Newsletter
July 15, 2018 – August 14, 2018
Var
2017 Coteaux Varois en Provence (Chateau Routas)
Sale Price $9.99 – $101.90 case of twelve
The Varois is surrounded on three sides by the sprawling Côtes de Provence appellation and on the western side by the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence appellation. This isolation may explain why the Varois wines remain excellent values. The 2017 Routas is a crisp, dry, full-flavored rosé that is perfect for fresh salads and anything grilled and slathered in garlic.
Bandol
2017 Bandol (Chateau Val d’Arenc)
Sale Price $19.99 – $203.90 case of twelve
Bandol rosé is the rosé that you serve to people who say they don’t like rosé. If they still say they don’t like rosé, give them a beer, a local craft New England-style IPA, and enjoy the rest of the rosé yourself. Val d’Arenc is piney, peppery, and delicious. It’s both fresh and full-bodied and ready for the best summer foods you can gather.
Loire
2017 Val de Loire (J. Mourat)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
This Loire Valley rosé from J. Mourat, made from Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Negrette, and Gamay, is a decidedly herbal and minerally wine that is perfect for spicy grilled chicken and a cooling coleslaw.
Nîmes
2017 Costières de Nîmes ‘Galets Rosés’ (Château Mourgues du Grès)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
This has become an old favorite and continues to be a great value. The Galets Rosés with its good weight and smoky fruit is perfect for grilled lamb chops and a bubbling cauldron of ratatouille.
Aix
2017 Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence (Domaine de la Chapelle Saint Victor)
Sale Price $13.99 – $142.70 case of twelve case of twelve
Côtes de Provence
2017 Côtes de Provence ‘Petit Clos’ (Domaine du Clos d’Alari)
Sale Price $15.99 – $163.10 case of twelve
Chinon
2017 Chinon (Olga Raffault)
Sale Price $17.99 – $183.50 case of twelve
Listed prices are honored through August 14th, 2018. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 42, No. 8
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a Tuscan white wine with a long history. First cited in the 13th century, Vernaccia has managed to remain an important local grape. Last month we featured the Fiore from Montenidoli, one of Tuscany’s greatest whites. This month we have a more down-to-earth Vernaccia from Casa alle Vacche. Their 2017 is wonderfully flinty and perfumed with almonds and apricots. With its full flavor, it will be a fine match with linguine and clams. Followed by a wedge of Pecorino Toscano.
Because we’ve only carried this for a few vintages, we did not know that the cooperative winery on the Greek island of Santorini is now into their 70th vintage. Just one sniff of this expressive dry white makes us want to put a branzino on the grill. There is a little more peachy fruit than in the last vintage, but the volcanic stoniness comes through in the sea-scented finish.
Cap Royal is a tribute to the oldest lighthouse in Europe. It is also a terrific Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc from Jean René Matignon, winemaker from Château Pichon Baron. We’ll get around to the 2017 vintage for red Bordeaux later, but for white it already is a terrific vintage. This pure Sauvignon Blanc is packed with aromatic fresh fruit and flowers, while the back palate is creamy and rich, with a zesty dry finish. Perfect for broiled haddock and wilted spinach with garlic.
Northern Italy is no longer an unlikely source for Pinot Noir, given Colterenzio’s ability to deliver this beauty in vintage after vintage. We adore the 2017 for its exquisite lightness that somehow does not sacrifice flavor. Gorgeously subtle berry fruit and a mineral-laden dryness make this a serious Pinot Noir. Producers from the Côte de Beaune to the Willamette Valley and back would surely consider paying a premium for these grapes.
The village of Bouzeron is the privileged home of the only appellation solely devoted to the Aligoté grape. While this may somehow translate into Grand Cru status it does not translate into Grand Cru prices. Chanzy’s ripe and rich 2015 has the ample aroma and mouthfeel of fine white Burgundy, but being Aligoté instead of Chardonnay it has minerals and crispness at the front and ripe green plum and apricot fruit at the finish. A fascinating gymnastic twist of balance. Perfect for swordfish.
Frank Heyden’s old Silvaner vines always deliver a great value dry white. The combined aromas of apples and minerals are enticing enough, but the crisp bracing dryness in the finish make this a complete and lovely white. Try with a spicy shrimp sautée.
We recommend that all of the wines in this newsletter, reds included, be served chilled. Putting a chill on a bottle of Beaujolais is de rigueur in July and August. It brings together the lively fruit and the pronounced minerality in this superb Beaujolais Villages from Stéphane Aviron. The vines that produce this wine are now 65 years old. They contribute extra sap and vigor into a beautifully rendered expression of the Gamay grape. 
Grafton Village Cheese makes a range of cheddars and cave aged cheeses, with their cheesemaking tradition dating back to 1892 when the Grafton Cooperative Cheese Company was originally founded in Grafton, Vermont. For their line of cheddars, they use only raw cow’s milk sourced from local family farms. Their Grand Reserve cheddar is aged around 4 years, though they determine its readiness for sale based on a target flavor profile rather than adherence to a strict schedule. This is a bold, savory cheddar with a long, sweet and sour finish, so it demands equally bold pairings.
This limited edition of Cypress Grove’s award-winning goat cheese features an exciting twist. Rather than the customary line of vegetable ash, wheels are bisected by a thin layer of chilies, curry, and harissa.Not just visually appealing, the spices give the cheese a slight kick, complementing the creaminess and the bright, citrus flavors of the goat’s milk. This one is only available for a short time, so get it while you can!
Max and Amy Breiteneicher founded Grace Hill Farm in Cummington, Massachusetts in 2012, after Max learned to make cheese during stints at Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont and Chase Hill Farm in central Massachusetts. Made with their own raw, grass-fed cow’s milk, Valais is a firm cheese that would be excellent for melting (try in a grilled cheese or on a burger). It is also complex enough to enjoy on its own, with salty, sweet, and nutty flavors in good balance.
