July Case Of The Month - $115
COM = a mixed case with one bottle each of these winners
– or you can buy them individually as well
Oyster Bay Pinot Noir Marlborough 2017
New Zealand Pinot is a tough sell in Oregon so instead of $17+, this is now just $12. Showing a different flavor profile than the homegrown stuff it’s a nice change of pace. Aromatically dark in personality, the nose offers distinctive notes of loamy soil, smoky black tea and peppery clove. On the palate it’s supple and polished with red berry flavors emerging mid-palate. The finish brightens, like a fog lifting, with hints of lemon and orange zest. $11.99
Valeserrano Rioja Crianza 2014
Family owned since the 1860s, Bodegas de la Marquesa has some of the oldest cellars in Rioja where this time last year I was lucky enough to visit. Their style is traditional but with a nod to drinkability and modern tastes. Medium-bodied, soft and aromatic with fragrant cedar on the nose, the palate is a mix of dried cherry and ripe plum, offering an old world aged quality balanced by a tangy freshness. Intermingled and echoing on the finish is an array of spice notes from nutmeg to mixed peppercorns to lightly toasted oak. $13.99
Monte Tondo Garganega Frizzante 2018
Somewhat similar in style to Vinho Verde, this is richer and creamier on the palate, offering more flavor and interest even as it refreshes. Fresh pear, toasted almonds and ginger ale flavors are balanced by brisk notes of lemon curd and sea salt, flavors that snap crackle and pop all the way through the long finish. $11.50
Sur de los Andes Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Everything about this 50/50 blend just clicked: silky and taut yet sappy and rich, the rolling waves of cassis and blackberry flavors are kept lively by a thread of high altitude acidity. The finish brings notes of mountain stone, cocoa and cream, disparate flavors that keep the palate engaged. $12.50
Eugene Carrel Rosé Savoie 2018
A perennial favorite here, this comes from France’s mountainous Savoie region and carries with it a sense of cool-climate freshness. A blend of 90% Gamay and 10% Mondeuse, this is pretty, gentle and rosy floral with tangy cherry and mild peachy flavors that linger on the palate before finishing with a crisp lemony snap. $11.99
Domaine du Moulin Gaillac 2017
Coming from the quiet hinterlands of southwestern France, this is a nice step off the beaten path. A 50/50 blend of Syrah and local varietal Duras, it offers the dark meaty notes typical of the appellation with enough polish and juiciness to be accessible. The muddled blackberry/boysenberry fruit is edged with aromas of charcoal and wet earth and the finish perks up trailing nuggets of tangy red berry. $11.50
Castle Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2016
A value-driven negociant style “winery” that contracts with grape growers and wineries to make their wines, Castle Rock did a great job with this one. Cheap, cheery and an all-around crowd pleaser for summer BBQs, this is full of flavor and that flavor actually tastes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Violet berry aromas lead to blackberry and currant on the palate brushed with notes of caramel and spicy oak. Smooth and sappy overall with a balancing grippiness on the finish. $8.99
Apex Sangiovese Columbia Valley 2014
This Washington Sangio tastes surprisingly like a slightly aged Tuscan with dappled smoky cherry fruit and flashes of pepper-spiced salami, but the texture and finish is pure Americana: smooth and plush on the palate, the finish is a long meandering river of creamy, tasty milk chocolate. Originally in the high teens, it’s the last of the vintage so now just $10.99.
La Quercia Aglianico 2016
Aglianico is most often found in Campania where the volcanic soil tends to produce wines with structure, tannin and peppery notes.version from Puglia offers a more sunny open personality: full bodied, ripe, and mouthfillingly soft. Clearly touched by the sun, this offers a pool of dark plum fruit accented with appealing warm tones of a baker's kitchen from toffee and raisins to cinnamon and allspice. With a milk chocolate creaminess, the texture is caressing and inviting, finishing with a hint of the varietal's trademark peppery mineral grip. $12.99
Wildstock Chardonnay 2015
Here we go again…Originally $20, Scott Paul Winery’s second label has brought us great Pinot Noir and Blanc deals for almost a year. To push through the final inventory they dropped prices even lower so we revisited this and are glad we did. Round mid-weight and supple, its lemony unoaked freshness is balanced by deeper flavors of red apple and nectarine, finishing with a citrus zest bite. Made in the resurgent Oregon style (balanced, clean, inspired by Burgundy) it’s a whole lotta wine for $8.99.
Altos de la Hoya Monastrell 2016
A consistent value with loads of old world character (despite the newer stylized label), this 2016 is one of the darker more powerful vintages of late. 100% Monastrell (Mourvèdre) from very old dry-farmed vineyards in Spain’s Jumilla region, it’s dark and chewy with a swirl of wild aromatics coloring the muscled black fruit. Cured black olive, dried rosemary and lavender sets your palate clearly near the Mediterranean even if you can’t get there yourself. $11.50
Domaine des Cassagnoles Côtes de Gascogne 2018
This summertime favorite delivers waves of vibrant white peach and honeydew melon fruit shot through with a mouthwatering burst of lime zest. The overall feel is racy and refreshing but there’s enough fleshy white fruit to balance it out, while whispers of saline add depth on the finish. $8.99
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