Articles

9/29/15 - There’s something about an underdog. That is to say, some of us find ourselves rooting for the unlikeliest of heroes. In wine as much as we love the nobility of benchmark wines and appellations, we also find ourselves drawn to the charms of so-called lesser grapes. In Burgundy we find this especially true: while we are enamored by the class of Vosne-Romanée or...

 9/26/15 - (Pont de Breux, near Salins-les-Bains) Given the scarcity and popularity of the best wines from the Jura, we're very happy to offer new arrivals and returning favorites from some of the regions best producers. And we are very excited to be collaborating with our friends down the street at Racines NY where they will pour a special selection of Jura wines by-the-glass...

9/25/15 - Let us probe the silent places, let us seek what luck betide us;    Let us journey to a lovely land I know.There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us,    And the vines are calling, calling . . . let us go.  – in admiration of Robert Service In 2001, Jochen Dreissigacker heard the whisper from...

9/24/15 - We are happy to announce a series of wine dinners at Maialino. We’ve had quite a few very successful dinners in their private room, which is a peaceful and relaxed place to spend the evening. Add fantastic food, great service, and fine old Italian wine… I’m hungry already.   ​ Monday, October 12th, 2015 at 7 pm:  A Dinner of Old Nebbiolo,...

9/23/15 - (A thrilling array of Spanish wines under $20 are arriving as we restock for fall, all of which vastly exceed their price point in elegance, interest, and downright deliciousness.) People often ask us how we decide which wines to stock in the store. Organic farming, biodynamic methods, unique terroirs and growers, and natural winemaking with no additives are the qualities that dominate our list...

9/21/15 - Sangiovese is one of Italy’s most abundant red grape varieties, but it’s not the easiest to work with from a viticultural or enological perspective. At Villa Venti, Davide and Mauro seem to have found the magic formula. Nestled in a lush valley in Emilia-Romagna, south east of Bologna, Villa Venti is situated on steep hills near the town of Roncofreddo. The brothers-in-law...

9/19/15 - When it comes to wine nomenclature and taxonomy, the Germans have a gift of nearly Linnaen proportions. And while each Prädikat level has a legal definition, each also suggests a certain style or use. And while must weights and harvest time determine the category of wine, the expected style or use of the wine can be a bit murky. One such designation,...

9/17/15 - We’re delighted to show single-parcel, 2014 wines from Peter Lauer. These wines are some of the most exciting dry to off-dry Rieslings being grown in Germany’s Saar valley. First on deck is the always dry and zippy, Fass 2 Extra Trocken, sourced from south and south-west facing Riesling vines in Neuenberg portion of the Ayler Kupp hillside (pictured above). Named after and...

9/15/15 - Kind of dreamy, the life that Chiara and Michele have put in place, moving to their own home in the countryside in Piedmont after working for some big companies, a lovely place to raise their kids, to live peacefully in an unspoiled spot, to realize their desire to make their own wine.  Perhaps this is where the needle gets dragged across the...

 9/13/15 -   Pascal Agrapart is doing next-level work in his 9.75 hectares of vineyards, spread across 62 parcels in the grand cru Champagne villages of Avize, Cramant, Oiry, and Oger. The wines and the cult status speak for themselves, but it’s worth taking the time to make the connections between his philosophy, his vineyards, and his wines. Unlike so many of his neighbors,...

 9/8/15 - (A happy group at Burlotto, with maestro Fabio Alessandria at the head of the table.) Despite the commercial temptation to which a merchant might be subject, not every vintage can be our favorite. 2011 in Piedmont is not an easy year for us due to the heat of the season, which resulted in many full-bodied, even over-blown wines, with quite high alcohol...

 9/3/15 - (Preparing the kitchen garden, next to the vines at Pranzegg.) For a long time we’ve been tasting Lagrein and Schiava, the two key reds of the Alto Adige, just to see, in a fairly idle manner, if we could find any that we thought were as good as Nusserhof’s. Some are certainly good wines, but none have shown anything like the purity...

9/1/15 - (Photos by Isaac Rosenthal (www.ikesight.com)) Stéphane Guion, whose family has been farming organically since 1965, makes some of the most terroir-expressive and ageworthy wines in Bourgueil, and at prices that make the wines easily affordable to all! The 2014 vintage, which was looking disastrous as of mid-summer that year, has turned out to be excellent in the Loire Valley thanks to great...

8/29/15 - (All photos (except of Pierre-O Bonhomme) by Isaac Rosenthal (www.ikesight.com)) For decades now, the Loire Valley has been a hotbed of unconventional wine practices, with a history of winemakers turning away from the heavily prescribed use of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers in favor of organic and biodynamic treatments, compost, cover crops, biodiversity in the vineyards, and healthy living soils. Attempts to...

8/27/15 -   (Quentin in a newly acquired parcel.) Show me a fanatic and I’ll show you a success. Truer words could not be said about Quentin Bourse – the “Idiot Angel” of Azay-Le-Rideau. While this is the rough translation of the name of his label, Le Sot de L’Ange, he is a far cry from anything remotely resembling an idiot. Before taking over...