Wines of the Week: 
 2020 Chateau Peyrassol Cuvee Des Commandeurs Cotes de Provence Blanc Vermentino Blend Normally $34.99–$29.74 15% Off This Week ONLY! 2012 Praesidium A Marianna Riserva Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Normally $84.99–$72.24 15% Off This Week ONLY! * * * About the Wines of the Week: 2020 Chateau Peyrassol Cuvee Des Commandeurs Cotes de Provence Blanc Vermentino Blend Normally $34.99–$29.74 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
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 A wine that is both aromatic and silky, lively and fresh. This very accessible white is an excellent introduction to the Peyrassol style. With its elegant fruitiness, its light style, it is thirst-quenching and accompanies all the good times of summer. Clay and limestone soils, dating from the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era, with a high proportion of gravel. The 2020 season began in spring with regular rainfall until mid-July. Until the beginning of August, the water stress remained moderate. With the summer heat, the soils of the plateau as well as the hillside became relatively tense. Yet, the temperature variations between the cool nights and hot days helped reach a well balanced acidity. The seasonality favored a very active ripening leading to harvest taking place a week earlier than in 2019. The wines are mature and well-balanced. After destemming the grapes are pressed as quickly as possible. Fermentation takes place slowly at low temperature in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats, without malolactic fermentation. Aged for 6 months on fine lees before bottling. When poured, expect a wine with golden straw hues and notes of white fruits such as peach and pear. Delightful with wonderful floral characters, alongside honey and fresh herbaceous notes. * * * 2012 Praesidium A Marianna Riserva Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Normally $84.99–$72.24 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery Below is the story directly from the words of Kevin Russell–The Italy Portfolio Manager for Importer/Distributor David Bowler: “Praesidium is a 7-hectare estate in the Peligna Valley, the genetic birthplace of the Montepulciano grape. Enzo Pasquale, his wife Lucia, and their kids, Antonia and Ottaviano, are the last winegrowers of the village of Prezza. The village itself sits on a rocky outcropping that has a near-360° view of the surroundings. It makes sense, then, that the name Prezza comes from the Latin verb praeesse (to preside), and that the village was the “Praesidium” (defense garrison) of the Peligni tribe, an Italic people who eventually acquiesced to Rome. Praesidium is also one of the main reasons I’m selling wine today. They’re responsible for my first real lightbulb, epiphanic “wine moment.” Every once in a while someone asks me, if I were to become a wine director, which estates I would have to have on the wine list, my list of heartthrobs. I usually struggle to answer—there’s so much great wine out there. But, Praesidium would make the cut, without a doubt. This one’s personal. In 2002 and 2003 I lived in L’Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo. When meeting people all around Italy, I would be asked, “L’Aquila? That’s in Abruzzo, right? What are you doing there?!” The answer to that question is a story for another time; I’m still not sure even I fully know. I know I was playing and teaching music, and that I was young and broke. Wine was a simple accompaniment to a meal, nothing to think much about—it was on most tables in Italy twice a day, right? The €2 supermarket Montepulciano from a co-op was doing us just fine. A few years earlier in school in the States I had friends who ironically, but happily, showed up to parties with jugs of Carlo Rossi ‘Paisano.’ I didn’t turn down those pours. Someone I must have trusted told me that a rowdy bar called Ju Boss (Abruzzese dialect for il Boss!) had the greatest collection of the wines of Abruzzo in a back room. Was that possible? The same place that served hard-boiled eggs and where every night it seemed fights broke out, spilling into the streets? Going from Ju Boss the bar to Ju Boss the enoteca was like going from C.B.G.B. to the set of Masterpiece Theatre. I asked the guy working there for a recommendation. He steered me to the Praesidium Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva. I don’t remember the vintage, because that wouldn’t have been something on my radar at the time. The bottle seemed heavy and impenetrably dark. There was a wax seal near the neck and a symbol of a castle on the label. It seemed special enough. I was told to open it an hour before and drink it with an aged pecorino. To spend 20-something Euros on this bottle of Praesidium was a departure for me, a real splurge and a considerable expense at the time. I drank it with some friends from my apartment building. They didn’t really care for it, but it stopped me in my tracks. Until then, I didn’t know wine could do that—its intensity, its earthiness, its originality, and its seamlessness with an aged, almost funky cheese were startling. Yes, it was delicious, but the experience was more jolting than that. In 2007 I was on tour and we played L’Aquila, in a theater that was a deconsecrated church built in the 900s. I went back to Ju Boss’ cantina. Now I recognized some other great bottles from other great producers. I picked up another bottle of Praesidium. This time I remember the vintage—2001. This time I opened the bottle several hours before, leaving it open in our hotel room. This time I got an even stronger pecorino. Now I knew how to love the wine. Fast forward to 2011, fully bitten by and smitten with the wine bug, at a house party in Rome. It was the book release celebration for a writer whose focus was vini naturali. My Roman Holiday was coming to a close and I was about to head back to NYC to start a “real job” at a brand new wine importer/distributor. I saw some bottles of Praesidium at the party and said to a friend, “I love these wines. I wish I could somehow sell them in New York.” He said, “Talk to Ottaviano. That’s him right there. Yeah, right there. That’s the Praesidium guy. He’s super nice.” He was, indeed, super nice. I couldn’t believe this humble, soft-spoken guy was responsible for such mind-blowing wines. It was the beginning of a long connection, which sometimes took different, but parallel, paths. Like some cousins, we didn’t always call, we didn’t always write. Yet I always felt like Praesidium’s ambassador on my side of the ocean. Meticulous organic farming, a protracted growing season, low yields, long aging in cellars carved into the mother rock of Prezza, and late release all combine beautifully to express the power and freshness of this continental, mountainous terroir. The Pasquales are a lovely close-knit family, quietly doing things their way without compromise, since 1988. I am thrilled to re-introduce their wines.” 
