PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Here's a nice snapshot from France's Burgundy region where the Domaine
Michel Lafarge is racking some 2021 white wines.
They make several whites including Beaune "Clos des Aigrots,"
Meursault and Bourgogne Aligoté.
Wines are typically racked about three times a year. Shortly after the
fermentation the winemaker may want to decant the wine off the sediment that
settles in barrel or tank in an effort to clean up the wine early on in the
winemaking process.
Some enologists like to stir the wine in barrel periodically if they're a fan of
the process called Bâtonnage. This involves, typically, dropping a baton
and chain into the barrel and then moving it so as to disturb the sediment and
keeping the wine in a cloudy state. This can add a measure of complexity
to the wine and it helps to prevent some off aromas like hydrogen sulfide which
makes the wine a bit stinky.
Another way to "disturb" the sediment is by keeping the cooperage in a
special barrel rack with rollers which allows for simply rotating the barrel as
we see in this snapshot taken in the Italian winery of Querciabella in Tuscany.
We often look for toasty notes in some white wines, particularly
Chardonnay. There's a measure of that as a result of the wine being
matured in an oak barrel which has been built using fire. A winemaker can
request light, medium or heavy toast levels from the barrel builder.
But aging the wine on its spent yeast sediment and stirring that periodically,
the process called Bâtonnage, can contribute some toasty elements to the wine
as well.
The winemaker will taste and evaluate as the wine develops, deciding when to
rack the wine out of the barrels so as to make a master blend and prepare the
wine for bottling.
GERALD & THE CREW AT WEIMAX
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The appellation of Bouzeron in France's Burgundy region is found on wines
made exclusively from the Aligoté grape,
not Chardonnay.
Dujardin's is fermented in neutral oak and we like its mildly toasty note with
some green apple fruit.
Dry, of course.
$27.99
From Italy's Alto Adige region we were thrilled to taste a benchmark bottling
of the Müller-Thurgau grape from the Tiefenbrunner winery.
It's called Feldmarschall Von Fenner, named after an heroic Austrian warrior who
defended what's now the Alto Adige (or Südtirol) in several battles. This
is grown at a high elevation site in somewhat salty soils, which winemaker
Christof Tiefenbrunner credits with intensifying the fruit and herb notes.
It's very expensive for Müller-Thurgau, but when you taste this it's not so
much the grape but the vineyard.
$74.99
From the Domaine Laboureau we found a terrific White Burgundy from the
Pernand-Vergelesses appellation, a somewhat overlooked region where consumers
don't have to pay for a prestigious name. The wine rivals far more costly
bottlings.
Nicely toasty with a touch of a smoky element...$49.99.
The 2018 Clos Apalta is something of a Chilean version of "Opus
One," except it's not $400/bottle.
This goes for $139.99 and it's a complex, delicious red made in a Bordeaux/Napa
style although it's predominantly Carmenere.
$14/taste today in the Tasting Room.
The Falvo family owned Tuscany's Avignonesi winery in Montepulciano some
decades ago.
They now run the Masseria Li Veli winery in Puglia and make some surprisingly
elegant and charming wines.
The Susumaniello grape is a rarity as there were but 13 hectares in 2006.
Today there are 400 hectares being cultivated in and around Salento.
The Li Veli bottling is medium bodied, showing an array of red fruits with mild
tannins.
$25.99...delicious!
This is currently available for sampling in our tasting room.
We've enjoyed numerous bottlings of various Scheurebe wines...this bottling
from the Weegmüller winery in Germany's Rheinpfalz is a delight, displaying
notes reminiscent of pineapple and oranges.
It's a "trocken" wine, meaning it's dry.
We're going to enjoy this with some dim sum this week.
$18.99
Quivira makes several Sauvignon Blancs, but the Fig Tree vineyard bottling in
the 2021 vintage is excellent.
It's a mix of a few clones of Sauvignon Blanc, including the aromatic "Musqué"
clone. They use some barrels in making this, including Acacia barrels
along with neutral French oak.
It's a citrusy delight with the wood lurking in the background.
