Articles

7/6/16 - Witnessing the growth of a vigneron is one of the great pleasures of working in wine. When a domain makes a jump in quality, from very good to excellent, it’s akin to a small epiphany, like discovering an extra layer of meaning in a one of your favorite books or watching ‘like’ turn to ‘love.’ One such grower is Fabrice Pouillon, whose...

7/1/16 - Although Napa Valley and Russian River Valley have gotten top billing in the wine press for the past two decades, Santa Cruz currently produces some of the most compelling wines in California. The region's wines have remarkable complexity and ageability without the overripeness and price sticker shock of their more trendy counterparts. Santa Cruz's recent prominence is not without historical precedent. In...

6/30/16 - Serge Hondet, Domaine Tinou, Jurançon After reading about the great wines of Domaine Tinou, a 3 hectare estate in Jurançon that has been organic since 1964, we were determined to visit. 50 years of organic farming! We called proprietor Serge Hondet, who said he would be glad to see us, but of course he couldn't sell us any wine. Perfect! In January of 2014,...

6/29/16 - For a brief period we tried making a collection of text from various wine offers that we called the “hype of the week”. Man, is that dull work! Every producer is legendary, and every wine is stunning-the greatest-not to be missed-cult-blew me away-desert island-go long-insane-incredible-killer… Just thinking about how profound all of those wines are supposed to be is exhausting. I understand...

6/27/16 - The skies were holding back rain as we approached the periwinkle-hued house of Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler. This year Germany (and much of Western Europe) has been host to one of the rainiest Junes on record. Many winemakers stated that they have already seen more rain in 2016 than the whole of the previous year. After a lovely lunch, we set out for the...

6/23/16 - When we think of the nature of a grape one supposes that we associate its identity with its more famous manifestations. For instance, we’ll identify Cabernet Sauvignon with the cedar wood, cassis, violets, pencil lead, and mid-weight elegance of Paulliac on Bordeaux’s left bank or the dense and powerful blackberry fruit, black cherry, tobacco, leather and velvety tannins of a Napa Cabernet....

6/21/16 - Admittedly I’m not often wooed by Bordeaux. This is a region that today supplies the world with blue chip wines on the high end, industrial plonk on the other, and mostly boring wines falling somewhere in between. This is truly a shame for a region with such a rich history and well-documented winemaking potential, and also because I happen to be a...

6/8/16 - Alfredo Maestro pulled over to the side of a rocky, winding road and jumped out of his truck. Gesturing into the valley below, a curving patchwork of tiny, heterogeneous vineyards on chunky white limestone soils, he proclaimed: "Welcome to the Ribera del Duero of 100 years ago!" We had spent the day visiting Alfredo Maestro's majuelos, the local term for small family-owned vineyards, and...

6/7/16 - (Photo: Martin and Anna Arndorfer) This is the first in a planned series to turn the spotlight onto young(er) winemakers out there in Germany and Austria. By no means comprehensive, this is just a dainty toe-dip into the pool of talent in the Teutonic wine world. First up, Martin and Anna Arndorfer in Straß im Straßertale, Kamptal, Austria.I first experienced the mirthful...

6/3/16 - When Gabriele Ronzoni “retired” seven years ago at the age of 70, he decided to start making wine full time. Back in 1987 he had purchased a 2.3 hectare farm near Modena with a neglected 17th century farmhouse. Initially only making wine for friends and family, he is now producing enough Lambrusco that we can benefit from this labor of love. Working...

5/26/16 - (Photo: Ramoz in his vineyards) We'd probably been in the country for 15 minutes when we had to stop "just for a snack". It was delicious and judicious - it turned out to be a pretty long night in the wine bar. There was dinner too, but late enough that the snack sustained us for some hours. The Georgian culture of hospitality...

5/17/16 - (Natalino with his daughter, just back from university to join the family business) Although steel, chemical, manufacturing and high-tech industries are all now part of the Puglian economy, agriculture is still the lifeblood of the region. Hot and flat, with constant sea breezes from both sides of the Salento peninsula, Puglia is an agricultural paradise - producing half of Italy’s olive oil...

5/15/16 - Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Joe Swick is a fifth-generation Oregonian whose family's roots are based in Eastern Oregon and the Columbia Gorge area. He became passionate about wine while working in the wine department of his local organic specialty food store. After meeting some Willamette Valley winemakers on the job, Joe worked his first harvest as a cellar assistant at...

5/11/16 - (François and Claude de Nicolay of Chandon de Briailles) Of the many benefits of working at Chambers Street Wines, one of the greatest privileges is working year after year with talented and conscientious growers. Tasting the wines from superlative winemakers and farmers in both easy and difficult years is inspiring and instructive of how one adjusts to the vicissitudes of vintage. Nowhere...

5/8/16 - Article by Eben Lillie. All photos by Isaac Rosenthal (web: ikesight.com / Instagram: ikesite) Here at Chambers Street, our love for the Loire Valley is well documented, and we’re happy to know that winemakers we have been championing over the years have become household names amongst those who search for honest, terroir driven wine. Thankfully, the Loire continues to be the home to waves...