Infantado 2016 Porto Vintage

Touriga Franca/Touriga Nacional/Tinta Roriz plus mixed-variety old vines. From exclusively Class A parcels (Serra Douro and Serra de Baixho) totaling 7.5 hectares on poor schist soils—the vines are 50 years or older. The fruit is hand-harvested, partly destemmed and fermented exclusively in lagar; fermentation is stopped with 77-degree wine brandy. The wine is aged for 2 years in a variety of tonel and balseiro, which are tall wooden tanks from 3,000-60,000 liters with thick staves that slow down oxidation. The 2016 finished at a modest 19.5% alcohol and 72 g/liter RS. In the glass, the wine shows a beautiful red/purple plum in color. The nose is full of fruity cassis and smoke, anise, fennel, and cherry. After a moment, you can detect a subtle aroma of sweet cocoa. The palate is generous, with bold flavors of plum and black cherry, plus a refreshing edge of bitter herb. Plump in structure, cut by a dash of medium acidity. A lovely dose of simple and elegant sweetness, as well. A long finish ends with an essence of dried cherries and espresso. This is a port for all drinkers - complex and tasty!

Finot Frères 2021 Vin de France Tracteur Blanc (Isère)

The blend changes every year for Thomas Finot's unique and refreshing Tractor Blanc - in 2021 it's 45 % Jacquère, 45 % Altesse,  the rest Chardonnay et Verdesse. This will arrive on Tuesday, can't wait to taste it - in the meantime we're borrowing a note from Vins Etonnants: The color is light gold, shiny. The nose is expressive, on quince jelly and honey, counterbalanced by citrus zest. The palate is crystalline, taut with a fine line of acidity, and offers a round, fresh, thirst-quenching substance, with this astringency reminiscent of lemon zest, even if the aromatics remain dominated by quince. The finish reveals a savory, lemony and chalky chewiness, supported by the acidity of the verdesse which has not said its last word." We'll have an American version next week.

Finot Frères 2021 Vin de France Tracteur Rosé (Isère)

In 2007, the energetic and talented Thomas Finot discovered the terroirs of the Coteaux Grésivaudan - a valley with steep mountainsides extending northeast from Grenoble, just north of Savoie, Here he is rescuing local grape varieties such as Verdesse, Persan and Etraire de la Dhuy and also making delicious and affordable vin de soif from other grapes - in this case the Tracteur Rosé. Made from 100% Gamay, with 24 hour skin-contact before pressing. In the bottle, the wine looks to be darker than it appears when poured into a glass. In a glass, it is a faint salmon color. The nose has a rich aroma of pink cherries and light strawberries. The palate has a distinct saltiness that adds an edge to a foundation of red berries. Refreshing and delicious! David Hatzopoulos

Finot Frères 2021 Vin de France Tracteur Rouge (Isère)

Thomas Finot in the Coteaux Grésivaudan made the vibrant 2021 Tracteur Rouge  mostly from Persan with Gamay, Pinot noir and Mondeuse.  The wine shows a lovely bright red color and pretty aromas of black cherry and plum skin with hints of violet, earth and spice. The palate is bright, supple and complex,  showing silky, earthy strawberry and red currant fruit with a nice lift of sappy  berry fruits, earth, herbal notes and citrus in the long finish. It's lovely, and very refreshing, served quite cool, with charcuterie, burgers, chicken and cheeses from Comté to Raclette. Bravo to Thomas Finot for making such a delicious wine at a great price! 

Tessier 2021 Cheverny Blanc

In the western Sologne, Philippe and now his son Simon Tessier are making some of the best example of Cheverny blanc, an appellation focusing on blend, and highly versatile with a lift and an elegance due to the sandy clay soil over limestone.  A blend of Sauvignon and 10% Chardonnay, they add about 10% of a local, ancient variety, Orbois or Menu Pineau, a grape that almost disappeared because in the past it barely ripened. But because of climate change, the Menu Pineau is a valuable asset to keep acidity and tension. 2021 was a vintage of tiny yields because of spring frosts givng a wine with bright acidity, but with good ripeness as well. Even if the blend is dominated by the Sauvignon, there is no caricatural expression: it is more a variation on grapefruit zest, sage, and white flowers. The aromas on the palate are also all in touches, with notes of apple blossom, anis, lemon zest with a nice subtle bitterness. Serve it in a larger glass, let it open for a little bit and serve it with some black sea bass with squash and yuzu, a salad of fennel and of course some goat cheese.

Tessier 2020 Cour-Cheverny Les Sables

We're happy to have "les Sables" back in stock, even if it's only one case!  This beautiful, rich but dry Romorantin from Tessier is from 25 to 40 year-old vines on sandy clay soils with silex. The wine ages 10 months in tronconic wooden vats and 5 months in cement and was bottled with minimal SO2. This is a rare and beautiful wine, quite concentrated and incredibly vibrant!  The nose is complex, with a lot of pear drops, lime zest, wild flower honey, almond and stone. It is in fact quite aromatic for a Romorantin. In the palate, there is a lot happening: you would never guess the alcohol as the tangy, acidity has such a backbone. It is really lifted for such a dense wine. Get creative, as this unique wine is a great food pairing for a full-flavered fish or shellfish preparation, or with rabbit and other white meats. We have 12 bottles.. (Approximately 14% alc, 1.5 gr/l RS, 15 mg/l SO2.)

