Articles

Over the years, the natural wine world has been developing a thirst for wines from the Auvergne, a rural region nestled in the center of France, with Clermont-Ferrand as its major city. The area is known to most French people as a great region for camping, and cheese. Indeed, the mountain ranges, and over 300 dormant Volcanos provide the setting for plenty a scenic...

[Flavien Nowack with author and Champagne lover, Yoko.] Though it’s a bit of a truism at this point, for a region dominated by big houses and co-operatives, the grower revolution in Champagne over the last 20-30 years is still remarkable as the new generation(s) continue to improve and refine viticulture, explore individual terroirs, and expand on the possibilities of the wines. The forebear of...

5/31/2021 Gilles Lafouge is the sixth generation at this 10 hectare estate in Auxey-Duresses. The domain includes excellent premier cru vineyards with old vines in Auxey-Duresses as well as small parcels in neighboring Meursault and an old-vine plot in Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins. There is good vineyard work here with plowing and organic composts, vinifications are with wild yeasts and the wines age...

A little over two years ago, in the Spring of 2019, I had the great pleasure of attending a lunch with Marc Hochar from Chateau Musar, Lebanon's most recognized and historic winery. I accepted the invitation because I knew the opportunity was rare to learn about the winery from one of the descendants of the founder, Gaston Hochar, and because I had only pulled...

5/11/2021 [Clos du Bourg Moelleux] Although we have not been to France to taste the 2020 vintage Vouvrays from Huet, reports in the various wine media have been very enthusiastic. The climate was of course, unusual, with a warm wet winter leading to early bud break and the threat of frost. Happily, unlike the disasters in France last month, frost damage in 2020 was...

One of the most memorable wines I had last year was a 2009 Moric Blaufränkisch from Roland Velich. Mind you, this was the "entry level" wine, not the Reserve, or one of the top tier single vineyard bottlings from old vines in the Lutzmannsburg or Neckenmarkt vineyards. There was baking spice, and dark blue fruit on the nose, with layers of perfumed red fruit...

[Parcela Camiño Novo, Amandi, Ribeira Sacra (Photo courtesy Jose Pastor Selections)] The wines from Envínate don't need much introduction. Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez are making some of the most sought after and exciting wines in Spain, from organically farmed vineyards in Galicia, Castilla-La Mancha, and the Canary Islands. Today's offer is for wines, mainly from single vineyards, from Tenerife...

Domaine Chandon de Briailles holds a special place in my heart. When I first started tasting Burgundy regularly, their wines were often in the mix. When I first visited the region I made sure to book an appointment to visit the domaine and taste in the cellar. And when I was a wine director later on I always made sure to have their wines...

[The quietly assured Thomas Perseval presenting his beautiful Champagnes in Reims.] One of the joys of working with grower Champagnes is the process of discovery. Whereas the big houses can make very good wines (though more often than not, farming leaves a lot to be desired), even at their best they can be a bit predictable. Over the past few years watching a new...

[Lamole on rainy May day] Great news for lovers of the best, classically-styled Chianti Classico: i Fabbri is back. The wines have been absent from New York for quite a few years; now, thanks to Jeff Porter*, these beauties of Lamole are once again for sale (and back on our dinner table!).Lamole is, so far, my favorite place in Chianti. Miles up a winding...

[Roberto Henriquez (photo: T. Edward Wines and Spirits)] Vitis vinifera, the Eurasian wine grape, arrived in Chile in the 16th century. The grapes that arrived were either Pais or the common ancestor it shares with California’s Mission, the Listán Prieto of the Canary Islands, and a set of other red varieties closely connected to the history of Spanish colonialism in the Atlantic and the...

[Vigneron Fabrice Gass opening a bottle of Cuvée Speciale  in one of the prettiest spots in Damery.] While there are a multitude of fascinating growers in Champagne (and quite a few characters), one of our absolute favorites is the singular Fabrice Gass from the tiny house Alexandre Filaine in Damery. Thoughtful and without pretense, Fabrice makes memorable wines in the manner Champagne was produced...

[Jean Louis Trapet in the cellar (Courtest of Clay Harpending of Polaner Selections)] In every village up and down the Cote D'Or, there are families whose names are seemingly eternal fixtures. In Santenay there are the Bellands and in Meursault the Moreys. There are the D'Angervilles of Volnay and the Leflaives in Puligny. In Nuits Saint Georges there is the Gouges family and the...

[A profile of Steve Matthiasson, photo from T. Edwards Wines.com] The wines of Steve and Jill Matthiasson are as steadfast and unassuming as the couple themselves. Steve is a bit of a legend in California, having co-authored the California manual on sustainable vineyard practices in 1999, and consulted for or mentored many successful winegrowers since. Jill, who runs the business side, has also dedicated...

8/26/2020 (Virginie Moreau examining a sample (photo courtesy of Grand Cru Selections)) I was recently asked by a friend if I could remember the bottle of Burgundy from which there was no escape. I replied "Of course I can." (For the record, every Burgundy maven who has gone well and truly down the rabbit hole can remember THAT BOTTLE.) For me, it was an...