Author: Thomas Wilcox

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Finesse and Energy: Elegant Old-Vine Chablis.

When vines grow old it presents vignerons with a choice. Older vines mean lower yields, which can squeeze a domaine’s bottom line. But old vines also produce more concentrated and better quality juice, leading to wines of depth and intensity. We are always pleased to find vignerons who sacrifice quantity for quality and allow their vines to continue into old age.

The Domaine Gautheron in Chablis has kept a small plot of their oldest vines, now over 55 years old. The wine from this plot is a harmonious marriage of finesse and energy. There’s the refreshing stony minerality found in the best Chablis, but also an elegant roundness derived from the low-yielding old vines. The result of the combination is superb balance and depth.

 

 

Cyril Gautheron is a rising star here in Chablis. 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 discusses the intricacies of his family’s property, and shows us unblended wines from dozens of plots.

Gautheron’s 2015 wines were all excellent. In a year with abundant sunshine, Cyril managed to maintain a clean freshness that keeps this wine lively. The nose shows chalk and lemon, with bright, clear notes and the faintest whisper of toast. The mouth is everything you want from Chablis — precise, elegant minerality, combined with pure, ripe Chardonnay fruit.

This wine fits beautifully on a Thanksgiving table — its lively mouthfeel and rich tension will keep your guests palates fresh all the way through pie.

 

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Gautheron Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2015

Ansonia Retail: $26
6+ bottle price : $22/bot

 

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Mixed Case: Thanksgiving Dinner Case

With so many different dishes and flavors spread across a Thanksgiving dinner table, wine pairing can be tricky. Our suggestion is to cover all your bases — we recommend having some white, red, and sparkling around to match everyone’s tastes and pairing preferences.

So here’s a sampler of four wines, all crisp and dry: a lively sparkling blend from Burgundy, a dry, zippy Burgundian Chardonnay, and two unoaked reds with low alcohol and refreshing mouthfeels. We’ve got lots of pairing ideas in our Thanksgiving Guide, but if you’re looking for a quick solution for around $20/bot, look no further.

Note: this case ships for free on the East Coast, so if you’re traveling for Thanksgiving we can send right to your hosts.

 

 

Picamelot Crémant “les Terroirs” NV: Crisp, dry sparkling wine from Burgundy; a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Aligoté. Look for green apple and brioche.

Thomas Bourgogne blanc 2015: Lively, toasty white Burgundy. This is pure Chardonnay, a classic, energetic white Burgundy. Look for hazelnut and lemon.

Monnet Juliénas Vieilles Vignes 2015: The perfect Thanksgiving red: juicy, crisp, and refreshing. This is pure, old vine gamay from the Beaujolais; violets and earth.

Demois Chinon Vieilles Vignes 2015: Cool, dense, organic, and rich. This is unoaked Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, showing graphite and cranberry.

 

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Mixed Case: Thanksgiving Dinner Case

Ansonia Retail: $306
Sampler price : $250/case

 

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Humble Greatness: Delicious New 92-point Gigondas

Châteauneuf-du-Pape dominates the south of France. No other town is more famous or produces more widely respected wines. But the relative anonymity of the surrounding towns belies the high quality of wine they produce. And while Châteauneuf-du-Pape will always be a more recognizable purchase, Gigondas provides more bang for your buck.

A case in point is Domaine les Goubert’s “Cuvée Florence.” Though it’s grown in Gigondas, in depth, complexity, and ageworthiness it more closely resembles a fine Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Made from only their best parcels of Grenache and Syrah, Cuvée Florence is noticeably better than many wines from its more famous neighbor.

We’ve been buying the Cuvée Florence for decades, and the quality continues to improve. The family’s thirty-something daughter Florence, whose birth inspired the creation of the cuvée back in the 1980s, is now the principal winemaker. (If you happen to be in Boston next week, Florence herself will be at the Newton Warehouse on Tuesday evening 6-9pm.)

 

 

The 2012 Cuvée Florence is fantastic, and drinking far better at this stage than many other vintages. The nose is deep and woodsy, showing cassis, leather, raspberry and spice. The mouth is cool, dense, and, as Jancis Robinson put it, “very well balanced.” Josh Raynolds awarded 90-92 points, finding “mocha, licorice, and violet.”

