Page 9 - Staff Tastings

Trimbach has a wine-growing history in Alsace of twelve generations dating back to 1626 and a portfolio of white wines ranging from everyday Pinot Blanc to the legendary Clos Sainte Hune Rielsing. “Since the late 1800s, the estate has received great international recognition for its wines.” – Robert Parker

One of their special wines is the old vine Gewurztraminer known as Cuvee des Seigneurs. Produced only in exceptional vintages from Grand Cru vineyards, it captures the signature “Trimbach style” that balances richness with tension and minerality – a wonderful alternative for foie gras and an amazing pairing for spicy and aromatic dishes.

The importer has been selling the 2008 for three years now and

If you’re looking for a new white wine to enjoy for spring that offers both value and great quality, we have a terrific recommendation below.

Bruno Giacosa, one of Italy’s greatest winemakers and a well-known legend in Piedmont, passed away earlier this year. While he was known for crafting incredible Barbaresco and Barolo from Nebbiolo, he also bottled amazing examples of Arneis. “Best known for his reds, Giacosa’s Roero Arneis is yet another string to his bow.” – Decanter

Arneis is an Italian white grape, somewhat difficult to grow, that is both crisp and floral yet dry and full-bodied. It often has notes of pears, apricots and almonds. Giacosa’s 2005 vintage actually received the highest score ever in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate for this varietal. His newest release is the 2016 vintage, which scored 92+ points and is the second highest score for the varietal in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

“The

Back-vintage Bordeaux captures the very essence of what great wines should aspire to. These wines are alluring, sexy, mind-boggling and just downright delicious. From values to legends, we offer one of the largest Bordeaux portfolios on the market, and we’re passionate about locating high quality wines at every price level that we’re confident you’ll love. While Bordeaux is known for producing some of the world’s greatest wines fetching thousands of dollars per bottle, we’re here to let you know that you can still afford to drink incredible Bordeaux!

The 96-point 1996 Montrose is a perfect example that high-scoring, reasonably priced Bordeaux still exists. Montrose is a second growth Bordeaux from the St. Estephe appellation that can match a first growth in its best vintages. “Chateau Montrose is a wine that has always possessed first-growth potential. It has one of the most glorious

In April of 2015, my colleague and I were busy in Bordeaux tasting the new 2014 vintage. Our week was for the most part like any other ordinary year of En Primeur tasting: travelling from chateau to chateau, sipping, spitting and taking notes. Overall, the wines had been fairly good, but not “vintage of the century” good, and we were in desperate need of a “wow” moment to liven up the trip a bit. Fortunately, that moment came mid-week when we were whisked away to a private dinner at Chateau Haut Brion. On the way to the Chateau, I couldn’t stop imagining what the dinner might be like and which wines might be poured. Little did I know that this day would prove to be a completely unexpected learning experience and that my view on what constitutes “the best Bordeaux” would change forever.

When you taste at Chateau Haut Brion or Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, the Dillon family likes to show all of their wines at once. For a busy wine professional,

Taking a look at Chanin Wine’s website, you’re likely to notice a few things. The first might be the red “SOLD OUT” under each of the chardonnays listed in their store. If you’re surprised, you’ll quickly understand when you look at the Press tab. Gavin Chanin, winemaker and namesake, has garnered accolades from a veritable who’s who of the wine industry press and beyond. Winner of Forbes’ “30 under 30” for the Food and Wine category, one of the “Best chardonnays in the world (outside of Burgundy)” for Decanter, Winemaker of the Year winner from Food and Wine magazine—and that’s just a small selection.

Though Chanin Wine’s rise to fame has been quick after its founding a mere 10 years ago, Gavin has had a long interest in wine, having worked his way to become assistant winemaker at both Au Bon Climat and Qupé. In his winemaking, Chanin can count among his fans not only the winedrinking

I keep sending cases of these white wines to my beach house. Everyone at my place is just loving the selections below! They’ve been the most popular for seafood dishes and grilling. I can’t say enough about these reasonably priced wines!

2015 Les Hauts De Smith Blanc: If you’re searching for something other than white Burgundy, here’s the perfect solution. At only $29.95, this Bordeaux Blanc (91-93 RP) even gets me excited! Smith Haut Lafitte has become one of the most iconic producers in all of Bordeaux. Widely known for their 100-point red wines, their white wines are just as good. We recently tried this Haut de Smith Blanc at the chateau, and we were blown away! When we were told the price, we took every case available at only $29.95. It tastes like a $100 bottle!

If you’ve been purchasing from Sokolin for a while, you’ve most likely heard of the boutique Napa Valley wine producer, Waterstone Winery. You’ve seen our email offers on their Cabernet Sauvignon and even probably ordered it for yourself or sent a bottle as a gift. We’ve been selling their Cabernet for over a decade, with 2001 being the first vintage we discovered and sold. When we were blind tasted on their Cabernet for the first time, we mistook it for a $100+ bottle when in reality, it was priced around $20! It’s that good! We’ve sold every vintage since, and it has consistently been one of our best-sellers every year, with tens of thousands of bottles sold. Whether you are new to wine or are a seasoned aficionado, Waterstone never disappoints, and it certainly outperforms its price. Waterstone’s website states that it “creates luxury wines at affordable prices.” And that’s exactly what they do.

Waterstone has built

Sancerre, the consummately food friendly white of the Loire Valley, is a wine that almost wasn’t. Originally dedicated to Pinot Noir, Sancerre would not be replanted with Sauvignon Blanc if not for the destruction of phylloxera, a root-attacking louse brought from the US that devastated vineyards through France in the 1800s. Seeing the promise of this grape in Sancerre’s chalky soils, producers quickly became converts.

Our featured producer, Domaine Bailly-Reverdy, owes much of its success to Sancerre’s affinity for food. In 1956, after the marriage of Bernard Bailly and Marie-Thérèse Reverdy a few years previous, the estate got its foothold in the market by focusing on selling to restaurants. The Parisian bistro scene fell in love with the crisp citrus and mineral focused Sancerres, and it was not long before the US market followed suit.

Today, Domaine Bailly-Reverdy is in the hands of its third generation of growers who continue the tradition

The word “legend” is thrown around a lot in the wine business, and it can generally be quite subjective. Those who love Bordeaux may say that Chateau Petrus is legendary, while those who enjoy Tuscans may proclaim that Ornellaia is one of the most legendary wine producers of all time. While both the Bordeaux lover and the Tuscan lover are correct, they may disagree with one another’s opinion. There are however those producers that transcend subjective opinion and are generally regarded as “legendary” by wine lovers of all tastes. Domaine Leflaive is without a doubt one of those transcendent producers and the various white wines that they produce from the Burgundy region in France are some of