BRIEFS (OK, maybe not quite so brief this time)

*If you’ll recall some of our ranting a few months back about how spectacular the 2016 vintage was in the southern Rhone, and our subsequent sellout of one of the first examples to hits the market in the Pere Caboche Cotes du Rhone, here’s another early warning release.  The Delas Cotes du Rhone Saint Esprit has been a reliable go-to in solid vintage for a long time, but the 2016 version just pulled a 95 from Decanter Magazine and some rather enthusiastic prose for a wine that will set you back a mere $10 a bottle.  They said, “95 Points!  60% Syrah, 40% Grenache. Lovely rich opulent and floral, black berry and plum nose, the palate is big with well layered fruit, attractively firm but soft tannin and hints of oak, a big wine with a lovely finish.” (July, 2017) We say that’s a lot of Rhone for the d’argent.

One would be well advised to start stocking up on the ‘little’ wines as those will be the first to come and go from this very special vintage. Also in-house, as well as later restocks of the afore-mentioned Pere Caboche and Saint Prefert Cotes Du Rhone Clos Beatus Ille 2016, are notable efforts from serious ‘players’ like  Domaine de Marcoux, Domaine Giraud Cotes du Rhone Les Sables d’Arene 2016, and Mordoree Cotes Du Rhone La Dame Rousse 2016, all under $20.  The press hasn’t hit most of these yet, but they will.  Early bird and all of that…

*We had been warned ahead of time that a group of newer producers from the ancient region of Tierra de Castillo y Leon around Madrid were going to be the next big thing.  We’ve tasted several examples from this emerging, highly touted group in the past and had been left a little cold by wines that were perhaps a bit too introspective and frankly at times reduced and standoffish.  We kind of wondered what the fuss was.  But recently, maybe it was a ‘special day’, maybe this band of iconoclasts have turned the corner, or maybe it was just that whole 2015 vintage thing, but we found religion in a number of uniquely expressive Grenache-based wines we tasted.  You will be hearing about Daniel Landi’s Las Iruelas 2014, Commando G’s La Bruja de Rozas 2015, and, in particular, the Bodega Marañones 30.000 Maravedíes 2015.   Like we said, Grenache (Garnacha if you will) plays the starring role in each of these wines but in a way that is unique from anything else we have ever tasted.  The flavors lean a little more mulberry than your traditional kirsch profile of the southern Rhone, but they also have a purity, lift, and freshness that is indescribable within most people’s context of the varietal.  This is exciting, breakthrough stuff!

*Yeah, we know it’s January but the trio of delightful Gosset Champagnes arrived literally at the last minutes of the holiday and they deserve a word.  The  Gosset Grand Reserve Brut NV (WA 90, JS 92) is a ‘biscuity’ charmer when the lines are clean as they are in this cuvee and the Gosset Grand Rose Brut NV (WA 93) is consistent winner and one we usually grab whenever we see it.  The  Gosset Extra Brut Celebris 2002  (WA 95, VM 96) is not only a remarkable example of the top tier ‘extra brut’ genre but one of the few 2002s left in the marketplace.  Champagne ‘season’ lasts 365 days around here.

A LOOK AHEAD AT 2018: TOO MUCH GOOD STUFF

As we usually do this time of year, we like to offer up a buyer’s perspective for the coming months.  It’s something we do not only as passionate wine drinkers but, well, it’s our business to know this stuff. After all there is only so much money, manpower and space, so allocating those things and anticipating needs ahead of time is one of the reasons we have been around as long as we have.  Sure, we still wake up every day with that sense of wonder about what exciting new things might roll in the door.  But, for the reasons we have mentioned, things are not as ‘free form’ as they sometimes might appear.

As we look at what we can expect to see in 2018, we are struck by the breadth and depth of what will hit the market.  There have been few times we can recall in our three-decades-plus where so many areas had spectacular harvests that were here or due to arrive in the next twelve months.  For a lot of you, it’s about one or two of your favorite wine regions but for us it is almost overwhelming because we deal in everything. It would literally be easier to talk about the parts of the wine world that weren’t successful, but we can’t really think of that many.

In recent memory, there certainly hasn’t been a buying window like this since the 2010s from France and Italy (and later Spain) rolled out some 5-6 years ago.  Even then, while vintages in California were certainly solid, they weren’t necessarily what most aficionados would call ‘classic’ in today’s terms.   This time around there was definitely a broader participation in the success by, well, almost every place.   In short, if you can’t find something to drink this year, you probably don’t like wine very much.  That said, here are what we see as the highlights.

USA:  We can’t recall a string of vintages (2014, 2015, 2016) this successful up and down the coast.  California, Oregon, and Washington are rolling out one hit after another.  If these are your muse, your ship has definitely arrived…it’s actually been here for a little while and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  The ‘issues’, if there are any, have nothing to do with the grapes.  It is more about pricing.   The market is flush with great $40-60 single-vineyard Pinots and nearly everything outside of broad commercial labels that says Napa on it is $50 (and up).  The beauty is that, with so much quality juice, there will be some ‘trickling down’ and it should be good times for value shoppers.

As a matter of fact, we are hoping this is a banner year for Pinot as wineries dial back the single vineyard stuff that doesn’t seem to have as enthusiastic a market as 5-6 years ago and put better juice in the ‘entry level’ bottlings.  Here’s hoping anyway.  Zins, Syrahs, et. al. are all delivering and, as we have pointed out in the past, a great vintage elevates all wines great and small. Rising tide lifting all boats etc etc… The burning question for a lot of folks (OK maybe like 6) is whether Merlot is ‘back’.  As far as we can tell from our experiences, not quite yet.

