Thomas Wilcox, Author at Ansonia Wines

Posted on April 5, 2016April 5, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

White Crozes-Hermitage, at last.

“Épuisé.” At the start of every tasting, Rhône winemaker Denis Basset gives us small taste of white. “Just to set the palate,” he explains, before continuing on to his rich, syrah-based reds. The white is always lovely — floral and fresh, beautifully expressive, and a perfect way to start a tasting. And every year, when we ask how much we can buy, he smiles and shakes his head. (Loyal local restaurants are to blame).

This year, en finalement, we have secured a few cases of Basset’s beautiful Crozes-Hermitage blanc. Those who know Basset’s reds (Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph) will recognize the same precision and purity in his white. If the aromas of Basset’s reds are too many to count — cloves, black pepper, bacon, to name a few — then the nose of the white Crozes-Hermitage is perhaps even more complex.

You could be fooled this week into thinking that spring was a long way off. But when it does get here, you’ll want a glass of this in your hand.

Exotic. Denis Basset runs the Domaine Saint-Clair, which he started several years ago after spending the first decade of his working life in the family’s flower business. He has rapidly gained confidence and acclaim; recently both Decanter and the Guide Hachette listed him in a dynamic new generation of Crozes-Hermitage winemakers.

Basset’s white is Rousanne-Marsanne blend (70/30), in the style of a classic northern Rhône. The nose is soft and enveloping, with tropical notes of mango, pineapple, and green tea. The mouth is rich and round, but well balanced, showing nectarine and honey notes. There’s so much exotic fruit in the nose you almost expect this to be sweet, but the mouth finishes cool and soft and dry.

We’re thrilled to finally have the chance to share this enticing, lovely wine with our list, but we’ll warn you there isn’t much to go around. Limit one case per person.

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SAINT CLAIR Crozes-Hermitage 2014
Ansonia Retail: $26
case, half-case: $22/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on April 1, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Old Vines from an Ancient Land.

Chance. Weather plays an enormous role in shaping a vintage. In Burgundy four of the most recent five vintages were stunted by various meteorological maladies — hail, rain, unusually warm weather, unusually cool weather, vine disease, and rot, to name a few. Some appellations saw their yields reduced by 85%.

Weather in the sunny south of France is usually more moderate. But the Languedoc is still feeling the effects of a weather event 60 years ago, when a cold snap brought sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures to Pic-St-Loup for more than a month, killing every vine in the appellation. Today the region’s oldest vines date to the following year, 1957.

Black fruits. It is from these oldest vines vines that the winemakers of the Mas Foulaquier craft their finest cuvée, Gran’Tonillieres. The blend is half-grenache and half-carignan, and the result is a wine that combines the rugged, meaty richness of the region with the silky intensity of old vines. It’s a perfectly balanced blend of rustic and elegant, the product of weathered vines from an ancient region.

This wine shows Foulaquier’s signature expressiveness and complexity, the result of meticulous, low-intervention biodynamic winemaking. As the label suggests, raspberries dominate the nose of this wine, joined by cool earthiness, leather, and rosemary. The mouth is full and rich, but beautifully balanced, with delicate stoniness and notes of blueberry jam on toast.

For readers who already know this wine (or those with parties coming up) we’ve acquired just a handful of magnums as well.

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FOULAQUIER Gran’T 2011
Ansonia Retail: $38
case, half-case: $28/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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FOULAQUIER Gran’T 2011 (1.5L)
Ansonia Retail: $68
offer price: $54/magnum

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AVAILABLE BY THE 1.5L BOTTLE
EAST COAST SHIPPING INCLUDED

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 30, 2016March 30, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Tradition and Luxury in Gigondas.

Classic. We’ve often written about the value of Gigondas. Located 20 minutes east of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas produces wines of a similarly rich intensity as its more famous neighbor, but usually at far more affordable prices. Our longtime source in Gigondas is the Domaine les Goubert, cited as a “reference point” in the region by Jancis Robinson and Robert Parker.

