NV Godmé Brut Rosé Champagne Grand Cru $68.95 (List $78)
$46.80 – special Valentine’s Day pricing
(use promo code: GODMEROSE)

92+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): “The new release of the Godmé Père et Fils Brut Rosé is another classic in the making from this consistently excellent house located in the grand cru village of Verzenay on the Montagne de Reims. The wine is made up of a blend of eighty-five percent pinot noir and fifteen percent chardonnay, with a touch of red wine added back into the blend to give the rosé its delicate salmon color. The bouquet is a complex and snappy blend of orange, sweet cranberry, a touch of smokiness, a beautiful base of soil, sourdough bread and a distinct topnote of caraway seed. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and racy, with very refined mousse, bright acids, a lovely core of fruit and outstanding length and grip on the very long and low fat finish.”

Click here to view all rosé Champagnes in stock

Italian Wine Series:

Happy Hour with Sergio Germano of Ettore Germano Wines
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmonte

Friday February 10th, 2012
5-7 PM
Taste 6 – $15

Join us as we kick off our Italian Wine Series on February 10th with Sergio Germano of Ettore Germano. Located on the south-east edge of the Barolo appellation, Serralunga d’Alba produces wines of structure, substance, and uncompromising quality.

“Sergio Germano is a dynamic…man who confidently runs this important estate which, year after year, scales new peaks of quality and reliability.” – Gambero Rosso

The Germano estate is comprised of 13.5 hectares (approximately 35 acres) and grows Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Chardonnay, Riesling, and the indigenous white Nascetta, all of which are estate vinified. Though the Germano family has been making wine in Serralunga for the past century and a half, their current location started as a 3 hectare plot cultivated by Ettore Germano and his father Alberto, who sold most of their grapes to other winemakers. Ettore’s son Sergio Germano is typical of the new generation of producers in the Langhe; after completing six years of study at the school of Enology in Alba he made wine for a few years at Fontanafredda, one of the largest wineries in the area, before returning to the family winery in 1993. Today Sergio and his wife Elena, plus a small staff oversee all aspects of cultivation and winemaking.

Fusing modern scientific understanding of winemaking with immense respect for tradition yields wines of precision, regional typicity, and limitless enjoyability. So join us Friday February 10th for the wines of Ettore Germano.

Join us for Greek Night on
Friday, January 27th
5-7 PM
Taste all 8 – $15

Greece is both the birthplace of Western civilization and in many ways the birthplace of our modern wine culture. The wines of Greece were the most important wines in all of antiquity. But somewhere long ago, they seemed to have lost their way. Now, thanks to a new breed of winemakers and exporters, the Greek wine revival has begun. Come and taste for yourself as we feature some of the most exciting new wines to come out of Greece. These wines of rare and exotic indigenous varietals truly capture the essence of classic Greece.

Joining us for our Greek Happy Hour will be Markus Stolz, WSET certified Greek wine expert. Stolz, a resident of Greece since 2003 has made it his mission to bring the finest examples of modern-styled Greek wines to the international market.

So join us for an evening of spirited and unique wines, regional appetizers, political debates (if you’re so inclined), and good cheer. Not exactly a toga party, but this happy hour tasting is the perfect way to get the weekend started! See you there – Opa!

An Afternoon with Revel Wine
& Terroir Society Wines

WHWC is pleased to host the inaugural joint tasting of indie California wine distributor Revel Wine and Terroir Society Wines, a New York based importer of indigenous Italian varietal wines. As of December 2011 these two quality initiators have joined forces and are now delivering their hand-selected artisan wines to the people who love to drink them all over California.

After working as sommelier at Suzanne Goin’s renown LA bistro AOC, Tom Hunter and northern Cal Partner Matthew Plympton founded Revel Wine four years ago in San Francisco, expanding into LA in January 2011. Their mission was simple: to identify the best small West Coast producers and then proffer them to the public. Revel’s portfolio presents a new generation of American growers and winemakers, many of whom espouse natural, organic, or biodynamic practices in their vineyards, and encourage spontaneous fermentations with wild yeasts. These terroir-driven California, Oregon, and now New York wines foster the sense of place in wine, in keeping with the concept of minimal handling for optimal quality.

Michael Wingate founded Terroir Society Wines in New York City in 2004. With the help of New York partners Alexis Beltrami and Link Larsen, Michael was able to expand the operation westward when he and his family relocated to San Francisco in 2009. Specializing in distinctive Italian wines of only indigenous varietals, Terroir Society represents small, family-owned wineries all over Italy who produce traditional, terroir-driven wines. Most of their wines are organic or sustainably farmed, and all are made with passion and respect for the place from whence they come.

The Program

An Afternoon with Robert Craig
Robert Craig Winery Napa Valley
Saturday January 28th
2-6 PM
WHWC Winebar

Now celebrating three decades of producing distinctive Cabernet Sauvignons from vineyards in the highest, most remote reaches of the Valley, Robert Craig is a pioneer of Napa Valley mountain vineyards and a visionary in creating mountain Cabernets that emphasize ripe fruit, supple tannins, balance and integration.

During the 1980’s Bob developed over 300 acres of vineyards on Mt. Veeder and served as GM of the Hess Collection Winery. Spearheading the campaign to have Mt. Veeder designated as a special appellation district in 1990, he also consulted on the Spring Mountain Appellation’s creation. These new appellations located at Napa Valley’s highest elevations reinforce the importance of "terroir" in producing wines with enormous sense of place.

Bob’s long-held dream to hand-craft Napa mountain Cabernet materialized in 1992 when he founded his own winery with three friends. His ultra-premium Napa Valley winery is renowned for Affinity, a classic Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon blend, and powerhouse Cabernets from Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder and Spring Mountain AVAs. These award-winning, structured, and stylish Cabernets convey a unique personality derived from the soils, climate and varietal characteristics of each growing region. While the winery is not open to the public, WHWC pleased to welcome Robert Craig for an afternoon with us for your drinking education and pleasure.

Also on the program is a flight of Leroux red and white Burgundy

Wines for Thanksgiving:
South American Stallions w/Maximo Morrone
Saturday November 19th
2-6 PM

Join us at the winebar for an afternoon of hand-picked Argentine & Chilean selections from Wine Spectator’s Importer of the Year, TGIC Importers. Argentina and Chile offer a breadth of quality value bottles ideal for you Thanksgiving fare and festivities. Rep Maximo Morrone will be on hand to answer questions about the wines, schmooze, and regale you with stories of his homeland (Argentina).

See you there!