$26.99
A Premier Cru bottling of white Burgundy from the Givry appellation made the
cut this past week, with some toasty,
leesy notes on the nose and palate. Dry, of course.
Good value, too, at just $29.99.
From Italy's Alto Adige...a delightfully aromatic dry white made of the
obscure Kerner grape.
Köfererhof's 2021 Kerner is intensely fragrant...a good candidate for Asian
cuisine or picnic fare.
$26.99.
The Goubard family vineyards are in the Côte Chalonnaise and produce a
marvelously light Pinot Noir with a marvelously light price:
$24.99.
If you'd like to compare French Burgundy to a California Pinot Noir, come pick
up a bottle of this and, say, a bottle of the Mahoney Pinot Noir from the
Carneros region.
This little Burgundy has been selling quickly and we have reserved the last
available cases, so it will not be in stock very long.
Viore is a new dry white wine from Spain's Rueda region.
It's made of the Verdejo grape and resembles Sauvignon Blanc to some degree.
$18.99
Schola Sarmenti's Primitivo from Puglia has often "made the cut"
here at Weimax.
The new vintage is a delight, being medium-full bodied and
berryish...softer/smoother, too.
$17.99
The 2020 Nebbiolo from Italy's Valtellina region called Botonero is made by
the Mamete Prevostini winery.
It's unusually charming and quite enjoyable despite it being so young.
$18.99 on sale!
Harper Oak is a new project offered by a smallish wine importer/distributor.
They enlisted a former Duckhorn winery enologist to make this Alexander Valley
Cabernet.
$26.99...young and immediately enjoyable.
The 2019 vintage of Carneros Pinot Noir from Francis Mahoney is exceptional
and it's well-priced at $24.99.
Dark cherry Pinot fruit and a bit of oak make for a satisfyingly complex red at
an uncomplicated price.
From France's Jura region in the Alps comes this delicious, dry sparkling
wine that will easily be confused with a bottle of good $50 Champagne.
It's made entirely of Chardonnay, biodynamically cultivated and the wine spends
about two years maturing on the spent yeast.
Dry, mildly toasty and lightly chalky...$29.99.
La Coeur de la Reine is a beautifully aromatic, fresh, dry Sauvignon Blanc from
France's Loire Valley.
You won't believe how good this is...$17.99.
The 2020 Fenocchio Barbera d'Alba is a winner!
Dark in color and beautifully aromatic with blackberry fruit notes...it's dry
and smooth, a perfect partner for pizza, sausages, tomato-sauced pastas, pork,
red meats, etc.
$25.99
Here's an obscure, fizzy red. If you're a fan of good Lambrusco from
Emilia-Romagna, here's a southern Italian vino frizzante from the coast
of Campania. It's from a region just a few miles south of Pompei in the
town of Gragnano and it's made mostly of Piedirosso with Aglianico and a bit of
Sciacinoso. Mildly fizzy and dry, it's a great red to pair with pizza.
$19.99
We visited this domaine in 2016, having appreciated their various Chablis
wines.
Denis and Isabelle Pommier have a new importer in the Bay Area and we're
delighted to have them back in the shop.
$35.99 for 750mls and half-bottles are $26.99.
From a small, father & son team in France's Jura, situated between Burgundy
and Switzerland in the mountains, comes this terrific, bottle-fermented
Chardonnay. It's quite dry and even displays some toasty, bready elements
we love in Champagnes.
$29.99.
Oh! Biodynamically farmed, too.
The 2022 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc just landed...it's mildly citrusy with a
hint of Jalapeño pepper spice.
Sale price is $21.99.
We've been fans of this Napa Valley "trophy" and it easily compares to
the top "cult Cabernets" found on many restaurant wine lists.
Production is small and the price is high...but less than $300 anyway.
A new enterprise from a fellow who's long been a Weimax customer, Tomaq is a
word for "fog" in the language of the Kashaya people who inhabited the
lands near Fort Ross, California.
We found a delightful Pinot Noir which, while light on the palate (and it's not
a high alcohol wine, by the way) is remarkably aromatic and complex on the nose.
