Friday afternoon/early evening the 20th of January, 2017 from 4:30 PM until 6:30 PM here at the shop

Wine Tasting

Rosenthal Wine Merchant
with Neal Rosenthal, the man himself, and John Paine, Regional Sales Manager

Champagne Guy Larmandier Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cramant

2014 Saint-Véran Clos de l'Ermitage Saint Claude Vieilles Vignes Thevenet & Fils

2012 Meursault 1er Cru Perrières Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur

2012 Barbaresco de Forville

2011 Barolo Brea Vigna Ca Mia Brovia (from magnum)

2009 Montefalco Sagrantino Secco Pagliaro Paolo Bea

2011 Bandol Rouge Château Pradeaux

Gentlemen, please, no cologne or after shave; ladies, please no perfume!

Saturday afternoon the 21st of January, 2017 from 12:00 NOON until 3:00 PM here at the shop

Wine Tasting

Divers White Wines To Beat The Winter Heat

2015 Orvieto Classico Superiore Palazzone Terre Vineate

2015 Gavi La Scolca Bianco Secco

2015 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume Vieilles Vignes Gérard Tremblay

2013 Pouilly-Fuissé Château de Beauregard

2014 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett Dr. LOOSEN

Gentlemen, please, no cologne or after shave; ladies, please no perfume!

Saturday afternoon the 28th of January, 2017 from 12:00 NOON until 3:00 PM here at the shop

Wine Tasting

Wines Of Portugal

With Eugénio Jardim, Wines Of Portugal United States Ambassador

Details To Follow

Gentlemen, please, no cologne or after shave; ladies, please no perfume!

Wednesday afternoon/early evening the 1st of February, 2017 from 4:30 PM until 6:30 PM here at the shop

Wine Tasting

F. E. Trimbach Alsace Wines
with Jean Trimbach, Owner

2013 Trimbach Riesling

2013 Trimbach Riesling Reserve

2009 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Émile

2013 Trimbach Gewurztraminer

2014 Trimbach Pinot Blanc

2013 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve

2012 Trimbach Pinot Noir Reserve Personnelle

Gentlemen, please, no cologne or after shave; ladies, please no perfume!

Our choice for classic shape and utility for professional decanting of fine red (or, for that matter, fine white) wines. Brilliant Tritan® crystal clear; well-grounded with a low center of gravity and a large surface area for maximum aeration; easy to pour and with drip protect lip. This is the item! Regularly $75.00 the piece, on sale now at ⅓ off:

After long years of intensive research and development, in collaboration with the University of Erlangen, Schott Zwiesel, a.k.a. Zwiesel Kristallglas, has succeeded in creating a new type of crystal glass: Tritan®. The use of unique ingredients, including Titanium instead of lead, combined with an advanced manufacturing process, has created an incredibly pure, hard and clear crystal glass — crystal glass that is highly resilient to accidental breakage and chipping in the dishwasher. Tritan® is a unique, patented crystal glass that sets a new high standard. And the Zwiesel Kristallglass Forté series is our choice for classic elegance and durability in everyday stemware at an even better than everyday price.

Potocki Wódka is created from the highest quality rye grain sourced in fields around the distillery in central Poland. Fresh from the harvest each August, the grain is milled and cooked under pressure. Yeast is then added to start fermentation yielding a low alcoholic strength mash. The mash goes through two slow distillations in a column still. It is regularly tasted until the optimal distillation level is reached. The «head» and the «tail», that is the initial and final ends of the distillate, are discarded to ensure the highest quality. The resulting distillate is then mixed with a pure distilled water to the desired strength of 40% alcohol by volume. No additives, such as citric acid or glycerine, are used. The common process of charcoal filtration is intentionally omitted as this would unnecessarily strip the vodka of its character (and flavor, mind you). We find the end result a most compelling spirit: discernably a distillate of a fine quality rye grain with an alluring warmth and breadth and purity of aroma; smooth and round in texture (please note the texture), a wholly satisfying, engaging and pure eaux-de-vie de seigle polonais. Our wine buyer's mentor, Mr. Henry, used to quip that it was the Poles who taught the Russians to make vodka (never mind he was himself Polish). Potocki Wódka lends creedence to his argument. And, no, he wasn't just whistling Górecki. The proof is in the product. We give this fine spirit our very highest recommendation.

