Author: Thomas Wilcox

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Curated Six: Old Red Burgundies, 2001-2010. ($105 off)

The père half of Ansonia is in Burgundy this week, working as a member of a harvesting team in Vosne-Romanée (check our Facebook page for visuals). Early signs point to an excellent 2017 vintage, though we won’t get our hands on it any time soon. Most won’t be in the bottle until 2019, and the wines themselves will mature over the following decade.

As the grapes begin their long journey this week, it can seem like an eternity until that wine is ready to drink. But luckily we’ve got some bottles kicking around the cellar that have already completed much of their aging. Today’s collection is a half-case of six of our favorite red Burgundies — five from the exceptional 2009 and 2010 vintages, and a drink-now 2001 thrown in as well.

This six-pack ships for free, and includes one bottle of each wine; quantities extremely limited.

 

 

Clerget Vosne-Romanée “Violettes” 2010
Clerget’s style is refined and classy; they destem all their fruit, resulting in smooth, ripe wines that are easy to like. Clerget’s Violettes vines are over 70 years old, and their small, concentrated yields produce only 100 cases per year.

Bourée Morey-St-Denis 1er cru “Les Baulets” 2001
With 16 years under its belt, this wine is at perfect maturity; it has been stored perfectly in the Bourée cellars until last year. It’s deep, intense, and woodsy in the nose, showing stewed prunes, barnyard, mineral, and spices.

Gros Nuits-St-Georges “les Chaliots” 2009
Michel Gros’s Nuits-St-Georges is from the heart of the appellation, near the famous “les Saint Georges” vineyard. The terroir there produces dense, meaty wines. When married with Gros’s signature silkiness, the result is unusually elegant for a Nuits.

Prunier Beaune 1er cru “les Sizies” 2010
Prunier’s premier cru reds can be difficult in their youth, but with 7 years since harvest the edges have all softened in this wine. From a plot just west of the city of Beaune, this wine shows baked spiced cherries and notes of cedar and earth.

Gros Vosne-Romanée 1er cru “Aux Brûlées” 2009
The Aux Brûlées vineyard sits immediately next to the famous Richebourg vineyard, on the most famous slope of vines in the world. Michel Gros’s Vosne 1er cru is exceptionally pretty, with a perfumed nose of violets, cassis, and stones.

Amiot Morey-St-Denis 1er cru “les Millandes” 2010
Pierre Amiot’s style has shifted in recent years to create earlier maturing cuvées. But the wines still age gracefully and with style. This wine is drinking exceptionally well today, showing smoke and mushroom and plum in the nose, with cool minerals and elegant silky fruit in the mouth.

 

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Curated Six: Old Red Burgundies, 2001-2010

Ansonia Retail: $531
Sale price : $429/sixpack

 

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“Seductive” Drink-Now Premier Cru Red Burgundy.

Complex.  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 of Burgundy’s wines are complicated. 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 that need no patience.

 

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Drinkable.  In fact Belland’s wines age quite well, but they’re so drinkable young that most don’t make it past a year or two in our inventory. Today’s we’re suggesting the Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” red from 2014. We’re nearing the end of our stocks, and as often happens with Belland’s wines, it’s drinking better than ever.

This wine is a delight. The nose is classic Belland, with bright red fruits, spring flowers, and intense berries. The mouth is punchy and dense, with attractive, juicy tannins and a silky palate bursting with raspberry and wild cherries. Burghound found it “deeply pitched,” “rich and seductively textured,” and with “good vibrancy.”

In a world of red Burgundies that need time and investment, here’s a drink-now cuvée for under $35.

 

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Belland Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” red 14

Ansonia Retail: $40
6+ bottle price : $34/bot

 

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Violets and Cloves: “Perfectly Formed” Côte Rotie, 94 points

Unique.  The impossibly steep hillsides of the Côte Rôtie seem like the last place in the world to grow vines. With slopes reaching 60 degrees in places, all field work — planting, pruning, treating, harvesting — must be done entirely by hand. Every time we visit we wonder aloud what on earth would drive people to plant vines here.