He also made an unusually complex Rosé that's dry...
$33.99 for the Pinot Noir...$22.99 for the Rosé.
La Rioja Alta makes traditionally-styled wines of the highest quality, in our
view.
California vintners have difficulty challenging these guys for value, as this
Tempranillo is matured in some new American oak and then given several years in
bottle, released when it's complex and beautifully drinkable.
Sale price is $21.99.
One of our favorite Champagnes is that of Pierre Moncuit, a small family
enterprise in the "Grand Cru" town of Le Mesnil where Chardonnay is
king.
Bone dry as they cater to a discriminating connoisseur, not the mass-market
palate aimed at by the largest Champagne wineries.
It's entirely Chardonnay, mildly toasty and perfect for launching a holiday
season fest.
Sale price is $49.99.
The Von Winning team is clearly appreciative of top French Champagne and
their Extra Brut, made entirely of Riesling has some Champagne-like toasty notes
with the aromatics and flavors of Riesling.
This is an Extra Brut bottling...bone dry.
$29.99!
Smith Woodhouse is a famous producer of Late-Bottled Vintage Port.
While the expensive Vintage Ports now hit the market for $100+ a bottle upon
release, Smith Woodhouse matures this for 4 years in vats and bottles it without
filtration as is common for Vintage Ports.
But then they give it ample bottle aging and release it when it's in its early
stages of drinkability.
Most Late Bottled Vintage Port is filtered and this robs the wine of a measure
of character and its ability to develop with bottle aging.
If you'd like to experience a really good Port this holiday season and don't
mind not spending $100-$300/bottle, come grab a bottle of this.
Sale price is $39.99.
It's best to stand the bottle upright to allow the sediment to settle and then
decant it.
Miroslav Tcholakov's day job is as winemaker for the Trentadue family winery
in Geyserville.
He has his own label and these wines are routinely spot-on.
We have his blend of Grenache, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel called Cuvée
Sasha.
$22.99.
Miro's Petite Sirah is another winner...$29.99 for that.
La Rioja Alta makes traditionally-styled wines of the highest quality, in our
view.
California vintners have difficulty challenging these guys for value, as this
Tempranillo is matured in some new American oak and then given several years in
bottle, released when it's complex and beautifully drinkable.
Sale price is $21.99.
From one of the founding partners of the Patz & Hall winery, which still
makes good wines, comes this small production Sonoma Pinot Noir which is an
ideal holiday season red wine.
Lots of black cherry fruit and you'll find fragrant French oak scents wafting
from the glass...
A number of customers have been coming in this past week, having purchased a
bottle on our recommendation...they're coming back for more bottles!
$54.99
The crew was really jazzed by this remarkable Hungarian white wine.
It's from a tiny appellation called Somló, roughly 90 miles southeast of Vienna
in Austria and 82 miles west of Budapest.
The Furmint grape is one of six used to make the remarkable sweet wines of
Tokaji, but it can shine on its own as a dry wine, too.
British wine guru Jancis Robinson has this description on her website of this
wine:
| Golden
colour. So much nose! Cobnuts and honey. The gorgeous driving,
relentless acidity of Furmint but with a glorious, golden opera of
flavours: kumquat and lime, hazelnut and saffron, acacia honey and
mimosa blossom, persimmon and quince and grapefruit peel. It has the
texture of polished amber, beaten bronze. It's long; so long my spine
tingles, I have Goosebumps down my arms. This wine penetrates every cell
in my body. It makes my bones vibrate. Superb wine with a very long
future ahead of it. Thrilling stuff! |
It's currently available in our
Tasting Room...$26.99/bottle...$2.70 for a taste
(and those who have tasted this have bought a bottle, or two).
Many
customers ask us to pair wines with menus they are planning.
We had suggested this Furmint as one of several wines for an elaborate
Thanksgiving meal.
This week we received this lovely note:
A spendy Etna Bianco, but we felt this wine is actually worthy of its $59.99
price tag.
