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Perfectly Priced California Wines from Doug Margerum!
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Today we present two wines from Santa Barbara winemaker Doug Margerum. A former wine retailer and sommelier, Doug crafts thrilling California wines that evoke classic French bottlings. His 2019 Margerum "Sybarite" Sauvignon Blanc and 2018 Margerum "M5" Red, both of which have earned 93 points from Antonio Galloni, are some of the most exciting California opportunities we've tasted all year!
"Doug Margerum's new releases are terrific. Readers will find plenty of the energy and vibrancy that make these wines so distinctive." - Antonio Galloni, July 2020
Our prices on these impressive wines are substantially lower than their originally intended prices. So much lower, in fact, that they are now pretty much impossible to resist. If you love Sancerre, do not miss the "Sybarite" Sauvignon Blanc. If you get excited drinking Southern Rhône Reds, you absolutely must have the "M5" Red.
Scroll down for the full story, then click the Big Yellow Button to get these delicious taste-like-they're-French Cali tricksters home!
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Curbside Pickup at Vin Chicago!
We encourage you to place your orders online or via the Big Yellow Button and to use our curbside pickup option for a "contact free" experience.
When you arrive to pick up your wine, contact us using the phone number or email listed below. We'll bring the order right out to your car!
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Chicago:
Highland Park:
Barrington:
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847-943-7141
847-282-2366
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2019 Margerum "Sybarite" Sauvignon Blanc
Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, California
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Doug Margerum graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 1981, around the same time he and his family created the famous Wine Cask restaurant. Over the next 25+ years, Doug turned Wine Cask into a Santa Barbara food and wine staple - maintaining a Wine Spectator Grand Award winning wine list, retailing some of the world's best wines and helping to put Santa Barbara wines on the international stage. In 2001, he started his own wine project, Margerum Wine Company.
We have experienced many American wineries that produce European style wines. Some of these wines are fantastic and nearly all are too expensive. As a knowledgeable restaurant/retail wine guy, Doug is one of the very few who gets it right.
His 2019 "Sybarite" Sauvignon Blanc is produced from sustainably farmed vineyards in the unique Happy Canyon region of Santa Barbara County. Doug raises this Sancerre-like Sauvignon Blanc in primarily stainless steel with a small percentage in mature French barrel. The wine is packed with chiseled citrus and taut orchard fruits along with noteworthy acidity and minerality, similar to what is found in the great Sauvignon Blancs of the Loire Valley.
In the mouth, the wine is richly textured and long with subtle flavor tones of green herbs and pepper. The finish is bright and youthful. Exposure to air reveals even more depth and more complexity, so make sure to do plenty of swirling or even a brief decant.
If you love Sancerre and top-tier California Sauvignon Blanc, you need to try this one. At our special price, it is a slam-dunk deal. On the Vin Chicago scale, it earns a solid 92 points. Awarding 93 and 92 points, Vinous and Wine Enthusiast write...
"The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Sybarite opens with a rush of citrus, floral and tomato leaf aromatics that lead into beautifully sculpted orchard fruit flavors. Here, too, Doug Margerum balances vivacity with depth. The Sybarite offers plenty of Sauvignon aromatics without veering into the green/grassy end of the spectrum. Drinking window: 2020 - 2025." - 93 Points, Vinous - Antonio Galloni (7/2020)
"Very light in the glass, this always reliable white wine starts with aromas of pear soda, red apple and slightly tropical white and green flowers. The texture is taut and dry, with brisk flavors of red apple, seashell, lemongrass and a fast-fading flash of guava." - 92 Points, Wine Enthusiast (9/1/2020)
Vinous quotes this at $25. If we featured a Sancerre of this quality at that price, we'd sell out of it in a matter of hours! At $17.99, this serious, mineral-themed Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most exciting California finds of the year!
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 2018 Margerum "M5" Red Blend
Santa Barbara County, California
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Margerum crafts this Southern Rhône style red from 47% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre, 2% Counoise and 2% Cinsault. The sample bottle put smiles on our faces from the first sip. When we went back to it the next day, however, was when we truly fell in love with this juicy, energized, savory red.
"The 2018, Doug Margerum's Grenache-based blend, is fabulous."
- Antonio Galloni, July 2020
Grainy, gritty, mouth filling and silky, this wine tastes like a modern style Vacqueyras. Peppery red and black fruits, red earth, smoke, black olive and fresh red flower flavors are present from the bouquet all the way through the long finish.
Decant this charismatic California red a good 30 minutes prior to drinking with just about any meal you can dream up. As with the Sybarite, Vinous and Wine Enthusiast are both BIG fans...
"The 2018, Doug Margerum's Grenache-based blend, is fabulous. A burst of sweet berry fruit and floral notes give this racy red so much immediacy, not to mention incredible appeal. Medium in body, with no hard edges and terrific purity of expression, M5 is a winner. Drinking window: 2020 - 2027." - 93 Points, Vinous - Antonio Galloni (7/2020)
"Doug Margerum's flagship blend of 47% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre, 2% Counoise and 2% Cinsaut is bright, delicious and easy to guzzle. Fresh lively aromas of wild strawberry, simmering pomegranate sauce, mint and peppercorns lead into a palate of berries, plum, thyme and marjoram. It is crisp while complex. Editors' Choice." - 92 Points, Wine Enthusiast (12/31/2019)
Vinous quotes a price of $29. Given that many much less sophisticated Cali reds sell for $50 or more, that's already quite enticing. At our price of $21.99, the M5 not only blows its California rivals out of the water, it actually knocks on the value door of some of our favorite Rhône reds. Already beautiful, this wine will only get getter over the next couple of years. Stock up!
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