And then we visit the Bonnefonds. Côte Rôtie syrah is unlike any other — at once dense and balanced, inky and crisp, mouthfilling and fresh. Christophe and his brother Patrick produce small batches of beautiful, concentrated syrah. Their domaine is a bit hard to find, but their wines are pure and fine; Robert Parker calls them “some of the finest in the appellation.”

 

 

Finest.  Today’s offer is for one of their two top cuvées — the Côte Rôtie “Côte Roziers” 2014. Syrah simply doesn’t get any better than this. From a plot bordering the famous La Landonne, the Bonnefond brothers produce only 125 cases of their Côte Rozier per year. Think of a flabby, high-alcohol, warm weather shiraz — this is the opposite.

Côte Rôtie famously ages well, and this wine will rewards a decade or more of patience. But as Josh Raynolds of Vinous puts it, the Bonnefonds produce “some of the most extroverted Côte Rôties,” and these wines are also enjoyable young. Raynolds awarded the 2014 Roziers 92-94 points, calling it “extremely long,” “seamless in texture” and “powerful yet lithe.” Jancis Robinson’s reviewer called it “perfectly formed.”

We found a dark perfumed nose of violets, cloves, and black raspberries. The mouth is inky and long with sturdy tannins but an unmistakable elegance — the texture is dense and very fine. On the palate there’s cherry jam, black pepper, and a hint of smoke. With proper care and some patience, this can be every bit as rewarding as a well-aged red Burgundy.

 

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Bonnefond Côte Rôtie “Côte Rozier” 2014

Ansonia Retail: $70
3+ bottle price : $59/bot

 

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Rich, Elegant White Burgundy from a Hidden Source.

Value.  Burgundies are not getting any cheaper. With limited supply and ever-increasing demand, good values are harder and harder to find. But one Burgundian town that continues to deliver far more than people expect is St-Aubin. And we’re not the only ones to notice.

Jancis Robinson wrote recently that “St-Aubin, once regarded as definitively inferior to the most famous white wine villages Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet, should now be regarded as virtually their equal. Many is the fine white from St-Aubin nowadays, but the prices have yet to catch up.”

The wines of St-Aubin have everything we look for in White Burgundy. Clear chardonnay fruit, good balance between minerality and richness, and the ability to gain complexity with age. Our source here is Domaine Gérard Thomas, who makes excellent wine with his two daughters from their 30 acres of vines.

 

 

Opulent.  Thomas’s Bourgogne blanc is the house white at many of our readers’ homes. It’s inexpensive, refreshing, and pairs with a wide range of dishes. Their St-Aubin has everything we like about the Bourgogne, only more of it. There’s a noticeable jump in richness which, particularly in a ripe year like 2015, makes this drink like a much fancier wine.

The 2015 St-Aubin is immediately expressive in the nose, showing almonds, white flowers, and toast. The mouth is rich but lively — there’s a tense, citrus freshness balancing out 2015’s ripeness. Look for notes of baked lemons and honey, and a mouthfilling richness. This should be wonderful for another few years, but it’s awfully hard to put down today.

 

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Thomas St-Aubin 2015

Ansonia Retail: $35
6+ bottle price : $29/bot

 

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“Vibrant” Sangiovese from Chianti: Roasted Cherries and Toast

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 resemble 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.”

Sangiovese is a great wine for fall — dark and rich and smooth, but not heavy or mouthfilling. We import from only a single Italian source, but it has long been a favorite among our readers. Piero Lanza is a gifted winemaker, crafting perfectly ripe Chianti from 100% old-vine sangiovese. His large oak barrels impart barely any oak flavor, letting the fruit and beautiful earthiness shine through.

 

 

Roses and Smoke.  Poggerino’s 2013 Chianti Classico is excellent, and an astounding bargain at $22. Jancis Robinson called it “one of the highlights of the vintage,” citing “juicy, elegant fruit…finely sculpted tannins,” and a “vibrant finish.” We found Poggerino’s signature roasted cherries and smoke in the nose, with rose petals and rich raspberry jam in the mouth. The mouthfeel is sturdy and dense, with young but juicy tannins and lots of energy.

This wine’s exceptional balance makes it an easy food pairing — a rich tomato sauce on pasta is an excellent match. (This pasta with prosciutto and whole garlic recipe is a great recent find.) It should age nicely for another few years, but is already a delight, particularly with a meal. It’s certainly among the best sub-$25 bottles in our cellar.

 

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Poggerino Chianti Classico 2013

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

 

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“Magnificent” 15-year-old Grower Champagne, in Magnums.

Wisdom.  One thing that separates good wines from great ones is their ability to age. With each passing year the difference between a Côtes du Rhône and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape increases. It’s the same with Burgundy and Bordeaux, and also with today’s subject: Champagne.

We often preach the value in crémant, and it’s true that for near-term drinking, the sparkling wines from elsewhere in France can provide unusual value. But in sparkling wine, Champagne is alone in its ability to age. Like the best wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux, the finest Champagnes have enormous potential given careful and proper storage.

 

 

Bifurcated.  All Champagnes live two lives in the bottle. The first is pre-disgorgement: unfiltered, fermented wine is bottled, dosed with sugar, and sealed tightly. The wine ferments again, and CO2 created, which would normally escape from a barrel into the air, dissolves into the wine. The yeast cells collect in the bottle as lees, and over time deliver new layers of complexity.

Crémants must sit on the lees for at least 9 months pre-disgorgement, non-vintage Champagnes at least 18 months, and vintage Champagne at least three years. After disgorgement, in which the lees are removed and the cap replaced with a cork, the wine begins its second life. Champagne ages more quickly during its second stage, adding the caramel and nutty notes to the fruit and bubbles.

Today we’re excited to offer a Champagne whose long first life has just completed, but whose second life has just begun. We’ve managed to reserve a few magnums of Pascal Bardoux’s 2002 Vintage Champagne, disgorged this spring after 15 years on the lees. Bardoux’s whole lineup will be in next Sunday’s futures offering, but we’re opening up the bidding early on this special opportunity.

 

 

Grower. Pascal Bardoux is a small-scale, fifth generation vigneron outside Reims. In a region full of fancy tasting rooms and glitzy brochures, Bardoux’s humble demeanor is a breath of fresh air, and his Champagnes are among the best we’ve had. During our last tasting he was kind enough to show us several of his vintages available in magnums.

Jancis Robinson called 2002 “a magnificent year for Champagne,” and though we’ve only tasted Bardoux’s of late, we can’t disagree. We were amazed at the fresh and clean mouthfeel of the magnum of 2002 Pascal opened for us. Over the last 15 years the wine has gained an extraordinary complexity, with subtle notes of dried fruits, apple pie, fig, oats, and dried roses.

Bardoux’s 2002 magnums offer a chance for you to set your own course — the first life is complete, the second is up to you. Magnums of any type of wine are festive by nature. But open a magnum of Champagne, particularly one from a small grower-producer with impeccable provenance, and it will be an experience your guests won’t soon forget.

 

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Bardoux Champagne 2002 (1.5L)

Ansonia Retail: $200
Futures price : $169/bot

 

Case Retail: $1,200
Futures price : $995/case of 6

 

Email Tom to place an order.
or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

 

 

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Violets and Wild Cherries: Refreshing Syrah Blend for Autumn. $19

Septembre.  Harvests have begun around France this week. Next week the older half of the Ansonia team heads over to Burgundy for les vendanges in the Côte de Nuits. In the Languedoc, where the warm southern sun ripens the grapes earlier, the Mas Foulaquier’s harvest is well under way. Browse through their Instagram and you can almost smell the wild yeast and fruit in their cuverie.

“Natural” wines can be hard to get right, but when they’re good, they can be extraordinary. The wines of the Mas Foulaquier are undoubtedly the finest and most consistent biodynamic reds in our portfolio. The cuvées are exceptionally clean and well formed, marrying ripe fruit with earthy notes from their rugged terroir.

