Newsletter
August 15, 2016 – September 14, 2016
Villages
2014 Beaujolais-Villages (Stéphane Aviron)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
The Beaujolais-Villages from Stéphane Aviron is a ridiculously good value. This is not a banana bubble gum, carbonic style Gamay. Instead it is made in the Burgundian method by pressing and extracting color and tannin. The result is a red with crisp raspberry fruit and a spicy, peppery finish. A light chill will bring out surprising complexity.
Fleurie
2015 Fleurie (Clos de la Roilette)
Sale Price $21.99 – $224.30 case of twelve
While this is one of the finest wines of the Cru Fleurie, it is not a typical Fleurie. The original owner considered his vineyard to be in the Cru Moulin-à-Vent, and when it was instead transferred into the newly created Fleurie appellation he protested by putting a picture of his favorite racehorse Roilette on the label. Eventually he relented and put Fleurie on the label, albeit in smaller letters. The longtime current owners faithfully farm the single vineyard Clos de la Roilette to an exacting degree. The old vines burrow into a rare clay and manganese soil, extracting a fine minerality in addition to producing the deep berry fruit. The 2015 is a terrific Beaujolais that will age and improve for the next five years.
Straight Rouge
2012 Bordeaux Supérieur (Château Gentillot)
Sale Price $9.99 – $101.90 case of twelve
For those who think that good Bordeaux is unaffordable, we have three gently priced, enjoyable examples this month. The 2012 Gentillot is a solid, silky, aromatic red with pronounced berry fruit. And for ten dollars it’s a steal.
Bourg-anic!
2014 Côtes de Bourg (Château Tertre-Samonac)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
Morgon
2015 Morgon (M. et C. Lapierre)
Sale Price $29.99 – $305.90 case of twelve
Lapierre Morgon sets an incredibly high standard for Cru Beaujolais. Marcel Lapierre was an early proponent of the natural wine movement, which in essence was a return to the old ways of making Beaujolais. He eliminated chemicals in the vineyard, allowed natural yeasts to ferment the wine, and used few or no sulfites. These practices, along with their 60-year-old vines, give a stunning purity of fruit like no other Morgon. Marcel passed away in 2010 and was succeeded by his son Mathieu. Now Mathieu has partnered with his sister Camille and the Lapierre label has changed for the first time in many vintages to show ‘M. et C. Lapierre.’ The 2015 is another great Lapierre Morgon.
Montagne
2011 Montagne Saint-Emilion (Château de Beaulieu)
Sale Price $17.99 – $183.50 case of twelve
Cork closures get a bad rap these days, but when we pulled the cork on this wine we were impressed. Chateau de Beaulieu uses a pricy full length cork for a modestly priced Montagne St.-Emilion. Of course it is the wine beneath the cork that counts and the expense for this 2011 is thoroughly justified. This is a wonderfully smooth, mature wine near its peak of drinking. Its gentle, minty fruit, ripe soft tannins, and mellow, dry finish remind us of the good old days of good old Bordeaux.
Listed prices are honored through September 14th, 2016. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 40, No. 9
This lovely dry Riesling from the oldest wine cooperative in Franconia, Germany smells and tastes of crushed apples on wet limestone with a current of bitter apple peel coursing through to keep its juiciness focused. This is one of those wines you keep slurping since it’s so drinkable and delicious, and then before you know it, it’s almost gone. Sourced from the most renowned vineyard in Sommerach, Katzenkopf (‘cat’s head’), this Riesling is still bottled in the traditional but increasingly rare bocksbeutel (think Mateus bottle). From a retail perspective the bocksbeutel is a pain to stock on shelves designed for the standard bottle shape. So the wine it contains must be exceptional enough to justify the tricky logistics of retail display. We were happy to snatch up the last seven cases of this vintage. So if you’re intrigued, it’s best to rush over for a bottle as it will certainly sell out soon.
Cooperative wineries in the Alto Adige produce an amazing array of wines. Colterenzio gave us our last month’s fascinating Kalterer See, this month’s intriguing white hybrid Müller-Thurgau, and a (more exotic than it sounds) Blauburgunder. Actually it’s Pinot Nero/Noir. The encyclopedic tome Wine Grapes starts its chapter on Müller-Thurgau by humorously describing it as a “Prolific German invader of the world’s vineyards, producing soft, semi-aromatic whites in over-abundance.” Then it speculates about its parentage. Only later do the authors concede that “it is in the Alto Adige that the variety produces its most impressive results, particularly from old vines on steep, stony sites.” This ripe and delicious 2015 M-T is a crisp and rich dry white with lively peach and apricot fruit and a clean mountain stream-like finish. Try this long, flavorful white with a seafood risotto. 
From Angelica to Verdone with 24 other synonyms in between, the prolifically named Verdicchio, an extremely widespread and very old variety, has made its most significant contribution to wine in Italy’s Le Marche region. Conte di Buscareto’s 2015 is a mouthwateringly brisk dry white with zesty, lemony fruit and a slightly bitter, almond-like finish. A terrific white for halibut and green beans. 
The Melon de Bourgogne vines in the Clos des Briords vineyard are more than eighty years old, and the always impressive wine that Marc Ollivier and crew make from it shows their reverence. While this wine is delicious now for its snappy fruit and crisp minerality, it has proven to age and improve over a ten year span. Jon Bonné wrote in the latest issue of Wine and Spirits that “For at least a decade, Marc Ollivier’s Clos des Briords has been my frequent stand-in for grand cru Chablis.” That is high praise for a wine priced cheaper than village level Chablis. 
At VinItaly this past April we had a lovely tasting with the Oddero family. After tasting one Langhe Bianco, two Barberas, one Langhe Nebbiolo, one Barbaresco, and five Barolos we thought we were finished, but we had to ask “Doesn’t Oddero make a Dolcetto?” Yes, they do, but they had forgotten to pour it. So after the toughest Barolo came the softest Dolcetto. The 2015 did not taste out of place. It had a gorgeous garnet color and amazing fruit. Isabella Oddero said that the 2015 Dolcetto harvest produced ‘the most amazing Dolcetto grapes I’ve ever seen.’ Glad we didn’t miss it.
The Baudrys could probably make delicious wine from any variety of grape, but we sure are glad that they are in Chinon and grow Cabernet Franc. A good start is their rosé, which is one of the latest to arrive each year. Because they do a natural yeast fermentation and want their rosé to be totally dry, it sometimes takes longer. The 2015 is rich and dry, with chalky and gravelly flavor embedded in the strawberry fruit. Have this deep, dry wine with a grilled swordfish.
R. López de Heredia are ultra-traditionalists in Rioja in that they age their wines in barrel and bottle much longer than required. So the current vintage of Cubillo, their youngest red, is the 2007 vintage. The blend of Tempranillo (65%), Garnacho (25%), Graciano, and Mazuelo is grown organically in their own vineyards. Much of the fruit in this lovely, mature Rioja has been transformed into a delicious mix of meaty, spicy, earthy, and smoky flavors. We think that this red is best served with grilled meats and a fine Manchego. And yes, that is how they spell Garnacha. To a few producers in Rioja it’s a manly grape: Garnacho.
2015 Bianco Stradalta (Villa San Martino)
2015 Côtes du Rhône (Légende des Toques)
2015 Empordá Blanca (Espelt)
2014 Toscana Rosso ‘Monna Nera’ (Capezzana)