ITALY:  Italy is kinds of a mixed bag because the 2014 vintage was difficult in Piedmont (except for Barbaresco!) and Tuscany.  So there’s a need to be more specific.  The 2015s from these regions that are emerging now are quite delicious and the ‘bigger fish’ that come out later (mostly from Tuscany this year) are definitely important.  The whites from the northeast in 2016 are exciting as well.

FRANCE: What has come out of France over the last year, and will over the next is downright gaudy.  We’ll start with Burgundy.  The 2015s are still out there, though depleted.  You want to grab whatever you can of this remarkably sexy vintage, with the only restriction being the ‘freight’.  Yes the big dogs are very expensive, but this is a vintage to look for modestly priced appellations from good sources as it’s the sleepers that will surprise with a little bottle time. The 2016s are fine, but not 2015s, and will be scarce.  Same goes for Beaujolais.

With the Rhone, there are no bad choices between 2015 and 2016, only degrees.  The 2015s from the north are special in a way that few vintages have been, so take the opportunity to give a good home not only to Cote Rotie and Hermitage, but Cornas, Crozes, and St. Joseph.  There’s a sexy edge and freshness to these wines that rarely happens even in the best years.  As good as the southern Rhones were in 2015, 2016 looks to be one of the best vintages we have ever tasted.  They possess both grace and power, and we’ll be surprised if the ‘final numbers’ aren’t epic.

Bordeaux is on a bit of a run after the ‘dark times’ of 2011 and 2013.  You’ve got the friendly, juicy, well-priced 2014s and the even richer and well-stuffed 2015s.  Red Bordeaux is on a roll and hopefully the ‘big boys’ have learned a lesson after their price excesses with some of the past vintages.  If not, Bordeaux is still a big place with literally hundreds of good producers.  There will be plenty to consider, with the potential to create a foundation for a great Bordeaux cellar moving forward.

SOUTH AMERICA: We said last year that South America was the rising star with the highest trajectory.  More of the same this year as all of the research, quality surge, etc. bears fruit.  It’s looking rosy for Argentina and Chile from a wine perspective.  In Chile, Pinot Noir in particular will keep surprising as vineyards mature and vintners develop more familiarity with the cooler, ocean-influenced valleys inland from the coast.  As for Argentina, there may well come a day where Cabernet Franc is considered their ‘great grape’.

SPAIN:  As we have learned over the years, Spain always bears watching, though the staggered way in which the various bodegas release their wines and the different levels of wine that are made (particularly in the case of Rioja) make it hard to issue any kind of sweeping statement.  As a ‘heads up’, there  should be a number of wines coming from a 2015 vintage that was as successful in Spain as everywhere else in Europe.  Also, there should be a number of Gran Reservas emerging from the epic 2010 vintage.  Good times.

OTHER: Yeah we didn’t cover all the categories.  Briefly, with so many of the big time genres performing so successfully, we don’t expect the media will have a lot of time and space for a lot of the others.  Buy 2015 Germans whenever you can.  Australia’s return to significance in this market is still in the concept stages except for the occasional screamimg ‘delta’ (95 points and $15, crickey!), South Africa has a lot of exciting things going on but zero momentum here, and except for the occasional stunning Assyrtiko, Greece’s learning curve is still somewhat daunting for most folks (Malagouzia for all my friends).  Because the categories they ‘know’ are so chock full of goodies, a lot of folks won’t even look at the more esoteric selections.

This would be an opportune time for someone who was starting a cellar.  There are great choices in nearly every ‘important’ category (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Tuscany, etc.) and plenty of potential superstars to highlight a selection that is of generally exceptional quality.  The only thing that would make 2018 better is if the market coughs up some of the insane deals we saw last year.  That remains to be seen. But, no matter what, there will be plenty of thrilling juice to be had.

For our part we are going to keep doing what we do with a special eye towards pricing.  For all of the great wines we bring your way, there are a good number that we don’t simply based on what we feel is excessive, ego-driven pricing.  ‘Rarity’ alone does not justify some of the crazy fares we see.  We could name a few names, but that really isn’t the point.  We’ll simply continue to filter out those kinds of offers, and show you the best deals and the best wines we can get our mitts on when all of the important criteria are met.  Happy New Year, it promises to be a good one.

BRIEFS

–Keep a close watch on the arrival of the 2015 northern Rhones.  The vintage yielded spectacular Syrahs that were at once tender and authoritative, loaded with classic terroir yet engaging from a purely hedonistic sense.  Specific names to look for are Durand, Courbis, Ferraton, and Coursodon.  If you are shopping ratings, some of these have pretty impressive ratings from Wine Spectator already, and fine range scores from Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck that will surely end up on the higher end when the final reviews are issued.  Simply, as time passes these wines will get more ttention and quantities aren’t huge to begin with.  Don’t miss out on this epic vintage in the north.

–Not meaning to be sectarian in any way, but it has really been a white Christmas with respect to uncanny deals on Chardonnay.  A measly $11 will buy you the spectacular new Novellum Chardonnay 2015 from Domaine Lafage (Wine Advocate 92 and arguably the best in the series, $10.98), consistently one of the best values on the market.  Even sillier are the special purchases on the breakout Chilean Ritual Chardonnay 2015 (a James Suckling 93 that we sold well at $15.99, now $9.98!), and the crisp, appealing Thorn-Clarke Mount Crawford Chardonnay Eden Valley 2016 (90s from both Vinous and Wine Spectator, $9.98).  This is a remarkable group of Chardonnays for this kind of price, with a special thanks to exceptional vintages and a quirky current market.  To find a scenario similar you would need a time machine to go back to the ‘90s to find Chardonnays this good for this kind of tab.

