Wines of the Week: 
 
2019 Bachelet-Monnot La Fussiere 1er Cru Maranges Rouge Pinot Noir Normally $57.99–$49.29 15% Off This Week ONLY! 2016 Roagna Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo Normally $49.99–$42.49 15% Off This Week ONLY! * * * About the Wines of the Week: 2019 Bachelet-Monnot La Fussiere 1er Cru Maranges Rouge Pinot Noir Normally $57.99–$49.29 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery From their domaine in Dezizes-les-Maranges, brothers Marc and Alexandre Bachelet, oversee an enviable catalog of top Côte de Beaune vineyards: St. Aubin En Remilly, the top sites in Maranges, some of Puligny-Montrachet’s finest, Chassagne-Montrachet, and jewels in Santenay. Since their first vintage in 2005, they have refined their approach to farming and winemaking to the point where they are now firmly established as two of Burgundy’s brightest talents. The comparisons to some of Burgundy’s elites make complete sense as the resulting wines are densely layered, racy, and achingly long. The reds are equally stunning, with an aromatic lift, grain, and texture that makes them among the most compelling Pinot Noirs made in the Côte-d’Or today. The best way to understand how groundbreaking the work of these brothers is by climbing to the top of the Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière with Marc and Alexandre. This impressively steep slope sits adjacent to pieces of jagged limestone and a wild forest at close to 400+ meters altitude. Making your way up, it becomes seriously rocky around 300-350 meters, with a reddish iron-tinged clay and limestone scree. This is a dangerous place to work and they insist on plowing it themselves, knowing only too well the risk of flipping a tractor by hitting big chunks of stone with your blades.
About the Wine The mountain home of La Fussiere is both extreme and exhilarating. Standing up there conjures a gratifying ‘top of the world’ sensation, provoked by the sleek freshness of the breeze, the raw beauty of the steep hillside, and these charismatic brothers. Sure it’s impossible to ignore the magic of the more famous wines they craft, but the real keystone to the Lewis and Clark like legend the brothers are building in this emerging part of Burgundy, is the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir they carve from this spectacular site. The 50 year old vines are situated at the highest elevation vineyard in Maranges. After manual harvest the brothers incorporated about 30% whole cluster into the wine with indigenous yeasts; they then employed 228L barrels (20% new) to age the 1er Cru Rouge. When first poured, layers of rose petals and freshly picked red fruits pop out of the glass. Upon first sip, expect the opening to give way to well-structured tannins matched by an everlasting freshness. The finish gives way to notes of baking spices and touches of white pepper. * * * 2016 Roagna Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo Normally $49.99–$42.49 15% Off This Week ONLY!  .jpg)
About the Winery The fine estate of Roagna has long roots in the commune of Barbaresco, having been started very early in the twentieth century by Vincenzo Roagna. Vincenzo passed on the reins to his son Giovanni Roagna, who in his turn saw his son Alfredo succeed him as the head of the estate. Today the property is run by Luca Roagna, the fifth generation of the family. Luca was born in 1980 and succeeded to winemaking for the property soon after his graduation from oenological school in 2001. The style of the estate’s wines has been carefully passed down through all five generations of the Roagna family, with the wines made in a very traditional and classic style. These are deep, complex and structured wines that are built to age and handsomely reward cellaring. The heart of the Roagna estate is its six and a half hectares of vineyards in the commune of Barbaresco, most of these lying in the fine cru of Pajè. From the Pajè vineyard the Roagna family now makes three distinct cuvées, a Barbaresco “normale” labeled as Barbaresco “Pajè,” a Barbaresco Paje Vecchie Vite and “Crichët Pajè" - made from the crest of the Paje cru. In 1989 the family’s long-held aspirations of owning top level crus in Barolo comparable to their Pajè holdings in Barbaresco came true, when they purchased a parcel historically known as La Rocche e La Pira, in the fabled village of Castiglione Falletto.
About the Wine Practicing organic, the grapes for this wine come from Roagna's younger vines (25 years old and younger ) in Pira in Castiglione Falletto (Barolo) and in Paje in Barbaresco. Most vines are 20-25 years old. Varying in soil content: from marl, calcareous to sandy calcareous. After hand harvesting at the end of September/beginning of October, the wine is then fermented in large wood casks and lasts ten days. After which, the wine is then aged in large neutral French botti. The oak Luca uses is never toasted but instead made by using hot steam instead of flame. The wine is normally aged for five years in wood before release. While this wine is made from Luca's "younger vines," most producers would use this fruit for their Barbaresco or Barolo. The wine could easily be mistaken for either in a blind tasting. * * * Also Tasting Today: 2017 Domaine Eden Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay $37.99  
About the Winery Domaine Eden is a nearby mountaintop wine estate purchased by Mount Eden Vineyards in 2007. It was founded and built by the late Tom Mudd in 1983, and was initially planted with the Mount Eden clonal selections of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, which evolved to include Pinot Noir from various Dijon and California selections. The viticulture at Domaine Eden is approached with the same level of naturalness and sustainability as Mount Eden’s estate vineyards. The soils here, however, are different from the estate’s Franciscan shale so even though Domaine Eden is a mere mile away “as the crow flies”, the wines express more varietal fruit with expansive mid-palate flavors than the soil-driven minerality of Mount Eden estate wines. With the differences in vineyard character, the property inspired a new wine brand, Domaine Eden, which focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from this special site and Bordeaux varieties from Mount Eden’s larger home, the Santa Cruz Mountains. 
About the Wine All of the Chardonnay is either grown at Mount Eden or at Domaine Eden. Prior to bottling, the winemaking team tastes through all of the Chardonnay barrels and selects for different personalities; the Domaine Eden Chardonnay is highlighted by forward fruit, earlier drinkability and obvious hedonism and is usually composed of 60% Mount Eden and 40% Domaine Eden fruit but it varies slightly by vintage. To preserve the terroir of these special sites, the same principles apply: fermentation in Burgundy barrels (50% new), use of natural yeasts, malolactic fermentation and aging sur-lie for 9 months. 
Critical Acclaim "The 2017 Chardonnay is absolutely gorgeous. Apricot, tangerine oil, butter and light tropical accents give the 2017 striking exotic character that match its rich oily personality so well. This is a decidedly extroverted wine from Domaine Eden, but it all works so well. There is a feeling of immediacy and allure that makes the 2017 impossible to resist. The Domaine Eden Chardonnay is a blend of declassified barrels (64%) and lots from the Domaine Eden property itself (36%), aged in 2-5 year old wood."–92 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous * * * Cocktail Recipe of the Week: 
The Snowhound Ingredients: 1½ oz Claremont New Jersey Vodka 1½ oz Freshly Squeezed Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice Ice Lime Wheels, for Drink and for Garnish Directions: Rim an ice filled glass with a lime wheel. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine vodka and grapefruit juice. Shake until well chilled and strain into glass. Add lime wheel for garnish. Cheers and Enjoy! * * * Snack of the Week: 
Sable & Rosenfeld Spicy Olive Bruschetta A blending of chopped kalamata olives, carrots, cauliflower, red bell peppers, celery, jalapeño peppers, capers, and Piri Piri peppers in olive oil. Spice up your favourite sandwich, pizza, salad, pasta, chicken or grilled fish. All-natural, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO Certified. * * * | 
