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Rudi Pichler Kollmutz Smaragd Gruner Veltliner is made from 100 percent Gruner Veltliner. 

Rudi Pichler is among the elite growers of the Wachau producing wines of precision, power, and longevity. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling make up 95% of the production with the remaining 5% shared between Weißburgunder and Roter Veltliner. Rudi Pichler belongs to the prestigious Vinea Wachau and vinifies under the strict parameters of their codex.

Yields are kept low between 30 and 35 hectoliters per hectare with botrytis carefully removed by hand.  Grapes are crushed by foot and receive between three and 36 hours of maceration on the skins. Vinification is entirely in stainless-steel tanks and malolactic fermentation is avoided.

Kollmütz is a terraced vineyard in Wösendorf sitting between 200 and 400 meters of elevation. The soils of Kollmütz developed from an ancient landslide resulting in chaotic layers of rock and boulders. The vineyard is particularly rich in magnesium and iron. Wines from Kollmütz are typically linear, dense, and intensely mineral in character.

Grüner Veltliner is the signature grape of Austria and produces a dry white wine with savory aromas, spicy flavors, and good acidity. Grüner Veltliner Smaragd from the Wachau is a full-bodied wine and is rich in style with notes of stone fruit, lemon, radish, and arugula.

Review:

I have heard gruner veltliner dismissed for supposedly not being elegant, but this is an extremely elegant example! Very complex nose of snow peas, green beans, wild herbs and green pepper. On the medium-bodied palate, this remarkable gruner veltliner has a discreet succulence, but what makes it amazing is the way it glides so gracefully over the palate, then splash lands in a deep pool of wet stone minerality. Underplayed power and concentration!

-James Suckling 97 Points

This Junmai Daiginjo has a beautiful nose full of banana, melon and star anise. The all natural brewing process gives this sake a bright fresh palate of plum, lime and minerality with a clean dry finish. A very food friendly sake, and is thought to be best after the meal with a light, smooth, rich cow's milk cheese.

POLISHING RATIO: 40%
ALCOHOL: 16-17%
SMV +/-: +1.0
ACIDITY: 1.2
RICE KOJI: HATTANISHIKI
RICE KAKE: HATTANISHIKI
YEAST STRAIN: PROPRIETARY YEAST

FOOD PAIRINGS: Poached Lobster, Seared Scallops, Tofu, Steamed Dumplings
CHEESE PAIRINGS: Brillat Savarin, Cambozola, Dulce Latte Gorgonzola, Mimolette

Rice milling: 60%
Rice varietal: Iwai (Only available in Kyoto)
Alcohol: 15%
Sake meter value: +3.0
Acidity: 1.3
Tasting Notes: --------

Eikun sake uses water from a source called "Fusui", rated as one of the top 100 sources of water in Japan. This water source is located just south of the ancient Japanese, and still cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto. 

Rice milling: 60%
Rice varietal: Iwai (Only available in Kyoto)
Alcohol: 15%
Sake meter value: +3.0
Acidity: 1.3
Tasting Notes: --------

Eikun sake uses water from a source called "Fusui", rated as one of the top 100 sources of water in Japan. This water source is located just south of the ancient Japanese, and still cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto. 

Review:

"Clear with a platinum blue cast. Aromas of coconut milk, melon, pear and rice pudding with a with a supple, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a vanilla, apple, and pepper accented finish. A robust and lively sake that will sing with spicy Asian cuisine."
- Beverage Testing Institute (July 2nd 2014), 91 pts

Sake Eikun Junmai Ginjo Water Lords is made with Iwai rice.

Eikun sake uses water from a source called "Fusui", rated as one of the top 100 sources of water in Japan. This water source is located just south of the ancient Japanese, and still cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto.

Aromas of macadamia oatmeal cookie, spicy zucchini bread, and vanilla cream with a satiny fruity-yet-dry medium-to-full body and a layered, banana custard, jicama, salted whole nut, apple, and radish nuanced finish. A Wonderfully vibrant and flavorful sake.-Beverage Tasting Institute  94 points (Exceptional)

RATING: 94 points (Exceptional)
CATEGORY: Junmai Ginjo Sake, Sake
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 15.3%
TASTING LOCATION: In Our Chicago Tasting Room
TASTING DATE: Dec-05-2012
WINE ID: 200768

Savory nuances of toasted quinoa, banana bread, and nutmeg are present in the nose. On the palate, this sake is layered, lifted and complex, with flavors of plantain, dried cranberry, nougat, white Mushroom and almond.

