Articles

11/3/21 - Though a mere eleven minutes apart by car according to Google Maps, two new Austrian wines illustrate the difference terroir makes in such a short distance. The Wachau is known for Austria's most famous and expensive producers. It tends to produce extremely powerful, mineral expressions of Riesling and Gruner Veltliner due to the steep, urgestein terraced vineyards dropping down to the river....

10/25/21 - In honor of our new Greek selections, we look to the Ancient Olympics and Mythology for inspiration. Our 5 new wines hail from the North, the Peloponnese ( the hand ) and an island as we embark on our own Odyssey. Starting with our wines from nearby the birthplace of the Olympics, we head to the Peloponnese to the land called Arcadia....

10/23/21 - "In a year when the domaine has made a wonderful CHÂTEAUNEUF BLANC, it was sad to hear of the passing in September, 2020 of PIERRE ANDRÉ, at the ripe old age of 90 or so. His daughter JACQUELINE took up his mantle with calm and steady purpose, and the domaine at COURTHÉZON has continued to make classic, traditional virtues CHÂTEAUNEUF in the...

10/19/21 - Alain Coudert's "Clos de la Roilette" Fleurie and Fleurie "Cuvée Tardive" have been great favorites of ours since the late 1980's when we purchased from Alain's jovial father Fernand. 2020 was a somewhat difficult vintage with dry, hot conditions and a very early harvest, but fortunately some rain late in the season helped the grapes mature normally even if yields were very...

10/12/21 - There are few more satisfying wines than a bottle of California Cabernet that has been well-farmed and given a chance to sit quietly until it is truly ready to drink. After all, despite its ubiquity in the world of commodity wine, great California Cabernet is special. We forget it's a variety sensitive to site and climate, which is why a Cabernet from...

10/5/21 - The Summer of 2021 will always be, in my heart, the Summer of Savoie. I can't tell you how much I learned while exploring the many different corners of the this region, along with it's Alpine neighbors, Bugey and Isère. One of the most thrilling discoveries was the aging potential of Altesse. Although I understood that the wine could generously develop for hours in the glass after opening, I didn't realize...

10/4/21 - As Fall settles in, we find ourselves hankering for Jura wines here at Chambers Street; whites with character and texture, or oxidative expressions that pair so well with root veggies and cheese plates, and lithe reds that excite on their own, and offer perfect pairing potential with harvest time meals. Luckily, we have tasted a bunch of great Jura wines from several...

9/16/21 - Over the last two weeks, we've received a treasure trove of wines from a few of our favorite Alsace producers, and it seemed like a good moment to roll them all into an email! New vintages from Jean-Pierre Rietsch are here, returning favorites from Chantal and Pierre Frick just landed, including some back-vintage wines from 2000, and a new shipment from Florian...

9/7/21 - Few estates gave all of us at CSW greater pleasure last year than the 2018s from Domaine Tripoz. Despite the intense warmth of the vintage, they made wines that felt fresh, racy and expressive, and that easily outstripped their relatively modest price. We were powerless against them and  when I finished my very last bottle of Mâcon-Loché just a few weeks ago,...

8/23/21 - In France's Haut-Savoie, a short distance from Lac Léman and a half an hour drive from Geneva's city center in neighboring Switzerland, Dominique Lucas grows many different varieties of grapes, Alpine-originals and not. There is no argument, however, that this winemaker's most sought after bottlings come from his parcels of organically and biodynamically farmed Chasselas, a grape found in France and throughout Europe, but used most seriously in the production of Swiss wines. Wine-Searcher.com...

8/20/21 - I believe the first time I met Philippe Brand was at an outdoor wine tasting under a massive circus tent, in the Ardeche, about 4 or 5 years ago. He was manning his "stand," (a used wine barrel) wearing his trademark Kangol hat, as many curious Ardechois locals and winemakers from elsewhere in France walked slowly by and stopped to peek at...

8/12/21 - On Monday, we featured the innovative Antoine Depierre, of Domaine Mayoussier, who is planting international grapes, like Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah, in the southern part of the Isère near the national park of Vercors. There couldn't be a starker contrast between Antoine and the winemaker we're featuring today, the prolific Nicolas Gonin, who is at the north of the Isère, relatively close to...

8/10/21 - There aren’t many winemakers in the Isère who sell their bottles internationally. And the most well known producers that do are focused on reviving and promoting the historically important grapes of the region, like Verdesse and Persan. However, the geographical isolation of vineyards and wineries have allowed innovative thinkers like Antoine Depierre to plant vines that aren’t thought of (or officially recognized)...

8/7/21 - “The discovery of a profound terroir, of a brilliant winery, always leaves me paralyzed yet euphoric, in the manner I imagine a spiritual revelation would affect the faithful.” - Becky Wasserman, upon meeting Patrick Charlin and tasting his Altesse from Montagnieu in Bugey. Read the whole text here, it’s definitely worthwhile. Patrick Charlin, the Altesse master of Montagnieu, in his green, green...

8/4/21 - New releases from 2018 - 2020 have just arrived from La Ferme de la Sansonnière. Of course we were not able to taste the wines in France as we normally do each winter, but the wines have been extraordinary over the past few years. Our allocation is quite a bit smaller this year, no further inventory is available. (Wines arrive Friday 8/6)...