Contrada

Italian for single vineyard. Each Contrada will have its own name.

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Italian for single vineyard. Each Contrada will have its own name. Plural = Contrade. Etna’s Contrade have certainly raised knowledge of the term. Each year a tasting, the Contrade dell’Etna, is held to taste the current releases from Etna. The term is used throughout Italy.

Contrade names you might have heard of from Etna: Rampante, Guardiola, Feudo di Mezzo, Acuria, Sciaronuova, Calderara, and Rivaggi. Moving north to Veneto, Gini’s top Soave is from the Contrada “Salverenza”.

 

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Gini Soave 'Contrada Salvarenza' Vecchie Vigne 2016

Garganega from Soave, Veneto

Gini Soave ‘Contrada Salvarenza’ Vecchie Vigne 2016

A unique Soave, this wine along with Il Corincino's Verdicchio 'Gaiospino' was one of the first two wines that sparked my interest in Italian wine. It's a rich, textural interpretation of Soave, with great harmony, hints of spice, lovely phenolics (giving texture) and length. The age of the vineyards is reflected in the depth of fruit. FYI - Vecchie Vigne means 'Old Vines' and these are pre-phylloxera from a sandy sub-plot of the La Foscà vineyard."The 2016 Soave Classico Contrada Salv

Vintage 2016
$82
$78ea in any 3+
$74ea in any 6+
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Vigneti Massa Timorasso 'Derthona' 2023
Delicious!

Timorasso from Colli Tortonesi, Piedmont

Vigneti Massa Timorasso ‘Derthona’ 2023

From near extinction the Massa family have saved Timorasso, for that I am truly thankful! Massa’s Derthona is the perfect introduction to the serious end of the spectrum of Timorasso.Excellent build in depth and length with excellent oxidative line that sits perfectly with fine acid and insane lemon oil.Closed and a little subdued on the nose on opening. A richer iteration that has been tamed by a master craftsmen to offer us a textural, phenolic, luscious and every so slightly oily

Vintage 2023
$80
$76ea in any 3+
$72ea in any 6+
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Domaine Blain-Gagnard Grand Cru 'Criots-Batard-Montrachet' 2019

Chardonnay from Chassagne-Montrachet, Côte du Beaune

Domaine Blain-Gagnard Grand Cru ‘Criots-Batard-Montrachet’ 2019

"Here too there is a whiff of the exotic as well as a touch of phenolic character (think olive oil nuances) on the poached pear and apple compote aromas. There is excellent richness to the bigger-bodied flavors that are caressing yet markedly powerful finish that offers very fine depth and persistence. This isn't elegant, indeed it's borderline rustic, yet it nonetheless offers much to like in a firmly structured package."Allen Meadows, Burghound

Vintage 2019
$790
$780ea in any 3+
$770ea in any 6+
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Clemens Busch Riesling Marienburg 1er Grosses-Gewächs 'Falkenlay' MAGNUM 2023
Dry

Riesling from Mosel, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Clemens Busch Riesling Marienburg 1er Grosses-Gewächs ‘Falkenlay’ MAGNUM 2023

The Marienburg GG Falkenlay 2023, as it is referred to on the central part of the label, was fermented spontaneously in traditional oak casks from fruit harvested in a grey-slate infused part of the Marienburg vineyard. The splendid and appealing nose combines delicate notes almond cream and cinnamon with fresh scents of spearmint, wet slate, grapefruit zest, and jasmine. The wine also shows this double side on the palate, as ripe, creamy notes of yellow fruits and apricot interplay with spic

Vintage 2023 Magnum 1.5L
$390
$375ea in any 3+
$360ea in any 6+
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