A journalist asked us to send Joseph Dorbon a question about understanding the balance of a wine aged sous-voile, and he penned a rather insightful response, which is noted below in both French and English (Translation: Dillon Lerach): Responding to your question about oxidation, I will first assume that you are only speaking about whites. […]
Our people are cranking out some very fine wines! We drank again today three wines that have been sitting in our fridge OPEN since John Paine showed them to his New Orleans clients a couple of weeks ago.
The 2016 Gamay “La Mourziere” is more proof of the sensational quality being cranked out by our quartet of SWISS growers. Clean, bright, dynamic, classic Gamay scent and flavors wrapped in this delicious wine that is a perfect companion to a multitude of dishes. So light on its toes but with an athletic posture that […]
The quite spectacular “Vigne Rovettaz”, single vineyard origin, 2016 Cornalin from Grosjean.
A subject quite close to my consciousness obviously … and these three old friends each demonstrate the elegance of age built on the foundation of youthful strength and excellent breed.
A lovely experience tonight and surprising as well. We are drinking Granger’s Beaujolais Villages “Le Fetrau” from the 2013 vintage.
Simply stated one of the greatest wines of our 40+ year history! NIR
For those who think these wines are a tad expensive, consider this: that harvest levels are sometimes as low as 20 hectolitres per hectare at these two Mas. Reflect on that when you are considering village level white Burgundy at $600+ per case (rendement frequently 50 to 60 hl/ha). Organic?
Chateau Simone:
I spent a delightful morning with Florence and Jean-Francois (known as “Jeff” to Florence!) Rougier after departing from the early morning visit with Sylvain MOREY. The deep dive into Simone started with a trio of vintages of Grands Carmes Blanc.
Provence – A day for 3 Chateaux ….
CHATEAU SIMONE: what a lovely estate! Each time I visit (and, remember my first visit with the Rougier family was in 1981) I remain impressed by the impeccable grounds, the perfectly maintained cellar and ultimately the consistently excellent and idiosyncratic wines.
BOIS DE BOURSAN: 2018 was a difficult vintage for Versino; harvest began 12 Sept ended 28 Sept; due to extensive mildew throughout the season, he harvested 11.5 hectoliters per hectare; this on the heels of 2017 which yielded another small crop size of 22 hl/ha.
More commentary on the visits Michael and I made to the growers between Oct 16 and Oct 23 …
DOMAINE DU GOUR DE CHAULE: Harvest in 2018 started on 13 Sept for the Rosé and then proceeded in stages of 3 to4 days as the vineyards ripened in an irregular, and different, pace …
The afternoon of our second day on the road was joyous as the wines of Guillaume Gilles and Domaine Lionnet are simply magical.
GILLES: Guillaume started harvest early in 2018, the 4th of September. He reports a bountiful harvest of excellent quality. The ‘17s have brilliant potential.
CUILLERON: Our second day in the Rhône started with a tasting with Yves Cuilleron. The “Cuilleron Empire” continues to expand and requires considerable time to proceed through a tasting. In fact, 32 wines were presented, the result of which was that we were then late for the remaining appointments for that day.
Michael Kane and I just wrapped up 9 days on the road visiting our growers in the northern and southern Rhône, Provence, Languedoc – Roussillon and Bordeaux. We were the beneficiaries of beautiful Indian summer weather during the entirety of our trip, one of the few blessings from global warming.
Kerry and I revisited this wine over the weekend, opening and drinking most of the bottle yesterday with an udon-based vegetable broth; then, again, tonight to observe the wine’s evolution. It is, actually, spectacularly good, a wine loaded with character, strongly lanolin, petroleum-laced, amidst the background menthol-pine aromatics and flavors.
