Author: Thomas Wilcox

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Raspberries and Lavender: an Elegant Blend from the South

Class.  The Languedoc is one of the world’s oldest winegrowing regions, tracing its history back to 125 BC. For many years it has been known for abundant, cheap, and largely uninteresting wine, but in the past few years the region has seen a renaissance. There is a new wave of small scale winemakers, many committed to low-intervention, “natural” styles of winemaking. Our clear favorites in this category are the winemakers of the Mas Foulaquier.

Foulaquier’s vineyards embody the polyculture at the heart of their farming philosophy. The rows of vines are full of flowers, insects, and wild herbs — they even let a herd of nubian goats roam through the vines, trimming back the grass and fertilizing the soil. It’s Eden on a sunny hillside in southern France.

 

 

Complex.  And what do the wines taste like? In a word, they’re extraordinary. No other winemaker we work with produces wines of such varied complexity and depth. The wines mix perfectly ripe, juicy notes of raspberry, cherries, violets, and roses with earthy notes of spice, lavender, garrigue and leather. There’s more going on in a glass of Foulaquier than nearly any other wine we know.

The Gran’Tonillieres is Foulaquier’s flagship wine – made from 60 year old vines of Grenache and Carignan, it shows extraordinary complexity but with elegance and grace. Raspberries appear on the label, and they are an apt hint of what’s inside. The wine is too complex to name (or know) all the notes, but highlights include leather, earth, and rosemary.

If you’re at all interested in the “natural” wine movement, this is a delicious first one to try. We can’t promise all the others will be this good, but we’re pretty sure you’ll like this one.

 

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Foulaquier Gran’T 2011

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

 

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“Simply Terrific,” 5-Year-Old Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru, 93 points

The Pearl.  No town in France is more celebrated for its wines than Vosne-Romanée. Home to some of the world’s finest and most sought-after bottles, Vosne is undoubtedly the most famous Pinot Noir village on earth. Michel Gros is a lifelong resident. His family has made wine there for centuries, and his mother was once the mayor.

Gros farms small plots of vines across the tiny appellation, and today’s offer is for one of our favorites: the premier cru “Aux Brûlées.” Located just 10 feet from the famous “Richebourg” Grand Cru, this vineyard turns out extraordinary wine year in and year out. The 2012 vintage has begun to offer delightful drinking already, and we’re pleased to offer the 2012 Aux Brûlées today.

This is the height of Burgundian elegance — farmed and crafted by a master winemaker, and drawn from his family’s historic and hallowed land.

 

 

Historic.  Vosne-Romanée is a tiny appellation, covering only half of a square mile. Founded in the 6th Century, the town has been famous for its wines for almost as long. Monks from the nearby priories of Vergy and Saint-Vivant noticed the quality of the wines from the land just west of Vosne in the 9th century, and they’ve gotten pricier and more exclusive ever since.

Whether you have the Burgundy bug or just an interest in beautifully crafted wine, Gros’s Vosne-Romanée 1er cru “Aux Brûlées” is exceptional. It perfectly marries the depth and richness of high-level red Burgundy with the silky elegance found only in Vosne-Romanée. Look for notes of plum, cassis, stewed cherries, and violets. Allen Meadows (Burghound) called this wine “generous and fleshy,” and found “excellent length and simply terrific complexity.”

Vosne-Romanée is jewel of any Burgundy enthusiast’s collection, and while it’s never cheap (particularly as a premier cru), it rarely disappoints.

 

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Michel Gros Vosne-Romanée 1er cru “Aux Brûlées” 2012

Ansonia Retail: $140
2+ bottle price : $125/bot

 

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Mixed Case: Summer Wines under $20

Hot weather can make it hard to enjoy wine. Bottles with high alcohol or dark and woodsy comple xions are hard to match with summer temperatures. In July and August, we like wines that are straightforward, refreshing, and inexpensive.

So for this case we’ve collected four of our favorite summertime sippers. The two whites are crisp and lively, with dry, energetic mouthfeels — one from the Loire and one from Chablis. The reds are uncomplicated and fruit-forward blends from the Rhône and Languedoc — both can be served chilled.