The 2015 Marjosse Blanc exhibits Green apple, pear, mint and expressive floral notes abound in the 2015 Marjosse. This light-weight, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon/Sauvignon Gris/Muscadelle from Pierre Lurton is an excellent aperitif-style dry white to drink young! Tasted April 2016. Rated 88. - Antonio Galloni, vinousmedia.com, April, 2016

"Unquestionably the number one small estate of Orvieto" according to Stephen Tanzer, Palazzone produces delicious white wines from indigenous grape varietals of Umbria, balancing irresistable fruit aromas and flavors with an oh-so stony backdrop and nerve; 50% Procanico, 30% Grechetto and 20% of Verdello, Drupeggio and Malvasia, vinified in stainless steel to keep things fresh; medium-bodied, supremely-balanced white wine with aromas that speak clearly of cool of the morning harvest fresh grapes and notions of floral honey, beeswax and something like hazelnut and elderflower and, yet again, stone; at once, just ample and round, crisp and dusty, citrusy dry and alive with fresh grapey flavor; our Italian wine-loving pal Jerry Reid sez "slap and tickle." C'mon downtown 'n get yourself some of this delicious wine!

Paul Pernot quietly produces among the finest of white Burgundy wines from among the finest of its white wine vineyards and at a prices that are for this hallowed ground, at least, still within reason. And their village level Puligny is a most useful and delicious wine what with pristine Chardonnay aromas that channel the very gist of white Burgundy with aspects of wet stone and soil and then a hint of flower and citrus; firm as the rocky soils on which it is grown and Puligny in every sense, at once delicate and powerful and dry with that firm stony underpinning, full of nerve and verve to the finish. Regularly $57.50 the bottle, on sale now at 25% off:

The Les Charmes vineyard near the village of Lugny in the Mâconnais region of southern Burgundy is prized for its exceptional southern exposure and for the age of its vines, averaging some 40 years of age on the whole. Around here, we prize its production as among the surest of bets for value in dry white wine. Vinified entirely in stainless steel and bottled sans bois, that is, unlumbered, 100% unencumbered by oak, at the nearby Cave de Lugny; green-gold in color, the wine is fresh and vibrant with aromas that would suggest hazelnut, citrus flower and acacia honeys on a foundation of refreshing summer rains on limestone; medium-bodied, ample in weight, with a clean, crisp and lasting flavor on the finish. Given the consistently excellent quality and its extremely fair price, it’s not much wonder that Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes Chardonnay is among the best-selling of white Burgundies in the United States!

Produce of fruit from three vineyard sites, Le Méal with loose alluvial soils with a prevalence of glacial stones, Les Murets more granitic soils with similar alluvial deposits and its namesake Chante-Alouette with loess soils with a fine layer of clay and limestone. The fruit is hand-harvested and fermented partly in 600-litre demi-muid, partly in vat at controlled temperatures with regular stirring of the lees. Typically stately Marsanne aromatics save this up-front toasty, yeasty quality which just melts into more discreet hints of honey-laden beeswax and freshly rain-soaked straw (Philipp noted fig and hazelnut, then honeysuckle and lime); extravagant on entry, rich, slippery smooth and emollient on the tongue (the wonderful tactile qualities of this wine should not be understated), sumptuous even, yet with nerve and spine and an ever so satisfying nature to its core; one might reasonably deduce that Hermitage Blanc such as this is white wine with a certain preeminence.