Goubert makes a classic Gigondas cuvée, and several other reds from surrounding towns; their refreshing rosé is in this month’s March Futures issue. But today we’re releasing Goubert’s finest wine — the Gigondas Cuvée Florence — which more resembles a Châteauneuf-du-Pape than a Gigondas. Named for the family’s daughter Florence (now 30 and heading up the winemaking), this is a rich and age worthy wine that we have enjoyed for decades.

Exceptional. Cuvée Florence is a blend of grenache and syrah, raised in small Burgundy-style oak barrels. We have been buying this wine for more than 20 years, and can’t remember a better vintage than 2010. The nose is brooding and pretty, showing toasted black fruits, lavender, and chocolate. The mouthfeel is rich and silky, with plums and tobacco.

This wine ages beautifully, and we’ve enjoyed bottles of past vintages well into their second decade. But it’s also impressively drinkable today. Cellar it if you have the space; decant it if you don’t.

We’re fortunate to have picked up a few magnums from special vintage, as well as our usual handful of 750s. We’ll be putting a few of both format in the back of the family cellar, to be brought out in another 10 years. But as it’s drinking so well already, we may leave a few at the front.

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GOUBERT Gigondas “Florence” 2010
Ansonia Retail: $50
quarter-case: $42/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 3- 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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GOUBERT Gigondas “Florence” 2010 (1.5L)
Ansonia Retail: $104
offer price: $88/magnum

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AVAILABLE BY THE 1.5L BOTTLE
EAST COAST SHIPPING INCLUDED

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 29, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Mixed Case: Natural Wine Sampler

“Natural wine” is a popular buzzword these days, one with varied definitions and no lack of controversy. Whatever you take it to mean — biodynamic, no sulfites, organic, unfiltered — the goal is the same: to create wine with little intervention between grape and glass.

At their best, natural wines show vivacity and energy often lacking in conventional styles. These wines leap from the glass, full of exuberance and life, trading polish for gusto, neatness for verve. Here’s a mixed case — two whites and two reds — from four winemakers working in some interpretation of a natural style.

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Mersiol Auxerrois 2014
The Domaine Mersiol’s vineyards have been fully organic for more than a decade. Their crisp, expressive whites combine the stoniness of the granite countryside with the floral profusion of Alsatian spring. Auxerrois is a variation of Pinot Blanc, a grape with a mouthfilling, unctuous texture. Look for notes of peach and apricot, cut by lemon acidity.

Accoles Gryphe 2013
Winemaker Olivier Leriche brought his biodynamic techniques along when he left Burgundy’s Domaine de l’Arlot to start a new domaine in Ardèche. He carefully cultivates his old-vine carignan using biodynamic viticulture, and produces this delicious, earthy, low alcohol (12.5%) pure Carignan cuvée. Look for dried blueberry in the nose with licorice and dark chocolate in the mouth.

Maillet Macon Igé 2014
Nicolas Maillet is a passionate young winemaker working in the southern half of Burgundy. His wines are pure Chardonnay, unencumbered by oak, filtering, or heavy sulfite use. As a result his wines are dazzlingly complex, showing white flowers, green tea, tangerine, apricot, and more. Maillet’s commitment to organic viticulture clearly shows through his extraordinary, exuberant wines.

Foulaquier Gran’T 2011
The Mas Foulaquier was our original source for biodynamic wine. Winemakers Pierre Jéquier and Blandine Chauchat believe fervently in their craft, and their vineyards in the northern Languedoc teem with insects and wildflowers. Their wines are similarly vibrant and full of life, with bursting aromas and a cool, balanced earthiness. Their Gran’T is the finest wine they make, a blend of their oldest plots of carignan and grenache. Look for raspberries and lavender.

MIXED CASE:

NATURAL WINE SAMPLER

3x Mersiol Auxerrois 2014: $18
3x Maillet Macon-Igé 2014: $28
3x Accoles Gryphe 2013: $24
3x Foulaquier Gran’T 2011: $38

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Ansonia Retail: $324
mixed case price: $245/case

(free East Coast shipping) | save 25%

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on March 27, 2016March 27, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

The World’s Best Value Chardonnay.