The 2016 vintage at the Domaine Fourrier presents in a classic manner with precision and grace. However, it is another in the recent spate of scarce harvests that makes this offer a challenge to place in front of those who have patronized the wines of this estate since the first vintage (1994) we imported so […]
Join Us At: Closerie Les Capucines 7 rue de Bourgogne F39600 ARBOIS Tél : 33 (0)3 84 66 17 38 email : contact@closerielescapucines.com Mobile : 33 (0)6 50 83 26 00 fax: 33 (0)3 84 66 21 58 web: closerielescapucines.com We are pleased to announce that, as of 31 May 2018, we have acquired “Closerie […]
Drinking this aged beauty tonight. Blake and Michael , I believe, may have had the pleasure of meeting the “Master”. Jean Faurois was the epitome of the classic Burgundian vigneron of this era … a gentleman of the first order … quiet, determined, calm with a deep love of his land and a knowledge so […]
A REPORT FROM THE ROVELLOTTI FAMILY IN GHEMME I received a note yesterday from my good friend, Antonello Rovellotti, who was brimming with good cheer because of the healthy state of his vineyards in Baragiola, recognized as the top “cru” in Ghemme. He recounted that back when he was a young boy (and he is […]
On Monday evening, June 26, 2017, the New York-based RWM team gathered at the Westlight in Brooklyn to honor our long-time colleague, Paul-Pierre Compere. Paul has decided to retire on June 30th after twenty-three years of rendering impeccable service to us and to our clients. The party, as you can see from the accompanying slide […]
Some photos at the dining table of Gilles, Laurence and Esther Crochet. Pot au feu, root vegetables, goat cheeses of different ages and lots of Sancerre Rouge 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2012 Prestige, 2009 Prestige, 1997 Prestige. NIR
Today, in Vertus on the Cote des Blancs, we visited with Francois Larmandier of Champagne Guy Larmandier. The current release of his Vertus Brut Rose 1er Cru is from the 2013 harvest with a dosage of 6 grams for the USA, essentially the same cuvée as the Vertus Brut but with the addition of 10% […]
As a preliminary to the field reports on the 2016 Roses which are now in the process of being bottled , we are sending along comments on the duet of Roses produced by our two Champagne growers. Here is the newest cuvée of “Roselie” from Champagne Roger Coulon with the next generation of the family, […]
My colleagues, Jeremy Sells, Clarke Boehling and Neil Rosen, will be on the road in France between February 6th and February 15th for the primary purpose of doing a final tasting of the 2016 Rosés from almost every one of our suppliers immediately prior to shipment to the USA. They will be providing notes from […]
To all: We drank the Cornalin “Les Bernunes” 2014 from Caloz this evening with total satisfaction. This red gained strength and depth throughout the course of the meal. Beautiful color; racy, alpine aromas that move to smoky, meaty, Syrah-like (northern Rhone locale); long finish, very fresh with spice and licorice components; starts simple, clean but […]
First, experience shows that the “oiliness” that is so typical of top quality Simone Blanc develops slowly and intensifies as the wine ages; texturally the mineral drive one divines in the youthful stages and which makes for a more linear sensation recedes as the density of the wine increases, a development which, in turn, yields […]
ATTENTION: just opened a 1986 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru “Les Chaumes” produced by a member of the first group of Burgundians from whom I ever purchased wine: JEAN FAUROIS. I was introduced to Faurois by Claudette Amiot (Bernard’s wife) in late 1981 or early 1982. Jean was born in the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot […]
Drank the above-captioned wine last night at dinner with immense satisfaction. Anyone should be comfortable recommending this bottling to someone looking for classic, compelling Cote de Nuits at the village level. Still with a touch of youthful edginess but scintillating bouquet, deep robe, dense texture, deeply dark-fruited with excellent length … head and shoulders above […]
Clarke, Beautifully said … bravo! I am an ardent admirer of the 2009 Arobreus which, I believe, is Bea’s best effort to date of this particular wine. There is a persistence to its attack and finish that is subtle but remarkable. I, for one, am not at all surprised by its tenacity over a four-day […]
