Wines of the Week: 
 2020 Henri Boillot Bourgogne Blanc Meursault Chardonnay Normally $57.99–$49.29 15% Off This Week ONLY! 2019 Martinelli Winery Bella Vigna Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Normally $49.99–$42.49 15% Off This Week ONLY! * * * About the Wines of the Week: 2020 Henri Boillot Bourgogne Blanc Meursault Chardonnay Normally $57.99–$49.29 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery Henri Boillot is at the epicenter of great winemaking and is one of the most respected winemakers in Burgundy. Under his craftsmanship and exceptionally skilled hands, his Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs are without a doubt top-tier Burgundies.The soil is clay-limestone, the perfect mixture to nurture those Chardonnay grapes. The grapes are, of course, hand-harvested. One of Boillot's signatures is that he keeps his yields stunningly low - between 22 and 26 hectoliters per hectare. This practice is extraordinary because it's about half the yield of his neighbors. 
About the Wine Boillot is hands-on. He practices strict grape sorting and selection. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in wood vats. The wine is aged for 10 months in a judicious amount of new and 1-2-year-old oak barriques. This treatment is very rare for Bourgogne Blanc, but this is Henri Boillot’s dedication to making the best of everything he bottles. Allen Meadows has described past vintages of this wine as "There is a subtle touch of minerality to the detailed and discreetly saline-inflected flavors that possess the fine depth and length. Recommended as this definitely boxes above its weight."- Allen Meadows, Burghound * * * 2019 Martinelli Winery Bella Vigna Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Normally $49.99–$42.49 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery The Martinelli family has been growing grapes in the Russian River Valley since 1887. At the ages of 19 and 16, Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini left their small village in the Tuscany region of Italy and made their way to California looking for land to farm and start a winery. Giuseppe had been a winemaker in Italy and with his viticultural knowledge he was hired to plant a vineyard for a farmer in Forestville. 100 years later, the historic Martinelli Estate vineyards are farmed by Lee Martinelli, Sr., and sons Lee, Jr. and George Martinelli. The wines are made by winemaker Bryan Kvamme. These handcrafted wines are unfined, unfiltered, neither cold nor heat stabilized and may contain naturally occurring sediment. 
About the Wine The grapes are picked between 25 and 27 degrees brix (the degree of sugar content for a liquid) to ensure mature ripe fruit flavors. After picking, the whole berries undergo a long cool fermentation with wild yeast, to generate skin contact and expose fruit character. The juice is transferred into oak barrels with a touch of residual sugar remaining to complete the fermentation process in barrel until dry. The wine is employed in 70% new French oak on its gross lees for one year. The wine is neither heat nor cold stabilized, and is unfined and unfiltered, clarified only by racking before bottling. This approachable wine is bright and fresh when first poured, with wonderful aromas of plum, red apple and hibiscus tea. On the palate expect a juicy mouthfeel with hints of cherry pie followed by touches sweet spices such as currants, cinnamon, and vanilla. * * * Also Tasting Today: 2021 Chateau Pigoudet Classique Provence Cinsault Blend Rosé $21.99  
About the Winery Chateau Pigoudet is located in the mountains of Provence, in the extreme NE quadrant of Coteaux d'Aix en Provence. Here, Pigoudet's 40ha of vineyards sit at 1,312 feet with full southern exposure, their fruit treated to the strong Mistral winds that blow from the north by Mont Vautubiere. Surrounded by pine trees, the slopes, which are home to the best parcels, are planted to Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, while the plains support Cinsault and Grenache. With soils of chalky clay, small stones and gravel, the vines are sustainably farmed with organic treatments. Producing rose wines from all four varietals, Chateau Pigoudet possesses the idea climate, complete with diurnal shifts, that allows the fruit to gradually ripen, yielding refreshing and aromatic wines. 
About the Wine All fruit is harvested at night, pressed and left on the skins for seven days at 32F degrees. Vinifying their rosé wines via direct press, Chateau Pigoudet uses natural yeast on fruit from 35 to forty year old vines that are sustainably farmed. Each varietal is fermented separately, then blended for each cuvee. Elegant upon first sip, this is everything you’d want and expect from a Provence Rosé. Delicate and well-balanced on the palate, expect minerality on the finish. This rosé will hold up to all of your favorite summer foods, perfect for that time of year when you grill everyday. 50% Cinsault, 28% Grenache, 13% Syrah, 9% Cabernet. 2020 Domaine Champalou Cuvee Fondraux Vouvray Chenin Blanc $27.99  
About the Winery Catherine and Didier Champalou both came from vigneron families, yet their mutual sense of independence prompted the couple to brave it on their own. Since starting the domaine in 1983, their label has become one of the most highly-acclaimed in the appellation. Vouvray is home to the noble Chenin Blanc, more commonly known as Pineau de la Loire in their part of the world. The Champalou family farms 21 hectares of vineyards, embracing sustainable farming while integrating the use of the lunar calendar. Their soils are rich, deep, and aerated though regular plowing. The Champalou house style produces wines of great elegance and tenderness, highly aromatic with impeccable balance. No one comes close to copying their distinct style. 
About the Wine Crafting impeccably balanced, off-dry wines like this is no simple task, but the Champalou Fondraux rolls over the tongue so fluidly that you might be tempted to think the berries tasted just like this when they were picked off the vine. It comes down to masterful winemaking, in which precision and savoir faire replace the need for technological intervention to create a velvety, suave Vouvray that oozes class. The contrast of ripe, succulent Chenin Blanc fruit with a spike of flinty minerality is like licking honey off an arrowhead. * * * Cocktail Recipe of the Week: 
Authentic Michelada Ingredients:
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
Lime wedges
2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. hot sauce
Dash of soy sauce
Ice
1 12 oz. bottle Modelo Especial Directions for Cocktail: On a shallow plate, stir to combine salt and chili powder. Wet rim of large serving glass with lime wedge and dip into chili salt to coat rim.
Combine lime juice, hot sauce, and soy sauce at the bottom of glass and stir to combine. Fill glass with ice, then top with beer. Stir lightly, garnish with a lime wedge and serve. Cheers and Enjoy! * * * Snack of the Week: 
Pyrenees Brebis Cave Aged Sheep Cheese Made in the Basque country and the Bearn region of France's Pyrenees Mountains, this small-scale pasteurized cheese is produced from floral sheep milk and given a half year to deepen in flavor. The ivory paste is firm but smooth with toothsome butterfat. With sweet, nearly caramelly, grassy, and nutty undertones, Brebis can handle full bodied reds. This is one strong-willed sheep's wheel. * * * | 
