Author: Thomas Wilcox

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Mixed Case: Summer Reds for the Grill

We do lots of grilling in the summer. For nice cuts of meat we suggest fancier red Burgundies or Bordeaux — something complex to sit with and enjoy slowly. But for simpler fare — burgers, shish kabob, vegetables, chicken, steak tips, etc — we like reds that aren’t too complicated.

This sampler includes four reds we like to serve with food from the grill. They’re dark and meaty to match the smoky flavors, but refreshing and well balanced. All four can be served a bit cool, and all drink well on their own too.

 

 

Bagatelle Colline 2015
A grenache-based red from the Languedoc. It’s cool and refreshing, with dense cherry fruit and ripe, juicy tannins.

Goubert Sablet 2015
A blend of several grapes from the Southern Rhône. It’s smooth and woodsy, with jammy notes alongside plums and lavender.

Accoles Chapelle 2014
A blend of grapes from the Ardèche. This is earthy and rugged, with a refined mouthfeel showing blackberries and black pepper.

Foulaquier Violetta 2015
A grenache/syrah/carignan blend from Languedoc. This is easy drinking and fruit-forward, with an earthy finish and dark briary notes.

 

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Mixed Case: Summer Reds for the Grill

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91-Point Old-Vine Red Burgundy from Morey-St-Denis.

Opportunity.  There has been no shortage of ink spilled about the 2015 red Burgundies, and indeed the praise is warranted. But it might mean that 2014, a truly excellent vintage, won’t receive nearly enough hype. We are stocking up on 2014s, and we encourage fellow Burgundy enthusiasts to do the same.

Today’s 2014 comes the Domaine Pierre Amiot in Morey-St-Denis. Amiot’s style has shifted in recent years, and they’ve begun to make wines that drink better earlier. We’re not the only ones to notice — the scores have gone up and availability has gone down. The 2014s still have a long life ahead of them, but with a few years under their belt, many are enjoyable today.


Micro.  The 2014 Amiot Morey-St-Denis 1er cru “Aux Charmes” is indeed charming. Large volume wine this is not — Amiot’s plot is just one acre, and their vines planted in 1967 produce only 200 cases per year. But the quality is exceptional. Charmes is usually the first of Amiot’s premier crus to drink well, and the 2014 follows this pattern. Today it’s woodsy, sappy, and firm, but with a delicate silkiness and underlying stony complexity already beginning to show through.

Wine critic Burghound (Allen Meadows) awarded 89-91 points, calling it “wonderfully textured, even seductive,” and “really quite pretty.” His notes include “dark berry fruits” and “earth,” and he predicts it should be approachable young.”

If you have cellar space, we’d suggest trying one today (decant for 30-45 min), and then leaving the rest for a while. You won’t be sorry you did.

 

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AMIOT Morey-St-Denis 1er cru “aux Charmes” 2014
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Pure, Unoaked, Dazzling White Burgundy.

Passion.  Nicolas Maillet is our new source for chardonnay from southern Burgundy. His wines are classic examples of the best Maconnais — cool, round chardonnay with excellent balance and little or no oak. If the Côte d’Or is home to Burgundies of pedigree and refinement, then the Maconnais is home to Burgundies full of vibrancy and joy.

Maillet takes this idea one step further, vinifying his wines using biodynamic viticulture, indigenous yeasts, and a slow, months-long fermentation. The result is wine of remarkable complexity and purity, a veritable symphony of flavors in the glass. Maillet is a man full of passion — for his vineyards, for his rootstocks, for biodynamics, and for the purity of his harvest. And he manages to translate all of this energy into truly extraordinary wines.

 

 

Confidence.  Maillet doesn’t lack confidence in his techniques, and after a sip of his wine, you won’t either. His Macon-Verzé 2015 is a delight — there’s less acidity than the 2014 version, offering earlier drinking and a softer palate. The nose shows white flowers, green tea, and honeysuckle. The mouth is classic Maillet — pure and smooth, but with balancing freshness and a beautiful baked lemon core.

With no oak to overshadow the pure fruit, this is Maconnais at its best, showing beautiful, unadulterated ripe fruit. So complete is the palate of this wine that it needs no accompaniment. Should an appetite force your hand, we suggest cow’s milk cheeses like Comté or Beaufort.

 

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MAILLET Macon-Verzé 2015
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Elegant Gevrey-Chambertin from 70-Year-Old Vines.

Muscle.  Gevrey-Chambertin is the largest appellation in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. Because of its clay rich soils, its wines are similarly grand. Known for power and longevity, Gevrey-Chambertin shows dark, intense fruit and a sturdy tannic structure.

Gérard Quivy’s vines in the tiny two-acre En Champs vineyard date to 1945. Their yield has dropped significantly in the decades since, but the quality of their fruit improves each year. Quivy’s style is silkiness and elegance, which harmonizes well with Gevrey’s typical muscular fruit.

