2015

A WONDERFUL, ‘HISTORIC’ WHITE FROM ALSACE

There are many less traveled paths in the wine world where some truly special things can happen. We feel it is our duty as wine merchants to point things like that out for you consideration. Sometimes we wonder why we do it. Guess it’s just the wide-eyed geekiness that we still haven’t lost after all these years. Take this wine. A Alsace white made by a cooperative without a varietal designation for over $30? What next? Hungarian Cabernet Franc? Oh wait, we already did that. Orange wines from Georgia (the country not the state)? Yeah, did that too. If it’s worth knowing about, we’re on it, and this striking little gem is definitely something worth knowing about.

We’ll start with the producer. Cave de Ribeauvillé is a well-run cooperative in Alsace. In their words, Cave de Ribeauvillé covers a unique vineyard of 235 hectares with 8 Grands Crus and numerous high-value terroirs. The entire estate is managed by a quality charter which guarantees manual harvesting, strict control of yields, work in the vineyard using sustainable management or organic farming. All the grapes are brought to the press in whole bunches and the juice then flows by simple gravity into the vats. Thanks to state-of-the-art equipment, the wines from Cave de Ribeauvillé respect the purity of the grape variety and the identity of each terroir. The wines are frank, straight, fresh, fruity and express all the richness of the great Alsatian terroirs.

In other words this isn’t some local cooperative just phoning it in as some do and we have brought to your attention a number of high functioning operations like this over the years like Produttori di Barbaresco, Terlano, and Domaine Wachau to name a few. This is our first experience with Cave de Ribeauvillé but, if they can do things like this, we need to dig a little deeper. The cooperative itself dates back to 1895.

As to the wine itself, this is a stylistic take on the work of Alsace icon Marcell Diess. Deiss’s thing is to highlight terroirs in great vineyards. In this mindset, he does not highlight specific varietals but harvests the various grapes from a vineyard as a field blend and identifies them by the name of the vineyard only. These wines are dazzling and highly sought after, as well as not cheap. The Clos de Zahnacker is planted to Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.

The history of this Clos is pretty interesting. The oldest writings date its origins back to the 8th century, to the time when Benedictine monks divided their time between prayer and work on the land. The creation of this walled vineyard is attributed to monk-knight Martin Zahn after returning from the crusades. It was a subject of dispute among the Lords of Ribeauville in the Middle Ages and was said to be a favorite of the Sun King Louis XIV. It has been a part of the Cave de Ribeauvillé since 1965.

The nose of the Cave de Ribeauvillé Clos du Zahnacker 2015 speaks of lemon zest, tea, mineral and stone fruits with faint hints of lychee. In the mouth is it rich, rather ample, a little exotic, yet with just the right amount of lift to support its frame and maintain appropriate freshness. It almost feels the weight of a vendage tardive but isn’t particularly sweet and it is loaded with character. At age 8 it shows no signs of fading and has palate coating extract. We’ve had a few nice surprises from the 2015s recently.

We found one review from Wine Enthusiast that kind of captures the essence of this grand but surprising effort, “Chalk, chamomile tincture and dried lemon peel have immense lift on the nose of this wine. They also pervade the bright, balm-like but concentrated palate with their aromatic intensity. This wine is fluid and layered, showing signs of evolution that is set to continue for many years. Gentle sweetness balances the bracing freshness and makes this a real experience. The finish is off dry but very balanced and long. Drink until 2040…94 points.”

We don’t have a lot of it but we had to tell the story.

LOOK WHAT WE FOUND-THE GREATEST CROZES EVER?

Something we never talk about is what goes on behind the scenes. As you might imagine, doing emails and prearrivals involves a lot more accounting than just selling the wine and having someone carry out the door. We have to keep track of the stock while its here. We’re pretty on top of it but, being human, there are occasional mistakes. Not often, mind you, but it can happen. In this particular instance, it was a fabulous bit of good fortune. What if, after doing our due diligence, we found we had ‘leftovers’ of one of the greatest Crozes Hermitages ever made.