–Just received what we believe to be the best damn bottles of Pinot Noir we’ve ever had form Australia.  The new releases from Gary farr’s eponymous label, By Farr, are, in a word, epic.  We were blown away by these micro-production gems grown in Victoria just west of Melbourne.  Glossy, seductive, spicy, world-class, with that Pinot umami that separates the legends from the rest, these offerings are a must-buy for fans of the genre….

–We’ve managed to pull together a fair cache of older Sauternes all from top vintages, including a number of bits from 2005 that were enthusiastically re-rated by Wine Advocate in June of 2015, a variety of d’Yquem bottlings, and carefully selected stars from more recent collectible vintages.  It’s a good time for your sweet tooth. See all Sauternes.

MORE CHAMPAGNE

LOUISE NICAISE BRUT RESERVE PREMIER CRU–This is really something out-of-the-ordinary, a grower Champagne that we can sell for under $30?!  Not only that but it is in what we’d call crowd pleasing style.  In a world where growers are focusing more on low-dosage cuvees that focus on the terroir that are best served while reading existential prose or financial reports, this young turk’s effort encourages one to don one’s party chapeau. A lot of people will remember this story because it comes from the village of Hautvillers, the village that was the home base of a guy called Dom Perignon way back when.  These folks have only been at it for four generations.  The most significant event in their history, their daughter Laure marrying Clement Preaux, a serious talent who subsequently kicked up the quality at this estate.  He was 25 at the time (in 2007) and had apprenticed with Selosse as well as worked at a Champagne co-op and is now seriously making magic by reducing dosages and kicking up the fruit quality.  He still makes a user-friendly style with this blend of 40% Chardonnay and 30% each of the Pinots.  A late comer to the lineup, this is one of the best deals of the season thus far.

MARIE COURTIN EXTRA BRUT EFFLORESCENCE (2012)-Named after Dominique Moreau’s grandmother, Marie-Courtin is a small vineyard in the Aube, on a hillside of the Cote des Bars, which seems to be quite the breeding ground these days for a new movement in Champagne. The vision here is to produce single-vineyard, single varietal, single vintage champagnes from biodynamically grown grapes, using native yeasts and no dosage while employing a minimalist intervention philosophy. This area is particularly prized for its Pinot Noir grapes grown on Kimmeridgian/limestone sub soils. The Champagnes retain a freshness similar to Chablis, which is actually physically closer to here than is Reims! The grapes for this cuvee were harvested from the bottom of the hill because there is more clay, a favorite soil for Pinot Noir. The wine manages to maintain a Pinot-y vibe yet remain thrillingly light on its feet. A 94 point score from Galloni who called it, “A complete and wonderfully nuanced wine…fabulous…bright and sculpted.”

DE SAINT GALL GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS CUVEE ORPALE 2002-Great old Champagne is something of a luxury and it’s pretty special when we can find something that shows a true picture of older bubbly yet still has a reasonably broad appeal. Some folks have a little trouble with older bubbles because of expectations. People like the idea of aged Champagne, but also expect it will have the same aggressive fizz and nervy brightness of a younger bottling. Instead there will be a much lower pace to the bubbles, a creamier palate feel, and a slightly more caramelly/doughy bent to the flavors. Still the 2002 vintage leans a bit more delicate and this one has a freshness that sets it apart from a lot of older bottlings. A Suckling 96 on this tete de cuvee from a cooperative, the $59 fare is definitely a bonus, and loose comparisons were made to Taittinger Comte de Champagne in another piece we read. Fresh, vibrant, yet chock full of the classic toasty, doughy aromas that mark older cuvees, this wine captures the dense fruit character of this outstanding vintage.

PHILIPPONNAT BRUT ROYALE RESERVE-It’s hard to verbalize something like Philipponnat. Not the first name most people think of for Champagne because they don’t do a lot of the mass market stuff other more visible Champagne houses do, though their signature Clos de Goisses has an ardent following. They have an excellent reputation as a solid go-to and we’ve had their Brut Royale and rose a number of times and it always pleases. As it has been with so many others, however, the juice from the 2012 vintage moved many a really good guy up a couple more notches in quality. So it is here. The blend is 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, and 5% Pinot Meunier, made from first press juice of mainly Grand and Premier Crus (label). Not to beat the proverbial cheval, but here again the 2012 vintage elevates and expands creating the best example of this in years. The style here is certainly more ‘vinous’ but not in a zero dosage type of way.  That sense of lower atmospheres gives the wine a rounder palate feel, enriched further by the density of the fruit of the vintage. However, the wine still remains light on its feet, delivering a clean, vibrant yet full-bodied bubbly.

WARIS-HUBERT GRAND CRU CHARDONNAY AVIZE-Yeah this one is something of an indulgence of ours from a commercial standpoint, and definitely off the radar. This label, which looks loosely like some sort of custom bottling for a wedding, is actually that of a husband and wife team that merged their family properties with their marriage back in 1997. They definitely owned dirt in the high rent district in the Cote des Blancs, possessing vines in both Avize and Cramant. Vines are over 20-years-old here, and this is strictly from the first press of Grand Cru Chardonnay grapes. As is seemingly more the fashion these days, these folks produce no-dosage cuvees. Avize is home to such luminaries as Selosse and this wine follows in that path though more classically ‘bubbly’ in its presentation. Certainly more ‘culinary’ in style, this fizz shines with a near-Teutonic white rock minerality and white chocolate essence to the Chardonnay fruit, with a broad-yet-focused mid-palate.

