01/30/2024 Newsletter

Greetings from the Wine Cellar:
This week’s featured wines begin with Italy and end with a couple of Napa Valley wines, including a Top Rack Selection to start off February. All are sure to please so come in and have a sample of just a glass. The weather is supposed to be great most of the week with maybe some rain on Thursday so come out and have a glass while enjoying our outdoor patio.

This week wraps up the first month of 2024 and begins the first week of February, which means First Friday will be taking place this coming Friday. Hope you can make it out to support our many Downtown merchants. Also, coming in February are some great events: Mardi Gras on Main is February 9th from 5:00pm to 11:00pm. There will be music, dancing, and probably some pretty wild costumes. 79th Annual Silver Spur Rodeo is taking place at the Yuma County Fairgrounds February 9th to 11th, with the Rodeo Parade happening Saturday the 10th. The parade will begin at the Napa parking lot and proceed down 4th Avenue making its way to Downtown Yuma via Giss Parkway. BBQ & Brews Festival is February 23rd and 24th and happening on Main Street.

Be sure to stop by the Old Town Wine Cellar while you are Downtown for these events. We plan to have some great wines for your sampling pleasure.

FEATURED WINES THIS WEEK

Olianas Vermentino di Sardegna 2022 (Sardinia, Italy) $19.99

Vermentino is Sardinia’s signature white. This offers aromatic hints of Meyer lemon peel plus accents of orange blossom. It’s round and generous on the palate with a vibrant character of ripe stone fruits, pink grapefruit and fresh herbs. Lithe, vibrant acidity drives the lightly minerally finish.
($10 by the glass)

Olianas 2021 Cannonau di Sardegna (Sardinia, Italy) $19.99

Cannonau is a robust red wine produced in Sardinia from a special grape variety generally known as Grenache. This wine is an intense ruby red color with floral and fruity notes on the nose leading to a fresh mouthfeel, good structure. Distinctive hints of wild berry combine splendidly with notes of dark chocolate and tobacco. A good concentration of tannins, finely balanced by a pleasing acidity, lingers on the palate.
($10 by the glass)

Castello di Querceto Chianti Classico 2021 (Tuscany, Italy) $18.99

Brilliant ruby red, with soft and elegant texture. Fruity aromas on the nose mix sweet and savory, with roses and cherry candy mingling with the more umami aroma of fresh coffee. The palate continues between sweet and sour, with strawberry and raspberry providing the sweet and unripe cherries bringing the sour. Pair with aged cheeses, roasted lamb, and game.
($10 by the glass)

Markham Vineyards 2019 Merlot (Napa Valley, California) $25.99

Aromas of plum jam and coffee emerge from the glass, enhanced by toffee and cedar notes from oak aging. Juicy black cherry flavors on the palate meld beautifully with a rich, velvety dark chocolate character on the long, round finish.
($12 by the glass)

Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley, California) $48.99

This classically rich Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is red burgundy in color with aromas of black cherry and creamy vanilla, followed by blueberry, blackberry, cherry cola, and grilled meat. On the palate, this Cabernet Sauvignon is seamless and elegant with silky tannins, intense flavors of cherry and floral notes, and a hint of burnt sugar and roasted nuts. Drink now or age 10 or more years.
($18 by the glass)

CORAVIN® BY THE GLASS OPTIONS

Orin Swift 2021 Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, California) (175.99/Btl)

An almost-black, opaque garnet core sits in the glass with slow-moving tears falling down the sides. Immediate aromatic notes of ripe cassis, charred ribeye, sandalwood and freshly cut oak pilfer. The first sip is a complex, layered conundrum of blackberry, black plum, fennel, licorice and dark chocolate. More sips peel back the layers to reveal a rich and balanced wine with a deep cassis core. A sweet linger on the finish closes the wine with softly textured chalky tannins.
($35 per glass)

Beaulieu Vineyard 2019 Georges de Latour Private Reserve (Napa Valley, California) $155.99/Bottle

Wow! The aromas to this are really exceptional, with a tangerine edge to the blackcurrants, graphite, lead pencil, flowers and wet earth. It changes all the time. So expressive and refined. Full-bodied with great intensity and depth of fruit. The ultra-fine tannins display millions of layers. The texture on the palate is superb and lasts for minutes. This is the new 1974 George de Latour, which was a legend. Real Napa Valley red here. Drinkable now, to understand it, but truly great in five to six years and onwards.
($32 per glass)

N & N 2019 Vaca Vista Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, California) $115.99/Bottle

Solid, structured, slightly old school version, with a core of red and black currant fruit held in check for now by strident tannins and notes of warm loam and cast iron. There’s freshness and a violet note buried here too, so worth waiting for it to unwind fully.
($25 per glass)

JUSTIN 2019 Isosceles (Paso Robles, California) $89.99/Bottle

Isosceles presents with aromatic notes of ripe blackberry, juicy black plum, and cassis with dried violet, leather, vanilla bean, fresh herbs, camphor, and toasted oak. Full-bodied with baked black cherry pie, fresh mission fig, and black currant on the entry. The midpalate of new leather, fresh wild sage, porcini mushroom, dried black olive, and cedar is carried by balanced freshness and abundant velvety tannins that lead to a long, complex finish of sustained fresh berries, camphor, oak, toasted cinnamon stick, star anise, and dried flowers.
($22 per glass)

Silvio Nardi 2017 Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany, Italy) $74.99/Bottle

This Brunello opens with lush, penetrating aromas of ripe dark fruit edged with subtle spice tones, then revealing a whiff of dried flowers in the background. An elegant and richly flavorful wine, this has a velvety and polished texture and a long, refined finish.
($15 per glass)

Zenato 2017 Amarone Classico (Veneto, Italy) $74.99/Bottle

Dense and concentrated, yet still beautifully balanced and well-integrated, this is classic Amarone. Lush aromas of plums, dates and toasted oak greet the nose. It’s rich and full on the palate with layers of ripe, raisiny fruit and super-silky tannins to give it grip on the lengthy finish. A truly elegant, stylish wine.
($15 per glass)

NEW ARRIVALS

A to Z Wineworks Essence Pinot Noir 2018 (Oregon) $24.99

This is a charming Oregon wine with a generous amount of fruit on the nose and palate; with bruised raspberries, fresh strawberries, cranberry, cherries, and plums all showing up. Balanced and complex with both savory and sweet flavors. This wine presents spice notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, sandalwood, and mint, floral notes of rose petals and peony, earth notes of fresh loam, truffle, and dusty oak. Marshmallow, mocha, chocolate, cherry vanilla chew, fruit leather and candy.

Aviana Verdejo 2022 (Spain) $19.99

Lively and refreshing, with a balance of juicy honeysuckle and stony minerality. A bright, youthful wine from Spain. Unlike most whites, Verdejo continues to improve over several years of bottle-aging, where it gains a rich texture and flavors of toasted Marcona almonds, supported by sparkly acidity.

Hook or Crook Cellars Reserve Chardonnay 2021 (Lodi, California) $10.99

This medium-bodied wine leads with lightly toasted oak aromas like ground ginger and grilled bread, followed by well-ripened Bosc and Anjou pear flavors on a rich, slightly tangy and layered texture followed by a vanilla finish. Pair this with pork, pasta, or fish to let flavors shine.

Cheers

Kim Maloney
Old Town Wine Cellar
265 S. Main Street, Suite E
Yuma, Arizona 85364
928-373-0405