Run do not walk to grab whatever remains of this wine in stock. Call your friends and favored clients to let them know that this is a top flight “entry level” red Burgundy , one amongst several wines in this category that are standouts in our portfolio. NIR
Drinking this exquisite version of Poulsard (2014) from Pêcheur tonight. Elegant, clean, so very ALIVE and a perfect companion to so many different types of cuisines. What a joy! NIR Neal: I, too, have been taken with this wine having had the opportunity to taste it now stateside. Every bit as you describe: star-bright; autumn […]
Married this wine tonight to a grilled magret duck breast. The wine is brilliant, showing a vibrant ruby color, evocative nose of fresh crushed wild berries and a spicy, fresh finish. Surprisingly complex for its price, it bristles with a lovely acidity. I would say that we should give the Ca’ du Leria 2013 a […]
Drinking with exquisite pleasure this classic Mondeuse from Louis Magnin. When we first brought this wine into the States last spring, it was tight as a drum with its high acid tension. To my surprise, this wine has turned the corner much more quickly than I had thought it would. It is wonderfully aromatic with […]
Drinking this wine tonight. At a beautiful spot right now. Structured, perfectly balanced , savory with spice, lithe and long on the palate. A near-perfect example of Alto Piedmontese Nebbiolo. Confirms for me, once again, that Clerico is right behind (perhaps equal to) Rovellotti as the best of our producers from that region. Highly recommended! […]
Drank this wine tonight with pleasure. At 30 years plus a modest village burgundy is still alive and bright with its typical grainy tannins. Color deepened with aeration. Might it have been even better 5 or 10 years ago? Probably but this wine is a “gamer”, a sturdy little fellow. Last bottle in the cellar!
Drinking the subject wine tonight with sautéed shrimp and a risotto made with a sample of a carnaroli rice from the Novara region of Piedmont. Classic white Burgundy, Meyer-lemon like acidity, beautifully dense with a long, clean, lively finish. The Prudhons are a class act and are cranking out truly superb wine. We also drank […]
We thought it might be fun to share with you the wines we drink at home during the course of a week … providing commentary on the wines as well as some insight as to why each wine was selected and the food we served with it. If this exercise proves interesting, we will repeat […]
Drank this beauty tonight with dinner. This vintage, somewhat suspect in the general perception, is showing brilliantly. The ripe and spicy Grenache takes center stage with a touch of tannic kick from Mourvèdre. A wine that is shedding its quietude and finding a classic expression of Chateauneuf – with stems! NIR
Kerry and I continually assess our wines by putting each to the ultimate test: drinking wine with our meals. Over the most recent weekend, we explored, with much satisfaction, several wines from the Loire Valley that do not appear regularly at our home table. On New Year’s Eve, our quiet celebration was toasted with the […]
Drinking the above captioned wine tonight. We have a small allocation of this wine every year which is, by and large, ignored once it arrives. That is a shame. The wine is rich, speaks with a booming voice and is blessed with a joyous perfume full of exotic flora. This wine should fine a home […]
Drinking this wine tonight. Delicious. One of the best values in the portfolio. Perfect balance, dignified, an adult wine of class and breed. Photo will follow. By the way, the proprietors are two of the most intelligent and charming vignerons in our universe. NIR
Drinking this wine tonight (see photos). Classic Cornas. May be the best Cornas in stock right now. Powerful, dramatic, severe, every element of the appellation is on display … The granite soils, the non-destemmed grapes, the raw ferocity of Syrah in the northern Rhone. So good right now but with a brilliant future of 10 […]
Once again our friends, the Anfosso family of Barbaresco, have produced one of the singular great values in our portfolio of wines. We are drinking tonight the 2014 Dolcetto d’Alba which is simply delicious, actually thirst-quenching, vibrant, fresh, so very much alive! One wonders sometimes how it is possible to produce a wine of this […]
