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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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Feeling Thirsty?

The 2021 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest is a young classic, mingling scents of sweet citrus oil and peach with notions of white flowers, struck match, bee pollen and youthful reduction in an incipiently complex bouquet. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and textural, it's concentrated, taut and incisive, with a long, mineral finish. Drink 2025-2045William Kelley, The Wine Advocate 94 Points AM 94
This is also suffering from post-bottling reduction so some air would be helpful if you're going to crack a bottle young. More interesting are the slightly sleeker middleweight flavors that also possess a seductive mouthfeel while delivering solid depth and persistence on the balanced finale. This should also repay up to a decade of keeping though unlike the Chenevottes, it's a wine that will need at least a few years of bottle aging first. Drink: 2029+Allen Meadows, Burghound 91 Points �
$345
$330ea in any 3+
$315ea in any 6+

Olek Bondonio Barbera 2021

Barbera | Piedmont, Barbaresco

This is how you do Barbera! My note is a replica of the last: Dark, brooding. Lovely élévage, well-developed pre-bottling. Yes, it’s still young, of course. Where so many Barbara’s are raw at this point there is a sense of togetherness. It’s a pure expression of the grape without interference from oak.It looks to have spent reasonable time on skins, the extraction and flavour development adding the earthy, skin contact/maceration character, and quality tannin wrapping quality frui
$82
$78ea in any 3+
$74ea in any 6+
Domaine Marcel Deiss 1er Cru 'Grasberg' 2017
OFF-DRY
Premier Cru action from Deiss! Riesling ~ Pinot Gris ~ Gewurztraminer I haven't had the chance to try this yet. Given the rest of the 2017 are looking great this should be excellent too.Notes from the last Grasberg I drank:Something quite special here. A unique wine of immense character. The botrytis play with spice, fresh apricot and almond / marzipan sits delicately with citrus, flowers, grapefruit and beyond. Off dry it sits balanced, with fresh acidity dancing over the light sweetnes
$138
$133ea in any 3+
$128ea in any 6+