Cider

 

Snow Capped Cider, Cider Makers Reserve, Cedaredge, Colorado $18.98

 

A five-generation apple farming family, Snow Capped Cider was born 3 years ago to show case in a different form the delicious apples cultivated on the beautiful mountain-side of the Grand Mesa.  A true branch to bottle, Snow Capped Cider ‘Cider Makers Reserve’ is a blend of three traditional English apples, 100% estate fruit with no additives.  The cider is bottle conditioned and aged in the bottle.  Bone dry with a wonderful balance of fruit and acidity, this cider will make you a Cider drinker if you aren’t already one! 750ml

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Beer

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Avery, ‘The Kaiser’ Imperial Oktoberfest Lager, Boulder, CO 22oz $11.29

 

A seasonal beer brewed by Avery as part of the Dictator Series, ‘The Kaiser’ is an Imperial (9.5%) Oktoberfest Lager. With a gorgeous, deep copper sheen, massive malty backbone and spicy, floral, pungent Noble hops, this beer is sure to warm you on a blustery fall evening. 

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White

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2014 Cusumano, ‘Alta Mora’ Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $25.98

 

Sourced at the base of the largest volcano in Europe, Etna is symbol of nature’s ardor and an ancient and tenacious viniculture. Alta Mora is a relatively new project for the Cusumano family, but the region is rich with viticultural history. The north facing terraces of Guardiola are now producing some of Italy’s finest wines with power and finesse that match the world’s greatest wines. This 100% Carricante grape is grown on a 6 hectare parcel at an altitude of 600 meters. A perfect location, it allows full ripening of the Carricante grape without altering its aromas. The 2014 vintage was fresh in the spring, with regular rainfall. The summer was cool early on and then exploded into a hot, dry final phase. 

 

This wine opens with a lovely fragrance of peach blossom, Spanish broom, savory herb and white fruit. The bright palate doles out tart green apple, creamy pear, citrus and a mineral note alongside crisp acidity.

 

2014 Domaine d’Aupilhac, ‘Les Cocalieres’ Blanc, Languedoc, France $40.98

 

Located in the village of Montpeyroux in the Languedoc region of southern France, the eighteen hectare, Domaine d’Aupilhac has been farmed by the Fadats family since the nineteenth century with the vineyards dating even further back in time to the Romans. In 1989, Sylvain Fadat took over the estate and the process of converting the property to organics whereby he is fully credited with the wines we are fortunate enough to enjoy today. 

 

Aupilhac is very a special parcel of land, sitting at a high altitude of 1,200 feet above sea level with southwest sun exposure, nestled below the ruins of the village’s chateau.  In addition, the single vineyard Cocalieres is planted on the site of ancient lake formed after the eruption of a volcano, resulting in a rich bed of limestone and basalt.  From this vineyard all of the grapes are hand harvested, vinified separately with indigenous yeast fermentation, and the red wines are aged for thirteen or fourteen months in older barrels. 

 

A tasty blend of 30% Roussanne, 30% Vermentino, 20% Grenache Blanc and 20% Marsanne, this wine displays notes of white flowers, peaches, quince, dried fruit and white pepper on the nose accompanied by hints of honey, citrus, and minerality on the palate. 

 

2011 Dexter, Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia $60.98

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Founded by Tod Dexter and his wife Debbie in 2000, Dexter Wines is located in Victoria, Australia on the Mornington Peninsula.  Tod Dexter grew up with wine. Along with his parents' considerable interest in wine he had a childhood friendship with the Crittendon family, one of Melbourne's premium wine merchants who further introduced him to the world of wine. It was then no surprise that in 1974 after a skiing trip in the US, Tod ended up in the Napa Valley where he spent a seven-year apprenticeship with one of California's premium family wineries, Cakebread Cellars.  Tod moved home to Australia in January 1987, and joined forces with Brian Stonier at Stonier Wines where, over the next ten years, he grew the company to become one of Australia's premium producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. During a formative trip to France in 2000, Tod and his wife were encouraged to open their own winery.  

