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Staff Favorites - John Majeski
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Reviews
2025 Anonymous Wine Collective Petaluma Gap Chardonnay
Review Date: 10-07-2026
In this unique confluence of scouring breezes, coastal mountain terrain and refreshing Pacific fog the vines produce ripe, fleshy fruit embellished with sublime acidity. An ideal terroir for Chardonnay, and the perfect culmination of aromas and flavors that make this Petaluma Gap wine shine— the vibrant palate reveals comice pear, yellow apple, tropical fruits and creme fraiche flavors that will beautifully complement a dish of seared scallops or pork tenderloin.
Price:
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2023 Anonymous Wine Collective Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
Review Date: 10-04-2026
With the continuing success of the Anonymous Wine Collective, one would think that we would exhaust our potential for uncovering superb new finds, but under the inspired vision of Ryan Woodhouse and his talented team, the hits keep coming! Anderson Valley has long established itself as a prime region for cool-climate Pinot Noir, and this poised bottle demonstrates precisely why. In its selection of old vine, partial whole cluster fruit shimmering with black cherry, eucalyptus, violets and dark chocolate aromas mirrored in a mouthwatering palate imbued with bright acidity and velvety tannins, this wine delivers a crescendo of flavors at a remarkably attractive price. A fantastic gem!
Price:
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2024 Anne de Joyeuse "VERY" Chardonnay Haute Valle de l'Aude
Review Date: 05-31-2026
In the shadow of the great Pyrenees/
we uncovered a wonderful white/
a Chardonnay surely to please/
filled with an orchard's delights/
with summer's approach that will ease/
to set your budget and palate alight!
2024 Domaine de Reuilly "Les Pierres Plates" Reuilly Blanc
Review Date: 04-01-2026
A Sauvignon Blanc from the eastern Loire that has always captivated my palate by its superb acidity and concentration, the 2024 Domaine de Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates” Reuilly Blanc $21.99, hand-harvested from vines averaging 23 years, fermented for 15 days on native yeasts with frequent pumpovers. A thoroughly satisfying wine awash in citrus, white flowers and saline minerality. Bring on the fresh oysters!
Price:
$22.99
Fallet-Dart Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 08-16-2025
Over the last several years we’ve watched the festive appeal and allure of rosé champagnes swell and multiply, likely because they offer such attractive versatility and red fruit flavors to complement cuisines from Caribbean-inspired pork dishes to deep-fried tempura. And fortunately we carry a range of superb styles to cover every budget. This direct-import rosé is a riveting, fruity version with a blend of Pinot Noir and Meunier fermented in both tank and French oak, aged for a minimum of three years before disgorging. Aromas of strawberry, citrus fruits and peach merge into a tantalizing palate of grapefruit and pomegranate with an undertow of spice, minerality and toasted brioche.
Price:
$39.99
2016 Barde-Haut, St-Emilion
Review Date: 05-14-2023
Not to be outdone, the 2016 Barde-Haut St-Emilion is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, reflecting the power and finesse of the clay-rich over limestone soils of the lustrous St-Emilion plateau. Opulent, richly-textured and complex, as the finest wines of the vintage have proven to be, this possesses an abundance of pure fruits, cassis and violets, bolstered by ripe, velvety tannins and a cruising finish of lovely acidity. Pair with grilled, herb-crusted ribeyes for a truly memorable meal.
2015 Barde-Haut, St-Émilion
Review Date: 05-14-2023
One of our more estimable producers has to be St-Emilion’s stunning Château Barde-Haut, under the wise, felicitous guidance of Hélène Garcin-Leveque and her husband Patrice. Her unmatched dynamism as an ambassador of her family’s portfolio and his intimate, working knowledge of the amphitheater of vines under his watchful eye, are the epitome of synergy. The 2015 Barde-Haut St-Emilion $44.99 is on track to be one of the best wines ever produced at this estate, echoing the words of the Patrice Lévèque, “no makeup, just a truthful wine that will age!” An elegant, richly imbued wine, with aromas of ripe black plum and bright cherry following through on the palate with touches of spice, loam and leather. This wine will evolve for another decade if you have the desired patience, but why wait?
Montechiara Prosecco
Review Date: 11-10-2019
Prosecco is the Italian sparkler universally admired for its appeal as both aperitif and cocktail 'fizzer upper,' but Glera, the primary grape variety from which it is made, may have actually originated in Croatia or Slovenia. One legend reported by Ian D'Agata (Native Wine Grapes of Italy) has Glera as the source grape for 'pucinum', the famous wine adored by the Empress Livia Drusilla, wife of Emperor Octavian Augustus. Ok, enough long-winded history, the best way to enjoy Prosecco is not with your head buried in a dense though excellent wine book, but with wonderful friends and loved ones during the holidays or any day that calls for a festive, crisply delicious citrus, pear and apple inflected sparkler!
