Articles

9/20/20 - The arrival of a new vintage of wines from Envínate is always exciting. Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez are making fascinating wines from vineyards across Spain. Today, we are pleased to offer the first round of their 2019 wines from the island of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, and the 2019 release of Albahra, from vines...

9/18/20 - We first tasted the lovely Saint-Josephs of Jean-Pierre Monier at the Grenier Saint-Jean in Angers in 2009. We were so impressed with the wines (and with the gracious Monsieur Monier) that we immediately made an appointment to visit him at his "garagiste" winery in Brunieux, in the hills above Saint-Desirat. Like many Saint-Josephs from the northern zone, the wines here emphasize beautiful...

9/16/20 - I have a tendency to bemoan the steady rise in the price of Burgundy (to the point where the occasional friend or colleague has asked me to get over it). But it has had some positive effects. The most notable is that there are fewer BAD wines than ever before. Growers today are serious about wines being correct - without obvious flaws...

9/13/20 - No need of course to present one of the most iconic estates not only of the Loire Valley, but also in the world. For a century - as Victor & Gaston Huet bottled some 1919 Haut-Lieu after buying the property in 1928 with its stock - Domaine Huet has been producing some superb Chenin of every style belonging to the pantheon of...

9/12/20 - Piedirosso has an incredible ability to deliver wines of place, with brilliant structure and a full, dynamic palate of flavors true to the grape. If you flip open the treasure that is Wine Grapes, turning to the page dedicated to Piedirosso, you'll see the authors' claim that it "can shine as a varietal" - meaning all on its own. It has some...

9/10/20 - I met Esteban Celemín in Pamplona a year ago. When the wines arrived last week I was inspired to reflect on what a strange year of delays kept these wines from the store until now. First wine tariffs, then COVID-19. They have finally arrived and I’m so excited to share them and to highlight the story behind them. This is the first...

9/4/20 - The following email is written by our dear friend Emily Campeau, who came to New York many years ago as part of the opening team at Racines NY. She is now the Wine Director of Restaurant Candide in Montreal and currently lives on the Austro-Hungarian border. Emilly will be releasing the first wines she produced with her husband under the name Wein...

8/28/20 - I remember quite vividly my excitement upon first tasting with Eric and Christine Nicolas - I think it was at the first "Dive Bouteille," perhaps in 1999? I found the wines to be totally unique, pure and crystalline and I was very happy that my friends at Louis/Dressner decided to import them. My favorite vintage of Domaine Bellivière might be 2002 -...

8/24/20 - The Clos du Tue-Boeuf in Les Montils (AOC Cheverny) is one of the most important domains of the Loire Valley, particularly for those who value organic farming and natural vinifications with zero or minimal added sulfur. Winemaking at the Clos dates back to the middle ages - the wines were enjoyed by King Francois 1er in the 16th century. The Puzelat family...

8/15/20 - The first time I tasted a wine by Claire Naudin I knew I was enjoying something special. Alice Feiring told me I had to try - she was back from a trip in Burgundy researching about Aligoté and visited her. I found a bottle of her Clou 34 2010, and indeed it was a show stopper: soft and deep, with a determined...

8/10/20 - For many years now, there has been a Chambers Street tradition of a summer trip to France to visit winemakers across the country. In the winter, there are the big "salons," full of importers, retailers, and sommeliers from around the globe. In the summer, in lieu of large, organized tastings, it's a trip full of intimate visits, tromping through vineyards and tasting...

7/14/20 - How lucky am I! After writing about Benoit Courault in my last article, I have today the great pleasure to talk to you about a very unique couple I consider at the very top of the game, this time in Amboise and Montlouis-sur-Loire in the eastern part of Touraine: Coralie et Damien Delecheneau of La Grange Tiphaine. As with Ben, I have...

7/9/20 - Monte Bernardi's Rosato 2018 has been one of my favorite bottles this year. Substantial in texture, full of red fruits, citrus, and herbs. It's drinking beautifully now, but has many years to develop deep and savory complexity. The producer recommends laying the wine down for a minimum of 5 years. Rosé with this type of aging potential offers a mostly unexplored frontier...

7/8/20 - Growing up in a Loire Valley-centric household, I wasn't exposed to much Austrian wine, just a lot of Muscadet and Chinon. Well into my tenure at the family shop, I was aware of tall bottles of Gruner Veltliner that I packed into orders during my "stock years," and of course the occasional Wachau Riesling, but my inexperience with the wines of Austria...

7/4/20 - A conversation with Piero Incisa della Rocchetta the winemaker and founder of Chacra is a philosophical and spiritual experience, much like the wines themselves. The grandson of Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, creator of Sassacaia, Piero felt that the confines of history and tradition would not allow him to create the wine he really wanted, so he picked up and moved to...