Staff Picks: What to Drink This Week
Things our staff thinks you should drink.
2019 Mary Taylor, Rouge, Valencay, Loire Valley - $19.99
Valencay is located due south of Cheverny in the Loire Valley in France. This wine is a well integrated blend of Gamay, Cot (Malbec), and Pinot Noir. The wine shows dark cherry fruit and spice on the nose. The medium bodied palate has rich cherry pomegranate fruit and minerality. Sometimes you come across a wine that is undeniably delicious and this is that exact one! Try this wine with grilled pork chop or pot roast.
-Rob
2018 Domaine Vocoret & Fils, 1er cru Vaillon Chablis - $39.99
Domaine Vocoret et Fils is a traditional, family-owned winery in Chablis. It was established in 1870 and has become a fourth-generation family business. Vocoret’s goal is to make wines that show the fresh, crisp minerality of Chablis. This goal is achieved in spades across the board, the wines are textbook examples of the best that Chablis has to offer. Fresh, bright, crisp and delicious, this is Chardonnay for the oaky-chard haters. The enticing nose has notes of fragrant white flowers, ripe lime and cool minerals. The rich, round palate has balanced energy and freshness with real depth. Easy-to-drink yet quite complex, take a dive into the tippy-top of Burgundy.
-Angie
Calcarius, Orange Falanghina, Puglia Italy - $32.99
The Calcarius orange wine, from the calcareous/limestone soils of Puglia, is my new natty-wine obsession. This biodynamically farmed Falanghina spends 5 days 'on the skins' becoming a juicy orange wine that's left unfined/unfiltered. Blissfully aromatic, this Italian treat smells like a bouquet dripping in Tangerine nectar. Best of all, it comes in a full liter - providing you enough to share...warning: you'll wish you had a second bottle!
-Katrina
2015 Avignonesi, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany - $27.99
Fully certified organic and biodynamic grapes from the estate vineyards of Avignonesi is the foundation of this classic expression of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Often overlooked by its more famous neighbor, Brunello di Montalcino, a few miles to the southwest, the Vino Nobile of the Tuscan hilltop village of Montepulciano is also based on its own, proprietary, strain of Sangiovese. While other varietaes are allowed to go into the masking of Vino Nobile, this vintage from Avignonesi is all Sangiovese. Here we have a more elegant and refined expression compared to the power and depth of Brunello or the more rustic charms offered by some nearby Chianti, also based primarily on Sangiovese. Led by aromatic herbs, violet, and baking spices, the palate is of delicate juicy red fruit, touched with a dash of tobacco and dried herbs. It is all carried forward by velvety smooth tannins to a long and delicious finish. The outstanding vintage of 2015 was perfect for all the elements of this wine to "pop" in perfect harmony and balance. Stock up! For this beautiful wine is an amazing value from the 2015 vintage will not be around for long.
-Patrick
Stellum Bourbon - $59.99 (750ml)
I hope you had a chance to visit the shop last week and try some of the offerings from Barrell Craft Spirits. If you did, I don’t have to tell you how delicious Stellum bourbon is. A relatively new expression from the makers of Barrell Craft Spirits, Stellum is a marriage of three different bourbon mashbills. This bourbon presents aromas of clove, allspice, and green apple. The first sip gives vanilla and a hint of marshmallow. As the whiskey coats the tongue spice notes of black pepper and baking spice (mainly cinnamon) reveal themselves. The finish continues the spiciness and shows a hint of candied ginger. As one reviewer put it “this bourbon is like a Dutch apple pie in a glass”. Enjoy Stellum neat, on the rocks, or in any whiskey cocktail.
-Todd