Articles

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,...

 6/15/13 -   We have praised the work of Juan Antonio Ponce many times over the years. The accomplishments of this talented young grower from Spain's central-eastern Manchuela region are well documented: certified oenologist by age 17; rigorous advocate of biodynamic farming and natural winemaking; and, perhaps most important, dedicated champion of the historically humble Bobal grape. Like other rustic, high-yielding varieties, Bobal has...

6/13/13 - (Nicola Paone, 1947)   To make a long story shorter: we discovered that the restaurant (now closed) on E. 34th St called Nicola Paone had a fantastic wine cellar. The eponymous owner was a chart-topping singer, hugely popular with Italian-Americans; musically he might be best remembered for his number-one song, “Blah, Blah, Blah” (1958). The restaurant opened in 1959 and was an...

6/11/13 -  (Many thanks to Wink Lorch for the use of her picture of the waterfall in the beautiful town of Baumes-les-Messieurs...) A week or so ago I was helping a local (Chambers Street Wines) customer pick out a six bottle gift for an out-of-state loved one, when he turned to me and asked, out of the blue “so what’s up with the Jura?”...

5/30/13 - (The tiny cellar at Chateau Planquette)   Early in last winter's trip to France, Eben and I left our lovely biodynamic friends the Huberts in Bourg and Blaye and ventured across the Gironde to the grand chateaux of the Haut-Médoc and their neatly herbicided vineyards. Pressing north through the rain and sleet past Saint-Éstephe, the castles and vineyards gave way to farms...

5/28/13 - (in the early 1900s, André Roux of Clos Cibonne helped classify the Crus of the Var...) Last summer we took a break from the rigorous business of drinking the local Rosés of the Gard département to drive deep into Provence to Clos Cibonne. Curious to know who and what terroir produces these wines, the intrepid tasters of Chambers Street Wines traveled to...

5/15/13 - 2011 in the Mosel is a loud, ripe vintage, and it wasn't easy for producers to craft silky, restrained and, above all, mineral-driven wines. Two growers on the Mittelmosel fought against the odds to create delicate, contemplative, nuanced wines, and we'd like to sing their praises lest they be drowned out in a vintage in which many are shouting. Perhaps because we...

5/13/13 - (Niichiro Marumoto harvesting rice) This Wednesday (May 15), we will be happy to welcome Niichiro Marumoto to Chambers St. Wines for a special in-store saké tasting from 6 – 8 pm. Marumoto-san represents the sixth generation of brewers at the historic Marumoto Brewery in south-western Japan and has been instrumental in guiding the estate towards organic certification.Our friend Midori from Joto Saké...