Foulaquier Violetta 2015
This is an unoaked, fruit-forward blend from biodynamic producers in the Languedoc. It’s fresh and dynamic, showing cool, earthy notes of blackberries and violets.

Gautheron Chablis VV 2015
Gautheron’s pure chardonnay is barely oaked, with its lively mouthfeel and crisp minerality dominating the palate. Look for notes of seashells and lemon zest.

Coulange Mistral 2015
This is a simple, unoaked blend of grenache and syrah in perfect balance. The mouth is cool and fresh, with notes of cherry jam and lavender.

Martin-Luneau Muscadet 2013
This classically refreshing wine is from near the mouth of the Loire River. It’s light and effortlessly drinkable, with notes of melon and salt air.

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Summer Wines under $20

3x   Foulaquier Violetta 2015
3x   Gautheron Chablis VV 2015
3x   Coulange CDR Mistral 2015
3x   Martin-Luneau Muscadet 2013


Ansonia Retail: $276
offer price: $235/case

free East Coast shipping

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

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Crisp, Bone-Dry Alsatian Riesling for the Summer Heat. $15.95

Dry.  Francis Muré’s Alsatian Riesling has long been one of our most popular wines. We’ve used this wine to cure dozens of tasters of their “Riesling fear” — it’s bone-dry, crisp, and as refreshing as a Sancerre or Chablis. There’s plenty of sweet, flat, uninteresting Riesling around, but after one taste of this and you’ll want to reexamine the grape.

Francis Muré makes delicious wines is his Alsatian hill town of Westhalten. The charming narrow streets are lined with flower boxes, and when Muré steals away from his vines or his cellar it’s to make his own delicious duck confit or smoke his own local brook trout. He’s an artisan in every way, and his wines are a perfect expression of their bucolic origin.

Fresh.  Muré’s Riesling is a perfect match for the summer heat. The nose is bright and floral, with notes of lime, mango, and spring flowers. The mouth is dry and crisp, with a wonderfully lively mouthfeel — there’s plenty of rich, mouthfilling fruit, balanced by a bright line of citrus and minerals.

We drink Muré’s Riesling year round — it pairs beautifully with Asian cuisine, particularly dishes with a bit of spice. But in the summer, it’s almost a necessity. For a cocktail party or outdoor barbecue, there’s little more refreshing than a chilled glass of this Riesling. Just don’t tell your guests what grape it is until they’ve tasted it.

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MURÉ Riesling 2014
Ansonia Retail: $20
6+ bottle price: $15.95/bot

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AVAILABLE IN    6-    AND   12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

 

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

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July Futures: Introduction

We are delighted in July Futures to offer exciting wines across a wide range of prices. For those in search of value, we have excellent options from Chablis, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. For those looking further up the price scale, July Futures includes exciting, age-worthy wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, Chassagne-Montrachet, and the slopes of Côte Rôtie. Whatever your budget or taste, we feel the quality is uniformly high, with expertly made wines from around the country.

Putting together this offering reminded us again that viticulture is also farming, subject to the same vagaries of weather that keep Iowa grain growers, Florida fruit growers, and Kenyan coffee growers up at night. In the Beaujolais we saw a vigneron whose entire 2016 crop from Chiroubles died in a single late frost. And he told us he considered himself lucky — no fewer than ten of his Beaujolais neighbors had shuttered their domaines permanently after last year. In Chablis we visited a town where 2016 frosts and hail took down yields by an average of 70%, with many producers losing their entire crop.

Other places have fared better. Though Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Northern Rhône had their share of difficulties over the past few years, the three most recent vintages provided exceptional quality and reasonable quantities in all three regions. The 2014s and 2015s from all three have been of the highest caliber, and though we won’t be offering any 2016s until next year, our barrel tastings this spring confirmed their near-uniform praise.

Mother Nature is fickle, and winemakers everywhere live in constant worry of a late frost, a rogue hail storm, or an unexpected blight. We take our hats off to our vignerons, who make excellent wine year in and year out, and manage (most of the time) to do so with a smile.

