Articles

5/31/12 -  (Verduno – a very quiet small town with 3 very good restaurants, and 3 fine places to stay – seen from the vineyard called Rocche dell’Olmo. The vines are mostly western-facing; Rocche dell’Olmo has long been considered ideal for blending – as in the Burlotto Barolo Acclivi – to add good freshness and verve to the classic blend of vineyards. Climate change,...

5/30/12 - The Mencia grape is to Ribeira Sacra as Gamay is to Morgon or Syrah is to Cote Rôtie – a grape perfectly matched to its terroir. One doesn’t have to be a viticultural historian to know that it takes inspired people in addition to great grapes and great terroir to spell success. Today we’re celebrating a superb vintage in Ribeira Sacra, the...

5/23/12 - (Stephan Magnien) The young and very capable Stéphan Magnien is the fourth generation in his family at this four hectare estate in Morey Saint-Denis. The domain has never used herbicides, doing a deep plowing to aerate the soil each winter (they changed from horse to tractor in the 1980s) and uses only organic composts. There is a high percentage of old vines,...

5/22/12 -   (The valley between Montgueux and Troyes seen from Emmanuel Lassaigne's vines.) My first stop in Champagne was at Domaine Jacques Lassaigne in Montgueux. I’m not prone to hyperbole, but these wines are excellent. Montgueux is five kilometers from the city of Troyes in the Aube. It’s a unique terroir, and essentially a viticultural island: an isolated outcropping of chalk some distance...

5/18/12 - Perhaps no other spirit is more shrouded in mystery than Absinthe.  To many, Absinthe conjures a romantic image of smoky Parisian bars filled with artist-types and misanthropes drinking small glasses of this harsh, mind-bending elixir.  While this may have been the case in the 1890s, today we have access to many artisanal Absinthes including the fantastic products made by Cheryl Lins at...

5/15/12 -   ​We first met Alice and Olivier De Moor about 10 years ago, and were immediately struck by their shy and quiet but strong and focused personalities. The wines were fascinating and somewhat irregular and sometimes oxidative or oaky, although there was not a new barrel in sight. There was always high acidity, purity and length with an almost breathtaking stony character....

5/14/12 - Our winter tasting with Pierre and Chantal Frick was one of the most fascinating and enjoyable of the year.  We tasted 21 wines this past January - Pierre's infectious enthusiasm and humor, as well as the incredible variety and quality of the wines was inspiring!  The Fricks work with each vintage according to what nature brings them, so there is great variation...

5/12/12 - Gabacho – Used in Spain as a pejorative term to describe a Frenchman.  In this case a winemaker from France who crosses the border to conduct his craft in Spain. We love the much-lauded, traditional wines of this area, but with a region as vast and as diverse as Rioja, it seems unfair to pin “greatness” on just a few lapels.  At...

5/11/12 - ​We're very proud to be importing the lovely natural wines from Le Mas de Casalas, near Mondragon on the north side of the Massif d'Uchaux. Jerome Hue and Isabelle Supparo have 2 hectares of old vines, mostly Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault which they tend organically, producing uncommonly well-balanced and delicious wines. Directly behind their house, the north-facing slope is mostly sandstone (grés...

5/5/12 - A common refrain when the names of André Beaufort and Vincent Laval are mentioned in the Montagne de Reims is “no one makes wines like that here.” Not merely amongst the bottles in our Champagne section, amongst growers in the region, these wines are singular. Though Laval’s and Beaufort’s wines are essentially different in style: Laval’s chiseled and super dry, Beaufort’s broad,...

5/3/12 - In wine – as with much in life - the next big thing is often the same big thing as in years past. Sherry, Rose, and Riesling are periodically trotted-out by the press to remind us that we’re missing something special; previously seen as overly sweet and passé, they are gradually finding wider appreciation. Our candidate for rehabilitation is Lambrusco, known to...

5/1/12 - (Rousset vineyards, Crozes-Hermitage) ​At the suggestion of Jean and Pierre Gonon, as well as other trusted sources in the Rhône Valley, we made an appointment to taste with Stephane and Robert Rousset in the Crozes-Hermitage village of Erome. They have some of the best vineyards in Crozes was the story we heard, and they've always worked the soil, even plowing with a...

4/26/12 - Eric Texier is certainly making some of the finest wines in the Rhône Valley, both in the south and the north. His Chateauneuf-du-Pape, red and white, are outstanding. His work in Brézème and St Julien-en-St Alban has resurrected forgotten vineyards and has produced magnificent wines. His inexpensive Cotes-du-Rhône are wonderfully refreshing and balanced, unencumbered by high-alcohol and gobs of hedonistic fruit. In...

4/24/12 -   Nothing gives us greater pleasure than offering mature Champagne at a great price. As much as we relish the cut and the laser-like complexity of well-made, young Champagne, we have a true appreciation for the broad, savory tones, the mellow earth and mineral characteristics of a fine, “adult” bottle of Champagne. In fact, Champagne ages very interestingly, the vivacious flavors and...

4/23/12 - (Giovanni Scarfone from Bonavita) ​Slightly over 3 miles from the rocky Calaiabrn coast is Messina, the gateway to Sicily.  The Greeks first founded the colony in the 8th Century BC, and the land came to be known as “Casale del Faro” because of the influx of Greeks from the town of Pharis.  In the 18th Century Faro became internationally renowned for its...