Newsletter
August 19, 2021 – September 16, 2021
Vermentino
2020 Vermentino di Sardegna (Sa Raja)
Sale Price $15.99 – $163.10 case of twelve
Vermentino is the essential Mediterranean white grape. It excels in Corsica, Liguria, and Sardinia, and Sa Raja is our latest arrival from the latter. This 2020 smells and tastes of honey, lemon, and wild herbs. A wonderful white for grilled swordfish.
Val de Loire
2020 Vin de Pays du Val de Loire Rouge
(Vignoble Dauny)
Sale Price $15.99 – $163.10 case of twelve
The Dauny family has been growing grapes in the Sancerre region for thirteen generations. In the mid-1960s, they converted back to organic viticulture, making them one of Sancerre’s oldest organic estates. Despite being in the land of Sauvignon Blanc, they devoted a few hectares to red grapes. A blend of equal parts Pinot Noir and Gamay (the Gamay disqualifies it from being labeled as a pricier Sancerre Rouge), this scrumptious lightweight red is full of plums and raspberries. It’s refreshing on its own, but will also complement cold late summer vegetable salads.
Lini Lambrusco
2020 Lambrusco Rosso (Lini 910)
Sale Price $14.99 – $152.90 case of twelve
This could be the perfect summer grill wine. Dry, red, chilled, and fizzy, Lini Lambrusco is a delightful foil for burgers, pizza, charcuterie, and voluminous harvest salads.
Kremstal Riesling
2019 Riesling ‘Kaiserstiege’ (Josef & Philipp Bründlmayer)
Sale Price $13.99 -- $142.70 case of twelve
Riesling comprises only 3 percent of the grapes cultivated in Austria (while Grüner Veltliner claims 37 percent), but the quality of the Riesling produced is absolutely world class. Here we have a dry Riesling from the Kremstal, a terrific area for high quality and great value. This 2019 combines ripe orchard fruits along with the stony, minerally flavors of a great vineyard site. Perfect for a roast halibut with a fruity, spicy salsa.
Chidaine Sauvignon
2020 Touraine Sauvignon (François Chidaine)
Sale Price $13.99 – $142.70 case of twelve
François Chidaine’s Touraine Sauvignon once again delivers a concentrated and rich white. With its classic citrus fruit and mineral expression, this wine is perfect for grilled fish and composed salads with goat cheese.
Affordable Burg
2019 Bourgogne Rouge (Justin Girardin)
Sale Price $19.99 – $203.90 case of twelve
Listed prices are honored through September 16th, 2021. We will not honor mistyped prices. Vol. 45, No. 9
You may have noticed that prices for all manner of Beaujolais have gone up in the last few years, but so has quality, to a level that can lead to a cult following. The Foillards are in this group: every year the price of their Morgon goes up and every year it sells out. So when we are offered a price break on their Beaujolais-Villages, we jump. This cuvée comes from old, organically tended vines scattered across four villages, two of which are the Crus Villié-Morgon and Saint-Amour. The 2018 is an impossibly pristine and wildly fruited red, with spicy plum and raspberry fruit along with a lively jolt of acidity. This wine does wonderful things in your mouth that other Beaujolais-Villages cannot. Drink this with anything and everything.
2020 Val de Loire Rosé (J. Mourat) 
The Loire Valley is called the Jardin de la France, but to us it is the region of great diversity and value in wine. You can drink a great Muscadet for less than $20, a fantastic Vouvray for around $20, an incredible Sancerre for $30, and many wonderful Cabernet Francs for less than $30. Then there is Domaine Olga Raffault, an absolute gem in Chinon. Their Les Picasses is one of the great Cabernet Franc vineyards. The southern exposure ensures ample ripeness, but it is the Domaine’s patience that is key. They only release the wine once it is approachable, after 6 or 7 years of barrel and bottle age. The 2015 is a great (if a bit young) vintage. Try now with a seared slice of lamb leg with garlic and thyme. Still, it will improve for another 15 years. We can prove this, because we also received a small shipment of 2008 and 2009 aged at the winery. These mature, smooth-textured wines sell for $49.99, a bargain for impeccably aged single vineyard Chinon from the great Olga! 
During the 1800s, growers of the Chasselas grape in Pouilly-sur-Loire made fortunes by shipping bunches of their fresh grapes by rail to Paris, where it was a fashionable table grape. While still popular in Switzerland as a wine grape, its fortunes have dwindled in Pouilly. We’re glad that the sisters Dagueneau persist with their 115-year-old vineyard of Chasselas. We adore this wine for its ripe, round fruit and its bracing, minerally crispness. Fantastic with steamed lobster and an heirloom tomato salad.
Despite not having a Grand Cru Château, St. Julien is often described as having the highest overall quality of any commune in Bordeaux’s Medoc. Château Lalande’s 38 acres of prime vineyard is sandwiched between Châteaux Talbot, Lagrange, and Ducru-Beaucaillou, and produces a ripe and round red with the signature earthy St. Julien perfume. This classic Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend is an affordable delight compared to its much more famous neighbors. It drinks well now with a decant and will be even better in 5 to 8 years’ time. Today it will match well with a grilled rib eye and a wedge of blue cheese.
This beautiful and delicate goat brie is a new addition to the Old Chatham family of cheeses. Their small herd of Nubian and Alpine goats grazes on organic grass and produces delicious, high quality milk which really shines in this elegant, small-format brie. It has a mild rind with a hint of mushrooms and summer grass, which surrounds a silky and gooey interior with a bright, tangy flavor. Pair with a selection of fresh fruits for a picture perfect end-of-summer picnic.
We are so in love with the salami from Minneapolis-based Red Table Meat Co. that we are featuring them again! This month we bring you Pork Queen: a delicious, coarse-ground, Crespone-style salami with black pepper, garlic, and white wine. The sweet and buttery flavor of this salami is perfectly balanced by a spicy finish that keeps you coming back for more. Relatively low in salt, this salami is best enjoyed in a thick-sliced rustic cut, and pairs well with a nutty Italian cheese like Fontina Valle d’Aosta.
2020 Viognier (Saint Peyre)
Gascogne whites are always crisp and vivacious. The 2020 Gessler is a snappy blend of Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Gros Manseng, and Sauvignon Blanc. Great with a lobster roll.
Agen is an old French town on the Garonne River, famous for its prunes. Little did we know that there is a small wine industry as well. Négociant Mary Taylor sources this dry, organic rosé made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It has plummy fruit, firm tannins, and a crisp, long finish.