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 | Cyprien Lireux is a thirtysomething artisan cidermaker who left business school and decided to… More (+) Cyprien Lireux is a thirtysomething artisan cidermaker who left business school and decided to return home to work his ancestral land. His father and grandfather had taught him the art of cidermaking from the apples of their small family farm, and upon his return Cyprien began producing and selling cider commercially. He’s since purchased several small local abandoned orchards, and expanded production further.“Soixante.Quarante” is named for the 60/40 proportion of sharp vs. bitter apples. This was our tasters’ favorite – bone dry, pleasantly herbal and savory in the nose, with great tension in the mouth. There’s a delicate salinity alongside notes of lemon peel and quince with a hint of bitterness. A faint tannin underlies the mouthfeel, and at 6.5% abv it’s lively and easy to enjoy. Its wine equivalent is probably a very dry Petit Chablis. Serve this with grilled fish, mussels, or roasted chicken. Less (-) | |
 | Cyprien Lireux is a thirtysomething artisan cidermaker who left business school and decided to… More (+) Cyprien Lireux is a thirtysomething artisan cidermaker who left business school and decided to return home to work his ancestral land. His father and grandfather had taught him the art of cidermaking from the apples of their small family farm, and upon his return Cyprien began producing and selling cider commercially. He’s since purchased several small local abandoned orchards, and expanded production further.“Prémices” is a perry, made from seven different heritage varieties of pear, and just as dry as the Soixante.Quarante cider. It’s brighter and prettier than the cider, with notes of lime, grapefruit, dried flowers, and a pleasant minerality. It’s more wine-like than the cider, and the match of zesty fruit and brinyness is really delicious. For a wine comparison we’d look to Muscadet; this poiré clocks in at 4.5% alcohol. Pair with sushi, tuna tartare, steamer clams, or fresh goat cheese. Less (-) | |
 | Cyprien Lireux is a thirtysomething artisan cidermaker who left business school and decided to… More (+) Cyprien Lireux is a thirtysomething artisan cidermaker who left business school and decided to return home to work his ancestral land. His father and grandfather had taught him the art of cidermaking from the apples of their small family farm, and upon his return Cyprien began producing and selling cider commercially. He’s since purchased several small local abandoned orchards, and expanded production further.Cyprien’s Parcimonie cuvée is a more serious cider – the apples undergo a 2-4 week maturation in wood crates before pressing – and shows more complexity than the 60/40. Cyprien sources 20 different varieties of apple from twelve different vineyards; roughly 25% each from the four categories (sweet, bittersweet, bitter and sharp). This has a deeper nose than the 60/40, with more fruit and woodsy notes. (One of our tasters even noted eucalyptus.) At 5.7% alcohol it’s still dry and zippy, but has just a splash of residual sugar – not enough to be considered off-dry, but more than the first two. Think Brut for this one, and Extra-Brut for the first two. For a wine comparison, we’d pick a mostly dry Chenin blanc. This should drink well on its own, or with fresh soft pretzels. Less (-) | |
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 | Aligoté continues to enjoy its time in the Burgundian spotlight. The traditional Burgundian grape… More (+) Aligoté continues to enjoy its time in the Burgundian spotlight. The traditional Burgundian grape varietal has always made up about 10% of the region’s white vines, but a new group of self-titled “Aligoteurs,” spurred on by warmer, drier summers and a hunt for value, have championed the grape and have pushed its possibilities of expression. And you’d expect from the hottest, driest vintage yet, Vincent’s 2022 Aligoté is terrific. Burghound awarded it both his “top value” and “outstanding” designations, finding it “sleek, delicious and nicely concentrated’ with “a lovely sense of vibrancy,” concluding “an excellent example of the genre.” Less (-) | |
 | We have worked with the Domaine Vessigaud for just a few vintages, but we… More (+) We have worked with the Domaine Vessigaud for just a few vintages, but we see the same knack for making the most of the clay-limestone terroir that underlies Pouilly-Fuissé’s possibilities. Vessigaud is Demeter certified (the highest Biodynamic level), and the results in the glass are obvious: vibrant wines full of tension and bursting with life. We are not alone in our views — as William Kelley writes: “succulent but serious, any bottle bearing Vessigaud’s label is worth seeking out.”The Macon Solutre-Pouilly 2023 comes from a plot in Pouilly, along the line between the hamlets of Pouilly and Fuissé. The Vessigauds vinify and raise it in large oak foudres for eleven months, where micro-oxygenation develops density and flavor rather than any apparent oak. The 2023 is much like the 2022, which became the house white for many of our fans of white Burgundy. There is surprising depth and length for a wine of this pedigree, with pure Chardonnay fruit and excellent tension. Less (-) | |
 | Vouvray is in the central Loire, an area known for its Chenin Blanc planted… More (+) Vouvray is in the central Loire, an area known for its Chenin Blanc planted in an unusual type of soft limestone called tuffeau. Like many in Vouvray, Catherine Dhoye-Deruet's caves are carved into the tuffeau right below her vines – it’s a unique and remarkable place, and one that can produce terrific wines.The 2016 Vouvray Demi-Sec was perhaps the most exciting wine at the Fontainerie tasting. At just 20g of residual sugar – compared with, say, 120g for Sauternes – this is barely sweet. In fact the splash of RS serves as just one element among many, along with a burst of stony freshness, clean acidity, and lush tropical fruit. With its near decade in the bottle, the fruit has developed into an extraordinary array of flavors, including raisins, dried mango, baked pear, yellow plum, and others unnamed / unknowable. But the end of the palate finishes with an elegant and vibrant tension. This wine has the sweetness of a lightly sweetened cocktail – think a Tom Collins or Whisky Sour – with the same acidity to balance. Less (-) | |
| | Vincent Boyer somehow continues to fly a bit under the radar of much of… More (+) Vincent Boyer somehow continues to fly a bit under the radar of much of the international wine press. He’s an insiders’ producer with a mouthwatering collection of terroirs; together with his sister Sylvie who handles much of the viticulture, they continue to turn out magnificent expressions of their unparalleled terroir. Boyer’s 2023s are simply delicious – juicy and fleshy and approachable, but with excellent tension and low alcohol.Boyer’s Aligoté transcends the grape’s humble reputation, offering real white Burgundy with a middle weight palate and excellent concentration. Boyer elected to use foudres (huge oak barrels) this year instead of eggs, and while you won’t find any toasty notes in the wine, there’s a beautiful weight and length. The 2023 is more floral than usual, and exceptionally pretty. Less (-) |