New Arrivals

This vibrant Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect wine for a lazy weekend afternoon, whether at the beach, out for a picnic or just hanging out and enjoying the comforts of home. Lemon, lime and grapefruit scents waft from the glass, while crisp gooseberry and tangerine refresh the appetite and enliven conversation. The rolling hills of Santa Barbara, where ocean breezes and coastal fogs  keep summer temperatures low, are able to nurture Sauvignon Blanc grapes so that they develop complex tropical flavors and crisp acidity. The winemaking style is aimed at keeping the delicate flavors forward, fresh and crisp. Pair this wine with crab cakes, scallops or seafood pasta for a lively lunch. 

If you like Chardonnay that’s recognizably Californian – that is, full-flavored and rich with tropical fruit in balance with refreshing citrus – you will enjoy Pacific Heights Russian River Chardonnay. And the reasonable price may encourage you to stock up and enjoy often! According to the winery, the Russian River Valley features soil “predominately made of sand and pebble, characterized by good drainage and poor soil fertility. This allows greater vineyard management control to customize growing conditions. The weather is influenced by the close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, where evening fog remains through the night and lingers into the morning, dropping the temperature nearly 5 °C. The resulting chardonnay has full fruit maturity and retention of crisp acidity.”

Bodkin Wines bills itself as America’s first producer of sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. Now, we at Hotei  are delighted to offer this fun wine. If you love the racy flavors and aromas of Sauvignon Blanc and the acidity, low alcohol and bubbles in sparkling wine, you may wonder why this combination has eluded you for so long. When Bodkin’s Chris Christensen first encountered bubbly Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand, he thought it nearly rivaled peanut butter and jelly as one of the great taste combinations; he knew that if he could not find it in the U.S., he would make it himself. Sourcing grapes from the high elevation, Sandy Bend Vineyard in Lake County, Christensen believes the combination of intense sunshine and cool nights allow Sauvignon Blanc to develop higher levels of phenolic ripeness for flavor, aroma and mouthfeel. The bubbles in “Cuvee Agincourt” (named for the decisive battle in the medieval 100 Years War) are made via second fermentation inside the bottle, as in Champagne. Bottle aging on the lees rounds out the texture and gives complexity to this lively wine. A party wine if there ever was one; bring it to your holiday get-togethers as well as spring and summer picnics. 

Just because Merlot can be smooth, round and easy to drink doesn’t mean it can’t age. Valentine’s 2004 Merlot offers Hotei fans a wonderful opportunity to taste a delicious Merlot as it enters maturity. While the dark black cherry and cassis remain in evidence, these primary flavors are counterbalanced with mellow notes of savory herbs and olives. Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy a mature, pleasure-filled California wine at an affordable price.

This Albariño features the lime zest aromatics and salinity one might find in a Galician wine but barrel fermentation and eight month’s lees aging also gives it savoriness and a rounded mouthfeel to balance out its natural acidity and freshness. It was sourced from the Vista Luna Vineyard in the Borden Ranch AVA, a part of the greater Lodi AVA that runs up into the Sierra Foothills. This crisp wine will pair well with shellfish or sashimi.

Produced from a mix of warmer and cooler Napa Valley microclimates, Groth’s Sauvignon Blanc is modeled on the great white Bordeaux wines of Graves and Pessac-Léognan. The 2015 vintage includes 18% Semillon, is fermented and aged sur lie in neutral oak barrels and not put through malolactic fermentation. The result is a wine that offers lush, creamy melon and peach, refreshing citrus and a crisp backbone. Versatility is the wine’s great virtue; it would compliment a delicate piece of fish or an herb-roasted whole chicken. 

This bottling honors Kanaye Nagasawa, a 19th century pioneering spirit from Japan who was born a samurai but ended his long life as the “Wine King of California,” one of the largest land owners in Sonoma County. Sourced from cool Sonoma County vineyards and aged in older barrels, this Zin is bright and elegant rather than overpowering and ripe. In the glass, the wine teases with a gorgeous ruby garnet color and offers delicious flavors of briar fruit and vanilla spice. 

