Articles

3/1/17 - It's no secret that we at Chambers Street Wines are big fans of the Loire Valley and the astounding range of expression its varied terroir gives Chenin Blanc. Within the lower Loire where Chenin is king, geology varies more than climate: granites, schists, quartzites, sandstones and  ancient, weathered limestones alternate along the valleys and divides of its eleven principal appellations. The chalk hills of the Paris Basin that...

2/27/17 - With each new year, we bid adieu to winemakers who have decided to retire, with hopes that their legacies will be carried on, either by daughters and sons, or by talented apprentices and stagiaires who have absorbed the know-how and philosophy of their predecesors, and are comitted to continuing in a like-minded fashion. Sometimes we're lucky and the transition is seamless. Other times,...

2/23/17 - We are excited to have visitors from Boca: Anna Sertorio and Andrea Marzo, owners of the organic vineyard called Ai Valloni. After the war, Ai Valloni was one of just a few producers who held on as the land under vine in Boca (and throughout Alto Piemonte) shrunk dramatically, the result of a combination of flight to the city, and a declining...

2/22/17 - We were lucky enough to meet and taste with Jean-Charles Maire at Domaine du Pont de Breux in the Spring of 2013 and we are sad to present the last wines produced at the estate before his death in 2015. From the estate description by Jean-Charles: "The domaine was created in 1992, situated in the communes of Marnoz and Salins-les Bains. It...

2/20/17- My wife and I love Venice, and we keep going back. Some people understand, and others think we’re crazy because Venice is so thoroughly overrun with tourists that it can be really trying. But if you pick the right time of year (ie, NOT in summer!),and if you relax because you know it’s always going to be crowded at certain spots, then it...

2/19/17 - More than a decade ago, Chris Cottrell and Morgan Twain-Peterson became friends while working for the same wine store in NYC. When Morgan moved back to California and eventually started Bedrock Wine Company in 2007, Chris remained on the front lines of NYC wine retail. Morgan became well-renowned at Bedrock for producing expressive Zinfandels from old-vine heritage vineyards throughout California, while Chris...

2/8/17 - That’s “vooltooray," in Italian. It’s not a bird, it’s a very large mountain – an extinct volcano, in fact. As you may recall, volcanoes make for very good farming because of the fertile soils produced by past eruptions. Some of the best agricultural land is actually not adjacent to Monte Vulture, but 10-15 miles to the east, where there are excellent grape...

2/3/17 - Wolfer Goldgrube vineyard stood in the background, lush and green, warm with the late-afternoon sun; the lines of the single-post vines were occasionally interrupted by the forest cascading down from the crest of the mountain. Daniel Vollenweider explained that areas where the forest was encroaching were plots that had been long-abandoned, and if you looked closely, you could see wooden stakes still poking out...

2/1/17 - We've never hesitated to shout our praises of Kelley Fox's wines. Kelley works biodynamically in her parcels at Maresh Vineyard, a historic source for Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley's Dundee Hills AVA. The rest of her fruit comes from the certified biodynamic Momtazi Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA. Last summer, I met up with Kelley outside the house of the family...

1/26/17 - Travelling to Oregon last summer, I was deeply impressed by husband-and-wife team Scott & Dana Frank of Bow & Arrow, an urban winery producing wines from Loire Valley varietals in downtown Portland. Both Scott and Dana have worked multiple roles throughout the wine industry: Scott previously worked as a wine retail buyer as well as an assistant winemaker at Cameron Winery in...

1/18/17 - A common trajectory among US winemakers is to attend college somewhere, fall in love with the area's wine, travel the world to gain winemaking experience, and return to make wine in the area where their vinous passions were initially kindled. Evan Lewandowski’s story is no different, but setting up shop in Utah (a state more associated with restrictive alcohol policies than wine)...

Our first shipment of 2024 from Julien Guillot at the Clos des Vignes du Maynes has just arrived, featuring tiny quantities of the outstanding 2022 "Cuvée Auguste" and "Manganite." New this year! The 2020 Macon-Villages "Maxcération" - 13 days maceration of Chardonnay, 22 months aging in foudre, "the presence of beard hair does not alter its quality in any way." 2022 Macon-Cruzille "Au Quin...

12/19/16 - We are very proud to feature a new selection of the extraordinary Champagnes of André Beaufort! Primarily available at natural wine shops in France, Italy and Japan (and on the wine list at Noma), we are happy to bring 12 exceptional examples to New York, all of which show the intense "vinosity" and complexity found in the Beaufort Champagnes - products of...

12/14/16 - RuBor Viticultores is a winegrowing partnership between Rubén Díaz and Orly Lumbreras, born of friendship and a shared passion for the vineyards of the Sierra de Gredos, a range of massive mountains just west of Madrid, where perfectly adapted old vines of Garnacha grow on granite and schist slopes (alongside tiny amounts of white grapes Albillo Real and Chasselas). A new generation...

12/7/16 - (A Myriad of Barrels at Bedrock Wine Co. - Photo: Ariana Rolich, February 2016) Since Zinfandel's heyday in the mid-to-late 90s, the rich, bold, and hedonistic flavors have been dialed back; elegance, restraint, and balance have come to the forefront as a result of producers' focus on old-vine sites and better farming practices. This e-mail focuses on several Zinfandels we recommend for...