Wines of the Week: 
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2020 Domaine de la Tour du Bon Bandol Rose Normally $29.99–$25.49 15% Off This Week ONLY! 2018 Fontodi Chianti Classico Sangiovese DOCG Normally $52.99–$45.04 15% Off This Week ONLY! * * * About the Wines of the Week: 2020 Domaine de la Tour du Bon Bandol Rose Normally $29.99–$25.49 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery The magnificent Bandol appellation, known for its powerful reds and structured, elegant rosés, borders the Mediterranean Sea. Half a mile inland on a hillside near a tiny village called Le Castellet, Domaine de la Tour du Bon is quietly making some of the best wines that the appellation has to offer. The terroir here is a clay-limestone mix with a red subsoil. The 12 hectares of vines form a natural amphitheater overlooking the sea, and with abundant sunshine and very little rain, this is the hottest area in the appellation. Agnès Henry is the current winemaker and owner of Domaine de la Tour du Bon. Her parents bought the estate in 1968 and spent the next two years digging into the rocky earth and planting the vines that she now tends full-time. In her 25 years of making wine, she has come to embrace organic agriculture and a hands-off approach in the cellar. In addition to farming organically, she has for the last few years worked with a dyanmizer to prepare biodynamic treatments. Fermentations take place in open top cement vats and normally last about three weeks; she pumps over occasionally to get oxygen to the yeasts. Following Bandol’s requirements, the reds are aged in wood (a mix of foudres and barrels) for a minimum of eighteen months. The wines are not fined or filtered. Domaine de la Tour du Bon wines are traditional and unmanipulated, offering a true expression of Bandol’s unique terroir. 
About the Wine The soft, ochre-tinged color is highly evocative of the sun-soaked Provençal countryside. Full of fruit with a touch of spice and citrus peel— balanced and structured. A perennial favorite. A soft and spicy mouthfeel allows this rosé a wide range of chords ranging from seafood to exotic Thai food. Against all received ideas, and surely thanks to mourvèdre, this rosé ages well. 36% Mourvèdre 32% Cinsault 25% Grenache 7% Clairette. * * * 2018 Fontodi Chianti Classico Sangiovese DOCG Normally $52.99–$45.04 15% Off This Week ONLY!
 
About the Winery Fontodi has belonged to the Manetti family since 1968. The family has been associated for centuries with another activity typical of the Chianti region, the production of its famous “terrecotte” tiles. And it is in the name of this strong link with the territory and a great passion for quality that the estate has moved successfully towards an ever more attentive cultivation of the vineyards and a more profound knowledge of the potential of Sangiovese in the zone of Panzano. Fontodi is located in the heart of Chianti Classico precisely in the valley, which lies south of the town of Panzano and is called the “Conca d’Oro” (the golden shell) because of its amphitheatre shape. A genuine and characteristc terroir, famous for centuries for its tradition of quality wine cultivation, thanks to a unique combination of high altitude, calcar clayschist soil, lots of light, and a fantastic micro-climate – warm and dry with a marked difference in day and night-time temperatures. 
About the Wine Fontodi is a Certified Organic estate that extends over 130 hectares of about 70 are planted with vines. The type of agriculture practiced is inspired by the principles of respect of nature and sustainability. Not only are there no chemical products used but there is also an effort to maximize the internal resources of the estate, thereby reducing the need for any external input. Respecting the environment means wines that are better, purer, and a truer expression of the grape and the territory. Fermentation and maceration is employed with temperature-controlled tanks using indigenous yeasts for at least 2 weeks. The process of vinification and ageing in Troncais and Allier barrels for 18 months takes place in the modern cellar, built on descending levels to take advantage of gravity, guaranteeing the most respect possible for the natural integrity of the grape, in order to exalt the character and elegance of the wines. * * * Also Tasting Today: 2018 Pinon Silex Noir Vouvray Chenin Blanc $34.99  
About the Winery The wines of François Pinon are considered among the finest of Vouvray. Eight generations of winemakers since 1786, François, a former child psychologist, took over the estate from his father in 1987, and has steadily made a name for the estate over the past 10 years. He is a serious winemaker whose main focus is "to keep the typicity of both the appellation and the vintage" in all his wines. The vineyards are in the corniche of the Vallée de Cousse. The soil is clay and silica on a base of limestone (tuffeau) with flint (silex) and the area is rated among the top sites in the appellation for Vouvrays of distinction and long life. Pinon follows a discipline of plowing the vineyards, not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides and, of course, he harvests by hand and uses no cultured yeasts. All new plantings are done by selection massale and no nursery clones are used; the vines are an average of 25 years old. The estate has been certified organic since 2011. 
About the Wine After being hand-picked and pressed, the juice is stored in large vats for 12-24 hours, while the solid matter settles to the bottom of the tank. When the juice is clear, it ferments without the addition of yeast. Tunneled into the rock of the hillside, the cellars house oak barrels and stainless steel tanks, enabling Pinon to balance winemaking between still and sparkling wines. The wines remain on their fine lees until Easter. After one rack and a filtration, they are bottled over the course of April. With vines that are exposed east-southeast, the average age of the Chenin blanc vines are 40 years old. Underneath are clay and black flint soils that are over a limestone bedrock. On the nose one can expect to find aromas of stone fruits and limestone. This matched with a palate which is fresh and mineral driven. The finish is dry and nuanced, with the backbone to follow. The aging potential for this wine can range anywhere from 20-30 years. Perfect to pair with charcuterie and fish such as crustaceans. Cocktail Recipe of the Week: 
Mai Tai Ingredients: 60 ml Zaya Gran Reserva 12 Year Old Rum 15 ml Giffard Orange Curaçao Liqueur 20 ml Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice 10 ml Giffard Orgeat Syrup Directions: Add the ingredients to a shaker Ice up 2/3 of the shaker with cubed ice Shake vigorously for 7 to 10 seconds Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice Garnish and serve, Cheers and Enjoy! * * * Snack of the Week: 
Murray’s High Plains Cheddar Sweeter than your typical cheddar, with a crumbly yet creamy consistency, Murray's High Plains cheddar represents generations of Midwestern cheesemaking, with milk from local, small family farms. The High Plains cheddar is a unique hybrid - an Alpine cheddar inspired by Swiss Mennonite roots. The resulting block is surprisingly sweet and nutty, balancing subtle grassy notes that linger on the palate. Approachable almondy tones are accented by a glass of Rose. * * * | 
