Lot 871 2020 Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon
Here’s a Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon value that is so good, it belongs in the winner’s circle along with Argentina’s Lionel Messi—who could probably pop the cork with the sheer force of his penalty kicks!
Had Messi been playing on the turf terroir of Lunlunta—a tiny sub-region of Mendoza, featuring small farms, beautiful sprawling orchards, and country roads for days—he’d have clogged his cleats with dirt from the heart center for Argentine Malbec. Lunlunta vineyards are scattered around the Mendoza River, abutting Maipu and Lujan de Cuyo—higher-elevation regions where Cabernet Sauvignon grows like World Champs. Lunlunta’s vines—planted at around 3,000 feet elevation—are rooted in well-draining riverbed alluvial soils and it is here that we struck our own vinous equivalent of a solid gold World Cup trophy.
Think of it this way… if Argentina’s most-famous producer (Catena) favors Lunlunta for their own appellation-specific wines, that’s a pretty good reason to pay attention to offerings from this area! Best of all, Decanter magazine has labeled the 2021 harvest in Argentina “Extraordinary”, particularly for Cabernet Sauvignon which “arrived healthy and ripe.”
Watch as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting.
Wine Tasting Video Topics
- 00:00 Introduction to The Tasting Panel and Chris Lafleur
- 00:17 Mendoza, Argentina, Cabernet Sauvignon, and High Elevation wines
- 00:28 Color and Legs of Mendoza Cab
- 01:21 The Nose of Lot 871
- 02:04 The Palate of Lot 871
- 02:44 Aging 2020 Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon
- 03:06 Where does this Mendoza Cab fit in your cellar?
San Luis Obispo Lot 869 2020 Pinot Noir
A San Luis Obispo Pinot Noir single-vineyard showstopper from the Santa Margarita Ranch AVA!
The southernmost sub-AVA of Paso Robles, the Santa Margarita Ranch AVA, is unique in the fact that it doesn’t touch any other Paso sub-AVA. This alone gives the vines of this region a defined sense of place and isolated microclimate – one of a few perfect, isolated terroir studies in all of California. With 1k acres under vine, the grapes are brought to superb showcases through the ancient seabed, fossil-riddled soils, and a strong maritime climate keeping peak growing season temps in the cooler range than one would expect from a region that far south.
Lot 869 San Luis Obispo Pinot Noir is a single-vineyard gem. Often “terroir” is thrown around when speaking of wines, and this is a prime opportunity for folks who wonder what terroir really means in relation to wine. Find any 2020 vintage SLO or Paso Pinot, then try it side-by-side with Lot 869, and you’ll see regional similarities, however, there is a definite sense of time and place from a single plot of land in this bottling that is unmistakable, and quite discernable.
Beautifully ruby on the pour, the nose is a master class in domestic Pinot Noir with strawberry, raspberry, and potpourri delineated up front, backed by forest floor-meets-mushrooms, turned leaves, rose hips, cinnamon, and clove. The entry is clean and elegant, bolstered by a medium+ acidity, and infinitely small, silky tannins encompassing cherry and dried herbs. The finish is perfectly spiced with medium length, making for delicate umami waves of vanilla and rose. Bacon, meet your new favorite Pinot!
Watch as Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE walks us through a tasting of this San Luis Obispo Pinot Noir.
Wine Tasting Video Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction to The Tasting Panel and Katy Long
- 00:12 San Luis Obispo and Santa Margarita Ranch
- 00:42 The Pinot Noir Vineyard
- 00:56 Color and Legs of the wine
- 00:59 The Nose of Lot 869
- 01:15 The Palate
- 01:45 Aging SLO Pinot Noir
- 01:58 Wine Pairing
Lot 864 2019 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
A Sonoma Stunner from a “near-perfect” Dry Creek Zinfandel vintage! Lot 864 2019 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel is an amazing wine from one of the best Zin-producing regions in the state. If you’ve seen classic, gnarled Old World-style Zin vines you know there’s nothing quite like the romance…
Lot 842 2019 Minervois Red Blend
This Minervois Red Blend is a southern French terroir Star!