Produced of 100% Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards near Le Mesnil sur Oger, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, holy ground for lovers of the finest Champagne. This bottling represents some ⅔ of the production of the very well-run cooperative that is Champagne Le Mesnil. Brilliant white-gold in color, this Brut Blanc de Blancs has a lovely harmony of elements, fresh and most enticing and inviting aromas suggestive of melon, cool of the morning grape plucked from the vine, buttered biscuit and flower pollen; nice medium-full mousse, then expansive on the tongue and supremely flavorful, its crisp fresh chalky dry finish just begging another pull. Delicious!

The House of Picamelot was founded in 1926 and is located in Rully in the Côte Chalonnaise in Burgundy. The winemaking facility is located at and makes good use of an old quarry site just outside the village, with the quite cool cellars dug into the solid rock there. This cuvée, the Louis Picamelot Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Les Terroirs, represents just over ⅔ of the production here and, as such, is thankfully most always available now here in beautiful downtown Austin! Produce of about 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Aligoté, all hand-picked from the Côte Chalonnaise, Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. Really lovely slate of aromas suggestive of toast and orchard fruits, say pêche de vigne, apricot, green apple then, closer to the ground, fresh grapes on chalky limestone soils; full, vibrant, expansive mousse that then spreads itself richly on the tongue with flavors of toasted orchard fruits a most expressive and satisfying reprise of those first whiffs. This is ultra-satisfying and flavorful sparkling wine for a very attractive price.

And simply superb in pink as well. Produce of 100% Côte Chalonnaise Pinot Noir fruit. The color here is a lovely rose to sunset orange pink at the edges; aromas that define allure, you can almost smell the refreshment to come, with a pinch of spice and a kiss of red berry and a real sense of that wonderful stony Burgundian wine-growing soil underpinning; this one has both body and refreshingness as well as something that simply piques, perhaps pinches, but certainly imbues the imbiber with the feeling of having consumed ever so well with a nervy freshness and spiced red berry flavors that linger in most welcome reprise. This is like bottled joie de vivre. Get some!

The Portuguese «Esteva» translates to "rock rose" in English, which some insiders suggest also informs the aroma of fine Douro wine. The vintage of 2015 was dry and sunny in the Douro as in much of Europe and eventually yielded exceptional wines. The 2015 Casa Ferreirinha Esteva Douro is produce of a typical Douro mingling of Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, hand-harvested and vinified at the winery of Quinta do Seixo. After soft destemming and crushing, the grapes were fermented in stainless steel vats with gentle maceration by means of pumping over at a temperature of 25°C which preserves the grape aromas. The wine spent the cool of winter at Quinta do Seixo in stainless steel and subject to low natural temperatures, which contributed to their natural clarification. Here now, the wine is a lovely bright ruby in color with glints of a solar vintage-inspired purple; pomacey grapey aromas implore one to dive on in, there's a hint of salinity as well and pencil shavings insinuate the mineral rich soils in which the wine is grown; at once delightfully full and fruity and light on its feet with a fine edge of chalky tannins that keep things moving along crisp and fresh. And do take note of the delicious value!

The Bilbro brothers are moving from strength to strength with their venerable Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red. Lot Number 64 is just on the scene. The wine is tweaked ever so slightly drier than previous lots, perhaps now ever the more appealing to both west coast and European wine tastes. Produced mainly from Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignane primarily from vineyards in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red replicates the old Cal-Ital field blends there. Alluring deep ruby purple in color, with Zinfandel-influenced aromas suggesting dark ripe juicy berries with hints of the parched dusty northern California vineyard floor; at once fresh and vibrant, smooth and slippery on the tongue with just an inkling of fine-grained tannins that keep it all on the up and over. And, by all means, do take note of its continuing brilliantly true blue in terms of value! Regularly $11.99 the bottle, on sale now at:

A lovely if modestly modern claret-inspired Tuscan red wine from La California, as it is called there on the Tuscan coast near Bolgheri and Magliano. Produce of 60% Merlot along with an admixture of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the wine undergoes a temperature-controlled fermentation, manual punch-downs and pump-overs. It is aged one year in barrique and a minimum of six months in bottle before release. Lovely ruby red in color with typical claret aromas suggesting ripe cherries, wild berries, a hint of spice, a scent of vanilla from barrel aging, but with a telltale and toothsome seaside saline quality; medium-bodied on the palate with a gentle richness and structure and long, smooth finish. Superb value, too!

