Tag Archives: Vermont

The Great 2010 Southern Rhone vintage strikes again!

Posted on by

After extensive tastings of superlative Rhone wines with many winemakers at various tastings and shows up and down the East coast, the string of GREAT Rhone wines from the spectacular 2010 vintage never ceases to amaze us at Church Street Wine Cellars. Our Burlington, Vermont wine cellar at 2 Church Street, in Burlington, Vermont has always carried a variety of hard-to-get Rhones from Eric Solomon’s European Cellars and other specialty importers.

Case in point, new to the store today: Côtes-du-Rhône, Domaine D’Andezon Rhône Valley, France 2010 From the warmer, southwest part of the southern Rhone delta, this wine is a great choice if paired with the appropriate hearty foods…old vines (+60 yrs), a classic “cool-fruit” (menthol) component typical of older vines…is truly outstanding.  Young & primary now, decant or lay some down for a while, this wine is the “perfect poor man’s cellar” candidate! Reminiscent of better Chateaunuf-du-Pape, I’d grab a case of this while you can and put it in the cellar and forget about it for a few years, you will be amply rewarded. Once again, this is no surprise to us, we’ve been supporting this Syrah-driven wine as a great stylistic counterpoint to (and along with) many of the other Grenache-based Rhone wines we also carry for MANY vintages now.

We say “while you can” because the bane of so many of the wines that we carry is, the higher the press score, usually, the faster they sell out, at both our retail level, as well as the supplier level…so like the 2010 Chateau Pesquie “Cuvee des Terrasses” Cotes-du-Ventoux offering (94 points, Wine Advocate, a few weeks ago) grab it before it’s gone! Not that we don’t love to see the reviews, but our discoveries usually occur BEFORE the press happens, and we often just get a good run going with something, then the big scores come out and bang, it’s GONE! This is one the most frustrating parts of our business.

Hot off the presses from Jeb Dunnuck’s, The Rhone Report, 92 points “Easily the best vintage of this to date, the 2010 Les Vignerons d’Estézargues Côtes du Rhône Domaine d’Andézon is a tank and cement aged blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache. Sporting a deep purple color as well as fantastically good aromas of pure blackberry, licorice, lavender, crushed flowers, and wet stone-like minerality on the nose. Very pure and clean, with superb richness and complexity, the wine is medium to full-bodied and beautifully textured on the palate, possessing a full, rich mid-palate, excellent balance, juicy acidity, and ripe tannin on the finish that adds additional cut and edge to all the fruit. Straight up delicious and a joy to drink, this is an awesome value that should delight for 3-5 years.”

and

Review by Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 195 (Jun 2011), Rating: 91, Drink 2011 – 2015
“The classic cuvee, which has long been selected by importer Eric Solomon, is their 2010 Domaine d’Andezon, a blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache. While there are critics of Syrah grown in the southern Rhone, even the cynics agree that the old-vine Syrah from the Gard has a special character to it. This wine comes from 40+year-old Syrah vines and 60+year-old Grenache vines, bottled unfined and unfiltered after being aged in both tank and concrete. Dense ruby/purple, with a stunning nose of blackberry liqueur and jus de viande (beef/meat juices), its thrilling, intensely pure, full-bodied mouthfeel, good freshness, and striking floral character all combine for one of the very best bargains in dry red wine that readers are likely to find anywhere in the world. This is super and should continue to drink well for another 3-4 years. This co-op, located just south of the village of Chateauneuf du Pape in the sector known as the Gard, has been a perennial top-bargain pick in The Wine Advocate. Importer: Eric Solomon, Charlotte, NC”

Come on in, relax, un-cork and un-wine at Church Street Wine Cellars and see what other great wines we have! Join our e-mail list for notification about Winemaker Dinners, our off-site tastings, and our specialty…free in-store, eductional wine tastings on Friday nights or on Saturday days with the best and most extensive tasting notes in the business for you to take home with you (along with a few bottles).

Celebrating Three Years of Women in Business! Burlington’s only exclusively female owned and operated wine store!

Introducing Banshee Wines…or How to Buy a $175 Napa Valley Cult-Classic Cab for less than 38 bucks!