We did three shots offering the Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Domaine Thalabert 2015, arguably the best example yet from this legendary series that is also a house favorite from a historical perspective, with great success. We can’t explain exactly how we miscounted, but we’re sure the numbers are correct to which we are happy to say “woohoo!”.

From top, specific parcels in this fairly large estate, from 40-60+ year old Syrah vines, it resembles a kinder, gentler Hermitage. At present, the nose of blackberries and spice soar from the glass, that same redolent blackberry fruit character rolling across the palate with highlights of olive, pepper, and some smoked meat. It is a notable effort in a storied history. There’s plenty going on right out of the gate and the wine grows from there.

Jeb Dunnuck’s review encapsulates our feelings, “The finest vintage to date, better even than the stellar 2010, the 2015 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine De Thalabert is a gorgeous, deep, layered, and incredibly satisfying Crozes. Blackcurrants, olive tapenade, truffles and earthy notes all emerge from this full-bodied, gorgeously textured and seamless 2015. With fine tannin and no hard edges, it can be drunk today or cellaring for 15-20 years…97 points”

You would be remiss without a few bottles of this living legend in your cellar. If you have some, you likely need more. If you don’t, this is a must. This is a special bottle in a special vintage and an exceptional effort from both a historic and hedonistic perspective. As usual, quantities are finite.

UN CONTINO MUY ESPECIAL

As you surely know if you have been seeing our offers for any length of time, we have been fans of the talented folks at CVNE for a long time. But among their three separate, high performance wineries, Contino holds a special place for us. Back in the early 90s, before the coming of the ‘Spanish invasion’ lead by Jorge Ordonez and Eric Solomon, there were two wineries that kind of opened our eyes to the world of Spanish wines in general. One of them was Contino (the other was Mauro for reference sake). We have plying the varied wares from CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte del España, aka Cune) under their Contino, Vina Real and Imperial labels, ever since.

That means there is almost always something exciting from them coming down the pipe under one of those three labels, all of which are run as separate wineries. Among them Contino has a somewhat unique position. The Cune people refer to Contino as the ‘first chateau in Rioja’, a reference to the comparison between this property and the typical profile of a Bordeaux chateau. The estate is formed by 62 hectares of vineyard in Rioja Alavesa, considered the best of the three regional designations in Rioja (Baja, Alta, and Alavesa). Contino, as it exists today was founded in 1973.

The history of the property itself dates from the 16th century, and that history is reflected in its name. The “contino” was the officer in charge of the guard corps of a hundred soldiers who protected the royal family “de contino” (continuously) from the times of the Catholic Monarchs onwards.

A single vineyard wine is still a pretty rare thing in Rioja, though that is changing somewhat with a surge of winemakers passionate about establishing more specific ‘village’ and ‘pago’ (vineyard) identities. We have done a number of offers on Contino over the years, our last missive on the Rioja Reserva 2014. When we wrote that piece, we closed with saying we got the deal on the 2014 “probably because the purveyor was itching to get their hands on the highly publicized 2015 and 2016 vintage.” Now we can see why. The 2015 is muy, muy bueno!

This Reserva is made up of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, and 5% a combination of Mazuelo y Garnacha. The wine is made in the traditional manner and placed in barrels already used oak (40% American and 60% French) where it remained for two years plus the additional minimum of two more years in bottle aging in the cellars until it is released to the market.

It has the same style points as the previous classics, but has more volume, richness, and outgoing fruit. The color is a deep, vibrant maroon, and the nose gives the immediate impression of ripe cassis and black cherry.

In the mouth there is simply ‘more’. The fruit is lush and vibrant, the acidity is refined and well tucked away, and its is loaded with engaging ripe flavors. Like a Bordeaux, this Contino Rioja Reserva 2015 exudes elegance, yet in this vintage there is an increased level of juiciness. It differs from other great vintages in that it is, flat out, flashier from start to finish.

Early ‘reports’ are impressive. From Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez, “…a blend…t hat wants to express the character of the Contino estate…It feels fresher than the 2014, and it also shows younger, with better integrated oak, subtle aromas and nice balance. It’s medium-bodied, with very fine tannins and good freshness, integrated and balanced. I look forward to tasting the 2016 of this wine, because this 2015 is going in a direction that I like…94 points.”

