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In-store Only Items
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Long-term Pre-arrival Items
Long Term Pre-arrival Definition: Ordering wine directly through us from our supplier partners in Europe in advance of the item’s physical arrival in the US.
Long Term Pre-arrival sales ensure you’re getting the best possible price and that you have also secured the product before it hits the normal retail supply chain. The lead time for Pre-arrival goods is generally 4–8 months, sometimes longer based on supply chain and the logistics of transporting goods overseas. The expectation, from our team, is to communicate to the customer the location of their purchase every step of the way.
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Items listed as "rapid ship" are in stock and available for immediate pickup or shipment. Those that do not have the "rapid ship" icon are housed with our supplier and must be transferred to our warehouse before they can be picked up or shipped. This requires 4-6 business days but usually occurs sooner. Some products will list both options of availability as there will be a certain number in stock, with the option to order additional bottles to be transferred from the supplier.
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SKU 1005453
$199.94/bottle
Out of stock
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A Southern Rhône-like blend of 33.6% Grenache, 30.8% Syrah, 17.5% Petite Sirah, 15.4% Graciano, and the rest Mourvèdre, the 2023 Red Wine Brain Teaser was fermented with 23% whole clusters and is aging in 38% new French oak. Vivid ruby/purple in color, it offers a beautiful mix of red and black berries, peppery spice, sappy spring flowers, and rosemary. Medium to full-bodied, it’s impeccably balanced, with ultra-fine tannins and a seamless, textured mouthfeel. As is typical for this estate, the wine emphasizes finesse and elegance as much as richness and power. Don’t miss it. (96-99)
Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.
Region
California
California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.
Appellation
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is home to many of California's most sought after wines, with a powerful reputation for superbly crafted, old world style big, flavorful and complex red wines. The white wine industry in the region is growing, too, with many wineries within Santa Barbara successfully experimenting with several classic white wine grape varietals. As in much of California, Santa Barbara benefits from the blazing west coast sunshine, coupled with cooling Pacific Ocean breezes and fogs, which help to temper the grapes and slow the ripening process, thus ensuring more flavor and aroma in the resulting wines. Although Santa Barbara is a relatively young wine region, it is home to many wineries who are extremely dedicated when it comes to demonstrating just how good their terroir is, and how characterful their region's wines can be.
JD99pts
Jeb Dunnuck
A Southern Rhône-like blend of 33.6% Grenache, 30.8% Syrah, 17.5% Petite Sirah, 15.4% Graciano, and the rest Mourvèdre, the 2023 Red Wine Brain Teaser was fermented with 23% whole clusters and is aging in 38% new French oak. Vivid ruby/purple in color, it offers a beautiful mix of red and black berries, peppery spice, sappy spring flowers, and rosemary. Medium to full-bodied, it’s impeccably balanced, with ultra-fine tannins and a seamless, textured mouthfeel. As is typical for this estate, the wine emphasizes finesse and elegance as much as richness and power. Don’t miss it. (96-99)
VM96pts
Vinous Media
The 2023 Red Wine Brain Teaser (tasted from barrel) offers a striking mix of red and blue fruit, peppery spice and savory grip as it completes its 21-month élevage. Extroverted and confident yet cool-toned, it releases aromas of crushed rocks, iodine, forest floor and violet with aeration. Structured and persistent, the 2023 has a muscular frame that promises a bright future, even if it's shut down and tight today. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. The blend is 33.6% Grenache, 30.8% Syrah, 17.5% Petite Sirah, 15.4% Graciano and 2.7% Mourvèdre, done with 23% whole clusters. (94-96)
