Articles

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...

7/2/20 - When asked the question - “which bottles would you take to a desert island?” - you can be sure I would pick a Chenin from Benoît Courault. His wines are among some of my absolute favorites. Whether it be the old-vines and single-vineyard bottlings or the springtime cuvées, it is a true pleasure to open one of his wines. In the spirit...

6/24/20 - Les Foulards Rouges is a long-standing favorite of Chambers Street Wines for a good reason: Jean-François Nicq is producing some of the best, most drinkable and consistent natural wines in France. I have not had the chance to visit the estate yet, but I love the region and really enjoy his work, so every year it is pleasure to see the wines...

6/16/20 - It is always a treat to be able to introduce wine lovers to a new, real talent! Champagne has seen over the years a certain amount of fantastic grower-vignerons moving from selling grapes to making their own Champagnes, for our great delight. So today let us introduce you to Emilien Feneuil whose first vintage is nothing short of impressive and soulful!Emilien Feneuil...

6/1/20 - La Senda means The Path. This has a lot of resonance in Bierzo, located along the Camino de Santiago, one of the most important paths of Christian pilgrimage in the world. The "Way of Saint James" (or, perhaps, the Ways of Saint James - there's more than one path...) deeply impacted the historical development of Northwest Spain, especially from Pamplona to Santiago...

5/28/20 - The Finger Lakes will always have a special place in my heart as a wine-making region. Perhaps because I have lived my whole life in New York (and I'm sure you know, New Yorkers have a lot of pride), and perhaps because my first venture into wine and fine dining was at The NoMad with Thomas Pastuszak where his passion for the...