a brief note about one of our newest wines… To our delight, this wine from young Andrea Mosca’s cellars in Brusnengo in the Alto Piemonte is developing nicely and shows, with a considerably higher degree than I anticipated, a true sense of terroir. In fact, this wine from Croatina is much more fine than it […]
No one ever made a truer Chambolle Musigny than our old friend (and very first producer in Burgundy), Bernard Amiot. Tonight we are enjoying his 1997 Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Chatelots”. As we do, we reminisce about how we started working with Bernard, tasting through the cellar and marking the individual barrel or barrels […]
Drinking this wine drawn from the cellar tonight. Rather astonishing for its freshness (15 years old, village wine!). Classic Chablis – aromatically and gustatorily true to its Kimmeridgian origins. My only quibble is that it shows just a touch too “warm” on the palate despite its declared 12% alcohol. Lovely density … As we used […]
On a beautiful spring evening in Shekomeko, we are enjoying a favorite wine of ours: the Barbera d’Asti 2013 produced by the Anfosso family from their “Ca’ del Buc” vineyard in Costigliole d’Asti. Although the family is based in Barbaresco, they have owned this special site for many years, using it to produce this formidable […]
Having tasted through the series of older Dolcetto Dogliani (an appellation with a certain deserved renown for producing age-worthy Dolcetto) recently, it was a revelation to drink a bottle of Dolcetto d’Alba “Vignavillej” 1998 from Brovia, a wine drawn from our private collection. It is an astonishing wine – deep in color, robust, still fresh […]
Just finished drinking a bottle of Chateau Chantecler, Pauillac, 2010 (while listening to the Brad Mehldau Trio) which experience drove our memories to the earliest days of our career in wine when we had the pleasure of indulging in another Pauillac by the name of Château Latour in vintages like ’61, ’62 and ’64, wines of […]
The nicest aspect of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is that it gives us a bit of “down-time” to explore the cellar and dig up a few wines to drink at our leisure. So, here is a brief report on a few wonders that have been hanging out underground for awhile … We had the pleasure […]
It’s thrilling to work the high passes of the Valle d’Aosta searching for wines in places that are home to the chamois and mountain goat as much as they prove to be fertile ground for a fascinating array of local grape varieties. Our love affair with this area started 35 years ago in January 1980 when we first […]
We sat at the dinner table tonight and drank, over a simple dinner (leftover pork tenderloin, roast potatoes, endive and blue cheese salad), a bottle of Mazis-Chambertin produced by our grower Harmand-Geoffroy in the 2006 vintage. This bottle offered vivid testimony of its breed and answers the question: do certain vineyard locations truly provide a […]
On November 23, 2013 Neal wrote: “Just wrapped up a lovely morning in Saint Emilion and am now on the train from Libourne to Bordeaux (to catch a connection to Montpellier this afternoon). I was delighted by what I tasted at both Haut Segottes and Belregard Figeac. First of all, I am happy to report […]
“Wednesday (20 Nov 2013) morning was dedicated to Vouvray with stops at Peter Hahn’s Clos de la Meslerie and Philippe Foreau’s Clos Naudin. 2013 was not kind to the appellation: a devastating hailstorm in summer and a rainy late season and cold spring reduced yields and made the growers struggle mightily […]
“The afternoon of Tuesday, Nov 19 2013 was spent in the Eastern Loire visiting with Marc Deschamps, Gilles Crochet and Philippe Gilbert. In Pouilly-sur-Loire, Marc Deschamps reported favorably on the results of the current harvest, better results than might have been anticipated considering the up-and-down conditions during the growing season. He predicts a wine with […]
Last week Neal traveled from Champagne to Chablis before making his way to the Loire. Here are his notes from domaines Dauvissat and Defaix. “I visited with Sebastien Dauvissat early in the morning of Tuesday November 19 – a hint of snow was in the air. Our stocks of the Dauvissat wines are dwindling rapidly […]
On Sunday, Neal departed for his final grower visits of the season. He continues to chronicle them here on the blog. 11/21/13 “I am on the train departing from Nantes destination Bordeaux – finally a free moment to pen a few words about my current visits with our growers. On Monday of this week, I […]
