Author: Thomas Wilcox
$20 White Burgundy: a Safe Investment
Volatile. After watching a rough day on Wall Street, we’re in the mood for something safe. While sure bets are as rare in the wine world as they are in the equity markets, this wine is about as close as it gets. (We’re thankful Burgundy isn’t listed on the commodity exchanges.)
The Gérard Thomas Bourgogne blanc (ticker symbol GTBB) is trading right around $20 — the elusive everyday-priced white Burgundy. Thomas makes excellent, pure chardonnay at the village and premier cru levels (his Puligny from last week sold out in a day), but his Bourgogne blanc is the standby — delicious and well-priced every year.
Safe. We have this wine in two vintages, 2012 and 2013, and both are lovely. The 2013, (call it NFLX) is younger and livelier, with more freshness and a toastier mouth. The 2012 is a another year older and a bit rounder and deeper, (GOOG, perhaps), but wouldn’t be considered soft — the acidity remains, and is backed up by a delicious richness.
We opened the 2012 last night with chicken piccata; (if you don’t already use the Cook’s Illustrated recipe, we highly recommend it). It’s plenty bright, and matched nicely with the lemony chicken. We’re not sure what today’s markets will do, but come the closing bell we’ll be happy to have some of this wine in the portfolio.
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THOMAS Bourgogne 2012, 2013
Ansonia Retail: $24
case, half-case price: $19.95/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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Rosé Sale this Saturday: Newton Depot
Value in Saint-Emilion: 2010 Chateau Montlisse
La Chine. Prices in Bordeaux have never been higher, fed by increasing global demand, particularly from China. We’re always looking for value in Bordeaux, and we often find it in second wines of famous vineyards, or secondary properties from famous winemakers. These wines command much more reasonable prices, but are still the products of masterful winemakers and excellent terroir.
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. We released the 2002 Chateau Montlisse earlier this month, and today we’re releasing the 2010.
Classic. 2010 is considered an exceptional vintage in Bordeaux, among the best in decades. When we tasted it back in March, the 2010 Chateau Montlisse was young and oaky but delicious — we picked some up with the future in mind. Since its arrival we’ve opened a few bottles, and are pleased to report it has already begun to drink well. The oak has melted into the fruit nicely, and the dense, firm tannins suggest a bright future.
It’s unusual to find Grand Cru 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 June) — is even rarer. Several readers have already picked up split cases of the 2002 and 2010 — we think the comparison will be very interesting, and are happy to split a case for anyone else.
Try either with good steak or veal, or something roasted on a Sunday afternoon.
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MONTLISSE St-Emilion Grand Cru 2010
Ansonia Retail: $42
case, half-case price: $36/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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Split case of Montlisse 2002 / Montlisse 2010: $432/case
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A Delicious Experiment in the Rhône. $25
Gaul. There’s a sense of ancient history in the south of France. Roman-era towns and crumbling ruins dot the countryside — even the modern highways follow the ancient “Via Agrippa” of the Romans. Winemaking here is just as old, and archeologists have found presses dating back to 400 BC.
Winemaking in Séguret, a twenty-minute drive across the valley from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, dates to the year 611 — and little has changed in 1400 years. But winemaker Nicolas Haeni has introduced something new to the area: a remodeled hillside built with the help of bulldozers, architects, and the EU funded “Priorat Life” project. He calls the project “Domaine Malmont.”
A New Look. Malmont is a series of carefully inclined terraces, each with a 3% gradient, resulting in a hillside with less erosion and more control over water runoff. Now 10 years into his project, Haeni has released his first vintage, and he’s off to a great start. This maybe the first Séguret from Nicolas’s new domaine, but his knowledge of the local terroir extends back decades, from his time at his family’s first winery, the Domaine de Cabasse.
Our first shipment of 2013 Malmont Séguret arrived in the states in the late spring, and has already found many fans among Ansonia readers. The wine is a Côtes du Rhône Villages with an unusual depth and complexity. A blend of Grenache and Syrah, the wine shows dark burnt cherries and menthol in the nose, and a mouth that is bright and structured, with hearty but rounded tannins and a dark blackberry finish.
