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 | 32 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 | 22 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 | 1 in stock | Organic | $30.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Cote-de-Beaune Bize, Simon 2005 Savigny-Les-Beaune "Aux Grands Liards" red | 14 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 Fritz Haag 2008 Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese # 6 white sweet | 3 in stock | $59.99 $49.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Gysler 2008 Rheinhessen Weinheimer Riesling KabinettWith Alexander Gysler now in charge, this estate is creating exciting wines of certified organic fruit in an accessible price range. This Kabinett provides dense, ripe apple fruit on a traditionally light frame. The experience is completed by an acidic finish that recollects the skins of granny smith apples. A great QmP from the much acclaimed 2007 vintage that won't break the bank. JR white | 8 in stock | $16.99 |
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Haart, Reinhold 2008 Mosel Piesporter Goldtrophfche Spatlese Erste Lage white medium-sweet | 6 in stock | $44.99 |
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Monchhof 2007 Erdener Pralat Auslese So chiseled for a Pralat. Great richness and spice and creamy lanolin-like texture. Nice botrytis and again amazing how chiseled and focused this is. LF white sweet | 1 in stock | $41.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Prum, J.J. 2006 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslesewhite sweet | 8 in stock | $57.99 |
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Reichsgraf Von Kesselstat 2006 Ruwer Kaseler Nies'Chen Riesling Grosses Gewachswhite | 2 in stock | $44.99 $35.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Still showing lots of young primary stone fruit. More elegant than the '05 with a touch less concentration but still has a wonderfully viscous texture and palate-staining extract on the finish. Lovely wine in need of four or five years in the cellar. LF white | 6 in stock | $83.99 |
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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 | 32 in stock | $29.99 $23.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Van Volxem 2007 Saar Kanzemer AltenbergThe Altenberg, some people say, is the best vineyard in the Saar. Even better than the famed Scharzhofberger. It is splitting hairs if you ask me. 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. The vines are planted on grey slate with some red slate thrown in for good measure. There is a little residual sugar in this wine. 14 grams which is hardly noticeable. Ethereal, floral and powerful at the same time. 10 cases imported to the USA of 166 and we have three of them.
white | 19 in stock | $59.99 $45.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Van Volxem 2007 Saar VolsThe Volz is one of Roman's coolest vineyards and it's planted entirely on blue slate. It's my favorite wine of his year in and year out. It is a lighter wine than say his Scharzhofberger but still very austere once in bottle. Needs a lot of air and maybe 5-7 years in the cellar to fully expresss itself. There are wonderful flavors of lemon and wild flowers plus a flowing river minerality. Only 10 cases out of 250 were imported into the US and we got three of them. This is a value in dry German Riesling and a must for any collector or someone who just wants to dip their toes in to the wonderful world of Saar Riesling.
white | 11 in stock | $44.99 $35.99 | Non-Discountable |
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Wegeler 2005 Mosel Geheimrat "J" Spatlese Trocken white | 3 in stock | $44.99 |
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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 | 13 in stock | $49.99 |
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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 | 66 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 | 72 in stock | Natural | $13.99 |
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Rhone Charvin 2009 Côtes-du-Rhône Rosepink | 2 in stock | $16.99 |
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Spain Table 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 | 46 in stock | $27.99 |
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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 | 30 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 | 17 in stock | $13.99 |
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Val Sotillo, Bodegas Ismael Arroyo 2004 Ribera del Duero CrianzaThis is beautiful traditional Ribera that exhibits classic and intense aromatics of plum, wild blueberry, espresso grounds, and graphite. Full bodied, but not over-powering on the palate, this is balanced and elegant with the same flavors as above, juicy acidity, finishing with firm gripp-y tannins that beg for a Fred Flinstone sized piece of meat. A veal chop is the first thing that comes to mind, but in this part of Spain they would serve this with the local specialty, spit-roasted baby lamb. cb red | 4 in stock | $27.99 |
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United States Red Clos Mimi 2006 Paso Robles Petite Rousse Syrahred | 3 in stock | $17.99 |