 

 

Fresh.  Our newest cuvée from Foulaquier is the 2015 Violetta, a grenache/syrah/carignan blend with a splash of merlot. Foulaquier uses only ambient yeast, very little sulfur, and no fining or filtering — the result is dynamic wines of exceptional complexity. Violetta’s nose is cool and fresh, showing berries, bay leaf, violets, and earth. The mouth is very smooth, with softened tannins and notes of cassis, roses, and spice. This is easy to like and hard to put down.

At the moment this wine is a perfect cocktail party quaffer — smooth and complete on its own, balanced enough that it needs no food. Combine the cooler air with the dark berries and earthy flavors jumping from this glass, and you’ll want to pull on a sweater and head outside. Just don’t forget your corkscrew and a few glasses.

 

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Foulaquier Violetta 2015

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

 

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Smooth, Refreshing, Juicy New Pinot Noir. $19

Simple.  Pinot noir is synonymous with Red Burgundy. With few exceptions, it’s the only red grape Burgundians may grow. In Burgundy Pinot Noir produces some of the most extraordinary red wines in the world. But the grape also thrives elsewhere in France, yielding wines of a different character.

In Alsace, Pinot Noir is at its most relaxed. Away from the tradition and grandeur of Burgundy’s historic estates, Pinot Noir takes on a freer, more youthful style. As readers know, we love the red wines of Burgundy — in fact they are most of our portfolio — but it’s often nice to have some simpler Pinot around.

 

 

Easy.  Francis Muré is a warm, humble winemaker making small-batch wines in the town of Westhalten, near the French-German border. He’s a true artisan — he smokes his own trout, makes his own duck confit, and has a real knack for winemaking. His wines are understated, delicious, and affordable — as unpretentious and welcoming as their author.

Muré’s 2016 Pinot Noir is a delight — it’s cool and dark and refreshing, with notes of blueberry jam, wild honey, and plum.  Its crisp texture makes it easy to pair with hearty foods — think spicy pasta, cheese and crackers, burgers, etc.

High-end Pinot Noir has its time and place, and if that’s what you’re after we can help. But it’s good to get to know the grape’s less serious side.

 

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Muré Pinot Noir 2016

Ansonia Retail: $24
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Mixed Case: Almost Autumn Sampler

It’s almost harvest time in Burgundy. As winemakers gather their teams of pickers for the important weeks ahead, the hillsides of France begin to buzz with activity. This is an exciting time, full of promise, expectation, and celebration.

Here in the states the weather has started to cool, and as vendors of a fragile product we welcome the end of difficult shipping conditions. The wines we choose for our glasses are starting to get richer and fuller, so we’ve picked four to share with you. Two full white Burgundies, and two smooth reds from the south.

 

 

Maillet Macon-Verzé 2015
A smooth, unoaked white Burgundy with unusual purity and clarity. Look for notes of honeysuckle, green tea, and mango.

Boyer Aligoté 2015
This barrel-raised aligoté is far richer and smoother than most. Look for notes of baked lemon, nuts, and crême brûlée.

Mestre Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2013
A dark, classic, smooth red blend from the warm south of France. Look for notes of garrigue, wild cherry jam, and leather.

Bagatelle Fil de Soi 15
A rich, meaty syrah blend from the hills of the northern Languedoc. Look for notes of blackberry jam, lavender, and toast.

 

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Mixed Case: Almost Autumn Sampler

Ansonia Retail: $348
offer price : $295/bot

 

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Smooth, Classic, Balanced: 2014 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

It’s still summer for a few more weeks, but in the Northeast the evenings are already starting to feel like fall. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the ultimate cold weather wine, and while it’s at its best in the dead of winter, well balanced examples are an excellent way to slide into autumn.

The Chateau Maucoil is a centuries old winery in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, built on the site of a Roman-era spring. Many readers have enjoyed Maucoil’s unusual and delicious “Cuvée 1895,” made from 120-year-old vines just outside the appellation. Today’s wine is the real deal — a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault, it’s a classic, easy-drinking Châteauneuf-du-Pape with great depth and careful balance.

 

 

Maucoil’s high percentage of Greanche produces and an expressive and enticing nose — look for red notes of strawberry jam and lavender. The other three grapes contribute darker notes: licorice, chocolate, and tobacco. On the palate the wine is concentrated and juicy, with pleasant tannins presented in a long, silky mouthfeel.