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MALMONT Séguret 2013
Ansonia Retail: $28
case, half-case: $25/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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Violets and Cinnamon: Grand Cru Burgundy
The Finest. Of the four vineyard levels in Burgundy, “Grand Cru” is the highest. Reserved for the top 1.3% of vineyards, the classification represents the finest Burgundy has to offer. The town of Gevrey-Chambertin is known for deep and powerful wines, owing their richness to the high level of clay in the soil. The Grand Crus of Chambertin are some of the darkest and longest lived wines in Burgundy.
Today’s wine, a Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, combines a silky, “charming” character with the classic depth of a Grand Cru from Gevrey-Chambertin. Jean-Louis Amiot and his brother Didier make dense, beautifully polished wines from their centuries-old stone domaine in the center of Morey-St-Denis. Their style has shifted in recent years, perhaps to match with a string of well-concentrated, riper vintages.
Seductive. Heat and lots of rain made 2011 a difficult vintage for Burgundians, but the results have been very promising; wine critic Allen Meadows (Burghound) calls it “a singularly seductive vintage.” We were impressed with the Amiot 2011s from our first taste, and they’ve already picked up lovely notes as their bottle aging begins.
We opened a 2011 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru from Amiot last night, and it reminded us just how impressive red Burgundy can be. From the moment the cork was pulled, the nose exploded with silky, beautiful violets and cinnamon, gaining expressiveness with time in the glass. The mouth was dark cranberry jam, and though it awakened more slowly than the nose, the palate showed a deeply concentrated core, with ripe tannins and a firm structure.
This is a wine in its youth, but no longer one in its infancy. With another few years in a cellar the nose will add spice and woodsiness, and the mouth smooth smooth and lengthen. But with some help from a carafe and a nicely grilled steak, we enjoyed every drop from last night’s bottle.
NOTE: We’ve relaxed our usual half-case minimum to 3 bottles.
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AMIOT Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2011
Ansonia Retail: $130
offer price: $109/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 3- 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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Pure, Unoaked Chardonnay: Chablis 1er Cru
Unique. Chablis is a singular place. Its combination of deep stony soils and cool climate exists nowhere else on earth. These factors produce a similarly singular wine — mineral and crisp, pure and clean. Our goal as importers is to find wines that reflect the place from which they come, and there is no better place to find them than Chablis.
Cyril Gautheron is a rising star here. The Gautheron Family has made wine in Chablis for 200 years, but Cyril has taken the reins with an unusual passion. Our visits with him regularly run late as he explains the intricacies of his family’s property, and shows us unblended wines from dozens of plots.
Today’s wine, the Chablis 1er cru “Vaucoupin” is pure, elegant Chardonnay. In an era where many Chablis vignerons now add oak to their 1er crus, Gautheron keeps his entirely unoaked, allowing the stony soil to show through as delicate minerality.
Flint. Jancis Robinson calls Chablis “one of the great white wines of the world.” Though it’s often overlooked because of price and brand confusion, the wines are among the finest in our cellar. Nowhere else does Chardonnay achieve the same elegant, flinty clarity; and Gautheron’s expression of this region is as pure and true as any.
Because of its bright acidity, Chablis is a classic pairing for shellfish and fish. But as a 1er cru from 35 year old vines, Vaucoupin shows an extra dose of fullness. We’d readily pair this with a richer fish – like swordfish or monkfish – or switch over to a roast chicken.
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GAUTHERON Chablis 1er “Vaucoupin” 13
Ansonia Retail: $28
case, half-case price: $24/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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New Cabernet Sauvignon. $15.95
Well-traveled. Cabernet Sauvignon is the world’s most widely planted grape. It’s grown everywhere — from Bordeaux to Brazil to British Columbia — and comes in a wide variety of textures and expressions. Cabernet Sauvignon is a cross, likely spontaneous, between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon blanc — a gift from the winemaking gods.
Today’s Cabernet is unlike any we’ve ever had. Grown in the rugged Ardèche region of central southern France, the “Cab” from the Domaine des Accoles is dark, juicy, and earthy. Accoles commitment to biodynamic farming and natural winemaking is clear in this complex wine. It’s distinctly Cabernet, but it’s just as distinctly Accoles.
