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 823 2020 Corbières Red Blend
An absolute powerhouse Corbieres, at an unbeatable price! A great Corbières red is easy to love; the robustness, exotic spiciness, and succulent red fruit profile can be like scoring a killer Châteauneuf-du-Pape at half the price. What’s not easy is actually finding a great one for under $45 that is available in the U.S.
As one of the most prominent and productive regions of Languedoc-Roussillon, Corbières is a difficult region for most wine lovers to navigate. Few people have the kind of time required to scour the area’s 2,000+ growers, 300+ producers, and 33,000+ acres of vineyard plantings (all spread across some of the most diverse soil types in all of France) to search for its very best bets. But that’s where we come in! Let’s introduce you to Lot 823 2020 Corbieres Red.
We’ve done the hard work for you on this one, jumping on a rare opportunity for an absolute powerhouse Corbieres, at an unbeatable price. What’s also rare about this find is that instead of being made like the region’s Grenache-dominant reds, Lot 823 has a backbone of primarily Syrah. That gives it an immediately enticing nose: pretty, peppery, and full of precision. It’s the kind of balance between beauty and brawn that you usually only find in much more expensive Syrah/Grenache blends from boutique California producers or perhaps from the most storied Rhône appellations.
Lot 823 oozes from the glass with a chewy, bold palate, flexing its dark-fruited muscles while fascinating the intellect with the telltale local Languedoc-Roussillon “garrigue” character of dried herbs and flowers. This red’s not for the faint of heart, and real Corbières fans certainly wouldn’t have it any other way. If there’s a better pick to match with hearty winter BBQ, we’ve yet to encounter it at this price point.
Watch as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting.
Wine Tasting Video Highlights:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 00:15 Corbières Grapes
- 00:24 South of France
- 00:46 Color and Structure
- 00:52 On the Nose
- 01:35 The Taste
- 02:19 Where does it fit in your cellar?
Lot 890 2021 Suisun Valley Viognier
Lot 890 2021 Suisun Valley Viognier comes to us from a high-end source winery in the Suisun Valley AVA which has been producing Viognier for over 4 decades – more so than almost any other winery in the state. Nestled between the Vaca and Coastal Mountain ranges, the picturesque Suisun Valley boasts a unique microclimate and diverse soils that contribute to the production of exceptional wines. Known for its cool maritime influences and warm, sunny days, its particularly well-suited for growing both Bordeaux and Rhône grape varieties like Viognier.
For those of you looking to diversify your whites selection for the Summer, look no further than this fantastically expressive varietal. The aromatics of Viognier are second to none thanks to naturally occurring high levels of terpenes (the compound that gives flowers their alluring scents). Additionally, when it goes through fermentation, that floral character is so stable that it doesn’t change, resulting in a wine that not only has a great fruit core, but a beautiful backbone of florality which keeps it fresh and lively on the nose and palate. We were only able to secure 100 cases of this gem, so grab a case or two quickly before it’s gone!
Lot 890 absolutely leaps out of the glass with beautiful aromatics of white flowers, mandarin oranges, and white blossoms underpinned by white peach and warm apricot. On the palate, that intoxicating florality is backed by stonefruit notes of peach, apricot, and lemon pith leading to a wonderfully fresh, mouthwatering finish. This is a wine to drink now and will pair exceptionally well with spicy Asian dishes, grilled or decadent seafood, or something light and playful like a summer salad with fresh-picked flowers.
Watch as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting.
Lot 887 2021 North Coast Petite Sirah
For some time now, Petite Sirah has gotten our vote as Northern California’s most overlooked, underrated red varietal. Even though it was first cultivated in the southeast of France (where it’s known as Durif, after the last name of its discoverer), it is rarely grown there. Instead, it prefers the drier climate of its adoptive home in sunny California—where most of the world’s Petite Sirah is now grown.
Today’s release, Lot 887 2021 North Coast Petite Sirah hails from a pedigreed source in the North Coast AVA in California – an area celebrated for its exceptional vineyards and distinctive wines. Stretching all the way from the San Francisco Bay to the Oregon border, North Coast is home to some of California’s most renowned wineries, encompassing several sub-regions including Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, and Lake County, among others. The grapes grown in this region benefit from its unique combination of coastal influences, cool maritime breezes, and diverse microclimates, creating ideal conditions to cultivate wines with fantastic structure and complexity, exemplified perfectly by Lot 887.
For those of you who may be new to the varietal, do not be misled by the “petite” in Petite Sirah for it refers only to the berry size, which is small and, when farmed in just the right way, produces a wine that combines intense fruit flavor, vivacious acidity, and dark color with big, smooth tannins. If you like concentrated, inky, dense reds, Lot 887 is right up your alley.
Lot 887 pours deep, dark purple in the glass with huge wafting notes of fresh-picked blueberries, bramble fruit, moist earth, and a kiss of leather. On the palate, intense dark fruit notes of blackberry and black raspberry are powerfully, but elegantly backed by rich, meaty tannins, leading into a long, mouth-staining finish with a beautiful acidity. Lot 887 will pair fantastically with any barbequed or smoked dishes or anything with those delicious umami qualities. A word of caution, however—If you’re having folks over and plan on serving 887, make sure you break open at least a few bottles as it is bound to go quickly!
Watch as Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE walks us through a tasting.
