Winter Mixed Case
The Eclectic, Artisanal Antidote to Winters Chill
BIG SAVINGS: Every Bottle Discounted 20%!
Last week's blanket of snow reminded us that it was time to get a "Winter Mixed Case" together to provide you with fortification against this final stretch before spring.
So we've put together a case of our favorite winter wines, which, inevitably resulted in an eclectic group of stars from the peripheries of the wine world. This is where a fascination of culture and taste reside - it's also where the value is extreme.
To make it even better, this mixed case represents the BEST DEAL on these wines: A stellar cast of bottles, discounted 20%.
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As the snow falls today (again), we begin with two hearty wines from France's southwest that are sure to provide a refuge from winter's chill: The Plageoles Le Prunelard and Ilarria’s Irouleguy rouge. Plageoles is one of the rock stars of the region; they craft absolutely singular wines from the nearly extinct grapes of the Gaillac region. Le Prunelard is thought to be a relative of Malbec, which Plageoles turns into a structured wine of violets, spice and brawn. Ilarria’s Irouleguy hails from French Basque country and is a blend of Tannat with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a robust wine, for sure, but with a surprising subtlety and purity to it.
Try either of these personality-filled reds with cassoulet and you may find yourself hoping that winter lasts just a couple more weeks.
Puydeval’s Vin du Pays, a Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot blend, grown in the Languedoc delivers an amazing amount of luscious concentration with layers of woodland berry, walnut leaf, cinnamon, and herbs. It’s a fascinating and complex wine. Tire Pe Diem, an organic Bordeaux, offers sumptuously pure cassis fruit with notes of mineral and tobacco.
The red-wine side of Austria is also brought to the forefront with Schuster’s St. Laurent. St. Laurent, a grape that’s thought to be a relative of Pinot Noir, is capable of producing breathtaking wines, but is mishandled all too often producing soupy, gloppy wines. Johannes Schuster just nails the grape in all its silken and nuanced beauty. Johannes apprenticed with Moric’s Roland Velich and Velich’s terroir-obsessed influence is clearly on display here.
In this case, the white side of things falls into two camps: Crisp and snappy versus richer with more layered fruits. Beginning on the snappy, mineral side: Luneau Papin’s L’d’Or shows (yet again) what all the fuss over the 2007 Muscadet vintage was about. This would be perfect with beurre blanc sauce or mussels meuniere or just as an aperitif. On the other side of things, Roally’s Vire Clesse delivers rich, quince-laden Chardonnay fruit that is complicated by apple and pear fruit and lime blossoms. Truly lovely stuff.
All the details on this winter-jacket-of-a-wine-case are below. Please email us atoffers@crushwineco.com or call the store (212-980-9463) to order.
Please specify whether you’d prefer a red-only or red/white mixed case. And check out the website regularly, because as the seasons change, so will our mixed case. In fact, we will *always* have a tailored mixed case available online, so when these 12 bottles run out, don't hesitate to reorder.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
20% OFF!
RED-ONLY MIXED CASE Was $248.84
Now $199.05
RED-WHITE MIXED CASE Was $252.84
Now $202.25
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Both Cases Include:
2007 Tire Pe Diem
A juicy, easy-to-drink organically grown Bordeaux that offers pure fruits and good structure.
2008 Puydeval Vin de Pays d’Oc
This Vin de Pays delivers a rich combination of dark fruits coupled with savory elements. Don’t let the “country wine” designation fool you; there’s real intrigue and complexity here.
2005 Domaine de la Pertuisane VV
Here we have the combination of luscious dark berry fruit with slatey undertones complicated by herb and spice notes.
2008 Plageoles Prunelard
The Le Prunelard has the floral, spiced, and slightly grapey Plageoles signature along with a fine knit, but serious and powerful structure.
2006 Puzelat Ko Clos de la Roche
A Crush Wine of the Year in 2009. We recently pulled the cork on yet another bottle and it was so well received by the staff that we couldn’t help but purchase another parcel to include here.
2007 Schuster St. Laurent Classic
St. Laurent is an indigenous Austrian grape and relative of Pinot Noir. All too often, the grape results in gloppy awkward wines. Schuster, thankfully, gets it right: Pinot’s silken fruit is on display along with gently spiced cherry fruit and uplifting floral notes.
2007 Ilarria Irouleguy
Hailing from French Basque country and a blend of the notoriously tannic Tannat Noir grape with Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon. What’s intriguing here is the delicacy of the wine despite Tannat’s fierceness. Simply, pure and inspiring juice.
Red-Only Includes:
An honest wine in the greatest sense of the term. Raspberries and plums rub shoulders with tobacco, baking spices, sandalwood and earth.
2007 La Soraia Barbera
The bright acidity and forthright fruit with subtle mineral undertones make this hard to resist.
2005 Peyredoulle Maine Criquau
Classic early drinking Bordeaux from the renowned 05 Bordeaux vintage. Nicely structured and honest, we wish there were more Bordeaux like this.
2007 Jardin de Charlotte Bourgogne Rouge
There’s great Burgundian-grown Pinot character on display here. Fresh cherry fruit and intriguing earth notes.
2007 Monte dall’Ora Valpolicella Classico
A delicious naturally made Valpo with dark cherry fruit, herbs, and earth.
Red-White Includes:
2007 Vina Mein Ribeiro
The region of Ribeiro is starting to gain attention for it's mineral laden whites. Vina Mein makes one of the top examples with notes of melon, stone fruits and flowers.
2008 L’Aujardiere Chardonnay
This Chardonnay grown in the Muscadet region delivers pure minerality with lively citrus flavors.
2007 Luneau Papin L’d’Or
From the great 07 Muscadet vintage, L’d’Or leads with saline minerality and ripe citrus along with notes of pear and whispers of almonds and sweet herbs.
2006 Piaugier Sablet Blanc
A rich slightly oily wine with notes of almond blossoms, peach, and apricot.
2007 Roally Vire-Clesse
Roally's Vire Clesse offers up orchard fruits, lime flowers, fine acids, and pure minerality. Great stuff.
* Please note that due to the savings offered, we must add a nominal charge for all NYC truck deliveries outside of our local delivery area: $10 for non-local Manhattan deliveries / $20 for outer-borough deliveries.