This is rich, dark wine that will fit perfectly alongside a fine cut of beef or rack of lamb. If it’s the name on the label you’re after, we have excellent Châteauneuf-du-Pape that will satisfy both palate and need for recognition. But if it’s value you seek, we recommend putting your money on the Cuvée Florence.

 

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Goubert Gigondas “Cuvée Florence” 2012

Ansonia Retail: $54
3+ bottle price : $48/bot

 

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The Perfect Thanksgiving Red: Rich, Inky Old-Vine Juliénas. $19

We work with a lot of winemakers with low profiles, but Jean-Marc Monnet’s might be the lowest. He has no roadsign, no website, and no other American importer. We’ve gotten lost trying to find his domaine two years in a row. Jean-Marc himself is as humble as his winery is hidden, but the wines themselves are a wholly different story.

Beaujolais has long been known for its unserious wines — over-marketed and under-cared-for. But Monnet’s Beaujolais has the complexity of a very good Côte d’Or Bourgogne rouge and the density of a Northern Rhône syrah. And from a rich year like 2015, Monnet’s gamays punch far above their weight and price.

 

 

Beaujolais is the perfect Thanksgiving wine — indeed, we have a whole section of our Thanksgiving Guide devoted to the stuff. It’s juicy and crisp, with fresh fruit and a crackling mouthfeel. It’s lively in the mouth and won’t tire your palate over the long meal.

Monnet’s old vine Juliénas is like his other wines, only more so. From 50+ year old vines and a ripe vintage, the density is exceptional. The color is inky purple, with a dark nose showing raspberry and pure wild cherry. The mouthfeel is intense and smooth with a long, dense finish of cranberry, minerals and violets. This is delicious, but as Jancis Robinson puts it, “meant to be drunk, not contemplated.”

We don’t claim to have discovered the perfection of Beaujolais-Thanksgiving pairing. But our advice is this: stay with Beaujolais but skip the Nouveau — a few bucks more gets you rich, dense, honest gamay.

 

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Monnet Juliénas Vieilles Vignes 2015

Ansonia Retail: $24
6+ bottle price : $19/bot

 

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Mixed Case: Châteauneuf-du-Pape Sampler ($105 off, plus Free Map)

Winter is Coming.  Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the perfect wine for cooler weather. Made famous by French popes in the 14th century, and then again by Robert Parker in the 1980s, the area is rich with winemaking history. Today the appellation, which covers only about 12 square miles, produces some of the most sought after wine in the world.

Here are four Chateauneuf-du-Papes from four different producers. They all have between three and six years of bottle age, and show the impressive variety of terroir available from the appellation. With fall here and winter on its way, this is the perfect mixed case to keep you warm.

As a bonus, the buyers of the first few samplers ordered will receive a new detailed map of the appellation (see photo below).

 

 

MESTRE Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2012
Christophe Mestre is an up and coming young winemaker from an old Châteauneuf family. His wines are traditional, smooth and easy to enjoy young. Vinous awarded his 2012 91 points, calling it “silky” and “seamless,” and noting its “zesty mineral flourish.”

MAUCOIL Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2014
Château Maucoil is an ancient property on the site of a Roman era spring. Their red Châteauneuf-du-Pape is classic and elegant, with dark plum fruit, and notes of jam, licorice, lavender and earth.

ANDRÉ Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2013
Jacqueline André carefully coaxes an extraordinary wine from her 140-year-old vines. The first domaine certified organic and biodynamic in the appellation, André makes a single, exquisite cuvée from exceptional raw materials. Look for earth, garrigue, and figs.

FONT DU LOUP Chateauneuf “Puy Rolland” 2011
Made exclusively from 100-year old Grenache vines, this special cuvée from the Chateau de la Font du Loup is magnificent. With extremely concentrated fruit and beautiful fine-grained tannins, look for notes of strawberry jam and a very silky mouthfeel.

