Wines of the Week: 
 2019 Eduardo Torres Acosta Versante Nord Rosso IGT Terre Siciliane Nerello Mascalese Normally $39.99–$33.99 15% Off This Week ONLY! 2018 Domaine Vincent Prunier Auxey-Duresses Pinot Noir Normally $52.99–$45.04 15% Off This Week ONLY! * * * About the Wines of the Week: 2019 Eduardo Torres Acosta Versante Nord Rosso IGT Terre Siciliane Nerello Mascalese Normally $39.99–$33.99 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery Eduardo Torres Acosta first learned to make wine in his native Canary Islands, where his father had a small plot of vines at home on Tenerife. In 2012, he moved to Sicily to intern with Arianna Occhipinti in Vittoria and then headed north to Mt. Etna, where he worked in the cellar at Passopisciaro. It can be tough for an outsider to break into this community, but Eduardo gradually gained access to some small parcels of vines to rent (and eventually buy in some cases) and farm with his own hands. His first vintage was 2014, produced out of the Occhipinti cellar, a disqualifier from the Etna DOC; though he has since built his own cellar in Etna, he has opted for a variety of reasons to continue with the Terre Siciliane IGT classification for his four bottlings. Eduardo is devoted to the old mixed plantings of local varieties found at higher elevations on the cooler north face or versante nord of Mt. Etna. His holdings are a modest 4.5 hectares, scattered among eight contrade, or districts, on variations of sandy volcanic soils. Most of the vines are pruned in alberello, i.e. as bush vines, some freestanding and some trained onto wires. Many of the free-standing, gnarled “old timers” have required intensive rehab on Eduardo’s part, an ongoing project and passion of his. Yields are naturally low. Farming is wholly natural and winemaking minimalist, allowing the wines to be the most pure reflection of widely varying vintages and volcanic soils. Eduardo harvests manually, uses a lot of whole clusters in the vinifications, ferments spontaneously with no temperature control, uses little to no sulfur, ages in concrete and old wood with minimal racking, and bottles without filtration. The production quantities are quite small for three of his four wines. 
About the Wine Eduardo organically farms parcels totalling about 4 hectares on the north face or versante nord of Mt. Etna. Those parcels are scattered amongst 6 different contrade or districts: Pietramarina, Allegracore, Daini, Friera, Zucconero and Caprieri. The soils are variations on sandy volcanic ash and the elevation ranges from 550 to 930 meters. Averaging over 50 years old, the vines are generally alberello-pruned, either as individual bushes or on wires depending on the parcel; the varieties are interplanted and include a preponderance of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, as well as smatterings of Alicante, Garnacha and other reds (plus whites like Minnella, Catarratto, Grecanico, Carricante and Inzolia that are vinified and bottled separately). The bunches are hand-harvested, partly destemmed (varies with vintage), co-fermented spontaneously with native yeasts and without sulfur or temperature control in concrete tanks. Maceration lasts around 15 days. The wine is aged for 16 months in concrete tanks and old barriques with minimal racking and bottled without fining or filtration and with a tiny amount of sulfur. 18,000 bottles produced in 2020. 85% Nerello Mascalese, 15% other. * * * 2018 Domaine Vincent Prunier Auxey-Duresses Pinot Noir Normally $52.99–$45.04 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery Vincent Punier created his Domain in 1988 when he inherited 5 acres from his parents. Today the domain comprises of 32 acres of vines located on the prestigious hillsides of Auxey-Duresses, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Saint-Aubin. The wines are hand-harvested and vinified in a traditional manner, aged in classic percentages of new, one year and two year old oak barrique. Vincent seeks to create wines that have great energy, vibrancy and balance. Vineyard practices include plowing the vineyards to encourage deeper roots which in turn enables the vines to capture the complexity of the terroir of each site. Vincent created his domain almost from scratch and has grown it carefully over 30 years. As a “one man show” he has been intrinsically involved in every aspect of production including many hours working in the vineyards and time spent in the cellar fine tuning his wines. He lives above the winery located in Auxey Duresses and his Auxey Duresses rouge vineyard sits directly across the road. This close physical proximity underlines the very personal signature he makes on each wine he produces. 
