Newsletter
June 15, 2017 – July 14, 2017
Ardèche
2016 Coteaux de l’Ardèche ‘Petite Selve’ (Chateau de la Selve)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
Ardèche is the name of a river and a department in the Rhone region. Ardèche wines are usually described as ‘country cousins’ when compared with their Rhone counterparts. The 2016 Petite Selve from the Chateau de la Selve turns this into a positive. Give this fresh, organic red a chill and you will be pleased with its cherry fruit and spicy tannins. With 40% Cinsault the blend gives a crisp liveliness, while Grenache and Syrah provide spice and body. Great for charcuterie and salad.
Beaujolais Villages
2015 Beaujolais Villages (Stéphane Aviron)
Sale Price $13.99 – $142.70 case of twelve
Stéphane Aviron’s Beaujolais Villages continues to exceed our expectations. While most wines with this appellation are soft and fruity, his wines are deeper and drier and have fine structure. The 2015 is a ripe wine with cool raspberry fruit and beautifully balanced tannins. Have this with a roast chicken or a grilled flank of salmon.
Chianti Classico
2014 Chianti Classico (Castello La Leccia)
Sale Price $14.99 – $152.90 case of twelve
Bianchello
2016 Bianchello del Metauro (Crespaia)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
The previous vintage was our first with the Bianchello from Crespaia. By all accounts it was a hit, and we are pleased to offer another terrific value white from this producer in Le Marche. This lemony, herbal dry white is perfect for all things seafood. Also wonderful with asparagus and, surprisingly, cauliflower.
Goriška Brda
2016 Pinot Grigio ‘Rado’ (Rado Kocijančič)
2016 Rosé ‘Rado’ (Rado Kocijančič)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
While Slovenian viticulture predates that of France, its centuries-old history of occupations and empires has hindered its development as a renowned wine producing country. Yet it shares the same latitudinal sweet spot as Burgundy and Bordeaux. As part of Yugoslavia, family vineyards were nationalized to provide wine for the state. Even now very little wine makes it out of the country. Despite losing more than half of his family’s vineyards during the communist period, Rado Kocijančič continues to make terroir-driven wines minutes from the Italian border in the area of Goriška Brda. As he’s allergic to sulfur, his organic wines hardly ever see it. 
Rado’s Pinot Grigio charmed us with its uniqueness. With its weighty body, nutty aromas, delicate apricot fruit, and a stream of minerals, it’s unlike any of our other Pinot Grigios. This is an unoaked white with guts, and it needs to be in order to match the locals’ meaty cuisine loaded with garlic and onions. It’s also fitting for our local cuisine of seafood such as fish chowder. 
His rosé brims with personality. It’s made from Refrošk, a grape indigenous to the Karst Plateau, a region where Italy and Slovenia meet at the Adriatic Sea. This dry, cherry-fruited, rose-scented pink is not your typical light and airy rosé. It’s got texture, body, and tannins. Have with grilled vegetable kebabs or a roast pork loin.
Listed prices are honored through July 14th, 2017. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 41, No. 7
Sale Price $9.99 – $101.90 case of twelve 
2016 Chinon ‘René Couly’ (Couly-Dutheil)
2016 Rioja (Viña Real) 
The 2015 vintage in the Rhone Valley is undeniably great. So great that some wines are already sold out. Luckily, we jumped when offered these wines from Mas de Boislauzon. The Côtes du Rhône Villages and Châteauneuf-du-Pape rise well above their peers at this price point. 
If any single red grape has been transformed and popularized over the last twenty years, it has been Pinot Noir. Once the rustic native of Burgundy, now a global adventurer. But in a great vintage like 2015 the focus of Pinot Noir interest will always return to Burgundy and the pursuit of the absolute best. The wines of Regis Bouvier are not entirely unknown, but with efforts like this, affordable prices, and recent national press, they may 
The ‘Les Longeroies’ has a fabulous purity of aroma, a beautiful balance of fruit and tannin, and a lovely, earthy finish. This is approachable, but will be even better over the next five years. The ‘En Montre Cul’ is a delightfully rustic Burgundy with brash fruit, wild tannins, and a cool, minty finish. Drink this now with a roast chicken or a grilled rib eye.
From Fromagerie Guilloteau in France comes this indulgent triple-cream version of their classic soft cheese, Fromager D’Affinois. Made with pasteurized cow’s milk and extra cream, the cheese undergoes the same ultrafiltration process that they pioneered and utilize for all of their soft-ripened cheeses. During ultrafiltration, water is removed from the milk before the cheesemaking process begins. This concentrates the fat and proteins so that more nutrients are retained in the final product, and it speeds up the production and ripening stages. It also contributes to the extremely silky texture and rich, buttery flavor.
Shy Brothers Farm was established in Westport, MA in 2006 by four of the Santos brothers, on the original location of their grandparents’ dairy farm. The brothers are third generation dairy farmers who desired to continue the family dairy tradition, strengthen the local farming community, and help maintain the rural character of this region of coastal Massachusetts. Cloumage is a fresh cow’s milk cheese, light and tangy, with a balanced acidity. Extremely versatile, it is excellent for cooking, baking, or snacking. We will be offering two flavors: plain and roasted red pepper.
Beehive Cheese Company has been making cheese in Northern Utah for over a decade, sourcing their cow’s milk from a fourth generation family dairy that raises a herd of mixed Jersey and Holstein cows that graze on mineral rich fields neighboring the Great Salt Lake. That embrace of local, natural resources is brought to the fore in SeaHive, a full-bodied cheddar that is hand-rubbed with local wildflower honey and Real Salt® sea salt. The salt is harvested from an ancient sea bed near Redmond, Utah, and contains more than 50 natural trace minerals. The resulting cheese has a smooth, creamy texture and would pair well with a hoppy ale or a fruity white wine.
2015 Côtes du Rhône (Domaine Boisson) 