VIE DI ROMANS: FRIULI SUPERSTAR

Because of what we do, it is not unusual for us to be asked what our favorite wines are.  There are a couple of recurring scenarios that occur as we try and answer the question honestly and not sound like we’re too above it all.  If you have only tasted two wines in your life, the answer to the question is quite simple.  But when you have tasted literally hundreds of thousands, it’s hard to narrow favorites down even to a couple hundred wines, let alone one or two.

The categories that get our attention can be pretty esoteric as well.  For example one of our favorite places for white wines is northeastern Italy.  Here in the hills that elevate into the Alps there are high valleys with crystal clean air, bright sunshine and cool nights that create wines like nowhere else in the world.  Pure, insistent, remarkably expressive and lively on the palate, perfect foils to a wide variety of foods, the wines from this part of the world have a special character and vigor.

People ask us to name some of our favorites from the region and then have puzzled looks on their faces when we point to wines like Val Isarco, Abbazia di Novacella, Schiopetto, and Cantina Terlano.  None of them are exactly household words even among a lot of serious wine cognoscenti.    One of our absolute favorites is the subject of today’s offer, a brilliant white wine house in Friuli called Vie di Romans.

We identified these folks as one of the best-of-the-best in the region a very long time ago, and have always jumped at the chance to taste their newest wares.  Unfortunately, such chances have come far less often than we would have liked.  For one, the wines have not had consistent distribution over the years.  Most suppliers don’t have a lot of patience to try and develop higher priced Italian whites.   Also, because the wines cost quite a bit more than your run-of-the-mill Friulanos, Pinot Grigios, and Sauvignons, suppliers are more reluctant to show them.  The perfectly valid opinion is that most restaurant/retail buyers would find them too pricey to work into standard scenarios.

We’d have to admit ourselves that we have shied away from some pretty stupendous efforts from Vie di Romans simply because we presumed people would be hesitant to spend the additional coin even though these soar above the crowd.   People figure they can get ‘good’ Pinot Grigio for $15-16 while Vie di Romans version is closer to $30.  Yet there is no comparison.  The VdR is richer, more driving and more complex, simply a wine unto itself with dazzling acidity and palate length that bears little resemblance to most of the vapid Pinot Grigios on the marketplace.

We know such wines are not the  easiest sell. Sometimes, even against our better ‘marketing’ judgment, we buy them anyway.   The very best simply cost more, and these wines deserve the spotlight.  So it was with this riveting Sauvignon Blanc duet from Vie di Romans… driving fruit, insistent palate length and mouth- watering acidity.

The single-vineyard Vie di Romans Sauvignon Blanc Piere Friuli Isonzo 2015 simply smells and tastes like something from another strata.  There’s power, finesse, and complex flavors of grapefruit, stones, and apple, along with the classically Italian note of tomato leaves.  Oak would damage the wine’s purity, so ‘Piere’ is done entirely in stainless steel with an eight month sojourn on the lies and  no malo-lactic.  The result is a sleek, vividly flavored effort that can play with Sauvignon s costing a lot more.  James Suckling’s take, “Plenty of sliced apple, grass and fennel seed character. Medium body, tangy acidity and a smoky, slate aftertaste. Always excellent. Drink now… 93 Points!”  You can drink it now, but this meticulously crafted Sauvignon can age as well.

The Vie di Romans Sauvignon Blanc Vieris Friuli Isonzo 2015 kicks it up a notch.  It has everything that the Piere has, but more, and with a little different twist to the flavor profile!  More palate authority, intensity, and high-toned fruit, plus this one reaches a little into the realm of exotic fruit tones.  The main difference between the two is that Piere consists of a higher percentage of Italian clones, whereas the Vieris favors French clones.  The vines are a little older here, and Vieris spends nine months on the lies.  Again, what a wine…surprising punch yet with an uncommon refinement.  Suckling went a little cheerleader on this one, “This is really exotic with peaches, mangoes and grapefruits as well as a steely undertone. Full body, plenty of fruit and a powerful finish. One of the great whites of Italy. Drink now… 96 Points!”

One of the great whites of Italy?  Indeed, they both are.  Considering they are legitimate best-of-breed, the prices actually don’t seem out of line.  You get what you pay for, and these are the works of masters.  Treat yourself.

A NEW OPPORTUNITY ON SOME OLDER LA NERTHE CHATEAUNEUF

Over the years we have had the opportunity to observe all facets of the wine business.  One thing that has always been a little quirky (OK, there are a lot of quirky things but that’s a piece for another day) is how older wines get distributed.  People wonder where we get all of the older Bordeaux we come up with on a regular basis.  The answer is simple…they are out there.  They are out there because there is an established, rather vibrant market supported by the negociants from older stocks, library holdings of some sort from most of the top chateaux, ‘exchanges’ of sorts like the one called ‘Livex’ where dealers all over the world can trade among themselves, and of course auction houses where consumers can buy or sell personal holdings.  That’s a lot of options, and no other genre has anything close to that.

