The PRIMA Vini VINE Monday, September 16th
The PRIMA Vini VINE
Monday, September 16th
PRIMA Vini Dublin- 6890 Village Parkway,
Dublin, CA 94568, 925-945-1800
Closed Mondays Through October 14th
Tuesday through Saturday, 10–6,
Wine Bar Friday Nights Until 8 PM
Open 24-7 at www.primavini.com
John, Brandon and Fran- Splattered!
Like many other segments on the economy these days, the wine business is feeling the pinch right now. Our neighbors in California wine country are particularly hurting with an oversupply of grapes and slack demand creating a double whammy. We heard of one very famous Napa Valley vineyard that sold its grapes for an astounding $12,500 a ton last year was selling the same grapes this year for just $950. In simple terms, those grapes, if sold by the pound in the grocery store, would have sold for $6.25 a pound last year and .47 cents now. Ouch! We’ve also heard tales of vineyards being grubbed up by some of the big players and of vines that simply won’t be harvested this year. Still want to be a farmer? And cheaper grapes don’t mean cheaper wines. A new French oak barrel that holds about 23 cases of wine, for example, currently costs around $1000 or more. If you produce, say, 5000 cases of new-oak lovin’ red, that’s 200 new barrels you’ll need to purchase. Add rapidly increasing labor costs, pricey supplies like quality corks, heavy bottles and stationery-grade label paper, mortgage and debt service and the scores and scores of other rising costs that go into producing a bottle of wine these days, and it’s still a very expensive proposition to produce that Napa Cab. Reasons for decreased demand are many and complex. For one, present company excepted of course, we’re collectively flat out drinking less wine. Those of a certain age are looking after their health a bit more and are content to drink down their cellars while the younger crowd is seeing wine as just one of a multitude of available recreational beverages that include everything from White Claw to mocktails (to cannabis). There’s more. A lot more. We keep ourselves up all night thinking about them. Suffice to say, though, that it’s not only the wineries that are struggling, but people like us too. The small, independent retailer (of everything, not just wine) is facing incredible competition from larger outfits who can move a ton of product and earn the attention (and preferential pricing) of suppliers worldwide anxious to get their products sold. So, for those of us who still love their vino, where we shop really does matter. Sure, some might find that large-production favorite big Cab or Chard at that big box store for less, but consider the value you might find in getting the recommendation for an even better deal on a wine you might not be as familiar with at a place like ours? Not only do your shopping dollars help keep the likes of us in business, you’ll also be supporting the small family vineyards about which we are so passionate. And I can tell you, they are feeling the current crunch as much as anybody! So, in short, thanks for helping us survive these tough times. You’re the most important cog in the circle of life in the wine world and none of us would be here without you!
Thanks so much!
Hey, we had a blast at last week’s tasting of Piemontese and Tuscan wines and this week’s event promises to be just as much. Emily Kaplan is an old friend of ours and represents a bunch of very cool wines from all over the world. It was very hard to narrow down the choices, but we’ve got Austria, Italy, South Africa, France and good ol’ US of A well represented. Emily can make discovering things like sparkling Gruner Veltliner a ton of fun. And the week after, let’s take a journey to Bordeaux! We’re pleased to post an excellent lineup of wines from both sides of the Gironde. Tickets are on sale for this event, and also for our evening with the inimitable Jane Ferrari. Just click and come! We’ll be waiting for you.
All Friday Night Tastings are $25 at the door
and run from 5:30-7 PM
- Friday, September 20th- Around The World With Emily Kaplan
You won’t even need a passport to try this exceptional lineup of wines from around the world. No RSVPs required. Come as you are!
2019 Schlumberger Brut Sparkling Gruner-Veltliner, Austria
2023 AXR Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley
2022 Domaine Dubreuil Pernand Vergelesses Blanc, Burgundy, France
2018 Hanzell Chardonnay, Moon Mountain, Sonoma County
2020 Antica Casa Scarpa Nebbiolo d’Alba, Bric du Nota, Roero, Piedmont, Italy
2020 Storm Pinot Noir, Hemel en Aarde, South Africa
2021 Emilio Moro La Revelia, Castilla y Leon, Spain
2020 Elderton Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia
- SPECIAL EDITION TASTING
Friday, September 27th- Bordeaux Wine Class with Savannah Nelson of Aquitaine Imports - (special event- ticket required)
Discover the wines of Bordeaux with Savannah Nelson. This tutored tasting will cover top wines from up and down the Medoc including some wonderful Classified Growths. This will be very special.
