Shop for Wine
Shop for Wine
No Results
Double Ripasse
Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre are happy bedfellows from anywhere, and the Vellas family has sites throughout Mediterranean France that allow balance as well as intensity to be achieved. But the curiouser element to this wine is the name. My French is pretty damned elementary and “double ripasse” doesn't appear on any of the slang sites I can find. In wine terms, ripasse is to press or to squeeze, and that typically means someone has made wine from grapes but held onto the skins. Then they dump fresh must onto to those once-squeezed skins, using the new juice to soak more flavor (and often tannin and earthiness) from the skins. But then there is the picture on the label and the Vellas propensity to pun – they’ve a lot of those up their sleeves. So if you know why “double ripasse” somehow translates to burning money, please let us know. Until then, enjoy the rich, earthy character and texture.
Type, Body & Flavor
Escorlada
Spanish wine is a bargain, right? It’s been that way for decades, though it’s only been in the last ten or fifteen years that the wider world has dropped some in their gullets and said, wait, this costs how much? Certainly, less than it should. It doesn't take geniuses to notice it, so we’re not making any claims to our own brilliance. In the case of this Garnacha Tintorera, we’re pretty sure we’ve found what may be the best sub $20 wine we have ever tasted. Spain has done it again!
Type, Body & Flavor
Highland Falls
"Mountain-grown, it’s the richest kind,” as coffee commercials used to say, but it’s also true of Cabernet. Foley Family's pedigree doesn’t hurt either: the guys who bring you Merus, Chalone and Chalk Hill Wines are behind the powerhouse Highland Falls lineup too.
Type, Body & Flavor
Jovino Pinot Noir
This Pinot Noir is the result of a blend of some of the most compelling Pinot Noir plantings in Oregon. Soft and friendly, it is full of bright cherry flavors. A true value in Oregon Pinot!
Type, Body & Flavor
Kingstree Cabernet
This is a tasty little gem unearthed by the pros at Banshee Wines. Banshee, started by three guys who just happened to like wine and wanted an excuse to be out west, hasn't been around long but they sure have kicked off righteously during their short career. They’ve always been focused upon cooler climate sites, especially with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and at the prices they offer their wines, it’s no surprise that things have gone swimmingly well.
Type, Body & Flavor
Kingstree Proprietary Red
I'll be honest. Wines of this quality at this price are few and far between as vintners continue to try and stretch their prices further and further. It's a big and bold red from your friends at Pavilion...these guys know what they are doing!
Type, Body & Flavor
La Clef du Recit Menetou Salon
While the estate has been around for decades, Le Clef du Recit is newly helmed by Anthony Girard, whose family are well-known as Loire Valley vintners. His brother runs the family biz and young Anthony had a chance to buy some sweet, sweet soil. What is sweet soil in Sancerre? Think Terres Blanches, meaning white earth, or a lot of fractured limestone. The fancy wine people call it Kimmeridgian marl, which maybe you’ve heard about. If not, no worries. It’s near the town of Récy, so the “key” (clef) to the “story” (Récit) is that the land and exposure are ideal for unlocking the character of nervy, mineral laden Sauvignon Blanc, happy to be in such a special place.
Type, Body & Flavor
Ladron del Palacio
The powers behind Bodegas Lo Nuevo are crucial to the modern success of Spanish wine, especially wines from the Levante, the Africa-facing south. Here the Almansa region grows Garnacha, among other traditional Spanish red grapes, but unlike the oxidized, alcoholic wines of yore, the new wines are bright and sunny with all the original fruits from the grape preserved. Bodegas Lo Nuevo would be the first to insist that their success is conditioned upon old vines grown at high altitudes. Here the Garnacha is at nearly 3500 feet, where the otherwise relentlessly warm temperatures see nighttime cooling into the 40s.
Type, Body & Flavor
Lafage Miraflors Rose
Dry rose is the flavor of the moment, and southern France is the style's birthplace and homeland. A refreshing blend of Mourvedre and Grenache Gris, more complex than most any dry rose you've ever had.
Type, Body & Flavor
Larme en Rose
If you stick around the wine business long enough, you’ll have seen it all. Where once wine coolers were cooler than Liebfraumilch, now hard seltzer is hot (served cold). White Zin was once de rigeur, though it was never French; it was from the good ol’ US of A. But then that became too sweet and the category died. Or seemed to. Because then rosé rose up like a zombie eager for fresh meat, though the current iteration of the pink stuff is more often French than not. Provence is the epicenter of it and the French have figured out how we like it: dry, pale pink, light and refreshing.
Type, Body & Flavor
Double Ripasse
Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre are happy bedfellows from anywhere, and the Vellas family has sites throughout Mediterranean France that allow balance as well as intensity to be achieved. But the curiouser element to this wine is the name. My French is pretty damned elementary and “double ripasse” doesn't appear on any of the slang sites I can find. In wine terms, ripasse is to press or to squeeze, and that typically means someone has made wine from grapes but held onto the skins. Then they dump fresh must onto to those once-squeezed skins, using the new juice to soak more flavor (and often tannin and earthiness) from the skins. But then there is the picture on the label and the Vellas propensity to pun – they’ve a lot of those up their sleeves. So if you know why “double ripasse” somehow translates to burning money, please let us know. Until then, enjoy the rich, earthy character and texture.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Escorlada
Spanish wine is a bargain, right? It’s been that way for decades, though it’s only been in the last ten or fifteen years that the wider world has dropped some in their gullets and said, wait, this costs how much? Certainly, less than it should. It doesn't take geniuses to notice it, so we’re not making any claims to our own brilliance. In the case of this Garnacha Tintorera, we’re pretty sure we’ve found what may be the best sub $20 wine we have ever tasted. Spain has done it again!
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Highland Falls
"Mountain-grown, it’s the richest kind,” as coffee commercials used to say, but it’s also true of Cabernet. Foley Family's pedigree doesn’t hurt either: the guys who bring you Merus, Chalone and Chalk Hill Wines are behind the powerhouse Highland Falls lineup too.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Jovino Pinot Noir
This Pinot Noir is the result of a blend of some of the most compelling Pinot Noir plantings in Oregon. Soft and friendly, it is full of bright cherry flavors. A true value in Oregon Pinot!
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Kingstree Cabernet
This is a tasty little gem unearthed by the pros at Banshee Wines. Banshee, started by three guys who just happened to like wine and wanted an excuse to be out west, hasn't been around long but they sure have kicked off righteously during their short career. They’ve always been focused upon cooler climate sites, especially with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and at the prices they offer their wines, it’s no surprise that things have gone swimmingly well.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Kingstree Proprietary Red
I'll be honest. Wines of this quality at this price are few and far between as vintners continue to try and stretch their prices further and further. It's a big and bold red from your friends at Pavilion...these guys know what they are doing!
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
La Clef du Recit Menetou Salon
While the estate has been around for decades, Le Clef du Recit is newly helmed by Anthony Girard, whose family are well-known as Loire Valley vintners. His brother runs the family biz and young Anthony had a chance to buy some sweet, sweet soil. What is sweet soil in Sancerre? Think Terres Blanches, meaning white earth, or a lot of fractured limestone. The fancy wine people call it Kimmeridgian marl, which maybe you’ve heard about. If not, no worries. It’s near the town of Récy, so the “key” (clef) to the “story” (Récit) is that the land and exposure are ideal for unlocking the character of nervy, mineral laden Sauvignon Blanc, happy to be in such a special place.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Ladron del Palacio
The powers behind Bodegas Lo Nuevo are crucial to the modern success of Spanish wine, especially wines from the Levante, the Africa-facing south. Here the Almansa region grows Garnacha, among other traditional Spanish red grapes, but unlike the oxidized, alcoholic wines of yore, the new wines are bright and sunny with all the original fruits from the grape preserved. Bodegas Lo Nuevo would be the first to insist that their success is conditioned upon old vines grown at high altitudes. Here the Garnacha is at nearly 3500 feet, where the otherwise relentlessly warm temperatures see nighttime cooling into the 40s.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Lafage Miraflors Rose
Dry rose is the flavor of the moment, and southern France is the style's birthplace and homeland. A refreshing blend of Mourvedre and Grenache Gris, more complex than most any dry rose you've ever had.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Larme en Rose
If you stick around the wine business long enough, you’ll have seen it all. Where once wine coolers were cooler than Liebfraumilch, now hard seltzer is hot (served cold). White Zin was once de rigeur, though it was never French; it was from the good ol’ US of A. But then that became too sweet and the category died. Or seemed to. Because then rosé rose up like a zombie eager for fresh meat, though the current iteration of the pink stuff is more often French than not. Provence is the epicenter of it and the French have figured out how we like it: dry, pale pink, light and refreshing.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions