Author: Thomas Wilcox

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Smooth, Inky Red Bordeaux: 5-Year-Old Saint-Estèphe under $35

We don’t import much Bordeaux. Burgundy’s scale and culture have always fit us better: smaller estates, a less formal atmosphere, etc. But it’s no secret that Bordeaux makes some extraordinary wines, and we’re glad to have some in our portfolio.

One of the most exciting discoveries in recent years has been the Fleuron de Liot — a Saint-Estèphe from a tiny Burgundy-scale 1.5 acre plot on Bordeaux’s Left Bank. It’s equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and just keeps getting better.

This wine has overperformed its price tag since it arrived a few years ago. But now five years on from harvest, the 2014 has blossomed into a stunner. It’s inky and intense — the unusually high percentage of Merlot gives it a velvety texture, which melts beautifully into the masculine Cabernet tannins.

We opened a bottle over the weekend with steak frites, and the match was perfect harmony. The nose shows dried licorice, berries, iodine, maillard, and dried black currants. The mouthfeel is dense and sophisticated, with a long, clean, supple finish.

This isn’t the most ageworthy or expensive Bordeaux in our cellar; but at the price, it’s an overperforming steal today. Carafe it for a half hour.

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Fleuron de Liot St-Estèphe 2014
bottle price: $34

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72-Hour Father’s Day Sale

We’re both fathers these days here at Ansonia Wines, so we think Father’s Day is worthy of some celebration. In case your father (or your kids) needs a last minute present, we’ve chosen 6 of our favorite wines, and knocked a bit off the price.

(Also — for any self-gifting fathers or non-fathers out there looking for a bargain on a nice bottle or two — no judgment.)

  • all 15% off
  • no minimum purchase
  • free shipping on all bottles

Use the code PERE at checkout for 15% off and free shipping. Sale ends Sunday at midnight.

 

1. Michel Gros Nuits-St-Georges “Chaliots” 2005
“one of the greatest vintages in the history of modern Burgundy” — Burghound
$125 (–15%) = $106.25/bot
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2. Michel Gros Vosne-Romanée 1er cru “Clos des Réas” 2016
“very well balanced…fine structure…excellent. 92 points” — Neal Martin
$160 (–15%) = $136/bot
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3. Varoilles Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru “La Romanée” 2015
“Vibrant, delicious…exceptionally ripe…spice, violet, menthol. 92 pts” — Burghound
$108 (–15%) = $91.80/bot
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4. Varoilles Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2016
“Impressively powerful, big-bodied…blackberry liqueur… smoked game. 93 pts” — Burghound
$169 (–15%) = $143.65/bot
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5. Boyer-Martenot Meursault 1er cru “Perrières” 2016
“Excellent drive…precise, rich, balanced… beautifully persistent. 92 pts” — Burghound
$135 (–15%) = $114.75/bot
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6. Boyer-Martenot Meursault 1er cru “Genevrières” 2017
“at once thick and piquant…classic, dense, vibrant…this is superb. 94 pts” — Vinous
$132 (–15%) = $112.2/bot
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Golden, “Utterly Delicious” 2015 White Burgundy.

The Côte d’Or produces nearly all of Burgundy’s most famous wines. It’s split into the Côte de Nuits (famous for its reds), and the Côte de Beaune (famous for its whites); if you’ve got an expensive, ageworthy Burgundy, it’s almost certainly from the Côte d’Or.

But Burgundy doesn’t have to be expensive or ageworthy to be delicious. A talented winemaker with excellent terroir can make terrific wine miles from the main drag, and today’s wine is a perfect example.

Michel Gros is best known for his brilliant red Burgundies from towns like Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle Musigny, and Nuits-St-Georges. But he also holds quite a bit of land in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. With so many excellent reds, one might wonder why Gros bothers with a white at all. But one taste of this wine will settle the question.

The Fontaine-Saint-Martin vineyard is named for an ancient Cistercian abbey dating to 1127. The hillside of vines has been in production for centuries, and tended by Michel and his father before him for the last 40 years. In 2014 Gros determined this special terroir was sufficiently different to merit its own cuvée.

The Fontaine Saint Martin is indeed special — its soil is the same mix of marl, clay, and limestone found on the Hill of Corton. The wine may not match the richness or longevity of a Corton-Charlemagne, but its smooth floral quality readily calls to mind the famous Grand Cru.