James Suckling was gushing in this review from 2018, “This shows so much intense dark berry such as blueberries and blackberries with hints of flowers. Lavender too. Full body, dense tannins with freshness and intensity. So tight and focused. A classic Rioja. Need five to six years of bottle age to come around. Try in 2024… 96 points.”

You can wait if you want to, but we have enjoyed a few bottles already with relish thanks to that outgoing fruit component. Either way, this is a real winner from a source with a great track record.

CASA CASTILLO KEEPS ON ROLLING

We went through Jumilla two decades ago when we had an opportunity to visit Spain. The few towns we went through looked like they could have been movie sets for the ‘spaghetti westerns’ of the 70s. The terrain reminds us of the Southern California desert (sans the Joshua trees). Yet from this harsh landscape came some pretty surprising wines, packed with character and weight without being over the top. The ripe, persistent fruit and modest prices made these wines immediately appealing.

Casa Castillo was one of the early stars of the region. This was also a producer whose property looked a lot like the southern Rhône, with gnarly old vines sitting in a chalk soil covered in stones. Like most of the Jumilla producers we tasted then and have come to know since, this bodega (what the Spaniards call their wineries) had a gutsy, well-priced value wine that was impressive for its substance and it only went up from there.

Casa Castillo is still bringing drama even in a more crowded marketplace with substantially more options for the wine buyer. The drawing on the front label could have as easily been inspired by a site in Chateauneuf as here in this still relatively obscure region in southern Spain. While global warming generally represents negative things, the wines from this warm region show that Mourvedre likes the heat. When this late-ripening grape gets fully mature, it can take on a leading role in a ripe forward wine.

The Casa Castillo Las Gravas is something we have been fans of since those early days. The grape varieties here are the same as the southern Rhone but in different proportions with the Mourvedre making up 70% of the blend, with the balance divided equally between Grenache and Syrah. The track record here is pretty remarkable, with this 2015 version garnering a ’94’ from Wine Advocate as it has for 5 of the last six vintages (the 2011 got a mere ’92’)! The generosity of the 2015 vintage shows in this wine’s more rounded nature, though it packs plenty of punch as always.

Luis Gutierrez of Wine Advocate paints a pretty clear picture, ”
The 2015 Las Gravas is a classic Mediterranean blend of Monastrell with 15% each Garnacha and Syrah, with 15% alcohol after fermenting with part of full clusters and indigenous grapes and aging in used oak barrels for 19 months. 2015 is the last vintage that Las Gravas has some Syrah, as it adds some sweet fruit he wants to avoid. However, it shows fresh within the balsamic profile, with plenty of rosemary and thyme notes combined with floral undertones and the character of the esparto grass and tree bark that are textbook (aspects) of the variety.” A lot of wine for the fare as always…

Y MAS RIOJA BUENA

Had it been another time, this wine might well have gotten a much bigger presentation. But this seems to be a particularly fortuitous period for the genre as a whole. As those who know us well know, we firmly believe there can never be too much great Rioja. But there are only so many major features we can do in a certain time period, even in one of our favorite categories, lest we change our name to “Rioja Exchange”. Still with back-to-back excellent vintages in 2015 and 2016 hitting the market, plus some late-arriving specialty 2010s, our copa runneth over.

The wines of the Marquis de Murrieta have been a pretty consistent favorite around here because they hit all the key aspects in a couple of categories. We are particular fans of their reserve bottlings for all the right reasons. When they are on (which is most of the time), the style presents plenty of engaging, spicy black fruits like plum and cassis with a rather modern forward nature, but plenty of the supple edges and surprising complexity that makes Rioja what it is.

Knowing that we had been long-time supporters of the brand, the purveyor presented us with the 2014 version of the Marquis de Murrieta Rioja Reserva on three (or was it four?) separate occasions. It was adequate, but just not at the level that we know that it can be. When the 2015 came along we were again back on board. This is a pretty, round, engaging red with supple edges, plenty of character, and the kind of price that allows it to be more than just a ‘special occasion’ bottling.