Tessier 2020 Cheverny Rouge Le Point du Jour (3/30)

 Tessier's 2020 "Le Point du Jour" is a beautiful expression of Cheverny, a blend of  20% Gamay and 80% Pinot Noir from the oldest vines of the estate planted on two types of terroir, clay and sand and sandy clay over limestone.  Hand-harvested, the grapes are vinified in 80% whole-cluster, macerated for 2 weeks or so before being aged in a mix of barrels, demi-muids and foudres. Aging is short, the wine is blended in January and bottled a couple of weeks after unfiltered with minimal sulfur dioxide. It is really a round, easy-to-drink wine, showing cherry with lush wild strawberry and pomegranate, hints of cinnamon and almond, and very soft tannins. Serve cool, enjoy over the next five years. 13.5% alc, 19mg/l SO2.

Ferme Saint-Martin 2017 Beaumes-de-Venise Cuvée Saint-Martin

(One case discovered in the warehouse  - free temp controlled storage! This should be drinking beautifully) Guy and Thomas Jullien at la Ferme Saint-Martin are making some of the finest wines in the Southern Rhône on their organic estate in Suzette, near Beaumes-de-Venise. One of their best wines, the Cuvée Saint-Martin is made with 85% Grenache from 60 to 105 year-old vines grown on clay over limestone (Triassic) soils. Vinification is with wild yeasts, with no added SO2 until a tiny amount before bottling - this is a "natural" wine of great quality.  The 2017 shows a deep red/black color, with ripe plum, red currant and strawberry aromas, very floral, elegant and lush with hints of licorice, garrigue and earth. The palate is ripe and dense with deep chocolately blackberry and plum liqueur with earth, licorice, mint and spice, finishing with firm acidity and citrusy red fruits. This is an outstanding southern Rhône red and a great value - serve with grilled foods, Moroccan tagines and Provençal stews. David Lillie

Traginer 2010 Banyuls Grand Cru 750ml

(Arrival Wednesday 11/9) (Found in the warehouse - great stuff!) Grenache, Grenache Gris and Carignan, aged for six years or more in ancient barrels, bottled without fining or filtration. Jean-François Deu at Domaine du Traginer makes elegant, complex and beautifully balanced Banyuls at his organic and biodynamic estate. The 2010 Banyuls Grand Cru shows fabulous aromas of burnt orange, prune, lemon peel, rose, earth and aged cheese...for starters. Very deep and complex. The palate is ripe and a bit sweet, but refreshing and balanced by bright acidity with prune, red currant, rose and deep berry confit with citrus, brown spice and earth. Beautiful wine - great to sip by itself or serve with fruit desserts and chocolate. Highly recommended. DL

Rouquette 2011 Monbazillac Chateau La Rouquette 500ml

The Dournel family produces this lovely Monbazillac under the Chateau La Rouquette label. Consider it a good Sauternes in everything except price, perhaps slightly less sweet. The 2011 is very elegant, fine and complex, with aromas of ripe white fruits, peach and lime flower. Supple, round and with medium sweetness on the palate with perfect acidity, the fruit is fresh and pretty, not at all heavy, really a delightful wine to sip by itself or with fruit desserts, patés and vegetable terrines.

Desvignes 2021 Beaujolais L'Aube a Javernieres

2020 was the first vintage of "L'Aube à Javernières" and the first Desvignes wine to not be 100% cru Morgon, coming from a parcel of 20 to 30-year-old vines in deep clay soils on the edge of Javernières, just below the Cote du Py hill. The grapes are harvested by hand and the winemaking is consistent with most of the Desvignes wines, undergoing semi-carbonic fermentation and aged in concrete with no punchdowns. The 2021 is a fresh and exuberant expression of Gamay with pretty red fruit and cool herbs on the nose, backed by racy acidity that creates wonderful tension and a long finish that makes it a versatile pairing partner. Absolutely delicious and a great value for anyone who loves serious Beaujolais!

Quinta do Infantado 2015 Porto Late Bottled Vintage Unfiltered

Quinta do Infantado’s LBVs are vintage ports that remain in barrel for four to six years before being bottled unfiltered. They are best consumed within 5-6 years after bottling. They show more savory qualities than a “normal” vintage port. This intense at first glance, with ripe blueberry and blackberry fruit and warm spices in the nose. There is plenty more of that blackberry on the palate, accented with cocoa nib and gentian root for complexity. There is remarkable acidity, in a way that I am often unaccustomed to in port. It is focused rather than cloying or sticky and quite light on its feet. These excellent values should be decanted before drinking.

