.99 $32.99 |
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Prum, J.J. 2006 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslesewhite sweet | 7 in stock | $57.99 |
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Prum, J.J. 2007 Mosel Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese white sweet | 11 in stock | $47.99 $38.99 |
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Prum, J.J. 2008 Mosel Graacher Himmelreich Auslese white sweet | 12 in stock | $56.99 $46.99 |
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Prum, J.J. 2008 Mosel Wehlener Sonennuhr Auslese white sweet | 12 in stock | $62.99 $52.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Reichsgraf Von Kesselstat 2006 Ruwer Kaseler Nies'Chen Riesling Grosses GewachsFrom Kesselstatt's top site on the Ruwer, this wine has enormous fruit of peach, pineapple, pear - tropical with a red fruit accent. Concentrated and delicious and proof-positive that there is nothing lean about dry German Riesling. This is packed with flavor and body. white | 2 in stock | $44.99 $35.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Still showing lots of young primary stone fruit. More elegant with a wonderfully viscous texture and palate-saturating extract on the finish. Lovely wine in need of four or five years in the cellar. LF... and perfect time to try this wine thanks to a little bit of bottle age, but also for the cellar as this will continue to develop with grace. RSG white | 1 in stock | $83.99 $59.99 |
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Schafer-Frohlich 2008 Nahe Estate Riesling KabinettEntirely wild yeast fermentation. The tension between fruit and acid makes for a wine that is tangibly vivacious - notes of lime and rose. white off-dry | 28 in stock | $29.99 $23.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Schloss Johannisberg 2004 Rheingau Riesling Spatlese white sweet | 55 in stock | $29.99 $29.99 |
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Van Volxem 2007 Saar Kanzemer AltenbergThe Altenberg is one of the better sites in the Saar, also farmed by von Othegraven, but Van Volxem's style is a unique one - concentrated, dryish and reminiscent of the way Riesling was made 100 years ago. This is made from 80-100 year old vines and in contrast to Volz it is Van Volxem's warmest vineyard. The wine is more regal than Volz with more breadth and power. Nearly dry (14 g RS) This is ethereal, floral and powerful at the same time. LF/RSG
white | 13 in stock | $59.99 $39.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Van Volxem 2007 Saar VolsThe Volz is one of the coolest vineyards Van Volxem yields from and it's planted entirely on blue slate. Floral with lemony acidity and for those who love a little more austerity. white | 7 in stock | $44.99 $35.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Von Hovel 2008 Saar Oberemmeler Hutte KabinettHats off to Von Hovel, who made some of my favorite wines of the vintage. A contemplative and subtle wine with earthy tones. The 07 was a must-buy for me, and the 08 is there too. Clean, mouth-watering, there is so much going on in this wine it's impossible to describe. It's a good sign when we can't find words for it, no? white medium-sweet | 12 in stock | $25.99 $21.99 |
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Von Othegraven 2008 Saar Ockfen Bockstein Riesling AusleseBockstein consistently has slightly "funkier" - in a good way! - aromatics than any of the other sites that von Othegraven farms. The signature exotic aromatics leap out with intense notes of lime, purple flowers and a saline texture. 100 grams of RS perfectly balanced by 2008 vintage - this is a juicy, delicious Auslese. white sweet | 6 in stock | $44.99 $35.99 |
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Wegeler 2005 Mosel Geheimrat "J" Spatlese Trocken white | 3 in stock | $44.99 |
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Known for their dry Silvaners - this is a rare opportunity to taste how dry Silvaner can age from a top Franken estate... something we are all really curious about! white | 6 in stock | $24.99 $17.99 |
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The wine was lovely with a nose of green pistachio, flowers, apricot fruit and loads of mineral. The palate was a powerhouse of richness and mineral. A big Silvaner if I have ever had one. Rich in extract but still belied a lovely elegance. The finish was long and juicy with just a slight hint of warmth. LF white | 6 in stock | $49.99 $34.99 |
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Wirsching, Hans 2007 Franken Iphofer Kronsberg Riesling Spatlese TrockenMinerals, grass, fennel and ripe white grape pith. This wine is very open and charismatic - a medium bodied, hearty Riesling playing off the ripe fruit of 2007 the vintage. Balanced roundness accentuated by fruity minerals and finishing very dry. RSG white | 1 in stock | $41.99 $31.99 |
