Hot Sheets

2016 Chateau de la Terriere Brouilly
$17.99 btl./$215.88 case

Call the police because we have just witnessed a robbery! That's right, this Cru Beaujolais from long-time Cellar Door favorite, Château de la Terrière is a flat out steal!!! Now don't stop reading just because we said Beaujolais. Those of you that love aromatic and resplendent reds, such as Pinot Noir, and are looking for a great alternative, need to look no further. In fact, these days, what one gets for $18-$25 in Cru Beaujolais is a much more significant value that just about any Pinot Noir in the world in this price range.

Brouilly is a large appellation that surrounds Mont Brouilly. On the large, south side of the Mont, wines that are more “common” are produced. Terrière's vineyards for are located on the much smaller north side of the appellation where there are large amounts of red granite deposits. This area is widely regarded as one of the finest terroirs in all of Beaujolais. After tasting this wine over the weekend and last year in France, Bryan was amazed at the complexity and value of this wine. Significantly layered and mineral, one immediately recognizes the step-up from Beaujolais Villages to Cru Beaujolais. Creamy raspberry with underlying spicy tones of coriander and pepper shimmer from the glass and carry over to a texture that is agile, snappy and penetrating with a total eruption of persistent flavors and depth that cascade into a long finish. Drink it over the next 5-7 years with fresh morels or chanterelles over pasta or stuffed into a roasted chicken.

2015 Chateau de la Terriere Fleurie
$19.99 btl./$239.88 case

One of the most exciting wines that I have tasted on my visits to this fab Chateau has been their outstanding Fleurie. Sadly, there has never been enough to go around. Perseverance wins out because FINALLY, after a decade of visits we have received some bottles of this magical wine. What drives this wine is the pink soil in the ‘Grand Pre’ sector of this appellation. It also is worth mentioning that Terriere winemaker Frederic Maignet has been working in and around Beaujolais his whole life, knows the diversity of these terroirs, adapts them to his winemaking, and chaperones them along to make detailed and exquisite offerings.

From 50+ year old vines. Luminous violet and rose aromas combine with wild cherry; cinnamon and stoniness enliven the olfactory senses. In the mouth, it is forward, terroir laden while striking a nice balance between fruit and mineral on the vivid and extensive finish. This is shimmering Beaujolais and quite versatile with food. Enjoy over the next 6-8 years with so many choices including pepper steak, grilled chicken or pork chops or just a super-fine aged Gruyere cheese.

2016 Cigliuti Nebbiolo Langhe
$26.99 btl./$161.94 - six pack

One of my favorite visits that I made on the Piedmont portion of my trip a few weeks ago was to Cigliuti, a miniscule estate that is a superlative, first-class, Serie A producers of Barbaresco. Sometimes this region is pigeonholed into thinking that it is feminine in style, however, this stereotype is shattered when it comes to sisters Claudia and Silvia’s powerfully stacked wines. The Nebbiolo Langhe is declassified from the family’s Via Erte Barbaresco and is a hell of a deal. While we have had two potential legendary vintages with 2010 and 2013, vintage 2016 will have something to say about it, this is shaping up to be an all-timer!

Ethereal scents shine on this sultry selection. Up front licorice whip, porcini mushroom and fresh earth dominate the nose. Classy and beautifully balanced this is a wine for the table, although the magic of the 2016 vintage has added an extra cushion of depth of fruit. If you consider yourself a foodie and want to have a wonderful Barbaresco area experience for not a bunch of money, get some mushrooms (good dried porcini are a great bet with this wine) and try a bottle of this with risotto or pasta con fungi. Either that or braise the hell out of a tenderloin of beef with a bit of this Nebbiolo, add carrots and mushrooms, then drink another bottle or six with it. Enjoy now and over the next 6-8 years.

