Regular Retail: $16.99
Deal Price: $13.99 a bottle or an additional 10% for a case
Our email deal this week is the very special, 2017 Frontonio Microcosmico Macebeo. We discovered Frontonio a little over a year ago when we had a rare opportunity to taste through an intimate wine project put together by Spanish winemakers Fernando Mora, Francisco Latasa and Mario Lopez. It took one sip of the wine from Bodegas Frontonio to realize we had a winner and we quickly purchased all of the available Macabeo white for our Wine of the Month club members and all of the Garnacha for our wine by the glass menu and then eagerly awaited the next vintage. Fernando Mora began his career as a winemaker in Valdejalon, a small town in NE Spain, by planting 28 vines in his grandparent's garden. He literally created his first vintage in 2008 by utilizing an ice based temperature control system in his bathtub! With his interest peaked, he grabbed his pals and formed Bodegas Frontonio, named after his towns patron saint, and went to work.
Moving from the bathtub to his parents' garage, the boys setup shop and began the very hands on process of starting their fledgling winery. All the vines are tended by hand, dry farmed and hand harvested. Since they are such a small production winery, their grapes are all pressed by foot in the garage which actually helps releases just the right amount of juice and extraction from the skins without gaining any astringency or breaking the pips (seed) to prevent green tannins in their wines. They employ, as you could probably guess, a minimalist approach when it comes to interfering with natural fermentation whether in concrete or barrel, the choice of which is not determined by a recipe but more by what the grapes dictate. This is true hands-on winemaking at its finest.
The name Microcosmico is in reference to the tiny production of this wine that is limited to only 1,000 six bottle cases. After all, how much wine can you make in your garage? The color in the glass has a rich, golden melon hue with a visceral cling to the glass. It is a very savory style of white in the nose and mouth, giving a mix of verbena, honeydew melon, lime citrus, white flower, fennel and grapefruit. The palate mirrors the aromas with all the citrus and melon weight and texture, followed by a crisp, mineraly finish. This wine is complex, it has pedigree as an absolute overachiever at its regular retail price. It can be a nice show dog on a warm day, yet can handle the intensity and richness of a tuna Nicoise salad, enliven a grilled teriyaki salmon or balance a chicken Piccata w/ roasted summer veggies. The 92pt rating from the Wine Advocate should push you over the edge if their great story has not already done so. Enjoy.
Send an email to winedeals@barriquesmarket.com with your name and preferred pickup location if you are interested in having us set some aside for you. Alternatively, use the form below. All orders received by 5pm will be ready by 5pm of the following business day, Mon - Fri. Orders placed on Fri - Sun will be available on the following Monday by 5pm. All orders will receive a confirmation email. Offer good through July 31st.