It’s hard not to like Châteauneuf-du-Pape — nowhere else in the world do popular grapes like Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre come together with such complexity and intensity. From an appellation where bottles over $60 are commonplace, Maucoil’s red is a refreshingly affordable bottle.

For readers in warmer climates (or those with a shellfish habit), we’ve still got plenty of crisp white left in stock. But with a chill returning to the evening air, we’re glad to have some southern red around.

 

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Maucoil Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2014

Ansonia Retail: $40
6+ bottle price : $34/bot

 

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2015 Northern Rhône Syrah: “The Best in 55 Years”

Exceptional.  Much has been written about the 2015 vintage in Burgundy, one of the best in a generation. But the vintage also brought impressive wines from elsewhere in France. In particular, the syrah-based wines of the Northern Rhône had a banner year in 2015. Master of Wine Jancis Robinson in a recent article proclaimed them “the best in 55 years.”

We don’t open 1962 Hermitage very often, so we’ll have to take her word for it. But we can say that they’re extraordinary wines — inky, dark, and mouthfilling but with exceptional balance and refined tannins. If you’ve never gotten into the wines of the Northern Rhône, now’s a perfect time to try. And if you’re already a fan, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better vintage in your cellar.

 

 

Inky.  The Northern Rhone is a geographic and stylistic halfway point between Burgundy and the South. The reds of the region combine Burgundy’s tradition of elegant, unblended wines with the South’s darker, richer grape varietals. The result is a marriage of Northern refinement and sun-baked Southern richness.

Denis Basset is a young winemaker who is passionate and very talented — the latest issue of the Guide Hachette featured two of his four wines, an impressive feat for a winemaker whose first vintage was only five years ago. His 2015 Crozes-Hermitage is a triumph — impossibly intense and concentrated, but at 13.5% alcohol a balanced and refreshing glass as well.

This wine has many happy years ahead of it, but with a decanter and a sturdy meal alongside, it’s a delight today. The color is a inky black-purple, with a savory nose showing cloves, blackberries and violets. The mouth is astonishingly dense, with young but polished tannins, and classic notes of plum and black pepper. We might not see another vintage like this until 2072.

 

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Saint-Clair Crozes-Hermitage “Etincelle” 2015

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

 

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Elegance and Richness in White Burgundy: Old-Vine Pouilly-Fuissé

Opulent.  Excepting the famous towns surrounding Montrachet, the richest and most luxurious white Burgundies come from Pouilly-Fuissé. Grown an hour to the south of the Côte d’Or in the Maconnais, the wines of Pouilly-Fuissé show Chardonnay’s soft and opulent side. When carelessly made, Pouilly-Fuissé can be heavy and flat; but from a careful producer it can be a revelation.

If you’ve had Nicolas Maillet’s Macon Villages or Macon Verzé, you won’t be surprised to hear that his Pouilly-Fuissé is a delight. Sporting the same astonishing purity and complexity as his unoaked cuvées, Maillet’s Pouilly-Fuissé adds careful notes of oak and toast to the elegant Chardonnay fruit. His organically farmed vines there average 75 years old, resulting in exceptional density and richness.

 

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Luxury.  This wine is a beautiful example of careful use of oak. The nose shows white flowers and attractive, bright yellow fruit. The mouth perfectly balances richness from old vines and barrel with a chalky minerality and bright Chardonnay freshness. It’s extremely long in the mouth, showing opulent depth and luxurious richness.

The wines of our now-retired Pouilly-Fuissé producer Michel Forest used to fool people into thinking they were premier cru Chassagne-Montrachet (at a blind tasting by sommeliers at a 3-star Michelin, no less). We put Maillet’s Pouilly-Fuissé in the same class. For those readers (like us) who miss Michel Forest’s elegant old wines, or for fans of classic white Burgundy anticipating the Fall — this is a wine not to miss.