About the Wine With an average vine age of 50 years, the vines are situated on a bed of limestone and clay soils. The wines are hand-harvested and vinified in a classic, traditional manner, aged in a mix of new, one year and two year old French oak barrique for a period of 11 to 18 months before bottling. When poured, bright ruby red hues shine through the glass. The nose is well balanced between rich aromas of small black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry and bilberry) and flower scents. As a young wine it still has subtle tannins that will soften with age and its texture becomes velvety with aromas of leather and spice. Pairs well with white meats, cold cuts, roasted pork or veal, rabbit, pasta dishes, risotto and grilled fish. 500 cases produced. * * * Also Tasting Today: 2019 Chateau de Cerons Graves Semillion Sauvignon Blanc $32.99  
About the Winery Located in the heart of both the vineyard and the village Château de Cérons is not only a listed historic monument, but a lovely manor house built in the early 17th century situated on a terrace overlooking the Garonne River. Located in the heart of the village of Cérons in the Graves region, the estate is surrounded by imposing stone walls. The château is located in front of a beautiful 12th century church. Xavier and Caroline Perromat took over the management of the family estate in 2012. They have been working tirelessly ever since: replanting plots, renovating the cellar, installing gravity-flow concrete vats and opening Château de Cérons to visitors. The whole team is united in the pursuit of ever-greater quality, proudly representing one of Bordeaux’s oldest and yet most underrated appellations, Cérons. Overlooking the village Château de Cérons has 30 hectares of vines planted on a plateau of gravel soil with a limestone subsoil. This terroir, with its unique soil and climate, produces three different types of wine: red Graves, dry white Graves and Cérons, a sweet white Bordeaux. Cérons appellation, bordering Sauternes, is an enclave in the Graves area. Created in 1936, it is part of the first AOC officially recognized in the Bordeaux region. This fabulous terroir is characterized by layers of limestone covered by gravelly sand. A microclimate caused by the proximity of the Ciron river which allows the development of Botrytis Cinerea in autumn. These exceptional natural conditions give Château de Cérons wines their fine mineral touch and great aromatic precision. The estate is planted with the following white grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc (40%), Sémillon (45%), Sauvignon Gris (10%) and Muscadelle (5%). The vineyard is maintained and managed with respect to the natural balance of the soil, grass growth is carefully controlled. The fruit of man’s work. Year after year we work to implement new agroecological practices at the estate, both in the vineyard and cellar: monitoring vines on a plot-by-plot basis, planting cover crops, mechanical weedkilling, use of organic products, etc 
About the Wine The season gave unpredictable and unusual weather. An exceptionally short, mild and rainy winter. Despite the early budding of the vines, the team avoided the spring frosts of March, April and May. The heat settled suddenly at the end of May and brought them into the summer period, which accelerated the development of the vines. Stormy rains at the beginning of August allowed the grapes to ripen in ideal conditions with alternating hot, sunny days and cool nights. 25 year old vines situated on mixed gravel soil with sand and small stones resting upon a subsoil of oceanic limestone. Handpicked grapes followed by gentle pressing by stages, then fine and precise settling. Cold stalling for 1 to 7 days. Fermentation in thermo-regulated stainless-steel vats. Stirring and racking. Aged on the lees for 6 months in stainless-steel vats then bottled at the Chateau. The wines are ripe, rich, and aromatic with precision. 2019 is a wine of style and depth, a wine of balance, power and purity. The nose is fresh and delicate, it reveals greedy aromas of passion fruit and pink grapefruit. The palate is refreshing, textured, it reveals the mineral expression of Semillon on a limestone terroir, and finishes on beautiful lemony notes. This vintage is marked by its elegance, the purity of its fruity aromas and its great freshness. 55% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Gris. * * * Cocktail Recipe of the Week: 
Martinez Ingredients: 2 oz Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Austria Dry Gin
.75 oz Dolin Chambery Blanc Vermouth
1/2 Tbsp of Maraschino
1 Dash Angostura Bitters Directions: Stir ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe glass. Serve up and garnish with an orange twist. Cheers and Enjoy! * * * Snack of the Week: 
Hotel Starlino Maraschino Cherries Exquisite all-natural maraschino cherries matured for two weeks in their natural Marasca juice then rested for another week to achieve their peak flavor. A delicious luxury cherry that is delightfully sweet and savory. * * * |