 

 

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Mixed Case: Châteauneuf-du-Pape Sampler

Ansonia Retail: $600
sampler price : $495/case

 

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2015 Pommard: “Highly Seductive,” “Utterly Delicious”

The towns of Volnay and Pommard are the two finest red wine towns in Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune. Hugh Johnson describes Volnay as “fragrant and ethereal,” Pommard as “dark” and “potent.” Together they’re a perfect example of the power of Burgundian terroir: they share a border and the towns themselves are less than a mile apart, but their identifying characteristics are nearly opposite.

Fall is certainly Pommard season, and with even cooler weather on the way, a smooth, velvety Pommard will be as useful as a wool hat. Roger Belland’s Pommard always drinks well early — the fruits are smooth and full, his vines are 55 years old, and Belland’s style is one of ripe freshness — but in the 2015 vintage, it’s even more delicious than usual.

Many of our winemakers put the 2015 vintage on par with the exceptional vintages of 2005 and 2010. Indeed there are fantastic red Burgundies to be had at every level. This wine is an excellent representative of the vintage — loads of perfectly ripe fruit, cool sturdy tannins, and a balanced, mouth filling palate. Burghound found “fine volume,” and a “balanced finish,” calling it “highly seductive,” and “utterly delicious.”

It’s his last comment that might sum this wine up best — this is smooth, rich, delicious wine that’s easy to like and hard to put down. Pommards age very well, but Belland’s 2015 Pommard is delicious today. The nose is deep and perfumed, with plum, wild cherries, and cinnamon. The palate is rich and mouthfiling, with ripe, punchy tannins and notes of pan drippings, strawberry jam, and faint anise. Pair this with a hearty pasta cacio e pepe or roast short ribs.

 

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Belland Pommard 2015

Ansonia Retail: $62
2+ bottle price : $55/bot

 

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2015 Saint Estèphe: Exceptional Small Batch Left-Bank Bordeaux. $32

We don’t import much Bordeaux. We’ve always taken more readily to the scale and culture of Burgundy, where the estates are much smaller and the atmosphere less formal. But it’s no secret that Bordeaux makes some extraordinary wines, and we like having some in our portfolio.

We’ve added four new Bordeaux chateaux to our lineup in the last year or so, from both right and left banks and with a wide range of prices. None has been a better find than the tiny 1.5 acre plot in Saint-Estèphe called Fleuron de Liot. From a small winery the Negrier family turns out an exceptional red Bordeaux, equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

 

Saint-Estèphe’s clay-rich soils make it perfect for Merlot, and this wine showcases the richness and complexity possible from the grape. At under $35/bot, precise timing isn’t crucial for a satisfying return on investment — but this wine is delicious now and will be even better in five years.

The 2015 has just arrived, and it’s a worthy successor to the popular 2014. Today this wine is inky and dark, with plum and black cherries in the nose. The mouth is dense and full, with solid ripe tannins and low oak, notes of woods and licorice, and a long, velvety texture. The tannins are rich, dense and supple, rather than harsh or dry.

One thing common to Bordeaux and Burgundy is their ability to gain complexity with age. For this wine at least, the choice is yours. Every bottle we open seems to get better, but then every bottle we open is one fewer in the cellar. Whichever you choose, we’re willing to bet you will wish you had more.

 

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Fleuron de Liot Saint-Estèphe 2015

Ansonia Retail: $38
6+ bottle price : $32/bot

 

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Magnum Sale!

It’s hard to justify opening a magnum for a small dinner with a friend or two. But if your guest list numbers more than eight — particularly if they’re the jovial type — you’ll probably need an extra bottle of everything anyway. With less than a month until Thanksgiving and the holidays close behind, entertaining season is upon us. Today we’ll offer a simple suggestion to dress up your holiday dinner table: large format bottles.

There’s just something more festive about serving wine from magnums — perhaps it’s the need for a group to justify pulling the cork. It’s also true that wine often ages better in magnums, where the air-to-wine ratio is lower than a regular bottle. But whether you plan to age them or not, it’s hard to deny they’re simply more fun to enjoy.

We’ve collected 16 magnums, from Burgundy, the Rhône, and the Languedoc. If there’s a party or a family gathering in your future, consider one of these to make it a bit more festive.

 

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October 25-28  |  free shipping for 3+ magnums

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New Grand Cru White Burgundy: “Chablis at its very, very finest.”