About this wine, Evan Frazier says, “This 2014 Tempranillo is a savory wine with suggestions of smoke and leather.” Sourced from Shake Ridge Vineyards in Amador County, it expresses the mineral stoniness that one finds in wines grown in the Sierra Foothills. At an altitude of 535 m, this rocky vineyard is made up of ancient, red volcanic soils full of chunks of quartz. The climate of hot summer days and cool nights are similar to conditions in Ribera del Duero, producer of some of Spain’s greatest Tempranillo wines. The earthiness and savory dark fruit suggest dishes of roast beef, pork or chicken as well as anything with mushrooms. On the other hand, the texture would allow for salmon or tuna steaks. 

In 1959, when Joe Rochioli Sr. and Jr. decided to try growing grapes for fine wine, they took a chance on Sauvignon Blanc. At the time, the grape was not well-understood in California and used only in blended wines. Now one of the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in California, the vines still produce enough fruit to constitute almost 60% of this wine - with much of the rest coming from a newer vineyard planted to a rare clone of Sauvignon Blanc. An excellent choice for spring and summer sipping,  the wine is light in color, with a lovely nose of gooseberry and honey, and a palate that’s refreshingly tart and minerally.

Groth’s Chardonnay is 100% produced from the Hillview Vineyard, which is located in the Oak Knoll District AVA, a cooler, foggier section of the Napa Valley between Yountville and the city of Napa. While Napa Valley vineyards seem singularly devoted to late-ripening red varieties, Oak Knoll (like Carneros) can produce Chardonnay with lovely citrus, tropical and stone fruit flavors, backed up by fresh acidity. Groth’s approach is to press whole clusters of ripe Chardonnay fruit, ferment the juice in barrel and age the wine sur lie - on the lees – while preventing malolactic fermentation. In this way, the wine retains plenty of tart, natural acidity, which is softened, balanced and made more complex by the barrel treatment. That is why the wine sets off all the pleasure centers: it has layers of aroma and flavor, creaminess and toastiness balanced by mouthwatering freshness. 

Three estate vineyards planted decades ago on distinct soils bring complexity to this delicious Chardonnay. It’s a wine with both yin and yang, yielding an experience that’s rich and sumptuous yet elegant and poised. The nose exhibits floral aromas along with apricot, melon and toasty brioche. A sip opens up layers of baked apple, citrus and a luxurious mouthfeel. This is a wine sure to excite all manner of Chardonnay lovers, as it seems to deliver buttery richness as well as refreshing minerality reminiscent of Chablis.

Groth’s Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% produced from the estate vineyard in Oakville. The fruit is harvested at night and can be delivered to the winery within minutes, where it is sorted, crushed and put into small fermentation tanks. If 2012 was good, the 2013 Napa vintage has lately been described as historic. Dry conditions led vines to produce small clusters of small berries with excellent concentration and flavor, and ideal weather throughout the spring and fall meant that grapes were picked at peak ripeness. Groth’s winemaker praised their 2013s, noting “fantastic fruit expression and outrageous color, bodacious tannin structure in the reds.” Full-bodied with lush dark fruit, savory notes, structure and fine tannins, this wine would pair well with a well-marbled steak or even a juicy hamburger.

While Rochioli’s vineyard-designated wines consistently earn stellar scores, buying them requires being on "the list." Happily, the rest of us can enjoy the equally carefully-crafted estate Pinot Noir, which is a blend of the winery’s esteemed vineyards. In 2015, the blend consisted of twenty four percent Little Hill, eighteen percent Sweetwater, eighteen percent West Block, fourteen percent Big Hill, fourteen percent East Block and twelve percent River Block. It’s a full-bodied wine that’s bright in color and aromatically intense, offering ripe cherry, vanilla and floral notes. Elegant and well-structured, the compelling interplay of bright fruit and mineral notes is classic Russian River Valley! Still young and a bit tight; decanting is recommended.  

A wine of great depth, richness and ageability, Groth’s Reserve Cabernet is essentially a hand-crafted product. During the growing season, each vine in the reserve vineyard is carefully tended so that grapes receive the right combination of light and shade. Several rounds of crop-thinning ensure vines concentrate their energy on select bunches. The grapes are hand-harvested in the cool hours of the night; the grapes are hand-sorted once before, and again after, de-stemming. Even though the reserve vineyard is small, it is divided into blocks that are fermented and even aged separately. Only the best barrels make it into the final blend. While costly, these methods allow for the best expression of the Oakville terroir. In 2012, exceptional weather produced a classy wine that offers bright berry flavors, a firm grip and subtle nuances of herb, spice and floral notes. It’s a wine that will grace your special occasions for years to come.