Mercurey in the Cote Chalonnaise is the largest appellation in all of Burgundy with over 650 hectares under vine. Domaine Faiveley's village Mercurey is sourced from 5 parcels spread throughout the appellation for a little over 38 hectares. The oldest plantings of these vines dates back as far as 1962. The soils are primarily clay and limestone. The grapes are hand harvested, sorted and pressed on site in Mercurey. Following vinification the young wines are brought to the domaine cellars in Nuits-Saint-Georges for aging in a combination of stainless steel and oak for 12 to 14 months prior to release. The wine is a lovely translucent cherry skin red in color; with aromas suggesting spicy, peppery Pinot noir with a hint of vineyard floor and something like freshly roasted coffee bean; supple, silken-textured (for those that love a typical Burgundy, this one makes the tongue just sing), then gently flavorful and enticing, just piquant, mouthwatering; superb Burgundian Pinot noir at a price that also makes the purse-strings sing.

Long a favorite of our discerning clientèle, the Marques de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial is produced only in the finest vintages from the fruit of Tempranillo and Mazuelo vines harvested by hand from an 80 year-old single vineyard called La Plana located at the highest point within the Ygay estate surrounding the winery in the southern point of the Rioja Alta wine subzone. The Tempranillo was harvested on the 27th of September and the Mazuelo on the 13th of October. The grapes were first carefully de-stemmed and crushed, then fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for 11 days with daily remontage and pigeage to help develop the wine's personality and to ensure maximum color and aroma without excessive tannin. The Tempranillo spent 28 months in 225-liter American oak barrels (the Mazuelo is aged in French oak barrels), and then three years in the bottle before being released to the market. Deep, deep ruby in color just barely faded at the edges; bold and complex slate of aromas suggestive of cool cedar, crème brulée, toast, leather, then a freshening fermentative flourish of macerated berries and kirsch; cool and polished on the tongue, rich and round with elegant intensity of flavor, then long and warm and lasting on the finish. Gran Reserva Especial, indeed!

Costanti's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is stunning. Dark, powerful and mysterious in the glass, the 2010 captivates all the senses with its breathtaking beauty and layered, multi-dimensional personality. Lavender, violets, savory herbs, smoke, plums and graphite flow through to the rich, explosive finish. There is a prism-like sense of transparency allied to pure power in the 2010 that is impossible miss. Readers who can find the 2010 should not hesitate; it is a must-have. While many 2010s are approachable today, the Costanti's 2010 is not; it is a wine for the cellar. Drink 2018-2035. Rated 97. - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com February, 2015

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is much more polished than the 2009 tasted alongside it. Asphalt, smoke, tobacco, licorice and tar all flow as this sumptuous Cabernet shows off its sexy, undeniably appealing personality. Hints of mocha and espresso add a resonant warmth that is hugely attractive. The tannins are firm but seamlessly balanced. There is a lot to like in the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, starting with the wine's sheer class. Drink 2014-2025. Rated 92. - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, July, 2013. Regularly $75.00 the bottle, on sale now at 25% off:

In centuries gone by, casks of sherry were lashed to ships sailing for the Indies as ballast and were found to develop an extraordinary smoothness and complexity. Lustau has revived this style of sherry in the East India Solera wine, an inspired mingling of about 85% aged dry (20 years old) Oloroso with about 15% aged (10 years old) sweet Pedro Ximenez blended then aged an additional 5 years in the warmest part of the bodega, la sacristia. Raisined fruit, candied citrus peel, macerated cherries, caramel and roasted almonds are common descriptors that we might put forward, but somehow there is something left to be described – an ineffable – as if a benevolent form of alchemy were having its way with an already wonderful raw material. Richly textured and flavorful; just sweet; assuages the tongue whilst giving all its wonderful complexity of flavor. Regularly $24.99 the bottle, on sale now at:

