Bodegas Santo Tomas Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Mexico may not be the first place you think of when you think of wine but it was the first country to make wine in the Americas. Santo Tomas is Mexico’s 2nd oldest winery with the original vines planted in the late 1700’s. The winery was constructed in 1888. Santo Tomas was also the first winery in Mexico to have a female winemaker! With Laura Zamora at the helm, the winery has won more than 250
international medals. Ensenada is becoming an important cultural reference point for winemaking and cuisine and women are leading the way there! Here is a great video featuring Laura (in Spanish)- Click here
With this wine, Laura was seeking to create a pleasing and juicy red wine that pairs easily with many foods, in much the same way that a good Pinot Noir can. Being 100% Cabernet sauvignon, the flavor profile is the expected dark berries and cassis but the restrained alcohol level and stainless-steel fermentation and aging makes this uncomplicated and one glass will follow another over the course of a meal!
Puriri Hills "Mokaroa" Bordeaux Red Blend 2017
Judy moved to New Zealand’s Auckland area in 1995 after a hectic business career and set out to
live out an unexpressed dream, to grow grapes and make them into great wine. She sought out the right property, planted a vineyard, learned to make wine and built a winery. Seems like quite a lot for a second career! Her success has been remarkable! Judy gives her story very well in this video: Click Here
The Mokoroa Red is an introduction to the complexity of aromas and flavors that can be achieved in Auckland’s cool, maritime climate. It is a barrel selection that get a lower percentage of new, French oak versus her reserve wines, but it still spends, on average, 18 months in barrel just like Judy’s more expensive Puriri Hills wines.
This wine will delight and surprise your customers as great Bordeaux blends are not what Americans expect from New Zealand. The fact that Judy is from right here in the mid-Atlantic, just makes the story and the enjoyment better!
Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Coteaux du Giennois Rose 2019
Located in the heart of the village of Sury-en-Vaux (5 km from Sancerre), Domaine Raimbault-Pineau was formed by a family of Sancerre winemakers that have been producing wine for over 3 centuries. Sonia Raimbault, now joined by her children, makes this the 13th generation! The Raimbault family has continuously worked this land, and today the domaine has 40 separate plots of AOC Sancerre, Pouilly Fume and Coteaux du Giennois vines.
Please enjoy this short video with Sonia: Click Here
Located just to the north and east of Sancerre in the central Loire Valley, Coteaux du Giennois fittingly has significant acreage of Sauvignon Blanc under vine. The red and rosé wines may be the region's most distinctive offerings. A blend of Pinot Noir (80%) and Gamay, this rose is juicy yet refined. Making good use of the exceptional quality of the 2019 vintage and its year in the bottle, this wine melds the black cherry fruits with brighter strawberry notes along with some garden herbs for accent, making this a wine in its drinking prime! Slightly fuller and darker than the Provence model, here we have a dry rosé that drinks well year-round.
Bodegas Magnus Syrah/Cabernet 2015
Tarija is the most important winegrowing area in Bolivia and traces winemaking back to Jesuit missionaries who planted vines and used pink peppercorn trees as trellising. The altitude of the vineyards is between 5250 and 7100 feet, making this one of the highest viticultural regions in the world. Bodegas
Magnus is owned and run by Liz Arancibia Zambra, an unapologetic, self-taught Bolivian winemaker. Liz’s boutique winery produces a little more than 2 thousand cases of wine a year and her estate-grown, sustainably-farmed Magnus wines are a fresh expression of her unique and demanding style. In 1928, Liz’s Grandfather- in- Law decided to realize his dream and started the first winery in Tarija. They made all kinds of products from singani (grape brandy) to vermouth to wine. The winery today is in Valle de Concepcion. FUN FACT: this location is the home and estate of a general who fought in the independence war against Peru in 1812. While grapes have been growing on Liz’s land for all of this time, she became more hands-on in the farming and viticulture in the last two decades. She had been selling her grapes to others but realized how prized her grapes were and made up her mind instead to start her own winery. 2006 she finally sold her first bottle!
Here is a video of the history of hope at Magnus with Liz (in Spanish): Click Here
The peppery notes of the Syrah meet well with the more powerful, darker flavors of the Cabernet. The high altitude gives an electricity to this wine. It pops with vibrance! Think of the vibrance you get from the Valle d’Aosta, Alto Adige or Salta in Argentina, and you realize that this is a special wine from a soon to be special area in the world of wine.
Lumos Pinot Gris "Rudolfo" 2018
Lumos is owned by the formidable, Dai Crisp. Dai is widely regarded as one of, if not the very best grower in Oregon. He has managed the famous Temperance Hill vineyard for close to 20 years and every vineyard Dai works with is fully organic. Julia has been his ace in the hole. Adding just the right conservative touches in the winery to let the near perfect fruit shine through. Here is a video with Julia and Dai’s son, Boone, talking about one of the Pinot Noirs she makes. : Click Here
This young gris leads with a faint spritz of lemon balm and grapefruit zest, with juicy acidity and a plush mouth feel. Organically grown grapes are vinified in all stainless steel, resulting in this fresh, delightfully textural wine. It’s clean and crisply delicious. Double Gold at the Oregon Wine Awards, Gold from Wine Press Northwest, 90 points and Best Buy in Wine & Spirits
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