Insider’s White Burgundy. Beside Chablis, the best secret in a white Burgundy lover’s cellar is his stash of St. Aubin. The village is easy to miss, wedged in a valley between Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. And though it rightly plays second fiddle to these two giants, it’s still a source for what wine writer Rajat Parr calls “some of the best-value Chardonnays in the world.”

We too have found remarkable bargains in St. Aubin, and perhaps none more impressive than the 1er cru St. Aubin from Gérard Thomas. This wine comes from from the Murgers des Dents de Chien vineyard, a plot of vines high on a ridge from which one can see north and south along the golden slope.

Consistent. The first white Burgundies from the highly anticipated and much acclaimed 2014 vintage have just arrived in our warehouse; and the first bottles have matched the hype. We never worry about this wine — it’s consistently delicious, despite a few difficult meteorological years in Burgundy — but the 2014 is particularly nice.

The nose shows lemons and toast, with almonds and wild honey in the mouth. It’s perhaps a bit prettier than the past few years, with an added note of elegance and grace. Our gathered family quickly dispatched a bottle yesterday afternoon over local triple cream cheese and scottish smoked salmon. If we had another bottle we would open it over ham this afternoon.

Whatever the occasion, when white Burgundy is called for, this is a delicious and affordable example that punches well above its weight.

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THOMAS St-Aubin 1er cru 2014
Ansonia Retail: $40
case, half-case: $34/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 25, 2016March 25, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Pure, Inky Syrah from the Northern Rhône.

Density. The Northern Rhône valley is a dramatic landscape. From a look up the dizzying slopes it seems the last place in the world suited for viticulture. So steep are the hillsides that all fieldwork — planting, pruning, treating, harvesting, etc — must be done by hand. But winemaking here dates to Greek colonies in the 6th century BCE, several hundred years before even the Romans arrived.

Wine writer Rajat Parr calls the wines of the Northern Rhône a marriage of “bountiful, juicy fruit…animal wildness…and the intellectual stimulation of structure and minerality.” The wines of Saint-Joseph rarely match the splendor and fame of its neighbors to the north and south, Côte Rôtie and Hermitage. But at their best they are well-priced, vibrant examples of the rugged, balanced style of Syrah found only near the 45th parallel.

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Violets and Spice. Denis Basset is a young winemaker based in Crozes-Hermitage, recently listed by Decanter and the Guide Hachette in a dynamic new generation of Crozes-Hermitage winemakers. The wines from his home appellation are crisp and delicious — we released the 2013 Crozes earlier this month — but his finest and richest red comes from Saint-Joseph. This pure syrah wine comes from only an acre of vines, and is named Abimes de l’Enfer (the “Abyss of Hell”) for the vertiginous pitch of its vineyard.

Basset’s 2014 Saint-Joseph is already beautiful. The nose shows spices, violets and intense black pepper; the mouth shows blackberry jam with notes of roasted meat and licorice. This intense wine clocks in at only 13% alcohol, so while it’s mouthfilling and chewy, there’s not an ounce of heaviness. This wine often takes a bit of time to reach its potential, but last night’s bottle suggested it will drink well early as well.

Decant for a half hour, and allow the array of dark spices — anise, cloves, tobacco — to melt into the cool rustic fruit. Serve this alongside a roasted spring lamb with rosemary and mint.

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SAINT CLAIR St-Joseph 2014
Ansonia Retail: $32
case, half-case: $26/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 23, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Perfect 5-year-old Puligny Montrachet.

Precision. Of the three great white Burgundy villages, Puligny-Montrachet most rewards patience. The other two — Chassgane-Montrachet and Meursault — produce wines with a richness that makes many of them drinkable early. But Puligny’s signature minerality makes longevity its strong suit.

