Red Half Btl $102
Tenuta San Guido ‘Guidalberto’ 2020
Toscana
- same producer as Sassicaia, the original Super Tusan
- the wine is named after the family ancestor Guidalberto della Gherardesca, an agricultural pioneer in the Bolgheri area. It was in the first decades of the 1800’s when he built the first factories, and churches, and planned the avenue of cypress trees, the Viale dei Cipressi
- limestone with some clay
- French and American oak aging 20-25 mths
- Cab Sauv and Merlot
Erbaluce di Caluso $98
Cieck ‘Metodo Classico’ 2017
- benchmark for Spumante Erbaluce di Caluso
- DOCG in 2010
- soils sandy with Alpine glacial deposits
Piedmontese White $64
Luigi Baudana ‘Dragon’ 2021
Langhe
- Field blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and native grape Nascetta; vinified together
- stainless steel aging
- aroma of kiwi, lime, pear; flint and sea stone minerality; citrus, orchard fruit, elderflower, candied orange peel; fresh and vibrant acidity
Umbrian White $79
Terre Margaritelli ‘Greco di Renabianca’
2019
- 100% Grechetto
- nose of almond, wild herbs, cedar, broom and licorice; palate ripe fruit, savory balsamic, slightly smoked
- strong texture
- short aging in French oak
- White meats also spiced, shellfish, smoked pork
Greco di Tufo $78
Fonzone 2019
- volcanic ash soils with clay and sand
- stainless steel aging with periodic batonnage
- Deep golden yellow color; perfumed notes of orange blossom, grapefruit peel and pineapple
- soft, juicy, with a long finish that reveals, in retro-nasal, pleasant sensations of dried apricot
Vermentino $88
Ryme ‘Hers’ Los Carneros
2020
- husband and wife primarily focused on Italian varietals in N. California
- sand and silt
- fresh style of Liguria and Gallura in Sardegna
- whole cluster pressed, settled clean, and fermented without inoculation in a combination of old neutral barrels and stainless steel; spontaneous partial malolactic fermentation.
Boca $99
Vallana 2007
- one of smallest, Northernmost regions in Italy
- Nebbiolo/Spanna (65%), Vespolina (20%) and Uva Rara (15%)
- Nebbiolo confers the structure and the aromatic background; Vespolina adds a fresh, floral quality, and Uva Rara brings a round, silky texture
- fermentation in cement; blended aged in 10 HL casks for two years
Barbera d’Alba. $79
Costa di Bussia ‘Campo di Gatto’
2019
- South facing plot within Bussia vineyard with 50 yr old vines; fuller more complex
- limestone with clay marl; less sand
- 18 mths in 500L French oak barrels
- deep ruby, maraschino cherry, wild berry jam, blueberry
- roast/grilled meats, mature cheeses
Barolo $139
Marrone, 2015
- aroma of wild rose/dried violet followed by savory spice, tar and licorice.
- 100% Nebbiolo
- Castiglione Falletto and La Morra vineyards;average vine age: 35 years; altitudes 350 and 300 meters; Southwest and South aspect; calcareous marl soils with high percentage of sand and sandstone
- hand harvested first week October; fermented at 30°C on skins 30 days in 50% – 30Hl and 50% barriques. Aged on lees for 8 months; in wood for 24 months
Barolo Broglio $163
Schiavenza 2014
- Cru in Serralunga d’Alba at 360m with SE exposure; larger % clay in topsoil
- most fruit forward of Schaivenza’s cru bottlings
- macerates 25 days on the skins. Fermentation in cement vats 10-12 days at 25-30 °C. Pumping over and airing twice a day with temperature check. Frequent racking; minimum of three years in 2,000- to 4,000-liter Slavonian oak barrels
- Ripe cherry, supple texture supporting leather, tar and underbrush elements; shortage of acidity and tannins.
Barolo Riserva $156
Sottocastello di Novello
Piazzo, 2013
- intensity, structure, elegance; in commune of Novello
-18 months in small oak barrels, several months bottle - intense and expansive, hints of fruit jam and nuts, flowery and sweet spicy notes; ethereal undertone of tobacco and tar
- warm and full-bodied, with great tannins and excellent aromatic finish.