From a wine buyer’s perspective, the situation is less uncertain. Modern techniques and market demands mean that these days the impact of such natural disasters falls principally on the producers, who maintain quality by rigorously eliminating unripe and compromised grapes. Still, the limited supply eventually shows up in higher prices and so we all bear some of the cost. We have been tinkering with the timing of our offerings this year in order to maximize the supply of your favorites, so you may see some producers twice in a twelve month span.

We hope you will be as excited by these wines as we are. If any of them are of interest, please let us know by the order deadline of July 16, 2017.

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Mixed Case: White Burgundies Under $25

Most people consider the white wines of Burgundy to be among the world’s finest wines of any color. Nowhere else does Chardonnay achieve the same balance between fruit, minerality, acidity, richness, and elegance. With production limited and ever increasing demand, the prices of white Burgundy have risen almost as quickly as those of red.

We do our best to find white Burgundies suited for every day. Particularly in the warm summer months, when you need to open a reliably nice bottle, it’s hard to beat white Burgundy for freshness, consistency, and popularity. We’ve collected four of our favorites and discounted so they come in under $25.

 

 

Gautheron Chablis 1er Vaucoupin 2015
This is our favorite premier cru from Gautheron. Raised in stainless steel, the wine’s richness comes entirely from the vines. Look for exceptional length, clean lemon and honey in the nose, and a vibrant, electric minerality.

Gros Hautes-Côtes de Nuits blanc 2012
Michel Gros’s only white wine is from the hills to the west of his domaine in Vosne-Romanée. This dense and energetic chardonnay combines the richness of barrel age with brisk freshness. Look for notes of white flowers and green apple.

Prunier Chorey-les-Beaune “Clos Margot” 2014
Father and daughter Michel and Estelle Prunier make whites of excellent value from some of Burgundy’s lesser known appellations. This Chorey-les-Beaune is from 2014, a year with near-perfect balance between mouthfilling ripeness and crisp acidity.
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Collet Chablis 1er cru “Montée de Tonnerre” 2015
Grown in Chablis most famous premier cru vineyard, this 2015 Montée de Tonnerre shows the elegance and delicacy possible in top notch Chablis. Careful oaking rounds out the wine, which is bolstered by classic minerality, lemon zest, and salt air.

 

 

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WHITE BURGUNDIES UNDER $25

3x   Gautheron Chablis 1er cru “Vaucoupin” 2015:   $30
3x   Gros Hautes-Côtes de Nuits blanc 2012:   $34
3x   Prunier Chorey-les-Beaune “Margot” 2014:   $32
3x   Collet Chablis 1er cru “Tonnerre” 2015:   $38

Ansonia Retail: $408
offer price: $295/case

free East Coast shipping    |    save $113

 

 

 

 

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Advance Order: New 92-point Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, 33% off

Discovery.  It’s difficult to find new winemakers in Burgundy. Supply is very limited and most producers work with other US importers. Finding high quality additions to our portfolio involves lots of research and tasting, along with good timing and a healthy dose of luck.

When we first read about the Domaine des Varoilles, we were skeptical. Their past was storied, with vines first planted in the 12th century (not a typo). Their properties are remarkable — no fewer than four monopoles in Gevrey-Chambertin, two at the premier cru level. They boast 90+ scores from Burghound, high praise from Jancis Robinson, and a raft of Coup de Coeur awards from the Guide Hachette.

Such expectations set an awfully high bar for our first visit a few months ago, but in fact the wines at Varoilles exceeded their lofty billing. It’s been some time since we’ve been this excited about a new domaine. Four of their 2014 cuvées will be in the July Futures out next week, but we’re starting the bidding early on their flagship wine.

 

 

Density.  The Domaine des Varoilles is named for the Clos des Varoilles, a huge 6-hectare premier cru monopole located among the best premier crus in Gevrey-Chambertin. (For reference Michel Gros’s quite large monopole Clos des Réas in Vosne-Romanée is just over two hectares.) Historical documents reference its initial planting in the 12th century, and it’s from this vineyard that today’s wine comes.