Tickets are $40 if purchased in advance from this link and will be $45 at the door. Stay tuned for details.
2022 Chateau Picque-Caillou Blanc, Pessac-Leognan
2022 Chateau La Reverance, St. Emilion
2021 Chateau Lecuyer, Pomerol
2021 Chateau Latour-Matillac, Pessac-Leognan
2020 Chateau Mongravey, Margaux
2021 Chateau Bellegraves, Pauillac
2021 Chateau Meyney, Saint Estephe
2022 Chateau Laribotte, Sauternes
https://primavini.com/
- Friday, October 18th- An Evening In Australia- PRIMA Welcomes Back Jane Ferrari and the wines of Jim Barry
La Grande Dame of Australian winemaking and storytelling makes a rare visit to California. This will be a ton of fun. We promise!
- Friday, October 25th- An Evening in Piemonte with Giacomo Bologna-Braida
The late Giacomo Bologna did more to promote the Barbera grape to the world than anyone else in his native Piemonte and his daughter Raffaella and son-in-law Norbert continue to carry the flag.
- Saturday, October 26th- PRIMA’s Annual Halloween Bash
Stay tuned for all the details
- Saturday, December 7th- PRIMA’s 37th Annual Champagne Extravaganza
It’s not that far off! Mark your calendars….
ANY TIME WE’RE OPEN
COME SEE WHAT WE’RE POURING IN THE PRIMA Vini WINE BAR!
We change the wines we pour by the glass week frequently so there’s always something interesting and fun open. Or pick a bottle up off our shelf, wine fridge or Enoteca! If it’s under $50 on the shelf, there’s only a $15 corkage and if it’s over $50, hey, we’ll waive it! Or do what the ‘Back to School Moms’ did last week and bring your own group, a bunch of your favorite fixins’ from one of our fine local restaurants and take over the place! And, coming soon, the East Bay’s first Italian Pizza Vending Machine. Whaaaaat?
PRIMA WINE BAR’S BY THE BOTTLE SPECIALS
We’ve chosen a half dozen really special wines you can enjoy at our tasting bar with no additional corkage!
Order a pizza or some takeout to be delivered here and ask us to pop a bottle of one of these half dozen really special wines you can enjoy at our tasting bar with no additional corkage! These are not available by-the-glass so bring a friend or two or come thirsty~
2018 Antica Fratta Franciacorta Saten $45
2023 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, Napa/Sonoma Counties $48
2020 Fattoria Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva $40
2022 A. Rafanelli Estate Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley $60
2022 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley $65
2019 Oddero Barolo Classico $67
PRIMA’s Wines of the Week
BACK IN STOCK! Been a lot of Macon Blanc through the doors here the past few years but this has long been one of our favorites….a bit richer than most, more like a Pouilly-Fuisse than a Saint-Veran.