- red meat and game, aged cheese
Barbaresco $111
Ca’ del Baio “Autinbej” 2019
- Autinbej is a tribute to Giulio Grasso’s late father, Ernesto, who often used the Piemontese word to describe the best vineyard exposures
- soils gray marl, limestone, sand; one vineyard is west-facing and the other east-facing
- 24 mths in large Slavonian oak barrels (boti) , aged in bottle 4 mths before release
- aroma reminiscent of raspberries, jam, and violets; sweet spicy notes and hints of cocoa
Gaja Half Bottle $298
Gaja Barbaresco 2011
- sourced from 14 vineyards in Barbaresco and Treiso
Chianti Colli Senesi $68
Montenidoli ‘Il Garrulo’, 2019
- subzone of hills of Sienna and San Gimignano
- soil: clayey, calcareous
- traditional blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Malvasia, Trebbiano
- practicing organic
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva $88
Salcheto, 2015
- aged 18 mths 70% botti, 30% tonneaux; 6 mth bottle age
- cherry, plum, blackberry and strawberry; flint, iron, garden herbs; fruit-laden but not heavy, lovely freshness; dry, linear tannins are sandy
- sustainable farming practices
- 2015 standout vintage in Tuscany
Brunello di Montalcino $169
Castello Romitorio, 2006
- Classic style producer from NW Montalcino
- 24 mth in oak
-Marasca cherry, violet and pomegranate; nuances of sage and soy with increasing age; firm but fine tannins; tertiary notes of leather and herb - 2006 legendary vintage in Tuscany
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva $219
Franco Pacenti, 2012
- 2012 varied weather with varied results; good vintage overall; drink now
- NE side of Montalcino hill in the Canalicchio area, 300 mt altitude above sea level
- clay composition, rich in Magnesium, Potassium, Boron and Manganese
- 36 mths in lg Slavonian and French oak barrel, followed by a bottle aging longer than 6 months
Bolgheri $139
Tenuta Argentiera 2019
‘Villa Donoratico’
-Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Merlot 35%,, Cabernet Franc 20%, Petit Verdot 5%
- 80% aged in 500L French and Austrian oak tonneaux, 20% in 225L French oak barriques.
-Soils continental sands and Flysch (sedimentary rocks consisting of limestone, marble, clay interbedded with sandstones and siliceous rock)
- 2019 good to excellent vintage
Valpolicella Classico Superiore $96
Domini Veneti 2017
‘Verjago’
- fruity aroma of cherry and currant, floral notes of violet and spiced with pepper, nutmeg and ginger; fresh, lively, dry and persistent thanks to the right balance and fine tannins
- Corvina 60% Corvinone 15%, Rondinella 15%, other grapes as per disciplinary 10%
- drying process key to 2017 vintage added complexity in otherwise lower than usual acid year
Aglianico Campania $77
San Salvatore 2019
‘Ceraso’
- aged in steel for 8 mth
- sapid, taut and fruity vibrations; spicy but silky tannic texture; fresh acidity and aromas reminiscent of wild berries and black pepper; intense minerality
- family also raises buffalo makes mozzerella
Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva. $72
Contini ‘Inu’ 2016
- Grenache and other local grapes
- 12 mth new and 2nd fill barriques and 450L puncheons followed by 6 mth in bottle
- dark berry fruit, plums, brambles, licorice, cinnamon
Pinot Noir $89
J. Christopher ‘Basalte’
Willamette Valley 2018
- Chehalem Mtn fruit
- Basalt soils give rocky minerality
- textbook perfect vintage in Willamette
Cabernet Sauvignon $119
Post Parade ‘Stretch Drive’
Napa Valley 2018
- from winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown (worked with Mondavi, Schrader, Shibumi Knoll
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 22 months 78% new French oak
Syrah $119
Copia ‘The Source’
Central Coast 2018
- 97% Syrah, 3% Grenache
- 97% Jespersen Ranch, Edna Valley, 3% Sorso Vineyard, Paso Robles Willow Creek District
- 20 months 56% new French oak
- black/blue fruit, bacon fat, daffodils, hyacinths; spice box element, cocoa, refined tannins and a great backbone of acidity; full body
- Northern Rhône-like in savoriness