Quinta do Infantado 2011 Porto Colheita Tawny (Arrives 4/6)

(Arrives 4/6) Old-vine field blend of over twenty varieties, made in the best vintages rather than from a blend of vintages. The Infantado Colheita is always a superb wine, a bit more distinctive and rich than the regular 10-year.  It comes from exclusively Class A parcels (Vale de Moinhos and Castelos) totaling 3.5 hectares on poor schist soils. The fruit is hand-harvested, partly destemmed and fermented exclusively in lagar; fermentation is stopped with seventy-seven-degree wine brandy. The wine was aged for ten years in a combination of very old tonel or balseiro (tall wooden tanks from 3,000-60,000 liters with thick staves that slow down oxidation) and the classic Port pipa (550-liter horizontal casks with thinner staves that promote oxidation). The 2011 is a gorgeous wine with a lovely fairly dark tawny color . The aromas are pure and elegant with dried red currant and raisin, rose petal, blood orange peel, clove. The palate is silky and supple with very pure focused flavors of dried fruits, earth, citrus and brown spice that continue in the very long finish which is sustained by firm acidity. This is a simply outstanding Colheita that will pair with fruit deserts and full-flavored cheeses and is a delight to sip by itself. This happily avoids the excess sweetness and brandy notes of Colheitas from the more commercial houses. Highly recommended and a bargain at the price!  David Lillie

Infantado 2015 Douro Tinto Organic

 Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional are the predominant varieties in this certified-organic, 2-hectare vineyard called Pousado planted by the estate in 1998. Like all Infantado vineyards, this one is ranked "Class A ", the highest classification in the Douro. The wine is made just like its other dry red blend: the bunches are hand-harvested, mainly destemmed and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in stainless steel lagares with robotic treaders built to mimic the gentleness of the old tradition of foot treading. The wine is aged for 18 months in 300-liter French oak barrels (little to none of it being new) and bottled without fining or filtration. Sensational value!

Guillemot-Michel 2020 Viré-Clessé Quintaine

(Arrival Wed 11/9) Quintaine is Guillemot-Michel's flagship wine and the 2020 is truly lovely. There is a touch of reduction that lends complexity rather than hiding character. On the nose and palate, the wine shows pear and apricot fruit and a touch of orange blossom. The wine has terrific energy and length, with an intensely stony finish and plenty of dry extract. For a wine at this price, the potential for mid-term cellar aging here is tremendous. An outstanding value and not to be missed. Sam Ehrlich

Guillemot-Michel 2019 Viré-Clessé Retour a la Terre

(Arrival Wed 11/9) Created in 2017, this cuvee is issued from grapes in the "Champ-Rond" vineyard, vinified in amphora of 800 liters. The 65 year-old vines are grafted on "Riparia Gloire de Montpellier" an old root-stock obtained in 1880, giving very low yields with magnificent small grapes, of a deep gold color. The Retour a la Terre presents the exotic notes typical of the domaine with an extra dimension of expression due to the respiration of the amphora. The small grapes of "Champ-Rond" ripen beautifully without a high degree of alcohol -  they are picked on the last day of the harvest, and the elevage in amphora gives the wine a great purity.  The wine shows elegant floral, white fruit, apricot, lemon and stone aromas. The palate is round, dense and silky with fabulous length. This is a superb white Burgundy that is delicious now and will cellar beatifully for fifteen to twenty years. Highly recommended!

Guillemot-Michel 2020 Viré-Clessé Charleston

(Arrival Wed 11/9)  Charleston is the most recent addition to the Guillemot-Michel range. Sourced from a single parcel of vines planted in 1922 in blue marl soils and aged in 600L barrels. There is more stone fruit here, accented with little hints of Meyer lemon and tangerine. The texture here is beguiling, with more roundness but also more density of material. There is terrific salinity here in the finish and lots of structure. If you like Chassagne (and who doesn't) you should seriously consider this wine for your cellar. Outstanding. Sam Ehrlich

Guillemot-Michel 2015 Viré-Clessé Quintaine

 This is a cellar release this year. Picked in two passes on August 30th and then September 18th, to produce a wine that shows richness and freshness in equal measure. The primary fruit here has begun to develop into something a little earthier and more complex, toasted almond and hazelnuts and salty notes muscling in alongside apricot and yellow apple. Incredible acidity here for such a hot vintage. This has so much life in it, no doubt in part to four decades of dedication to organic and biodynamic farming. Sam Ehrlich

Guillemot-Michel 2019 Viré-Clessé Une Bulle

(Arrival Wed 11/9) The Guillemot-Michel "Une Bulle" comes from a tiny parcel of old vines on limestone with red clay, high in iron. The wine is a Pet-Nat (Methode Ancestrale) that is bottled after a short period of fermentation, leaving enough sugar in the wine for the fermentation to continue and create the desired bubbles. The wine is aged in bottle on the lees for around 18 months, then riddled and disgorged and re-bottled with a bit more "Une Bulle."  The result is a very delicious aged Pet-Nat showing honeyed aromas of pear and white peach with hints of almond, marzipan and brioche. On the palate the mousse is soft and creamy with flavors of peach and quince  with lime-flower and minerals and a long finish of white fruits, citrus peel and firm acidity. This is a delightful wine to sip by itself or pair with mild cheeses, patés and terrines, fruit desserts..  David Lillie