Climate change has affected many aspects of winemaking in France. Most changes have proven challenging, such as spring frosts, hailstorms, and overripeness. But others have been beneficial. For instance, in Burgundy the malady-prone Pinot Noir vines have become healthier in warmer, drier weather. (See our Ansonia Journal article for more on climate change and winemaking.)
The Loire River is the longest in France, and the valley that surrounds it is home to the country’s most diverse winemaking region. The Loire Valley produces just about every type of wine there is — sweet, dry, sparkling, still, traditional, modern, and in every hue imaginable.
In the dozen years since he took over his family’s domaine, Romain Collet has elevated its reputation as fast as any new generation we’ve witnessed. We’ve noticed it ourselves, but we’re not alone — writers from Vinous, Burghound and Robert Parker have noted a “higher level of refinement” and a “significant upsurge in quality.” Jasper Morris MW writes that Romain Collet “is moving towards joining the pantheon” in Chablis.
In just over a decade, winemaker Romain Collet has turned his family’s reliable if unremarkable domaine into one of the very best sources in Chablis. With a focus on lower sulfur, a transition to organics, and modernized cellar practices, the domaine has begun to realize its full potential. The wine press has taken notice too; William Kelley finds “a lot to admire here,” and Jasper Morris recently opined that Romain Collet “is moving towards joining the pantheon in Chablis.”
Praise continues to pour in for the Domaine Patrick & Christophe Bonnefond. Their Northern Rhône reds are pure syrah, and display an exquisite balance of texture, fruit, subtlety and depth. The wines continue to improve each year — Josh Raynolds of Vinous declared his tasting this year “the single most impressive set of bottlings I have had here.”
Not far from the mouth of the Loire, where France’s longest river meets the windswept Atlantic coast, sits the appellation of Muscadet. For centuries its signature product – a classic, bone-dry white wine – has appeared by the carafe in the oyster bars of Paris, London, and New York. It’s refreshing, abundant, and inexpensive — a perfect glass to wash down a plate of crustaceans.
As hot, dry summers become the norm across much of France, winemakers in the south in particular are constantly in search of freshness for their wines. Some have adjusted viticulture techniques, others have altered their blends to re-balance freshness.
“Oak is good… but wine is better.” That’s how one of our vignerons answered a question a few years ago about how he uses oak. We know what he means, and we still see too many winemakers fall into the trap of overoaking.
Patrick and Christophe Bonnefond’s wines somehow keep getting better. They’ve enjoyed a string of excellent recent vintages in the vines, but they also seem to be hitting their stride in the cellar. Once firmly in the ripe, oaky, “extroverted” camp that made them a darling of Robert Parker, the domaine has shifted towards subtler expression in recent years: less time in oak, larger barrels, and earlier harvests.
Most Americans limit their sparkling wine consumption to holidays and celebrations. But doing so means missing out on a world of good wine, particularly for food pairing. And, if you know where to look, increasing your diet of bubbles doesn’t even require Champagne-level investment.
White Burgundy is an easy wine to pair with food. At the high end, an ageworthy bottle Meursault or Puligny can be as subtle and magnificent as a red. But white Burgundy also answers the call for something uncomplicated and reliable — a Monday night pasta dish, or a hearty bowl of mussels.
The Domaine les Goubert is among the most consistent winemakers in our portfolio. No matter the vintage – warm or cool, sunny or wet, easy or difficult — the Goubert wines are reliably outstanding. The winemakers allow the vintage to influence the character of the wine, but never the quality.
Riesling continues to be a criminally underrated varietal. Its sweet examples can be transcendent and delicious, but it’s also capable of excellence in dry form. Pound for pound, dry Rieslings make up some of the best values in our portfolio.
Step into a breezy meadow or a shady forest, close your eyes, and breathe in — the smells and sensations are countless, complex, and awe-inspiring. Natural wines, when they’re made carefully, channel a little slice of nature’s limitless vitality like little else can. And nobody in our portfolio does this more skillfully than the Mas […]
Tomatoes have always been one of our favorite parts of summer. Whether raw and chopped into a bruschetta, baked into a tart, or cooked down into a rich tomato sauce, an in-season tomato is an entirely different fruit from the out-of season variety.