This Marquis de Murrieta Rioja Reserva 2015, granted from a very successful vintage overall, shows the kind of sweet fruit core, spice and toast elements, and front to back harmony that will win more friends for the genre. This is just a lush, versatile and pleasing bottle of Rioja that is exciting in and of itself. But if you are concerned about reviews, it also equaled the highest score given in the series by Wine Advocate (along with the 2010 and, curiously, the 2014), a 93.

The Advocate commentary provides some technical data also aligns with our own thoughts, “The red blend 2015 Rioja Reserva is 80% Tempranillo with 12% Graciano, 6% Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha, a little more Graciano and Mazuelo, something logical in ripe and warm years like 2015. It’s produced with grapes from a diversity of the 30 different plots within the estate, to represent the character of if. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in American oak barrels for 18 months. It’s spicy and somewhat balsamic, with some dusty tannins. It’s a ripe and powerful vintage…”

Good stuff, good price, and once again a ‘go-to’ performer.

SOLANERA’S BEST YET, AND UNDER $10

We never stop looking out for the rare, amazing deal. These can come at any time, from anywhere, and we have turned more than our share of these kinds of opportunities over the years. But, frankly, given what is currently available in the marketplace, something has to be pretty spectacular to get our attention. This one is.

Yes we know we have gone to the well with Solanera number of times in the past, but the darn wine just keeps delivering, consistently improving and presenting one of the best bang-for-the-buck options out there.

It all starts with Eric Solomon, a consistent source for some of the best wine deals on the planet and his massive portfolio of wines. Simply put, when you are trying to market some 300+ wines in the marketplace, and transitioning through various configurations of purveyors to accommodate distribution of so many brands, there are times a wine or two can get lost in the shuffle.

It’s nobody’s fault, but opportunities get created all the same and, when the wine is already a pretty sensational value with a long proven track record, an aggressive deal can make the offer almost laughable. We have told this story more than once with Solanera, and here we go again with the latest and greatest, the Castano Solanera Vinas Viejas 2015.

Over the years a lot of Solanera has passed through our doors. Why wouldn’t it? You’ve got Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha from 40-100 year-old vines in clay/limestone soils at nearly 3000 feet elevation. It’s ‘always sunny’ in Yecla, and the altitude keeps everything in perspective as the nights cool to preserve sufficient freshness in the wine. You get a rich, substantial, character-filled red year in and year out and, because the real estate isn’t as famous here in southeastern Spain, you don’t pay a lot of money for the quality of juice you are getting.

Hey, it might seem like unfair competition, but it’s just the way it is. It is no wonder that we have sold so much Solanera in our history, and why all thirteen vintages of the stuff that were reviewed in Wine Advocate have scored 90 points or better. Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez was pretty high on this one again, handing it a 92 point score with lengthy comments, “The 2015 Solanera used to wear the ultimate Spanglish label, which said “Viñas Viejas of Monastrell” even if it was always a blend (in this vintage, the blend includes 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Garnacha Tintorera)…

“… they used part of full clusters and sourced the grapes from Casa Marta, a nine-hectare, head-pruned, dry-farmed plot on very stony soils in the north of Yecla at the foot of the Mount Arabí. It fermented in concrete vats and open-top barrels and matured in barrique, each variety separately, for some ten months, after which it was blended and bottled. This is the vintage of the big change in this wine, where, as with the majority of its siblings, there is better balance and more integrated oak, more freshness and better balance.

“The nose is quite captivating, especially after some time in the glass, when it starts developing some floral aromas, perfect ripeness, no warmth or alcohol and a powerful, yet terribly balanced palate with concentration and elegance, fine-grained tannins and clean, focused flavors. This is my favorite Solanera to date.”

Like we said, ours, too. This is a more refined effort that definitely plays above its category in the glass even more than past efforts. This jump in quality may have had something to do with the vintage and most assuredly reflects the touch of Jean-Marc Lafage who consulted on this vintage for the first time. It’s a kinder, gentler, more polished and more engaging bottle of Solanera and for under $10 (the best price in the country), it’s almost like stealing. Good hunting.

THE ‘SAC’ IS BACK

It seemed like only yesterday (it was actually November, 2017) we were excitedly jabbering on about the return of one of our favorite go-to Riojas after a long absence from the marketplace. At the time, probably a decade or so ago, we were presented with the Valsacro Dioro 2001. It was love at first sip and we kept a few bottles back for ourselves (though not enough) that we consumed with gusto over the next few years.

Our reunion offer that aforementioned November involved the 2010 Vinsacro Dioro (which had subsequently been renamed Vinsacro for reasons unknown to us). The 2010 was a most pleasant déjà vu because it was the same fruit driven, polished, creamy, supple, hedonistic red we had remembered from our first experience all those years ago.

The first time around (the 2001) we don’t remember seeing any press at the time. But the 2010 had also caught the attention of Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez who launched a rather detailed piece describing this unique estate in Rioja Baja that had been owned by the same family for four generations. The short story is that the vineyard is up to a century old and the grapes are planted to a field blend that the family refers to as ‘Vidau’. The fruit is hand harvested into small crates and the Dioro goes through four separate steps in the selection process, ending up as a ‘best barrels’ cuvee.

Luis’ notes say, “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…92 points.” Yeah it’s that whole explosion of berries and ‘luscious palate’ that keeps us coming back, plus we were selling at more than 50% off Luis’ stated ‘retail’ price.

Good times were had by all then, and when we waltzed through a slug of the winery’s 2015 Vinsacro Dioro in August of the following year. Similar story, 92 point, shamelessly engaging, supple Rioja redolent with dark plum/blueberry fruit tinged by spice, lead pencil, notes of cocoa being sold for a fraction of its original retail. Again, here’s an extremely pretty wine from a clearly committed producer, from a great vintage, for pennies on the dollar? We love the story line…it’s so Winex!

But mostly we love the wine.

So when we were approached with the 2005, another great vintage (this one was still labeled Valsacro), the choice was easy. Where had this wine been for the last decade plus? No clue, but it is in a verygood place now. Thanks to the additional time in bottle the 2005 Valsacro Dioro is a harmonious, hedonistic marvel. We found reviews from back in the day, dueling ‘92s’ from Vinous’ (then IWC) Josh Raynolds and Advocate’s reviewer at the time Jay Miller, significantly different palates.

From Jay Miller, June, 2010, “The 2005 Dioro was produced from a stricter selection and was aged in new French oak for 12-14 months. A saturated purple color, it displays a brooding bouquet of wood smoke, pencil lead, espresso, truffle, and blackberry. Dense and loaded on the palate, it has gobs of ripe black fruit, excellent balance, and a lengthy, pure finish. It will continue to blossom over the next 3-4 years and have a drinking window extending from 2014 to 2025…92 points. (list $57). “

From Josh Raynolds, September, 2011, “(aged in new French oak): Glass-staining ruby. Extremely perfumed, oak-accented nose displays cherry-vanilla and blackberry preserves, with a sexy floral note and building spiciness. Full-bodied and velvety, offering palate-coating flavors of macerated cherry, dark berries and vanilla bean. Finishes very long and sweet, with persistent spiciness and a hint of smoke. An extremely attractive and balanced example of the modern style…92 points.”

The plush, creamy texture, integrated fruit and terroir components, superb balance, and silky finish are like few wines in the marketplace at any price. We have consumed a good bit of this already and have plans to do a lot more. Once again we are able to offer this absolutely delicious wine, bottle age included, for under $20!

We have stocked a bit more for ourselves this time around because the stuff doesn’t seem to last long in the cellar (not that it wouldn’t if we left it alone). The 2005 Valsacro Rioja Dioro 2005 one to buy by the case.

The same could be said for the 2015 Vinsacro Rioja Dioro, of which we recently got a reload. The short story here is that this is another offering from this very appealing house that was a Wine Advocate 92 for this wine, at a list price of $65, only we are also selling it for a ridiculous$19.98!

CHATEAU L’OU: “REMINISCENT OF MANFRED KRANKL’S SQN (SINA QUA NON) SYRAHS” (and under$40!)

