Wines of the Week: 
 2020 Patrick Piuze Terroir de Fye Chablis Chardonnay Normally $34.99–$29.74 15% Off This Week ONLY! 2018 Robert Craig Amentet Vineyard Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon Normally $114.99–$97.74 15% Off This Week ONLY! * * * About the Wines of the Week: 2020 Patrick Piuze Terroir de Fye Chablis Chardonnay Normally $34.99–$29.74 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery Born in January 1973 in Quebec, Canada, Patrick Piuze is the third son of a middle class family who was never involved in producing wine. When he turned eighteen, Patrick met Marc Chapoutier, who became a real springboard towards his professional life and helped him to get started in wine producing. Thanks to him, Patrick traveled all over the world and worked in several wineries in Australia, South Africa and Israel. Then, he went back to Quebec and started up a wine bar called "Le Pinot Noir" in the center of Montreal. In the summer of 2000, Patrick left Montreal and carried his backpack to Burgundy, one of the most beautiful regions in France. He joined Olivier Leflaive and his staff in Puligny-Montrachet for the harvest season and was entrusted with Olivier Leflaive’s Chablis winemaking. Patrick Piuze then started to make a name for himself as an excellent winemaker. His fame led him to be recruited a year later as a cellar master by Jean-Marc Brocard. At this time, Patrick took the most important decision of his life: he founded his own winery on July 1st, 2008. It was a real challenge to settle all by himself. Through his wines, Patrick Piuze has always been intent on revealing the true character of Chablis and its wide-ranging terroirs and vineyards. 
About the Wine Terroir de Fyé comes from a 2.5 hectare parcel surrounding a little chateau that can be seen from the top of the Grand Cru hill near the subclimate, Chapelot in 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre. This vineyard sits just opposite Blanchots. After a meticulous harvest, the wine is fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel tanks. When first poured, this wine’s layers of aromatics pop out of the glass and onto the nose–allowing the palate to receive notes of florals and ripe pit fruit, matched by an impressive texture and finish. “...The only thing truly original in the world of wine is the underlying terroir and I have nothing else interesting to add. Anyone can copy anyone else’s techniques so what else is there to make great wines? I believe the answer is simple: Terroir. I want to work only with the fruit from old vines and even then, only old vines that are planted exclusively within the original boundaries of Chablis. If I respect these things, it will be almost impossible to make bad wine.”–Patrick Piuze * * * 2018 Robert Craig Amentet Vineyard Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon Normally $114.99–$97.74 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery Founder Robert (Bob) Craig began his long and storied career in wine at The Hess Collection on Mount Veeder in the 1980s. Prior to starting his eponymous winery, Bob’s passion for Napa Valley Mountain Cabernet had him spearheading the official recognition of both the Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain District AVAs. In 1990, with the help of three friends he met at business school in Chicago 25 years earlier, Bob founded Robert Craig Winery and arranged to purchase fruit and custom crush his first commercial release of the 1992 vintage. The 1993 vintage release introduced three Cabernets that remain the core of the business today: Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Affinity. To oversee the next phase of the winery in a now-crowded playing field, Robert and his partners hired wine business veteran and Mountain Cabernet aficionado Elton Slone in 2004 to direct all operations at the winery. Elton retooled and refocused the farming practices, winery equipment and personnel in the first years of his stewardship to bring the wines to their highest level of concentration, complexity, age worthiness and site expression. With an increased emphasis on quality farming and winemaking, as well as carefully selected vineyard parcels for the wines. Elton and the Robert Craig Winery crew continue to honor Bob’s founding principles of producing small-lot, site-expressive wines from high elevation vineyards with shallow soils. 
About the Wine The team christened the property Amentet Vineyard, after the Egyptian Goddess of the West. With the “rebirth” of their Veeder Cab, Amentet (pronounced “AH-men-TETT”) seems the perfect patroness—the goddess of fertility and rebirth, who was often depicted with a hawk perched upon her head. Given the number of red tails spotted from the new vineyard, this seems particularly providential. Perched at 1,700’ of elevation along Wall Road on the north end of the Mount Veeder AVA, Amentet Vineyard, this 6.5-acre vineyard is destined for greatness. After 22 vintages of purchasing fruit on a handshake contract with the late actor Robin Williams from the neighboring Pym Rae vineyard, it was a joy to receive a first harvest from their own immaculate young vineyard in 2016. The site was planted and managed by the same man who farmed the neighboring Pym Rae vineyard for Robin for more than two decades, and it is no surprise that the resulting wines are so similar. The sandy, gravel-based soils of shale with a sandstone topsoil produce wines that are black in color with very low PH values and naturally high acids. A perfect combination for longevity. The beauty of this warmer, fog-free northern section of Mount Veeder is that the wines are free of any unwanted vegetal or rustic characteristics that can affect cooler climate sites to the south. The 2018 Amentet Vineyard Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is simply a massive, iconic example of what is possible in the Mount Veeder AVA. Dried cocoa flake, pencil shavings, cassis, dark floral undertones and mineral accents all emerge from the glass after a couple of minutes of air. The tannin structure is profound, but the tannins remain juicy, round and well developed so that the wine enjoys a seamless weight on the palate and a finish that extends beyond expectation. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc. Just over 1,000 cases produced. 
