What's Just Landed

  • Fall Maderia Pre-Sale

    It's that time of year people where the Madeira hot sheets make it across my cluttered desk.  Now the are not offering any 19th century juice at this moment but that doesn't mean we won't be getting any.  Here's what's being offered D'Oliveiras this year.  Some wines are NET and all are in 750ml format.
    Bual refers almost more to a style of the delicious fortified wines of Madeira. Of the four styles of Madeira, Bual is on the sweeter end of the spectrum.  Bual Madeiras from the 1800s are still in good condition and some examples from the 17th century though rare are not unheard of. At one point Madeira was as popular as Port, though sales have dropped significantly in the last 50 years. Older Buals have an incredible combination of sweetness, body, texture and acidity, all of this rounded out with a complex array of flavors that can range from caramel to green apples and from smoke to molasses.
    1908 Bual $600 NET
    1968 Bual $242 
    1977 Bual $171 
    1983 Bual $150
    1984 Bual $150
    1987 Bual $121
    1993 Bual $100
    This style of Madeira is characterised by its dark color, rich texture, and coffee-caramel flavors. Like other Madeiras made from the noble grape varieties, the Malvasia grape used in Malmsey production has naturally high levels of acidity in the wine, which balances with the high sugar levels so the wines do not taste cloyingly sweet.
    1901 Malvasia $875 NET
    1907 Malvasia $695 NET
    1989 Malvasia $115
    1994 Malvasia $115
    Sercial is a white grape and a corresponding style of Madeira, one of the four recognised styles of this fortified wine, along with the medium-dry Verdelho, the medium-sweet Bual and Terrantez and the sweet Malvasia. A vintage Sercial Madeira resembles a Tawny Port in colour, yet the nose has pronounced citrus aromas, and as the wine ages the aromatic profile becomes similar to old Rieslings.
    1928 Sercial $495 NET
    1937 Sercial $347 NET
    1969 Sercial $200
    1977 Sercial $171
    1989 Sercial $121
    Terrantez is white grape variety in Madeira that nowadays is practically extinct, although it might be occasionally  found in some very old bottlings. Efforts to revive the plantings of Terrantez are hampered by the very low yields of the grape.  Terrantez Madeira vintages come in two principal styles: The rich and sweet wines, as exemplified by bottling of the Madeira Wine Company. The other style is rather dry, although quite concentrated in flavors. Old vintage examples of Terrantez like the Blandy 1846 demonstrate the high potential of the grape (impressive ability to gain in complexity after long ageing).
    1971 Terrantez $242
    1977 Terrantez $200
    1988 Terrantez $121
    The name Verdelho on a bottle indicates an off dry to medium-dry style of Madeira wine, in between that of Sercial and Bual.

     1912 Verdelho $575 NET

    1932 Verdelho $480 NET

    1973 Verdelho $193

    1985 Verdelho $136

    1986 Verdelho $136

    1994 Verdelho $93

     

     

    *Please note that this is a pre-sale and the wines will take a week to a few weeks to get in.

    *Some wines may already be in the the market.

    *Credit cards will be taken at the time of the order but not charged until we can verify that we have the correct vintages and grape varietal. 

     

  • The Ultra-Rare Collectable White Wine

    Folks this is a once in a lifetime chance to pick up a bottle of 1986 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco.  Our area is only getting five - 3packs of this amazing juice and from what I've been told...three are already spoken for so that leaves only six bottles.
    From Castillo Ygay...
    It hasn’t even reached the market yet but it has already made history: Castillo Ygay Blanco Gran Reserva Especial 1986, a real gem made by Marqués de Murrieta, has been rated 100 Points by Robert Parker. This is the first time such an important accolade is given to a white wine is Spain.
    After being tasted by Luis Gutierrez, the critic responsible for reviewing Spanish wines in Robert Parker’s ‘The Wine Advocate’, he states that it is “one of the best white wines I’ve ever tasted in my whole life.” Castillo Ygay Blanco Gran Reserva Especial 1986 stands as the only wine that has reached the highest score, an even more difficult achievement for a white wine.
    This milestone not only marks a before and after in the history of Spanish wines, but also highlights the ongoing serious and honest commitment that has always characterized Marqués de Murrieta and the Cebrián-Sagarriga family. Celebrating its 165’s anniversary, the oldest winery in Rioja, led by Vicente Cebrian-Sagarriga, Count of Creixell, is more alive than ever.
    With this vintage, the winery resumes its long tradition of making Castillo Ygay White and makes it the best possible way: presenting a wine that turns 30 years to the market. In order to rate the wine, the prestigious publication led by Robert Parker made a vertical tasting of Castillo Ygay white, from 1919 to 1986. Among the vintages tasted, the critic also gave top marks to two other historic vintages: Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 1919 and 1932. the mark stands as the only in the world to achieve 100 points by Parker three times in one tasting, celebrating 100 years of high scores.
    After spending 252 months in 225 liter American oak barrels and 67 months in concrete tanks, the wine is aged in bottles for more than three years to reach, 30 years after the harvest of the grape, the best expression of this wine from the first Rioja winery founded in 1852.
    What will this amazing wine cost you?  Only $500 per bottle.  Let me know.
    Santo
  • Domaine Dujac on Wednesday 9/16