It doesn’t always take a decade, though. Last night we opened a 2010 village level Puligny that has hit a beautiful sweet spot between richness and stony freshness. With nearly five years in the bottle, this wine has fleshed out, adding roundness and the nutty, exotic notes that come with bottle age. Cellaring white Burgundies has its risks (see premox), but there’s no gamble with today’s wine — this is perfect village level Puligny as it was meant to be enjoyed.

Balance. Many readers of these posts will recognize the Domaine Boyer-Martenot and its talented winemaker Vincent Boyer. Based in neighboring Meursault, Boyer seems to get more press each year for his pure, classic white Burgundies. Today’s offer is for his 2010 Puligny-Montrachet “Reuchaux.”

Last night, alongside a simple roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon, this wine nearly sang from the glass. The nose shows softened pineapple fruits with notes of almond and mustard seed. The mouth is beautiful, golden, and honeyed, with softened acidity and a dense minerality. This might not be the fanciest Puligny Boyer makes, but we can’t imagine anything drinking better right now.

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BOYER-MARTENOT Puligny-Montrachet 2010
Ansonia Retail: $60
quarter-case: $49/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 3- 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 22, 2016March 23, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Everyday Bordeaux for your Steak. $24

Blackcurrant. Bordeaux is a large, diverse winegrowing region on France’s southwestern coast. Its annual production is nearly ten times that of Burgundy, and its expensive, long-lived red wines from famous chateaux dominate the region’s headlines. (We even have a few in this month’s Futures). But for the careful drinker, Bordeaux’s enormous range of wines offers some affordable, early maturing gems as well.

The Chateau Léhoul is a small family estate in Graves, just south of the city of Bordeaux, and their 2012 Graves rouge is the certainly best wine we’ve yet tasted from them. (We’re not alone: Decanter Magazine ranked the wine first in a tasting of sixty-two 2012 red Graves.) Whether they’re grilled outside or seared on a cast iron pan, if well-browned steaks are in your future, look no further than this perfect accompaniment.

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Dark Chocolate. The Fonta family has been making wine at the Chateau Léhoul since 1798, and today it’s still very much a family affair. When we last visited, winemaker Eric was out making deliveries, so it fell to the grandmère to host us. Léhoul’s small scale and commitment to quality remind us of our family run Burgundy domaines, and their wine seems to get better each year.

The 2012 rouge is a Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend, with an enticing nose of plums, toast, and dark chocolate. The mouth is smooth and full and balanced, showing blackcurrant and cedar. The tannins are round but fine, providing a perfect fruit counterpoint for a kick of umami. And at this price there’s plenty left to splurge for a fine cut of meat.

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LÉHOUL Graves rouge 2012
Ansonia Retail: $30
case, half-case: $24/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 18, 2016March 18, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Refreshing, Standalone White from Alsace. $13.95

Complete. Most wines taste better with a meal; some really require food to reach their full potential. But other wines are complete glasses on their own. One of our favorites in this “aperitif” category is the Auxerrois from our friends at the Domaine Mersiol in Alsace. Whether you’re welcoming guests to a dinner party, or looking for something refreshing on a late Saturday afternoon in spring, this is the perfect standalone glass of white.

Mersiol’s wines embody the Alsace’s signature blend of fruit, flowers, and freshness. Christophe Mersiol attributes the exceptional purity in his wines to an unwavering commitment to organic agriculture. His Auxerrois is a variation on a Pinot Blanc, and displays a perfect balance between round, mouthfilling fruit, and stony, crystalline freshness.

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Fresh. We think the secret to Auxerrois’s appeal is the ratio of fruit to acidity to alcohol. Like Pinot Gris, Auxerrois is a grape with a high potential for viscosity — in the wrong hands it can turn flat. But Mersiol’s Auxerrois is 12.9% alcohol and shows beautiful peach and apricot fruit cut by a sharp, lemon acidity. The result is a straightforward, utterly drinkable wine.

