Wine Type: Featured

‘Nota Bene’ Black Hills Winery, Black Sage Bench, Okanagan Valley BC 2008

'Nota Bene' Black Hills Winery, Black Sage Bench, Okanagan Valley BC 2008

This is a finely tuned example of what great Meritage should be - sweet oak and skin tannins, jammy blackberry over cedar notes and loads of mineral, showing off the distinct Black Sage Bench terroir. A big, dark and elegant wine which will reward us all with a vigorous decanting (i would suggest letting it sit in the decanter for a good fifteen minutes before enjoying - so be sure to order it for your mains as soon as you sit, that way it'll be ready for you!). This wine is hard to find even in its native province, and we're lucky enough to be able to bring it to you at such a stunning value.

  • Price (bottle) ~ $85.

Robert Biale Zinfandel ‘Black Chicken’ Napa Valley 2008

'Black Chicken' Zinfandel, Robert Biale, Napa Valley 2008

Wine Spectator 91 points! Dense yet sleek, with blackberry and cracked pepper aromas and complex, layered flavors of plum, licorice and roasted sage, finishing with firm, loamy tannins. Needs time. Best from 2012 through 2016. This is a highly Allocated wine in California, similar in style to a Turley zin, and every bit as rare!

  • Price (bottle) ~ $100.00

Rosso ‘Ca del Merlo’

Guiseppe Quintarelli, Veneto, Italy 1997

Considered to be the Master of the Veneto, Guiseppe Quintarelli’s Valpolicellas rival many Amarones! The blend for the Ca del Merlo is exactly the same as the regular Valpolicella, but the grapes come from a single hilltop vineyard. Add this to the not insignificant vintage (considered the best in Veneto and Tuscany) and you will find a rare treat in this bottling.

  • Price (bottle) ~ $175

Valpolicella Classico Superiore

Guiseppe Quintarelli, Veneto, Italy 1998

Both this and the Ca del Merlot are made in the Ripasso style, where the wine is aged on the lees of the previous years wine, and are a blend of three grapes, also used for Amarone: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. Enjoy with all manner of meats, or on its own, to savor the elegant texture and great length that make these wines instant classics!

  • Price (bottle) ~ $140

Château Belgrave

Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France 1996

Now here’s something you don’t see every day – a mature Bordeaux from a very good year and a respected producer that won’t break your wallet! 1996 is considered the best vintage in Bordeaux since 1982, and though the wine is mature, it is ready, and drinking very well right now, and will show lovely juicy black fruit with hints of tar.

  • Price (bottle) ~ $135

Pinot Noir

‘Justice Vineyard’, Westrey Wine Co., Willamette Valley, Oregon USA 2004

I think the thing that I find most intriguing about the Westrey Wine Co. is that the two winemakers, Amy Wesselman and David Autrey (Wes-trey) both have degrees in philosophy, of all things. How then does one make the leap into winemaking? It might not be as absurd as it seems, going back to the ancient philosophers: The ancient Greeks and Romans all had things to say about the pleasures and characteristics of wine. “In vino veritas (In wine is truth),” says Plato. Hippocrates said, “Wine is an appropriate article for mankind, both for the healthy body and for the ailing man.” In Homer’s Odyssey, he wrote, “Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile.” Ponder that!

  • Price (bottle) ~ $75

Sancerre

Fournier, Loire Valley, France 2003

Another rarity – when we think of Sancerre, we think of crisp and aromatic Sauvignon, but here is a little gem that is worth discovery. Pinot Noir is the grape, and its expression in the Loire Valley is pure and simple, stainless steel aged and unoaked. It is difficult to imagine an unoaked Pinot Noir if you have never experienced it, but here is where it finds its most elemental expression. From vines that average about twenty years of age. You will find aromas of leather, brandied cherries and smoky notes with a hint of tannin.

  • Price (bottle) ~ $60

Château Peyrabon Cru Bourgeois Haut-Médoc

Bordeaux, France 1996

A mature Bordeaux from the magic 1996 vintage. Primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc blended in. The property was granted cru bourgeois status in the 2003 classification. A good spice and liquorice nose here, still showing a little oak. The palate has balance, although some good tannins dominate the finish.

  • Price (bottle) ~ $55

Mukuzani

Tamada Winery, Kakheti, Georgia 2004

Made from Saperavi grapes in Georgia, where it has been grown since 1888. It is said to have been Stalin’s favorite wine. Georgia itself is home to what is thought to be the first ‘vinifera’ (noble) grape vines in the world, making it the ancestral home to more familiar grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The wineries’ name, Tamada, pays homage to the one at the dinner table who is responsible for making the toasts during a meal: a Georgian tradition which has carried over the centuries into all cultures, though perhaps not taken quite as seriously as it is in Georgia. This wine is dry, and is best enjoyed with dark meats and steaks.

  • Price (bottle) ~ $29