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This Week's Tasting
Over-achievers - Great Values and Some Great Discounts on Wines for Summer
July 19, 2023
Six delicious wines with far more pleasure than price.
 
![]() | Over-achievers Great Values and Some Great Discounts on Wines for Summer Wednesday, 7/19/23 5:00 - 6:30pm   |
 
Six delicious wines with far more pleasure than price.
A charmingly pure Chenin Blanc fizz from Vouvray
Vignobles Feray Pet Nat
Pet Nat, short for petillant naturelle, means naturally fizzy. It is fermented naturally in the bottle, like champagne, but without any additives and is fizzy rather than fully sparkling. Most we've tasted have seemed sourish, often with off-notes. Not this one. It comes from Chenin Blanc vines on a well-established Vouvray estate. Although dry, it is full of peach-inflected succulent fruit. With a mild fizz, it's a wonderful summer palette refresher. Aroma: fresh, clean, lightly pretty, fresh, and lively; Mouth: pure light, fresh mild fizz; Very Good 18.99, 15.99 by the case
A Modern interpretation of Classic White Bordeaux
2021 Ch Thieuley Bordeaux Blanc
Dry but full of fruit, this classic blend marries the crisp flint of Sauvignon Blanc with Semillon's exotic, slightly honied flavor. It's a delicious thirst quencher with quite a bit of fruit complexity on the palateāa lot of wine for a very moderate price.
Aroma: heady and deep fruit, grapefruit, melon, and herb; Mouth: low toned, expansive and low toned, dry tropical fruit guava, etc. notes with a nice acid cut ion the finish, tropical fruit; Very Good Plus $16.99, case $14.49
Our best-selling, best-value in Sancerre
2022 Gerard Fiou Sancerre Silex
Decanter loves this. Our customers have also- -we've had several reorders from the many cases purchased. It's worth a taste and trying if you haven't already
Aroma: light lemony, rather clean, fresh, clean, strong; Mouth: bright, well-defined, herbal, juicy forward, clean, opulent texture, with stone notes very long; Very Good Plus $28.99, case 23.99
Hugely discounted single vineyard wines
from one of Willamette'sWillamette's classic winemakers
Roco Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Rollin Soles has been making wine in Willamette for thirty years. The wines he made at Roserock Argyle and since 2013 at his own Roco have been on the Wine Spectator's top 100 more than those of any other Oregon winemaker. His distributor'sdistributor's accountants, keener on balance sheets than wine, decreed that these two wines had to go at reduced prices. When we tasted them, we took all we could get.
Both wines are classically balanced and structured enough to warrant their original prices. At our reduced sale prices, no others compare to them in poise and refinement. Drink them this summer and fall. The Pinot will go another couple of years.
2018 Roco Chardonnay Gravel Road Color: bright gold; Aroma: oaky, with rich flavor; Mouth: juicy, rounded, fleshy bright citrus, lean, citrus and chicle; Very Good Plus was $32, Now $18.99, case 15.99
2018 Roco Pinot Noir Gravel Road; Color: very dark; Aroma: plumy and rich, fleshy a touch of earth, light oak and mineral; Mouth: sweet fruit, very rounded good acidity, bright, solid cherry plum, good length, long mineral finish; Very Good Plus was $32, Now $19.99, case 16.99
A Solid Serious Provencal Food Rose
2022 Domaine Cagueloup Bandol Rose
Over the last 20 years, Paris'Paris' authoritative Guide Hachette has recommended 33 of this Bandol estate'sestate's wines with starred recommendations. (they haven't yet reviewed this one). It is amazing that it is not better known in this country; only three other stores in the US list it. We found a substantial, well-balanced food-friendly wine in this Mourvedre -grenache blend. The winery recommends it with a range of dishes from fish to lamb. It is that versatile. Let it breathe to appreciate its complexities.
Bandol'sBandol's Roses can command up to $50 to $60 a bottle*; this is half that.
Color: very light and clean; Aroma: fresh, pretty lifted, spicy, and earthy, acid and flint; Mouth: fleshy broad, ripe intense, juicy, bright, lively, clean long; Very Good Plus - ? $29.99; Case, $25.49
Overachivers Case: Special, two each of the above wines - $229
*We have 2022 Tempier Bandol Rose at $60. Fame has its price.
 
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
 
 
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
 
- Len Rothenberg
 
 
These wines (except futures) and any wine in stock assort as follows: For 12 or more bottles of the same wine, take 15% off. For 12 or more bottles of various wines, take 10% off. Wines marked “net” help assemble cases but don’t discount themselves. |
 
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