Auxerrois needs no accompaniment — think of it as great background music, rather than a concert in its own right. But if you’re hungry and an open bottle appears in your kitchen, consider grilled chicken, goat cheese, or a simple salad. Spring may not have arrived just yet, but when it does you’ll want a bit of this on hand.

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MERSIOL Auxerrois 2014
Ansonia Retail: $17
case, half-case: $13.95/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 16, 2016March 16, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Mixed Case: Village Level Burgundies

Most coverage of the wines of Burgundy focuses on premier crus and grand crus, the region’s top two classification levels. But for the savvy Burgundy enthusiast, there’s no shortage of interesting wines at the village level. Often pulling from several plots inside a single town, these wines provide excellent opportunities to appreciate the character of a single village.

We’ve put together a mixed case of six village-level wines from the Côte d’Or — two white, four red. Each wine deftly expresses the characteristics of its village, and they display the region-wide terroir shifts that make Burgundy both complicated and fascinating.

village-burgs

Boyer Meursault 13
Meursault is known for rich white wines that are both round and energetic. Vincent Boyer is a rising star in the village, and his Meursault “Tillets” shows white flowers, pear, and hazelnut. Serve this with lobster in butter.

Prunier Auxey-Duresses 14
Auxey-Duresses usually produces wines with less richness than its neighbor Meursault. But Prunier’s old-vine Auxey Duresses is a concentrated, dense white Burgundy one could easily mistake for high-elevation Meursault. Look for elderflower and lemon rind; serve with swordfish.

Ravaut Ladoix 09
Ladoix is an often forgotten town on the border between the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. Ravaut’s 2009 Ladoix is ripe and delicious, showing cinnamon and currants in the nose, with round, punchy tannins in the mouth. Serve with a roast chicken.

Gros Chambolle-Musigny 11
Michel Gros’s Chambolle-Musigny is a classic, showing the silkiness and elegance for which the appellation is famous. Allen Meadows called Gros’s 2011 Chambolle “utterly delicious;” look for notes of wild cherries, earth, and smoke. Serve with pan-seared duck breasts.

Amiot Morey-St-Denis 07
The Amiot domaine is right on the main street of Morey-St-Denis, and their village level red is classic. It shows very fine minerality, raspberries and blackberries, and a delicate woodsiness. Serve this with a steak salad or some hard cow’s milk cheese.

Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin 12
Gérard Quivy’s 18th century house in the middle of Gevrey-Chambertin is as meticulous and ornate as his wines. His 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin shows graham cracker and dense raspberry, with a cool, energetic mouthfeel. Serve with skirt steaks given plenty of browning.

MIXED CASE:

VILLAGE LEVEL BURGUNDIES

2x Boyer-Martenot Meursault 13: $50
2x Prunier Auxey-Duresses 14: $45
2x Ravaut Ladoix 09: $36
2x Gros Chambolle-Musigny 11: $72
2x Amiot Morey-St-Denis 07: $52
2x Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin 12: $52

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Ansonia Retail: $614
mixed case price: $495/case

(free East Coast shipping) | save $116

Email Tom to place an order.

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Posted on March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Unfiltered Grenache: Springtime in a Glass

Around the Corner. Much of New England has slipped behind a veil of rain this week, and the May sun feels a long way off. But the warm weekend weather drove more than a few green shoots from the soggy ground and the air seems to have turned a corner towards spring. It’s not quite rosé season, but it’s not far off either.

In the meantime, we’re excited to introduce a new vintage of wines from our friends at Mas Foulaquier in the Languedoc. Many readers know Foulaquier for their commitment to pure, unadulterated, vibrant red wines from the south of France. Their fervent belief in biodynamics and organics translates into some of the most expressive and delicious wines we import.

These smooth, inky, floral wines are the perfect segue from winter to spring. Today we’re releasing the 2013 “Petit Duc,” a majority Grenache wine, and among their finest efforts yet.

Vibrant. Walking into a Mas Foulaquier vineyard is like entering a primordial garden. The winemakers practice minimal intervention, eschewing pesticides and chemical treatments. Their rows of vines are full of bees, rabbits, and wildflowers. Foulaquier wines are similarly vibrant and full of life — the aromas burst from the glass, unhindered by filtering or heavy sulfur.