Price:
$10.99
Launois "Veuve Clemence" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 09-22-2019
"I serve Champagne to my real friends and real pain to my sham friends." Attributed to Irish-born artist Francis Bacon who, when he wasn't nocturnally torturing the canvas with his brush, held court at the Colony Room Club, a louche drinking establishment fashionable for writers like William Burroughs, royalty (Princess Margaret), and later rock stars (David Bowie). But my own preference of course is 'Champagne for all, friend or foe!', for what better way to generate goodwill than the sound of popping corks? And what better choice than this coveted Grand Cru from Launois, a stylishly dry rendition that rested a full four years on the lees before its release, promising notes of lemon curd, apples, chalk, wildflowers and brioche, brilliant and pure and seductive enough to charm your own coterie of sophisticates, aesthetes and artists.
Price:
$44.99
Jean-Louis Denois "Tradition" Extra Brut Crémant de Limoux
Review Date: 04-30-2016
Whether in art, film, literature or wine, I've always been strongly attracted to iconoclasts, those who forge their own path through life's coombs and brambles, basing their decisions on an intuitive feel for what fits and arriving at a place where they know they belong. Call it 'sense of terroir' or what have you, but Jean-Louis Denois exemplifies this philosophy of place as well as anyone I've met in the wine world. The dust on his boots are the embodiment of his long journey from his native Champagne to Burgundy to South Africa and back again, and finally to the southwestern corner of the Languedoc, where he planted his vines in the foothills of the Pyrenees to create his signature red and sparkling wines. Keeping to the rhythms of nature have led him to adopt both organic and biodynamic precepts in the vineyards, and his brilliant sparkling wines express this with clarity and exuberance— the 'Tradition' Extra Brut is a fifty-fifty blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, created in a refreshingly crisp and lightly toasted style, with notes of red apple, orange blossom and brioche, the perfect sparkling for all festive occasions and dining without the high price of a Champagne. Stock up on this one for the long summer and beyond, it will never let you or your thirsty guests down.
Price:
$24.99
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 08-02-2013
Vines have been cultivated on this tiny property in the hamlet of Brouillet for five generations, and it has remained a customer and staff favorite here for several years. Yeasty, full and complex, the Carte Blanche exhibits a fine intensely-focused bead with lively notes of tart apples, dried hazelnuts, vanilla and toast, all in all a remarkably well-built Brut that will compare well to cuvées at double the price. It is perfect for entertaining.
Price:
$37.99
Dudognon "Reserve" Grand Champagne Cognac (750ml)
Review Date: 11-30-2010
A voter santé! Raymond Dudognon first distilled his own cognac in 1946, following the venerable traditions laid down by his great grandfather in 1776. The heart of the Charente region, located about 100 miles northeast of Bordeaux, is called Grande Champagne, and consists of deep chalk-rich soils, perfect for creating fragrant, long-lived cognacs. Made from 100% natural Ugni Blanc, this singular spirit is blended and distilled in the traditional alambic Charentais pot and eventually aged in 350 liter barrels. The Dudognon homage to tradition stresses minimal intervention, using only pure water as an additive to create a stunning cognac that charms and caresses the palate, displaying a weightlessness and delicacy of fruit found less commonly in cognacs at twice the price. Highly recommended!
La Petite Marquise Crémant de Loire Brut
Review Date: 10-31-2010
A customer came in recently and asked for an elegant, delicate sparkling wine for a wedding celebration. Champagne was beyond his budget, so without hesitation I smiled and recommended this Cremant de Loire, arguably the greatest sparkling wine value in the world. Created with precise restrictions on everything from mandatory hand-harvesting of relatively older vines to aging regimens (a minimum of 12 months) to atmospheres of pressure (3.5 as opposed to 6 for Champagne), the Deligeroy is a finely-beaded beauty, discreetly aromatic, lacy and effervescent. The careful assemblage of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc adds aromatic complexity, giving this wine an added degree of sophistication. Highly recommended!
Price:
$14.99
Zubrowka Bison Grass Polish Vodka (750ml)
Review Date: 11-09-2009
I enjoyed the London reminiscences by my colleague Susan Thornett about this wonderful vodka, and I too confess a special relationship with Zubrowka going back several decades, when I was first offered a bracing shot of this harmonic-bisonic elixir by a friendly Polish waiter in then East Berlin who, sadly trapped behind the Iron Curtain some years before Solidarnösc, desperately wanted to improve his English skills. Maybe it was the effects of the vodka, but before the evening ended I promised to "secure" him a dictionary from the West even though it was strictly against the policy of the rather coercive East German authorities at the time. Well, anyway, I succeeded, and thanks in part to Zubrowka, the Wall finally came down and democracy was finally restored to freedom-loving East Berliners. And today I'm really glad we can offer this rare vodka to our astute customers, as its singularly subtle and unique flavors of yellow straw, camomile tea and dried coconut promises to both stimulate conversation, energize the appetite and yes, liberate the spirit! Na zdrowie! (To health!)
Sorelle Bronca Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Extra Dry
Review Date: 07-11-2009
This delightful Prosecco is a strong contender for best in class among its growing legions of fans, delivering dependably delicious flavors of sliced apples, citrus blossoms and almonds in a pure and sparkling persona. Showcasing both freshness and mineral vibrancy, it should complement most summer fare from salads to appetizers, and would be the perfect match for a basket of lightly-fried calamari.