After a couple of days in the Alto Piemonte and the Canavese, Neal crossed over the mountains via the Gran San Bernardo pass to visit our growers in the Valais in Switzerland … herewith his initial comments: “We arrived in the Valais on Tuesday evening, I introduced our newest colleague, Ross Mattis, to the traditions […]
A day in Carema, October 2013: “Our visit with Luigi, Roberto and Andrea Ferrando was spent mostly in discussion of the “crisis of quantity” in Carema and whether there is some way to increase access to, and control the production of, grapes within the appellation. There is no easy answer to this conundrum but, at […]
Neal’s visits in Alto Piemonte continued with a trip to Castello Conti: “Tuesday morning Oct 22 we visited with Elena and Paola Conti. Four wines were the subjects for the day. The wines had just been bottled 10 days prior. The Nebbiolo Colline Novaresi 2012 was the most affected by the bottling, showing the dryness […]
We will continue posting Neal’s dispatches from his producer visits. Over the next few days he will be in Italy and Switzerland. Here is the first update from Italy. “A quick “wrap” of yesterday’s activity in the Alto Piemonte, 10/21/13 … Monsecco: Greeted by Giorgio and Fabio, as usual. This duo presents a charming and […]
Sunday, Sept 22, 2013 Neal spent the day visiting our producers in the Jura. Here are his notes: “I spent last Sunday (September 22) visiting each of our four producers. The first issue to discuss is “reduction” in certain wines from our producers in the Jura. Of course, we had this problem raise its ugly […]
Late last week, Neal spent time visiting producers in the Northern Rhone. Here is his report on Guillaume Gilles: September 20, 2013 “On Friday Sept 20, I visited with each of our five producers in the northern Rhone. I am pleased to report that the wines from both the 2011 and 2012 vintages are exceptionally […]
Neal’s update on our Northern Rhone producers continues with Domaine Lionnett and Etienne Becheras: September 20, 2013 “The Domaine Lionnet is really coming into its own. Ludovic is finding his stride. My notes are replete with praise. There is no doubt that 2012 will be a top vintage here and, interestingly and somewhat in contrast […]
This is Neal’s final dispatch from the Northern Rhone: September 20, 2013 “To wrap up the Northern Rhone…I had a pleasant encounter with Yves Cuilleron. Yves continues to expand his holdings. There are now 55+ hectares that he exploits as owner and sharecropper. There is now a nice Crozes Hermitage Rouge being produced. The Levets […]
Neal has taken off on the first of his autumn trips to visit our growers in Europe. We will chronicle his travels on the blog by posting his field reports. September 19, 2013 “Flew into Geneva this morning and visited Vens-le-Haut and Magnin today. Was privileged to be here on a gorgeous day, unfortunately one […]
Part 1: The Midwest Comes East On September 9 and 10, Rosenthal Wine Merchant hosted a group of its distributors and their top clients from the Midwest states of Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri and Colorado at its warehouse in New York City. Just a few years ago it was difficult, or impossible, to find Rosenthal wines in most […]
As you can see from the attached photo, we drank a bottle of 1980 Chateau Haut Segottes (Saturday Aug 31, 2013), one of the few older vintages that remain in stock from the collection that we purchased from Mme Meunier, the proprietor, several years ago. Of course, this vintage was left behind in our stock while […]
The exuberant reds from our growers in the Valais scream out their mountain heritage. Drinking the 2011 Cornalin from Romain Papilloud tonight makes the point brilliantly. A wine of vibrant, deep color, its bouquet brings the Alpine atmosphere directly to the table like a fresh, cool breeze rustling through the low bushes of berry and […]
This week [June 2 – 8 2013] we raided the cellar again. Without planning it, we drank two wines that share an interesting history: the 1983 Cote Rotie from Bernard Levet and the 1982 Brunello di Montalcino from Luigi Anania’s La Torre estate. Two distinct wines with one dramatic similarity: both wines were the first […]
People always talk about food and wine matches but not so often of the marriage of wine and music. Tonight [June 6, 2013] we experienced the ideal: listening to Chet Baker (singing + playing trumpet) while drinking Brunello “La Torre” 1982. Both are the ultimate in sophistication, elegance and class.