Primarily Carricante with some Minnella...it's a remarkably soulful, dry white
which tips its cap in the direction
of Burgundy (in our view).
It sees a bit of aging in tonneaux, large, seasoned wood barrels.
Special.
Viña Sastre 2019 is an outstanding red wine from Spain's prestigious Ribera del
Duero region.
It's entirely Tempranillo from 20 to 65 year old vines.
Matured in French and American oak cooperage, the wood dovetails beautifully
with the dark, plummy fruit of the Tempranillo.
$39.99
Gaba do Xil is a single-vineyard dry white from Spain's Valdeorras in
Galicia.
It's the first bottling ever from the O Barreiro parcel and the main grape
is Godello, but we understand there are tiny percentages of Doña Blanca and
Treixadura in this. No oak. No malolactic. No lees-stirring.
You'll find some stony, "salty" notes to this...a nice alternative to
a Sancerre or Chablis, for example.
$24.99
You'll have a tough time finding a better value in top-notch dry Riesling than
this delightful wine from Schloss Vollrads.
It's call Volratz...hints of petrol and Riesling fruit.
And it's dry!
$22.99
From Switzerland we have a famous red wine that's a classic blend of Pinot
Noir (mostly) with a touch of Gamay.
In France's Burgundy region you'll find, occasionally, a Pinot Noir/Gamay blend
where it's called "Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains."
This Swiss red is a nice, lighter-bodied red.
$29.99.
Having purchased some "celebrity" wines to evaluate we can't say
we've been terribly impressed, but this Napa Cabernet bearing the name of former
NBA basketball star Yao Ming is actually quite good.
And having been in Napa recently and shocked by the $250-$500 price tags, this
is a solid bottling at $89.99.
A mere 1200 bottles of this delightfully complex Champagne were made by a couple
of young French enologists.
It's from the grand cru village of Verzenay and it's bone dry and mildly toasty.
$74.99
We are periodically asked for "Orange" wines and we have but a
handful.
These are white wines which have been fermented with the grape skins, vinified
similarly to red wine.
These are often made by naturalista vintners and consumers are expected
to overlook sloppy, amateur winemaking under the guise these are somehow more
wholesome than conventionally-made wines.
Swan's Grenache Blanc had a few weeks on the skins, imparting a bit of
astringency. Minimal cellar treatments, so the wine can be a bit cloudy if
you don't decant it off its sediment.
$29.99
A favorite French dry white from the Alps has returned to the shop.
It's Quénard's 2021 Chignin...well, it seems every winery in the village of
Chignin is named Quénard!
Jean-François Quénard makes this entirely of the Jacquère grape. If you
like stony, minerally, non-oaked dry whites, pick up a bottle of this.
$16.99
After a long absence, there's a new vintage of Greywacke's exceptional
Sauvignon Blanc called "Wild Sauvignon."
This is essentially a winemaker's "reserve" wine...wild yeast
fermentation, a bit of a malolactic fermentation and aging in seasoned oak
barrels on the lees sediment yield a wine of elevated quality. It's not
the citrusy, fruit bomb one typically finds in Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand,
as it tips its chapeau to vignerons in France's Burgundy.
$29.99
Guigal's La Doriane bottling of Condrieu is amazingly good...as usual!
If you want to "blow the doors" off at Thanksgiving, snag a bottle of
this peachy, toasty dry white.
$135/bottle
The 2018 Penfolds BIN 389 is a killer.
It's usually about $70-$75 a bottle, but we've sale-tagged it for a short time
and you can pick this up for just $59.99.
People sometimes have described this as "Baby Grange," Penfolds'
famous benchmark Aussie red which goes for $600-$800+.
It's available for tasting presently in our tasting room...$6/pour
Showy, dark fruit and lavishly oaked...impressive!
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Winemaker Adam Tolmach routinely makes impressive California wines which tip
their chapeaux to Old World Burgundies and Rhônes.
The 2019 Syrah comes from the Sebastiano vineyard...total production tallied to
around 200 cases.
It's available for tasting presently, too, by the way.