The terroirs of Gevrey-Chambertin produce the meatiest and most intense red wines in all of Burgundy. The Varoilles winemaking style is toward richness and density, and when married to their exceptional terroir, results in wines of impressive intensity. The 2014 Varoilles is exceptional, with inky notes of plum, earth, cassis, and a hint of sauvage. Allen Meadows (Burghound) found it “velvety” and “super rich” with a “firm, serious, and powerful finish,” and awarded 92 points.

We’re highly optimistic about Varoilles, for both the future of their wines in our cellar, and the future of the domaine in our portfolio. With 900 years of history we can’t claim to be getting you in on the ground floor, but we can’t imagine there will be any disappointed customers for these wines.

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VAROILLES Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru Mônopole “Clos des Varoilles” 2014
Ansonia Retail: $1,176/case
Futures price: $785/case     ($65.42/bot)

AVAILABLE BY THE CASE AND HALF-CASE

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Thirst-Quenching New Provencal Rosé. $19

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

But in this tiny place Nicolas crafts some of the most exciting wines in our portfolio. His reds from Côte du Rhône and Séguret are simply delicious and get better each year. His white Séguret is delightful, though his tiny production isn’t large enough to sell us any.

This year, at last, we managed to secure an allocation of his excellent rosé — just 25 cases, and much of it was snapped up in our March Futures. We’re releasing the rest of it today, and we don’t expect it to be around for a second offer.

 

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

Malmont’s 2016 Rosé is a 65/35 blend of Grenache and Syrah. The nose shows light strawberries with a hint of honey. The mouth is beautifully balanced, with good freshness and pleasant notes of lemon zest, wild cherries, and lavender. It’s effortlessly drinkable — a refreshing glass that will transport you to Provence with one sip.

Given today’s heat, the price, and the limited production, we advise prompt action if this one’s of interest:

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Small-Batch, Everyday Red Bordeaux. $24

Scale.  Bordeaux is much larger than Burgundy. The region covers nearly ten times as much land, and the wineries themselves are usually far larger. For example Burgundy’s most famous vineyard, Romanée Conti, produces about 450 cases per year; Châteaux Margaux and Haut Brion are closer to 12,000 each.

But over the years we’ve been pleased to find some Burgundy-scale winemakers working in Bordeaux. One favorite is the Château Léhoul, a source in Graves run by the Fonta family since the 1700s. This small but excellent producer is truly a family affair — a few years ago when the winemaker had to be at his kids’ soccer game, it was his eighty-something mother who conducted our tasting.

Wednesday Wine.  Léhoul’s wines are straightforward and delicious red Bordeaux. They’re don’t cost a fortune, and they’re not meant to age for half a century. But for a weeknight steak or lamb, or even burgers from the grill, they’re a great match. Today we’re releasing Léhoul’s 2014 red Graves, a beautifully balanced red Bordeaux at an unusually low price.

Unlike many other simpler Bordeaux, Léhoul red is neither over-oaked nor high in alcohol. The nose shows dark plum fruits, with a hint of licorice and a lovely cool earthiness. At 13.5% alcohol the mouth is perfectly balanced, with dark rich fruit but a pleasant tannic structure that makes the wine perfect for food. Open an hour or so before serving and serve just a touch below room temperature — just don’t tell your guests how much you paid.

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LEHOUL Graves rouge 2014
Ansonia Retail: $28
6+ bottle price: $24/bot

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AVAILABLE IN   6-    AND   12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

 

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

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Elegant 5-year-old Red Burgundy from Michel Gros.

Thatch and tweed. If Vosne-Romanée is the paragon of Burgundian sophistication, then neighbor Nuits-St-Georges has the humbler charm of a country gentleman. Spread across five miles of varied terroir, the wines of Nuits-St-Georges range from spiced and elegant to meaty and rich. Wines from plots near the Vosne border can borrow a bit of spice and silk from their neighbor.

Today’s wine is from Michel Gros, a master winemaker from nearby Vosne-Romanée. Gros makes two Nuits-St-Georges cuvées — a richer one from the south of town, and a more refined one from near the Vosne border. Today’s cuvée is from the Vosne side, and combines some of the elements of both towns in a single wine.