From a rich year with perfect ripeness, the 2015 Fontaine-St-Martin blanc is not a wine to keep for a decade. It’s open, approachable, and simply delicious today. Burghound found “fine richness” and “round and utterly delicious flavors.” The nose is floral, showing gardenia, white pepper, pears, toasted lemon. The mouth is intense and smooth, at once mouthfilling and fresh.

It’s a perfect cocktail white — don’t tell your guests it’s not from the hill of Corton, and they’ll never know what you paid for it.

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Gros Fontaine-St-Martin blanc 2015
bottle price: $35

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“Rich and Seductive” Drink-Now Premier Cru Red Burgundy. $35

Burgundy can be an intimidating place. Its classification rules are complicated, and its wines often require precise and careful cellaring. Even for experienced collectors it can tricky to time the optimum drinking window, and getting it wrong can be disappointing and expensive.

But not all red Burgundy is so tricky. In Santenay, a town at the southern end of the Côte d’Or, Roger Belland and his daughter Julie make wines that are neither pretentious nor pricey. The Bellands use a cool, slow fermentation to preserve the fruit in their wines, and the results and friendly, attractive, delicious red Burgundies require little patience.

Belland’s wines drink so well upon release that we rarely have any around from back vintages. But in fact they age quite well, and today’s 2014 premier cru is an excellent example. We checked in on the wine last night, and it’s better than ever — beautifully formed, showing complexity without showiness.

In the nose the bright red fruits have softened — the flowers and berries remain but with a hint of cool, clean earth. The mouth is dense and smooth, with a sophisticated juiciness — no longer youthful but with attractive, silky tannins and a palate of raspberry jam and wild cherries. Burghound found it “deeply pitched,” “rich and seductively textured,” and with “good vibrancy,” and suggested 2019 as the prime year to open it — based on last night’s bottle he’s right on.

In a world of overwrought red Burgundies that need time and investment, here’s a slightly aged, drink-now cuvée for under $40.

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Belland Santenay 1er “Beauregard” 2014
bottle price: $35

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“Gorgeous” New Puligny-Montrachet: “the Grace Kelly of Wines”

“Puligny-Montrachet is where Burgundian Chardonnay is at its most complete,” writes Clive Coates MW. The tiny town, covering over less than one square mile, has made highly sought-after wine for nearly a thousand years. Today most consider it, as Coates puts it, “the greatest white wine commune on earth.”

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. Or as Jay McInerney puts it, Puligny is “the Grace Kelly of wines.”

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 sort of lively raciness only found in Puligny. This is brisk, energetic wine backed up by a rich and tension-filled core.

The 2017 Puligny “La Garenne” from Thomas is fresh and young — the youthful tension keeps it brisk and quite energetic. But beneath is a smooth, powerful core with good richness and excellent length. Jancis Robinson found “Toasted nuts, saline and mineral on the nose…gorgeous apple fruit that has just enough ripeness” calling it “Powerful yet retaining the Puligny sense of lightness.”

Serve this with a chicken roasted with rosemary and garlic; enjoy over the next five years.

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Thomas Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru 2017
bottle price: $65

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92-point Right Bank Bordeaux: “Flat-out delicious”

In general, red Burgundy is subtler than red Bordeaux. There are obvious exceptions: well-aged Margaux can be elegant and ethereal, and Gevrey-Chambertin can be bold and rich. But most often, thin-skinned Pinot Noir from limestone-laden soils of Burgundy is more elegant wines than Merlot and Cabernets from clay-rich earth of Bordeaux.

With that in mind, today’s Bordeaux is right in line with expectations. The 2015 Destieux St-Emilion Grand Cru is concentrated, inky and bold — you’d identify is at “not-Burgundy” by sight alone. It’s also, to quote Vinous founder Antonio Galloni, “flat-out delicious.”

Galloni calls Destieux a “modern” St-Emilion — what it lacks in delicacy it makes up for in dazzle. He awards 92 points, and describes it as “flamboyant… unctuous, deep and super-concentrated,” calling it a “texturally rich, sumptuous wine that hits all the right notes.” It may not be subtle, but it’s awfully fun.

