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Voillot, Joseph 2005 Pommard Vieilles Vignes
Bright sweet fruit on the nose with earth and smoke; rich and quite full-bodied, plenty of ripe tannin and sweet fruit — classic Pommard. JW
Balthazar, Franck 2005 Cornas Chaillot
Mainly from 90 year-old vines in Chaillot, two-week whole bunch fermentation, aged in old 500 liter casks. Franck Balthazar took over from his father René in 2002 and has maintained the old-fashioned ways while converting the estate to organic farming. A traditonal Cornas that is showing well now and will continue to soften nicely over the next ten years.
What do we have here? Old-fashioned Gigondas? We are seldom fortunate enough to taste these.
Clos du Joncuas farms organically, vinifies whole-cluster in concrete, and does élevage in old large casks. The color of the 2006 is a bright intense ruby. The nose is floral, black-fruited, plummy with savory hints of animale and garrigue. This evolves into spicy and earthy notes without losing any sense of ripe-not overripe-fruit. There is good richness to the palate; the ripe fruit is at the forefront with a significant counter-balance of earth. Black pepper, violets, leather follow on the mostly-resolved, long finish. There is a hint of dryness, perhaps from the old oak, but no sense of austerity. Consider it refined rusticity.
Was lovely paired with grilled lamb and Borlotti beans.
80% Grenache with Mourvedre, Cinsault and Syrah, always farmed organically. Whole cluster fermentation in vat with 12 months aging in large old barrels. This is a dense, old-school Gigondas that needs time. Dark purple/black color, deep blackberry aromas with earth, brown spice, prune and licorice. The palate is deep and dense with blackberry, garrigue, earth and mineral flavors framed in firm tannins and acidity Long finish of earthy minerals and black fruits. (April 2015) Tasted in January 2017 at the estate, the wine showed fabulous aromas of berry liqueur, earth, mint, garrigue and licorice; the palate was beautifully structured, deep, elegant and balanced with firm acidity and a great finish. Ten years from maturity but beautiful now with a steak if you can't wait... Bravo to the Chastan family for continuing to make wines like this!
Baudry 2015 Chinon Cuvée Domaine
Cabernet Franc from the Loire is one of the greatest choices for Thanksgiving - The Baudry Chinon "Domaine" is always one of our favorite reds from the Loire Valley and it's a sensational value as well. All Cabernet Franc of course, a blend of 75% from a parcel in St. Louans, where the thin clay/limestone soils give earthy well-structured wines, with 25% from gravel soils near Cravant, giving supple fruit and freshness. Organic farming, wild-yeast fermentation, aging in 5 to 10 year-old wooden vats and casks with minimal added SO. The 2014 "Cuvée Domaine" was a sensational wine and really built to age, while the 2015 is a bit more round and forward, and even more delicious for current drinking. The wine shows a deep red/black color and beautiful aromas of ripe red and black fruits with hints of earth, roast meat, black pepper and violet. The palate is dense and sapid with supple strawberry and blackberry liqueur and mineral flavors lifted by bright acidity. The fruit is quite ripe but the wine is well balanced at 12.5% alcohol. This is a superb "Domaine" that is a bit less structured than the 2014 - it's delicious now and will be singing in 2027 as well. Highly recommended. David Lillie
Bellivière 2018 Coteaux du Loire Rouge-Gorge
Le Rouge-Gorge is one of the most regular, over-delivering, delicious, consistent cuvées of Pineau d'Aunis you can find in the Loire. It is in other words a benchmark for what this under-valued grape (not of course at CSW) is capable of. In the talented, wise hands of Eric & Clément Nicolas, the Pineau d'Aunis shows its delicacy yet its ability to be layered, structured, terroir-driven. Being high in rotundone and sensitive to geosmin, it is easy to think Aunis is just a light peppery, earthy red, or rosé. But it can be so much more, floral, herbal, wild, with orange zest, and a refined tannic structure. When yields, farming, vinifications are in check, it works, and in fact Eric & Clément don't hesitate to do 4 weeks of maceration with foulage, and long aging from these old vines definitely showing what the grape is capable of. Rouge-Gorge 2018 is absolutely yummy. The concentration due to the mildiou (which reduced the crop early in the season) and the heat gave quite some structure to this wine, but without loosing the chalky freshness. In fact, despite this density, it tastes so fresh. The nose is unmistakably Aunis, with this combinaison of wild cherry & strawberry, black and pink peppercorn, fern and rose. The palate mimics the nose, but brings more savory undertones of fennel, caraway and tomato leaf. Tanins are chalky, the gentle aging in older barrels making them even more velvety. This is just delicious and complex. Enjoy it now in a Burgundy glass - you can slightly chill it - or keep it up to 10 years no problem. Play of course with the tannins, the acidity and the pepperiness for the pairings: some wild boar, duck or bison charcuterie, smoked eels, some over-roasted pulled pork would be great, but also with a spicy lentil stew. Pineau d'Aunis. Pascaline Lepeltier.
