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Staff Favorites - John Majeski
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Reviews
2023 Piero Mancini Vermentino di Gallura
Review Date: 08-20-2024
A hand-harvested and sustainably-farmed flagship wine from sunny Sardinia! Always poised, elegant and ready to dismbark in your glass, this dry, aromatic Vermentino with flavors of apricot, lemon zest, peach and sea salt will be the perfect quaffer alongside a platter of crisply fried calamari or freshly steamed Dungeness crab. Few wines evoke the beauty and harmony of the Mediterranean better than this scintillating white!
Top Value!
Price:
$19.99
2021 Raúl Pérez "Ultreia St-Jacques" Mencía Bierzo
Review Date: 06-12-2024
"There was an old man with a beard, who said it is just as I feared! Two owls and a hen, four larks and a wren, have built all their nests in my beard." Although he is neither an elder nor home to a bevy of birds, Raul Perez must have more than a few tricks sequestered in his flamboyant beard, as his wines bear the mark of a true winemaking savant. Take his brilliant evocation of organically farmed, old vine Mencia, a spellbinding rendition that captures all the perfumed, savory, whole cluster fruit in an extended maceration lasting up to five months. Aged for one year in a novelty of neutral vessels, it is a riveting homage to the singular vision of Raul Perez.
2020 Château Laurou "Les Complices" Fronton
Review Date: 03-18-2024
Drink Negrette and you will have nothing to regret! This perfumed, supple grape carries its history shrouded in mystery, as little is really known about its place of origin. But it found a welcome home of its own in Southwest France, notably in the Fronton appellation north of Toulouse. Bursting with vivid aromas of violets, damp earth and wildflowers, it also can reveal a slightly feral note, but adding 35% Syrah to the blend shapes its growl and gives it more balance and structure. This velvety, friendly and fruity wine will pair well with grilled meats and charbroiled chicken, and received a whopping 96 points from the folks at Decanter.
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!
Top Value!
Price:
$10.99
2004 Château Tirecul la Gravière "Cuvée Chateau" Monbazillac (500ml)
Review Date: 06-05-2019
'Godzilla vs. Monbazillac!' Nope, sorry that one will not fly as yet another summer blockbuster in the long line of Godzilla vs. the Universe flicks, as Monbazillac is hardly a ferocious Japanese monster, but a wondrously sweet wine hailing from the Bergerac region of France. Meticulous handpicking in several passes ensures that the fruit achieves uniform ripeness, and like Sauternes, this wine is exposed to the Botrytis cinerea fungus that shrivels the skins, allowing the juices to concentrate into a beautiful yellow nectar. Monbazillac is actually an assemblage of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle, and in its youth exhibits a brisk and vivacious personality that over time develops greater color, texture, and finesse. The Chateau Tirecul La Graviere has evolved aromatically for over a decade and positively sings with lyrical notes of peach, honeysuckle blossom, beeswax and apricot. Serve with a complementary fruit tart or my favorite, a chunk of St, Augur blue cheese.
2008 Pontet-Canet, Pauillac
Review Date: 06-28-2011
My advice? If you have a few extra Benjamins lining your well-oiled wallet and are of the mind to buy a beautiful bottle or two of Bordeaux that will, when it eventually reaches full maturity around the time your same vintage 2008 son/daughter celebrate their 21st birthday (and will generously share it with you), then this is the wine for you! A superbly structured, absolutely pitch-perfect Pauillac, reflecting the august gravel and limestone terroir from which it was born.
Drink from 2020 to 2020
Quartz Reef "Methode Traditionelle" Brut Central Otago
Review Date: 12-31-2010
Carefully blended from 76% Pinot Noir and 24% Chardonnay from the estate vineyard in Bendigo, this sparking wine first captivates the eye with its pale yellow highlights, and then flamboyantly seduces the palate with tightly-polished bubbles entranced by lively citrus fruits, crisp brioche and luscious cream. An alluring, wonderfully-harmonious champenoise sparkler for an amazing price!
Top Value!
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!
Top Value!
Price:
$14.99
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.