Exquisite.  Pinot Noir from Burgundy may not be known for boldness, but this is not a wine that’s easy to forget. In 2012, very low yields made for wines of unusual depth and concentration. This wine has Gros’s signature style, with an enticing, silky bouquet of redcurrants and licorice. In the mouth it’s meaty and dense, showing cassis, toast, plum, and just a hint of spice.

Jancis Robinson listed Gros as one of five “overperforming” red Burgundy producers in 2012. Burghound (Allen Meadows) called the 2012 Nuits “appealingly fresh,” and “very round,” finding “excellent richness” and awarding 87-90 points. With four years in the bottle, this has begun to drink extraordinarily well (though it will improve over another 3-4 years in the cellar, if you can keep your hands off it).

Today, after just 20 minutes in a carafe or decanter, this wine will transport you to the Burgundy of centuries ago — think woven tapestries, roasted meats, and ancient stone chateaux. Speaking of roasted meats, this bottle matches perfectly with a steak. We opened a bottle a week ago with sirloin tips from the grill, and the match was magnificent.

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GROS Nuits-St-Georges 2012
Ansonia Retail: $75
3+ bottle price: $62/bot

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AVAILABLE IN    3-    6-    AND   12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

 

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

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Pure, Refreshing, No-Oak White Burgundy: $16.95

Unadorned.  “Oaked” or “unoaked” sounds like a yes-no question, but it really is a range. Most of the wines we import spend some time in oak, but the strength of its influence depends on the age and size of the barrel, the chauffe (how heavily the inside is charred), and time in the barrel.

With this wine, it’s simple: no oak at all. This classic, stony, energetic chablis is all freshness, minerality, and pure fruit. The Domaine Gautheron is a small, family-owned property, and we love their precise style. You could eat off the floor there, and the rigorous cleanliness extends to their wines as well.

Crisp.  Cyril Gautheron is a rising star in Chablis. The Gautheron Family has made wine here for 200 years, but Cyril has taken the reins with great passion and has won critical acclaim from wine writers around the world. The Domaine’s style is classique — little to no oak, bright notes of lemon and apple, and steely fresh minerality.

Gautheron’s Petit Chablis 2015 is a perfectly refreshing — look for notes of stones, lemon zest, and flowers. We usually suggest pairing this with food, but we served a bottle by itself at a cocktail party recently and it made many friends on its own. For summer heat, this is a refreshing, crowd-pleasing white wine. For anything from the sea — steamed lobster, raw oysters, grilled swordfish — it’s a must have.

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GAUTHERON Petit Chablis 2015
Ansonia Retail: $22
6+ bottle price: $16.95/bot

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AVAILABLE IN    6-    AND   12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

 

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

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Almost Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Smooth, Velvety 92-Point Gigondas

Fame and Value.  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 often provides more bang for your buck.

A case in point is the 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.

Raspberry and Thyme.  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. The already excellent wines have become more refined since Florence took over, from their simple Côtes du Rhône, to today’s luxury cuvée.

Josh Raynolds of Vinous awarded the 2011 Florence 91-92 points, finding “supple fine-grained tannins” and “very good length.” Since we last wrote about this wine the oak has melted beautifully into the body, becoming more harmonious and smooth. The nose shows stewed raspberry jam, thyme, and a hint of lavender. The mouth is intensely concentrated, with a chewy blend of plum, blueberry jam, and pan drippings.

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 recognition. But if it’s value you seek, consider putting your money on the Cuvée Florence.

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GOUBERT Gigondas “Florence” 2011
Ansonia Retail: $50
3+ bottle price: $42/bot

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AVAILABLE IN    3-    6-    AND   12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

 

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

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Crisp, Dry, Refreshing Provençal Rosé. $16

Été arrivé.  We try not to be too beholden to seasonal drinking patterns. With certain dishes, red works best in the summer and white in the winter. But it’s hard to deny the appeal of a summertime rosé. Our criteria for rosé are threefold: dry, inexpensive, and refreshing.

The provencal-style rosé from the Domaine les Goubert hits all three of those perfectly. Grown across the sun-drenched plain just east of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Goubert’s rosé is dry and delicious. If there’s a beach or a roof deck or a backyard patio in your future this summer, this is almost as necessary as sunscreen.

 

Soleil.  Rosé de Flo is the project of the Cartier family’s thirtysomething daughter Florence, who is now handling much of the winemaking at Goubert. Florence decided not to make any Rosé in 2016 — the crop quality was too high, so it all went to red — but we managed to snap up the last of the 2015, which continues to be excellent.

The 2015 is a blend of grenache, mourvèdre, and a local grape called brun argenté. In the glass it’s a pale salmon color, with notes of wild strawberry jam and faint lavender; in the mouth look for fresh cut hay and lime rind. Bone dry, with 13% alcohol and a delicate acidity, this wine is dangerously easy to sip. Open one with a salad or tapenade and you’ll be transported to Provence.

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GOUBERT Sablet Rosé 2015
Ansonia Retail: $20
6+ bottle price: $16/bot

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AVAILABLE IN    6-    AND   12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

 

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

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Smooth New Grenache Blend: Berries and Lavender. $16

Barbecue.  For most people, the summer is rosé and white wine season. We’re thrilled to help in both categories (look for the Goubert Rosé release on Friday), but for something smoky off the grill, or for a cool midsummer evening, it’s helpful to have some red around.

Some of our favorite affordable reds from the last few years are from the Clos Bagatelle in St-Chinian. Grown in Southern France’s Languedoc region, Bagatelle’s reds avoid that region’s trap of flatness and over-ripeness. By picking early enough, the winemakers here retain good structure and balancing acidity. They’re perfect everyday sippers for the summer.

Uncomplicated.  For several years we’ve stocked Bagatelle’s two syrah-based wines, “Tradition” and “Veillée d’Automne.” Today we’re excited to introduce a third. The “Colline d’Assignan” is majority grenache, though there’s also syrah and carignan. The large proportion of grenache means the fruits are redder and smoother than those of Bagatelle’s other cuvées, but we’re confident anyone who liked the other two will enjoy this one as well.

The 2015 Colline d’Assignan doesn’t require a lot of thought or contemplation — it’s simple, well-made, and remarkably easy to drink. The nose is very expressive, with red berry fruits and hints of black pepper and lavender. In the mouth it’s smooth and full, with a clean finish giving notes of the woodsy local underbrush known as garrigue. We like to serve it slightly cool.

This won’t be the fanciest wine you have this summer. But for an outdoor barbeque or even a glass after a long day of work, it’s hard to imagine a better match.

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BAGATELLE “St-Chinian” Colline 2015
Ansonia Retail: $20
6+ bottle price: $16/bot

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AVAILABLE IN    6-    AND   12-  BOTTLE LOTS

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

 

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.

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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 almost every taste.

For this case we’ve collected three wines from all across the region. From the west, a Muscadet — grown where the Loire Valley meets the windswept Atlantic coast. From the east, a pure Sauvignon Blanc from Pouilly-Fumé. And from the middle, a delightful unoaked Cabernet Franc with pure fruit and refreshing minerality.

MARTIN-LUNEAU Muscadet Gorges 13
This very dry wine is made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape — it’s unoaked and raised on the lees for several years, giving it both a smooth richness and an exceptional liveliness. Pair this with oysters and you’ll be in heaven.

MICHOT Pouilly-Fumé 2015
This pure Sauvignon Blanc comes from a town across the river from Sancerre. Raised in stainless steel, this refreshing wine shows notes of honeysuckle, grapefruit, flint, and minerals. Pair this with any fish or shellfish.

DEMOIS Chinon VV 2014
This is pure Cabernet Franc from the central Loire Valley. It’s unoaked and from old vines, giving it a freshness and density that pairs beautifully with food. Look for notes of cranberries and graphite, and pair with fresh chèvre.

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LOIRE VALLEY SAMPLER

4x   Martin-Luneau Muscader “Gorges” 13:   $24
4x   Michot Pouilly-Fumé 2015:   $20
4x   Demois Chinon Vieilles Vignes 2014:   $24


Ansonia Retail: $272
offer price: $235/case

free East Coast shipping    |    save $37

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Email Tom to place an order.

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.