WELCOME!
Hi there! Thank you for visiting wine-sense online. We hope to be as interactive, passionate, and knowledgeable on this website as we are in person.
Our approach is simple. We keep the seasons in mind and pair to the foods we’re cooking with at each time of year. OK, so we might be over-thinking a bit. But that’s why you love us!
If you’ve shopped in the store, you know our wines move fast and the selection changes often. So be sure to check back frequently for latest finds, our new obsessions, and recently allocated bottles. We’ll also share upcoming events and sales so, you can grab them while they’re in stock. – Samanta
WS•Essentials
Holiday Curated Set
This is our favorite time of year! The shop is filled with fabulous and exquisite new wines, while chatting with you about your gift-giving and hearing about your holiday menus makes our job even more joyful.
Over Thanksgiving, our curated kit was a big success so we’ve decided to keep it going. They do fly, so reserve yours fast!
FOR COOKING: One bottle each
Catina Gurrieri Olive Oil: Aromatic and fresh
Bocking, Dry, refreshing white to drink or cook with…or both! Light-body white
TO CELEBRATE: One bottle
“A blend of 70% Meunier and 30% Chardonnay, this beautiful Champagne shows maturity and complexity with subtle tree fruits and ‘pain grillé’ accents. Let the celebrations begin!” – Dan Lech
FOR THE MEAL: One bottle each
Ca’ di Sopra Albana: “This is a benchmark expression of Albana. It displays the typical notes of the varietal which are stone fruit and almonds. It’s also fresh but textured at the same time, showing off the unique site that is Marzeno” James Mucci – Mid-body white
Chateau de Haute-Serre Lucter: “Intense aromas of dark red fruits characterize vintage 2020. On the palate, it opens with a pleasant freshness combined with subtle hints of peppermint and silky tannins.” Producer – Mid to full-body red
WS ESSENTIALS SPECIAL PRICE $135 Buy the set and save
Wine and Stuff
Patricia Green Cellars | Tasting
Arik Colbath is joining us with Patricia Green Cellar’s latest vintage release. “There’s no other Oregon producer making Pinot Noir with the diverse vineyard selection and focus on terroir like Patricia Green Cellars. Their vineyard selections are representing some of the better sites in the Ribbon Ridge, Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, and the Eola Hills growing regions.”
EGLY-OURIET | THE BIRTH OF GROWER CHAMPAGNE
At long last, the time has come! Champagne from the doyen, the acme, the zenith of recoltant-manipulants (that is, ‘grower champagne’) has arrived: Egly-Ouriet! Michel Egly was among the first in the region to produce wine made from his own, estate grown grapes, bottling a third of his crop. When Francis took over in 1982, the fourth generation of his family to tend vines in Champagne, he decided to bottle the entire production. Almost all of his land is Grand Cru from the Montagne de Reims: 8 hectares in Ambonnay, with 2 in Bouzy and Verzenay.
M. Egly believes that great wine is made in the vineyard (and he’s not shy about letting you know his feelings on the subject!). He also believes in aiming for full ripeness (12-13% alcohol by volume), still very much a minority view in Champagne. He looks for low yields from old vines (on average 40 years old), and green harvests when necessary. In the winery, his barrels allow the vinification of small parcels, for blending later on, and none of his wine sees more than eight to ten months of wood. He uses only native yeasts, no batonnage (lees stirring), and malolactic fermentation only if the vintage warrants it. There’s no fining or filtration, as the cellars are very cold (this also allows minimal use of sulfur). He believes in long ageing on the fine lees.
Francis’ results can be shocking, eye-opening, even mind-blowing to those used to grande marque and lighter aperitif style Champagnes: Egly Champagne is dry but rich, very vinous, powerful, intense, nuanced and long in the mouth. The remarkable thing is that wines of such power retain such finesse. There is good reason for the adulation Egly-Ouriet is extolled the world over.
What’s On Your Holiday Table | Tasting
Emily will be at the shop giving a helping hand to all the shoppers stopping by. With her in-depth understanding of wines, Emily brings a wealth of insight about each producer she represents. Also, she’ll be sharing with us some of her holiday favorites.