Staff Picks: What to Drink This Week
Things our staff thinks you should consider trying!
2021 Pratsch Rose, Niederosterreich, Austria - $17.99
Stefan Pratsch is young, really young, but he's already a winemaking veteran. He took over winemaking at his family's estate when he was just 15. His parents had already been farming their 50 acres of vines organically for 30 years, long before it was the cool way to do things. The rose is mostly Zweigelt and has just a touch of spritz and on the nose and palate it's all strawberries and rhubarb, in the best kind of way. I seriously can't get enough of this rose! So food friendly but perfect as a cocktail wine. Quintessential springtime in a glass.
-Angie
Delamotte Brut Champagne - $69.99
Heading into Spring holidays and celebration season it's good to have some reliable bubbles nearby. This gem from the Cote de Blanc is readily available and out performs some of it's more heavily marketed neighbors. It has the grace and length you'd expect from wine sourced from grand cru chardonnay vineyards plus a bit of body and fruit from small amounts or Pinot Noir and Meunier. The ample toast is well integrated and the overall experience is exhilarated and satisfying. Find a reason to open this bottle.
-Dave
2018 Domaine de Durban Gigondas - $30.99
Gigondas is a village in the Southern Rhone Valley known for delicious Grenache based red and rosé wines. The Durban Gigondas is a sultry gem imported by the ever reliable Kermit Lynch, made of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah — the latter imparting a satisfying dose of pepper. This full bodied, brooding red wine has notes of dark fruit (blackberry/black cherry), mulchy earth, and a bloody minerality — powerful, yet elegant, and oh-so distinctly French! This makes a perfect wine for barbeque and grilling season, and is a safe choice for most palates (BIG but balanced).
-Katrina
2016 Roagna Langhe Rosso - $63.99
Luca Roagna is the fifth generation winemaker to continue the tradition of making some of the most sought after Nebbiolo out there. The prized bottling from the Pira Cru in Barolo and the Paja Cru in Barbaresco have incredible structure that is rewarded with some long term cellaring. Luca makes a more approachable Langhe Rosso with the younger vines from these crus that is one of the best values around in high class Nebbiolo. It is made from younger vines that are around 25 years old; which is hardly young by many producers' standards. This Langhe Rosso, from the epic 2016 vintage, shows pretty aromatics of tobacco and cherry. The palate has the signature Roagna structure with red fruit and cedar spice finishing with silken tannin. This vintage is totally approachable in its youth and is fine for short term cellaring. LIke all wines from Roagna this Langhe Rosso is extremely limited. Try this bottle with beef tenderloin or a wild mushroom risotto.
-Rob
2019 Cantina Marilina 'Sikele' Bianco, Terre Siciliane - $19.99
Angelo Paterno established his winery in Southeastern Sicily practicing traditional organic viniculture from the start. His daughters, Marilina and Federica, are now in charge of the winery. Their Sikele Bianco release is made purely from Grecanico (the Sicilian name for the Garganega grape, which is the primary grape for Soave). At their vineyard near Siracusa the grapes grow in limestone soils and are farmed fully organic in a polyculture of other crops to help nurture the ecosystem. 13 hours of maceration on the skins and spontaneous fermentation in concrete tanks with indigenous yeasts give the wine an "orange wine" categorization but as a lovely and easy approach to the style. Aging is for 6 months in concrete vats with another 3 months in the bottle before it is released. The result is a wine rich in complexities. Aromas of dried fruit and citrus lead to a palate of honeyed peach and apricot balanced, by the skin contact, with savory woodsy notes and hints of saline, ginger, and chestnut. This is a great introduction to organic "orange" wine and will match well with aged salty cheeses.
-Patrick