Of the 12,000 acres of vineyards planted in Chablis, only 250 (2%) qualify as Grand Cru. This highest tier includes seven distinct vineyards, each famous in its own right. But among the seven, the Grand Cru “Les Clos” is generally considered the finest. As Master of Wine Clive Coates puts it, Les Clos is “Chablis at its very, very finest… combining depth, intensity, and great elegance.”

As you can imagine, there’s not much of Les Clos to go around. So we were surprised and delighted two years ago when one of our Chablis sources, the Domaine Jean Collet, told us that a tiny plot of 65-year-old vines (less than half and acre — enough for about 1,000 bottles) has found its way into the family lineup. Our delight at the new addition was surpassed only by the contents of the glass.

 

 

One whiff of the Collet’s Les Clos, and you’ll understand the hype — it’s among the finest wines we’ve tasted from Collet’s already impressive lineup. The nose shows exquisite lemon, pear, and mineral aromas, and follows with an extraordinarily long, rich, tension-filled palate. It’s hard to imagine more concentration or density in white wine, particularly one with a nearly imperceptible use of oak.

Romain Collet has expertly balanced Chablis’s signature minerality with a richness and intensity that calls to mind Corton-Charlemagne or Montrachet. Allen Meadows (Burghound) awarded 92 points, finding “white orchard fruit,” and a mouthfeel “textured, dense and powerful.”

Les Clos is famously long lived wine, with aging potential stretching out a decade or more; and the longer you can keep your hands off of it, the better it will be. We opened a bottle recently, we’d suggest decanting it (yes, decanting), for a half-hour or so before serving, at least for the next 6-8 months. Give it a year, and you’ll wish you had bought more; but even in its youth, Les Clos is unmistakably in a class of its own.

 

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Collet Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos” 2015

Ansonia Retail: $80
2+ bottle price : $69/bot

 

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Rich, Mouthfilling Chianti Classico: Pure, Cozy Sangiovese. $25

Rich.  Grape varietals often get their names from a visible aspect of their fruit. The name Sauvignon blanc comes from sauvage (“wild”) because its leaves look like those of wild grape vines. Pinot Gris refers to the blue-gray (gris) color of its grapes. But our favorite varietal (etymologically speaking) has to be Sangiovese — a wine so inky and black that it is named for the “blood of Jove.”

With chilly weather outside we can hardly think of a cozier wine than Sangiovese. Our source for this grape is the Fattoria Poggerino, a small winery in the hills of Tuscany producing rich, balanced reds. Today we’re releasing our final few cases of their excellent 2012 Chianti Classico; five years on from the harvest this wine is a refined, nuanced glass of red.

 

 

Roses and smoke.  Poggerino’s 2012 Chianti Classico is among the best we can remember. Jancis Robinson called the 2012 “mouthfilling yet poised,” and “savory yet perfumed,” with “wonderful balance.” We found the signature roasted cherries and smoke in the nose, with chocolate, beef, and rose petals in the mouth. The mouthfeel is sturdy and dense, with young but juicy tannins and lots of energy.

The exceptional balance that impressed Jancis Robinson makes this wine an easy food pairing — a rich tomato sauce on pasta is a near perfect match. With a few years in the bottle, this has rounded into a beautifully elegant wine. It’s certainly among the best $25 bottles in our cellar.

 

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Poggerino Chianti Classico 2012

Ansonia Retail: $30
6+ bottle price : $25/bot

 

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Mystery Wine: Iconic 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Today’s wine comes from one of the most famous names in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We imported their wines for our Futures group for decades, but their national importer kicked up a fuss about us a few years ago. So to avoid conflict we’ve taken them out of our main sales channels.

But we still have some stock from an earlier vintage in our warehouse, so (inspired by a west-coast wineseller who does this from time to time) we’re trying something new for Ansonia: we’re selling a wine without releasing its name. Here’s what we can tell you:

 

 

This is a legendary source. Jancis Robinson says “I love this producer, which follows the Clos des Papes model of … not wasting any wine on a special cuvée.” Their standard is as high as any domaine we work with — in 2002 when flooding made for a difficult vintage, they declassified their entire crop and sold it all in bulk. Year in and year out this domaine turns out exceptional wine.