Critical Acclaim “The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Amentet Vineyard is a heady, explosive Mount Veeder wine. Iron, sweet red cherry, mint, dried flowers, licorice, mocha and rose petal all grace this wonderfully expressive, nuanced Cabernet. Best of all, the 2018 won't need more than a few years in bottle to be approachable. It's a gorgeous wine, that much is clear. The best is yet to come."–95 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous * * * Also Tasting Today: 2021 Peyrassol Les Commandeurs Cotes de Provence Rose $27.99  
About the Winery The Commanderie de Peyrassol is emblematic of the rich viticultural history of Provence, having produced wine for nearly 800 years. Today Peyrassol makes a range of high quality wines that build upon the long history of the winery and the iconic terroir of the region with contemporary winery facilities. The estate sits in the foothills of the massif des Maures, 10 miles from the Mediterranean Sea between Cannes and Marseille. The first recorded harvest dates back to 1256, when the Knights Templar founded and controlled the Commanderie. Wine production has been continuous since then, even as the estate changed hands to the Knights of Malta, and subsequently the state after the French Revolution. In 1870 it was acquired by the Rigord family, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that the winery truly began to take off with Francois Rigord, who came to be known as “La Dame de Peyrassol.” With her joyful personality, famous sense of hospitality, and winemaking talent, Francois was the perfect person to represent the Commanderie, and she brought the wines to market, fame and acclaim in 1981. She also planted Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon on the estate in addition to the Grenache and Cinsault already growing, and the white varietals of Rolle, Ugni Blanc, Semillon and Clairette. In 2001 Rigord agreed to pass the winery to Philippe Austruy, charmed by his passion and clear dedication to the property. The Austruy family invested in the vineyard, cellar and hosting facilities, creating a contemporary wine experience built around historical roots. Today the winery is managed by Phillipe’s Nephew, Alban Cacaret, who leads a team of experts from vineyard to cellar. Peyrassol has consciously maintained organic practices in full respect of the surrounding environment, aiming for certification in the coming years. No synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides are used in the vineyards. The age of the vines, the rocky terrain, and the hot, dry climate all do their part to severely restrict yields. 
About the Wine Sourced from the younger vines of the estate–with some fruit purchased from the neighboring grape growers through long term contracts. The vines are situated on clay, limestone and schist soils, giving great minerality to the final juice. Harvested at night to preserve the acidity and in double floor boxes to prevent any early maceration and coloration of the juice. The fruit is directly destemmed and pressed on arrival in the cellar. The fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks in order to remain as fresh as possible. Afterwhich, only a few months of aging takes place in the tanks prior to bottling. Cuvee des Commandeurs bottles the essence of quality fruit, seeking to evoke pleasure and delight the senses. This accessible rose was crafted to provide thirst-quenching freshness with vibrant fruitiness, without sacrificing elegance and complexity. Its rosy appearance is delicate in color and an expressive nose lends charm to this blend. A palate dominated by wild berries: gooseberry and raspberry that reveal themselves in a crisp, silky mouthfeel enhanced with touches of minerality. Enjoy the liveliness of this wine with a taste of salmon, scallops or sea bass sushi. 40% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, 15% Syrah, 10% Rolle * * * Cocktail Recipe of the Week: 
La Violetta Cocktail by Singham, La Perla bar, Paris Ingredients: 30 ml La Gritona Reposado Tequila 30 ml Giffard Crème de Violette Liqueur 10 ml Freshly Squeezed lime juice 2020 Les Allies Vin de France Chardonnay, to top off Directions: Ice up the glass Pour the ingredients Briefly stir, gently Cheers and Enjoy! * * * Snack of the Week: .jpg)
Salumeria Biellese Finochietta Coming from the name "finocchio", or fennel, it is used to flavor the lean pork shoulder and cheek fat used in the sausages. This dry-cured salami is often aged as long as five months to a year to develop its delectable flavor and aroma. * * * |