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Blackcurrants. Accoles is the project of Olivier Leriche, who brings a Burgundian elegance to his wines, including old-vine grenache, rosé, and carignan. Leriche, late of Burgundy’s famous Domaine de l’Arlot, established the Domaine des Accoles a few years ago. His first few vintages have been met with much acclaim, and his wines appear in restaurants by Michael Mina and Daniel Boulud, among others.
“Cab des Acolytes” is distinctive and delicious. Olivier has blended a touch of Grenache into the wine to soften the mouthfeel, but the wine does not lack for character or complexity. Notes of earthy, wild blackcurrants dominate, and the palate is juicy, rich, and exuberant. It’s balanced enough to drink in hot weather, but will lead you nicely into the coming fall. Olivier recommends charcuterie and sheep-milk cheeses as a pairing.
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ACCOLES Le Cab’ des Acolytes 2013
Ansonia Retail: $18
case, half-case price: $15.95/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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Puligny-Montrachet: Rich, Elegant, and Rare.
Precision. Burgundy is a small place. The town of Puligny-Montrachet, which Clive Coates calls “the greatest white wine commune on earth,” covers less than a single square mile. And yet the wines from this town have been prized for over a thousand years.
What makes this tiny corner of Burgundy so special? On the ground, it’s a combination of soil content (limestone, clay, and other minerals), slope, and exposition. In the glass, Puligny is a white Burgundy with added structure, more tension, and a beautiful, angular elegance. As Coates puts it, “Puligny is where Burgundian Chardonnay is at its most complete.”
Excellence. Winemaker Gérard Thomas owns a tiny sliver of land in Puligny-Montrachet — just over a hectare, or about half of a Manhattan city block. Thomas’s Puligny 1er cru has the richness and concentration of neighboring Meursault and Chassagne, but adds a lively raciness only found in Puligny.
Puligny ages well, and Thomas’s 1er cru is often better the second year after it arrives, after the acidity has melded into the core. But with food, this is lovely today. This scallop recipe adds summery notes (basil and lemon) for a simple, beautiful combination. The Puligny should match perfectly.
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THOMAS Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru 2013
Ansonia Retail: $52
case, half-case price: $46/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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Introducing: the Ansonia Notebook
2002 St. Emilion Grand Cru
Alchemy. The effect of time on wine is one of the culinary world’s great magic tricks. Timing and conditions are crucial, and with patience and cellar space in short supply, well-aged wines are increasingly rare. Older French wines in the US have often been stored poorly, or have changed hands so many times they include layers upon layers of markups.
But with the right wine and the right conditions, a mysterious and beautiful alchemy takes place. Today’s wine — the 2002 Chateau Montlisse St-Emilion Grand Cru — has been in the cellar where it was made for 13 years, arriving in Boston just two months ago. If that isn’t perfect storage, we don’t know what is.
Sous bois. The Chateau Montlisse is the project of Christian Dauraic, a retired biopharma executive who owns two St-Emilion properties (Chateaux Montlisse and Destieux) and one Pomerol: Chateau la Clemence. Made from merlot and cabernet franc (85/15), Montlisse is the simpler of the two St-Emilions, and by far the better priced.
The 02 Montlisse has aged just beautifully. The nose is full of the woodsy, mushroom aromas found in older Bordeaux, and the oak has integrated perfectly into the fruit. In mouth, this once-tannic wine has softened considerably, but not so much as to become flabby. It shows dark, dried-plum fruits and a midweight, long finish.
We were impressed with the amount of vibrancy left in this wine, and while we wouldn’t recommend cellaring it for another 13 years, today it’s an utterly pleasant glass of bottle-aged Bordeaux. Carefully grill your best cut of steak, and marvel at what a little patience can do.
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MONTLISSE St-Emilion Grand Cru 2002
Ansonia Retail: $42
case, half-case price: $36/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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Pure Old-Vine Grenache.
Old-Timers. Grenache is France’s second most planted grape. Found mostly in the South, as the primary grape in most Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône, grenache vines can also live well past their 100th birthday. With age comes lower yields and higher quality.