Their 2010 is an exceptional vintage. We’ve had many vintages from this winery, but 2010 had the lowest yields in the history of the domaine. The wine closed down in its early years and we decided to hold it rather than sell it too soon. It has just begun to emerge from its adolescent hibernation, and by this Christmas it will be rich and bold, with plenty of tannin left that you can soften with a bit of time in a decanter. That said, we expect the wine to improve for another decade at least.

 

 

We’re not the only fans. We try not to rely too much on critical scores and reviews, but with a mystery wine they’re a useful barometer. Robert Parker awarded this wine 96 points, finding “a sweet bouquet of black olives, incense, blackberries, mulberries, black cherries and lavender,” and finding it “mouth-coating, saturated, and dense.” The Wine Spectator also gave 96 points, stating that it “should cellar wonderfully.” Josh Raynolds of Vinous gave 94 points, finding it “Juicy and energetic, with superb finishing focus and floral-driven persistence. Impeccably balanced, with the depth to age effortlessly.”

In conclusion: We won’t tell you the name of this wine (at least not on our website — guesses by email will be entertained). But we can tell you that it’s of exceptional quality, from an iconic estate, with 7 years already under its belt. Even without the name, we’re pretty certain you will find this an interesting opportunity.

Quantities limited, first come, first served.

 

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[Mystery] 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Ansonia Retail: $82
2+ bottle price : $65/bot

 

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“Bold” New Red Burgundy: 100-year-old Vines, 93 points, $25.

Beaujolais is the source of plenty of uninteresting wine. Fully a third of the region’s production is the Beaujolais Nouveau, a cheap insipid red rushed to market a month after harvest. But the rest of the region contains many undervalued wines, some in the same class of top wines from the north of Burgundy.

No Beaujolais source has more impressed us than Laurent Perrachon.” From meticulously cultivated old vines and careful use of oak, Perrachon creates remarkably delicious and refined red Burgundies. We’re not the only ones to notice; the domaine is among the only Beaujolais producers reviewed (and praised) by both Josh Raynolds (Vinous) and Allen Meadows (Burghound).

These are honest, complex, delicious red Burgundies; they just happen to be made from Gamay.

 

 

We recently wrote about Perrachon’s terrific 2015 Moulin-a-Vent; today we’re suggesting Perrachon’s 2015 Juliénas “Vignes Centenaires,” a wine made from vines planted more than a century ago. Perfectly extracted and carefully aged in oak barrels, this wine shows a dark, brooding nose of anise and blackberries. Burghound was effusive, awarding 93 points, finding “dark berry,” “spice” and “incense,” calling it “delicious, velvety and caressing.”

If you like Beaujolais for its fruity, carefree character, this might not be your cup of tea. Perrachon’s 2015 Juliénas is dense, rich, and exceptionally long, with far more stuffing than you find in most $30 Pinots from Santenay or Maranges. The tannins are juicy and silky but sturdy, meaning this should develop easily for another 5+ years.

This wine’s best days are certainly in front of it. But with a hearty meal, a carafe, and a few enthusiastic friends, this bottle is a stunner. Bring a few bottles to Thanksgiving next month, and no one will guess it’s Gamay.

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Perrachon Juliénas “Vignes Centenaires” 2015

Ansonia Retail: $30
6+ bottle price : $25/bot

 

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[Advance Order] 2015 Red Burgundy from Michel Gros, At Last

The first inquiries about the 2015 Michel Gros lineup started coming in more than a year ago. Our best-known producer; the vintage of a generation; “just want to make sure I don’t miss it.” Back in April, our barrel tastings confirmed 2015’s considerable hype — an excellent vintage, from top to bottom.

And then last month, as Wilcox père joined the harvest team chez Gros, just-bottled 2015s opened at every dinner provided the final confirmation. These are magnificent wines by a legendary producer from what may be the best vintage in decades.

We’re excited, enfin, to offer the entire 14-wine lineup of 2015s from Michel Gros in our final Futures brochure of the year — October Futures comes out next Sunday. But we’re opening up the bidding for 2015s early on a wine in perennial short supply: Michel’s Bourgogne.

