Fortified Wines

A beautiful, elegant port. Fruity, sweet and soft with a lovely, delicate toffee character and a warming embrace of wood aging underneath. While the sophisticated flavors of aging are definitely present, it still maintains a wonderful freshness.

Rancio Sec (Vi Ranci in Spain) is one of the oldest forms of winemaking. Aged in glass demijohns in the sun before transferring to partially filled old oak to encourage oxidation. Fino Sherry-like mineral but with lots of nut, curry spices, dried fruit, c

Basque vermouth! Deliciously bright and pleasantly sweet, with notes of star fruit, dried nettle, and a long finish. Simply enjoy over the rocks or put a new spin on your Manhattan.

The “Pope of Arbois” retired in 2015. There appears to be a secret library of back vintages hidden in some alternative dimension, so when the portal opened, we reached through…and found these. To be labeled Vin Jaune, the cantankerous Savagnin is late-har

8 to 10 years under flor and several more years aging oxidatively gives this gorgeous sherry notes of crème brûlée and macadamia nuts. The finish is persistent and bright, yet deep. Allow the wine to open up over hours, if not days. This new project is th

The white Vin Muté is sent through a solera system that’s been in use since 1987. Consisting of a single 4,000 litre foudre, they draw up 15-20% of the fortified juice for bottling and replenish it with the current year’s harvest. A profound vin de liqueu

Vin Muté is a mistelle: unfermented grape juice is fortified with local brandy. Very obscure but very delicious, with sweet notes of macerated cherries, toffee, and a lingering finish. The Château de Léberon is a very old estate that’s been in the Rozès f

The Cappellano estate claims to have essentially invented Chinato; “benchmark” is the word that comes to mind. The recipe is top secret. Seductively complex, with hints of mint, cloves, musk, and generous dark fruits.

The puttonyos system for Tokaji Aszú essentially denotes the sugar level in the wine; in this case, a whopping 168 g/L. Opulent nutty texture, characteristic apricot skin, pepper notes, and acidity that’s still singing. The finish is profound and complex.

For those of you sly enough to read every shelf-talker, your diligence has been rewarded by finding one of the best deals in the shop! B. Barbadillo bottles this 4 times a year, so the fruit is amazingly fresh along side rich oxidized notes and profound s

Massimo Marchiori and Antonella Gerona moved to Catalonia from Piedmont, Italy originally to be architects. They’ve wound up becoming natural winemakers with a cult-following larger than almost anyone else in Spain. Here they’re offering a take on vermout

There’s a rich, golden patina hue, with notes of dried fruit, spice, and toasted macadamia. The wine is aged both under flor and then oxidatively, once the yeast layer dies, for up to 25 years in a typical solera system. The Bodega was founded in 1792 and