This month we are focusing our case on easy drinking and tasty wines for summertime relaxing. Of particular note is a very cool Northern Italian grape called 'Gavi,' an all-natural and sustainably farmed Liter bottle of Spanish Rosé, an exquisite Calabrian red blend made predominantly for the grape Nerello Mascalese. We hope you enjoy this great mix this month! Cheers!
Sparkling, White and Rosé
(Spain) 2020 Ameztoi ‘Rubentis’ Txakolina Rosé
Grapes: Indigenous Basque Blend
Notes: (Arguably) the Bottle Shop's staff favorite Summer wine! Classic Basque 'Txakolina' (pronounced cha-ko-leena) pink is the perfect wine for a picnic or general lazy summer day drinking. This wine is light-bodied, with green strawberry, tart citrus, and just a touch effervescent- so not full-on sparkling, but has a pleasant, gently bubbly and refreshing mouthfeel.
(Italy) 2019 Picollo Ernesto Gavi di Gavi
Grapes: 100% Gavi
Notes: Perfectly pleasant, easy-going, tasty and crisp white Italian table wine. Great for pairing with summer meals!
(France) 2019 Domaine Paul Buisse Touraine Sauvignon Blanc
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Notes: Touraine is one of our favorite Loire Valley appellations! While its terroir is known for producing super tasty whites, it comes to us at a fraction of the price of its neighboring growing regions, like Sancerre or Chinon. This Sauvignon Blanc has classic French tasting notes: medium-bodied, with lean minerality and subtle aromas of granite and lemon pith. Delish!
(Oregon) 2017 St. Innocent' Freedom Hill Vineyard' WV Pinot Blanc
Grapes: 100% Pinot Blanc
Notes: Great old-school Willamette Valley producers. Nicely textured mouthfeel, scents of vanilla cream, and balanced acidity.
(Italy) 2020 Franco Serra Barbera Rosato
Grapes: 100% Barbera
Notes: Fantastic value rosé from Northern Italy in Piedmont. It's organic, sustainably farmed, vegan, unfiltered, unfined and naturally fermented. A tasty medium-bodied, well balanced and approachable Rosé. Boooom.
(Spain) Azul y Garanza Garnatxa Rosé, 1L
Grapes: 100% Garnatxa
Notes: Awesome Liter bottle of pink from Navarra in Northwest Spain. 100% organic 'natural' wine. This is fruit forward with lush ripe strawberry, yet dry - perfect as an aperitif. Great as a spritzer on a hot day! Simply add a splash of bubbly water on the rocks with a twist.
Reds
(Spain) 2019 Bozeto de Exopto Rioja Vino Tinto
Grapes: Blend of Garnatxa and Tempranillo
Notes: Medium-bodied, rich texture, leather, cocoa, plum juice. Great BBQ wine!
(Oregon) 2019 Stafford Hill Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Notes: The Stafford Hill wines are all straightforward crowd pleasers at a solid price for the quality. This pinot is a little fruity, a little earthy, and not too serious...in a good way.
(Italy) 2019 Cala Cala Calabretta Vino Rosso
Grapes: 95% Nerello Mascalese, 5% Nerello Cappuccio
Notes: Massimiliano Calabretta is the 4th generation of his family to craft wines on the steep slopes of Mt Etna in Sicily. He follows the centuries-old traditions of the volcanic region, protecting and maintaining the land, using only organic methods and minimal intervention. As a result, the Calabretta wines are exceedingly elegant. This bottle well outperforms the price! Ferric and earthy aromas upfront, with a silty, refined texture and deep leathery undertones. Stellar!
(Washington) 2018 Raza Vineyards 'Occam's Razor' Columbia Valley Red Blend
Grapes: Syrah and Washington red field blend
Notes: Robust Washington red blend with prominent blue and black fruit, well structured yet not too dense. You want to drink this alongside a burger or a steak.
(Italy) 2019 Cantina del Pino Barbera d’Asti
Grapes: 100% Barbera
Notes: Everyone loves a tasty bottle of Barbera. This offering from Cantina del Pino is precisely what you want from the Italian hillside of Asti: fun tart fruit, a fair amount of density, and lively, expressive acidity. So good!
(France) 2019 Famille Balaran Cotes du Tarn Rouges
Grapes: 100% Braucol
Notes: An enjoyable and unique French red. It has a beautiful ruby purple opacity and density but still retains a fresh mouthfeel. Ripe tart plum juice. A great wine to pair with grill-marked meats.