POLISHING RATIO: 60%
ALCOHOL: 15-16%
SMV +/-: +3.0
RICE KAKE: 50% WAKAMIZU 50% LOCALLY FARMED JAPANESE RICE
YEAST STRAIN: PROPRIETARY

TASTING NOTES:
This is a classic, delicious Honjozo with crimini mushroom, almonds and lilac aromas. The first sip of this sake is full of stone fruit and minerals complimented by notes of caramel, cocoa and almond and finishes with plenty of umami.

POLISHING RATIO: 60%
ALCOHOL: 16-17%
SMV +/-: +3.0
ACIDITY: 1.6
RICE KOJI: JAPANESE RICE 100%
RICE KAKE: JAPANESE RICE 100%
YEAST STRAIN: KYOKAI 

FOOD PAIRINGS: Chinese Food, One Pot dishes like Beef Stew.
CHEESE PAIRINGS: Foggy Morning, Prima Donna, Domaine de Village

TASTING NOTES:
This is a classic, delicious Honjozo with crimini mushroom, almonds and lilac aromas. The first sip of this sake is full of stone fruit and minerals complimented by notes of caramel, cocoa and almond and finishes with plenty of umami.

POLISHING RATIO: 60%
ALCOHOL: 16-17%
SMV +/-: +3.0
ACIDITY: 1.6
RICE KOJI: JAPANESE RICE 100%
RICE KAKE: JAPANESE RICE 100%
YEAST STRAIN: KYOKAI 

FOOD PAIRINGS: Chinese Food, One Pot dishes like Beef Stew.
CHEESE PAIRINGS: Foggy Morning, Prima Donna, Domaine de Village

TASTING NOTES: This fresh, subtle Honjozo has a lovely nose of cantaloupe, leek, fresh clay and pear. With just a hint of sweetness, the palate is light bodied with alluring flavors of burnt caramel, chalk and marsh-mallow and a classic Honjozo clean, dry finish.
The fanciful name "Otoko no Yujyo", represents a feeling for which the sake was made, to honor brotherly love, between comrades.

PREFECTURE: TOCHIGI
POLISHING RATIO: 65%
ALCOHOL: 15.0 - 16.0%
SMV +/-: +8.0
ACIDITY: 1.4
RICE KOJI: HITOGOKOCHI
RICE KAKE: TOCHIGI 14
YEAST STRAIN: KYOKAI 901

FOOD PAIRINGS: Versatile with all foods, Grilled Fish, Paella, Smoked Fish, Fried Fish or Fried Chicken
CHEESE PAIRINGS: Foggy Morning, Prima Donna, Domaine de Village

This unpasteurized sake is exciting and lively with a nose full of citrus, apple blossom and shizo. The palate is equally as bold featuring fresh persimmons, marshmallow and slightly underipe stone fruit. The finish is clean showing soft minerality.

POLISHING RATIO: 60%
ALCOHOL: 15.5
SMV +/-: +5.0
ACIDITY: 1.6
RICE KOJI: GOHYAKUMANGOKU
RICE KAKE: KOSHI IBUKI
YEAST STRAIN: K1801

FOOD PAIRINGS: Sushi Nigiri with fatty fish, oysters, omelettes, Lighter Italian, Chinese or French dishes
CHEESE PAIRINGS: Mildly ripe Coulommiers or Brie, Italian Raschera

This unpasteurized sake is exciting and lively with a nose full of citrus, apple blossom and shizo. The palate is equally as bold featuring fresh persimmons, marshmallow and slightly underipe stone fruit. The finish is clean showing soft minerality.

POLISHING RATIO: 60%
ALCOHOL: 15.5
SMV +/-: +5.0
ACIDITY: 1.6
RICE KOJI: GOHYAKUMANGOKU
RICE KAKE: KOSHI IBUKI
YEAST STRAIN: K1801

FOOD PAIRINGS: Sushi Nigiri with fatty fish, oysters, omelettes, Lighter Italian, Chinese or French dishes
CHEESE PAIRINGS: Mildly ripe Coulommiers or Brie, Italian Raschera

This inviting Honjozo is full of floral, quince, dried mango, anise and hazelnut aromatics. On the palate this sake has medium body and a smooth mouth feel.  Forward flavors of persimmon and black pepper with lively acidity gives this sake a beautiful balance.

