Articles

10/20/20 - It almost sounds like a nerdy wine joke: two Germans walk into an oenology school in Burgundy and after striking up a friendship decide to make the best Pinots in Baden. Except, this did happen. The pair met in school and after working in vines and cellars of the top domains in Burgundy including Comte Armand, Leflaive, Pierre Morey, and De Montille,...

10/19/20 - I was thrilled when samples of the 2016 Bramaterra and Lessona arrived from Colombera & Garella of Alto Piemonte. Having recently opened them, I can say that the excitement was warranted. The wines are fantastic, and if you haven't had the chance to taste either in past vintages, these '16s are going to be great to cut your teeth on. Via our...

10/16/20 - We're happy to offer the very elegant, natural and terroir-expressive wines of Franck Balthazar in Cornas from this excellent vintage in the Northern Rhône. Balthazar is one of a small group of producers in Cornas practicing organic farming, whole-cluster fermentations and aging in used barrels, incuding growers such as Thierry Allemand and Domaine Lionnet along with Jean and Pierre Gonon, six or...

10/14/20 - Though it’s a bit of a truism at this point, for a region dominated by big houses and co-operatives, the grower revolution in Champagne over the last 20-30 years is still remarkable as the new generation(s) continue to improve and refine viticulture, explore individual terroirs, and expand on the possibilities of the wines. The forebear of this is certainly Anselme Selosse, whose...

10/11/20 - We talk a lot about organic and biodynamic agriculture on this web site. These are practices we believe in, and not just because they are less damaging to the earth and to our bodies. Growing wine is about communicating the personality of a particular place. Conventional farming does not silence a vineyard but it can certaintly muffle its voice. (Think about speaking...

10/9/20 - When I tasted the 2017 vintage of Masseria del Pino's I Nove Fratelli Etna Rosso, I didn't overthink it. At least not at first. I popped the bottle open and I poured myself a glass. From the get-go, I knew I'd enjoy it. There was such defined fruit on the nose - fresh cherry, pomegranate, and candied raspberry so articulated that they...

10/5/20 - The TerraQuilia 2018 Lambrusco dell'Emilia Falconero Zero is a stunning bottle of sparkling wine. While showing exceptional freshness, it mixes slightly bitter essences of rustic herbs and spices with the softer flavors and aromas of dried red and blue fruits. The bubbles seem to crackle in the glass when first poured, producing a zippy mouthfeel that pricks at the tongue, and eccentuates...

10/2/20 - In the last few weeks we've had some great wines from the Loire Valley coming in, including recent shipments from Domaine du Fresche in Anjou, and the dynamic duo Claire and Florent Bejon, from further east of Angers, near Chinon.Fresche is one of those quintessential Chambers Street estates: longtime organic farming (in this case 20 years), hand harvested fruit, native yeast fermentation,...

9/28/20 - They are back! The wines of Philippe Tessier have been favorites of the team at CSW for quite some time now. This should come as no surprise to those familiar with Philippe’s work as his wines are undoubtedly among the greatest low intervention wines you can find in this part of the Loire. These wines are sincere in execution and consistently exceed...

9/24/20 - Claudio Fenocchio took over from his father Giacomo in 1989 – probably the moment of greatest pressure to follow the ‘modern’ winemaking path of short fermentations and aging in new barriques. In fact, it’s difficult now to understand how much pressure was exerted – from peers and neighbors, old and young, from the press, importers, customers, and that mysterious thing called “the...

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...