Articles

9/9/13 - There’s a mountain in the middle of Champagne between Epernay to the south and Reims to the north. Scaling it in a snow storm in a miniature rental car on the way to the Bérèche winery is an excellent way to observe the frozen landscape that gives us these steely and focused Champagnes, and also a petrifying experience. Such a journey is...

9/4/13 - (Paolo from Madonna delle Grazie, at VinItaly.) VinItaly is a gigantic wine trade fair held every April in Verona. To call it gigantic is an understatement – you could never imagine that there were so many wine producers in Italy (there is some wine from other countries, but the fair is at least 90%+ Italian). For a couple of New Yorkers who...

8/28/13 -   From the Oxford English Dictionary: “legend n. 1a a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated; a myth. b. such stories collectively. c a popular but unfounded belief.” If there’s one grossly abused word in terms of describing wine it’s legendary, and we try to avoid it – there just can’t be that many legendary wines out there. However…...

8/23/13 - Meursault.  Puligny Montrachet.  Chassagne Montrachet.  These three villages produce some of the best Chardonnays on the Cote D'Or – at the top of the list of the finest, most age-worthy wines of France.The 2011 white Burgundies are fantastic: there is great fruit and balance and roundness coupled with minerality and lively acidity. They are not as acidic as the 2010's and they are...

8/22/13 - The thirst for rosé wine is at its seemingly unquenchable peak in late spring, when The Season’s pale pink and white wine-like rosés begin to arrive. (Only in reference to rosé do we speak about “season” as though we’re selling open-toed shoes or baseball tickets – items that are only relevant at one time of year – rather than wine. White wine,...

8/17/13 -   (Eric Laguerre's high-altitude vines) Poor timing perhaps, but we've just received some truly fascinating wines from the Languedoc/Roussillon as well as some beautiful biodynamic wines from Jurançon - one of our favorite of the lesser-known wine regions of France. The Aurisset family in Cardesse (Jurançon) converted to organic farming in the 1990s and has been certified Biodynamic since 2007. They hand...

8/12/13 - The single greatest benefit of having an ample Champagne section is being able to offer something for everyone, even within the realm of small growers making wine from their own grapes. We’ve recently received shipments from three favorites in three distinct styles. Between these growers there is, literally, something new on the shelf for every Champagne lover. Cédric Bouchard makes wines in...

8/1/13 - It's been 21 or 22 years since we first tasted with Fernand and Alain Coudert at the Clos de la Roilette. Alain may have just taken over from his father but Fernand was very much in charge at the bar. Great stories and back vintages flowed - it was a first-rate lesson in the ageability of Beaujolais - a lesson that continues...

7/31/13 - (They love owls at Weiser-Künstler. Here one holds a picture of the Ellergrub.) We keep beating the drum for this tiny Mosel estate, and we’re particularly thrilled to offer the 2012s. Given the small size of the estate and the high quality of the wines, the demand for W-K is rising to Willi Schaefer-like proportions and for good reason. Fortunately for us—and...

7/29/13 - (Marc Ollivier in the Clos des Briords) Sometimes difficult vintages can produce beautiful wines and 2012 in the Loire Valley is a case in point. These notes from Rémi Branger, Marc Ollivier's partner at Domaine de la Pépière; "The cuvée Clos des Briords was harvested the 24th of September. In 2012 we lost 50% of the harvest due to cold temperatures during...

7/23/13 -  ("Tractors" at Domaine Ducroux) Christian Ducroux’s vines are healthy and happy – as we drove across the hills of Morgon last May, his vineyard glowed in the distance like a shining green oasis in the desert of herbicided and eroded soils of Beaujolais. Rows of fruit trees alternate with each 5 rows of vines, hedges and flowers frame the parcels and legumes...

7/22/13 - In May we returned to Domaine Stéphane Magnien in Morey Saint-Denis to taste the 2011s from this talented young winemaker. We were very happy to find a superb range of wines that retained the bright acidity and mineral character of the 2010s while showing lovely, complex aromas and a bit more depth and roundness on the palate. This estate, while relatively unknown...

7/19/13 - (Erich Weber and his Wares) We have to admit that we were surprised by the runaway success of the Hofgut Falkenstein 2011 Spätburgunder when we offered it in January. It's a light-as-a-feather red that breaks any and all preconceived notions of what German Pinot Noir can be; it makes for absolutely perfect summer drinking but somehow 10 cases flew out of the...

7/16/13 - (Pierre Gonon) Today's New York Times contains an excellent article by Eric Asimov on the wines of Saint-Joseph featuring the work of Jean and Pierre Gonon at their wonderful estate in Mauves, and the efforts of Jean-Louis Chave to recreate the family's lost vineyards. "This vineyard feels as ancient as the crumbling granite underneath, a place where earth, climate, altitude and exposition...

7/11/13 - It's that time of the year again! We've been to Germany and tasted the wines, chosen our favorites, and are now happy to offer the 2012s from three shining stars in Germany, Schaefer, Dönnhoff and Adam. The vintage is one to get excited about because it's high in acid with well-defined, mineral-driven wines. Many are comparing 2012 to earlier vintages like 2004,...