Pair this with: Salmon teriyaki, chicken meatballs, glazed ham, spinach and bacon salad; served warm with Shabu Shabu

RICE POLISHING RATIO: 60%    

ALCOHOL: 15-16%    

SWEET/DRY: +5.0

FOOD PAIRINGS: Duck, Grilled salmon, Chicken meatballs, Glazed ham, Chinese, Italian, Cured Meats
CHEESE PAIRINGS: Comte, Mimolette, Pecorino

Dry and lean in the nose with hints of celery, pear puree and anise. On the palate this junmai is soft and creamy on the palate with rich, savory flavors of mocha, hazelnut, spicy vanilla, ending with crisp acidity.

POLISHING RATIO: 80%
ALCOHOL: 16-17%
SMV +/-: +2.0%
ACIDITY: 2.10%
RICE KOJI: Yamadanishiki
RICE KAKE: Yamadanishiki
YEAST STRAIN: Koshi Ibuki

FOOD PAIRINGS: Ideal with rustic Italian food, cheese and tomato centric or creamy pasta dishes

CHEESE PAIRINGS: Italian Raschera, Pecoria Reggiano

Samuel Lindsay The Gandy Dancer is made from 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot.

With its deep ruby color and aromas of ripe fruit, the early senses offer comforts of a quintessential California Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine opens with a subtle yet surprising coastal structure, with notes of cooking herbs, violets, and mocha. The tannins begin to dance with pops of anise, black cherry and aged leather, and the finish is decadent, balanced and lasting. Pairs well with a hard day of work.

85% of the grapes are coming from Lodi, 12.75% from Napa and the remaining 2.25% from Mendocino.

Review:

"Deep, dark color. earthy nose, rich and dense with smooth texture and ripe plum fruit, tangy balanced and complex, long, lush and likable."

- Anthony Dias Blue, 91 pts

Schwarz The Schiller Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.

The Schiller Shiraz is a wine rich in both flavor and history. The 400 Shiraz vines planted by Carl August Otto Schiller in 1881 are something to be treasured. Earmarked for bulldozers in 2006, a last minute reprieve would see these Ancestor vines remain in the ground. The grapes are hand-picked from the sixth generation Schiller family vineyard at Hallett Valley in the Barossa. Jason first made this wine in 2008, and since then it has been his flagship wine.

Review:

Sei Solo Ribera del Duero Tempranillo is made from 100 percent Tempranillo. 

Named after Bach's six solos for violin, Sei Solo represents Javier Zaccagnini's vision of elegant, high-toned Ribera del Duero from the powerful, mineral soils of La Horra and the top vineyards of Barroso and Acos that are planted with old vines of 60 to 90 years old.

Displaying wonderful clarity of fruit and excellent transparency to the multi-layered flavors, there is no new oak influence on this at all, resulting in a wine that has nothing to hide behind. Deft tannins support a taut, mineral, dark fruited wine that, while tight knit and brooding is tremendously refined and vital and not at all tiring to drink. A Ribera built on elegance, refinement and nuance that promises great things for the future. A star is born.

Fermented in stainless steel tanks of small capacity, adapted to the size of every vineyard, allowing to do individual fermentation for every different plot.
Short and careful pumping over, never reaching high temperatures to respect the fruit and avoid over extraction of the tannins, gaining the full potential of elegance and finesse of the old vines. After alcoholic fermentation the wines are racked to two-year-old French barrels to undergo malolactic at low temperature ( less than 14 degrees C) . This process takes several months. When malolactic is finished, the wines are racked to 600 liter big barrels of French oak, which are not new to avoid a loss of balance and style of the wines. Aging in barrels for 20 months.

 Review:

- Wine Enthusiast (May 2024), 97 pts & Cellar Selection

When the founding fathers of the Napa Valley carved out new sub-AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in the 1980s, Soda Canyon Ranch was not yet on anyone’s map. The vineyard is neighbored to the northwest and west by the winegrowing districts of Stags Leap District and Oak Knoll District, respectively, which were among the early pioneers of California Cabernet Sauvignon to attain global fame. To the northeast and southeast—and further off the beaten path—were Atlas Peak and Coombsville, thought to be the next frontiers for the emerging wine-producing region.

With richness and depth of flavor, the 2018 Timeless Napa Valley is the embodiment of patience and attention to detail. Decades of experience at Soda Canyon Ranch allow winemaker Nate Weis and team to highlight the individual merits of each block. Combining the strongest lots from each resulted in a refined and harmonious bottling.