    This week we'll be receiving our allocation of Domaine Dujac.  Now, most of these highly coveted wines are already spoken for but I do have a few bottles left if you'd like a special bottle of REAL Pinot Noir.  Buying a bottle of Dujac is not like picking up a normal bottle of Pinot Noir...These wines are so special and I've known people who've flat-out lied to their spouse, right in front of me just so they could get a bottle or two.  I admit...I might've done some of that in the past but it was well worth it.
    My advise...get them while you can!  These wines only come around once a year and are so allocated it actually drives me nuts!!!  Unlike the other handful of wine shops in the state that are allocated these wines...I don't put them in a special back room and only tell a few people about them.  These wines are made for everyone, not just the 1% folk.  
    Here's what's still lingering around...
    3 - 750ml of 2014 Domaine Dujac Morey Saint-Denis AOC Rouge $94 each NET
    2 - 750ml of 2014 Domaine Dujac Morey Saint-Denis 1er Cru Rouge $174 each NET
    Out of the 24 bottles we were allocated...this is all that's left.  Kinda sucks.  Let me know if you are interested or else Nicole will want to take them home so we can enjoy them.
    Santo
  • Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero Vertical Case in custom wood box offer!

    Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero Vertical Case in custom wood box!

     

    2011 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero

    The Wine Advocate - "The 2011 Valbuena was fermented plot by plot, something they started after a deep soil study in the 2010 vintage. 2011 was a very warm and ripe vintage in the zone, and the challenge was to keep the freshness. There are more black fruit aromas, subtle spices and hints of complexity, as well as tertiary aromas that are quite classic and turn more balsamic with time in the glass. Again, this is very different form the 2012 Alión, rounder, riper, richer, more polished, mellow, soft, quite exuberant and hedonistic." RP94

    Wine Spectator - "Flavors of black cherry, kirsch and orange peel mingle with anise, graphite and balsamic notes in this focused red. Firm, yet harmonious and energetic, in the traditional style. Drink now through 2026." WS92

    2010 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero

    Since the 2010 harvest, they ferment plot by plot, and it shows. This Valbuena has almost 100 components in it, smaller lots, all of them corresponding to a plot of vines. It has all the signs of being one of the best vintages ever for this second wine from Vega Sicilia, mostly Tempranillo but with 5% Merlot that matured five months in 20,000-liter oak vats, 18 months in new barriques (equal parts French and American oak), three months in used barrels and then five months in the vats again before being bottled in May 2013. 2010 seems to have the exuberance of the 2011 and the seriousness and elegance of 2009. It has the Burgundian philosophy of terroir, with all plots fermented and aged separately, giving each vineyard what it needs in terms of vinification and elevage resulting in something like 40 separate lots to blend. This wine has gained in precision and sharpness, and is very pure with delineated aromas and flavors. It is a world-class wine, possibly the best Valbuena ever. RP96

    Jancis Robinson

    Succulent and earthy, with lots of common ground with Burgundy in its fungal, earthy aroma. Long, plush fruit on the palate. Comprehensive structure – gets all of the elements in charming, co-flattering balance. Sophisticated, open, truly delicious. 18/20 points. 

    2009 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero

    The Wine Advocate - "The 2009 Valbuena was harvested early, the result of a warm summer. It’s mostly Tempranillo complemented with 5% Merlot. The wine matured for five months in 20,000-liter oak vats, 16 months in new barriques (equal parts French and American oak), four months in used barrels and then four more months in the vats before being bottled in May 2011. 180,000 bottles produced. It has some reductive notes and would benefit from some time in a decanter, where you’d start appreciating its background of cherries which feels very classical and serious. The palate is well-built, with polished tannins, very good acidity and freshness with elegance and fine tannins. Mature and with good typicity." RP94

    International Wine Cellar - "Opaque ruby. Spice- and mineral-accented aromas of dark berries, cherry pit and potpourri, with a toasty topnote. Minerally, incisive and sweet on the palate, offering smoky cherry and blackcurrant flavors complicated by vanilla, mocha and licorice. Shows impressive power and vivacity on the youthfully tannic finish, with the smoke and spice notes strongly repeating." ST94