For most everything else, one is relegated to finding older goods as they resurface in the auction market.  The frequency with which things appear there has a lot to do with the goods themselves.  Bordeaux and older domestic wines are most common because those are the most popular categories overall and fueled by a certain level of speculative buying.  At the other end of the spectrum, you see very little from certain categories like Burgundy and Rhone because those buyer purchase such wines to drink and very few scenarios would motivate them to part with those wines.  Very few of the producers themselves keep healthy back stocks for an extensive set of reasons we won’t get into here.

Our point here is that opportunities to buy older vintages of top quality Chateauneufs are rare by definition, and clearly something this rare and unique even more so.  The Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf Du Pape 2007 was a remarkably delicious surprise that appeared before us very recently.  You simply don’t see a lot of 10-year-old Chateauneuf from iconic vintages floating around out there, period, let alone with compelling reviews at palatable prices.

The wine is a textbook example of what a well-made Chateauneuf from a ripe vintage should be, a little bit of grilled herbs to the inviting nose of confectionary cherries, some spice and pepper woven into the lush, kirschy palate, resolved acidity, and resolved ripe tannins.  The quality of this particular bottling was enhanced because the domaine chose not to bottle their reserve Cuvee Cadettes and added that juice to this cuvee.  Why they would do that in a vintage of this caliber is anyone’s guess  But that is the fact and clearly that took this wine to another level.

There are compelling notes from Robert Parker and a 93-point score back in issue 185 (October, 2009), but we’d suggest even more relevance to the notes from Jeb Dunnuck in a 10-year Chateauneuf retrospective in February of 2017, “Still youthful and not yet fully mature, the 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape (which includes all the grapes that would normally have gone into the declassified Cuvee Cadettes) is full-bodied and impeccably balanced, with a fresh, focused bouquet of cassis, licorice and charred meats. This cuvee always ages beautifully, and this is one of the more fresh, lively and focused 2007s out there–and it still has present tannin. It’s certainly enjoyable today but should be even better with a year or two of additional cellaring…94 points.”

Great older wine isn’t easy to get, great old Chateauneuf is super rare.  So take the time to reward yourself for the holidays, or for whatever reason you want, with this very special edition of Chateau la Nerthe.  Just don’t take too long (there’s not a lot).

Champagne, Part Two: Our Holiday Picks

Previously we broached the subject of what is happening in the wine world regarding Champagne in the ‘macro’ sense.  As we have said tirelessly, we don’t believe Champagne is festivity specific.  One can and should open a great bubbly any time for any reason.  But we have come to accept that, since the industry acts like Champagne is a holiday thing and presents it accordingly, this is the time of year when people have been trained to listen.  To restate our case, our muse is smaller production and preferably grower generated Champagnes.  There are plenty of big houses telling their story via slick marketing displays in stores and restaurants, magazine ads and even T.V. spots.  We choose to highlight the unique and, we think, more compelling choices.

Hey, we aren’t against large production, good bubbles.  They serve their purpose, and are an easy grab for a lot of folks who want to serve something their guests have heard of or give a gift where the label has a certain, albeit media-created cachet.  We’ll drink Bollinger, Pol Roger, or the like any time someone is pouring, as long as we aren’t buying.  There are two things that are relevant there, presuming it is a style we like.  First, a lot of ‘corporate’ type bubblies have raised prices in recent years because they’re committed to creating a ‘prestige’ image for their brands.  In short, they want to charge you more so you can feel better about yourself and your purchase.  Isn’t that kind of them.

Second, and painfully obvious to us but most people don’t see it, is that these big house Champagnes have more marketing layers as a rule.  Typically there’s not only an in-house marketing infrastructure but an importer bringing it in (and putting his markup on it) and selling it to a wholesaler (who puts his margin on it). This can add another bump (or two) to the prices and push those wines into another marketing strata altogether where what you get in the bottle may not be the best choice for the elevated price vis-a-vis what else is out there.  While it will sound crazy, besides that fact that we feel we get more nuance in grower bubbles thanks to the terroir specificity, they often turn out to be a much better deal in a direct comparison of what is in the bottle.

Some of the names here you may recognize if you have been following us or other hardcore Champagne lovers over the years, others may not be familiar as we find new things all the time.     What adds a little more ‘juice’ to this particular round of Champagnes, both the non-vintage and vintage bottling, is the vintage.  The vintage matters in Champagne for a couple of reasons.  First, of course, is that vintage Champagnes are only made in better years and occasionally one turns out to be really special like 1996, 2002, and 2008.  Well the 2012 vintage is one of those top flight vintages and the vintage dated stuff has been generally fabulous.

As to the non-vintage cuvees, sure they are a blend of vintages.  Blending is how all of the champenoise large and small keep their regular cuvees consistent (as much as they can) year in and year out.  The addition of juice from a great vintage like 2012 (and 2013 was no slouch either) kicks the whole blend up a few notches.  The explosive fruit and superb balance of 2012 has had a rather dramatic effect on a number of these non-vintage efforts.  Without sounding like those pizza ads commonly seen during televised sporting events…’better ingredients, better bubbles’.

We will admit that, even though we don’t necessarily like the trend to deliberately drier Champagnes and lower dosages as too many of the wines come off as ‘angry’, this lineup runs drier across the board that any list we have presented before.  It is a hard style to do well.   But these practitioners, with a bit of help from a generous vintage, have done some impressive work.  In summation, it’s a great time for Champagne, and here are a few things we particularly like this time around.