2015 Cigliuti Barbera D'Alba 'Campass'
$23.99 btl./$143.94 - six pack

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises on my visit to Casa Cigliuti was just how impressive the Barbera D’Alba ‘Campass’ is. In the past, this wine always had a bit of new oak on it to provide catnip to the punters but for 2015; any connotations of oakiness up front are finely integrated. Campass is a single parcel within the Serraboella Cru that comes from 35-year-old vines.

Very savory, yet being young and from a superb Barbera vintage, this wine has subtlety and complexity lurking beneath the surface. Strawberry rides out front with interwoven aspects of balsamico, menthol, violet and intermittent licorice tones. Seductively textured with ample old vine vinous aspects along with spice and smoke all while fanning out across the palate then stretching into a beautifully lingering finish. Drink over the next 8-10 years with pasta and meat sauce, risotto with mushrooms or grilled pork.

2015 Luminous Hills
Pinot Noir 'Astra'
$39.99 btl./$479.88 case

Before I escaped the US and headed across the pond to France and Italy, we had our friend Byron Dooley, owner/winemaker at Seven of Hearts and Luminous Hills in the house for an intimate Seat At The Table Tasting. This event was quite eye opening in the expressions and diversity Byron’s wines truly are. It always amazes me at just how much a wine can take on the personality of its maker and in this case, it truly does because these are some of the most cerebral, subtle and multi-faceted that we offer from the Northwest. We are proud to have sold these wines since the inception of this estate and we think that you will love them as well.

Luminous Hills is Byron’s home vineyard and is one of the more diverse sites that I have seen. It is here that one feels as though there are three or four vineyards in one as its micro-terroirs changes quite a bit. The clones planted are quite diverse as well and both Willakenzie and Jory soils are present. We compared all three of the wines from his home site in this flight (Astra, Lux & Estate) and if I were to say that I had a favorite wine of the evening, this was probably my choice. Then again, those who know me know that my preferences for Pinot Noir run towards the silky side of things. From the northern blocks of the vineyard, this wine speaks out feminine sophistication. The aromas are sexy and sultry with lots of petites fruits rouges. Refined and classy. More and more perfume arrives. Turns introverted and mysterious but with superb velvety traits and expansion. Very fine Pinot, see you in 5 years!

2015 Luminous Hills
Pinot Noir 'Lux'
$39.99 btl./$479.88 case

Also from Byron’s Luminous Hills vineyard is Lux, Astra’s sibling from the lower part of the slope with some higher elevation fruit added in to provide balance. The thing that amazes me most is just how being in such close proximity and from the same site, just how different this wine is.

Pommard clone dominant with some Dijon 777 as well, this Pinot is sturdy from the start but never gets bulked up on steroids. Lots of black licorice along with blackberry then showing off aromatic herbs and cracked pepper beneath. Excellent movement and energy, this youthful yet approachable number fills the entire palate and sweeps everything off on the drawn out, layered finish. Beautiful and ageworthy juice that Oregon Pinot lovers should have in their cellars.

2016 Albamar Albarino
$19.99 btl./$239.88 case

Bodegas Albamar owner/winemaker Xurxo Alba comes from a long line of Albarino growers and his instinct and respect for the grape shine through. With vineyards that he tends in the district of O Castrelo (Cambados), Xurxo makes a crisp, lively and linear style of Albarino.

Fresh fruit aromas of apricot and peach slices with notes of lemon and green apple. Pretty notes of honey and wet nutmeg, and the mouth is bracingly bone dry and pleasantly invigorating with baked apple, honey, and lemon. This is a classic Albarino, which is wonderful young, but actually improves over two to three years.

2016 Albamar Albarino
'Alma de Mar'
$31.99 btl./$383.88 case

Alma de Mar (soul of the sea) is a special cuvee made from a single vineyard that was planted in 1982. One sees immediately that this is superior Albarino and truly one of the finest in Galicia’s Rias Baixas region. Like the previous Albarino, this wine has absolutely no oak on it but what it does have is extra levels of depth, intensity and complexity.