The nose shows cocoa, black tea, plums, spice, and violets. The mouth is deep and very long; the tannins are inky and beautifully coated. It needs about an hour in a decanter today, or another 5 years in the cellar – it should age 15 more with ease, if desired.

Brown some strip steaks and plunge your nose into a glass of this; it’s the pure hedonistic pleasure you deserve every once in a while.

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Destieux St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2015
bottle price: $85

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Delightful Sparkling Burgundy: “Superb” $22 Bubbles

“Crémant should never try to be Champagne.” That’s how winemaker Philippe Chautard answered when one of our guests asked him to compare the two. “Crémant is from Burgundy, and should act like it.”

What does he mean by that? Well, if Champagne is about maintaining a consistent taste and brand over millions of bottles, Crémant de Bourgogne should be an expression of grape and place and vintage. To Chautard, crémant is just as Burgundian as Vosne or Puligny.

Chautard’s beliefs and efforts speak for themselves. His Extra Brut “Terriors” cuvée is a magnificent value — gorgeous, tension filled sparkling wine that doesn’t even crack $25.

We’ve been fans of Picamelot for years now, but we were pleased to see the Wine Advocate’s resident Champagne expert William Kelley visit last year. After tasting Kelley wrote that “Picamelot produces some of the best sparkling wines in Burgundy,” calling them “elegant,” “excellent,” and “superb.”

This latest vintage of Terroirs from the 2016 harvest is delightful. It’s clean and honest, with notes of almond, pineapple, and cream. The mouth is very dry, quite lively, and crisply refreshing, with apple fruit and a long vinous finish.

Whether you think of crémant as wannabe Champagne, or as an expression of Burgundy in its own right, there’s no denying this is a delicious glass of wine.

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Picamelot Crémant Brut “Terroirs” NV
bottle price: $22

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The New New Muscadet: a 9-Year-Old Gem from the Loire. $25

For years Muscadet was a simple wine. Karen MacNeil’s Wine Bible refers to it as a wine “meant for drinking (not thinking).” A staple of bistros across France, Muscadet’s reputation was as a perfect accompaniment for seafood, and little else.

Then in 2011 the appellation shifted tact. It elevated three terroirs to “Cru Communal” status, limiting the geographic area and requiring longer aging on lees. The increased lees contact led to smoother, silkier textures and far more complexity This new wave of Muscadets became standard bearers for the appellation, no longer just a glass to wash down an oyster.

Today we’re introducing yet another style of Muscadet: bottle aged.

Muscadet’s secret strength may be its ability to age after it’s in the bottle. The 2010 Clisson was harvested from 40 year old vines, and spent two and a half years on lees before bottling. Since then it has continued to develop, adding a remarkable array of flavors, many of which we’d never before experienced.

The nose is very dry, with notes of oxidized green apples, brioche, minerals, and oyster shells; the mouth is surprisingly long and intense. Much like older Rieslings, the acidity in these wines carries them through the years, keeping them alive and kicking nearly a decade later.

If you like dry Loire whites (and we mean dry), or need something unusual to match a Belon oyster or a dry goat cheese, this should do the trick.

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Martin-Luneau Muscadet de
Sèvre et Maine “Clisson” 2010
bottle price: $25

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The Perfect Summer Aperitif

Most wines taste better with food, and some require it. But other wines are complete glasses on their own. One of our favorites in the “aperitif” category is the Auxerrois (OH-sehr-WAH) 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 summer afternoon, 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 organic agriculture. Auxerrois is a variation on a Pinot Blanc, and his displays a perfect balance between round, mouthfilling fruit, and stony, crystalline freshness.

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 brisk and lively, with beautiful peach and apricot fruit cut by a brisk lemon freshness. 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, lobster rolls, goat cheese, or a simple salad. It’s simple, refreshing, affordable — the perfect glass for summer.

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Mersiol Auxerrois 2017
bottle price: $18

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“Elegant” New Sophisticated Premier Cru Chablis: 93 points, $35

Romain Collet is a rising star in Chablis. After taking over the domaine in 2009, Collet has introduced ambient yeasts, new fermentation vessels, and a move towards organic viticulture. The quality has jumped, and despite recent disastrous weather patterns, Romain has produced some remarkable vintages.