$39.99/bottle
This Robledo Sonoma Coast Chardonnay caught us by surprise this past week!
What a delight...creamy, toasty, dry Chardonnay that aced out other, far more
costly bottles.
$27.99
Ijalba 2021 Rioja...it's a young, chillable red on par with good Beaujolais
or Dolcetto wines.
Pure Tempranillo and it does not seem to have spent time in oak, so the dark
berry fruit is front and center here.
$11.99
2021 Carignane from really old vines in Contra Costa County...
The Birichino Boys routinely make interesting, soulful wines.
Medium-bodied and with a most intriguing earthy note and spicy tone...
$24.99
The dollar has gained strength in Europe but it remains weak in California's
Napa Valley.
But we found a rather nice, mildly oaked Chardonnay from Jon Pey's Textbook
winery.
$19.99.
You can't even buy a small tasting flight at many Napa wineries for
twenty-bucks!
Some half-bottles of a terrific Dry Creek Zinfandel made the cut this week.
2016 vintage from Mauritson...their famed "Rockpile" vineyard.
Just $22.99 per 375ml bottle.
Beautiful spice and nicely complex bouquet thanks to its bottle aging.
The new vintages of Vietti's Barbera d'Asti ($18.99) and Roero Arneis
($25.99) are recent arrivals.
Both are quite good...a smooth, berryish, dry red and a light, crisp, flavorful,
non-oaked white wine.
We have a precious few bottles of their single vineyard 2018 vintage Barolos,
too. $219.99/bottle.
But the 2018 "Castiglione" Barolo, a blend of vintages, is
magnificent...$59.99.
Another shipment of Soalheiro's stellar Alvarinho landed and we have it open
for tasting currently.
$2.50/pour
$24.99/Bottle
Deliciously dry Alvarinho (Albariño is the Spanish version).
The Tamellini brothers make remarkably delicious Soave.
Most Soave is akin to water and you'll find Evian or Crystal Geyser have as much
character as the average bottle of Soave.
Tamellini is different.
100% Garganega...no Trebbiano.
Melon and peach notes dominate the nose and come through on the palate.
Best of all: $14.99!
"Merci André Jacquinet" is delightful, chillable red reminding us
a bit of the fruity Santa Magdalener wines of Italy's Alto Adige.
Those are based on the Schiava grape, while this Oregon wine is made primarily
of Garanoir and Regent.
André Jacquinet was a fellow who created the Garanoir variety by crossing the
red grape Gamay with a white variety called Reichensteiner.
The idea was to create a disease-resistant grapevine which would ripen early in
the season.
The resulting wine is berryish but in its own unique way...the character isn't
like Pinot Noir, nor is it a ringer for Gamay.
Medium+ in body.
Only 97 cases were produced.
$25.99.
The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva from La Vigna di San Martino ad Argiano is
delicious.
It's more "noble" than most Chianti, being worthy of a grilled steak
as it's almost too good to be a "spaghetti red."
The vineyard is tiny and is situated in the northwest part of the Chianti
Classico area.
Sale priced at $39.99.
From Sicily we have the 2019 Cerasuolo di Vittoria from the famous Planeta
winery.
This is a berryish red blend featuring 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Frappato which
is ideal served at cool cellar temp with a summer barbecue...chicken, pork, lamb
or beef pair handsomely with this.
Sale price is $24.99.
Damn, this is a lovely bottle of wine!
It's from a small patch of Zinfandel grown in Oakville (where most Zin has been
replaced with Cabernet $auvignon).
Sale price is $26.99. Gorgeous berry fruit (not jammy or raisiny!) and spice with a nice touch of
oak.
The 2019 is delicious, a great follow-up to the impressive 2018.
The Pinot Blanc grape is typically over-looked as Chardonnay and Sauvignon
Blanc dominate the local wine market.
The French, in Alsace, view this variety as a good one and we used to see a
barrel-fermented version from Monterey's Chalone Vineyards.
A number of wineries in Oregon dabble with Pinot Blanc and this 2021 bottling
from Elk Cove is exceptional.
