Cider

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2016 Etienne Dupont, Cidre Brut, Normandy, France (750ml) $17

The Domaine Dupont Family estate, established in 1837, consists of 30 hectares (74 acres) of orchards in Normandy, in the heart of the Pays d'Auge region. A top quality producer, the estate produces ciders, pommeau and calvados. Etienne Dupont has been in charge of the Domain since 1980, when he took over from his father Louis and his grand father Jules.

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E. Dupont sparkling cider displays tremendous complexity of apple, citrus, pine, lime, butter, and leather with notes of wood and roast cacao on the nose.  The palate is marked by apple with a touch of wood, full bodied with light sweetness in the balance.
 

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Rosé

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2017 Il Poggione, 'Brancato’ Rosato, Tuscany, Italy $26

One of the original three Italian wine producers of Brunello di Montalcino, Tenuta Il Poggione was founded in the late 1800’s by Lavinio Franceschi, a man whose dedication to the land and the Sangiovese grape is still admired today. One of Montalcino’s largest wineries, Tenuta Il Poggione covers an area of 600 hectares, 125 planted under vine, 70 planted to olive trees and the rest open space and woods. ‘Brancato’ Rosato (Rosé in Italian) is one of the newest wines from Il Poggione crafted from 100% Sangiovese. It is crisp and fresh on the palate with a pleasant roundness that pairs perfectly with fresh produce. A delicate floral and red berry bouquet brings you to a palate full of red cherry, citrus, raspberry, strawberry and spice.

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White

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2017 Ferdinand Albarino Luna Vista Vineyard, Borden Ranch AVA, Lodi, California (375ml can) $12

Ferdinand Albarino is sourced solely from the the Vista Luna Vineyard, owned by Markus Bokisch.  Markus, probably the foremost authority on growing Spanish varieties in California, decided to plant the vineyard after beginning his career carefully farming some of the best vines in Napa. Markus, whose family is from Spain, looked to those roots when he decided to plant Albariño, Tempranillo, Garnacha Blanca, Verdelho, and Graciano (he even smuggled in a special massale selection of Albariño from its native Galicia, Spain.) Vista Luna's site, far to the north-east of Lodi, is in the rolling bench-land at the edge of the Sierra foothills. What makes it really unique is its cobbled, rocky soil and the cooling breezes which blow from the Delta to the Sierras.

A light gold color, balanced and attractively fragrant, this wine is savory and floral with orange peel, lime zest, lemongrass, quince and grapefruit aromas and flavors. Lees aging in neutral oak gives the wine finesse, sophistication, and a hint of nuttiness – a pleasing complement to the variety’s balance of natural acidity, slight bitterness, and salty finish. The 375ml can is perfect to split between two people and will be one of the best wines you've ever tasted coming out of a can. 

2017 Brand, Weissburgunder, Pfalz, Germany (1 Liter) $24

The Pfalz region is located between the Rhine River and the low-lying Haardt mountain range, the natural continuation of the Alsatian Voges.  The Pfalz produces a wide range of styles, and while the stone fruit flavored Rieslings of the region are popular, grapes like Weissburgunder offer outstanding dry alternatives.  Daniel and Jonas Brand are producing outstanding organically grown wines with personality and charm.  They avoid the use of fertilizers and pesticides and rely on natural herbal extracts and teas as vineyard applications to maintain balance with the plants.  This focus on biodiversity keeps the vines and soils healthy producing wines with greater precision.  Weissburgunder or Pinot Blanc is a grape that offers bright flavors of golden apple, pear, lemon and a touch of herb and spice.  The palate is racy and vibrant with lifted acidity and a refreshing clean finish.

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2015 Greywacke 'Wild' Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $41

Forget everything you know about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and from behind your newly discovered veil of ignorance taste something like you've never tasted before! Overly dramatic? Perhaps. But this wine really does break the mold of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Ironically Greywacke is owned by Kevin Judd, the man who created one of the most notorious NZ Sauvignon Blancs over 25 years ago - Cloudy Bay. One can assume that after so many years making wines that don't express much along the way of terroir or nuance, Judd's pendulum swung the other way entirely. Greywacke is named after the river stones in the soil, and all the vines are mature in age and pruned to reduce yields. The grapes are then left to ferment with natural yeast for an extended period of time in old French barrique, after which the wine ages on it's lees for another six months. What is left is a wine that balances a sense of place with refined winemaking, leaving flavors of brioche, homemade apricot jam and lemon curd, nectarine and  yellow peach, with herbal nuances of tarragon and thyme. 

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Red

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2016 Vinícola Succés, Trepat, Conca de Barberà, Spain $29

Mariona Vendrell and Albert Canela fell in love studying winemaking in Tarragona and started Succés Vinícola in 2011 at the tender age of 20. They exploded onto the scene with a still red wine made with Conca de Barberà’s favorite grape, Trepat, which was traditionally used in the region’s rosé cava and first vinified into a still red only a decade ago. Albert uses his family’s vinous connections to source Succés’ fruit from older, organically farmed vineyards owned by local abuelos and continues to push the boundaries of what's considered possible in the region with good farming and introspective winemaking. The name of this wine is 'La Cuca de Llum' which translates to firefly, a name that perfectly describes the Trepat grape: hard to find, lively, earthy, fun, ephemeral, but beautiful. Similar to Beaujolais but slightly more herbaceous. 

2015 Presqu'ile Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara, California $41

Presqu'ile (pronounced press-KEEL) was founded by Matt Murphy in 2006. Matt's a local boy, having studied molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. But it was while working summers in Napa Valley that he found his true calling of being a winemaker. So after graduating he moved to Santa Barbara where he worked for three years learning viticulture and winemaking at Ambullneo Winery. Once he gained the requisite experience, and with a little financial backing from his folks, Matt purchased a few vineyards and began making Presqu'ile. The Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir is made from a few different vineyards, primarily Bien Nacido Vineyards, Presqu'ile Vineyards, and Solomon Hills Vineyard to the South. The ultimate result is a Pinot Noir that is classically Santa Barbara in style, blending tart cranberry and cherry flavors with earth, thyme, orange rind, and a hint of olives. 

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2017 Vini Rabasco, Montepulciano 'Vino Rosso Cancell...ato', Abruzzo, Italy $50

We all make mistakes, even winemakers. Luckily for us that’s how Vini Rabasco's ‘Cancell...ato’ came to be. Since Iole Rabasco inherited her families small vineyard and olive grove she has been making Vini Rabasco's Cancelli from 100% Montepulciano. The wine is lively and delicious, full of tart fruits and a healthy dose of earth. This is not that wine. This is the ‘Cancell...ato’, which fortuitously came to be when in 2016 Iole had a tank of Montepulciano grapes that were harvest a little too late and were lacking the acidity her Cancelli is so well known for. So she held onto it. And in 2017 her harvested a batch of grapes on the early side, brimming with acidity but not showing too much fruit flavors. Blend them together and you get ‘Cancell...ato’, a balanced wine that shows ripe red fruits with crisp lively acid. But because this wine was the product happenstance this will be the one and only year Iole produces it, for fear that tempting fate will not work as well next time. 

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