 

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Maillet Pouilly-Fuissé 2014

Ansonia Retail: $40
6+ bottle price : $34/bot

 

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Balanced, Refreshing, Everyday $22 White Burgundy

Easy.  We enjoy the challenge of pairing food and wine. We’re enthusiastic home cooks chez Wilcox, and experimenting with flavors is one of our favorite pastimes. But it’s also nice to have a few wines that pair well with everything — a “house wine” that you can get out and not think too much about.

For us, (and for more than a few of our longtime readers), one of our house white wines is the Gérard Thomas Bourgogne blanc. We love white Burgundy, and while we have special occasion white Burgundies around for when the moment requires, it’s helpful to have an everyday option as well.

 

 

Everyday.  This is the best glass of $22 white Burgundy around. Thomas makes wines in St-Aubin, toward the southern end of the Côte d’Or, and the style is traditional and classic. It shows good acidity and perfect balance, making it easy to pair with a wide range of cuisine. We serve it with everything from seafood to pastas to cheese on crackers.

From an unusually ripe year, the 2015 Bourgogne blanc is richer and denser than usual. The nose is soft and elegant, with hazelnut and wood notes melting into lemon and baked apple fruit. There’s plenty of acidity and plenty of body, and it’s more mouthfilling than much Bourgogne at its level.

Some wines have very specific food pairings, and we love finding these perfect combinations. But it’s nice to have a catch-all white around, particularly when it tastes this good.

 

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Thomas Bourgogne 2015

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

 

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Extraordinary Old-Vine Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley.

Sancerre gets most of the Sauvignon Blanc attention in the Loire Valley. But in fact the upper Loire has many excellent sources for the grape. Our favorites from the less well-known towns is Pouilly-Fumé. Located just across the Loire river from Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé can be just as good as its famous neighbor.

A few years ago we discovered an excellent small scale source on the Pouilly-Fumé side of the river. Frederic Michot farms a plot of Sauvignon Blanc vines planted in the 1940s, producing an unusually pure and concentrated Pouilly-Fumé. He raises the wine exclusively in stainless steel, and the result is unoaked, smooth, and simply delicious.

 

 

Our readers thoroughly enjoyed the 2014 and 2015 vintages of this wine, and we’re pleased to report the 2016 is just as good (if not better). The nose shows mango, grapefruit rind, and straw; the mouth shows ripe grapefruit, lime rind, and honey. The wine is at once mouthfilling and electric, with a persistence of richness and freshness found in finest Sancerre.

Grilled shrimp, pan seared scallops, broiled haddock, steamed Maine lobster — these will all form a harmonious and delightful match with this wine. Or if fruits de mer aren’t your thing, try a glass with another product of the Loire Valley — goat cheese on a crusty piece of French bread.

 

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Michot Pouilly-Fumé Vieilles Vignes 2016

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

 

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New $22 Syrah Blend: Wild Lavender and Blackberry Jam

Balance. Europe has been unusually hot this summer. Though the south of France is no stranger to summer heat, the country’s continental climate is important in helping its wines achieve balance. Overripe grapes contain too much sugar and too little acid, which boosts alcohol levels and flattens the palate.

All of which makes us awfully glad to have the Clos Bagatelle in our portfolio. Located in the bright, sunny Languedoc, Bagatelle’s wines nevertheless achieve a consistent balance, year after year. Today we’re releasing their newest cuvée “Au Fil de Soi” — it’s a reboot of their popular Veillée d’Automne, a delicious, vibrant wine with notes of lavender and roasted blackberry.

 

 

Blackberry. Clos Bagatelle is a centuries-old domaine in St. Chinian, a mountainous section of the northwestern Languedoc. The secrets to achieving balance are schist-laden soils and higher elevation, which protect the wines from over-ripeness and high alcohol. The result is a concentrated wine with rich, dark tannins, but one that isn’t overly heavy.

The 2015 St-Chinian “Au Fil de Soi” is cool and delightful — at 13.5% alcohol it’s balanced, and at $22 it’s a bargain. The blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan shows blueberry pie and earth in the nose. The mouth is long and full, with smooth tannins and notes of lavender, thyme, honey, and pepper.

Serve this a bit cooler than room temperature — it should match food from the grill with ease.

 

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Bagatelle “Au Fil de Soi” 2015

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

 

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