April Case Of The Month - $115
COM = a mixed case with one bottle each of these winners
– or you can buy them individually as well.
Once again we offer the January/February ne plus ultra case of the month: Greatest Hits of 2017. We’ve picked some of last year’s best-sellers and most talked-about wines and brought them back for a lip-smacking’ encore. Enjoy!
Kir Yianni Paranga 2011
I love Greek food so am always on the lookout for good wine options to complete the picture. Here’s a cool one we found, a red blend with the ancient Xinomavro varietal that already has a few years of bottle age. Beyond its mellow gently-aged feel, it offers tastes and aromas of the Mediterranean (or Aegean in this case) with dried thyme, floral iris and even a bright lemon verbena note circling the dried red plum fruit. Medium-bodied, long on the palate and dappled in texture, the finish is still slightly grippy and rustic, a perfect match for lamb souvlaki. $10.99
La Grange Tiphaine Touraine Ad Libitum Rouge 2012
Explore the Loire Valley’s wild side with this inspired blend of Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Côt. A few years in bottle have allowed the flavors to meld, the edges to soften and complexity to develop. Slightly reticent at first, it opens nicely with air showing a lively expressive personality and medium-bodied richness. The bright cherry and red plum fruit is accented by a mild old world gaminess that adds dimension and a sense of terroir, while aromas of floral raspberry boomerang on the finish. Originally $16, here just $11.99.
Torii Mor Pinot Gris 2016
Welcome Oregon spring with this local Gris made by a Frenchman that, guess what, tastes kinda French! Alsatian in style, the spiced apple cider and poached pear notes are dry and zesty with a focused intensity. Clear and unmuddled, the flavors hang on the palate finishing with hints of yeasted brown bread. $11.99
Chateau Maylandie Corbières 2015
A blend of 40% Grenache and 30% each Carignan and Cinsault this Languedoc red is supple and spring-like with an appealing floral outdoorsy perfume that leads to flavors of bright raspberry and fresh cherry pie. Partly made by carbonic maceration, this boasts an aromatic freshness and cheery drinkability factor that will pair nicely with our finally warming weather. $8.99
Dragonfly Creek Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2014
An excellent close-out deal for Willamette Valley Pinot Noir especially a single vineyard bottling whose neighbor is the famous Freedom Hill vineyard. Muscular and full-bodied for Pinot with a rumbling presence, this offers aromatics of cherry cola and spicy oak while flavors of sappy blackberry roll across the palate - all colored by a dark chocolate background. $9.99
Ravier Abymes Jacquère 2015
Jacquère is a lovely, little-known white varietal from the Savoie region in the French Alps. This bottling was a favorite last year and a recent glass of it - bursting with aromatics of fresh flowers, mountain air, almond and lemon – made me want to drink more especially as the weather warms into spring. Lively and fresh tasting, the fleshy melon fruit is balanced by zesty tangerine and cut green herbs, while a dried pineapple note adds bite on the finish. $10.99
Mesoneros de Castilla Ribera del Duero 2016
Made by the renowned winemaker Ismael Arroyo as the family’s house red, this is fresh and piquant with an appealing raspy youthfulness and honest country wine vibe. The nose is full of red and purple flowers, and the fruit flavors are a just-ripe wild berry mix of blues, reds and marionberry accented with a crushed gravel/brambly edge. $11.99
Klinker Brick Tranzind 2014
This playful blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Cab Sauv is perfumed and friendly, with cinnamon caramel notes dusting a wash of bright raspberry and ripe strawberry fruit. Despite its Cali-style fruit forwardness, it comes across as dry, medium-bodied and surprisingly structured with just enough tannin on the finish to pair with the season’s first BBQs. $12.99
Cazas Novas Avesso Vinho Verde 2015
April too early for Vinho Verde you say? Not this one. A single varietal bottling (Avesso) from the warmer inland eastern edge of the appellation, this is broader and more mouthfilling than the vast majority of Vinho Verde (nor is it spritzy). That said, it still boasts a racy mouthwatering personality, its chalky stony structure draped in lime blossom/fennel aromatics and tangy white peach flavors. As their top end bottling this was $19 but the new vintage is coming so here just $10.99.
Priore Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Campotino 2015
Dark and inky, this Italian red is packed with briary black cherry and blackberry fruit, hearty flavors that are underlined by a classic earthiness. Perfect for those last evenings that seem more winter than spring. $8.99
Fonseca Ripanco Aletejano 2016
Full-bodied and generous, this Portuguese red offers green tea and spiced candy aromas before diving into a pool of warm-toned fruit. The black plum and red currant flavors are concentrated yet lively and the finish brings pleasing notes of fig newton and graham cracker. $11.50
Villa Tonino Nero d’Avola 2015
Clearly touched by the Sicilian sun, this is ripe and full-bodied with smooth blackberry fruit washing over an Asian-spiced caramel-laced frame. Brighter red plum notes show up mid-palate ending on a jazzy note. $8.99
Recent GWB Newsletters
Here are current and back-issues of the Great Wine Buys Newsletter to help you print out this month or find a wine from past issues.
Coming Soon