 

 

Class.  Last year’s Guide Hachette, the premier French language wine guide, describes Quivy as “undoubtedly one of the reference points in the appellation.” His wines are not the rich meaty Gevrey-Chambertins of old — these are finer and more delicate. Today’s wine, the 2014 En Champs, shows clarity and precision layered over the rugged fruit from these 70 year old fines.

The 2014 En Champs is young but very elegant. The nose shows toast, licorice, and ripe red currants. The flavors are classic Gevrey — plenty of ripe tannin alongside pleasant young briary fruit — but the finish is more elegant and finer. As with Quivy’s other village level Gevrey “Journaux,” additional patience will be rewarded, but with a decanter it isn’t required — today this is handsome, crisp Burgundy in unusually elegant dress.

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QUIVY Gevrey-Chambertin “En Champs” 2014

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Crisp, Juicy, Old-Vine Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley.

Pastoral.  The Loire Valley is known as the Garden of France. Its lush rolling hillsides produce nearly every type of wine, from dry to sweet, light to dark, and white to red to sparkling to rosé. One of region’s most distinct styles is an unoaked, juicy Cabernet Franc from the central Loire Valley.

Our favorite source for this style is Chinon, a charming, ancient town that boasts a well preserved 12th century castle. The best reds from Chinon are pure and crisp, drink beautifully in their youth, and provide exceptional value. As WSJ wine writer Lettie Teague wrote recently, “Chinon and nearby towns… produce some of the best-valued wines in the Loire Valley—if not all of France.”

 

 

50-year-old vines.  Our winemaker in Chinon is the young Fabien Demois, a shy, entrepreneurial fellow who took over his family’s wine production a few years ago and has since gained journalistic praise and more than a few awards. Fabien makes his Chinon “Terra Ambra” from Cabernet Franc planted in the 1960s. The wine is named for the amber-laden stones found in the vineyard. It’s unoaked, dense, and juicy — an unusually concentrated take on a Loire Valley red.

The 2015 Terra Ambra is unusually rich and dark, showing notes of dark chocolate, cool ripe berries, graphite, and a hint of smokiness. The mouthfeel is lively, complex, and croquant (“crackling”), a testament to the increased freshness we often find in organically grown wines. Though this is delicious today, we’re excited to put a few of these in the back of the cellar as well — the 2015’s increased density suggests a somewhat longer-than-usual life.

This is refreshing enough to weather the heat waves of late summer, but dark and crisp enough to match a table of autumn cuisine.
 

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Demois Chinon Vieilles Vignes 2015

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Pure and Precise: Sparkling Pinot Noir from Burgundy. $25

Microterroir.  Most wine buyers think Pinot Noir produces only red wine, whether light and elegant or rich and fruity. But in fact the juice of Pinot Noir grapes is clear. The color of red Pinot Noir comes from soaking the grape skins in the juice — press the juice off the skins and ferment it on its own, 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 most often is sparkling. The Champenois often use 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.

 

Bubbles.  Most crémant in Burgundy and Alsace is a blend of several varietals from different locations to create a harmonious collection 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.

Sparkling wines provide the answer to dozens of food-pairing puzzles that would otherwise remain unsolved. Anything from asparagus to strong cheese to dessert will work nicely with this crémant. But our favorite is a triple-cream cows’ milk cheese such as Brillat Savarin or Delice de Bourgogne — these ultra-creamy spreads contrast beautifully with the fine bubbles and delicate freshness.

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PIACMELOT Crémant Chazot NV
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“Delicious, Velvety” Five-Year-Old Red Burgundy from Michel Gros.

Small.  Morey-St-Denis exemplifies the small scale of Burgundian winemaking. Wedged between two more famous neighbors, this village of 680 people has a vineyard surface of under 4 tenths of a square mile. It’s dark, delicious, classic red Burgundy — there just isn’t much of it to go around.

Michel Gros has a tiny parcel in Morey-St-Denis from which he makes fewer than 1000 bottles annually. The vines perch on the hill above the town, and the vineyard directly borders three Grand Crus: Clos de Tart, Clos des Lambrays, and Bonnes-Mares. We’re excited to have a bit left of Gros’s Morey-St-Denis from the excellent 2012 vintage, now five years on from harvest and drinking beautifully.

 

 

Classic.  Master of Wine Clive Coates describes the wines of Morey as a cross between the silkiness of Chambolle-Musigny and the sturdiness of Gevrey-Chambertin. Gros’s Morey-St-Denis is closer to the Chambolle side, and shows an elegant mouthfeel that’s typical of his style. We found beautiful, dark blackberry fruit in this wine, with cool, ripe tannins.

In 2012 the yields in Gros’s Morey plot were 25% lower than usual, and the result is a year with extra concentration and excellent depth. Allen Meadows (Burghound) was impressed with the 2012, calling it “delicious and attractively textured,” and with “very fine minerality,” and a “velvety, lingering finish.”