2022 Domaine Jean-Claude
Regular Price $30.00,
The Class Of The Macon For Only $23.99,
shipping included on a case of 12
Our search for great white Burgundy for everyday drinking has once again taken us deep in the Maconnais, Burgundy’s southernmost outpost. It is here, in these rolling granitic hills west of the city of Macon, where the last vestiges of true value in the region can be found- an area that we parsimonious wine merchants often mine for our own pleasure. And if it’s good enough for cheapskates like Frank and me, it must be good enough for you, right? And finding Macon-Villages that can drink like Pouilly-Fuisses, the class appellation of the region? You can sign us up every time! Wines like this are essential to our wellbeing. They are the fuel that powers the Rittmasters (and Rothsteins, and Muellers), the absence of which we are constantly trying to compensate for in the family wine fridge! I intend on taking care of a few of those holes right now and so should you! The Thevenets, now in their third generation, are the most famous producers in the tiny but prestigious Macon-Pierreclos
This wine is developing a bit of cult-like following here at PRIMA. It’s consistently one of the most requested Langhe Nebbs we sell. The new vintage has just arrived. - JR
2022 Az. Ag. Scarzello Langhe Nebbiolo
$33.99 with shipping included on 6 bottles or more
Whether I’m travelling in Piemonte speaking with actual people or lurking on various social media sites where the local wine cognoscenti gather, I always have my radar engaged to hear what wines people are most talking about. There are a lot of very, very good producers, after all, we never or rarely see here in the United States, and I have an intense fear of missing out! One name I’ve been hearing a lot about on a lot of lips over the past few years is that of Federico Scarzello. I first caught wind of Scarzello in a wine bar in La Morra where a table of winemakers I knew were casually dissecting a bottle of Scarzello’s 2011 Barolo Sarmassa over their tajarin pasta and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. Unfortunately for me, they had emptied the bottle before I managed to park myself at their table and insinuate myself into their conversation. The next time I heard about Scarzello was in an on-line conversation between some hardcore European Barolo/Barbaresco fans including my old pal Gregory Dal Piaz (who has forgotten more about Barolo than most of us will ever learn). He listed Scarzello among a shortlist of ‘Old School classic Barolos’ doing excellent work and to be on the lookout for. Now they firmly had my attention, and I promised myself that next time I came across a bottle in Italy, I would partake. In the fall of 2022, I did, and it was every bit as good as advertised. Getting Scarzello here in the US, though, would take some doing. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, though, and out of the blue, a very small LA-based importer let me know he had Scarzello and last year and our love affair with these wines was, at last, consummated! And the wines have proved as sensational here as they were there!
Federico Scarzello , by the way, is the third generation of Scarzello to run the family cellar just steps away from Barolo castle. Though the family’s first bottling from their now organically-farmed vines in the Sarmassa, Paiagallo and Terlo MGAs was in 1978, it wasn’t until Fede returned to the fold from enology school in Alba in 1998 that the Scarzello star began to ascend. Firmly in the traditionalist camp, he brings an incredible amount of passion and skill to his work. The best way to discover the Old School classic style at this address is with this absolutely wonderful Langhe Nebbiolo. Like the Barolos made here, the maceration in cement tank is extended and the extraction gentle, but the aging in cask is only eight months and bottle aging only six more before release. It’s an exceedingly pretty style with its pure cherry-inflected fruit front and center while its beautiful aromatics of spicy camphor, cinnamon, tar and fennel wild fennel add interest. The 2022 has just arrived in the country (I am the first to have it here!) so I would be a little cautious about opening it right now without giving it a few months to chill in your cellar, as it were, but once you do, you’ll be very, very pleased with the results. I would also be please to uncover a few bottles in the back of that cellar in eight or ten years too! Very highly recommended.
2023 Flowers Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast Estate
Regular Price $50.00, Ours is $39.99,
shipping included on 6 bottles or more
2022 Flowers Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast Estate
Regular Price $55.00, Ours $44.99,
shipping included on 6 bottles or more
Mix and match OK!
Looking for that perfect Chardonnay to enjoy all year long? How about Flowers’ gorgeous Sonoma Coast Chardonnay for a song? This is a beautifully balanced wine with all of the great acidity and lovely, lacy fruit this far coast vineyard can provide. We think the 2021 is absolutely spectacular; the best vintage we’ve tasted of this cuvee in many moons. If your taste leans more towards the red persuasion, why not add some of the Flowers Sonoma Coast Estate Pinot Noir to your case? Perfectly realized crunchy red cherry fruit, vivid, life-affirming acidity and barest touch of oak spice make this the perfect Pinot with which to please a crowd of even the most hardcore lovers of the variety. We don’t have a lot available at these sale prices so I’d get in while the getting is good!
Limited time sale.
