Articles

12/13/2007 - We are not really known as a California wine store but we do pay attention to up and coming producers who are making wines in the way we like them. Which is with natural yeasts, low amounts of new oak and minimal spoofilation. So with that intro, here are the first ever annual Chambers Street California Wine awards. The first award goes...

11/29/2007 - What a year for Burgundy! With the great 2005 vintage upon us there have been a feast of fantastic vinous delights that have passed through CSW this year. With so many wines to choose that we have in stock and others that are long sold out this was extremely tough to come up with but we did it to the best of...

11/26/2007 - Welcome to the annual CSW awards season. There have been so many great wines that have come and gone this year we are feeling a bit contemplative and want to memorialize them somehow, and, of course, sell more wine-so here is the first of many e-mails about the most rewarding wines of the year that deserve an award. The first award goes...

11/17/2007 - So the new vintage of Breton Bourgeuil Clos Sénéchal dropped today and I opened one up instantly. This was some seriously deep purple liquid. Almost black. I knew there was going to be a serious amount of fruit and structure. Well this had structure and fruit for days. Amazingly nose of mashed flowers, herbal notes, cassis, loam, cherry, mint, old wood, cinnamon...

11/12/2007 - After the rousing success of our last e-mail celebrating the unique wines of Gorrondona we wanted to find something even more exotic and that is actually pretty easy in the portfolio of Andre Tamers. Andre is part of the new breed of Spanish importer that is more in line with a Joe Dressner or a Neal Rosenthal than an Eric Solomon or...

11/9/2007 - We have patiently been awaiting this bottling to arrive as it is the last released 2005 of the vintage. Well it was worth the wait. It came in on Friday and I quickly purchased a bottle as I have been waiting for this day for months. As soon as I poured this wine I knew it was something special. Deep aromas of...

11/6/2007 - With the increasing modernization of Spanish wine it is becoming quite difficult to find authentic expressions of Spanish terroir through indigenous varietals. A Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet blend juiced up on Taransaud oak from the licorella of Priorat does not cut it. Well thank goodness that there are people out there like us who want to see Spain reach its full potential and...

11/1/2007 - Paul is a brilliant winemaker and the Furst winery has a stellar reputation inside of Germany and justifiably so. The Furst winery is located in Franken in Southern Germany and has been involved in viticulture since 1638. The winery is housed in Burgstadt and that is where their main vineyard is, the great Burgstadter Centgrafenberg. They have 27 acres in the Burgstadter...

10/30/2007 - It finally feels like Fall in New York – hurrah! A chill in the air and our thoughts turn back to fine red wine in earnest. Luckily our friend and esteemed colleague David Weitzenhoffer, expert Sommelier (ex Felidia) and die-hard Piedmont aficionado (keep an eye out for his upcoming book on Barolo, which should be a much-welcome addition to a subject that...

10/23/2007 - If there ever was a wine category that beguiles people it is German Pinot Noir aka Spatburgunder. There are many misconceptions about Spatburgunder in the United States as the demand in Germany has always been more than supply could meet. No misconceptions in Germany mind you, just over here in the new world. The first thing you need to do when approaching...

10/18/2007 - Lambruschi's wines are among the greatest white wines from Italy that we have tasted (our list does not include Dreams or Planeta Chard, but that's just our weird taste). For one thing, this is white wine that improves with age; they are tremendously concentrated and simultaneously delicate. Both wines come from vineyards with views of the sea, and they taste like the...

10/15/2007 - We are thrilled to be able to offer a new wine from the Muscadet master Marc Ollivier. It is called Granite de Clisson. There is a great concept behind this wine. It is from a group of growers called the 3eme Niveau, which is identifying vineyard sites in the region that they believe are worthy of Grand Cru status. These sites must...

10/1/2007 - Australian wine is something that we at Chambers Street Wines are not that well known for. There are many reasons but the main one is probably that the wines really do not ascribe to our philosophy. There is not much natural, organic or sustainable viticulture down there and the wines, in general, seem to be in the big, extracted, sweet, overripe, oaky...

9/29/2007 - Regis Forey has holdings in some of the best vineyards in Burgundy but is often overlooked in lieu of other producers. The style is very austere and needs many years to come around but is well worth the wait. From Clos Vougeot to Nuits St. Georges "Les St. Georges" and the vaunted Vosne Romanee "Les Gaudichots", there is something for every burg...

9/27/2007 - One of the highlights of our yearly Loire Valley trip is the tasting with Bernard and Matthieu Baudry, at the Salon in Angers or at their beautiful home in Cravant.  Each year the Baudry's wines are among the very finest Loire reds, the purity and elegance of the wines reflected by the friendly and thoughtful personalities of Bernard and his son. Since...