We’re not the only ones to notice the improvements. After years away, Burghound, Jasper Morris, and the Wine Advocate have all returned and delivered very complementary reviews. Morris writes of a “significant upsurge in quality,” and WA’s William Kelley remarks “there’s a lot to admire here.”

We’re excited to introduce Collet’s Chablis premier cru from the Vaillons vineyard, a classic terroir and one of the original premier crus of Chablis.

Collet raises his Vaillons in equal thirds — one third in tank, one third in foudre, and one third in small barrels (none new). The resulting cuvée is a marriage of the three methods: freshness from the tank, roundness from the foudre, and dryness from the barrel. The Vaillons terroir is very stony, even for Chablis standards, and this wine’s piercing minerality shines through the ripe, golden fruit.

Kelley awarded 90-92 points, finding it “elegantly textural, with lovely purity, a deep core and a stony finish.” Morris awarded 90-93 points, finding it “attractively persistent” and “pure.” This is everything fine Chablis should be. Look for notes of lemon and flowers, with very fine details and Grand Cru length.

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Collet Chablis 1er “Vaillons” 2017
bottle price: $35

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96-point “Beauty” Riserva from Chianti

Perched on a charming Tuscan hillside, the Fattoria Poggerino is certainly one of the most attractive domaines in our portfolio. (If you’re ever in the area, we highly recommend a visit.) As it turns out, the wine is just as beautiful as the source.

Poggerino’s careful organic viticulture results in wines of unusual purity. Their finest wine is their Chianti Classico Riserva from the “Bugialla” vineyard. Like Poggerino’s other wines, it is pure, unblended Sangiovese. But the Riserva comes from their oldest vines — nearly 45 years old now — and they raise it carefully in oak before bottling.

Poggerino holds it a full year in the bottle before releasing it to the public. Their 2015 was met with universal acclaim, and we’re excited to release it today.

Given time in the bottle, Poggerino’s Riserva becomes a remarkably elegant wine — as complex and subtle as many Burgundies we know. The density from the old vines and time in oak gives this an almost aggressive intensity in its youth. But given a year or two it quickly becomes delightful in a decanter.

The Riserva’s nose is dark in complexion and tenor, but also contains silky high notes of roses and minerals. We found lovely blackberry jam, cherries, and graphite in the nose, but it’s in the the mouth that this wine really comes alive. Look for a dynamic mouthfeel, with juicy “crunchy” notes of currants, licorice, iron, and blueberries.

Jancis Robinson called it “particularly polished,” and wrote “there is beauty here.” The Wine Spectator labeled it “highly recommended,” awarding a whopping 96 points and suggesting it should age well into the 2030s. We don’t plan to keep ours quite that long — our favorite window is usually 3-8 years in — but if you do, we hope you’ll invite us over.

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Poggerino Chianti Classico “Riserva” 2015
bottle price: $45

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Dry, Refreshing Summertime Provençal Rosé

We’d bet that many readers have garages bigger than the Domaine Malmont’s winemaking space. We work with some small-production winemakers, but even by our standards Malmont’s winery is tiny. The space attached to winemaker Nicolas Haeni’s house in Séguret looks more like a large tool shed than a winemaking operation.

But from this tiny place Nicolas crafts some of the most exciting wines in our portfolio. His red Côtes du Rhône and Séguret have gained acclaim from the international wine press; his quantities in white Séguret are too small for us to import, but trust us, it’s exceptional. And today we’re thrilled to release his 2018 Rosé.

Malmont’s vines are high in the hills to the east of Séguret, a series of terraced vineyards that he farms with minimal intervention. His winemaking is similarly restrained, where he uses only ambient wild yeasts, and allows the fermentation to proceed at its own pace. The result is honest wines full of precision and complexity.

Malmont’s 2018 rosé is a blend of Grenache and Syrah (75/25) and a blend of direct pressing and saigné (85/15). The nose shows light strawberries, lemon rind, tangerine, and minerals. The mouth is perfectly balanced, totally dry with excellent freshness and pleasant notes of herbs, lavender, and honey.

It’s effortlessly drinkable. Serve this on a sweltering evening with something from the grill.

