4 Great Wines at Hennepin Lake Liquors Fall Sale

I will be honest the fall sale is not what it used to be. I used to load up a cart or 2 but prices are higher than days past. These are the 2 best deals on their current sale.

All the notes: Click here

2015 Tenuta di Arceno Il Fauno Di Arcanum Toscana IGT – Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (10/16/2019)
Day 1: $32 at Hennepin Lake with tax. Hello! Great at the tasting but wow on the nose. Blue currants, minerals, subtle oak, graphite, cherry and exotic spices. This wine is BALANCED. Medium plus finish and super complex. This is not only the value wine of the year but candidate for wine of the year. Beautiful!!! 93+
59% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot.
Day 2: Pencil lead, blue currants, minerals, mild oak, spice and floral notes. Medium plus finish. Not a power house wine but super complex. This is a tremendous value. 92 points (93 points)

$32 with tax

2017 Pendulum Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (10/12/2019)
Day 1: Really nice wine featuring cherry, plum, menthol, chocolate and dust. Medium finish. This represents a tremendous value. 90 points
Day 2: Solid again with cherry, plum, spice, dust and earth. This is an under $20 wine that over deliveries. 90 points
Day 3: The true test on a less expensive bottle. Still winning! Great fruit profile, menthol, spice, dust and earth. Medium plus finish and decant acidity. 90 points
Recommendation: A must buy. Put this in a blind taste test against Caymus and Silver Oak. (90 points) $18.00 with tax

2015 Robert Mondavi Winery 50th Anniversary Maestro – USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2019)
Day 1: Classic Napa Valley. Bright fruit featuring cherry, plum and blueberries along with spice, coffee beans, oak and graphite. This is delicious and at $30 a bottle a super steal.
65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 16 % Merlot, 9 % Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, 4 % Petit Verdot. Back the truck up on this one. 93 points
Day 2: This is not as good on day 2 but still solid. Coffee beans, cherry, spice, mild oak and minerals. The pop and pour was where its at on this wine. I will revisit day 3 but this one might want to be consumed on the younger side. 90 points
Day 3: Similar to day 2. Just lost that bright fruit on initial pop and pour. Based on this bottle I would not decant this wine and cellaring low term is not recommended. 90 points
Recommendation: To be enjoyed and consumed on the short term. No decant necessary.
Day 3.5 update. More intense than earlier in the day. Nice coffee beans, graphite, spice, cherry, plum and minerals. Between day 1 and 3 quality. (93 points) $34.00 with tax

NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut – France, Champagne (11/21/2019)
Worldwide Wines that Don’t Suck (Saint Genevieve, Minneapolis): Another good showing. The best of the 3 Sparkling wines tonight. Apple, lemon, chalk, spice and pie crust. Medium plus finish and good acidity. $30 at Hennepin Lake and my favorite NV Champagne for the money. (91 points) $33.00 with tax