Posted on by

Introducing BANSHEE WINES
We at Church Street Wine Cellars originally got to know our friend, Baron Ziegler when he often came to Vermont while working for Eric Solomon at European Cellars, one of our favorite importers of Southern French and Spanish wine gems.

Well he has recently started his own company along with fellow industry insiders Noah Dorrance, Andrew Crookes and Steve Graf. With their combined experience in restaurant, retail, wholesale and the import businesses, they are uniquely suited to service the distinct needs within each tier of the wine industry, and be the finest stewards for their stable of incredible producers, both foreign (under their import label, Valkyrie Selections, but more on that another time) and domestic.

Banshee Wines is doing the backdoor barrel routine (buying barrels from some of California’s top cult wineries for 15 cents on the dollar) as well making some really GREAT wines. These guys and this brand is absolutely ON FIRE…and you just have to own some of these wines! The QPR value (Quality/Price Ratio) is OFF THE CHARTS!

In Baron’s own words:
“Banshee Wines is not your normal wine company. It is a band of wine industry insiders dedicated to producing benchmark wines without the cult wine prices. We specialize in finding hidden gems in other wineries’ cellars and then blending those barrels to create killer wines. For every barrel we take, we pass on 15 more that don’t make the cut.

The secret is that today, high-end wineries can’t sell all the wine they make and they don’t want to lower prices because they don’t want to diminish their brand. They would rather sell some of their wine to us and protect their luxury prices, knowing that we’ll maintain a strict confidentiality and produce top notch wines.”

Fine by us, and even better for you. You’ll find Banshee on some of the best restaurant lists in the world, in the cellars of select wine cognoscenti, and in only the finest retail shops…you know, those people that tend to know these types of things, like us at Church Street Wine Cellars!

Their goal is to deliver distinctive wines that beat the pants off many costing twice as much. Well know it we do, and we’re true believers in what these guys are doing. We know you will be too.

The Line-Up…

- Banshee Sauvignon Blanc Napa 2010 $19.99
This is a slighty grassy, lemon blossom and citrusy Sauvignon Blanc, with no malo but a rush of melony goodness on the palate. Medium-bodied, this wine has good texture AND acidity, which would come as no surprise if you knew the wine’s source. Banshee gets 98% of the fruit from one of the top Sauvignon Blanc producers in the Napa Valley (maybe you can get it out of us over a glass of wine). Try this with fresh-shucked oysters, a lobster boil or even a Chinese chicken salad. Yum! Everything about this summertime beauty screams “beat the heat”!

- Rickshaw Pinot Noir ’09 Sonoma County $16.99
The fruit is from Sonoma County, the wine is clean, ripe and flavorful and the concept is simple: evolved winemaking. Start with a surplus of quality wine that should be sold for more under a fancy label, select the best and sell for less. Bottle it under screwcap (au revoir, corked wine) in a bottle with a bright and snappy label and you’ve got yourself a fine deal. Nothing could be more natural.

This Pinot from Sonoma County sings from the minute you twist its cap. Full of aromas of sun-ripened blackberry and blueberry fruit, with a pretty cafe con leche note, the nose gives away its serious but accessible nature. Ripe, juicy and full of character, this gets even more impressive the moment it enters your mouth with the dark fruited tones of Sonoma Coast fruit and the soft open knit texture of Russian River Valley. With a likeable streak of oak toast running down the middle of the wine that adds dimension and richness, this is even appropriate for slightly heftier dishes like BBQ and fresh salmon. This speaks of the freshness of spring and the affordability to stock up for summer.

- Banshee Pinot Noir ’09 Sonoma County $24.99
A blend of five prominent vineyards, the 2009 Sonoma County Pinot Noir is a complex pinot with dark cherry fruit and sweet earthen minerality held together by bright acidity and long, ripe tannins. The vineyards utilized include a coveted high-density parcel in the Russian River Valley with Gold Ridge soils, a biodynamically farmed vineyard in the Sonoma Coast AVA, and a steep hillside location in the Petaluma Gap farmed organically.

