Articles

3/9/23 - Tomorrow (now today!) we will be hosting an impromptu wine tasting with our good friend and esteemed author, Wink Lorch! For anyone who shares our passion for Jura and Savoie wines, Wink's is a household name, as her books remain THE reference for the histories and biographies of the region's best estates. We are big fans and are very happy to host...

2/28/23 - It's Coutelou time! Jean-Francois "Jeff" Coutelou has been producing some of the most delicious and vibrant natural wines coming from the Languedoc and we couldn't be happier about the 2021 wines that have just arrived in New York. The estate has been in the family for four generations, organic since 1987, and selling to the local co-op until 1996, when the Mas...

1/27/23 - Berri is the green area on the left; Rocche dell'Annuziata and Toriglione are at the top right. Fruit from all 3 vineyards was used to make the fabulous 2018 Barolo del Commune di La Morra. The following won’t come as a big surprise since I haven’t exactly hidden my deep enthusiasm for Trediberri. Over the past few years every tasting of Trediberri...

1/25/23 - I was reading the fabulous profile of Ulli Stein on the Vom Boden website, and was concerned by the idea that the Mosel was in crisis as a wine region, with many of the vines (and the more than 2000 years of tradition) disappearing as estates close and winemaking families desert the incredibly steep and difficult-to-farm vineyards on the slopes. But surely,...

1/24/23 - While doing some Rhône Valley homework last week we noticed an interesting change in the 2020 Clusel-Roch Vin de France "Serine" - formerly from purchased and estate CDR fruit, the 2020 was made entirely with young vines of Serine, massale selection from their Cote-Rotie vines, in a very interesting vineyard named "Le Plomb" which is approximately on the back, more western facing...

1/23/23 - Though it's always a wonderful moment when we receive new wines from La Perdida - an estate run by the passionate and humble Nacho Gonzalez in Galicia, Spain - this particular moment is worthy of word 'perfect,' as we are able to offer several wines from the 2021 vintage as well as his never-before-released parcel wines from 2019 and 2020! What could only be called...

1/17/23 -   Since the 2005 vintage we have been happily offering the delicious Burgundies of Vincent Rapet, now joined by his son Robin. Based in Pernand-Vergelesses, Rapet Pere et Fils produces wines in Pernand-Vergelesses, Savigny-les-Beaune, Corton and Chorey-les-Beaune. While the grand crus here are superb - a 1985 Corton tasted in 2011 was in perfect condition, a gloriously complex and profound wine in...

1/9/23 - Evan Lewandowski (www.zrswines.com) We are very happy to have some new wines from Ruth Lewandowski, made by our longtime friend and advocate for organic, low-intervention winemaking, Evan Lewandowski. Evan works with fruit from a number of vineyards across Mendocino County, one of California's northernmost winegrowing regions known for its diverse microclimates and high percentage of organically grown grapes. His wines always exhibit...

12/1/22 - We interrupt our regular scheduled programming for a Chablis alert. The 2020 vintage is here from the estimable Romain and Damien Bouchard at Domaine de l'Enclos. We always look forward to the arrival of these wines, which have rapidly become some of the most exciting in the appellation. Based on what we have tasted so far, we think you will look forward...

11/7/22 - I remember exactly where I was when I tasted a Kelley Fox wine for the first time. It was more or less exactly ten years ago and I was hunched over my laptop, trying in vain to catch up on administrative duties between lunch and dinner services, when my friend Owen (at the time an excellent wine rep since relocated to Seattle)...

10/30/22 - Last year when we tasted our first wine from Passofonduta (the 2020 white wine called “Solfare”) we were knocked out. There was a tiny amount of wine available (and we drank more than a bottle at home), so it mostly passed unnoticed, except for a few lucky customers who were also knocked out. Now the wine is back, along with two stunning...

10/29/22 - Five generations at Domaine Perrin Domaine Céline Perrin, Ladoix We're always looking for estates in Burgundy that practice organic farming, so we were very happy to find Domaine Céline Perrin in Ladoix which converted to organic agriculture in 2003 and received Ecocert certification in 2008. Céline Perrin took over the estate from her father Christian in 2015 and is the fifth generation...

10/22/22 - From the Nahe, it' the 2021 GGs  from Emrich-Schönleber: Frühlingsplätzchen and Halenberg. To make up for the glaring paucity (just a case of each), I am including his Riesling Mineral. A blend of younger vines from both of the Grand Cru sites, this represents maybe the greatest value at the estate - 80% of the Grand Cru wine for 50% the price....

10/6/22 -  I spent rather a while trying to think up something funny and smartalecky with which to start this offer. I found myself simply staring at the screen for the better part of forty minutes, after which I told myself to simply talk about the wines and hope that my enthusiasm proves a sufficient draw. Because make no mistake - I am a...

9/9/22 - Castle ruins amidst the Schlossberg vineyards high above the Rhine river   This new series will be examining one of German'ys most heralded wine regions that had fallen into ill repute due to erratic wine quality due in part to new wine laws favoring quantity over quality. Then, many of the great aristocratic estates that built the Rheingau’s reputation from the late...