Hello Wine Lovers, 

I asked Chuck Johnson, Domaines and Estates, to dig deep in his book and find some fresh new wines that were a little off the chart for our next tasting.  He found some really interesting new wines and some old favorites, from long ago, that I am looking forward to revisiting. We will taste the 10 wines found at the bottom of the page next Wednesday, July 27.  Light food will be served.  I need to see what the garden offers before committing to a menu.  The tasting costs $10 per person and we ask that you purchase 2 bottle from the tasting. Please call 442 2207 between the hours of 11AM and 6PM to make firm reservations.  This tasting will be a real "Humm Dinger" as Chuck says.  I hope we see you soon....

Best,  Paul Vernon and Crew

Sale Reds

The sale reds I have in the shop are first come first served.  When thy are gone I will not be able to order more. They could go off sale a week from Saturday. Sorry but we cannot reserve sale wines.  Some may be being poured by the glass.

The best Malbec I have tasted...

Seven years ago I went to Mendoza, Argentina with a group of wine professionals to visit the vineyards and taste the wines.  While I found several wines I have sold in the shop over the years, none of them, regardless of the price, stand up to the 2013 Super Uco, Calcareous "Granitode Tupungato".   It is the finest Malbec I have tasted.  My suppliers,  Brazos Imports and Lile Wines, were able to locate 20  more six-packs for me.  I am selling six-packs for only $216 ($36 per bottle). Don't believe it is as fabulous as I say it is?  ..... see  Robert Parker's review in The Wine Advocate below.  The wine should arrive in about two weeks.  It is on sale until it arrives. 

2013 Super Uco, Calcareo"Granito de Tupungato" Malbec, Argentina  

"The 2013 Calcáreo Granito de Tupungato starts with lactic notes followed by ripe plum and ripe skin aromas from grapes grown at higher altitude, closer to the sun. It is a bit wild. The palate is tremendously mineral, with a chalky texture and incredible length. The tannins are ultra-fine and the wine is compact, very harmonious. This is the more austere and mineral of the three. Awesome value! Some 3,000 bottles produced."

and more....

"SuperUco is the name of the new project from the Michelini brothers with other friends and partners like Daniel Sammartino. There is a new line in 2013, wines from chalky soils, called "calcáreo," single vineyards from different places all chalk-based, but with different combinations of rocks, granite or colluvial stones. I tasted three Malbecs that represent the places very faithfully. All these wines are produced with full clusters that are foot trodden to break the grape as they don't want carbonic maceration and do a very gentle extraction. The wines fermented in large cement amphorae and then mature in well-seasoned oak barrels, looking for a neutral container that does not give aromas to the wines and respects the character of each place. Everything is done manually, basically, unplugged wines. These are benchmark Michelini wines.
There is a second line called Superuco, the one that names the project, and finally the Genitori line all of them (for now) form Gualtallary, but Altamira and Chacayes will follow. These wines are quite unusual for the Michelini brothers, as they feel very little like their signature light and fresh wines (which is their style) and they feel like if the have been fattened with oak (which is very unlike them) and the more expensive, the more oak. A bit puzzling. These are still work in progress.
The winery is built in Los Chacayes, inside the complex Vines of Mendoza.

Best,  Paul Vernon and Crew