Greetings from 320! Greetings from Delco, USA!

We put together a quick list of wines for the holiday season.  Our hope is to make navigating the ever expanding selection easy for finding gift ideas. We have some great values and some very memorable wines as well, wines to put away, wines for celebrations and some for everyday drinking.     

Ellena

Langhe Nascetta

La Morra, Piemonte

A hugely popular wine at 320. It seems to just fly off the shelf. This single grape bottling is made from 100% Nascetta. A once widely planted grape in Piemonte a hundred years ago is now down to only 20 acres world wide. This bottle is simply delicious anytime of the year. It's floral with rich fruit, ripe pear and a full body.

The Ellena Giuseppe winery, headed by Matteo Ellena, makes wines of exceptional value in La Morra. In addition to Nascetta they produce Barolo that can be characterized the lighter prettier side of the La Morra sub region. They work the vineyard using the rule of integrated agriculture, which limits the use of synthetic chemicals, minimizing any environmental impact.

$18

Storm Point

Chenin Blanc

Riebeek Valley, South Africa

Value? This is the definition of. At $16 a bottle it punches way above its weight. And as a gift it's perfect for that office Secret Santa or as a stocking stuffer.

The wine is freshly packed with nuance, playfulness and discovery. It has a well-defined and savory bouquet of lemon curd, white flowers, nectarine zest and a sprinkling of sea water. There is moderate viscosity and fine-lined acidity with a touch of peach skin and elderflower on the palate. The bright finish is persistent and lingering. This is a serious value and showcases the sophistication of South Africa’s beloved and most widely planted variety.

$16

Flâneuer

Chardonnay

Willamette Valley

This barrel fermented organically and sustainably farmed Chardonnay is loaded with fresh apple, yellow pear, citrus, and spice character with zippy acidity. Sourced from all basalt and jory volcanic soils, this zesty, lighter bodied chardonnay is ideal for early drinking.

$45

Clemens Busch

2018 Low Sulphur

Riesling

Mosel, Germany

A super fun Riesling with plenty of aromatics and ripe fruit to draw you in and all the acidity too. Clemens Busch is one of the leading voices in the natural wine movement in Germany and his wines are expressive, complex and always rewarding.

 $39

Ochota Barrels

"Where's the Pope?"

Syrah

Adelaide Hills

It's been a shit year, obvs. But this certainly didn't help. The wines of Taras Ochota have launched a million careers and his wines we will never forget.  Taras changed a lot of people's understanding of what Australian wines can be. Sadly, Taras passed this October and new wines from Ochota Barrels has recently arrived and this may be the last arrival with his intuitive hands in.

current offerings:

 "Where's the Pope" Syrah $55

"From the North" Mourvedre $55

"Texture like Sun" red blend $41

Paola Bea

Santa Chiara

Umbria Bianco

more baller wine. Paolo Bea makes singular wines in the hill side town of Montalfalco in Umbria. 60% of the vineyard is Sagratino and the remaining 40% is split beween Sangiovese, Montepulciano with some small parcels of white grapes. 

Importer's Note:

Santa Chiara, Umbria Bianco: A white wine produced from Grachetto, Malvasia , Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Garganega, in approximately equal proportions, planted in the “Pagliaro” vineyard, a site with alternating layers of gravel and clay at 1300 feet above sea level with both east and southwest facing parcels. After crushing, the juice spends at least two weeks macerating on its lees; sulfur is never added. Fermentation occurs in small stainless steel vats at low temperatures. Two rackings are done early in the fermentation process to remove the heavy deposits and a third is done after three weeks. This wine is then left on the fine lees in stainless steel for one year before being bottled. Approximately 4500 bottles of wine are produced annually.

$75

Barolo & Barbaresco

The Nebbiolo based red wines of Piemonte are some of the most complex wines in the world. In the glass they are light in color but layered in structure, acidity with seductive aromatics. Most can age exceptionally well thanks to these characteristics and the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco are some of the most renowned and sought after.

