PETIT WEEK IN WINE | April 18th - April 21st 2024 | |
TASTING FLIGHT FEATURING: | |
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First off, thanks for all the messages regarding our Best of the Best 2024 Award from Charlotte Magazine announced this week. Casey and I could not be prouder to have revitalized this great location into our Flagship store for all of you to visit. We appreciate the recognition.
And a big thanks to you for your unwavering support throughout the years - the best is yet to come!
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Now back to business, this week we will be showcasing four expressive bottlings from my old San Francisco pal Ali Smith. She and her husband (now winemaker), Eric Story, have built a brilliant brand focused on Anderson and Sonoma Valley wines.
With a “Drink what you love, love what you drink” mentality, and a relocated new tasting room in Healdsburg, Smith Story continues to stay true to their family roots while tapping into the 40+ years of combined industry experience to make classic, terroir-driven wines.
The weekend flight will feature a good look into the Smith Story portfolio of offerings as we showcase one white & three reds:
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Single vineyard Chardonnay that captures all the elegance & magic of the legendary Olivet Lane site in the Russian River Valley.
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Pinot Noir that is composed of the best Anderson Valley Pinot Noir barrel selections from the deep end of this remote valley.
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Sonoma Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Pickberry vineyard that was named one of the 30 Best Red wines for 2024 by VinePair.
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Cabernet Franc that is fresh, elegant, perfumed and concentrated... one that can go the distance and/or be enjoyed in its youth - think Loire valley cousin!
Read on for a quick primer on Ali & Eric, and a brief description of each wine that will be featured on our $34 Smith Story Tasting Flight.
See you soon!
Enjoy the Carolina Blue Sky day-
Mark
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Meet & Greet Tasting on Wednesday, April 24th from 6-7pm. | |
Join us for a very special visit from Will Hamilton out of Oregon's Willamette Valley! | |
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VIOLIN WINES
FEW TICKETS NOW LEFT FOR NEXT WEEK!
With now almost 20 years of experience crafting wines in Oregon, Will has collaborated with Erath Winery, NW Wine Company, Evening Land, and most recently with Walter Scott wines.
Along the way, Will's vision became clear, and in 2013 Violin was born with a commitment to producing limited Oregon Chardonnay & Pinot Noir that achieves balance, distinction and elegance. To this day, Violin produces less than 2,500 cases annually. I'm delighted for you to experience wines produced from less than five barrels!
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PARK ROAD:
No Flights on Wednesday -
CLT Wine & Food Private Event
5:00 - 9:00pm Thursday-Friday
1:00 - 9:00pm Saturday
1:00 - 7:00pm Sunday
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SOUTH END:
5:00 - 9:00pm Thursday-Friday
1:00 - 9:00pm Saturday
1:00 - 7:00pm Sunday
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Smith Story Wine Cellars crafts wines that are made with respect for the land, kindness for the grower, and love from the winemaker. Each vineyard Smith Story works with is family-owned as a central tenet; the founders believe firmly that the integrity of the vines can only be ensured by grape growers who safeguard the land for the next generation. The resulting wines have heart and soul. They show restraint, balance and the integrity of the grape. Eric and Ali's winemaking philosophy is to utilize classic, old world techniques and let the grapes - and sense of place where they are grown - speak for themselves.
In 2013, Eric Story and Ali Smith Story co-founded Russian River Valley-based Smith Story Wine Cellars out of a desire to make the kind of wine that “wine people” drink. Both came from wine industry backgrounds, and their palates remain well attuned to both the sublime and the delicious – at every price. They dreamed of starting a wine project that could produce wines that were both attractive and approachable…but that wouldn’t require a savant to enjoy them.
Working on a wine-industry budget, the duo tapped into the support of their extensive networks, successfully launching Smith Story Wine Cellars on Kickstarter in 2014. 3 Their campaign was called “Farmers First,” and the very first American winery to be crowdfunded was born. Today the winery produces over 4,000 cases annually and has been called “one of California’s top emerging wineries.” The wines begin with the land, places that are special to Eric and Ali in Northern California, from twelve family owned vineyards throughout Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Knights Valley, Pine Mountain, Anderson Valley and the Rheingau region of Germany. As the vineyard program grows, so will their story.
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SMITH STORY WINE CELLARS
Olivet Lane Chardonnay 2021
Sonoma County, CA
$5 btl/retail
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Varietal: 100% Chardonnay. Hand-sorted, whole cluster pressed upon early morning arrival. Fermented in used Burgundy barrels, minimal malo-actic fermentation. Aged in 30% new and 70% used Burgundy barrel, very minimal handling and processing "low intervention". Harvested on September 13th, 2021. Bottled in March 2023. Old Wente Clone. 13% ABV. 180 cases produced.
Tasting Notes: Almond, lemon confit, baked apples, chamomile and a whole range of mineral notes all grace this super distinctive Chardonnay from this legendary organic vineyard in the heart of the Russian River Valley. Upon sipping a second glass, notes of white peaches, crunchy pears, and Golden Delicious apples, with touches of mineral and a hint of baking spices.
The lighter-medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and tightly knit, with tons of apple and stone fruit layers supported by just enough freshness, delivering a long, inviting finish.
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SMITH STORY WINE CELLARS
"The Boonies" Pinot Noir 2021
Anderson Valley, CA
$79 btl/retail
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Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir Hand picked and hand sorted fruit, the Boonies Pinot Noir is our best Anderson Valley barrel selection. Destemmed, open top stainless steel, daily punch downs. A slow and cool fermtation. Aged in 35% new Burgundy, 65% used Burgundy barrels. 150 cases produced.
Tasting Notes: Crimson rose petals on the nose and texture. An elegant and luxuriously smooth pinot noir. A beautifully balanced wine pairs ripe and round black-cherry and spice flavors with tangy underlying acidity that we adore. Mild tannins add to the sense of freshness and help create a lingering finish in typical Smith Story style.
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SMITH STORY WINE CELLARS
'Pickberry Vineyard' Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Sonoma Mountain, CA
$95 btl/retail
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Voted by VinePair as one of the 30 Best Red Wines for 2024!
Varietal: A Cabernet Sauvignon with a small percentage of Pickberry Vineyard Merlot and Cabernet Franc blended. Destemmed, open top stainless steel, daily punch downs. Aged in 100% used Bordeaux barrels. 290 cases produced.
Tasting Notes: Soaring from the glass with aromas of blackberries, raspberries, rose petals, violets, pencil shavings. A sumptuous, layered and sensual red wine. It has a strikingly vibrant core of fruit that's framed by ripe, powdery tannins and bright acids, concluding with a seamless, powerful, yet incredibly sexy mouthfeel, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. It may be our best Cabernet Sauvignon yet, oh how special this wine is.
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SMITH STORY WINE CELLARS
Cabernet Franc 2019
Sonoma County, CA
$65 btl/retail
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Varietal: 100% Cabernet Franc from a two vineyard blend picked from the Pickberry Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain and on the highest peaks in the Russian River Valley. Both destemmed and separately fermented in open top stainless steel, daily punch downs. Both aged separately in used Bordeaux (70%) and used Burgundy (30%). 160 cases produced.
Tasting Notes: This Cabernet Franc has a beautiful nose of cherries and cinnamon cake with brambly blackberries. Complex, elegant and utterly compelling, this is a brilliant Cabernet Franc!
It hits all the buttons for us… fresh, elegant, perfumed and concentrated - clearly will age for decades and is mouthwateringly enjoyable now.
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mark@petitphilippe.com | www.petitphilippe.com
Wine Emergency? text us at 415.306.4283
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