Cork 49

• Red Wines
• Ehlers Estate Merlot Napa Valley 2017 $58.99
• Taste this wine and I think you'll agree it is in the top 1% of Merlot from around the world. (~116 calories/glass)

• Joel Delaunay Gamay, Loire Valley $18.99
• When we think of Gamay, we tend to jump right to Beaujolais as its likely origin. Well not here! This is a purely satisfying, hedonistic even, juicy red from the Loire Valley's Touraine region.

• Lopez De Heredia, 2007 Viña Tondonia, Reserva (rioja, Spain) $63.99
• A red-hot Rioja from Spain's top producer, this wine comes with a fun story - the gold mesh enclosing the bottle was added in the early 1900s as a way to defeat counterfeiters - it is impossible to remove the cork without cutting through the mesh. It still works today! 95pts (~110 calories/glass)

• Mansfield-dunne Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands $38.99
• Crafted by wine wizard winemaker, Ed Kurtzman, and it typifies his style - soft and lush, on the feminine side of domestic Pinots.

• Voliero Brunello Di Montalcino 2015 $70.99
• Only 600 cases of this rare wine are produced each year, originally intended for the owner's restaurant in Montalcino but COVID closed the restaurant and we got a small allocation to share. Delish! (~116 calories/glass)

• Wrongo Dongo Monastrell, Spain $14.99
• Spanish winemakers use the name Monastrell to refer to the grape known elsewhere as Mourvedre. A round, fruit-driven wine of surprising complexity. Great value.

• I. Brand & Family 2019 Mourvedre Enz Vineyard $48.99
• I'm not sure if 'talented' or 'passionate' best describes Ian Brand, as he has a surplus of both. This wine will be a nice selection for all your Fall and Winter holiday dishes!

• Thomas T. Thomas, 2018 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir $52.99
• Yes, the owner of this young winery actually has Thomas as his first and last name! But his wine is anything but redundent - bright, food-friendly and a great example of all that Anderson Valley Pinot Noir has become famous for.

• White Wines
• August West Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands California $43.99
• Another gem from a wizard of winemaking, Ed Kurtzman. The grapes are from the highest vineyard in all of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Maybe because it's closer to heaven that this wine is so ethereal? I'll let you decide.

• Lagarde White Bordeaux, France $17.99
• Bordeaux is so well known for its expensive reds that its white wines can get lost or forgotten. Which is not fair, as their white wines are delicious in their own right. Like this one, crafted from organic grapes! (~96 calories/glass)

• Le Domaine D'henri Petit Chablis (chardonnay), France $24.99
• The term "Petit Chablis" applies to the region's higher elevation plots. The wines are pure and delicious! (~108 calories/glass)

• Hinomaru Jozo Co, Junmai (sake) $16.99
• When customers ask for a wine recommendation for suchi, I'm at a loss to suggest one that pairs as well as Sake! Chill and enjoy with any seafood dish, especially sushi. (~111 calories/glass)

• Bodegas Los Bermejos 2020 Diego Seco (canary Islands, Lanzarote) $31.99
• Wine from the Canary Islands? Yeah, it's really not fair - a beautiful archipelago AND brilliant wines like this one. Grown in black, volcanic soils, these vineyards are so unique they're a UNESCO site!(~96 calories/glass)

• Champagnes & Sparkling Wines
• Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label Brut Champagne, N.v. $68.99
• Pulling grapes from 50+ Champagne vineyards and blending reserve wines from prior vintages, this wine is a consistent expression of the house style. Named for the widow who built the winery to become a major player in the early 1800s.

• Avinyo 2018 Brut Cava Reserva (spain) $20.99
• This Spanish sparkler is 0rganic and vegan, but most important, delicious and affordable. From a decidedly NON-factory, family farm in the remote hills of Penedes, an hour outside of Barcelona. (~100 calories/glass)

• Half Btl - Roederer Estate Brut Multi-vintage $17.99
• HALF BOTTLE (375 ml) From estate vineyards in Mendocino County's famed Anderson Valley, where Louis Roederer Champagnes decided to make their U.S. debut some 30 years ago. In my view, this is the best value in domestic sparkling wine!

• Roederer Estate Brut Multi-vintage (ca) $32.99
• Full Bottle (750ml) From estate vineyards in Mendocino County's famed Anderson Valley, where Louis Roederer Champagnes decided to make their U.S. debut some 30 years ago. In my view, this is the best value in domestic sparkling wine!

• Dessert Wines/Wines for Chocolate
• La Cave De L'abbe Rous 2003 Banyuls Grand Cru Joseph Nadal $56.99
• The Cave de l'Abbe Rous is a co-operative of small growers, among the best of Banyuls, who pool their tiny vineyards' output to create this Grand Cru dessert wine. The Abbey has been producing wine since before the French Revolution.

• Passagem 10-year-old Tawny Port, N.v. (500 Ml) $38.99
• A step up from the un-aged Tawny Port, with more nuttiness and less gob-smacking ripe fruit.

• Passagem Tawny Port N.v. (500ml) $23.99
• A more serious style of port wine than the "Ruby" version, this wine is ready to drink now. Delicious! Serve at about 65 degrees, with walnuts, mixed nuts, dried fruits or rich cheeses. Dark chocolate and Port? Yummmmm

• Dom. Fontanel 2011 Rivesaltes Ambré (sweet) $28.99
• Rivesaltes (reeve SALT) is the French region that made this style of dessert wine famouuos. Ambre (AHM bray) is just one of several styles of Rivesaltes. This wine is often served with nuts and fruits (fresh or baked) but to me it is the ideal wine for chocolate! It even works with milk chocolate, one of the most difficult to pair with wine!