Situated in the south of France, nestled in the Languedoc-Roussillon, is the historic, scenic village of Minerve – named for the Roman goddess of wisdom, first planted to vines by the Romans, and the namesake for today’s release. Known the world over for their full-bodied reds, the wines of Minervois (Min-er-vwah) have long been desired, with references of their quality dating back to the writings of Pliny.
Lot 842 Minervois comes to us from one of the top growers in the region boasting a state-of-the-art cellar on land rich with clay-limestone and schist soils producing low yields from vines no less than 30 years-old and hand-selecting clusters before pressing and aging in 100% new French oak. Not only is no expense spared in making this bottle, but generations of concerted cultivation are on display: every local grape type was tested with their soils to find the best terroir per varietal before laying down the vineyard plots. Rest assured, you will not find a more accurate expression of fruit and terroir in tandem than a wine like this.
Did we mention it’s a third of the original winery’s price? Sub-$15 southern French terroir star, time to stock up! Dark with an almost impenetrable core, red-to-black fruits on the nose, with a healthy serving of herbs, game, and dried leaves haloing. On the entry dark fruits persist; however, black pepper, fresh-turned earth, iron, and soft leather dominate over medium acidity and small, firm, well-integrated tannins showing themselves towards the finish. The finish itself is expectedly Old World and dry with resonant black fruits over a strong minerality that beckons another sip.
Watch as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting.
Minervois Tasting Video Highlights:
- 00:00 Introduction to The Tasting Panel and Chris Lafleur
- 00:12 Minervois wines and South of France
- 00:30 Sommelier Struggles to Pronounce Pliny the Elder
- 00:46 Minervois Red Blend
- 00:57 Color and Legs
- 01:07 On the Nose
- 02:07 The Taste of Lot 842
- 03:19 Where does a Minervois Red Blend fit in your cellar?
- 03:44 When to drink (as of July 2023)
Lot 891 2021 Suisun Valley Grenache Blanc
We’ve come across a Grenache Blanc worthy of our Lot Series program for only the third time in CHW history, and trust us when we say we’ve tasted a LOT (no pun intended) of samples along the way.
Today’s release Lot 891 2021 Suisun Valley Grenache Blanc hails from the same pedigreed source as last week’s Viognier release (which is nearly sold out BTW). A crisp, white wine with origins in Spain and most commonly found in the Rhône region today, Grenache Blanc is still a rarity among US plantings, however, the Suisun Valley is one of those places this unique varietal absolutely thrives. Its Mediterranean-like climate due to its proximity to both the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento Valley, allows the grapes to ripen slowly and retain their natural acidity, resulting in a finished wine with complexity, structure, and a vibrant acidity. Aged 50% in neutral oak barrels for depth and complexity, and 50% in stainless steel for that thirst-quenching freshness, this is a no-expense-spared expression of Grenache Blanc and a phenomenal deal at just $19.
Lot 891 pours a beautiful pale to medium straw yellow color in the glass with a rich bouquet of freshly-picked peaches and comice pear, underpinned by lemon curd, and a kiss of baking spice. On the palate, that beautiful fruit core really sings adding additional stone fruit notes of warm apricot, all backed by that mouthwatering freshness and acidity. This wine will pair fantastically with any rich seafood dishes, poultry, and soft-ripened cheeses, or just sip a glass or two as you enjoy a warm summer’s eve on the patio.
Watch as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting.
Grenache Blanc Tasting Video Highlights:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 00:15 What is Grenche Blanc?
- 00:24 Grenache Blanc’s Mutation to White
- 00:44 Winter Whites
- 01:10 Oak Influence of Barrels
- 01:22 Stainless Steel Influence
- 01:30 Color and Legs of Lot 891
- 01:45 The Nose
- 02:09 The Taste
- 02:52 Where does Grenache Blanc fit in your cellar?
Lot 837 2016 Toscana Super Tuscan
This Super Tuscan from Tuscany is the latest vintage of our super, best-selling Lot 717!
The new (2016) vintage of our all-time best-selling Lot 717 Super Tuscan is finally here! Meet Lot 837. All the bells and whistles were used, with no expense spared – as expected – and it’s already garnered a platinum medal before public release! What more can you say for a wine that speaks for itself?
