December Case Of The Month - $115
COM = a mixed case with one bottle each of these winners
– or you can buy them individually as well
Bouchaine Pinot Noir Carneros 2011
Here’s a gift from the ghost of Christmas past, a nicely aged Cali Pinot that was originally $30. This sold well last October, so much that we thought it was gone; apparently not. A fresh taste reveals it’s as good as a year ago, maybe even better developed with a wealth of spice notes from chipotle on the nose to black tea and cardamom on the finish. Otherwise last year’s notes cover it well. When first opened it shows a typical Carneros style restraint but becomes more lively and full with air as boysenberry and ripe cherry flavors balance the loamy dried herb earth notes. Shifting through a range of Pinot personalities, it offered flashes of Burgundy, New Zealand, Oregon and of course California. $11.99
Belezos Rioja Crianza 2012
An end-of-vintage deal cuts the price in half on this serious, earthy old world style Tempranillo. Rugged and hearty, the sideshow flavors take main stage as notes of old wood, leather, incense and milk chocolate surround a mellow core of dried cherry fruit. As with many nicely aged reds the texture is a big part of the allure - alternately powerful, grippy, elastic then creamy. It’s almost a snapshot of its lifetime arc: the spasms of youth, the solidity of the middle years, the gentle fade into maturity. $10.99
Sharecropper Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
A holiday-worthy offering from our friends at Owen Roe, you won’t mistake this for their Yakima Cab but you should be more than happy given the price to quality ratio. Easy-drinking yet interesting, the fruit is rich and satisfying, a mix of framboise reds and dried curranty blacks, and the barrel influences add dimension as notes of oaky spice, vanilla and tobacco linger on the finish. $11.99
Next Pinot Gris Willamette 2016
A new local favorite, this is a second label from King Estate, Pinot Gris experts. Boasting an envious 92 point review from Wine & Spirits, this more than delivers for its modest price. Ripe pear and pineapple notes are satisfyingly plump yet clean and citrus herbal flavors keep it fresh and lively. $11.99
Château Trebiac Graves 2012
A good bottle of Bordeaux (or Claret as the English like to say) is a classy addition to Christmas dinner and this end-of-vintage deal is definitely classy. The Graves appellation sits south of the city of Bordeaux and takes it name from the gravelly soil. Good wines from here tend to be elegant and nuanced with a graphite gravelly edge, like this bottling. With a silky medium-bodied texture, the plum and black currant fruit has an umami-like background as hints of mushroom, licorice and sage perfume the whole. Regularly $19, here $11.99
Verso Rosso Salento 2016
With an Amarone-like richness warmth and softness, this southern Italian red blend is a perfect wintertime companion. 15% of the grapes are dried before fermentation resulting in a wealth of complex heady aromas and a broad powerful texture. Hints of pipe tobacco, exotic spice, dried fennel and roses lead to dark plum and macerated blackberry on the palate while just enough acidity and tannin on the finish holds all the richness together. $11.50
Li Veli Fiano Salento 2017
Fiano has been made into wine since at least the time of the Romans yet is still found mostly in the southern Italian region of Campania. This version from the heel of the boot showcases Fiano’s trademark flavor profile: highly expressive and floral with a mild honeyed nuttiness. The fruit flavors lean tropical balanced by tangerine and lime and the finish is dry, salt-tinged and stony. $9.99
Evodia Garnacha 2017
Charming, pretty and oh-so easy to like, this is a good example of why Grenache is so widely planted across northern Spain and southern France. Reminiscent of a clean gentle Côtes du Rhône but softer and juicier than most, the fruit is all happy fresh strawberry and red cherry with a light dusting of dried clay and brown baking spice for accent. $9.99
Vieux Pressoir Saumur Méthode Traditionelle NV
So creamy and delicious you can serve it for breakfast! See Champagne Sale listing above for description. $12.99
Moulin de Gassac Rouge 2017
The second label of esteemed Mas de Daumas Gassac, this offers the grace and elegance of their main wine at a fraction of the price. A curiosity of the Herault region west of Montpellier, their soil is similar to Bordeaux and their main wine is a lovely Cabernet-based blend that tastes half-Bordeaux, half-Languedoc. This, made with Syrah, Grenache and Carignan, has a similar Bordeaux-like structure married to the true sunny flavors of the region. The aromatics are pretty and delicate, floral lavender and ground pepper and the medium-bodied fruit on the palate is youthful and precise. Crushed red berries mingle with a minerally undercurrent before finishing clean and firm. $11.99
Palama Archangelo Negroamaro 2016
A perennial holiday favorite, this new vintage is again a balanced mix of fleshy red/black fruits and earthy southern Italian spice; user-friendly enough for a crowd with just a whiff of old world rusticity for interest. Rich yet sinewy in texture, it would pair nicely with a variety of dishes. $11.50
Valdelagunde Rueda 2017
This 100% Verdejo offers a joyful ride of rolling sappy pear and fleshy white peach flavors before a tangerine zestiness cuts in, bringing a racy vibrant end to the boisterous mouthful of fruit. Like a roller coaster that you want to ride again, the flavors go up, then down and around again. $9.99
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.
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