In 2018, the diurnal shift at Soda Canyon Ranch produced a darker, lusher fruit profile of Cabernet Sauvignon. Simultaneously, the overnight recovery periods resulted in expressive and refined Merlot, giving the wine a pleasant profile of bright, red fruit. With an extended harvest window, the signature, plush density and structure of Petit Verdot is also prevalent in the final blend. Cabernet Franc thrived in 2018 with its predilection for the cooler soils and the climate of blocks 5, 6, 16, 20 and 21—areas we call the Transition Zone and Hardpan Alley. The variety’s floral and tobacco-like aromatics are accentuated, and its more aggressive nature for back-end tannins tamed.

Once blended, the 2018 vintage rested in French oak barrels for 16 months, developing flavors of vanilla and baking spice. Velvety tannins dance across the palate of bright and lingering cassis. With a smooth finish, this is a comforting wine of elegance and depth—a sophisticated expression of the sedate summer.

Review:

This is a little old-school and shows lots of dark berry, chocolate and dried fruit. It’s full, dense and layered with fleshly sensibility. Velvety texture.

-James Suckling 93 Points

When the founding fathers of the Napa Valley carved out new sub-AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in the 1980s, Soda Canyon Ranch was not yet on anyone’s map. The vineyard is neighbored to the northwest and west by the winegrowing districts of Stags Leap District and Oak Knoll District, respectively, which were among the early pioneers of California Cabernet Sauvignon to attain global fame. To the northeast and southeast—and further off the beaten path—were Atlas Peak and Coombsville, thought to be the next frontiers for the emerging wine-producing region.

This opulent wine has a broad and balanced mid-palate, notes of vanilla and blueberry, a dried floral character and chalky tannins. Anise and cherry lift the palate to a beautiful, lingering finish. In both aromatics and palate, this is an elegant vintage worthy of cellaring for years to come.

The winter of 2019 was marked by cold, foggy days in Napa Valley. Well-drained soils of Soda Canyon Ranch and steady, purposeful farming decisions mitigated the rainy and wet conditions as they persisted into spring. After months of ever-shifting weather, the vines were greeted by a consistent, warm and dry summer plus a mild harvest season, resulting in bright and ethereal fruit. Once blended, the 2019 vintage rested in French oak barrels for 16 months.

Sinor-LaVallee Estate Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

Sinor-LaVallee Chardonnay reflects a maniacal attentiveness only possible through sole proprietorship from viticulture through winemaking. The aim was to create a singular Chardonnay that expresses the totality of Bassi Ranch’s ultra-coastal terroir.

The wine Chardonnay offers fragrant aromas of tropical fruit with notes of butterscotch, apricot and crème brûlée. The palate is rich and viscous, yet never loses its energy or focus. Flavors of pear, pineapple and peach show trailing notes of vanilla, mineral and spice. A luscious, full-bodied mid palate yields to a sense of balanced sleekness on the finish.

Sky Devil Formation is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2018 Sky Devil Cabernet Sauvignon is an unapologetically bold, structured wine. There’s finesse to the nose that offers cherry, coffee bean, and cracked black pepper; the mid-body
is textured with full mouthfeel and the right amount of oak that results in flavors of toast and blackberry; the finish is firm with lengthy, evolving tannins. The barrel program for the 2018 vintage was 26 months in 100% new French oak. We bottled 392 cases unfined and unfiltered.  
 
Great with a New York strip steak. Good to drink now; cellared properly, ages well for 20 – 25 years.

Review:

This Cabernet includes small amounts of Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot in the blend. Aged 21 months in a majority of new oak, it tastes of toast and deliciously ripe red fruit, with substantial concentration, structure and intensity.

-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points

Sobrenatural Tinto Organic is amde from 80% Tannat and 20% Malbec from Chakana’s Finca Nuna vineyard, fermented with indigenous yeasts. Sobrenatural is a new line of certified biodymanic and no Sulphur added wines from Chakana’s Nuna vineyard.

Deep, dark fruit aromas. Firm tannins balanced by a juicy, soft texture, good acidity and length.

Pairs with empeñadas, pork chops, Chorizo, spicy food, grilled vegetables. 

USDA Organic

Fermented with native yeasts in concrete vats for 6 months (no epoxy sealing). No fining, no filtration, no additives. NO SULFITES ADDED.