Articles

12/7/18 - People think of Muscadet as a refreshing summer wine, and yes, it was 24 degrees in New York this morning, but if you're having fish or shellfish for dinner, or enjoying some goat cheese, then it's time for Muscadet! We're very happy to feature superb new arrivals from the 2015 vintage, from our friends Jo Landron; Gwenaëlle, Rémi and Marc at Domaine...

12/5/18 - At the northernmost reaches of the Pfalz (Germany's second largest winemaking region), the vineyards look akin to the vineyards of their neighbor to the north, the Rheinhessen, with long stretches of rolling hillside terrain. The soils here range from limestone to sand and gravel to loam and loess, and the hills give the opportunity for various cooler microclimates to be found. In the tiny town of Bockenheim,...

11/30/18 - Now I've certainly gone on at length about my love for the truly transcendant 2016 red Burgundies, but I'd be remiss were I not to recommend the brilliant whites from the vintage. In what could be considered one of the most difficult growing seasons in memory in Burgundy (devastating frost, followed by two months of rain and mildew pressure), has arisen what...

11/27/18 - A few weeks ago, we stepped back and looked at our Mencia offerings, and figured the lineup was worth emailing about, as there are quite a few Mencia fans among our ranks and amongst our local clientele as well. We figured some of our readers may share our enthusiasm! Mencia is found in Galicia, and most historians speculate that it came from...

11/18/18 - Our dear friend, and neighbor at Racines NY, Pascaline Lepeltier, MS, has just achieved an historic double triumph, first winning the prestigious 2018 Meilleure Ouvrière de France (Sommellerie) title in October and then, last Sunday, winning the crown of Meilleure Sommelière de France!t The first woman to ever win these two competitions, Ms. Lepeltier is now a Managing Partner at Racines, working...

11/8/18 - In many ways the Corsican wine region has been long misunderstood. To outsiders, it may seem that the French island has an identity crisis -- not quite French, not quite Italian --  but Corsicans have always had a strong sense of who they are. And as we get to meet more of the winemakers and discover more of the wines from that region,...

11/2/18 - At a certain point, when one reflects on all the wines they have been fortunate enough to taste, certain growers stand out for their ability to capture the character and quality of every vintage. Yet the best of these vignerons also offer their own signature to the wines much like a painter's signature is reflected by their brushstroke. Over time we await...

10/31/18 - Today we are excited to bring you the whole lineup from Chile's foremost biodynamic winemaker, Alvaro Espinoza of Antiyal. Alvaro and his wife Marina founded Antiyal in 1996 to teach their children about the cycles of the earth and farming. "Antiyal" is a Mapuche word that means "sons of the sun," in honor of Alvaro's use of the cosmos in his biodynamic...

10/5/18 - For the past few years I've been hearing bartender friends and other industry professionals posit the theory that rum will be the next craft spirit to explode in popularity and demand. And while I am hugely enthusiastic abut the category in general, the reality didn't seem likely to match up with all of our hopes. Until this year, that is. The introduction...

10/3/18 - We are pleased to offer a small collection of special releases from Clemens Busch, friend of Chambers Street and German biodynamic winemaker extraordinaire! Clemens, Rita, and their son Johannes currently work 16 hectares in the Mosel valley, based in the town of Pünderich, at the border of the Mittel- and Terrassenmosel. In a region where it is not common practice, Clemens has been Organic since 1984 (stopped using herbicides in the Seventies),...

10/2/18 - Today's email takes us to the rugged mountainsides of eastern France and three estates who are working beautifully in the vines and in the cellar, creating vibrant, distinctive wines featuring local varieties such as Roussette, Verdesse, Persan, Etraire de la Dhuy and Mondeuse. We're extremely happy to have a new shipment from Thomas Finot, a young winemaker who, after experience in different...

9/26/18 - We are very excited to announce the arrival of three new natural wines from Terraquilia: two sparkling red Lambruschi and a delicious sparkling white. Terraquilia is a small estate located in the hills of Guigila, south of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northeast Italy, and sits at an elevation of 450 meters. Romano Mattioli is the owner and winemaker, and since...

9/25/18 - The drive up to the Mezcal Tosba palenque in San Cristobal Lachirioag is one of the most breathtaking I've ever done. Though only about 160 km from Oaxaca City, it takes between five and six hours (in the case of our little beat-up Ford Fiesta it was definately the latter) to traverse the high mountain passes and deep valleys of the Sierra...

9/24/18 - One of our geatest tastings in France last winter was with Stephanie Caslot of Domaine de la Chevalerie in Bourgueil, which included the 2014 and 2015 vintages of each cuvee from this oustanding Biodynamic estate. The 2015s were lovely wines with ripe, complex fruit in a full and failry soft style - they will be delicious when young and for medium-term cellaring....

9/22/18 - A friend who is keen to learn more about Barolo and Barbaresco has asked if we could put together some daytime tastings to illuminate some of the details of the wines. This should be useful and fascinating even for a Nebbiolo nut like myself, as it’s always a challenge to try to focus the subject; assembling a tasting is an exercise in...