Author: Thomas Wilcox

Posted on by

Dry, Exuberant New Chenin Blanc from a Vouvray Neighbor. $19

Nicolas Paget is one of the most exciting (and excited) new producers we’ve found in years. All of our winemakers care deeply about their craft, but Paget is unusually committed. After 90 minutes of tasting with him, we were running more than an hour late for our next tasting; but when he begged us to join him for a quick visit to his vines, it was impossible to turn him down.

His excitement is well founded. Paget crafts delicious white wines from Chenin Blanc, a grape responsible for the great wines of the central Loire Valley, particularly Vouvray. Paget’s Chenins are much like our favorite Vouvrays, though they come from the less known nearby appellation of Touraine-Azay le Rideau.

Like much Vouvray, Paget’s whites range from very dry to very sweet, with much in between. Our favorite of his cuvées, and the one we suggest today, is his 2017 Chenin “Melodie.”

 

 

Melodie is everything we went searching for in the Loire: dry, expressive, organic Chenin Blanc with good balance and all of Chenin’s signature aromatic complexity. We found pear and melon in the nose, with a dose of citrus and white flowers. The mouth is exceptional — lively and complex, with delicate freshness, bright minerality, and notes of dried orchard fruits.

Melodie was in our July Futures issue that closed last week, but we were so excited that we pre-ordered a few cases last month in time for summer enjoyment. Since their arrival a few weeks ago, Melodie has already wowed family gathered on our porch and tasters last weekend at the depot. For dry, exuberant, summery white wine under $20, there may be no better option.

____________________________

Paget Chenin “Melodie” 2017

bottle price : $19

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

Exquisite New 10-year-old Grand Cru Grower Champagne.

For a few years now Pascal Bardoux has supplied us with his exceptional Champagne — from his charming Rosé Brut to his elegant Vintage blends to his remarkable 15-year-old magnums. (Watch this space for more magnums later this year.)

This spring we stumbled across another excellent Grower Champagne source — the Domaine Daniel Petit-Lebrun. They’re located in the famous Côte des Blancs, and their wines are all 100% chardonnay. Their Grand Cru classified vineyards produce classic Côtes des Blancs wines — linear and elegant with long finishes and delightful complexity.

At first glance their 2008 Vintage Champagne wine struck as well-made and straightforward — but as we found out, good things come to those who wait.

 

 

Like still wines, Champagne opens up as it is exposed to warmth and air. Decanting Champagne usually doesn’t often happen, but the more air you can get to this wine the better. At our Newton Owner’s Hours yesterday this was lovely when we opened at 10am, and magnificent by the close at 4pm.

Now a decade after harvest, this wine is as complex and delicious as any Champagne we’ve had lately. Look for butterscotch, confectioner’s sugar, toast, grape skin, and flowers in the nose. It’s a Brut so the mouth is dry, but the baked fruit and raspberry tart notes are simply enticing.

We may be the first American importers for this wine, but if it continues to show this much magic in the glass we certainly won’t be the last.

____________________________

Petit-Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru 2008

bottle price : $75

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

New Organic $15 Merlot. (Yes, Merlot.)

Merlot has had a rough decade. Though it plays a starring role in some of the world’s rarest and priciest wines (Petrus, Cheval Blanc, Ausone), the Sideways effect has dampened sales and made the grape unfashionable. And we’ll admit, there’s plenty of bland, boring Merlot out there.

That’s usually our lead up to pitching a right bank Bordeaux, but today we have something different. A few years ago we stumbled across the Domaine Souverain in the Rhône Valley, a tiny producer with no website and no road sign — he even shares his barrel room with his neighbor. But the wines are honest, straightforward, and, as one customer recently put it, “highly drinkable.”

We’ll have his popular Séguret in a Futures offering later this year, but we picked up a bit of his refreshing gulpable Merlot in time to enjoy this summer.

 

 

Souverain’s Merlot isn’t sophisticated or serious like Bordeaux; nor is it rich and velvety like the a New World Merlot. In style it’s almost more akin to a well made Beaujolais — bursting, ripe fruit and a clean balanced mouthfeel. Chauvin practices low intervention winemaking, and his wines show the hallmarks of a natural style — low alcohol (13%), complex earthiness, and great freshness. There’s no oak and lots of fruit.