HENRI BILLIOT BRUT RESERVE GRAND CRU–We’ll start right here with one of the consistent players in our lineup through the years has been a frequent player here.  There were a couple of vintages that were perhaps a bit less precise and pleasing as the last generation kind of wound down.  But it is back to being an engaging drink in a fruit driven, possibly even robust style as they rebound nicely under daughter Letitia Billiot’s watch.  All Grand Cru fruit from their holdings in Ambonnay and Montagne de Reims, we couldn’t run down the exact cepage here (older notes show about 80%Pinot ) but the flavors clearly suggest Pinot Noir is the lead player here.  Big, creamy and mouth-filling with apple and pear flavors with some toasty dough and a whiff of citrus, and maybe a touch of chewiness, it is broad yet lifted, outgoing bubbly.

HENRI BILLIOT BRUT GRAND CRU 2012– This blend of 70% Pinot and 30% Chardonnay is from the older parcels.  Deep color, even bolder flavors, apple cobbler, toast and that open, broad palate style, this one shows more of an underlying chalky minerality as a counter-balance to the gregarious fruit notes.  Again outgoing is the operative word  that takes the style of the house to an elite level on the back of the gushing fruit that defines the vintage.  This is, again, a ‘bigger’ Champagne, perhaps a little drier than their typical impression but with plenty of fruit to give you that Billiot experience.  A Galloni 91 with the suggestion of a little bottle age, this is an intense Champagne with a dry, but not too dry (6gl) bent that’s for Champagne hardcores.

GASTON CHIQUET BRUT TRADITION– Gaston Chiquet’s style is finely tuned and precise, which depends a lot on the vintage to make everything work.  Some years are a near miss but this time around the wines impressed like we haven’t experienced in a long time.  We’ll use some of importer Terry Theise’s insider, albeit quirky descriptors.  “In essence this wine combines the pumpernickel-sweetness of Meunier with a walnutty richness typical of this part of the Marne, and what makes it most wonderful is that it’s both extremely articulate and openly friendly.” It is a classy, defined, and really together Champagne with a slightly more savory bent, but sleek and elegant front t back.  Citrus, apple, toast, fine bead, the mix is   40% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay  and 20% Pinot Noir.  Theise calls it, ‘otherwise…saltier than usual, with somewhat more power and length.’ Our take is that you can’t pull off this style without really good fruit and, while we don’t buy Chiquet every year, when we like it, we really like it.   Antonio Galloni’s notes, “ (2012 base wine) The NV Brut Tradition is creamy, supple and inviting, all qualities that make it an excellent choice for drinking now and over the next few years. Dried flowers, chamomile, mint, pastry and orchard fruit, along with more exotic overtones, give the Tradition its distinctive personality.”  We think the 90 point score is kind of conservative.

GASTON CHIQUET BLANC DE BLANCS D’AY GRAND CRU–Definitely a dramatic step up and well as a distinctly different profile here from the powerful Chardonnay grapes grown in Ay. The cuvee is all 2012 which elevates the richness of the mid-palate while  still keeping in tune with the toasty, doughy profile.  Theise compares it to Bollinger stylistically which is fine as far as giving you a reasonable idea of what to expect, but we think that the somewhat richer fruit component gives it more dimension.  It delivers the impression of terroir while  still giving pleasure, something a lot of the ‘artisans’ seem to have forgotten. Creamy and fruit driven but not sweet.

DRAPPIER BRUT CARTE D’OR NV–We can barely remember the first time we sold Drapppier’s Champagne as it was back in the original location some time in the late 1980s.  But this Pinot Noir centric Champagne has always been a favorite when it’s available (like a lot of smaller Champagne houses, they aren’t always distributed on the market) and the price is right.  Fresh apples, pears, a moderate bead, and fine, round palate feel, we have often referred to this tongue-in-cheek as a junior, junior Crystal because of the Pinot flavor profile.  Certainly one of the more broadly appealing styles, this is a particularly savvy buy at its current price.  It’s in a style of which we say,  “if you don’t like this, you don’t like Champagne…and probably not puppies or rainbows either.”

VILMART & CIE GRAND CELLIER D’OR 2012-Simply put, if Vilmart was a little cheaper, it would be dangerous.  By that we mean if this was in the $40-50 range, it would be hard to drink anything else.  It costs a little more because they seem to be working on a different plane than most houses. It is one of the best examples of a precise, delicate, yet engaging bubbly.  Fine bubbles, refined texture, plenty of nuance with floral, pear and yellow stone fruit, citrus, brioche/pastry, and some nuttiness all nicely played against each other.  This one doesn’t club you, it invites your attention with the volume ‘just so’ and exhibits class at every turn.  The 2012 vintage, as it has in so many cases, adds a little amplitude to the wine without changing the style.  Among the more restrained stylistically but with a lot going on, this has been a favorite particularly over the last few vintages.  Said Antonio Galloni, ‘Vilmart’s 2012 Grand Cellier d’Or is bold, racy and seductive, with all of the radiance of the vintage very much in evidence. ” ‘Bigger’ Champagnes might pull down bigger scores in a tasteoff (though the 2007, 2009, and 2010 all got 94’s from Spectator and we think this one is better), but one-on-one this is a winner.