Lots of apple and pear-like notes with a faint touch of citrus and melon.
It's a non-oaked, dry white.
$25 at the winery...but we offer it for $19.99.
The price of a bottle of Napa Cabernet is in the stratosphere these days.
Some wine marketing folks are out of their minds,
demanding to control the pricing of their extravagant bottles.
One vintner sent out a note saying their wine is to be sold for $175/bottle and
they did not want retailers to "discount" it down to $174.99!
This Peirson Meyer Cabernet goes for "only" $99.99 and we find it to
be on par with those $175-$300 bottles.
The grapes are from a 15 year old vineyard in Calistoga...lots of blackcurrant
fruit and a nice balance of cedary tones from its maturation in French
oak. Very fine!
From Southwest France's Bergerac region, we brought in a delightful
"Bordeaux Blend" featuring Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.
They claim to keep the use of sulfur to a minimum.
We found the Cabernet Franc dominates the blend despite accounting for but a
quarter of the wine.
If you enjoy Loire Valley reds from, say, Chinon, this is worth a try.
$17.99
We visited a tiny, garage winery in Paso Robles in the late 1970s and we
remember vividly the Pinot Noir from this fledgling winery called HMR, Hoffman
Mountain Ranch.
Stanley Hoffman started the place, vinifying his first commercial vintage, we
think, in 1975 (and that's the amazing Pinot Noir we tasted).
The Hoffman property was purchased by the neighbors Don & Elizabeth Steenwyk
who began with walnut and almond orchards.
They created the Adelaida brand in 1981.
The 2020 Chardonnay is remarkable, as it tips its cap to Burgundy and northern
California wines with its elegance and style.
Mildly toasty thanks to 9 months aging on the spent yeast (with no stirring),
this is an outstanding wine!
Sale priced at $39.99
Union Sacré is a small winemaking company in California's Central
Coast. The winemaker is French and his partner is American.
They say they're big fans of the wines from France's Alsace.
Giving their Pinot Gris a bit of skin-contact before the fermentation created
that lovely pinkish tone to the wine which checks in with a mere 12.1%
alcohol...the wine is dry and snappy with some green apple notes and a hint of a
citrusy tone.
Sale price for the Pinot Gris is $17.99.
They also have a dark, berryish Syrah from Edna Valley fruit...perhaps this will
develop a layer or two of complexity with bottle aging, but presently this is a
satisfying red for burgers or ribs. We would not mistake this for a
complex Northern Rhône Syrah but the wine easily merits its $16.99 sale price.
2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir from the Ancient Peaks folks in southern San Luis
Obispo County...
Remarkably good!
Dry, of course.
$16.
Birdhorse is a small winemaking enterprise in Sonoma, the work of two young
women.
We tasted a charming, energetic red wine made of the Cinsault grape...sourced
from a vineyard in Camino, California in the Sierra Foothills.
Called "Heliotropes," this is a medium-bodied red with fragrances
leaning towards pomegranate, cherry and rhubarb.
Best served lightly chilled.
$34.99
The Mondeuse grape in France's Savoie region produces a delightful dry red
wine.
We've long enjoyed the wine of the Angelot brothers as they make a dark-hued red
wine teeming with berry-like fruit notes.
No oak...it's effusively berryish along the lines of Beaujolais.
And it's well-priced...$14.99.
Best served at cool cellar temp.
We've been looking for good, well-priced Chardonnay as one of our favorite
sources did not produce a wine with the 2020 vintage due to wildfires.
The 2018 Buehler is a solid choice, though...Russian River Valley fruit.
Lightly oaked and it undergoes a malolactic fermentation, contributing a faintly
creamy note to pair with the appley Chardonnay fruit.
Sale priced at $14.99.
The Cheverny appellation has long been a budget-priced alternative to
Sancerre.
It's located about 65 miles west of Sancerre and a short drive south of Blois
and Chambord, famous châteaux along the Loire river.
Salvard makes delicious, dry, crisp Sauvignon Blanc from their mature vineyards
(20+ years of age).
No oak.