At the request of one of our best clients, I composed a brief and certainly very general summary of our view of recent vintages in Burgundy (from 1999 to 2010). You might find this commentary of some interest … 1999: a heralded vintage for both red and white wines; whether the wines will live up […]
Standing in the kitchen as we prepare dinner and taste the first bottle of “Badebec”, a Rosso from the Vallé d’Aosta, to come to the States. It’s always exciting to test these recent arrivals once they are Stateside. We do all of our selecting overseas in the cellars so that initial bottle opened at home […]
It seems that, more often than not when contemplating a new blog post, I am drawn to comment on the joys of exploring wines that we had tucked away in our private cellar many, many moons ago. I do this, I think, because there appear to be so few opportunities now for those who are […]
We have argued for many moons that some of, if not the, best values in red wine can be found in Beaujolais. Certainly, when one cruises the “cru” vineyards of this region, the grapes of which have been cared for and transformed into wine by the serious and quite traditional growers, the notion that Beaujolais […]
We recently indulged ourselves with a trip into our past as experienced through several older vintages of Chianti Classico Riservas from Castell’in Villa, one of our first sources of superb Italian wine (and no longer part of our portfolio for a complex of reasons). Most specifically, we drank on separate occasions the 1988 and 1985 […]
Tonight (August 23 2012) we drank a bottle of Barbaresco “Vigneto Loreto” 1997 from De Forville. This estate, with which we have been working for the past 33 years, has always flown a bit under the radar … in a commercial sense. Perhaps this is because the Anfosso family, the owners of De Forville, are […]
A brief note about some of the wines we have consumed over the past few days … Coteaux Champenois Blanc (Coulon) 2008: the “deposit” or “veil” that was present when we first released this wine seems to have disappeared; the wine is scintillatingly replete with the terroir of Champagne – stony to its core with […]
We stumbled across a bottle of Chianti Colli Senesi 2005 from Villa Sant’Anna the other day while cruising our personal cellar; so, we drank it that evening. A simple but satisfying wine this modest Chianti from the hills just north of Montepulciano with a rustic, earthy bouquet, lots of presence on the palate and tannins […]
For years we have longed to expand our footprint in Italy, most specifically in Piedmont but also with an eye to southern Italy which heretofore was completely absent from our coverage. With much good fortune, beginning with a casual encounter last December in Rome and continuing through an intense four day exploration we conducted in […]
When Piero “Bisson” Lugano told me about his fantastical plan to submerge his nascent Spumante deep beneath the waters of the bay of Portofino where it would undergo its second fermentation, I thought he was kidding. Then, when he actually did make the arrangements, I tossed it off as nothing more than a brilliant publicity […]
Tonight, on the spur of the moment, Kerry descended into the cellar and brought up a bottle of Meursault 1er Cru “Charmes” 1990 from Bitouzet-Prieur to enjoy with our dinner (a couple of steamed lobsters). It is a remarkable experience to enjoy a fine white Burgundy at the age of 22 years, one that is […]
In several weeks, we will be releasing the Brunello di Montalcino RISERVA 2006 from Luigi Anania’s estate “La Torre”. Luigi produces a small amount of Riserva from time-to-time depending on the quality of a particular vintage. Even then, he severely restricts the amount of Riserva that he makes so that he does not affect in […]
Yesterday, March 19, we arrived in Milan and headed directly to the northeastern sector of Piemonte to prospect for growers in the appellations of Lessona, Ghemme and Gattinara. In the small town of Lessona, which is the smallest in size of the subject appellations, we met with Massimo Clerico. He is the third “largest” producer […]
We are in the midst of a special moment, a quiet dinner at home on the evening before we leave to prospect in the Piedmont and Calabria. The atmosphere is cool, calm and crystalline – listening to Billy Holliday sing and drinking the L’Etoile Cuvee Speciale 2006 from Nicole Deriaux’s Domaine de Montbourgeau, a brief […]
