Wines of the Week: 
 2021 Il Colombaio di Santachiara Selvabianca Vernaccia di San Gimignano Toscana Vernaccia Normally $24.99–$21.24 15% Off This Week ONLY! 2020 Martinelli Giuseppe & Luisa Russian River Zinfandel Normally $79.99–$67.99 15% Off This Week ONLY! * * * About the Wines of the Week: 2021 Il Colombaio di Santachiara Selvabianca Vernaccia di San Gimignano Toscana Vernaccia Normally $24.99–$21.24 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery The Logi brothers began the winery Il Colombaio di Santa Chiara in 2002, inspired and supported by their father Mario, who began working the vines on the hills of Siena in the 1950’s as a young boy. “Colombaio” means dovecote, and the name, along with the label design, pay homage to a historic dovecote on the property. The winery is built on the San Donato parish property, named for a small Romanesque church on the ancient Via Francigena. The vineyard plantings are 21 hectares within the Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG area, and the farm is also home to forests and 3,000 olive trees. 
About the Wine The vineyard soils are largely upper Pliocene sands with clay, pebbles and gravel, also graced with some very old formations of limestone. The potential for elegance from these soils is realized through passionate attention to detail on the part of Alessio Logi, the brother who serves as enologist, devoted to displaying the greatness of the Vernaccia di San Gimignano grape. Taught by Mario that the vines are a reflection of the land, the brothers farm completely organically. The hand-harvested grapes are handled with utmost care, transferred in small cassettes and gently pressed rather than crushed. The wine is left on the lees until the beginning of March the next year. When first poured, straw yellow hues with green hints shine through the glass. Clean on the nose with a bouquet of white-pulp fruit, apple, lime, lily and lemon thyme. Bright, vibrant, fresh on the palate with a long-lasting finish. Just over 3,000 cases were produced for the vintage. * * * 2020 Martinelli Giuseppe & Luisa Russian River Zinfandel Normally $79.99–$67.99 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery The Martinelli family has been growing grapes in the Russian River Valley since 1887. At the ages of 19 and 16, Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini left their small village in the Tuscany region of Italy and made their way to California looking for land to farm and start a winery. Giuseppe had been a winemaker in Italy and with his viticultural knowledge he was hired to plant a vineyard for a farmer in Forestville. 100 years later, the historic Martinelli Estate vineyards are farmed by Lee Martinelli, Sr., and sons Lee, Jr. and George Martinelli. The wines are made by winemaker Bryan Kvamme. These handcrafted wines are unfined, unfiltered, neither cold nor heat stabilized and may contain naturally occurring sediment. 
About the Wine Sourced from the Giuseppe & Luisa vineyard in the Russian River Valley. Positioned at 110 feet in elevation, the certified sustainable vineyard is situated on Huichicha clay and hard pan soils. After harvest the grapes are destemmed and cold settled for 5 days. After which, the wine is fermented on the skins for 14 days with secondary (malolactic) fermentation in barrel. The wine is then aged for 11 months sur lies in French oak (40% of which is new). * * * Also Tasting Today: 2021 Mas de Cadenet Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence Rosé $24.99  
About the Winery The Mas de Cadenet is a typical Provence domaine right down to its name, which means "estate where junipers grow." Situated at the foothills of the Sainte-Victoire Mountain, the Domaine symbolizes tradition and a longstanding love story between a family and its land. The Mas de Cadenet history began in 1813, when it was purchased by Jean-Jacques Négrel and his brothers. Yet fragments of Roman amphorae found on the estate prove that wines were produced here even in antiquity. The vineyard is on a south-facing plateau, about 820 feet above sea level. The grapes were harvested at perfect maturity in the early morning in order to maintain temperature control. Subsequently, the grapes are destemmed and crushed followed by skin maceration, to allow for that soft, pink hue. The yield of the vines is naturally kept low to ensure high quality juice. Due to the special terroir and micro-climate of this area, Mas de Cadenet has more persistence and structure than a typical Provençal rosé. 
About the Wine Sainte-Victoire is one of the new crus in Provence, with only 24 winemakers. Due to the special terroir and micro-climate of this area, Mas de Cadenet has more persistence and structure than a typical Provençal rosé. Cadenet employs traditional methods: free-run juice is drawn off as soon as the soft pink color begins to show during a cold maceration. Refined, fresh, and well-balanced with an elegant fruit and beautiful hues. When poured, reddish pink hues appear with bright, fresh aromas. On the palate, expect a creamy-textured mouthfeel accompanied by fresh red fruit flavors, such as newly picked strawberries and raspberries. With terrific mineral content and good acidity for structure, this rosé is extremely well balanced and finishes beautifully. 45% Grenache, 45% Cinsault, 10% Syrah. Certified organic. * * * Cocktail Recipe of the Week: 
Vodka Spritzer Ingredients: 1 lemon
1 cup sliced strawberries
12 ounces (1 ½ cups) Claremont Original Vodka
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) simple syrup
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsweetened 100% cranberry juice*
Soda water, for serving
Ice, for serving
For the garnish: 1 handful fresh mint leaves Directions for Cocktail: Slice the lemon into rounds. Thinly slice the strawberries.
Place the lemons and strawberries in a pitcher with the vodka, simple syrup, and cranberry juice. Marinate at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours).
To serve, pour 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) of the vodka mix over ice and top with a splash of soda water to taste. Garnish with the fruit from the pitcher and sprigs of fresh mint leaves. Cheers and Enjoy! * * * Snack of the Week: 
Fromager D'Affinois This French innovation may look like pudgy brie, but it's actually much creamier. The mild, buttery flavor has a sweetness that goes very well with champagne and fresh fruit. Fromager d'Affinois may remind you of a triple-creme, so loaded it is with silky fat. But that texture is achieved by ''ultra filtration,'' which breaks down the fat molecules in the milk in order to further disperse them through the paste. The result is a thick, nearly whipped spread of tangy, milky goodness. * * * | 
