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
WINEMAKER SEMINAR/TASTING
Helioterra is an artisanal urban winery owned by Anne Hubatch in SE Portland, Oregon. Many of us have fallen in love with her very approachable, affordable, and totally solid Pinot Noir Whoa Nelly. And now I’m excited to announce that Anne is coming to visit us and will share her knowledge and wines in a seminar-like setting.
Coming from a background in geology, Anne realized in 2002 that her future lay in the heart of Oregon wine country when she discovered a passion to become a winemaker. She introduced her first solo vintage of Helioterra Wines in 2009. The winery name draws on geological inspiration from Heliolite (the Oregon state gemstone more commonly known as Sun Stone). “Helio” and “terra” combine the Greek words for sun and earth, the natural partners for grape growing.
Wine and Stuff
Sancerre Rosé Offer | 2023 Domaine Laport, Sancerre
DISCOUNTS
If you buy six bottles save 10% – buy a case or more, save 20%
Per bottle price is $34
ALL ORDERS MUST BE IN BY MAY 20th
Back in March, while preparing for our spring and summer selection, I had the pleasure of meeting Guillaume, who is the son of Serge Laporte and now the winemaker at Domaine Laporte. During his visit to wine-sense, he taught us more about his unique approach to winemaking. The wine he produces is distinct from others, and I found it fascinating to hear him talk about his techniques. His wines have a lively and mouth-watering acidity that makes them fresh and bright, with a citrus and white fruit taste and an aromatic nose that sets them apart. In addition, there’s a pronounced and lingering minerality on the finish.
Domaine Laporte wines are more substantial than the standard Sancerre or even the standard Chavignol, which is the most prestigious village within the Sancerre appellation and home to Laporte’s vineyards. In general, wines from this region are of a notably higher quality and are sometimes referred to as “crus” – despite the absence of official classifications like those found in Burgundy or Bordeaux.
BAROLO • GUIDO PORRO
Learning from interviews and wine show visits has given me an appreciation for Guido Porro. His wines may not be front and center in shiny wine magazine pages but they’re fully on the radar of true Barolo lovers. His down-to-earth approach, stellar reputation, and easy-going personality are well recognized within the wine world and among those who enjoy Barolos. The winery is slowly shifting control to the fifth generation – his son Fabio. The Porros are famoulsly gracious hosts, with Guido’s wife Giovanna known for her stellar renditions of classic Piemontese dishes, which shine when paired with the family’s wines.
EGLY-OURIET | CHAMPAGNE FOR THE BURGUNDY PALATE
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.