Yellow flowers with lime green touches give this wine charisma and ultimate poise, depth and movement. Vibrant and ever changing, the aromas of flowers and fruit are marked by the mineral contribution and accompanied by saline notes, memories of "tide", anisette and subtle sensations of lime. The palate is pure balance, long, elegant, with a briskness pointing out not only its location but also exactly how much it is a magnet to seafood. Try this smashing Spanish white wine with salmon as well as so many other sea critters.

2016 Fabre Montmayou
Cabernet Franc Reserva
$13.99 btl./$167.88 case

Fabre Montmayou is from Argentina and owned by a man from Bordeaux so it makes sense that there would be excellent Cabernet Franc emerging from their Mendoza vineyards.

A resounding Argentine take on the varietal, this wine rocks cassis, tea-smoke, raspberry, clove and cinnamon scents that follow into a texture that is mellow, smooth and very poised. Excellent depth, body and length belie its modest price point. Drink this delicious, superbly priced Reserve Cab Franc over the next 3-4 years with grilled burgers, grilled pork or grilled eggplant for those who don't partake in carnivorous delights.

2016 Fabre Montmayou
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva
$13.99 btl./$167.88 case

As we tend to know, Malbec is usually associated with Mendoza and is widely regarded as the nation’s spiritual grape. Being from Bordeaux, Henri Joyaux Fabre definitely has instinct for Cabernet Sauvignon and has some planted in both Lujan de Cuyo in Mendoza as well as Patagonia. We have offered the Patagonia version in the past but this cuvee from Mendoza.

One of the most impressive under $15 dollar wines from Argentina that we have tasted recently is this inviting, deceptively complex and forward, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Intensely colored with violet and cassis aromas that carry over into a texture that is medium-bodied, exuberant and chock full of flavor and depth. Enjoy this wine at just about any moment with burgers, sausages or smoked meats.

2017 Fattoria di Petroio
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
$24.99 - 500 ML btl.

Fattoria di Petroio happens to produce a small bit of heavenly olive oil from their 800 or so trees. Not a lot of oil is made here, but when it is available, all of the gourmands on this list should be salivating! The olives for this bottling are a blend of all of the varieties of olives grown at the estate, Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo, and we don’t often offer it out to the entire list.

This southernmost tip of Chianti Classico tends to produce oils that take on an intense and flavorful quality, and this one definitely exhibits those traits, and then some! Nice buttery texture that reveals ripe, heady fruit with an abundance of flavor, and true to Tuscan form, plenty of spice. For us at The Cellar Door, we just love dunking bread in it, but it will also work drizzled over fresh zucchini or perhaps with an American version of Bistecca Fiorentina.

2017 Caprili 'Terre Di Siena'
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
$35.99 - 1 liter tin

We are very excited to announce the arrival of what we feel wins our "olive oil of the year" award. Anyone who loves great wine also appreciates the best in food. The Bartolommei family, owners and operators of Caprili, located in Montalcino, produces some of the most cerebral and complex wines in Tuscany so it is no wonder that the family has the same adept hand with their famed Brunello as well as with this wonderfully delicious and complex oil.

One whiff of this oil and you know it is serious business. It has the most exquisite roasted green olive aroma with just a hint of spice. In the mouth, it has great richness and intensity, a creamy, almost buttery feel up front, and finishes with classic Tuscan green olive spice. We have tasted many Tuscan oils that do not come even close to the sheer elegance and balance of this oil. No overriding spice, no intense bitterness, and just pure olive oil flavors. With an olive oil, this good you want to let its flavors shine. Invite some friends over, break out the bread and oil, and of course a bottle of Caprili wine. For a step up drizzle this on bruschetta. For maximum pleasure though this makes a great and easy natural "sauce" for grilled fish, from salmon to halibut.

FRIDAY SIPS

Sauvignon Blanc

FEATURED WINES:

2017 Delaporte Sancerre
2016 J. Christopher Sauvignon Blanc Willamette Valley
2016 Sidebar (Ramey Cellars) Sauvignon Blanc
2016 Pojer e Sandri Sauvignon Blanc ‘Dolomiti’