About the Wine A Marianna (dedicated to Ottaviano and Antonia's grandmother), is not made every year. It comes from a 1-hectare selection of the estate's oldest vines, dating back to 1962. 2012 was characterized by a fresh Spring but a quite hot and dry Summer. Despite the drought conditions and low organic matter in the Peligna valley's rocky soil, the grapes did reach average size and were perfectly healthy, balanced, and silky. Harvest was from October 7th- 9th at extremely low yields of 3,000kg/ha (19 hl/ha). The grapes were destemmed, crushed, and spontaneously fermented between stainless steel, Slavonian oak tonneaux (650L) and French oak tonneaux (450L). Maceration lasted 13 days. The first 24 months of aging were in stainlees steel, followed by an additional 42 months of aging Slavonian oak cask, with no new wood. Unfined/unfiltered and released in November 2018. 2,340 bottles made. 
Critical Acclaim "The 2012 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva A Marianna is an impenetrable purplish red color with a seductively dark and rich bouquet, as crushed ashen stone, graphite and sage give way to black currants, sous bois and a lifting hint of cedar. It’s like pure velvet on the palate, seeming pliant and round at first, yet with a core of salty minerals that adds an edgy savoriness, as they mix with tart woodland berries and nervous acidity to create a push and pull of tension. For all of its power and intensity, the 2012 maintains an incredibly fresh character, even as a coating of gripping tannin firms the expression through the finale. That said, this well-muscled stallion needs time to mellow before revealing all of its charms. The A Marianna is only produced in vintages that the winery deems as special. It hails from a one-hectare parcel of old vines planted in 1962. The wine refines for a total of sixty-six months, with the first two years in stainless steel, followed by another three and a half years in Slavonian oak."–94 Points, Eric Guido, Vinous Media * * * Also Tasting Today: 2021 Stolpman Vineyards Love You Bunches Santa Maria Grenache Blend Rosé $19.99  
About the Winery Stolpman Vineyards was founded by husband and wife team Tom & Marilyn Stolpman. On their honeymoon in Napa Valley, Marilyn put the wild idea into Tom’s head about one day owning a vineyard. In 1988 their search for limestone near the ocean ended with the purchase of what is now Stolpman Vineyards in Ballard Canyon AVA of Santa Barbara County. In 1994, Ruben “the Grape Whisperer” and his wife Maria Solorzano became the vineyard managers at Stolpman – employing a year-round team and empowering them through mentorship and a profit sharing program. Tom’s son Peter joined the family business in 2009 after working for a reputable wine distributor. Since he joined the team, he took back the majority of the vineyard for wine production rather than selling the grapes. He also helped increase Ruben’s La Cuardilla profit sharing program for the vineyard workers to 10% of all Stolpman production. Stolpman Vineyards’ story is reminiscent of the early pioneers of American winegrowing. They started with a dream of cultivating land with their family, including all of those who maintain the land into the family, and produce world class wine initially through trial and error and evolving to hone their skills through collaboration. 
About the Wine Practicing organic; a cold spring led to a moderate Summer without significant heat spikes through harvest. The team jumped on the warmer San Luis Obispo County picks early to catch the fruit fresh and lively. This gave the team at Stolpman the luxury of waiting on the cold Santa Barbara County sites to slowly accumulate sugar and ripen flavors. Without any heat waves, the acid levels hung high, creating an epic rosé vintage. After harvest, the wine was immediately pressed and placed into stainless steel tanks. Precise and popping with bright energy, the 2021 Love You Bunches rosé immediately wins us over with everything we want out of a scrumptious rosé. Notes of strawberry are married with cool, firm peach. Breezy lemon-lime and lifting mint combine effortlessly through the light and playful palate. Smooth, with just a hint of refreshing tang on the finish, leaving you wanting more. 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah * * * Cocktail Recipe of the Week: 
Pitcher O' Strawberry Gin Smash Ingredients: 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup) 1 pound fresh strawberries 2 cups Bertha's Revenge Small Batch Irish Gin 3 cups club soda Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish Directions: Muddle the sugar and limes in a pitcher that holds at least 8 cups (64 ounces). Set aside 6 to 8 small strawberries and make a small slice in their tips. Hull and slice the remaining strawberries and muddle the slices lightly with the sugar and lime juice. Stir in the gin and club soda and pack the pitcher full of ice. Add mint sprigs to garnish. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with a strawberry, slotted onto the edge of the glass. Cheers and Enjoy! * * * Snack of the Week: 
Lark Fine Foods Coconut Butter Cookies This favorite will satisfy any coconut craving. With toasted organic coconut blended into a rum-spiked, buttery base, this cookie is outstanding! * * * |