In the nose Souverain’s Merlot is intense and lively, with bright notes of raspberry jam, lavender, earth and honey. In the mouth it’s juicy and perfectly balanced — intense fruit, solid freshness, present but approachable tannin. Pair this with a picnic and a sunny afternoon and you’ll think you’re in Provence.

Don’t overthink this wine — it’s not complex or sublime or expensive. It’s just fun.

____________________________

Souverain Merlot 2017

bottle price : $15

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

New 92-point Northern Rhône White: Roussanne from Saint-Péray

If you have trouble finding Saint-Péray on a map, you’re not alone. The tiny Northern Rhône appellation is tucked just south of Cornas on the Rhône River, and covers only three tenths of a square mile. But Vinous’s Josh Raynolds calls it “currently the most exciting appellation in the northern Rhône Valley.”

The wines of Saint-Péray are perfumed and highly expressive, and Raynolds claims the best examples “rival Hermitage blanc for quality.” Made from Marsanne, Roussanne, or a blend of the two, they’re exotic, aromatic white wines that show tropical notes and low acidity, perfect for apéritifs. Saint-Pérays are complex, rare, and, when you can find them, delicious.

Most interesting for us, however, is Raynolds claim that “Stephane Robert, for my money, is making the best St-Perays out there right now.”

 

 

Stephane Robert is the winemaker at the Domaine du Tunnel, our newest source in the Northern Rhône valley. Tunnel is famous as one of the top sources for Cornas, and indeed it was their excellent reds that led us to their door. But we were so taken with their Saint-Péray that we just couldn’t skip it.

Tunnel’s 2016 Saint-Péray explodes from the glass. Peach, honey, tangerine, and apricots mix with tropical flowers and pears. The mouth is rich and intense; it coats the mouth with dried fruits and concludes with a beautifully balanced finish (13.5%) of minerals and zest. Think Condrieu, but with yellower fruits and a slightly sun-baked feel.

We could go on about the complexity and seductiveness of this wine, but to get the complete picture you’ll need a glass yourself.

 

____________________________

Tunnel Saint-Péray 2016

bottle price : $45

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

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

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.

Last week we introduced our exciting new source for Sancerre, the Domaine de la Garenne. Their 2017 regular cuvée 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 2017 is distilled and long, full of 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 mineral intensity of a Muscadet.

Bouffants is a perfect food wine and can stand up to a wide range of diverse flavors. Last week we served Garenne’s regular cuvée as an aperitif during the sunset, and the Bouffants with steamed lobster for dinner; each match was superb.

 

____________________________

Garenne Sancerre “Bouffants” 2017

bottle price : $28

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

Sparkling Blanc de Noir from Burgundy. $28

Most wines made from Pinot Noir are red, whether light and elegant or rich and fruity. But in fact the juice of Pinot Noir grapes is clear. The color of Pinot Noir rouge comes from soaking the grape skins in the juice — press the juice off the skins and ferment it without them, and you get a wine that’s much closer to a white.

In France this is called a Blanc de Noirs (white from black), and it’s most often sparkling. The Champenois often include uncolored Pinot Noir juice in their Champagnes, and today’s example from Burgundy borrows this idea. Made from a small plot of 100% Pinot Noir, the Maison Picamelot’s “Terroir de Chazot” is an exceptional and unusual example of terroir-based, single-varietal sparkling wine.

 

 

Most crémant in Burgundy and Alsace is a blend of several varietals from different locations, and the winemaker composes a mixture of notes and flavors. For “Terroir de Chazot,” Picamelot decided to isolate a single grape from a single plot and bottle it unblended.

The result is a finer, more intense and earthy sparkling wine, with notes of roasted apples and herbs. The bubbles are fine, and the finish is elegant and dry. It’s perhaps not as refined as Champagne, but it’s far more flavorful and interesting. And next to most mass-market Champagnes starting around $90, it’s less than a third of the price.