They blend in a bit of Chardonnay to give the wine a bit more body and texture
than if it was solely Sauvignon.
$19.99 for this just-arrived 2021 vintage.
One of our favorite French reds from the Loire Valley just landed...it's from
the Château du Hureau in the Saumur-Champigny appellation.
Beautiful red fruit notes with its textbook smoky element, this is a gentle,
medium-bodied red.
$19.99 makes it a bargain!
We have a small selection of Japanese Sake and this IMA bottling caught our
attention as it's crisper and slightly more tart than most Sake.
In fact, they say it's an ideal partner for oysters and other delectable
seafood.
Indeed!
$39.99
Weimax has maybe a dozen selections from Switzerland and this dry white from
the Leyvraz winery is a favorite.
Made from the Chasselas grape, the St. Saphorin appellation in the Vaud area
overlooking Lake Geneva.
Some people only enjoy this with a fondue evening, but it's worthy of the dinner
table on other occasions, too.
No oak. Dry...mildly stony.
$29.99.
From Italy's Alto Adige comes an exceptional limited bottling of Sauvignon
Blanc.
Clones of Sauvignon were imported from France and the wine strikes a balance
between Bordeaux and Loire Valley whites, leaning more towards Bordeaux as half
of the wine was vinified in barrique and puncheon.
Notes of sage, citrus and herbs...sale priced at $42.99
Piazzano is made by our friend Rolando Bettarini in Italy's Tuscany region.
The vineyards are about 15 miles west of Florence and about 6 miles south of
Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo.
It's a youthful, easy-drinkin' Sangiovese (85%) blended with other local Tuscan
varieties.
$14.99!
Finca Martelo is a small vineyard in Spain's Rioja region.
It's a Tempranillo with 5% Mazuelo that's lavishly oaked.
The vineyard is owned by La Rioja Alta, a winery that routinely makes "old
school" wines.
We were surprised to learn this was matured entirely in French oak, as it has a
woodsy character much like their American Oak-aged reds.
Very showy. It's available for sampling in our Tasting Room.
$39.99
The Txueka family has been making this Basque white wine for several decades
and I think we've carried it since the 1990s.
Theirs is typically 90% Hondarrabi Zuri with 10% of the red grape, Hondarrabi
Beltza and the alcohol level is fairly modest with high acidity and maybe even a
very faint touch of spritz.
It's a delightful wine as an aperitif and with lighter fare.
We brought a bottle to lunch at the Basque Cultural Center recently and the wine
was a perfect prelude to a well-aged red wine from Spain's Rioja region.
$22.99.
The Cusumano family makes our current favorite rendition of the Carricante
grape in the volcanic soils of Sicily's Mount Etna.
If you enjoy non-oaked, crisp dry whites with a measure of minerality, give this
a try.
$36.99
Portugal's Douro Valley meets Bordeaux!
This is a dark, robust red which can be paired with Cabernet Cuisine.
Specially Priced at $24.99.
We're big fans of Riesling and you'll find some wonderful examples from the
West Coast, Australia, Italy, Austria and, of course, Germany in the shop.
The Karp Schreiber wines come from Germany's Mosel region and this 2018
Brauneberger Juffer is mildly sweet, yet beautifully balanced thanks to amply
acidity.
Hard to beat at just $17.99.
Winemaker Nils Venge has usually been recognized for his work with Cabernet
and Zinfandel, so we were (pleasantly) surprised to taste this 2020 Napa Valley
Chardonnay and find it to be quite good AND well-priced. Ripe pear-like
fruit and nice toasty oak with creamy overtones.
$29.99 on sale!
It's not unusual for Napa and Sonoma winemakers to incorporate some fruit from nearby
Lake County into their wines.
The quality of the grapes can be very good and the fruit tends to cost less.
Here's a Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon from perhaps the top site in the Red
Hills sub-region of Lake County, a graceful and elegant wine which we've
described as "North of Napa Geographically and South of Napa in terms of
Price."
$33.99 on sale ($38 at the winery).
The Birichino Malvasia is intensely fragrant, as
always...jasmine, lemongrass, orange blossoms, etc.