2018 Ink Grade Vineyards Andosol, Howell Mountain Estate
Regular Price $90.00, PRIMA Insiders Only Pay $44.99
with shipping included on 6 bottles or more
The name Ink Grade, to me, evokes the Heitz Cellars wines of yore. The late-great Joe Heitz made his famous ‘Port’ from the grapes up on Ink Grade and later used its Zinfandel and Cabernet in a variety of their iconic reds as well. In fact, the Heitzes eventually purchased this old vineyard for themselves back in 1989 and farmed it until the Heitz winery itself was sold in 2018. But the history of this very special place on the back side of Howell Mountain goes back a lot, lot longer. It was in 1873 that one Theron Ink purchased the property via a land grant from Ulysses S. Grant and first planted vineyards on the property. At 2200 feet over the Napa Valley, this is truly a unique spot and Ink began, eventually, to make his own wine and was compelled to grade a road down the mountain to get them down to the Valley to be sold. Appropriately, he called it Ink Grade. When Heitz was purchased, the property, its old vineyards and winery were spun off to become an independent project dedicated solely to using the amazing fruit from those very old, low-yielding mountain vines. The most unique wine being made at Ink Grade has to be the wine they call Andosol. Modeled after the historic field blends of California, most of it is briary mountain Zin with dark, earthy Cabernet adding to its backbone, color and providing some good ol’ Howell Mountain tannin. This is a truly fun wine to drink, certainly reminiscent of the California wines we used to drink back in the day, but with a more modern sense of panache and presence. Rich with dusky, plummy fruit, we really liked the fresh floral notes, nice, silky palate and bitter chocolate finish. It’s an impressive amalgam of Old- and New World sensibilities that calls out for anything with grill marks- steaks, burgers, fish, pork, whatever you got! Meant to be consumed right away, it might be fun, though, to revisit with a few years in the cellar too. Note that this half-price special is limited to the one delivery we’re getting this week so our advice is to jump in now and fire up the grill tonight!
Decanter… It’s a homage to the old tradition of blending old mountain sites. Dark berry fruit, pine forest notes, and violets. A plethora of red, black, and blue fruits with sappy tannins integrated with beautiful complexity of flavours and nuanced mineral notes. Leads to a pulverised crushed stone and cocoa powder finish. 93 points
Wine Enthusiast: Bright raspberries and red cherries in the nose mingle with riper black cherries, dark chocolate and blueberries in this abundantly fruity, but also well-oaked and well-structured wine made from mostly Zinfandel. Velvety tannins, succulent fruit and spicy oak nuances all balance nicely. Best from 2025-2033. 94 points
2020 Storm ‘Ignis’ Pinot Noir, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, South Africa
$59.99, shipping included on 6 bottles or more
The story of Hannes Storm closely parallels the development of South Africa’s Hemel-en- Aarde (Heaven and Earth in Afrikaans) appellation, part of the larger Walker Bay zone on the Atlantic coast. Storm got his winemaking start with Sir Anthony Hamilton-Russell at the seminal Hamilton-Russell winery, the winery that put the Walker Bay appellation on the world map and continues to be its largest and best-loved address there. After twelve harvests at H-R, Storm found himself two vineyards of his own nearby and, with Hamilton-Russell’s blessing and support, began the process of creating his own winery. Just a bit earlier, Hemel-en-Aarde divided itself into three distinct zones or wards within the greater appellation, each with attributes unique enough to justify their independence and, after obtaining a third vineyard a few years later, Storm found himself in possession of a vineyard in each, the only Hemel-en-Aarde producer who can say that. These three wards,
Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, the Upper Valley and the Ridge run progressively northward from the ocean and the beautiful town of Hermanus with the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge being the furthest north, beginning some 13 kilometers from the town. The Pinot Noir vines here, at some 330 meters high, ripen later than further down the valley and create wines with more finesse and purity. Storm places an enormous amount of attention to picking times, and ferments using mostly whole clusters in stainless steel before aging the wine in small Burgundy barriques for a year, about a quarter of which are new. They are released only after 15 months in bottle when they’ve had a proper amount of time to lose their baby fat and begin to show their stuff. The 2018 is a very pure, quite understated version of Pinot Noir with hints of wet earth, pine and spice in a compote of warm cherry fruit that runs from yellow to red. I found that this very focused, very austere style of Pinot really shows its best with a little air and, though we don’t normally recommend decanting Pinot Noir, this is one that might benefit from it. Play to its earthiness with dishes focused on wild mushrooms, dried or fresh herbs and something with enough richness for this wine to cut through. So pretty! So unique.