The first shipment of the wines of the 2006 vintage from Paolo Bea arrived last week. Yes, five plus years after the harvest the wines have been released. Contrary to the generally high quality wines produced in 2006 from the neighboring zone of Tuscany, the ’06 vintage in Umbria was problematic with grapes struggling to […]
On Feb 22 we celebrated Kerry’s birthday with a group of old friends and a series of old wines – the occasion being a wonderful excuse to dig into the cellar. In this era, when everyone is so eager to drink up wines immediately upon release, enjoying wines of a certain age is a reminder […]
It was rewarding to discover the favorable comments in Eric Asimov’s reflections on Gigondas in this week’s NY Times “Dining” section. The notes about our Domaine du Gour de Chaulé highlight our taste profile, that is our preference for wines of balance, grace and complexity over the mere show of force that often is the […]
Tonight (1 Feb 2012) we are drinking a bottle of Domaine du Jaugaret 2007, a wine from a weak vintage (or so it is said). Satisfying – a true wine of Saint Julien, as clear an expression of this particular terroir as exists in today’s world of Bordeaux. Yet, this splendid wine may be the […]
I walked into the kitchen tonight after a session working on revisions to our new website to find a just-opened wine in a glass waiting for my attention. The bottle was hidden – a test for my aging palate, I suppose. One taste and an immediate expression of “Wow”! It was an immense wine, thick […]
Proved to myself once again tonight that this is my favorite red from the Prudhon family. It has the most “grip” and those tannins, rustic for sure, are compelling and in perfect balance. The vintage 2007 lends a lot of grace to this wine and makes the argument for elevating this vintage in ranking amongst […]
The 2004 vintage in Burgundy has revealed, over time, a series of wines that are compelling for rendering the purity and truth of the region. Cornu’s top wines are beautiful examples. Tonight (Dec 25) we drank the Aloxe 1er Cru “Moutottes” from the ’04 vintage. I expected a lovely wine because the Moutottes always has […]
It has been awhile since we drank a Bourgueil from James Petit so tonight’s experience was delightful for a number of reasons. First, the ’09 “Galluches” is showing brilliantly. Our previous encounters with this wine revealed a wine that was reticent, still youthful and timid. Now, the wine is in bloom. It has a brilliant […]
Opened our first bottle of the just-released 2008 Barbaresco “Normale” from De Forville. A stark contrast to the ’07 which was generous, open-knit, seductive and almost sweet. The ’08, in my opinion, is a more “important” wine with a discipline to its structure that is only present in the greatest of wines. This Barbaresco is […]
Unfortunately, in this risk-averse era in which we live, they just don’t make wine like this anymore. The ’89 Crozes Hermitage from Michel Ferraton is outrageously great today, 22 years after it was born from this minor appellation. Losing Ferraton from our portfolio (a sad story) is probably the greatest loss of our career from […]
So, over the past several evenings, we have drunk Haut Segottes ’06 and Jaugaret ’04, an experience that stimulates a few thoughts about the two wines specifically and our Bordeaux selection in general. First, it becomes obvious after consuming these two wines that our work in Bordeaux is every bit as profound and important as […]
Pierreclos: Margots @ 60 ans d’age; Chateau @ 20 ans – age moyenne: 40 ans. Macon Milly-La Martine 2010 – 9 mois en fut, mis en blle Sept ’11 (vieux fut de 5 ans) – assez vif, plus elegant que Pierreclos, dernieres vignes de vendanger, assez minerale, tres discret, “la Montagne” 18 ares, 30 hl-ha, […]
Passed a lovely moment with Jean-Francois Fillastre at Domaine Jaugaret this morning. He was in good spirits despite the fact that both his ’08 and ’09 have been rejected by the tasting panel that gives the OK to have the appellation Saint Jullien for the wine. The wine was putatively rejected due to an excess […]
So, we drank a bottle of Vosne 1er Cru “Les Chaumes” 2006 tonight from our modest, but nevertheless brilliant, Jerome Chezeaux. There are others in our Burgundy portfolio that are more famous but none who are producing more consistently outstanding wine in a style that is simple yet strikingly classic. The “Chaumes” ’06 is still […]