PIERRE PAILLARD LES PARCELLES GRAND CRU EXTRA-BRUT NV-We’ve gone out of our way to try as many Champagnes as we can for a long time.  But very few made the immediate impression on us that Pierre Paillard did when he first came to market here some 5 years ago.  The name is familiar because Pierre’s cousin Bruno has been in and out of the market for quite some time but the styles show no familial resemblance.  Plus Pierre is a grower with holdings in Bouzy, one of the elite Grand Crus for  Pinot Noir in particular.  This is 60% Pinot and 40% Chardonnay but Pinot from this part of Chamapgne is both distinctive and powerful with insistent, long flavors and aromas of toasted bread, pear nectar and a honeyed highlight, all done with a dosage that is slightly under 3gl (which is quite dry). To have something play this well at this low a dosage is a rare feat but, like we said, we knew this guy was special the first time around.  Two-thirds of this cuvee is 2012 vintage which creams out the mid-palate nicely.  Drier and more serious compared to price peers, this is a must and arguably one of the more important tasting cuvees in this price range.

PIERRE PAILLARD LES MAILLERETTES GRAND CRU EXTRA-BRUT BLANC DE NOIRS 2012–Our problem with the two designated 2012 bottlings is a simple one.  We know very well from a marketing perspective it is always better to focus on a single selection from a particular price/style strata and a single producer.  Multiple choices from the same label causes confusion for buyers and often less is sold of the two combined than when one is presented solo.  Even knowing that, we still couldn’t decide.  At least one is Blanc de Noir and the other Blanc de Blanc.  This is a single varietal (Pinot) from a single parcel and a single vintage.  It has the classic apple turnover flavors with apple skin undercurrents here make beautiful music together, and there’s a great impression of fruit and roundness even without evident sweetness.  Very hard to do but Paillard has shown ‘mad skills’.

 PIERRE PAILLARD LES MOTTELETTES GRAND CRU EXTRA-BRUT BLANC DE BLANCS 2012–This is 100% Chardonnay from a single vineyard planted in 1961 with a layer of solid chalk a few inches under the surface.  The dosage here is under 2gl yet the wine sports plenty of citrus and white peach fruit edged in toasty dough (croissant?), salinity, and minerality.  Very fine bubbles, this isn’t necessarily ‘big’ but very cohesive and long on the plate. Elegant but insistent, this has layers and intensity but also surprising harmony and refinement.  Given the performance, we dare say this paor of single parcel efforts are a bargain for something that could definitely run with ‘bigger dogs’.  We loved both of these and they are well priced for a ‘hot’ vintage.

More to come…

FABULOUS FAURY

Everyone pretty much accepts that axiom that wine is subjective.  Not everybody has the same palate memory, tasting experience, or even the same physical ability to taste wine (or anything for that matter).  Even among ‘experts’ there are a widely varied opinions as to what defines a ‘great’ wine.  We could write pages (and have) on all of the things that determine and effect how a wine is perceived beyond the wine itself.  But our purpose today is merely to define our terms for this specific case.

The definition of ‘great’ depends on the format.  The winner of a mass tasting is often the wine that overpowers, or might be the most expressive on that day. Does that mean its great?  To some people maybe so.  But our enthusiasm for this pair from Faury, the Cote Rotie 2015 and Condrieu 2015, stems from their achievement of an ideal.  We’ll explain.

Yeah, we have been fans of Faury, an estate in the Northern Rhone, for a long time.  The wines have always been round, engaging, and well priced.  Philippe Faury founded the estate in 1979 and his son joined him in 2006, and it seems like they have been doing their best work of late.  The 2015s, not surprisingly, have been uniformly exciting from top to bottom.   But the pair we mentioned earlier kind of took us aback.

They are not the ‘biggest’, most aggressive wines we have had, nor would we guarantee they would win some knock down tasting event.  But without trying to sound presumptuous, the appeal with this particular pair was the proximity to what some might call ‘perfection’.  We are defining that as the wines performing beautifully to the ‘benchmark’ of their particular genre.  Simply put, they are sensational examples that you would describe exactly as how they might be described in a textbook.

We have gone into detail about how difficult it is to get Viognier right.  It is a capricious grape that can go from lean and undernourished to dumpy and flabby in short order.  If you were to describe the perfect Condrieu, it would be a wine with richness in midpalate, but not too much, supported by enough acidity for lift, but not too much, with just the right amount of tension between all of the components to sit perfectly centered on the palate.  The flavors would range from pear to peach to apple, with a slightly honeyed note and layers of spice tones.

With the Faury Condrieu 2015, you get exactly that.  Round enough to deliver and luxurious mouth feel and yet it sits high on the palate, perfectly proportioned, delicious but not overbearing Condrieu from vines planted between 1976 and 2007 in granite soils, this is exactly what it should be.

Perfect Cote Rotie?  Great Cote Rotie has a lovely core of blackberry fruit with streaks of mineral, smoke and bacon, ripe tannins, refined acidity, but also the best examples sport an almost Burgundian elegance.  Here we have a winner, lovely fruit, nicely proportioned with everything in harmony, plenty of style but not heavy or ponderous.  From schist and clay soils, the vines on this 1.7 hectare parcel were planted between 1976 and 2007, this one excels by virtue of its stylish execution of  typicite.

If you are looking to be bowled over with overt power, that’s not what these are about.  Nor should they be.  Here we are talking about a couple of truly delightful wines that excel because they are refined, well executed, captivating examples of exactly what they are supposed to be.  Brilliance without excess, it doesn’t hurt that they are attractively priced for their categories to boot.