100% Pinot Noir, less than 4000 cases made from Sonoma Coast and Russian River AVAs. Most of the wine received a 3-5 day cold soak before beginning a 50% whole-berry, 50% crushed berry fermentation. The wine was then sent to rest in 100% French {Francois Freres, Seguin Moreau, etc} oak barrels, about 35% new, for 14 months. Expensive pedigree for sure, but that’s the Banshee mission!

Oozing class, this beauty does everything that topnotch pinot noir should do…and then some.

- Rickshaw “Red Wine” ’07 Napa Valley $16.99 (60% Merlot, 34% Cabernet, 6% Petit Verdot)
From a GREAT VINTAGE, the 2007 Rickshaw Red Wine is a killer blend of 100% Napa Valley fruit (from a Merlot heavyweight) that punches much higher than its weight class and price suggest. Rich espresso notes mix with refined dark fruits on the palate complimented by an intoxicating pencil lead/anise nose. It would be an amazing deal at $30 but for $15 there is not a better Napa wine anywhere in the world. A delicious blend of 60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. This was a one off (IT MAY NEVER BE MADE AGAIN, unless someone is again willing to drop $6000 ton top-quality Napa Merlot for $1600 a ton) – SO GET IT WHILE YOU CAN!

- Banshee Cabernet ’08 Napa Valley $37.99
The 2008 Banshee Napa Valley Cabernet comes from some of the most lauded Cab vineyards in Napa but is priced at wallet-friendly prices. When you taste it, you’re immediately transported to the world of $80+ cult Cabernet, rather than lingering in the $38 price point, which is largely dominated by HUGE production, poorly made Cabs. We can’t drink enough of this stuff ourselves, and we think that you’ll be as impressed as we are. The downside is that there was only 400 cases made and it is sold out at the winery.

About 60% comes from 20 year old vines from the famed Ink Grade Vineyard atop Howell Mountain. The remainder is from the low yielding Cab vines of the famous Stagecoach Vineyard in Pritchard Hill.

After harvesting only 4-6 bunches per vine (a tiny 2.2 – 2.5 tons per acre), the wine was fermented in small temperature controlled steel fermenters and then put in 100% new French oak for 20 months. (Radoux and Demptos barrels).

So suave it makes “The Most Interesting Man in World” blush. It deftly balances flavors of rich espresso, Tahitian vanilla, and black cherry with alluring violet perfumes wafting out of the glass. Rarely does one find a wine that so effortlessly and seamlessly combines the masculine and feminine.

- Banshee “Mordecai” Proprietary Red California 2009 $24.99
It started out as a high class problem. The guys were able to secure parcels from some of the best, and most well known vineyards in California. Places like Whitehawk, Alder Springs, Grist, Parmalee Hill, and, well, we can’t mention any more names – at least they can’t say what they get from where. Suffice it to say, there are some heavy hitters in their possession. That is the high class part.

The problem part was that they didn’t have a large quantity of any one of those wines. So they really didn’t want to bottle 8 different wines with only a handful of cases of each available.

The solution? Make a delicious proprietary red wine by daring to cross a few boundary lines. The blend struts some the best Syrah in California, a Turley single vineyard Zin source, Napa Mourvedre, Grenache from Paso and a few other bits and pieces that worked well with the rest of the blend. Again, why pay Turley or other overly-inflated prices?

Bold with a panoply of dark and red berry fruit but structured enough to be a serious wine, the Banshee Mordecai is like nothing else on the market. Somehow the Banshee boys keep coming across some of the best barrels and highest quality fruit sources around and spinning them into wonderfully affordable delicious wines. In the case of the “Mordecai” they have come up with what we call a kitchen sink blend, a little bit of a lot of things. This is wildly crowd pleasing!

THE SPECIAL OFFER: How do you buy a 97-Point $175 a bottle Napa Valley cult-classic Cabernet Sauvignon for less than $38? Buy it from Church Street Wine Cellars with the Banshee label on it of course!

Banshee Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2007 – the real deal
We just procured a very limited supply of this 97-point spectacular Cabernet from our friends at Banshee, even though they are now sold of their awesome 2008 now (but don’t worry, they bottled their 2009 Cab a week ago Friday and it’s on it’s way to us). Check out the review below…$175 bottle retail (by mailing list), and it can be yours with the Banshee label for only $37.99!