Here's a list of our current offerings:

1. Ellena Barolo 2016. $39

2. Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno 2016. $48

3. Gianni Gagliardo 2016 $69

4. Canonica Giovanni " Paiagallo" 2015 & 2016  $110

5. Mauro Molino 2016 $49

6. De Forville Barbaresco 2016 $47

Bitouzet-Prieur

Puligny-Montrachet

Les Levrons 2015

 This Burgundy Chardonnay is gorgeous, direct in its approach, firmly mineral, with great length and persistence on the palate; a classic Puligny.

Bitouzet-Prieur practice organic viticulture and only indigenous yeasts are used. The whites are fermented and aged in barrel. There is extensive lees contact to develop richness and complexity. Usually not more than 20% of the cuvée will be exposed to new oak.

$125

Cantina di Negrar

Amorone della Volpolicella

 &

"Le Roselle" Valpolicella Ripasso Classico

If eggnog is the unofficial mixer of the holidays Amarone should be the unofficial wine. Its intense aromatics and density of flavor capture the season. Made by drying grapes for 4-5 months so that the sugars are more concentrated, the wine is then fermented dry to about 14-15% abv. The results are a dry full bodied, spicy, rich wine with firm tannins and structure.

Valpolicello Ripasso Classico is made using the must from Amarone  and blending it with traditonally vinified Valpoicello Classico. The results are a rich wine with a spicy character and fine tannins. 

Cantina de Negrar is a coop of 230 family growers and wine makers located north east of Verona.

'Le Roselle" $37

Amarone  $65

Chateau Le Puy

"Emilien" 2015

 “Emilien” : the most important cuvée of the domaine in terms of volume is composed of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Carmenère.  It spends a year in 50hl foudres before a year in 228L barrel.  Its approach is silky from the fine tannins and it bears a color of garnet red with a hint of ruby, a seductive wine of great elegance. Certified organic.

$79

Francois Chidaine

Montlouis sur Loire

Brut Tradition

For years Chidaine has been a leader in natural viticulture, farming organically and biodynamically. Today, Chidaine embraces "regnerative agriculture", a no-till farming approach where permanent cover crops of indigenous and sown plants coexist with the vines. By mimicking nature, the vines find their place in a complex ecosystem, allowing them to better express their place of origin. Additionally, by building soil, François improves the rate at which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and converted into plant material and soil organic matter.

$30

C H A M P A G N E !

It's not just for hip hop videos. There's a reason it's the first thing you grab for after winning the Super Bowl. It's special but don't wait until the Lombardy Trophy is in your arms, drink it now and drink it often. 

This year we've curated a deep list of Champagne choosing to focus on small producers farming organically or biodynamically with a minimalist approach to the wine making .

starting from the top moving left to right:

1.  Mouzon Leroux "L'Atavique" Grand Cru $75

2. Ulysse Collin "Les Maillons" Rosé de Saignée $195

3. Chartogne-Taillet "Sainte Anne" Brut $59

4.Larmandier-Bernier "Terre de Vertus" Premier Cru Brut Nature $115

5. Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs $65

6. Marie-Courtin "Résonance" Extra Brut $79

7. Christian Etienne Cuvée Tradition Brut $52

8. Le BRun Servenay "Mélodie en C" Grand Cru extra brut $140 (1.5L)

9. Tarlant "Zero" Brut Nature" $175 (1.5L)

La Stoppa

"Vigna del Volta"

Emilia Malvasia Passito

Dessert wine from Emilia Romagna.

made from a blend of 95% Malvasia di Candia Aromatica and 5% Moscato. The grapes are dried in the sun for 15 days, naturally fermented and then aged in barrel for 3 years followed by 2 years in bottle.

$68

steep vineyards of Beilstein on the Mosel

That's all for this week.  If you know anyone interested in quirky wine, send them our way. We enjoy the role of widening the community of natural and biodynamic wine appreciators.You can reach me via email here: jack@the320marketcafe.com or DM me on IG @320_wine.

Cheers