    2008 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero

    The 2008 Valbuena is produced with Tempranillo and 7% Merlot and Malbec from a cold, rainy season and late harvest. It reminds me of the Riberas of yesteryear, sharper with a slight rusticity, long and sharp. Once fermented, the wine matured for seven months in 20,000-liter oak vats, 12 months in new barriques (equal parts French and American oak), three months in used barrels and then six months in the vats again before being bottled in May 2011. The aromas are subtle, there is fruit, but there is soil and above all there is harmony. The palate is long rather than round, with some blood orange notes, sharp and austere, a serious wine that should age very well. The average production of Valbuena is around 180,000 bottles and 2008 was no exception. Drink now-2022. RP94

    Vega Sicilia’s 2008 Tinto Valbuena 5 Anos is compelling. A young, intense wine, the 2008 is going to need significant time to fully come together, but it boasts superb depth, persistence and a total sense of harmony. Hints of cedar, tobacco and sweet spices wrap around an intense core of dark fruit.  94 points VinousOpaque ruby. Sexy, oak-spicy aromas of dark berry preserves, pipe tobacco, licorice and vanilla, with a smoky overtone. Plush, expansive blueberry and cherry-vanilla flavors show superb depth and pick up Indian spice and bitter chocolate nuances with air. Finishes sweet and seamless, with slow-building tannins and a whiplash of sweet blue fruit.   93 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

    Made from the younger vines at Vega Sicilia--80 percent tinto fino, the balance cabernet and merlot--this is one of the best vintages of Valbuena in recent memory: a fountain of red fruit, intense in flavor, yet with more lively freshness than typical for Ribera del Duero. The acidity forms a steel rail that projects the flavors and nuanced aromas off into the distance. It’s surprisingly easy to drink, especially for a wine of this price.  93 points Wine & Spirits

    2007 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero

    International Wine Cellar - "Ruby-red. Aromas of dried cherry, raspberry, vanilla, mocha and Cuban tobacco, with smoke and potpourri accents. Supple and expansive, offering sweet, spice-accented red and dark berry and floral pastille flavors that stain the palate. Dusty tannins add shape and grip to the very long, smooth, penetrating finish. I find this wine quite approachable now but it has the balance to age. Not the weightiest Valbuena but very impressive for the vintage." ST93

    The Wine Advocate - "The 2007 Valbuena is rounded and warmer than the 2006 with lush dark berry fruits interlaced with scents of espresso and bay leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, crisp acidity with a composed, focused finish of black cherries, raspberry, cedar and mocha. The 2007 has great precision and focus. It is more feminine and assured than the 2006, but one senses that it is holding something back to charm consumers in five or six year's time. This is very impressive. Drink 2017-2030." RP92

    2006 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena" Ribera del Duero

    Deep ruby. Heady, exotic bouquet evokes candied cherry, cassis, sassafras, vanilla and potpourri, plus a smoky overtone. Sappy and expansive but energetic, offering sweet cherry and floral pastille flavors lifted by spice and mineral notes. Gains sweetness with air and finishes with superb clarity and spicy persistence. This benefits enormously from aeration but really should be stashed away for at least another five years.   (9/2011) 94 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

    The 2006 Valbuena is a blend of 80% Tempranillo with 20% Merlot and Malbec. It has great volume and intensity on the nose, yet it is never overbearing. Fragrant aromas of maraschino, dark plum and orange peel are extremely pure and upon further examination, there is an attractive seam of minerality. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple, citrus-fresh entry. Crisp delineation, edgy dark cherry and cassis flavors intermingled with sour lemon that leads to a very assertive, angular finish. (NM)   (8/2012) 91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

     

    All of this for only $1100.00

    We only need $275.00 to secure the case of 6 for you.  This is pretty rare in that they've only offered our state six sets and that's it! Total # of sets for the US of A...50!  If you are looking for the ultimate collectors gift or just a fan of some of the best Spanish juice in the world...this is what you'll want.  Imagine this sitting in your cellar.  Let me know asap.  I know one person who is going to have one in their cellar and I'll give you a hint...they just had a baby.  This is the kinda thing I will gladly give my daughter as a present.

    Let me know.