Serve it at a fancy backyard soiree, or dress up your next barbecue with a bit of celebration — you guests will assume you dug much deeper in your wallet.

 

____________________________

Picamelot Crémant Chazot NV

bottle price : $28

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

Mixed Case: Loire Valley Sampler

The Loire Valley is a pastoral land of magnificent chateaux and humble goat cheese makers. The range of wines across its 250 mile expanse is just as dramatic: sparkling and still, dry and sweet, and everything from almost-clear Muscadet to deep purple Chinon. There’s a wine here for every palate.

For this case we’ve selected four wines from across the region: three whites and a red. All four are single varietal wines from four of the Loire’s most famous grapes: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne, and Cabernet Franc. Each is pure, unoaked, and delightful — exuberant expressions from the “Garden of France.”

Garenne Sancerre 2017
Pure sauvignon blanc; lively, round, and fresh. Classic and smooth; look for grapefruit and flint.

Martin-Luneau Muscadet “Deux Roches” 2012
Melon de Bourgogne grown near the Atlantic Coast. Very dry and refreshing; melon and salt air.

Paget Chenin “Melodie” 2017
Organic chenin blanc in the style of Vouvray. Dry, floral, complex, exquisite; pear and stones.

Demois Chinon VV 2015
Unoaked old-vine Cabernet Franc from Chinon. Dense, juicy, and balanced; graphite and plums.

 

____________________________

Loire Valley Sampler
(3 of each wine)

Suggested retail: $316
sampler price : $250

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING

 

Posted on by

2017 Beaujolais-Villages: New Chillable Summery Red. $16

We think summer wines should be refreshing, affordable, and served cool. Usually this means whites, and we’re thrilled about the new Sancerre we added to our site yesterday. But sometimes the menu or the moment calls for a red.

When that’s the case, we like something simple and chillable, and we’re excited about our newest addition to this category: Domaine Perrachon’s 2017 Beaujolais-Villages. Most of our wines from Perrachon are more serious and sophisticated than your average Beaujolais, but this one is pure uncomplicated enjoyment.

 

 

Most $16 Beaujolais is mass-market, large volume wine rushed to market soon after fermentation. Perrachon’s is a different sort, made with hand picked grapes from 45 year old vines. It shows all of the jubilant, carefree spirit of the region instead of the blandness of much cheap Beaujolais.

Perrachon’s 2017 Beaujolais Villages is juicy and refreshing. Unlike their more serious wines, it’s vat raised, and the vibrant ripe raspberry fruit shows through beautifully. The nose is clean and floral, and the mouth is cool, lively, and refreshing.

And at $16 this is a no brainer for a house summer red. Serve some from the fridge on a muggy afternoon and you’ll forget all about the heat.

 

____________________________

Perrachon Beaujolais-Villages 2017

bottle price : $16

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

New Sancerre, at last. $25

We’ve spent years looking for a good Sancerre source. It’s harder than you might think — Sancerre is a small appellation with a big name, and everyone wants to have the wine in their portfolio. But this spring we struck gold, and they’ve just arrived in the warehouse.

The Domaine de la Garenne is a family property based in small town a few miles from Sancerre. Several consecutive favorable mentions in the Guide Hachette led us to their door, and we were so pleased with their style that we bought three of their white cuvées and a red.

They’re all available on our website now, but if you’re looking for somewhere to start, we suggest their simplest: Sancerre 2017.

 

 

Located along the banks of the Loire River in central France, Sancerre produces wines from pure Sauvignon Blanc. The wine typically combines ripe, juicy grapefruit notes with a lively minerality, often notes of flint, and pleasant herbal finish.

Garenne’s Sancerre fits this ideal perfectly — it’s bone dry with pure sauvignon grapefruit in the nose. In the mouth it’s lively but with no astringency or grassiness. Its terroir is a mix of Sancerre’s three soil types (limestone, clay/limestone, and flint), and shows the “balance” and “ease of access” highlighted in the Guide Hachette.

We expect this to be a staple in our portfolio year round. But it’s particularly appropriate for the hot weather of late — pull a well chilled bottle from the fridge and pair it with goat cheese.

