Whoa Free Rangers,
How’s everybody holding up? The energy out there at street level is fierce and volatile. Bad craziness, as a fella once said. No giant bats or flying manta rays all swooping and diving, just a whole lot of humans losing their minds at each other, in general, and occasionally at our faces. On a lighter note, somebody who had been on our e-mail list since January demanded to be unsubscribed over my Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld comments in the last note. Funny that there are still those willing to double down on their support for the Iraq war. What was the point of that war, and what was accomplished again? We tried to oblige his request only to find that he had already unsubscribed himself. Typical Neo-Con: demanding we do something that’s not actually possible, to make him feel better about not having to say he’s sorry. We all have our crosses to bear. We replied to correct his inaccuracies about my political affiliations and our products and prices, and that he shouldn’t let corroborable facts get in the way of his tantrum. It’s his party, he can die on that hill if he wants to. But even Colin Powell has said that he was wrong, at this point. As for us, this just in: war still bad. #DropFruitNotBombs
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If you’d like to read the account of Life and Death in the Cellar that was too dark for print, please reply, and said MIA prose will follow. But you should know, it is not wine related, and you cannot un-read it after.
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And now: Pinot Noir.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways….
The fertile crescent of Pinot Noir has always been and remains in Burgundy, France, where the finest wines will set you back the price of a decent car, as the barrier to entry creeps ever higher. It’s become increasingly difficult to get proper red Burgundy on the shelf under $40, and many of those that we can still get it’s only a case or two for the year. So while we have a handful of these in at the same time, we’ve decided to offer them up in a significantly discounted Mixed Red Burg 6-pack of a few of our favorite value labels from this most venerated Pinot region. This is the best value 6-pack we could construct (and we looked at/tasted a lot of possibilities). Take particular note of the Lignier-Michelot Bourgogne Rouge 2019 which is balanced but juicy and the Audoin Marsannay 2017 which is lithe and dry; both truly beautiful. Click through below to see the full list.
While much of the wine world still considers Oregon to be a secondary source of Pinot Noir, there is no question that the very best of them compete quite favorably with Burgundy twice (or thrice) the price. So let’s begin the Mixed Reserve 6-Pack with 3 bottles from a trio of the world’s greatest living winemakers, who happen to be working in Oregon with Pinot Noir: Coriolis Pinot Noir 2019 is stunningly similar to Maggie Harrison’s Antica Terra, as it is made up of barrels from the same, but this seems to be less fruit and floral forward than her beguiling Botanica, and less scallop-fossil-y than the mineral driven Ceras. Composition Pinot Noir 2019 is the quiet little Oregonian side project of the current winemaker and heir apparent at Domaine de la Romanée-Cont (Bertrand de Villaine), one of the world’s rarest and most sought after labels (which start around $1000/btl, though closer to $20k for their top wine). This will not be a secret much longer. I’ve said so much about the power and subtlety of Kelley Fox’ Pinot(s), and this Kelley Fox Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard 2015, leans more toward the powerful and wild. As for the Burgundy in this pack, Forey Nuits St Georges 2018 shows the balanced fruit forward side of the region, while Daniel Rion Nuits St Georges 2018 displays the drier, more tannic aspects of the local terroir, and both are producers I’ve been personally collecting for years. Launay-Horiot Pommard Chaponnières 2014 from a Permier Cru property, while still medium bodied, is earthier and woodsier than the rest, and even though it’s the oldest of the bunch, has many years to age gracefully, if you have the patience. This is serious juice.
(!) Click here for hidden sale page (!)
sale: retail:
Mixed 6-pack $189 $231
Red Burgundy
sale: retail:
Mixed Reserve 6-pack $295 $390
Oregon vs. Burgundy
*** SALE AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY ***
*** This week only! ***
Cheers,
Jack
Proprietor
Free Range Wine & Spirits
P.S. Free Range E-mail Archive