 

Serious Saumur

We often make the joke that if a purveyor brings an average wine buyer three wines, he will buy one.  If they bring him 10, he will buy one.  We are geared a little differently.  We don’t believe in token buys.  If we taste 20 wines and aren’t thoroughly jazzed with any of them, we buy zero.  By the same token, if someone brings in three exceptional wines, we’ll buy all three.  That happened on the day we tasted the Haut Baigneux wines.  The purveyor also had in tow the Yvonne Saumur Blanc 2015, which thrilled even given the stiff competition.

There has been vineyards around this chateau in Parnay since the Middle-ages and the building itself dates back to the 1500s.  It was abandoned when Yvonne and Jean-François Lamunière took over here in 1997 with the intent of revitalizing the estate.  Matheiu Vallee took over in 2007 and kept their name on the property as an hommage to the work the Lamunières had done.  The property has been organic since 1997 and went biodynamic in 2012.

There are 3 hectares of Chenin Blanc in clay-over-tuffeau (the fine grained local limestone).  Perhaps a little more intentional gravitas here, the wine is fermented slowly over four months and malolactic occurs in oak, 30% new, and it is bottled unfiltered.  Oak doesn’t always play well with Chenin but it is clearly enlightened and perfectly integrated in this case.  There are a few more ‘bass’ notes to the quince and yellow pit fruit flavors, with a little more Chardonnay like feel in the mouth and a salty character that is somewhat Chablis like.  Serious stuff here.

VALSACRO: RETURN OF AN OLD FRIEND

It seemed appropriate to say a word about how wine gets here.  The answer is, of course, any way we can do it depending on how good it is, which will determine how much trouble we are willing to go  to.  Sometimes we buy direct from the winery here, or on the open market in Europe, and bring it in ourselves.  With wines outside the U.S. there is usually an importer involved.  Some importing companies are large, corporate types, and some are ‘shoestring’ operations, with everything in between.  It is from this vast array of sources that we can put together a significant selection of wines to suit all manner of tastes.

Usually an importer will work through a purveyor within a given state because they like ‘boots on the ground’. In some states, they don’t have another choice.  There are instances where an importer’s portfolio is larger than their chosen purveyor can/will handle.  One of the importer’s options in California is to create their own alternative, more targeted sales format to offer items that his in-state purveyor is not working with.  On the plus side, we get to see a few other things that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to.   On the flip side, there isn’t a local ‘staging area’ for the wines.  So buys come via long range shipments of substantial quantities, or not at all since it isn’t practical to just get a case or two.  Such a system sometimes has huge benefits for us, and therefore you.  But continuity of the product over time often suffers.  Vinsacro Rioja is one of those stories.

It was nearly a decade ago we were first presented with Valsacro wines.  The ‘Valsacro’ Dioro 2001 was a particularly memorable, classy, hedonistic offering.  We saved a few bottles for ourselves and consumed them with gusto over the next couple of years.  It was a hard wine not to like, in an engaging, tender, fruit driven style.

Sadly, after that 2001, we didn’t see it any more. The importer Kysela Pere et Fils, was involved with a number of different purveyors over the next few years, something of a shakeout period in the wholesale market.   Kysela ‘changed horses’ a time or two, a couple of them closed). Valsacro (as we knew it before) never showed up at any of them.  Recently, the importer decided to reintroduce the wine to the marketplace on his own.  The winery had changed the name from ‘Valsacro’ to ‘Vinsacro’ (no idea why), but the beautifully textured blackberry/plum juice, and distinctive dusty spice notes caused the memories to come flooding back as soon as we tasted it.

Not only was the ‘Vinscro’ back, the bottling we were presented was from another spectacular vintage, 2010..  The Vinsacro Rioja Dioro 2010 is clearly a reserve level bottling even though the label doesn’t bear the ‘traditional’ wording.  In the glass it definitely shows its breeding with dense, plush red and black fruit, pronounced spice, tender edges and ripe tannins.  Supple and almost pandering in the mouth, it echoes the philosophy of Vinsacro’s winemaker that ‘wine is to enjoy’.

The vineyard consists of a 120 acre estate on the southern slope of Mount Yerga in the Rioja Baja near the border with Navarra. The Escudero family (who own Vinsacro) has owned this parcel for four generations. The soils here are poor, stony calcerous clay, perfect for grapes.  The vineyard is a century old and the grapes are planted to afield blend that the family refers to as ‘Vidau’.  The grapes are hand harvested  into small crates and  the Dioro goes through four separate steps in the selection process, ending up as a ‘best barrels’ cuvee.  The lead player in this Rioja is Tempranillo (50%), but there’s a good bit of ‘other’ as well (20% Garnacha, 10% Mazuelo, 10% Graciano, 5% Monastrell and 5% Bobal).  Tasting this was déjà vu in the best possible way.

Apparently Wine Advocate’s Luiz Gutierrez was as taken with the Dioro as we were, saying “The 2010 Vinsacro Dioro opens to an explosion of flowers and ripe blueberries that is very perfumed. It feels quite modern and aromatic with well-integrated oak and a luscious palate. This is produced from a field blend they call Vidau, which, in their case it is approximately 50% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo and a myriad of other grapes like Graciano and even Monastrell. The wine aged in brand new French oak barrels for 17 months, and it’s clearly a high-end wine with aspirations…92 points.”

Aspirations, indeed!  That is the best part of our little reunion with Vinsacro.  Luis in Advocate shows a list price of $46.  Thanks to some sort of ‘market mechanics,’ we are able to offer this luscious Rioja for $ 17.98.  Given the wine and the price, rest assured we’ve got ours.  Seriously good, deliciously drinkable (surely the bottle age helped as well), you need some of this special juice for yourself .