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Italy White La Biancara di Angiolino Maule 2008 IGT Garganega del Veneto I MasieriAngiolino Maule is a key figure in the Italian natural wine movement - a mentor of many younger producers and an inspiration to others now beginning to make real wine. His wines are also astonishing values; this is essentially a Soave that's as far in quality from Bolla as you can get. I Masieri is made from a second pass through the vineyards, vinified in stainless steel with a minimum of sulphur at bottling. Pure, crystaline, lovely lemony flavor that has none of the foxiness you find in industrial Soave/Garganega, and very much a terrior wine. A great value and highly recommended. JW white | 42 in stock | Natural | $14.99 |
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Kosher Tishbi 2007 Israel Special Reserve Gush Etzion Chardonnaywhite kosher | 3 in stock | $22.99 |
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Loire Sablonnettes 2009 Vin de France Le Bon Petit DiableA delicious medium-bodied Cabernet Franc with gorgeous raspberry and dark plum fruit balanced by good acidity. A great choice for a picnic, served nicely chilled! "This authentic and natural wine, not chaptalized or yeasted, is the natural expression of the vintage and the terroir where it is born..." That's what the label says and we agree... red | 50 in stock | Natural | $13.99 |
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Rhone Aphillanthes, Domaine Les 2009 Côtes-du-Rhône Rosepink | 24 in stock | $12.99 |
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Charvin 2009 Côtes-du-Rhône Rosepink | 2 in stock | $16.99 |
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Spain Table Gorrondona, Doniene 2009 Bizkaiko Txakolina Tinto red | 36 in stock | $26.99 |
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Mas Negre, Vinos de Terrunos 2006 Priorat (Garnacha + Samso)This is a cuvee made to the specifications of Jose Pastor, the importer. The vineyards are organic, the wine is fermented with native yeasts and spends 12 months in older French oak. The result is a Priorat with incredible purity and that represents the old-vine Samso and Garnacha wonderfully with flavors and aromatics of crushed blackberries, dried sour cherries, leather, roses, and espresso grounds. The extraction is done with an even hand the result are tannins that are fresh and supple avoiding my main beef with Priorat that the wines are often times, along with being overtly alcoholic, are over-extracted.
I enjoyed this cool from a Burgundy glass and paired it with a potato, kale, and red chilli soup from the Greens cookbook. I did not think this would be a logical pairing, but the wine had good acid structure paired quite well with the food and offset the heat of the soup memorably- a real pleasant surprise. Salud! cb red | 38 in stock | $27.99 |
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Riojanas, Bodegas 2008 Rioja Puerta Vieja Blancowhite | 7 in stock | $9.99 $7.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Telmo Rodriguez, Compania de Vinos 2008 Toro Dehesa GagoTelmo Rodriguez is a man posessed with boundless enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge of Spanish terroirs. His wines are pure expressions of their place. He told me "only bush vines, no trellises, never an herbicide, never a pesticide, and never a commercial yeast." Hey, what can you say to that?
Anyways, this Tinto del Toro is made in stanless-steel and shows pure flavors of dark cherry, raspberry, dark cocoa, smoke and brooding moss-y earth . It is fresh and robust and just begs for red meats. cb red | 20 in stock | Natural | $15.99 |
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Traza, Vinos Sin Ley, David Sampedro 2008 Rioja Baja Graciano Gra 2The grapes for this cuvee come from David Sampedro's families' estate-owned vineyards. These are young vines from Rioja Baja. They have been raised bio-dynamically (3 years into the Demeter certification process). He has a passion for this quickly disappearing varietal and has put together this cuvee for the Vinos Sin Ley project. The wine is fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and not fined or filtered. The result is a pure, fresh, fruit forward style (lot's o' berries) but with a firm structure, pretty floral aromatics and a forest-y earthiness which is unmistakably Graciano. I find this to be highly drinkable and one of the most interesting wines for the money from this here Spain. cb red | 5 in stock | $13.99 |
