December Newsletter Extrvaganza!
Celebrating 23 Years in Business
Santa Barbara's Oldest & Most Reliable Retail Wine Shop
-In This Issue:
Champagne Sale
New Arrivals
Arriving Soon (& not too miss)
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First... the Champagne!
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N.V. René-Henri Coutier Champagne Rosé Brut $56 (reg 64)
RW 94: "You've been patient for months and now this delightful Rose is back in stock. Exuberant and stylishly...strawberries, raseberries as well as hints of Myer lemon and yeast. An outstanding finish leaves me almost breathless! Truely a great wine from one of the smallest producing Champagne houses." RW
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N.V. Alfred Gratien Champagne Brut $40 (reg 50)
"An all-around winner. Classic Champagne served as the house wine at Gary Danko in San Francisco. When we first sipped it there we thought if it's good enough for them...(and the price is right too!). Great for the holidays! -RW
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N.V. J. Lassalle Champagne Brut Reserve Cachet d'Or
"An attractive nose of yeasty, citrusy, lightly sweetened biscuit is enticing and invigorating. Generous zesty doses of citrus form the core of this wine, and merge into bites of apple, dough, and sweet berry before a rush of tight citrus...all in all a GREAT wine that is a true bargain." -CW
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N.V. Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Brut Réserve
N.V. Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Brut Grand Rosé
" A distinctly fruity yet elegant nose features hints of red berries, including strawberry as well as citrus notes that can also be found on the crisp and pretty flavors that are very much influenced by the pinot in the blend and even the Bouzy shows up even if it's a background nuance. I like this as it's quite refreshing and fun to drink." - BW
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N.V. Pierre Péters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve
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"...soft, bright, mineral-filled citrus mixes with juicy peach and creamy dough on both the nose and the palate. What really sets this wine apart is the power and density of the aromas and flavors that are amazingly close-knit in presentation. Extremely tasty and hard to resist!" -CW
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N.V. Veuve Fourny & Fils Champagne Brut 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs
BH 91 Points: "An attractively fresh and layered nose offers up notes of strawberry and crushed raspberries. There is excellent depth to the delicious and very clean flavors that are again
supported by a very fine effervescence....Lovely and worth a look." -BH
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2002 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne $199
WA 98 Points: "Taittinger’s 2002 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is off the charts. I have tasted the 2002 now many times, and it has never been less than thrilling. A vivid kaleidoscope of pure Chardonnay aromas and flavors opens up in the glass. The 2002 is at once incredibly rich yet also totally weightless and impeccable in its balance. All the classic Comtes notes are there, but with a level of detail and nuance I don’t think I have ever seen before. The 2002 is breathtakingly beautiful today, but also appears to have the stuffing to age for decades. Personally, I would be looking to buy the 2002 in magnums if at all possible. Sadly, there is little wine to go around as 2002 was a very short crop. Readers who can track down the 2002 are in store for something truly great." -AG
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2002 Bollinger Champagne 002 for 007 , James Bond Limited Edition $199
30,000 bottles of Bollinger’s 002 for 007 have been produced
The product, called 002 for 007, comprises a bottle of 2002 La Grande Année (WS 94, WA 94: ) housed in a gun silencer shaped gift box with a combination lock – opened using the code: 007.
The bottle carries a unique “50 years of Bond” logo on the neck label, textured to mimic the grip on a handgun...truly a rare gift for the Champagne (or James Bond) fan.
"The 2002 is an understated Grande Annee that caresses the palate with layers of effortless, weightless fruit. The mousse is exceptionally fine, which adds to the impression of total elegance. This is a relatively bright, floral Grande Annee with plenty of aromatic lift, inner perfume and no sense of heaviness at all. A rich, creamy finish adds the final note of complexity and pedigree." -AG

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3-Liters of Goodness:
N.V. Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé $345 ($88, 750ml. $46, 375ml)
Want to shake up a Holiday Party this season? Bring in this 3-Liter bottle of one of the world's greatest Rose Champagnes. Sold in its original wooden box.
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"...pretty, gracious wine. Freshly cut roses, red berries and spices take shape nicely in the glass as the wine shows off its understated, timeless personality." -AG
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(Click for our complete inventory of Champagne)
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New Arrivals (& noteable wines):
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2010 Bodegas Juan Gil Jumilla Honoro Vera $7.50
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"White pepper and roasted red meat jump out of the glass on this one! Undertones of dried herbs and anise; creamy soft mouthfeel with good lift in the medium finish. This wine has good character with a new world velvety sheen. This has to be the best value in wine out there!" -RW
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2009 Domaine Lafage Cuvée Nicolas $10.50
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WA 90 Points: "...plush and glycerin-rich yet neither heavy nor warm. Nutty underlying richness and a sounding board of wet stone compliment and set-off ripe dark berry fruit that really envelops the palate." -WA
100% Grenache from 60+ year old vines in France
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2009 Morgan Pinot Noir Twelve Clones $26 BH 90
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2010 Evening Land Vineyards Pinot Noir $39.50 WA 93
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2007 Red Car Pinot Noir Heaven & Earth La Bohème $109 WS 97
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2009 Calera Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard $48 WA 96+
"...bursts from the glass with expressive, juicy fruit. Dark red berries, flowers, mint, spices and an orange rind follow, leading to a generous, inviting finish. The De Villiers is the only vineyard-designate Pinot made from fully de-stemmed fruit. It is a towering wine of incomparable class and elegance. Simply put, this is a stunning showing from Calera." -AG
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PINOTS IN THEIR PRIME:
2004 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir Alberigi $74 BH 90
An impressively complex nose of spice, floral notes and dark berry fruit aromas combines with sweet, detailed and nicely punchy flavors that retain good definition on the moderately structured and solidly long finish. The complexity the nose displayed arrives again on the backend and this is stylistically my favorite wine in this group of '04s as it's stylish but not forced.
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2004 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir Terra Neuma $72
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2006 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir La Neblina $75 BH 90
"...exceptionally pretty and cool, indeed even slightly reserved nose and while it can't quite match the depth of the impressive Savoy, it's not far off either. The rich, round and lush medium full flavors possess good dry extract that really coats the mouth and culminate in a dusty, intense and persistent finish. This is a bit more understated than the other wines in the range and I like the real sense of volume the mid-palate conveys. Very solid quality here." -BH
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2006 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard $85 BH 92
A positively gorgeous nose features seductive spice and layered red berry fruit aromas that precede delicious, round, rich, intense and vibrant medium-bodied flavors that possess equally good depth and length. This is impressive with a dusty mouth feel and I really like the fine sense of flavor authority without undue weight and the only nit is that the finish displays a touch of toast though this may very well dissipate in time. In a word, lovely." -BH
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2006 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir Terra Neuma $75
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2008 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard $70
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2009 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard $80
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2009 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Old Vines Summa $96
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2009 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallèle “45” $9.95

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Perfect Holiday Gifts:
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2008 Alban Syrah 'Reva' $call
2010 Foxen Pinot Noir Block 8 Bien Nacido $58
2010 Epoch Estate 'Veracity' $70
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