 

____________________________

Garenne Sancerre 2017

bottle price : $25

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

“Round and Delicious” 2015 Red Burgundy under $50

Morey-St-Denis is a most Burgundian style of Burgundy. The wines are firmly rooted in the old world — precise, refined, and sophisticated. Difficult vintages sometimes require deliberate aging in Morey-St-Denis, though they nearly always reward it handsomely.

But 2015 was anything but a difficult vintage. Heralded as one of the best in a generation, the red Burgundies of 2015 offer attractive fruit and generous texture in their youth, and promise much more down the road.

If you’ve never tried Morey-St-Denis, this is the one to try. If you’re already familiar, well then you don’t need convincing.

 

 

The Domaine Pierre Amiot is a small family domaine on the main street in Morey-St-Denis. The town’s population is less than 700, and its vineyards cover less than half a square mile. Amiot is among the best known names in town, and his wines are excellent year in and year out.

The 2015 Morey-St-Denis is simply delicious. The nose shows raspberry fruits, licorice, and cinnamon; the mouth is cool and vibrant with notes of cassis and red flowers. The freshness in this wine makes it an excellent pairing for food. Burghound found “good richness” and called it “round and delicious.”

We’d carafe this for an hour, and serve with charcuterie or pâté on crackers.

 

____________________________

Amiot Morey-St-Denis 2015

bottle price : $49

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

“Beguiling,” Golden 2016 Meursault from 94 Year-Old Vines.

“If gold were a flavor,” Matt Kramer once wrote, “it would taste like Meursault.” Though it has no Grand Cru, the wines of Meursault are some of the most sought after in the world. For most, the name recalls white Burgundies of decadence, opulence, and style.

Stretching across nearly 1000 acres, Meursault also spans a wide range of terroir, producing taught, elegant wines high on the slope, and softer, richer wines nearer the town. Today’s 2016 Meursault from the Domaine Boyer-Martenot is from the lower slopes, and draws on extremely old vines for extra concentration and depth.

 

 

Planted in 1924 by Vincent Boyer’s great grandmother Lucie, the “Ormeau” vineyard is named for the elm trees that once shared the clay-rich ground. This is classic, mouthfilling Meursault – showing peaches and citrus, with pear and a faint nuttiness in the nose. All of Boyer’s wines are rich, elegant, and complex, but “Ormeau” is among the most classically Meursault in the lineup.

Burghound calls this “beguiling,” “attractive,” and “very Meursault.” We’ve got lots of simple, brisk refreshing wines around for the carefree evenings of summer. But when you need a white with a bit more breeding and substance, look no further than Meursault.

 

____________________________

Boyer-Martenot Meursault” Ormeau” 2016

bottle price : $69

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

Dry, Intense Loire White: New Refreshing Muscadet. $19

For white wines, it doesn’t get much drier than Muscadet. Grown near the mouth of the Loire River, Muscadet is at once brisk and hearty — the essence of the windswept Atlantic coast. When it’s this hot out, we can’t think of much else in our glasses.

It’s also affordable and abundant. Wine writer Lettie Teague calls it “one of the world’s best, if most obscure, bargains,” saying “a glass of $8 Muscadet will always be a better wine than an $8 glass of something else.” We’ve just restocked one of our favorites: Cuvée Deux Roches from Martin-Luneau.

The Muscadet region’s new “cru communal” appellations require aging 24-30 months on lees, and Martin-Luneau’s excellent Gorges and Clisson cuvées both qualify. But today’s “Deux Roches” cuvée, the winemakers go even further, aging more than 30 months on the lees. “Deux Roches” refers to the distinct subsoils of the two Cru terroirs, Clisson and Gorges. The blend bears neither name, but the wine’s quality speaks for itself.

Their current release is the 2012 Deux Roches cuvée is bright and crisp, with lime rind and melon in the nose, and zippy, refreshing acidity in the mouth. There’s an intense dryness and liveliness that’s the perfect antidote to a muggy summer evening.

