STAFF PICKS
Things our staff "taste tested" this week. Tough job, but someone's gotta do it.
2017 Teutonic Wine Company Pinot Meunier Borgo Pass Vyd, Willamette Valley $23.99
Alright, the headline is 'Champagne's Bastard Red Finds New Life in Oregon'. If you're not familiar, Meunier is the second red grape of Champagne and is clearly outshined by the noble Pinot Noir and Chardonnay it's blended with. It does however have an important role in adding body, richness and bright fruit, especially to younger sparklers. Even in it's Northern French home it's rare to see it bottled as a varietal table wine. This Oregon version will thrill you with vibrant, ripe raspberry and cranberry flavors. The mid palate is silky and as the fruit fades in the finish it's joined by subtle tobacco flavors. Certified prime Fall drinking.
- David M.
2019 Conterno 'Nervi' Rosato $28.99
As the warm days of 'patio pounder' roses dwindle to an end, there are still some serious bottles of blushing wine to carry us into autumn. My favorite savory and herbaceous rose option this season would be hands down the Nervi Rosato. Nervi is the oldest winery in the Gattinara region, it is now also under the influence of the legendary Robert Conterno, a 90% stake holder. This gorgeous Nebbiolo based rosato is aged in stainless steel and then spends four months on the lees - creating a gorgeous full texture you can appreciate year round!
-Katrina. B
2017 A Tribute to Grace, Grenache, Santa Barbara County - $32.99
"A Tribute To Grace" is created by the modern-day-fiend of New World Grenache, Angela Osborne. Angela's mission is to lay claim to the best Grenache the New World has to offer and bring the clones back to her homeland in New Zealand. She is one with nature, and the wines are her form of art. Enjoy this luscious single vineyard bottling when the days become cold and your company is in good spirits!
-Samuel P.
2018 Camp, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County - $18.99
This is a great deal for a Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon that drinks like one twice the price!
From the small family owned Hobo Wine Co, in Santa Rosa, Camp is a lovely introduction to a number of small organic vineyards throughout Sonoma County brought together.
Merlot and a dash of Malbec are blended with the majority Cabernet Sauvignon and fermented in stainless steel before being aged for 9 months in neutral French oak.
Aromas of peppercorn and cocoa nib mix with a dash of raspberry and lead to a medium bodied palate of black currant tied together by firm tannins and good acidity.
Matching this wine with a grilled sirloin, herbed pan-fried red potatoes, and almond touched green beans is perfect.
-Patrick D.
Erstwhile Tepeztate-Tobalá Ensamble Mezcal - $107.99
Erstwhile is a newer brand in the mezcal scene and the expressions they bring to the market are definitely some of the more unique bottlings available. Founded in Brooklyn in 2017 by Yuan Ji and Kevin J. Brown, this bottler focuses on artisanal- and ancestral-class mezcal, working in fair trade with mezcaleros such as Juan Hernández Méndez, who produces this ensamble of two legendary agaves. Half of this blend is composed of the highly flavorful & aromatic Tepeztate (Agave marmorata) which only grows wild and can take up to 30 years to reach maturity, and the other half is Tobalá (Agave potatorum), a comparatively small agave varietal which grows on the sides of mountains and takes 12-15 years to mature. The combination of these two rare agaves produces a unique, mineral and peppercorn-driven distillate balanced by soft pear, caramel, and roasted agave, with the tobalá in particular bringing a pleasant salinity that rounds the whole thing out.
-Nick S.