We are nothing if not persistent. Sure we sold a bit of this in an email a while back but nowhere near what we should have. Here’s a $40 wine that was compared to one of the icons of California wine, SQN, which folks are lined up to throw $300-400 bottle at. Yes we get the whole ‘I got something that you don’t have thing’, but the math is pretty convincing when you can get a wine that carried a 96 point tout, and you could buy 5-7 bottles for what you’d pay for a single bottle of SQN, provided you even got the chance to buy that one bottle at all! L’Ou is a fantastic bottle of Syrah for the fare and we though it definitely deserved another mention. Here is a streamlined (sort of) version of the original piece…

“…We started promoting what we affectionately call ‘the Sud’ (French for ‘south’) about a quarter century ago, though admittedly a lot of the area’s potential ‘thunder’ was stolen by the Rhone which had an unprecedented string of exceptional vintages not long after the ‘Sud’ started breaking on te scene. Even given its long history, when one considers the remoteness, lack of flagship wineries, and association with ‘industrial volume’ production, it probably was predictable that buyers wouldn’t flock to the Sud right away.

Still when people in the region realized they had everything they needed to produce wines that could compete on the world stage. Unique soils, lots of sunshine, mediating influence from the sea, it was a pretty special place to grow grapes. All one had to do was drop a few clusters from the vines so the remaining grapes could be more concentrated and voila.

Séverine and Philippe Bourrier were pretty early to the party that started around the mid-90s. In 1998, they bought the estate of 30 hectares in one piece planted with 26 hectares of vineyards and 4 hectares of olive trees in the town of Montescot in the Pyrénées-Orientales, 10 km south of Perpignan. They immediately converted the entire property to organic farming. At the time, only 3 properties in the Roussillon were practicing organics. In 2009, Séverine and Philippe decided to expand their terroir options by purchasing 8 hectares of vines in Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet and 7 hectares of vines in Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes.

They are meticulous here. Beside the practicing organics, the grape harvest of Château de L’Ou is exclusively manual and they are specific about picking between sunrise and noon to help the grapes retain freshness. The grapes are harvested into crates of about 10 kg so as not to be damaged during transport and to facilitate handling in the cellar. The date of harvest is determined by tasting a sample of berries with particular attention to the fineness of the skin and seeds.

In our minds it is important for the region to establish a few successful estates to lend credibility to the region. Look what wineries like Booker and Saxum did for Paso Robles. We think the Chateau de L’Ou Secret de Schistes Rouge Cotes Catalanes 2015, an opaque, deeply colored, powerful and pure Syrah, can run with the ‘big dogs’ of the New World, though for all its extraction and presence, it doesn’t sit heavily on the palate. It also has the added bonus of the unique minerality from the black schist soils that are here and in Priorat to the south.

Jeb Dunnuck is making quite a statement in this piece about the Chateau L’Ou, “Saturated black in color, the 2015 IGP Côtes Catalanes Secret de Schistes is reminiscent of Manfred Krankl’s SQN (Sina Qua Non) Syrahs with its deep, unctuous, layered profile. Cassis, chocolate, licorice, smoked herbs and ample minerality all emerge from this full-bodied, sexy beauty that just begs to be drunk. Possessing ripe tannin, a stacked mid-palate and a great finish, it will be better in a year or two and keep for a decade…96 points” – Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate.

We’d make the point that Chateau L’Ou, at $39.98, literally can be had for a fraction of what things like Saxum and Sina Qua Non cost! Enough said.”

Domaine du Gour de Chaule Gigondas 2015

Given how long and extensively we have worked with the Rhone, and the southern Rhone in particular, it’s a little surprising that this is only our second go around with this stylish Gigondas estate. Our first foray, the 2010 Gour de Chaule Gigondas was a huge hit and lot of boxes disappeared from the old location. This is actually the first volley in the newer spot, and the price is a little bit more than it was five years ago (that’s to be expected), but we are big fans of what this estate is doing.

The fact sheet reads something like this, with deference to the importer’s extensive and accessible information. The Domaine du Gour de Chaulé, situated in the heart of the village of Gigondas, was founded in 1900 by Eugene Bonfils, the great-grandfather of the current proprietor, Stephanie Fumoso. All the wine produced at the estate was sold in bulk to negociants until 1970 when Madame Rolande Beaumet, Eugene’s daughter and the grandmother of the current owner, Stéphanie, began to bottle a small percentage of the estate’s wine for sale to private clients.