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Malmont Rosé 2018
bottle price: $22

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Refreshing Alsatian Summertime Pinot Noir. $19

Our focus on Burgundy means we taste a lot of Pinot Noir. From simple regional wines to ageworthy Grand Cru, there’s a remarkable spectrum of expression in Red Burgundy. But today’s Pinot Noir is outside even Burgundy’s wide range.

In the Alsace, Pinot Noir takes on a less serious role — simpler, juicier, and more floral. Winemakers here usually employ less oak and less extraction, resulting in wines that drink well immediately. They’re not profound or ageworthy, but on a warm summer afternoon it’s hard to think of a better choice.

Today’s wine comes from the Domaine Mersiol, a family source in the picturesque Alsatian hilltown of Dambach-la-Ville. The Mersiols farm organically on rolling, granite-flecked hillsides, producing crisp whites and refreshing juicy reds. Their 2018 Pinot Noir is surprisingly dense and concentrated, and a bit more mouthfilling than usual, but just as pleasant.

The nose shows dark cranberry, wild cherries, and strawberry jam, alongside perfumed spring flowers and violets. The mouth is cool, clean, and refreshing, with excellent freshness, softened tannins and a smooth, lively finish.

We like to serve it as the French often do — a bit cool and, if possible, outside. Bring it along on your next picnic, even if it’s just by an open window.

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Mersiol Pinot Noir 2018
bottle price: $19

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“Premier Cru” Sancerre: Pear, Grapefruit, and Stones

If Sancerre had a grand cru vineyard, it would be the Monts Damnées. This most famous of Sancerre’s terroirs abuts the hamlet of Chavignol west of the town. Sancerre produces popular wine from every corner of its appellation, but the hillside of the Monts Damnées is special.

And just a half mile to the east along the same slope lies “Les Bouffants.” Its soil is similarly full of “Caillotes” (large limestone stones), and it’s from this plot that today’s wine hails. Bouffants’s slope isn’t quite as steep as its famous neighbor, but you’d want someone who knew what they were doing driving a tractor up the hill from you.

The 2017 Bouffants was the first Garenne wine to sell out last year, and we’re excited to have the 2018 back in stock today. Garenne’s regular Sancerre is delightful and everything we look for in a Sancerre. But “Bouffants” is truly something special.

Made from pure, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc, Bouffants is more dense and serious than Garenne’s regular cuvée. The 2018 is concentrated and very long, full of deep mineral intensity and dried fruit. Look for notes of pears and grapefruits, with a long, clean, very dry finish. Think of the ripe fruitiness of a classic Sauvignon combined with the stony core of a Cru Muscadet.

Bouffants is a perfect food wine and can stand up to a wide range of diverse flavors. Serve it with steamed lobsters and ample butter this summer, and it will be years before your guests forget the pairing.

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Garenne Sancerre “Bouffants” 2018
bottle price: $28

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Smooth, Dry, Thirst-Quenching New Provencal Rosé. $19

Rosé may be in vogue of late, but its origins are actually quite old. The people of Provence have made rosé since 6th Century BC, when Phonecean ships brought vines across the Mediterranean. Today Provence remains one of the world’s centers of rosé production.

With spring weather finally here, rosé season is upon us, and we’re excited to release a cuvée that meets all three of our rosé criteria: dry, inexpensive, and refreshing. Goubert’s Rosé de Flo has become staple at summer cocktail parties among our readers.

It’s dry, delicious, and dangerously easy to drink.

Rosé de Flo is the project of the Cartier family’s thirtysomething daughter Florence, who is now handling much of the winemaking at Goubert. Her rosé is 100% saigné (literally, “bled”) meaning it’s made entirely from juice that runs off from grapes resting in the tank. This makes for a more subtle, elegant style, with increased floral notes and a crisper, less mouthfilling palate.

The 2018 Rosé de Flo is a blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre. The nose shows spring flowers and red fruits like strawberry and raspberry. The mouth is more refreshing than last year’s with good intensity and refreshing and brisk mouthfeel — look for notes of grapefruit zest and citrus.

Bone dry, with soft ripeness and beautiful tension, this wine disappears with remarkable haste. Open one with a salad, or goat cheese and tapenade on crusty bread, and you’ll be transported to Provence.

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Goubert Rosé de Flo 2018
bottle price: $19

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