Breton, Catherine et Pierre 2014 Bourgueil Les Perrieres
The Bretons "Les Perrières" is one of the most beautiful red wines of the Loire. From 70 year-old vines in a great mid-slope parcel with sandy clay on the surface, then clay and limestone tuffeau below. The wine's excellence wine comes from the Bretons long experience with this parcel, their 30 years of organic and biodynamic farming and a masterful vinification and élevage, with minimal SO2, which allows great terroir expression and ageability. The Les Perrieres shows the perfect balance of the 2014s with delicate aromas of chalky cassis and red currant, very floral with mineral with black pepper and earth, quite elegant. The palate is silky with soft chalky tannins enveloped by berry fruits, earth, musk and mineral flavors. The finish is long, elegant and intriguing, leading to the next taste, and the next... Please decant well in advance if drinking now. (Some details: Hand harvested into small boxes; 7 day cool maceration, wild yeast fermentation in Grenier oak vat without addition of SO2, progressively warmer over 15 - 24 days; no chaptalization, minimal extraction; aged in used barrels for two years with one racking; bottled after 2 1/2 years on a "flowering" day. 13% alc.) DL
Clos Roche Blanche 2014 Touraine Gamay
This is the last vintage from our friends Catherine Roussel and Didier Barrouillet at the Clos Roche Blanche. In an effort to make these wines available to as many people as possible we are asking that purchases be limited to 3 bottles each of the Pineau D'Aunis Rosé and Gamay. Catherine and Didier have had a profound influence on their peers in the Loire Valley and beyond, and have been an important part of Chambers Street from the beginning. Of course we will continue to visit them in Mareuil-sur-Cher but we'll miss having their beautiful wines on our shelves...
Guion 2010 Bourgueil Deux Monts
From 70 to 80 year-old vines in "Petits Monts" and "Grand Monts" towards the top of the slope above Benais, facing roughly south-west, clay over Turonien limestone. This is prime real-estate in Bourgueil. Tasted in January of 2012, this wine showed superb elegance and focus, with the great balance of Loire reds in 2010. Not for drinking young—hold for five years, then enjoy until 2040!
Raffault, Olga 1985 Chinon Les Picasses
1985 was a vintage for Loire reds that showed bright red fruits with aromas of bell-pepper and firm acidity. As is often the case with less sunny vintages in the Loire, the 1985s improved steadily over the years and we have tasted many superb examples, with the complex secondary aromas and flavors of dark fruits, sous-bois, mushroom and spice supported by the bright acidity.
Raffault, Olga 1990 Chinon Les Picasses
Another great vintage for the Raffault "Les Picasses," 1990 was the second of two hot, dry summers, producing wines that were lush, round and very ripe but lacking the perfect balance of the 1989s. Having said that, many people have preferred this vintage to 1989, finding it more velvety and forward.
Raffault, Olga 2004 Chinon Les Picasses 375ml
2004 was a wet, cool year in most of the Loire Valley, with the most successful wines coming from Muscadet (such as Jo Landron's superb "Fief du Breil.") Happily there was enough sunny weather in late summer to make decent wines in Touraine, although somewhat earthy and austere in Chinon. Having said that, the Olga Raffault "les Picasses" always becomes a complex and fascinating wine after ten to fifteen years in the bottle, even in "lesser" vintages, showing ripe, gamey black fruits, with earth and vegetal notes, perfect to accompany a rich stew or game dish. Well worth a try for any Chinon lover....
Tue-Boeuf 2014 Touraine Le Brin de Chevre
From 65 to 80 year-old Menu-Pineau vines on clay with silex, sand and gravel; aged in large and small used barrels. Always a distinctive wine, the 2014 Brin de Chevre shows sharp herbal and citrus aromas with powdered stone and honey. Dense citrus, dried pear, almond and stone flavors on the palate with briar, honey, anise and saline minerals with very firm acidity. Unique and delicious! Drink now or cellar five to ten years, or more?
Bérêche, Raphael NV (2015 Base) Champagne Brut Nature Beaux Regards Chardonnay
Les Beaux Regards is a blend of two parcels of Chardonnay in Ludes on the northern slope of the Montagne de Reims planted in 1964 and 1970. The loamy clay soils produce a Champagne more vinous in character, rather than exclusively taut and chalky. The grapes are hand-harvested, fermented and aged in wood, and secondary fermentation is under cork rather than crown cap.