 

 

Great winemakers make excellent wines from even the humblest of origins. Gros is famous for his very fine red Burgundies, and we can’t recommend them enough. But for more everyday enjoyment, Gros’s simpler wines show the refinement and class of much fancier bottles.

Like the rest of the 2015s, Gros Bourgogne 2015 is ripe, juicy, toasty, and elegant. There’s far more refinement here than most reds at the Bourgogne level. Look for silky tannins, notes of raspberry and plum, and an earthy, complex palate. Burghound (Allen Meadows) listed Gros’s 2015 Bourgogne as one of the “top value wines of the vintage,” calling it “fine” and “sleek” with a “delicious finish.”

We expect Michel’s the rest of 2015s to drink well for decades to come. But this one, scheduled to arrive in late November, should be a treat by the holiday season. For a Burgundy lover, this is about as good a wine as $25 will ever buy.

 

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Michel Gros Bourgogne 2015

Ansonia Retail: $420
Futures price : $295/case

 

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Rich, Rugged New Southern Rhône Red. $16

Easy.  Some wines we import are meant for grand occasions. These are the famous wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne, bottles to pull from the back of the cellar when the moment is significant. Special moments call for special wines to match.

Today’s offer is not that sort of wine. The Sablet from the Domaine les Goubert fits best in an unexceptional moment — something to reach for after a long day of work, or a cozy companion for that new season on Netflix. It hits a sweet spot between balance, versatility and price. It is a wine you don’t need to think hard about to enjoy.

 

 

By-the-glass.  Goubert’s Sablet is the house red for many of our readers and friends. It’s a Côtes du Rhône Villages, a notch up from Côtes du Rhône — it’s hearty and full of flavor, but nicely polished and without anything out of place. The 2016 is cool and refreshing — at 13.5% alcohol it’s nicely balanced, showing dark raspberry fruits, hints of leather and tobacco, and a round smooth finish.

Food isn’t necessary with Sablet — it’s a perfect by-the-glass wine that drinks well right out of the bottle — but it also pairs easily with something from the kitchen. We serve the Sablet with everything from spicy garlic pasta (cool the wine a bit before serving), to a hearty soup with a crusty piece of bread.

Goubert’s Sablet won’t win prizes for profundity or longevity, but it’s among the most popular wines we’ve ever imported. Save the $200 Grand Crus for anniversaries and birthdays — Goubert’s Sablet will fit just about everywhere else.

 

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Goubert Sablet 2016

Ansonia Retail: $20
6+ bottle price : $16/bot

 

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White Burgundy in its Purest Form: 2015 Macon-Villages, $22

The famous white wines of Burgundy nearly all spend some time oak. The barrels help develop the wines’ palates, adding a roundness through micro-oxygenation. And while they’re typically less heavily oaked than many New World wines, the toasty, woodsy notes are an important part of the great white Burgundies of Chassagne, Puligny, and Meursault.

But not all white Burgundies are oaked. The most famous vat-raised chardonnays of France come from Chablis, where the wines boast a stony crispness. But the other excellent source for unoaked Burgundian Chardonnay is the Maconnais, about an hour south of Beaune, in what the French call “la France Profonde” (deep France).

And it’s here that we find today’s wine — Nicolas Maillet’s pure, explosive, nectar-like white Macon-Villages.

 

 

Nicolas Maillet is a passionate young winemaker in the heart of the Maconnais. His wines are as pure an expression of the Chardonnay grape as we know, with no oak to obscure the gorgeous fruit. They have the clarity of fine Chablis with the weight and roundness of a Côte d’Or Chardonnay.

The nose of the 2015 Maillet Macon Villages is expressive and beautiful. Look for spring flowers and honeysuckle, with faint notes of dried straw. In the mouth it’s a classic Macon — rich and full with bright floral notes, beautiful acidity, and lots of depth. Maillet draws upon biodynamics to elevate the complexity, and his wines are a true symphony of nature in the glass.

For white Burgundy fans, this is a remarkable value — far more complexity than the price tag suggests.

 

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Maillet Macon-Villages 2015

Ansonia Retail: $26
6+ bottle price : $22/bot

 

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