(Winery XXX – Source Vineyard)
Wine Advocate # 186
Dec 2009 Robert Parker 97 Points Drink: 2009 – 2029 $175 (175)

“The 2007 XXXX Cabernet Sauvignon (90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot aged 20 months in 100% French oak) is a La Mission Haut-Brion look-alike. Burning ember, scorched earth, blackberry, smoked herb, and sweet cassis fruit characteristics are all present in this full-bodied, dense, concentrated offering. With a whopping finish as well as great balance and purity, it should drink well for 20+ years. ”

It deftly balances both rich espresso and black currants with alluring violet perfume. Rarely does one find a wine that so effortlessly and seamlessly combines the masculine and feminine.

Some fun facts:

The winery where this gem was born has a flagship wine that releases for well over $250 a bottle.

It was made by one of the top 3 winemaking consultants in the world.

The winery sold this exact wine with a different label for $175 a bottle.

BANSHEE bought all of the unlabeled bottles they had (after pooling their life savings to do it and writing the biggest check of their lives!) and are offering it for less than 1/4 of the price!

This big Cab was made to go with a grass fed NY strip. Light up the grill baby!

Stellar Italian wines that won’t break the bank at Burlington Vermont’s coolest wine store

Posted on by

Church Street Wine Cellars, at 2 Church Street, in Burlington Vermont invites you to the coolest in-store tastings in town. Stay tuned for our e-mails of educational in-store wine tasting events, by by the most knowledgeable staff!

If you didn’t make the last tasting, you missed some great value Italian wines paired with extensive tasting notes to see and feel where the wines are from, or tasting the flavorful, lightly-salted, air-dried Friulian Speck, the Genoa Salami, the array of great cheeses: Sottocenere (aka Perlagrigia) an ash-rind semi-soft Venetian cows’ milk cheese with fabulous truffle shavings; a 4-yr aged, organic and crystalline Parmiggiano-Reggiano hard cheese; or the soft Roccheta, a Piedmontese cows & sheep milk cheese paired with Castelveterano Sicilian un-cured (no vinegar) green olives with Red Hen fresh-baked Ciabatta to accompany our themed tasting.

Well, hopefully you will join us for future tastings and the notes will suffice to entice you to come taste our wares at our free, educational in-store wine tastings…

1. Greco di Tufo, Terredora di Paolo “Loggia della Serra” DOCG Campania 2009
Sale $17.99, Save $2.00, Reg. $19.99
2009 Terredora Greco di Tufo Loggia della Serra
Review by Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate # 189 (Jun 2010)
Rating: 91 Points, Drink 2010 – 2014
“The 2009 Greco di Tufo Loggia della Serra is a vivid, multi-dimensional wine laced with white peaches, minerals, flowers and mint, all of which come together in a beautifully nuanced style. The warmth of the vintage radiates through to the long, creamy finish. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014. These new releases from Terredora are among the most impressive I tasted. From top to bottom these are serious wines readers will not want to miss. The 2009 whites, all of which are aged in steel, reflect the rich, generous style of the vintage, while the 2004 Taurasis are simply off the charts.”

With more than 120 hectares of vineyard land, Terredora di Paolo is Campania’s largest wine producer and vineyard owner, with a worldwide reputation for the quality of its wines. Their commitment to excellence was proven in 1994 when they decided to vinify their own grapes. This decision was prompted by their belief that great wine comes from the balance of natural resources: terrain, varieties used, climate and man’s ability to work with nature. With ample dedication and professionalism Walter Mastroberardino and his children Lucio, Daniela and Paolo, have put this new winery in the elite division of southern Italian wineries.

100% Greco di Tufo, Showcasing pale-medium gold reflections with a rich and powerfully aromatic nose of apricot, apple, peach and citrus fruits. On the palate it is full bodied, soft and well-balanced with excellent acidity. It improves with age. It is ideal with hors d’oeuvres, shellfish, grilled fish dishes, buffalo mozzarella, chicken and cold meat.

2. Aglianico Rosato, Terredora di Paolo DOC Irpinia 2010 Sale $14.99, Save $3.00, Reg. $17.99
A great rosé should be made from very ripe grapes, which is sometimes can be difficult to obtain from Aglianico in the cool climate of the Irpinia region. Thanks to the Terredora di Paolo vineyards, located in the finest areas of the Irpinia region, with limestone and clay soil and south-facing slopes, constantly warm temperatures and cool nights with cold dry breeze, year after year, the vines achieve extraordinarily mature fruit with a crystalline purity of acidity corresponding perfectly to the Terredora di Paolo style.

100 % Aglianico. To create Rosaenovae Terredora di Paolo gently presses the entire grapes, skipping away from the conventional saignèe method and the briefly cold maceration. The free run juice is then fermented at low temperature and later on the wine stays on the lees with a weekly batonnage. No malolactic fermentation is made.

A salmon pink hue, with radiant highlights and incredible youth. An intense, rich, bewitching bouquet of red fruit and citrus zest associated with more complex notes redolent of cedar and spring sap. The aromas evolve gently in the glass evolving from dried fruits, fresh almonds and frangipane, to notes of Tarte-Tatin, oven-baked apples and caramel. In tastings, the wine is soft and silky on the palate with a marvelous harmony of flavor and concentration of fruit. The attack is fruity and crisp. Finesse and fruit combine to create a full palate that melts in the mouth, giving way to candied citrus and dried fruits. It caresses and literally enfolds the full vivacity and rich structure of the Aglianico grapes without ever constricting or dominating. The Rosaenovae reveals a perfect equilibrium between concentration and finesse, richness and freshness, intensity and elegance.

The structure and richness make it a perfect accompaniment to savvy appetizers, vegetarian dishes, main courses, pastas, risottos marinara, magnificently complementing fish, such as salmon, dried salted cod, fish soup, fried calamari or warm octopus and potato salad; meat, such as lamb, veal, guinea fowl, and even pheasant; and soft cheeses, such as Mozzarella, Burrata and Chaource or Brillat-Savarin. It can also be served with red fruit based deserts that are less sweet, such as a red fruit zabaglione or a red fruit gratin.

June 2011 – WINE ADVOCATE
Terredora di Paolo S.S. Rosaenovae 2010 —88 points.
“The 2010 Rosanovae Rosato is an unusual rose made from Aglianico, the grape used for Taurasi. The Roasnovae shows the more feminine side of the variety as it hovers on the palate with exquisite finesse and elegance. It is a delicate, understated wine that impresses for its balance and sheer class. I loved it. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014.” —Antonio Galloni

3. Damilano Barbera d’Asti DOC Piemonte 2009 Sale $13.99, Save $6.00, Reg. $19.99

A terrific Barbera from Damilano, a small producer whose family holdings include pieces of the Liste and Cannubi vineyards that is known mainly for their ready-to-consume Barolo’s. The wine is from a recently acquired vineyard in Asti. Their Barbera d’Asti replaces the Barbera d’Alba, which was made from rented vineyards, and which will no longer be produced. With it’s high acidity, Barbera is a great food wine, especially anything made with tomatoes. Deep ruby/purple color. Dark cherry on the nose. Excellent balance and length. 100% Barbera. 20% is aged in new French barriques, 40% is aged in used barriques (2nd
passage) and the remaining 40% aged in Tonneaux, all for 6 to 8 months.

2009 Damilano Barbera d’Asti
Review by Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate # 190
(Aug 2010)
Rating: 89 Points, Drink 2010 – 2014
“Damilano’s 2009 Barbera d’Asti is a big, powerful wine loaded with dark fruit, minerals and spices, showing terrific balance in a full-bodied, rewarding style. This is the second release from a recently acquired parcel in Asti, where Barbera is capable of reaching greater heights than just about anywhere else. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014.”

4. Tenuta San Leonardo “Terre di San Leonardo” IGT Trentino Alto-Adige 2007 $18.99

This 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc Bordeaux blend from Trentrino-Alto Adige made by Carlo Ferrini is a food-friendly wine at a seriously wallet-friendly price. Speaking eloquently of its Northern Italian terroir, this vibrant wine shows nicely ripened red fruit, tempting minerality, and a charming streak of acidity.

The Estate, founded in 1724, has a rich ancient past. The current owner, Marquis Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga is the descendent of a famous Italian aristocratic family. The Marquises know how to yoke their aristocratic polish to a genuine rural simplicity. They do it spontaneously, directly involving all the people with they work to at Tenuta San Leonardo.

As a result the vineyards, home only to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, become more and more beautiful and the grapes even more delicious. The property spans over 300 hectares. Twenty of them are planted to vine. The cellar equipment includes stainless steel fermentation tanks and small and medium size oak barrels for aging.

The grapes are destemmed and soft-crushed, with minimal use of sulphur dioxide. The juice ferments and macerates on the skins for a long period of time, during which the cap is punched down daily. The must is cold-clarified by allowing the lees to settle. 80% aged for 18 months in big Slavonian oak barrels and the remaining 20% in French barriques for at least 6 months.

5. Dolcetto di Dogliani “San Luigi” Pecchenino DOC Piemonte 2009
Sale $14.99 , Reg. $17.99, Save $3.00 !
2009 Pecchenino Dolcetto di Dogliani “San Luigi”
Review by Antonio Galloni,
Wine Advocate # 192 (Dec 2010)
Rating: 88 Points, Drink 2010 – 2012
“Pecchenino’s 2009 Dolcetto di Dogliani San Luigi offers up plump, juicy dark fruit with excellent varietal character in an accessible, mid-weight style. Floral notes add lift on the fresh, vinous finish. This is an excellent choice for drinking over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2012.”

The palate is fresh and elegant with a pleasant finish. Perfect with pasta with red sauce, meat, cheese and salami.

Dogliani in the province of Cuneo is well known for its winemaking tradition and it can claim an ancient foundation for it. The community’s most illustrious citizen was Luigi Einaudi, the first president of the Republic of Italy. A good Piedmontese, he still found time, despite his official duties, to keep his fingers on the pulse of his wine estate, situated in the vicinity of Dogliani. The town’s name is derived from Doglia and Lano, which is a corruption of Janus or Giano, the Roman god par excellence, who was lord of the sky and of sunlight. Janus later assumed special powers as protector of the beginning and end of all things.

According to legend, Janus visited the Langhe and stopped off at Dogliani, detained by the excellence of the local wine. Dolcetto di Dogliani has long appeared on the tables of mere mortals, including some of the most illustrious of them. In 1369, the Marquesses of Saluzzo granted the citizens of Dogliani the right to dispose of their goods and exemption from taxes as well as from the obligation of military service.

However, they imposed a tax “in wine” to assure that their noble cellars would be supplied with good Dolcetto. Dolcetto di Dogliani was specifically mentioned for the first time in 1593 in a declaration titled “Orders for the Harvest.” That document provides official confirmation that Dolcetto grapes were being grown at Dogliani even before the end of the 16th century. For the vine dressers of the Langa Doglianese, it is sufficient that the history of their wine can be traced back 500 years, even if reliable historians and researchers argue that in some areas the grape was being grown around the year 1000.

6. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, La Valentina DOC Abruzzo 2007 Sale $13.99, Reg. $15.99, Save $2.00!

Fattoria La Valentina was founded in 1990 and is situated near Santa Teresa in the municipality of Spoltore, on the hills near Pescara. After an intense study of the area the winery’s main objective was the achievement of top quality and in promoting Abruzzo’s DOC wines. The modern winery uses avant-garde technology while the cellar contains about 500 barriques and truncated cone-shape oak barrels, used for fermentation and ageing. Since 1998 enologist Luca D’Attoma has been in charge of technical management.

100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo with deep ruby color, purple, sharp scent, sharp and very intense with hints of saffron and red fruit notes, underbrush and black cherry. The taste is clean and full, rich finish ends with red fruit, ripe. Fully reflects the variety of origin with a style that combines tradition and modernity. In combination with hearty pasta dishes with sauces with game, grilled meat and fish dishes with a good structure. Wine to drink now or keep for five years.

Santa Teresa, the main vineyard, is on a hill a few kilometres from the Adriatic Sea, south/south-west facing, over-looking the Maiella and Gran Sasso massifs. Five hectares of Montepulciano vines were planted 27 years ago with close proximity to both sea and mountains.

“These new releases from La Valentina are among the most impressive I tasted this year. The wines are made from low yields, see long maceration times on the skins lasting several weeks and are bottled unfiltered, resulting in very pure expressions of Montepulciano and these unique
terroirs. Consulting oenologist Luca D’Attoma works on all these wines, with the exception of the Binomio which La Valentina makes in partnership with Inama, one of Veneto’s leading properties.” —Antonio Galloni in Wine Advocate (4/2009)

Stunning Value, 93 Point Old-Vine French red under $20!

Posted on by

CHATEAU PUECH-HAUT Prestige 2009
A.O.C Coteaux-du-Languedoc – Saint Drézéry
A stunning value, this 55 % Grenache, 45 % Syrah practicing organic farming, undergoing conversion for Eco-Cert is a true gem!

One needs to glance only briefly through the notes of Jancis Robinson, Robert Parker, Andrew Jefford and David Schildknecht (among many others) to discover their love affair with the Languedoc, and rightfully so.

A short time ago, a Robert Parker (of Wine Advocate fame) pronounced of this wine on the bulletin board: “One of the Greatest VALUES” with a preliminary 94 point rating for an under $20 wine.

CHATEAU PUECH-HAUT has been on the critic’s radar for some time – which makes sense since the property has employed Michel Rolland, Claude Gros (of Chateau Negly) and now Philippe Cambie as their consulting enologist. Visionary owner Gérard Bru spares no expense in his quest for excellence and their cumulative efforts are on display here in a remarkable way.

93 points, Robert Parker in Wine Advocate - “From a bio-dynamically farmed estate, this 2009 is a blend of 55% Grenache (from 60- to 75-year-old vines) and 45% Syrah (from 40-year-old vines), all planted in limestone soils, and aged completely in concrete tanks. This remarkable offering is a naked expression of the vivid terroir and excellent fruit found in this region. The incredible aromatics consist of forest floor, spring flowers, sweet black currants, raspberries, licorice, and incense. With a pure, velvety, seamless, full-bodied texture and a finish that lasts 30+ seconds, this wine possesses a stunning integration of acidity, tannin, and alcohol, suggesting this 2009 will age nicely for 3-5 years, possibly as long as a decade. However, it will be hard to resist given its current performance. Bravo!”

Church Street Wine Cellars, our underground stone and brick specialty wine cellar at the top of Church Street in Burlington, Vermont is always looking for exceptional values, and once again the south of France does not disappoint!

Only 28 cases of this vintage are coming to Vermont, and we staked our claim. It is available on a first-come, first-served basis, for ONLY $19.99 pre-arrival, ready for pick up Friday, April 29. THIS IS VERY LIMITED, drop us a line and we will do our best to secure you some.

Many of the artisanal, limited-release wines we source are made in such tiny quantities, but we offer these gems to our e-mail clientele first, at discounted pre-sell prices. If any is left over for stock, which is often not the case, they revert back to original prices. This is not the only benefit to being on Church Street Wine Cellars e-mail list.

Yes, you will receive notice of special allocated items and pre-sells, but also of our intimate Winemaker Dinner series. Over the past two years we have hosted Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Company, master Italian vintner Lucio Mastroberardino of Terredora di Paolo S.S., David O’Reilly of Owen Roe, O’Reilly and Corvidae Wine Company fame and a bevy of other talented winemakers and speakers.

You will also be alerted to our free, unpretentious, informative and educational in-store wine tastings on Friday nights and Saturday days and other fun wine pairing and lecture events at a variety of local restaurants.

Church Street Wine Cellars also hosts two major shows in the Spring and Fall, CSWC’s Direct-Import Wine Tastings held at a local hotel featuring between 70 and 80 wines from around the globe, all for just $15 per person and including a variety of snacks and accoutrements to pair with the wines.

To sign up for this and more, just click on info@churchstreetwinecellars with the notice “subscribe” in the subject line. We hope you will join us for our upcoming events!

Marinell