Pascal Bardoux is a quiet, pensive winemaker. In Champagne, land of glitzy tasting rooms and glossy brochures, his humble demeanor and unassuming style distinguish him. Our tastings together are long and measured — each wine has time to develop in the glass, and a discussion follows involving precise references to rare fruits and other scents.
The Holidays are a time to gather family and friends, reflect on the year gone by, and maybe open that special bottle you’ve been saving. This week we’ve highlighted some ideas for that celebratory bottle, from Vosne-Romanée to Grand Crus Burgundies to samplers in our 2017 Gift Guide.
In Burgundy, “Grand Cru” is as good as it gets. Grand Cru vineyards represent the top 1.3% of wines in the region, and while the other 98.7% of Burgundian wine can be excellent, there’s nothing quite like Grand Cru. It’s the finest Burgundy has to offer, served to kings and emperors for over a thousand years.
The Burgundies of the Côte d’Or may be Chardonnay’s most refined expression, but its purest expression comes from the hillsides of Chablis. With no oak to compete with the fruit, this is Chardonnay showing only its essential elements. It takes a talented winemaker to craft this unadorned version of the grape, and Romain Collet is […]
Michel Gros is as much a part of Vosne-Romanée as its pointed steeple, the ancient vineyards, and the narrow crooked streets. He is a lifelong resident of the town, as were his father and grandfather before him — his mother was even mayor. The Gros family name has been synonymous with Vosne-Romanee for centuries.
The finest Northern Rhône Syrahs are a study in finesse and subtlety. Their brilliance comes from the marriage of a dark, rich southern grape varietal with a cooler northern climate. Particularly in 2015, the wines show an exquisite balance between an inky meatiness and a brisk fruitiness.
Well aged wine is hard to come by these days. Today’s consumers often drink wines too early, or avoid age-worthy bottles all together. So whenever we can, we look for opportunities to import wines that are near their optimal drinking window.
Cotes-du-Rhône is one of the most recognizable brands in wine. From wine bars around the world to your local corner wine shop, there’s no shortage of Côtes du Rhône around. And such ubiquity can make it hard for wines to stand out.
The 2015 growing season brought warm weather to nearly every region in France. The wines from Burgundy and the Northern Rhône are some of the finest in a generation. Those from the Southern Rhône are dense, very rich, and easy to enjoy. And the 2015 reds from Bordeaux are some of the smoothest and roundest in years.
Beaujolais has always had a turbulent relationship with the rest of Burgundy. To many in the Côte d’Or, the Beaujolais represents overmarketed and undercrafted wine. But in recent years the Beaujolais has undergone a renaissance, as the prominence of Nouveau recedes and more vignerons make ageworthy wine.
Burgundy is where Chardonnay finds its finest expression. In cold climates, the grape can be acidic and thin; in hot climates, it runs the risk of high alcohol and over extraction. But in Burgundy, Chardonnay has the potential to strike its most elegant balance between soft, mouthfilling fruit, and crisp, refreshing acidity.
The best known domaines in our portfolio are two sources of classic Red Burgundy: the Domaine Michel Gros and the Domaine Pierre Amiot. Their wineries are just three miles apart, and they both farm plots along the world’s most famous stretch of vines. Winemakers Michel Gros and Jean-Louis Amiot were even grade school friends.
The wines of Burgundy are not known for their weight. Their grape is Pinot Noir, a delicate, thin-skinned grape that is relatively light in color. The region is relatively northern, and it’s often a struggle for the grapes to ripen fully.
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.”
When vines grow old it presents vignerons with a choice. Older vines mean lower yields, which can squeeze a domaine’s bottom line. But old vines also produce more concentrated and better quality juice, leading to wines of depth and intensity. We are always pleased to find vignerons who sacrifice quantity for quality and allow their vines to continue into old age.