Translucent on the pour with a refined nose filled with cherries and stewed tomatoes accented by plums, eucalyptus, and hints of chocolate shavings. The entry of this Super Tuscan wine is deftly balanced between the acidity and small, plentiful, polished, grippy tannins, accenting dried cherries, cola, and crushed violets. The finish is medium length, resonating with further cherry and sun-dried tomatoes in uplifted waves that demand another sip. Like its predecessor, equally at home with pork or steak dishes, however you see fit.
Watch as Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE walks us through a tasting.
Super Tuscan Tasting Video Highlights:
- 00:00 Intro
- 00:13 Super Tuscans
- 00:29 What makes a Super Tuscan?
- 00:47 Color and Structure
- 01:00 The Nose of Lot 837
- 01:32 On the Palate
- 01:53 Aging
- 02:30 Wine Pairing
Lot 835 2018 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
A captivating Coonawarra Cabernet from the same producer as Lot 834!
An incredible find from a tragic situation; the trade war between China and Australia that played out a few years back left a hefty portion of premium juice destined for mainland Asia in limbo, and who better to slide in and score you one of the deals of the decade? From a premier house’s top-end program, we scored a killer price on their high-end, newly surplus Cabernet Sauvignon. Regularly reaching for just under the triple-digit mark (before astronomical restaurant markups), we’re very excited to offer you this Cab at $20/bottle – a massive pass of this deal’s savings onto yourselves!
Lot 835, like Lot 834, has no expense spared in its production, and a water-tight NDA to match. Not much can be said except you’ve probably heard of the original producer (if you hang in the high-end Aussie circles) and you’ll probably never get this wine in the US as it was never produced to come here (unless you know a smuggling collector or the like). Stock up (and cellar down), a deal like this comes around but once in a decade. Pitch-perfect deep ruby on the pour, the nose is the first indication of grand elegance on this wine; red cherry fruit is delineated against new soft leather delicately wrapped in dried herb bouquets – there is a real sense of place here. The palate is much more structured than the elegant nose may let on, rich and weighted against black cherry fruit with perfectly integrated, linear tannin framed by medium+ acidity. The finish is dry and all terroir: dried herbs persist shifting against resonant waves of plum, cassis, and vanilla along its long exit.
Watch as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting.
Wine Tasting Video Highlights:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 00:15 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignons
- 00:18 Terra Rossa Soils
- 00:46 Lot 835 and Australia
- 01:00 Color and Structure
- 01:14 On the Nose
- 02:04 On the Palate
- 03:03 Where does it belong in your cellar?
- 03:23 Where does it sit on your table?
Lot 825 2020 Napa Valley White Meritage
This White Meritage is a rare, elegant white blend from an outstanding Rutherford estate.
Two grapes define white Bordeaux: Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The blending of the two is a bedrock of classic French white wine technique – when done right, the body and roundness of Semillon perfectly complements the acidity and herbal notes of Sauv Blanc, resulting in an elevated wine that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. North Coast winemakers tend to throw in lots of bells and whistles for Red Meritage since it’s an obvious showcase for blending skills, and that approach applies to White Meritage as well. However, white productions are much rarer.
Lot 825 comes to us from one of the most critically acclaimed and awarded wineries in Rutherford, and given the winemaker’s previous tours of duty in both Bordeaux and Napa Valley, this Sauv Blanc/Semillon blend could not have been produced by anyone who was a more perfect fit for the job.
An elegant nose of fresh-picked lime leaf, beeswax, wet river stones, and citrus blossoms pulls you deep into the glass. An expertly weighted entry is framed by medium acidity and a terroir-driven focus of lemon and gravel. The finish is dry and refreshingly clean, with resonant beeswax and delicate lemon blossom. This is a light, silky, wine that will be perfectly suited at both the poolside and the dinner table.
Watch as Katy Long walks us through a tasting.
Wine Tasting Video Highlights:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 00:15 White Meritage wines
- 00:31 Grapes of Lot 825 White Meritage
- 00:47 Color and Structure
- 01:00 On the Nose
- 01:26 The Taste
- 01:45 Serving Suggestions