Pair this with anything from the sea, most perfectly, oysters. But all it really requires is a few hours in a good fridge and a couple glasses.

 

____________________________

Martin-Luneau Muscadet “2 Roches” 2012

bottle price : $19

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

Refreshing Alsatian Blend for a Summer Picnic. $19

The French have a long tradition of eating outdoors. From harvest tables in Burgundy to breezy rooftops in Paris, a French meal en plein air is full of beguiling aromas, clinking glasses, and hearty laughter. In France and at home we like to eat sur terrace, and we find that wine (and really food in general) tastes better outside, with room to breathe and open.

A Spring-Summer favorite of ours is “Les Anémones,” a delightful blend from our friend Francis Muré in the Alsace. It’s a perfect picnic wine, matching nicely with a wide range of foods, from sharp cheeses to crusty bread. It’s a refreshing antidote to a muggy summer afternoon.

 

 

Anémones is a blend of Riesling, Muscat, and Pinot Gris. It’s soft but not sweet, with less sharpness than Riesling, but enough acidity to keep it lively. There are notes of apricot, orange and pear, with a lovely round mouthfeel and good length. Like curry, Muscat sometimes takes over things that it’s a part of; but here it is nicely balanced and not at all overwhelming.

Speaking of curry, Anémones pairs beautifully with food of Indian or Asian style, particularly with a bit of spice. But its best accompaniment is an afternoon outside. This is a simple but delightful and tasty wine with a beautiful bouquet – you’ll be surprised how fast the bottle disappears.

 

____________________________

Muré Anémones 2016

bottle price : $19

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES

 

Posted on by

Mixed Case: Oyster Pairing Sampler (plus Free Ansonia Oyster Knife)

Oysters are a common sight at French markets. Huitres are a natural pairing for wine, in both the gustatory and philosophical senses. Just like wine, they’re an expression of terroir (or merrior, if you like) whose character changes with their origin. And in matters gustatory, well, it’s a match made in heaven.

Oysters pair well with lots of white wines, but our favorites of late are four dry wines from Chablis, Muscadet, and Austria. So here’s a mixed case designed for oyster lovers. And each case will be packed with an Ansonia Wines Oyster Knives. (If oysters aren’t your thing, it’s a handy slicer for a piece of fromage.)

 

 

Martin-Luneau Muscadet Gorges 2014
Muscadet is near the mouth of the Loire River, not far from France’s finest oyster region. This classic pairing is aged on lees for three years, showing brioche, baked lemon, and stones.

Gautheron Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2016
Gautheron’s old vines produce a Chablis with an extra dose of richness. The classic minerals and lemon peel are there, but there’s a tad more material to round out the mouth.

Salomon-Undhof Grüner Veltliner Wieden 2017
This dry, minerally wine from Austria is a classic Grüner — look for notes of cucumber, lime zest, and saline, with a thick but lively mouthfeel and a clean finish.

Martin-Luneau Muscadet “Gorges” 2013
“Deux Roches” stays on the lees for longer than is allowed in the appellations for Gorges or Clisson. The result is an ultra-dry complex wine with mid acidity and intense dry flavor.

Free Oyster Knife with each case.

 

 

____________________________

Oyster Pairing Sampler

Ansonia Retail: $316
sampler price : $265/bot

+ free oyster knife

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING

 

 

Posted on by

The Grace Kelly of Wine: Exquisite New 2016 Puligny-Montrachet

“Puligny-Montrachet is where Burgundian Chardonnay is at its most complete,” writes Clive Coates MW. The tiny town, covering 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. His 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 smooth, energetic wine backed up by a rich and tension-filled core.

Like all of Thomas’s 2016s, the Puligny shows a beautiful balance between richness and liveliness. Jancis Robinson found it “rounded,” “creamy,” and “tightly crisp,” calling it “very good and impressively long.” We find notes of hazelnut and lemon in the nose, and golden apple, almond, and toast in the mouth.

Serve this with a chicken roasted with rosemary and garlic; drink for another 3-5 years.

 

____________________________

Thomas Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru 2016

bottle price : $65

 

Add to Cart



FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES