Hot Sheets

A single vineyard steal from one of Oregon's spot-on 5-star producers! Illahe is a superb vineyard site located in the foothills of the Coast Range and is in good company. Croft & Freedom Hill are located here, but Illahe seems to deliver a bit more refinement and grace than these other illustrious sites.

On the dark, aromatic side, the 2012 Evesham Wood Illahe Pinot Noir reveals beautifully aromatic aromas of crushed black raspberry, violet and cinnamon that shine brightly from the glass. In the mouth, the wine is stylish and refined with an abundance of penetrating fruit along with sneaky structure. The finish is suave and understated with a hint of allspice and cocoa from oak. This gorgeous Pinot will pair wonderfully with veal chops and will drink and develop wonderfully through 2018. Here at The Cellar Door, we always comment about how it is always fun to sell great wine, but when nice and very genuine folks make great wines, it is an even greater pleasure! If you want to see some of Oregon's best (and at a fair price) from the much-hyped 2012 vintage then you will definitely have to score some of this one! Drink this beauty over the next 10 years.

From a virtual Grand Cru site, Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl, this wine is way too good for its meager price. Perfume-driven from its superior geological material, there is a multitude of excellence in the bottle. Many regard this Nahe-based producer as being one of the top 2 or 3 Riesling producers in the world and we fully concur. Once you try a wine such as this, your life will change forever!!

Alluring, underlying mineral is present which frames apricot, pineapple and grapefruit notes that persist on through the long and mouth-watering finish. Well-balanced throughout, this is a food-lover's playground! Pair it up with Mexican-inspired seafood dishes or grab some ahi tuna, jack it with some soy, ginger and a little Chinese 5-spice, cook it on the rare side and go crazy! One other thing, these wines age like beasts, drink this steal through 2026+.

It's difficult to pinpoint a producer from a specific area as being "the best", but more and more that we taste and sell Marc de Grazia's Terre Nere wines from Sicily's Mt. Etna area, we are getting close to making such a declaration. Not only are these sultry wines top-drawer, sadly they are now becoming difficult to get out paws on, hence the very limited tag…we only have a few cases to work with!

An outstanding Italian wine adventure from predominantly Nerello Mascalese, the new 2013 is ruby red in color with a persistent bouquet of mulberries, black cherries, mint and sage. Flavorfully textured and dry with plenty of generous, ripe fruit which carries into a lingering and balanced finish that possesses a touch of well-integrated tannin. We highly recommend drinking this hearty red over the next 3-4 years with grilled and roasted red meats or hard sheep's milk cheeses.

When it comes to Oregon white wines, not too many surpass the quality of what J. Christopher is doing right now, especially with Sauvignon Blanc. Since the winery's inception in 1996, Jay Somers has been a devout believer in the qualities of Sauvignon and the uniqueness that Oregon's climate brings to the wines. Establishing their own identity, those producing this varietal have realized differences from their French, California or New Zealand colleagues.

The J. Christopher 2013 is a stunner and instantly shows just how good this Oregon vintage will be across the board. Bone-dry, refreshing, zesty, but with ample substance to carry over to the dinner table. Brilliant aromas and flavors of honeydew, mandarin, forward mineral and smoke blitz the senses and follow through to entice one to uncork another bottle. Great to sip on a warm evening , if we ever get one! This just also happens to be perfect with just about any seafood that comes out of the waters of the Northwest and it will start any meal off right.

Undoubtedly this is one of the most outstanding price/quality rapport Barolo we work with year in and year out. Vietti's Castiglione Barolo is way, way more than just an entry-level offering. In fact, this could be broken down by vineyard and Luca Currado could legitimately produce numerous different single cru wines from this. As a tribute to the generations before him, Luca takes all of these small lots, ferments them separately and then blends them into one hell of a serious Barolo that is a ridiculous steal for its price level!

"The 2010 Barolo Castiglione is beautiful in the way it brings together the vibrancy of the year with a soft, inviting textural presence. Freshly cut flowers, mint, sweet spices, anise and red berries are all woven together nicely in the glass. With time in the glass, the wine blossoms with exquisite finesse, floral aromatics and exquisite overall balance. Ripe, silky tannins support the exquisite finish. An insanely beautiful wine, the 2010 will give readers a good idea of just how great the 2010 vintage is at Vietti. The Barolo Castiglione is made from a large number of parcels across the Barolo zone, many of which are of a high enough level of quality that they could be bottled separately. This is first-class juice."