While it smells "sweet," the wine is actually dry and pairs remarkably
well with Asian-styled dishes.
$15.99.
Italy's Barbera can be light or full-bodied. It can be fruit-driven or
lavishly oaked.
Giornata is a California winery whose owners are enchanted by Italy and their
Barbera gives good Piemontese wines a run for the money.
It's berryish, not oaky and has the snappy acidity that pairs handsomely with
tomato-sauced pastas, sausage pizza or even some seafood dishes.
Sale priced at $22.99.
We tasted the new vintage of the Lambert family's Chinon.
Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley.
Fairly dark in color and nicely berryish, as they leave the skins to macerate
with the juice for nearly two weeks.
$19.99
We've tasted some good bottles from the Courbet estate in France's mountainous
Jura region.
They're maybe an hour, by car, from Burgundy, so it should not be surprising
this wine shares many elements of expensive wines from its western neighbors.
Their 2018 "Les Rondos" is a small parcel of slightly more than an
acre and it's a Chardonnay vinified in small French oak.
You'll find a mildly toasty element and some hazelnut character on the
nose. There is just a tiny note of oxidation along the lines of a fresh
Fino Sherry from Spain on the finish.
Burgundian winemakers typically ask serious money for a similar quality wine.
$29.99.
From Italy's Valtellina region in Lombardia we have a stellar white blend which
includes Incrocio Manzoni and Nebbiolo that's vinified as a white wine.
The backbone of this are Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
$39.99
Our monthly tasting group this past week surveyed 2017 and 2018 Chianti
Classico wines.
The first place wine was $45 and blended with Cabernet Sauvignon (we ranked it
6th out of 8, but these guys love Napa Cabernet and Bordeaux, so it is
understandable they preferred that particular wine).
Finishing a mere one point behind the top wine was this 2018 Paneretta. It
is 85% Sangiovese and the rest is Canaiolo and Colorino, typical Tuscan
varieties. The 2019 is equally satisfying...cherryish, snappy red.
We brought some in as we're sale-tagging it for $21.99 and it's a good
introduction to Tuscan Sangiovese.
Two weeks ago we splurged on a bottle of the 2007 Terlan Pinot Bianco.
They call it "Rarity," as the wine is matured on the spent yeast for
about ten years in stainless steel after its year, or so, in large wooden
vats. The wine retails for close to $200 a bottle and it was very good.
A few days later we opened a few bottles of Italian whites, including this
"Terlaner" from the Terlan winery. It's predominantly Pinot
Bianco with a bit of Chardonnay and a drop of Sauvignon Blanc. It was the
best white of that tasting. The apple and pear fruit of the Pinot Bianco
takes center stage...no oak coming through here.
Damned good and it stood up to our Artichoke Risotto, too.
$31.99
OPEN FOR TASTING PRESENTLY
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A Weimax shopper and parent of a Roosevelt Elementary School student sent us
a screenshot of an online
"Teddy Talk" where a student was explaining the importance of
supporting community businesses and "shopping local."
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From the local paper at the end of 2021...CLICK
HERE to read that story.
Ellen
had her picture on the front page of the New Year's weekend Daily Journal, a local
newspaper here in San Mateo County.
They did a story about holiday sales of wines and liquors, so we were mentioned
(and quoted) in that.
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The store is fully stocked...lots of good value bottlings and numerous
"fancy" wines, too.
Stop by and we can give you a little tour...
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Happy Halloween!
A Coat-de-Bouteille!
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This car is "corked"!!!
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GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE...
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Had a nice mention in the Wall
Street Journal's 2016 story about wine store signage:
CLICK
HERE
The Most recent mention, September of 2017, is this one...Things Wine Shop
Owners Detest...
CLICK
HERE
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Australian Wine Writer Jim McMahon wrote
a nice article published on the web site of the New South Wales Teachers
Federation.
CLICK
HERE
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Did you see the article in the local newspaper, by the way?
CLICK
HERE.
It was printed
just before New Year's Eve...
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"Quality first" is our mantra.
