Articles

3/11/20 - I visited Oriol Artigas on August 31st, 2019, a hot and humid day in the middle of the harvest. The day before, the 30th, had been truly brutal: temperatures were around 32 degrees celsius in Alella, but the next day was set to be cooler, and picking would continue (in fact, he and his team went on to pick the La Bella...

3/7/20 - As our friend John Livingstone-Learmonth says in Drink Rhone about the somewhat difficult conditions in this vintage: "The top domaines have still turned out wines of abiding interest, structure and longevity, so 2017 will, in places, be a noble, impressive vintage."  This small offering includes some our favorite estates which turned out excellent wines in 2017. In Cornas, for example, nothing may...

3/6/20 - Goyo Garcia Viadero's wines were a revelation for me: deeply true to the soils, climate and tradition of Ribera del Duero, but elevated, complex and drinkable. Natural wines, for sure, farmed organically and vinified without additives but simultaneously approachable and classic in character. In particular, the single vineyard Peruco stands out as one of my favorite wines that I tasted this year,...

3/3/20 - As much as essense of Burgundy is terroir expression (location, location, location!), a countering and not nearly as prevalent narrative is grower over vintage (and sometimes vineyard). With a grape as sensitive to site and farming decisions as Pinot Noir, this is especially salient. And as articulately as the soil speaks through what's in the glass, the vigneron is the steward who...

2/25/20 - Under the leadership of established winegrower Alain Moueix (who is also in charge of Château Fonroque), Château Mazeyres has been practicing biodynamic since 2012, certified in 2018. The estate’s website explains their three different vineyard plots, consisting of varying degrees of clay, with some soils also including sand and gravel. The vineyards are mostly planted to Merlot, with the balance being Cabernet...

2/21/20 - As the city begins to thaw and we prepare for spring, we find ourselves craving wines from the Jura: spicy and mineral-driven Chardonnays, complex and mind-bending Savagnin expressions, and fresh reds from Pinot Noir, Trousseau, and Poulsard to enjoy during this seasonal limbo. We've stocked up on our favorite bottles from some of the most dynamic producers from the region, and are...

2/17/20 - There's an exciting new generation of winemakers and vine-growers in California! These winemakers have worked all over the world gathering inspiration, and are both rooted in an "Old World" sensibility and unafraid of experimentation. They firmly believe that each California vineyard or appellation has something unique to say, just as do vineyards across France or Italy. Together their efforts are swinging the...

2/10/20 - For Giovanni Ferlito, Aurelio Marconi, and Gianluca Strano, specificity of place and vintage character are first priorities. At Mount Etna's Azienda Agricole Monterosso, the 2018 harvest was difficult, "with [a] hot summer and lots of rain towards the end," Ferlito explained in an email. "We had to pick in different times to achieve balance." Some of the team's red wines, which have...

2/1/20 - We are excited to offer the very first vintage of the exquisite Colares Malvasia from Casal do Ramilo. This is one of my favorite wines from Portugal; wonderfully expressive through a combination of maritime weather, sandy soils, and masterful winemaking.Colares wines are always special it seems. Coming from the DOC level subregion within the larger Lisboa appellation, Colares vines are the most...

1/20/20 - I have never been. I imagine Puglia as a wild and rustic landscape, dry and dusty, where hearty folk live in stone houses with conical roofs and the limestone cliffs fall dramatically into the Adriatic Sea. A hot climate, where the sun beats down and scorches the red earth, and everything that grows must be rugged and steadfast. At least that's the...

1/7/20 - Whenever I begin speaking about Alsace, I never fail to mention that the region sees over 300 days of sunshine a year. This helps to explain why Alsatians are so friendly and also why the area is so well-suited for making natural wines. Organic and Biodynamic farming is relatively easy in this unique valley, protected by the Vosges Mountains to the west...

12/18/19 - I love December in the wine shop – it’s extra busy, and it’s a lot of fun. But there’s a shadow hanging over this holiday season for all wine lovers: the very good possibility that our government will apply tariffs to wine from all EU countries, simultaneously increasing the existing tariffs (currently imposed on French, Spanish, and German wine) to 100% of...

12/7/19 - If you’re familiar with Clos du Jaugueyron, you know that winegrower Michel Théron focuses on a style of Bordeaux that is deliciously fresh. He intentionally makes wines that can be enjoyed young. But on the same note, all the Jaugueyron wines that I’ve tasted display a healthy flavor and structure that would surely allow for long cellaring and development.Théron arrived in Bordeaux...

12/2/19 - Nacho Gonzalez makes wines that I struggle to compare to any others. They are certainly, by any definition, natural wines: in the vineyard, he works organically and incorporates some biodynamic practices, and in the cellar he uses no additives. Equally, they are certainly artisanal: Nacho produces a truly tiny amount of wine, from small vineyards of very old vines, many of which...

11/8/19 - I'm not a fan of barrel-aged spirits in general, and maybe I'll never understand the appeal. I just don't draw the sensation of complexity from that side of the spectrum. I find a spirit far more complex and compelling when you have a base material that holds the age. (Think old vines vs new.) I'm far more interested in the agave plant...