Appassionata Allegro Pinot Noir 2019
The opening tier of Appassionata Pinot Noir bears the name of the Piano Sonata’s first movement, Allegro, which is the musical pace of a brisk walk. This cuvée is a selection of barrels that show a precocious liveliness and expressivity that will drink well as a youthful wine, but is built for aging. It is bottled after 18 to 20 months in barrel, and released three years after the vintage. The Allegro Pinot Noir beautifully displays the beginnings of bottle maturation, and will age gracefully for many years.
Pure Dusk Junmai Daiginjo Sake
Pure Dusk Junmai Daiginjo is produced using local, artisanal rice grown in Akita, Japan. The rice grain is milled to 45% of its original size. The sake has a fruity aromas like pear and hints of green apple. On the palate it shows a delicate structure, with hints of fresh orange peel and cantaloupe with a medium length and dry finish. Kampai!!
Isojiman Tokubetsu Junmai 53 Sake Pride of the Seashore
A lively and bracing sake, full bodied and assertive. Initial fruit notes of white peach balanced by darker shades of fresh cut herbs and a definitive saline finish that makes it an ideal pairing for fresh seafood and a knockout pairing for freshly cracked oysters. Made from heirloom Bizen Omachi rice milled to 53%.
Toko Sun Rise Junmai Ginjo
Toko Sun Rise Junmai Ginjo is made from Dewasansan rice, a descendant of the iconic Omachi heirloom strain. This rice is exclusively grown in Yamagata prefecture and helped to pave the way for Yamagata to receive the first geographical indication (GI), or appellation, in all of Japan. Toko Sun Rise Junmai Ginjo has some grassy, floral aromas with green apple and melon notes. The finish is soft and smooth. It is an excellent pairing with teriyaki salmon, sautéed snow pea shoots or maple glazed ham.
Tentaka Organaka Junmai
Tentaka Organaka Junmai is one of the few organic sakes produced in Japan and made with the intention of creating a completely natural product with nothing added. The area’s natural underground springs provide Tentaka with a pure, fresh water source, which is also triple-filtered. Tentaka Organaka Junmai is a sake with clean, dry, and straightforward, with bright banana and mild melon aromas and soft, subdued rice flavors. Try to pair it with brussels sprouts, butternut squash, shiitake mushrooms, or pork loin. Kampai!!
Ronchi Di Cialla Schioppettino Di Cialla 2017
For centuries, the Schioppettino grapes were cultivated in Friulli-Venezia Giulia, in Italy. In the middle of the 19th century, with the advent of phylloxera, Schioppettino was almost completely destroyed. In 1970, Paolo and Dina Rapuzzi founded the winery Ronchi di Cialla and managed to find about 60 surviving vines of Schioppettino. They made new cuttings and managed, in the space of 2 years, to create a first wine estate of 3,500 vines that marked the rebirth of the Schioppettino. In the words of Nick Jackson MW: "Schioppettino is a paradoxical variety: intensely aromatic, medium-bodied, with a mere 12-12.5% alcohol, high acidity and a lingering, perfumed finish, it is also, in spite of its lightness, capable of very long aging." The 2017 vintage is made with 100% Schioppettino grapes, aged in French oak barriques for 14-18 months and in bottles for 30-36 months. According to the producer the wine has capacity to age and develop in the next 20-23 years. So buy 2 bottles: one to drink now and another one for aging! Ronchi Di Cialla Schioppettino Di Cialla 2017 has a balanced ruby red color with bright reflections. It has aromas of white pepper and small red fruits, currants and blackberries, intriguing balsamic and undergrowth (sous-bois) notes.
Jikon Junmai Ginjo Omachi
--- Limited Availability --- Jikon (now or never) is a sake that lives up to its name. Bright, bracing and full of energy and elegance this is a sake that seizes the moment. Made by Tadayoshi Onishi in his family's traditional brewery in small batches using traditional methods and equipments. Drink it chilled, Kampai!!
Penfolds Shiraz Koonunga Hill 2022
Penfolds Shiraz Koonunga Hill 2022
Chateau Cos d’Estournel Blanc 2018
2018 marks a new era for Cos d’Estournel Blanc: the balance, freshness and cellaring potential have been taken to the extreme, resulting in a supremely sophisticated, finely crafted wine. Chateau Cos d'Estournel Blanc 2018 has notes of floral blossoms, exotic fruit and fresh almond, also has a lovely mineral.
