Staff Picks: What to Drink This Week
Things to welcome spring with.
2018 Statera Cellars, Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley - $36.99
Located in Carlton, Oregon, Statera is owned and operated by two friends Meredith Bell and Luke Wylde. One third of this Pinot goes through whole cluster fermentation which is then blended back in and aged for fifteen months in used French Oak Barrels. The 2018 is fresh, and vibrant showing aromas and flavors of tart cherry, cinnamon - expressing a more unique side of the Willamette Valley. Stratera only uses natural yeasts, their wine is unfined, unfiltered and has minimal sulfur added at bottling for bottle stability.
-Nick Z.
2015 Produttori del Barbaresco - $37.99
2015 was one of those vintages that shows such lushness and this Nebbiolo from Produttori is no exception. It's all the things we love about the grape of royalty from Piedmont; tar, roses and juicy cherries with lush tannins bringing up the rear. Perfectly paired with fresh pasta, lamb and feathered game, mild cheeses, this one is a stunner! This little baby can hang in your cellar for several years or pop it now and experience the beauty of Nebbiolo its youth. It's the perfect exercise in Piedmont's most notable grape.
-Angie
2016 Chateau la Coustarelle, 'Tradition', Cahors - $15.99
If you love Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina, you must try a Malbec from the ancient home of the grape in soutwestern France, Cahors. Malbec from this region will be a much different wine than Malbec typical of Mendoza. Here, from vineyards above the Lot River, Chateau la Coustarelles bottles their 'Tradition' label. By law the wine must contain at least 70% Malbec. The 'Tradition' is 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot. The Merlot adds a little fruit-forward plumpness to the more strident and earthy Malbec, making this an ideal choice for those who love Malbec from Argentina and are hoping to ease into a more inviting example of Cahors.
After 18 months of aging in 600 litre French Oak barrels, this 2016 vintage opens with aromas of plum, black cherry, sage, soil, and spice. The rich palate is of earthy cherry and lightly sweet plum. The tannins soften out over time for a long, pleasing finish. You should treat yourself to a traditional Cassoulet from this region when enjoying a bottle of this Cahors over dinner. It is perfect with the ridiculously rich duck confit, Tarbais beans and Toulousain sausage!
-Patrick D.
2019 Forlorn Hope, Dragone Ramato, Sierra Foothills CA - $32.99
You've probably heard of orange wine, and maybe you've even tried some. Orange wine has been embraced by winemakers all over the world, but Ramato is a specific style of orange wine that hails from Friuli and is made with Pinot Grigio. In Italian, "ramato" means copper. Pinot Grigio is normally thought of as white grape, but it is actually grey in color, and when left to macerate on its skins (like a red wine would be), it develops a beautiful copper tone. Forlorn Hope's Dragone Ramato begins with whole clusters Pinot Gris. The clusters are left to macerate on their skins for a full two weeks and punched-down daily to extract additional color, tannin, and flavor from the stems and grape skins. This is a mineral driven wine with notes of mandarin orange and subtle herbaceousness. My favorite way to enjoy this wine is with a slight chill and a filet of fatty trout or Arctic Char. It's sold out on the Forlorn Hope website, so come grab your bottle from us today!
-Claire
Mestres 1312 Brut Reserva Cava - $20.99
Do you have more reasons to celebrate than your Champagne allowance will support? No problem, we have an iconic Brut Cava that is delicious and affordable to pop any day of the week! The Mestres family has been making wine since the year 1312, hence the name. Mestres was one of the first sparkling wines produced in the Penedes, and they coined the phrase 'Cava' after aging their sparkling wines in caves. This lean and lively bubble will awaken your palette and pair perfectly with the Spring thaw.
-Katrina
2015 Hopler, Eiswein, Burgenland Austria - $66.99
Hopler is an extraordinarily established Austrian wine producer and their wines are represented in some of the world's greatest restaurants. Given the general climate and location of southeastern Austria, only perfect vintages can yield this very special style of wine called Eiswein. Using perfectly (and I mean absolutely perfectly) matured Gruner Veltliner grapes of Burgenland, this wine style has not been possible since the 2015 vintage. This is largely caused by global warming meaning that we may see this delicacy fade away within our lifetime.
-Samuel Phillips
2018 Enotria 91, Bianco, Calabria - $20.99
(70% Greco Bianco, 20% Ansonica, 10% Pecorello)
While warm days and chill nights are teasing us with a promise of a long summer I usually reach out for a hearty yet zesty white. This one comes from the inner side of the “toes" of Italian boot, a place where snow is (almost) never in a forecast. The blend is masterfully made by winemakers with 50 years experience who are proud to represent this harsh and isolated land with indigenous varietals. The wine reminds of Chardonnay but with an electric acidity, zippy as an underripe apple with lemon zest, full bodied yet exciting and energetic, and it will make you hungry. Try with cheeses (I had with Robiola), board games (if you want to win!), or planning a trip to a foreign land (can’t wait!).
-Alexei
2017 Tinto Negro, Cabernet Franc, Uco Valley, Argentina - $17.99
So, we most certainly still have some cool nights ahead of us. You may find yourself at a bonfire or even a chilly barbecue. Point is, as Minnesotans, we like to push the boundaries of al fresco dining and you deserve to be comforted. I took great pleasure from this wine. Yes it has ample ripe fruit and is in a fairly 'glug, glug' style but the velvety seamlessness is comforting and there are some nice floral and, particularly, mineral touches that make the experience much more than just juice. There may be several of these bottles in my immediate future.
-David M.
Ginraw Gastronomic Gin - $41.99
The culinary scene in Barcelona has been pushing the boundaries of gastronomy and taste, and this gin is a natural expression of that scene. A team of 4 (a chef, perfumer, sommelier, and bartender) created Ginraw with food in mind, though this mediterranean-style expression works excellently in cocktails. The only botanical in this recipe that sees traditional distillation is the juniper; for the remainder, they use a vacuum distillation method that allows them to distill the more delicate ingredients at a considerably lower temperature, preserving many of the volatile flavor and aromatic compounds that would be lost during a heat-based distillation. This means that the lemon in their recipe is distinctly bright and fresh & the kaffir lime leaf and black cardamom support rather than dominate, for example. This all results in a pleasantly full-bodied, citrus-driven gin that reminds me vividly of a lemon meringue coffee cake. Pair it with Fever Tree's Mediterranean Tonic with a lemon peel & sprig of thyme or rosemary to garnish for my favorite spring Gin & Tonic.
-Nick S.