The Dexter 2011 Chardonnay is an exceptional example of Chardonnay. Very Burgundian in style with delicious flinty notes, the wine is barrel fermented in French oak barriques

(23% New, 77% second, third and fourth use) and 75% of the wine goes through malolactic fermentation.  Aromas of lemon, white peach, nectarine and floral notes combine with subtle oak on the nose followed by a delicate and elegant palate with good length and great acid balance.  Nectarine, lemon and elegant oak linger on the finish.  

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Red

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2014 Palacios, ‘Petalos’ Mencia, Bierzo, Spain $37.98

 

In the late 1980’s, Alvaro Palacios traveled around his native Spain selling French barriques to winemakers.  At the same time he searched for a place to make special, high quality wine of his own.  In 1990, he decided on Priorat where he would achieve worldwide recognition with L’Ermita and Finca Dofi.  Bierzo was a close contender with its incredibly steep hillside vineyards, distinctive terroirs and ancient vineyards of Mencia, a unique red grape thought to have arrived in Spain by way of French pilgrims during the Middle Ages.  Alvaro along with his nephew, Ricardo Perez, decided to establish a joint venture in 1998 and went in search of Bierzo’s finest, old vineyards.  Petalos del Bierzo is assembled from 60 year old vines, farmed biodynamically on hillside and hilltop sites across Bierzo’s western edge.  100% Mencia, this intense, beautiful wine has notes of fresh floral black cherries, wild plum, smoke and spice flavors with a delicate meaty edge and hint of olives.  

 

2014 Domaine Sylvain Petaille, Bourgogne Rouge, Burgundy, France $48.98

 

Marsannay is at the top of the Cote d’Or, north of Gevrey-Chambertin and Fixin and just south of Dijon.  The appellation stretches over three villages – Chenove, Marsannay and Couchey.  

 

Sylvain Pataille is a young passionate winemaker from Marsannay, however he is not from a winemaking family.  With no vineyards passed down to him, Sylvain had to start from scratch when he felt he wanted a domaine of his own. He went to wine school in Beaune at the age of 14 and then to wine university in Bordeaux in order to become an oenologist.

 

A member of a small group of upcoming producers who are taking Burgundy to the next level.  Sylvain and company are constantly exploring the environment, soil, vines, and winemaking in order to find better ways of making wines that represent the detail and expression of specific sites.  

 

Since the 2014 vintage Sylvain decided to avoid sulfur treatment during the winemaking process with just a touch at bottling. This technique yields wines that burst with flavor immediately upon release and the 2014 vintage shows this brilliance.  As a Marsannay producer, Sylvain’s wines offer delicate power with silky texture and freshness. Bright berries and crushed red flowers and a light dusty earthiness leap from the glass on the nose and palate. A delicious Pinot Noir for food pairing! 

 

2014 Domaine des Roches Neuves, Terres Chaudes Saumur Champigny, Loire Valley, France $63.98

 

Owned by Thierry Germain, Domaine des Roches Neuves, is a benchmark producer in the tiny winemaking region of Saumur-Champigny.  Situated on the left bank of the Loire, between Angers and Tours, Saumur is a historic city dominated by one of the most famous castles in France.  The castle, like many of the great Chateaux of the Loire Valley, is built with the same tuffeau limestone that underlies the great vineyards of the region. 

 

Trained originally in Bordeaux, Thierry has brought his knowledge and familiarity with Cabernet Franc to what is arguably some of the most suitable terroir in the world for this delicious grape. The special combination of clay, limestone, flint, and alluvial soils in Saumur Champigny helps to produce wines with power, elegance and purity.  

 

Produced from low yielding, 100% biodynamically farmed 40 year old vines, this wine is fermented in large oak casks before ageing for 12-14 months in 1 year old French oak from the previous year’s bottling of ‘Marginale’, another delicious low yield, old vine bottling.  Sweet wild blackberry and dark cherry, ginger spice and deeply mineral fruit with notes of herbaceous character make this wine perfect for crisp fall evening.