Old-vine grenache can be deliciously concentrated, with mouth-filling intensity and impressive length; but if harvested too late, it may lack acidity and energy. Heaviness is never something to worry about in wines from Olivier Leriche. Leriche brings a Burgundian balance to all his wines, including his beautiful old-vine Grenache: le Rendez-Vous.
Acclaim and joy. After leaving Burgundy’s prestigious Domaine de l’Arlot in 2011, Leriche acquired a plot of old vine grenache in the Ardèche, and began making wines under the name Domaine des Accoles. Olivier’s first few vintages have been met with much acclaim, and his wines appear in restaurants by Michael Mina and Daniel Boulud, among others. Though his wines are unmistakably southern, Leriche imbues them with a sense of Burgundian finesse and delicacy.
Rendez-Vous is pure old-vine grenache, and is an utter joy to drink. It’s pleasantly rustic in the mouth, showing roasted wild cherry fruit, pan drippings, earth, and smoke. Rendez-Vous 2013 is young and vibrant, and we think best enjoyed with food. We decanted a bottle for a half hour last week and served it with pan-seared steaks.
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ACCOLES Rendez-Vous 2013
Ansonia Retail: $17
case, half-case price: $14.95/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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A Sparkling Blend of Grapes and Cultures.
Contested. Alsace is one of our favorite places to visit. Wedged between France and Germany, this remarkably beautiful region has changed hands four times since the 1930s. Its inhabitants identify as Alsatian more than either French or German, and today Alsace incorporates the best traditions – cultural, culinary, oenological – of both nations.
Following last month’s posts on the Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Rosé from Francis Muré, we’ll check the final box today and tell you about his excellent crémant. Made by the traditional method for French sparkling wine, the Muré Crémant is made from 100% Pinot Blanc aged on the lees for two years. It’s the perfect way to start a meal.
Cassis. Muré’s Crémant d’Alsace is bright and dry but has more fruit than most crémant we offer from Burgundy. The gentle mousse of bubbles lends a refreshing energy to the exuberant, fruit-forward palate. We suggest welcoming guests to your next dinner party with a glass of this, perhaps with a splash of crème de cassis to make a kir.
For a more specific pairing, find a triple cream cheese – Delice de Bourgogne, Brillat-Savarin, or even St. André. Let the cheese come to room temperature, and serve it with crusty fresh bread. The combination of tiny bubbles and creamy cheese makes for a delightful contrast in texture.
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MURÉ Crémant d’Alsace
Ansonia Retail: $25
offer price: $19.95/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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Grenache and Syrah: Violets and Plums.
Vin Naturel. “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 more conventional styles. These wines leap from the glass, full of exuberance and life, trading polish for gusto, neatness for verve. Our favorite source for wines of this ilk is the Mas Foulaquier.
Complexity and Class. Foulaquier, you may remember, is a small, beautifully tended estate in very north of the sprawling Languedoc. Its winemakers are devoutly committed to biodynamic and organic viticulture, and the results are spectacular – rich, deep, complex red wines with notes of earth, spice, jam, and forest floor.
Foulaquier’s simplest wine is the “Tonillieres” cuvée. A blend of grenache and syrah, this cool, floral wine is just the recipe for warm evening on the roof deck. Look for notes of dark, vibrant fruit, violets, plums, and provencal spices. Try it with a mixed plate of charcuterie.
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FOULAQUIER Tonillieres 2013
Ansonia Retail: $25
case, half-case price: $22/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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Weekend Reads: 7.31.15
A few of the articles on wine and food we enjoyed this week:
ON FOOD
Sandorkraut — a Video Documentary : NYT
An excellent short (10 min) documentary on master fermenter Sandor Katz.
A Secret Parisian Sauce Recipe : WSJ
A battle over a secret steak sauce recipe, one that we’ve tried to copy many times.
ON DRINK
2015 French grape harvest update : Jancis Robinson
Jancis gives us an early optimistic outlook on the 2015 vintage in France.
The Chemistry of Wine : Washington Post
A look at the chemical compounds found in a glass of wine.
Pierce’s Disease arrives in France : Decanter
A lethal vine disease, long a problem in California, is found in France for the first time