Madame Beaumet’s daughter, Aline Bonfils, took the reins of the domaine in the early 1980s and it was she that broadened the tradition of estate bottling significantly. Stephanie was at the helm when we flipped over that 2010, and we were immediately captivated by a wine that, while it had all of the moxie one would expect from a Gigondas, it also had a polished presence that was considerably less ‘rough and tumble’ than most of the other ‘local produce’.

Were going to go out on a limb and suggests that a woman’s touch is clearly evident here (are we allowed to say that any more?) as the wine has the size and substance to stand among most Gigondas, but without the gritty tannins that are so often a part of wines from this appellation. Dark berries, stony minerality, pepper, and garrigue here, typicite is not an issue but this is a more white tablecloth version of the genre.

This Grenache based cuvee comes from three separate plots with the average vine age approaching age 60. Yields are most and the grapes are hand harvested, never destemmed, and sees no new oak. The wine is put into large foudres for 18 months before it is bottled unfiltered and unfined. Bottom line, this is a classy example from an often rustic area.

This is still kind of an under-the-radar property in the broad market, but the media is starring to take notice. Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski had this to say, “Still in foudres and concrete, the 2015 Gigondas Cuvee Tradition is incredibly creamy, ripe and fresh. This full-bodied wine is bursting with ripe Grenache fruit, while the finish displays plush tannins. It’s not hugely complex—or maybe the fruit is just covering some of that complexity right now—but it sure is delicious…90-92 points.” He got the delicious part right, but that review was posted in Oct., 2017, which means it was tasted well before that. A lot can change in a year and a half (or more).

Even more upbeat was the prose from Josh Raynolds of Vinous, “Brilliant ruby. A heady bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, Indian spices and smoky minerals, along with a hint of candied lavender in the background. Deeply concentrated yet energetic black raspberry, boysenberry and spicecake flavors unfold slowly, picking up a licorice quality that expands on the back half. Shows excellent clarity and mineral cut on a sweet, seamless finish shaped by smooth tannins…92-94 points.”

We know a lot of folks out there aren’t necessarily convinced by ‘barrel scores’. We tasted the Domaine du Gour de Chaule Gigondas 2015 out of the bottle. It’s delicious, complex and all we can say is ‘you go, girl’.

Special Red: ‘Superior’ Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore

This is a difficult category for a lot of people because of the diversity. The basic story is that a Ripasso spends time on the lies of the Amarone which enriches and amplifies the Valpolicella. So what is it? Is it the glorious and memorable (and very expensive) efforts from the likes of Dal Forno, Tommaso Busoll, and Accordini? Or is it the sweetish, slightly oxidized Amarone wanna-be that, sadly, too many are.

While there are some exceptional and identifiable labels out there, all too often it is a crapshoot. So when we find something new that works at a high level, we get very excited. The Corte Sant’Alda Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Campi Magri 2015 is one of those rare finds that brings the magic. The first order of business for this kind of wine is texture. There must be a luxurious mouth feel, smooth edges from front to back, and, in the best cases, weightiness without being ponderous. Bingo, the Corte Sant’Alda has it all.

Dark fruit, a little bit of a roasted character yet fresh at every point, this wine is deceptively full sized and definitely grabs your attention. For those who know the genre, this is a beautiful version that is among the best examples we have had at any price. If you are more of the New World school, we’d be surprised if you had many Italian wines sporting this kind of palate weight and plush demeanor. The warm 2015 harvest was great for this genre of wine and this came from a densely planted vineyard of head trained bush vines farmed biodynamically. Corte Sant’Alda Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Campi Magri 2015 then sees a 24 month sojourn is large and is made from ‘the usual suspects’ (Corvina Grossa, Corvina Veronese, Rondinella and Molinara).

James Suckling took a shine to this one as well, commenting “An expansive yet elegant nose of dried mulberries, blueberry tart, mince pies and hints of ash and bark. The palate taps into the wonderful freshness but there is also a nicely structured palate, grainy tannins and a pretty finish. What a find! Drink now. … 95 Points!” What a find indeed.