There is a beautiful tension in this wine, at once rich and energetic. It’s classic red Burgundy, showing elegance rather than heaviness. Pair this with game birds — think duck or cornish hen — and you’ll remember why good Burgundy is worth chasing.

 

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GROS Morey-St-Denis 2012
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Perfectly-Aged, 6-Year-Old Right Bank Bordeaux.

Timing.  Patience is uncommon in our fast-paced world. Today’s wine consumers tend to drink wines too early, or to avoid age-worthy bottles all together. So whenever we can, we look for opportunities to import wines that are near their optimal drinking window.

Today’s wine isn’t one of the great wines of the world, and it isn’t even all that old. But it’s a well made wine from excellent terroir, that needed a few years to knit together. And now with six years under its belt it’s impeccably aged, perfectly mature red Bordeaux — an elegant red wine for today.

 

 

 

Mature.  Lalande-de-Pomerol is a less fancy neighbor of the famous town of Pomerol, home to some of the world’s most expensive wines. Our new producer here is the Domaine du Grand Ormeau — their Lalande de Pomerol is 80% Merlot, and 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. You won’t mistake this wine for the real Pomerol, but you won’t mistake the price either.

The 2011 Lalande-de-Pomerol from Grande Ormeau is beautiful wine, aged in the cellar where it was bottled until last month. The nose is soft and welcoming with notes of berry jam and forest floor. The mouth is smooth and lively, with perfectly softened tannins producing a sophisticated, serious but accessible mouthfeel.

With six years since the harvest, the oak of this wine has integrated seamlessly, and the tannins have reached perfect maturity. In short, this is beautiful Right Bank Bordeaux, requiring no cellaring at all.

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Grand Ormeau Lalande-de-Pomerol 2011

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Crisp, Refreshing New Rosé for August. $16

August.  There’s a lot of rosé around these days. We’ve been fans for years, and we’re thrilled to see it enjoying some time in the spotlight. Rosé is proof that simpler wines have their time and place — sometimes the best wine for the moment isn’t the best wine in your cellar.

To us, Rosé should be three things: dry, refreshing, and low in alcohol. Most of our favorite rosés are in the provencal style, made in the South of France under brilliant blue skies. But we can’t leave out the Pinot Noir rosé from Francis Muré, a bright, energetic wine from the rolling hills of Alsace. His 2016 has just arrived in our warehouse, in time for the hottest month of the year.

 


Dry.  Francis Muré makes most of his Pinot Noir into a delicious red wine (look for the 2016 in a few weeks). The rest he turns into a lively rosé that captures the bright sun and refreshing breeze of an Alsatian summer. It’s not complex or weighty — just clean, crisp, and dry. Like Muré himself, it’s humble, honest, and charming.

The 2016 is among the best we can remember — lively mouthfeel, perfectly clean strawberry fruit, and delightfully crisp, dry finish. At 12.5% alcohol it’s refreshing and light. Whether you spend this month on vacation by the coast, or dashing between air conditioned rooms at the office and home, Muré’s 2016 is the perfect antidote to a muggy August.

 

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Muré Rosé 2016

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Mixed Case: Minerality Sampler

The wine world loves the word “minerality,” but no one can quite define it. Wine writer Lettie Teague calls it “a helpful word to describe wines that aren’t fruity, spicy, or herbal.” We think of it as refreshing element in a wine that doesn’t come from acidity, but we too struggle to offer an exact meaning.

Our best suggestion for defining minerality? These four wines. Whatever it is, these have it; and whatever it is, it’s particularly attractive in the summer heat. We’ve collected four wines, from Chablis, Pouilly-Fumé, and Muscadet, all sporting a crisp, elegant mineral note. You don’t have to drink them before the Fall — wines with minerality drink well year round — but these are unlikely to be in your cellar for long.

 

 

 

MICHOT Pouilly-Fumé VV 2016
This is pure Sauvignon Blanc, grown in soils full of flint and limestone. The nose shows grapefruit and smoke, and the mouth is long, smooth, and very lively.

GAUTHERON Chablis 1er cru “Vaucoupin” 2015
This premier cru Chablis is pure unoaked Chardonnay, grown in the fossil-rich Kimmeridgean soils of Chablis. Look for lemon zest and stones, with an elegant, very clean finish.

MARTIN-LUNEAU Muscadet “Gorges” 2013
Muscadet is near the mouth of the Loire River — the grape is Melon de Bourgogne. This very dry wine shows melon, dried spring flowers, and salt air.

COLLET Chablis 1er cru “Montée de Tonnerre” 2015
Montée de Tonnerre is the finest premier cru in Chablis, producing wines of high elegance and class. This cuvée is raised in a bit of oak, but the underlying minerality shines through beautifully.

 

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Mixed Case: Minerality Sampler

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