The 2013 Petit Duc is elegant and delicious. The nose is complex and beautifully expressive, showing deep black cherries, earthy fruit, and cool spring flowers. The mouth is clean and dark, with notes of wild cherry pie and cassis. The splash of Syrah helps to smooth out the tannin, and make this an effortlessly drinkable glass of wine.

We enjoyed this last night with a simple London broil and a springtime salad. It may be blustery and rainy outside, but while we wait for the warm breezes to arrive, at least there’s some springtime already here in a glass of Foulaquier.

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FOULAQUIER Petit Duc 2013
Ansonia Retail: $34
case, half-case: $28/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 13, 2016March 13, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Advance Order: New 15-year-old Red Burgundy

Old-School. A properly aged bottle of wine is one of the great culinary pleasures. As the world moves at a frenetic pace and winemakers adapt to the demand for early-drinking wines, such bottles become increasingly rare. Patience and cellar space are in short supply.

Today we’re pleased to introduce a new producer to our portfolio. The Domaine Pierre Bourée in Gevrey-Chambertin has long made wines that call to mind the Burgundy of fifty years ago. Where most Burgundian winemakers destem their grapes for softer tannins and earlier maturity, Bourée uses only ambient yeasts, and ferments whole clusters for several days, allowing tannins from the skins to soak fully into the juice.

In recent years, the domaine’s style has moved a bit closer to the modern norm, but we’ve found a few gems in the older style, and are excited to introduce one of them today. We’ll be including several Bourée wines in next Sunday’s March Futures Issue, but we’re opening up the bidding early on one.

bouree

Patience. The catch with the traditional style is the need for cellaring, but with this wine the domaine has done the work for us. The Santenay 1er cru “Gravieres” 2001 was harvested almost fifteen years ago, and has rested in the cool, dark Bourée cellar since it was bottled. Today it is a strikingly delicious bottle of wine: built for ageing, and just now emerging mature from more than a decade of quiet.

Bourée’s 2001 “Gravières” is elegant and beautiful, with an impressive amount of power for a wine its age. The tannins are entirely round after their decade plus in the bottle. The nose of the wine is exceptional, with notes only found in well-aged red Burgundy: elegant, softened fruits join mushrooms, forest floor, and toast. The mouth is full and vibrant, with wild red cherries, cinnamon, and cassis.

This is the style of the Burgundy that Julia Child or MFK Fisher would recognize — it’s a glimpse back to a slower, simpler time. Pick a Sunday afternoon, decant a bottle of this Santenay, put a roast in the oven, and remember some things are worth waiting for.

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BOURÉE Santenay 1er cru “Gravières” 2001
Ansonia Retail: $540/case
March Futures price: $395/case ($32.92/bot)

AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS.

QUANTITIES LIMITED.

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

NOTE: THIS IS AN ADVANCE ORDER; WE EXPECT THIS WINE TO ARRIVE IN LATE APRIL OR MAY

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Posted on March 11, 2016May 28, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

Value in Saint-Emilion: 2010 Chateau Montlisse

Bargain. Prices in Bordeaux have never been higher, fed by increasing global demand, particularly from China. With next month’s en primeur release of the highly anticipated 2015s, the trend upward will likely continue. With value on the mind, we often seek out second wines of famous vineyards, or secondary properties from famous winemakers.

Christian Dauriac, for example, owns the Chateaux Destieux and Montlisse in St. Emilion. Destieux, a Grand Cru Classé, is his flagship, and deserving of all the praise it receives. But the Grand Cru Chateau Montlisse is an extraordinary bargain that we have enjoyed for years. It’s the product of an accomplished winemaker with excellent terroir, but at a far more reasonable price.