     

    Santo

     

  • Alain Graillot Release

    Alain Graillot is well known to wine lovers throughout the world, and is universally regarded as one of the most talented producers not only in the Rhône, but in the whole of France. What is extraordinary is that he has built his reputation and fame in just 20 short years, and in an appellation that was until recently seriously despised by the cognoscenti. He has proved that even (or should we say particularly) from the flat land near the Isère river confluence, it is possible to make rich, concentrated reds that demonstrate everything that is exciting about the Syrah grape - the explosive black fruit, the aromatic intensity, the pepper and spice complexity, all supported by crisp acidity and good tannins. They are difficult to resist young, but patient cellaring is well-rewarded.

    Given Graillot's fame, demand is well in excess of supply, and stocks have to be allocated. 50% of the production goes to the export markets: notably the USA, Canada, Japan, UK and mainland Europe.

    The rest is distributed in France, to loyal private clients, to specialist wine shops, and to a roll-call of the country's best restaurants: Pic, Troisgros, Loiseau, Crocodile, Georges Blanc, Lucas Carton etc.

    Production wise:

    Crozes-Hermitage Blanc: 15,000 bottles

    Crozes--Hermitage Rouge: 90,000 bottles (including up to 10,000 bottles "La Guiraude"

    Saint-Joseph: 5,000 bottles

     

    VINIFICATION AND AGEING

    All the grapes are hand-harvested, from severely-pruned, low-yielding vines. On arrival at the cellars, the white grapes go straight into the pneumatic press. After settling, 50% of the must is fermented in barrel (one year old oak bought from top Burgundy producers such as Sauzet). The other 50% is given a long, cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks, with temperatures controlled at 18°C. Graillot deliberately avoids malolactic, thus preserving acidity, and blends the components at the end of the winter. The wine is sterile filtered and bottled in April or May following the vintage.

    The red Crozes-Hermitage grapes are not destemmed. They are loaded into lined concrete vats, and temperatures are brought down to 18°C for a 2 to 5 day pre-fermentation maceration. Once vinifications get going, temperatures rise to 30°C, and cuvaison lasts 15 to 21 days. The young wines are aged for one year - 80% of them in one to 3 year old oak barrels, the remaining 20% in vat. They are given a light filtration but no fining before bottling. The "La Guiraude" cuvée is not a specific terroir, but a selection of the year's best lots, chosen after Alain has tasted every barrel.

    The Saint-Joseph is made the same way as the Crozes, but from destemmed grapes. The Hermitage grapes are also destemmed, and then fermented in a small, shallow vat with pigeage by foot. The wine is aged in one year old oak for 12 to 18 months.

    **Please be aware that in order to get all the Graillot wines in our area, the importer had to take a hefty amount of the Crozes-Hermitage Rouge.  If you could be a dear and get at least one bottle of that with your other selections...that would be nice.  Honestly...it's one of my favorite Syrah's in all the lands.

    Now the wines...

    2015 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Blanc $34 - Alain Graillot's white Crozes Hermitage, which is now bottled under screwcap for freshness, is made from a classic wine blend of 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne. It has attractive apricot and wild flower aromas and a fresh, mineral-edged palate with subtle white peach flavours and a clean, dry finish.

    2014 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Rouge $36 - This red Crozes Hermitage is Alain Graillot's principal wine in terms of production it hails from mature Syrah rootstock on the Les Chassis plateau. It has an intense black fruit bouquet and plump palate of dark, hedgerow berries. Drinking well now, this much-celebrated wine will mature happily for a decade or more in good vintages such as this.

    2013 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Rouge La Guiraude $61 - A barrel selection of his Crozes-Hermitage Rouge made in roughly 6-7 out of every 10 vintages, a mere 20-25 cases see their way to the U.S. A nose of animal, mineral, blackberry, and spice is followed by vibrant, nicely cut, mineral- and earth-driven flavors.

    2014 Alain Graillot Saint Joseph Rouge $43 - bright, dark red robe. Blackberry fruit leads a supple and curvy bouquet, has a small, gentle depth of cassis and blackberry. The palate delivers sleek fruit off the bat, supple tannins with a steady increase in depth. The aftertaste is beau, scented. This has joli length and freshness, is charming and true. “Normally we are 55% St Jean de Muzols, 45% St-Désirat, but this year hail, sheep and wild boar destroyed or ate the St Jean crop, meaning that the ratio is 80% St-Désirat and only 20% St Jean,” Maxime Graillot. 

    If you'd like any of these wines please do a search on our site for "Graillot" and I'll get things rolling.  Being that the wine shop is still closed & I'm kinda working out of the house, things might take a day or so for me to get things to you.  Don't worry.  As of Tuesday I'll have the new wine cooler in the garage so I'll be able to keep wines at a controlled cellar temp.  If you want me to ship the wines...that will have to wait till Late September until the temps fall.  Otherwise I can meet you.

     

    Santo

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