Curating a portfolio of wines takes a lot of work. We only partner with wineries we believe in, and only bring in the wines that best represent the winery and the region. Needless to say, we feel pretty strongly about them. Critic’s scores aren’t a factor in our decisions, but we won’t lie – it’s always validating when our wines get good reviews!
Prà 2020 ‘Morandina’ Valpolicella
91 points, John Szabo MS for WineAlign
“Pale red-garnet in the regional and varietal idiom, Prà’s 2020 straight Valpolicella is an open and oxidative wine, perfumed, like dried flowers and old leather, resinous herbs and twigs, crushed leaves, cinnamon stick, dried red currant and cranberry, licorice and almond bark, and on and on – it takes a while to unravel this wine and it keeps shifting in the glass, needless to say complexity is high. On the palate, it’s light and lean as expected in the best way, with fine, lacy-silky tannins, balanced-succulent acids, and the finish is deceptively long – it just hangs on and on.”
Retail $31.95 / btl
Santa Lucia 2019 ‘Il Melograno’ Nero di Troia
90 points, John Szabo MS for WineAlign
“From northern Puglia in the Castel del Monte DOC, this pure nero di troia from nearly 300m elevation is a deeply coloured and attractively perfumed, dark fruited and floral-spicy red with plenty of appeal. I like the balance, medium-full-bodied palate, the integrated tannins, the finely woven acids, the very solid length. There’s uncommon finesse and sophistication on offer here, and I feel this will gain over the next 1-2 years, or hold 4-6 for the more fully evolved expression. Very nice wine.”
Retail $29.95 / btl
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Château Pesquié 2019 Quintessence Rouge
92-94 points, Jeb Dunnuck
“The Syrah-dominated 2019 Ventoux Quintessence reveals a deeper ruby/plum color followed by a beautiful bouquet of smoked red and black fruits, gamey herbs, spring flowers, and an almost forest floor-like character. With considerable elegance on the palate, medium to full-bodied richness, and silky yet building tannins, this is straight-up classy stuff. It will benefit from a year or three of bottle age and drink nicely for a solid decade.”
Retail $32.95 / btl
CADE 2021 Sauvignon Blanc
92 points, Michael Godel for WineAlign
“Cade’s is seriously well made, stylish and mature sauvignon blanc, healthy and a bit boozy (14.2 per cent declared). Seamless and there can be no doubt as to its quality as well as how confidently it presents itself. That said $75 is a hefty tag to pay for the grape not made by one of ten famous Bordeaux estates and so the ambition is clear. The fruit is the real Napa Valley deal, the making truth crafted and the result something you are really happy to drink. Enough said. Drink 2022-2025.”
Retail $74.95 / btl
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Wines are sold in cases of 12 bottles unless otherwise indicated. Delivery charges may apply. Some quantities are limited, and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
About the Wineries
Prà
Soave is one of the World’s great white wines. For over 30 years, Graziano Prà has been one of a handful of winegrowers to demonstrate the impressive calibre the wines of his region can achieve. In 2001, he turned his sights to red wine, buying a unique plot of virgin land in the Val d’Illasi overlooking the benchmark estate of Romano Dal Forno. He planted Corvina, Corvinone, Oseleta & Rondinella vines at high density and built a state-of-the -art facility for drying his grapes. 2006 was the first commercial release of Valpolicella and Amarone della Valpolicella from this organically farmed estate called Morandina — 8 hectares of vineyard planted on calcareous glacial soils at 500m elevation. The altitude and significant diurnal temperature change provide highly refined, aromatic fruit — Graziano’s red wines are all about finesse, refinement, & complexity.
Santa Lucia
The Perrone Capano family has owned Azienda Santa Lucia since 1628, with vineyard records dating back to 1849. They sit a mere 15km from the coast at 300m in elevation; total annual production is just shy of 50,000 bottles from 14 hectares (just under 37 acres) of vineyards. At Santa Lucia, in the Castel del Monte DOC, farming and production methods are organic with biodynamic practices in the vineyards – meticulous tending includes trellising optimized for each variety, soil and exposure to the remarkable daylight the region receives.
Château Pesquié
Chateau Pesquié is a pioneering estate of the Côtes de Ventoux AOC (appellation established in 1973). The Bastide family purchased the estate in the early ‘70s, and reorganized the vineyards, preserving the best blocks (now close to 100 years old). Their daughter Edith and husband Paul Chaudière joined the Bastides in the mid 1980s, Paul’s family conveniently having 150 years of history in viticulture, and Paul’s father also being a professor of oenology in nearby Orange. In 1989, the family established their own cellars, and stopped selling grapes to the local co-op. Then, in 2003, Edith & Paul’s sons Frédéric & Alexandre assumed responsibility for the estate. Sustainably farmed since the 1980s, the estate moved to fully organic methods in the early 2000s, and now largely biodynamic.
CADE
With a guiding philosophy of environmental responsibility and a commitment to preserving a special spot atop Howell Mountain, partners Gavin Newson, Gordon Getty, and John Conover set about the winery construction and operation of a new estate that would complement their valley floor, Oakville estate, PlumpJack Estate Winery. These values were a priority and with this goal in mind, Napa Valley’s first LEED Gold Certified estate winery was completed in 2009. In 2012, Cade hired a dedicated winemaker, Danielle Cyrot. Danielle, with ancestral roots from Burgundy’s prestigious Côte de Beaune, graduated from California’s UC Davis earning a Bachelor of Science in Viticulture and Enology. Danielle continues to craft high elevation cabernet sauvignon that articulates the intense, powerful character of the estate while maintaining a stunning balance between the mountain fruit, firm acidity, and judicious oak.
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These wineries are represented in Ontario by The Vine Agency.
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