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Cassis. 2010 is an exceptional vintage in Bordeaux, among the best in decades. We’ve just restocked on the 2010 Montlisse and are excited to have a favorite steak wine back in stock. Since our first tasting of this wine a year ago, the oak has melted beautifully into the fruit, and the dense, firm tannins promise a bright future. Look for notes of plums and toast, with cassis and dark chocolate in the mouth.

It’s unusual to find fine Saint Emilion at this price, particularly from a year like 2010. But to find it with perfect provenance — (this wine was in Montlisse’s cellar until last month) — is even rarer. Good Bordeaux often carries a three- or four-figure price tag, but it’s good to remember that it doesn’t have to. Decant this for a half hour and pair with either with good steak or veal, or something roasted on a Sunday afternoon.

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MONTLISSE Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2010
Ansonia Retail: $40
quarter case: $32/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 9, 2016March 9, 2016 by Thomas Wilcox

100-Year-Old Vines, Pure Grenache, Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Dense. Vine age is important in determining the taste of wine. As a vine ages it yields fewer grapes: the quality of the fruit improves, but the quantity decreases. Winemakers face an important and difficult decision of when to replant, sacrificing quality for quantity.

We’re always happy to find a winemaker who has held off replanting in favor of quality. Old vines produce concentrated wines that show excellent depth and range. A recent favorite in this category is the “Puy Rolland,” a cuvée of Chateauneuf-du-Pape made from a single plot 100-year-old grenache vines.

It’s unusual to find Châteauneuf-du-Pape that’s pure Grenache, but it’s even rarer to find one from vines planted during World War I.

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Centenarian. The Chateau la Font du Loup is a small producer in the eastern half of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Most Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a blend of grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, and a handful of other grapes. Font du Loup reserves the finest, oldest parcel of pure Grenache for this single wine. They don’t make much of it, but the quality is first rate.

The 2013 Puy Rolland is the most enjoyable young Châteauneuf-du-Pape we’ve had in years. With extremely concentrated fruit and beautiful fine-grained tannins, this is ready to drink even today, and made lots of friends at our warehouse tasting last week. The nose is wild strawberry jam, with fruit blended into a beautiful cool earthiness. The mouth is soft and silky, with good balance and exceptional density.

This should drink well for a decade or more; but where much Châteauneuf-du-Pape requires at least half that time, this one would be a joy to drink tomorrow.

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FONT DU LOUP Chateauneuf-du-Pape “Puy Rolland” 2013
Ansonia Retail: $54
quarter case: $48/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 3- 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Posted on March 7, 2016June 27, 2017 by Thomas Wilcox

Classic, Affordable Red Burgundy from Michel Gros

Classic. Burgundy isn’t always the most accessible of wines. The classification system is confusing, many bottles need cellaring, food pairing can be tricky, and there’s often a hefty entry fee. So we’re are always on the lookout for entry-level Burgundy — wine that drinks well young and that won’t break the bank.

One of our favorite sources for affordable Burgundy is the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits — a beautiful, rural patchwork of vineyards, meadows, and monasteries just west of the famous Côte d’Or. Michel Gros, our best-known winemaker, produces a simpler wine from the Hautes-Côtes that retains the signature silky, smoky style of his more famous wines from Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny. It’s an affordable chance to see what all the fuss is about.

“Plum, Cassis, and Violets.” Wine Critic Allen Meadows (Burghound) was effusive about the 2012 Hautes-Côtes de Nuits rouge from Michel Gros, including it in his regional list of the best values of the vintage. Citing a “beautifully well-layered nose of plum, cassis, and violets,” Meadows went on to call it “among the best that I have seen from him.”

We agree with Burghound, and having just restocked last week on the 2012 Gros Hautes-Côtes rouge, we can confirm it’s drinking better than ever. Today the wines shows juicy wild cherry fruits, a concentrated earthiness, and a vibrant mouthfeel. It’s a great Burgundy to have around when you’re not feeling the need for Chambolle-Musigny, and it comes in at about half the price.

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GROS Hautes-Côtes de Nuits rouge 2012
Ansonia Retail: $35
case, half-case price: $29/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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