Highland Fine Wine - December Half Case Mixed 2024

REDS:

NOTRE DAME DES PALLIÈRES, ‘SABLET L’OLIVET’ 2022, CÔTES-DU-RHÔNE, FRANCE $16.99 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallières is a very old family estate, whose name comes from a place of pilgrimage visited by the Provençal people in the Middle Ages to protect them from the plague. The old vines dig deep into the chalky-clayey subsoil and profit by the little Trignon valley microclimate, which provides stable climactic conditions year round. The grapes are harvested by hand and crafted according to traditional winemaking methods. Fine and brilliant bright crimson color. Intense fresh fruit on the nose with cherries, blackberry, red fruits coulis. A round, fleshy and crispy palate full of fruits with no hardness and silky tannins.

CIACCI PICCOLOMINI, ‘D’ARAGONA’ TOSCANA ROSSO 2023, TUSCANY, ITALY $15.99 Ciacci Piccolomini is one of the most sought-after producers in all of Italy. This ancient estate has 35 hectares of superior holdings in the prized Castelnuovo dell’Abate zone, including the ‘Pianrosso’ vineyard (meaning ‘red field,’ a reference to the iron rich soils) and the ‘Fonte’ vineyard, which produces grapes for the Rosso di Montalcino. Plantings of Syrah, Cabernet, and Merlot are to the south, where the Orcia river provides a milder microclimate. For this wine, Sangiovese from the ‘Fonte’ vineyard are blended with smattering of the new varietals to produce an interesting A fantastic value, the wine displays sweet cherry, red plum, flowers, leather, and a hint of dusty earth. The French varietals add plushness to the palate that nicely rounds out the Sangiovese.

VAL DE LOS FRAILES, ROBLE 2016, CIGALES, SPAIN $14.99 Situated between the cities of Valladolid and Palencia, and with land divided between both provinces, Cigales is one of the historic Spanish wine-growing regions as attested by documents dating back to the 10th Century. While the region is more known for its rosados (rosés), Carlos Moro is a notable producer leading the charge to make great reds on par with their more illustrious neighbors in Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Opened in 1999, Valdelosfrailes takes a modern approach to an ancient tradition, using the latest technology to make fresh, vibrant wines with depth and complexity. Ripe plum and cassis aromas are fully oaked and come with strong accents of graphite and vanilla. On the palate, this crianza is fleshy on the surface and creamy below deck. Lemony oak flavors give way to vanilla, while dark-berry fruit absorbs said oak. A fleshy, ripe finish never sheds plentiful oak; drink through 2024. 91 Points WE.

WHITES:

FORIS, PINOT BLANC 2022, ROGUE VALLEY, OREGON $18.99 There is more to Oregon winemaking than the just Willamette Valley, there are several other coastal valleys further south that are just as good for wine production. One such place is the Rogue valley, where in 1974, Ted Gerber founded Foris winery, at first he just sold to other wineries, but in 1986 he started bottling under their own name. One of the benefits of getting away from the Willamette is escaping the Pinot Noir monopoly, nothing wrong with Pinot, but we like a little variety in our lives, and that’s exactly what the Rogue valley offers, such as this eclectic Pinot Blanc. Think of it as the lighter, dryer cousin of Pinot Gris (Grigio). Golden straw in color, with a distinct floral character and stone fruit aromatics. This medium-bodied wine has a combination of starfruit, melon, early-season kiwi, lemon peel, white flowers, and wet slate.

ALMA 4, ‘ALMACITA’ BRUT NV, UCO VALLEY, ARGENTINA $16.99 Alma 4 was founded by four friends Agustín Lopez, Mauricio Castro, Marcela Manini and Sebastian Zuccardi, who met in enological school in the 1980s, in 1998 they began making sparkling wine and are still doing it to this day. This hand harvested sparkling wine is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes from multiple vineyards within the Uco Valley. The nose is bursting with notes of peach, pineapple, mango, mandarin, and watermelon that lead into a bright and fresh palate laced with green apple and a touch of fresh baked bread. Tight bubbles, a touch of sweetness, and toasted almonds with fine chalky tannins round out this delicious wine!

LUBANZI, SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023, COASTAL REGION, SOUTH AFRICA $12.99 Lubanzi is named for a wandering dog, who inspired co-founders Charlie Brain & Walker Brown to create this project after falling in love with South Africa as exchange students. At the core of this wine project is a focus on giving back to the families who live and work on South Africa's wine farms via the Pebbles Project, in the form of health and education support. Produced from grapes grown in shale soils, a stone’s throw south from the Swartland Region, this wine is actually a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% skin-contacted (orange wine) Colombard, this adds more texture and body to make a pleasant wine with notes of gardenia, stonefruit, guava, and a hint of banana peel.