In the Graham’s cellars the depiction of bunches of grapes on the cask ends has been used to signify a wine of Vintage Porto quality. Amongst these, six bunches denote the darkest and most full‑bodied of such wines. One of Graham’s original Porto blends, Six Grapes is a true expression of the Graham’s house style with great richness and complexity — Graham's themselves refer to it as 'everyday Porto for the lover of full-on Vintage Porto.' Midnight ruby red in color with very primary aromas of ripe plum, prune, cherry, grape pomace, dried fig, tea leaf, bergamot, anise, cracked pepper, whoo, we could go on; rich, voluptuous even, on the tongue, then shows its warming grip with structure from velvety tannins; invigorating, fortifying, flavorful to the finish.

Warre's Late Bottled Vintage Porto, a.k.a. «LBV» for short, remains among the very best of its type. Unfiltered and bottle-matured (to be sure, it's bottled four years after the vintage, two years later than vintage Porto, and then held in bottle until fit and ready for consumption. So much of what is so wonderful about mature vintage Porto, but, sans the wait and at about ⅓ or less the price, Warre's '04 LBV is just on the scene, just in time for the autumnal nip. Deep, deep purple in color with aromas of dried stone fruits, say dark cherry and black plum, and just a wisp of grape spirit; on aeration, there's nuance of dark chocolate and baking spices, too; composed and complete on the tongue, medium-full in body with easy, broad chalky tannins; an engaging, fortifying wine, warm, potent and flavorful to the finish.

While vintage Porto is bottled some 18 months following the vintage, Tawny Porto is aged almost entirely in cask, during this process throwing off its dark purple color in favor of a more "tawny" hue, leaving its sediments in cask rather than in the bottle, it’s once grapey, plummy fruit transformed into something far more complex and, frankly, sublime — a veritable cornucopia of aromatic richness: bitter almond, caramel, walnut, citrus peel, raisin, prune, dried berry and cherry and perhaps a hint of brandy by campfire; oh so silken-textured, at once voluptuous and fiery, challenging and satisfying, with deliciously complex flavors that somehow so discreetly reprise those first highly suggestive aromas. Absolutely superb!

This is one of France's great classic liqueurs, an original blend of Brillet Cognac and the essence of Poire Williams. Perfectly matured Bartlett pears are carefully selected, then picked at their peak of ripeness, macerated then blended with fine Brillet Cognac. A most flavorful, contemplative and, to be sure, irresistible liqueur  —  absolutely delicious. And perfect for sipping with family and friends at the holidays.

The world's best VSOP Cognac? Some of the, er, more venerable of our discerning clientèle will remember this fine brandy as the Marcel Ragnaud VSEP, from back in the days when we operated from inside of 650 square feet a block or so away. Times change. Packages change. Markets move. Heck, bottle shops move. But the quality and allure of this Grande Champagne 1er Cru de Cognac Ragnaud-Sabourin remains. The № 10 VSOP is distilled from wine of Saint-Émilion grapes harvested from the 50 hectares of vines planted in the favored chalky soils of Grande Champagne at the Domaine de La Voute at Ambleville. Aged for about 10 years for remarkable aromatic allure, the № 10 VSOP is an hommage to the spirit of the grape and the soil, with complex and compelling aromas that conjure a sweet and delicate sense of slow maturation in wood, the singed sugar atop crème brulée, baking spices, raisined fruit, toasted hazelnut and at last a freshening zest of tangerine peel; smooth, rounded, elegant and rich on entry, almost voluptuous on the tongue and all the while fresh and invigorating with dazzling intensity and length of flavor. A remarkable Grande Champagne Cognac, indeed. Welcome back!