Category Archives: Newsletter Archive

Gigondas 2-28-24

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The Rhône is among the most storied and distinctive wine regions in the world. Here were some of the first regions to produce cult wines. In the village of Gigondas in the Southern Rhône, known best for its powerful reds, the wines (and vineyards, too) are by law composed of at least 50% Grenache. Most producers include some portion of Syrah and Mourvèdre, with final blending proportions often determined by the quality of the grapes of each variety.

Gigondas is the finest source of affordable luxury wines. The top estates deliver wines that compete with the very best wines in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but at prices that are a fraction of their competition.
 
If there is a single producer in the Rhône that embodies the region, it is Château de Saint Cosme in Gigondas.
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Remelluri: Iconic Wines from Telmo Rodríguez 2-27-24


 
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Telmo Rodríguez is one of the most talented and well-respected winemakers in all of Spain. He spearheads several highly praised projects around the country, including Ladeiras do Xil, Pegaso, and Molino Real, but nothing compares to the wines of his family’s estate: Remelluri.
 
Originally founded in the 14th century, the estate was purchased by Rodríguez’s father in the 1960s. Telmo and Amaia Rodríguez Hernandorena, his sister, took over the estate in 2010, the same year the estate became fully organic. It’s located in Rioja Alavesa, the smallest part of the region. Wines here are known for their intensity and power, which Rodríguez couples with his preference for French oak over American (which he finds too aggressive). To further showcase the fruit and terroir, he only uses sparing amounts of new oak.
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Fontodi: Top Notch Tuscan Wines 2-26-24

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Fontodi is one of Tuscany’s most respected estates and produces some of the finest wines in the world. The estate’s vineyards are planted along a high elevation hill of Conca d’Oro (“the golden shell,” named for its shape) and its south-facing amphitheater. It is an utterly unique terroir. Here, the high elevation and shape of the land offer long and warm summer days and a wild diurnal temperature swing. The calcareous clay and schist soils are optimal for producing ripe yet balanced Sangiovese. The resulting wines are effortlessly delicious and harmonious, the gift of such high-quality base material.
 
The Manetti Family purchased their property in the village of Panzano in 1968. (Before that, they crafted terracotta tiles from the soil, so you could say they know the land intimately.)
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Muller-Catoir: Kings of the Pfalz Sale 2-24-24

Every wine region in the world has one or two estates that immediately come to mind when you hear the name of the region: Chateau Margaux in Margaux, Romanee-Conti in Vosne-Romanee, and Donnhoff in the Nahe. Muller-Catoir occupies that space in the Pfalz region of Germany.

The Pfalz as a region focuses on powerful, dry wines. Closer to Strasbourg than Berlin, the Pfalz is nestled between the Haardt Mountains and the Rhine River in a veritable oasis of forests and hills. Archeological records show that the district was one of the first areas in the entire world to have widespread consumption and production of wine, dating back to 550 B.C.E. 

The beneficial growing conditions make for some of the most interesting and diverse expressions of German wine, with Riesling still being the crown jewel.… Read the rest

Racines 2-22-24

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When one of the preeminent names in Burgundy, Étienne de Montille of Domaine de Montille, sought out land on the West Coast of America to craft Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a Burgundian sensibility, it was only natural that he focused on the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. (It’s a region that seems to pull at French hearts, as it did with the late Philippe Cambie and his joint project with Adam Lee of Siduri, named Beau Marchais.)
 
And draw more Frenchmen, it did. Étienne shared the news with his friend Rodolphe Péters of Champagne’s top-class grower estate, Pierre Peters, who quickly signed on and became the sparkling wine consultant for the project. Étienne partnered with Santa Barbara-area native and winegrower Justin Willett of Tyler Vineyards to manage the project on site.… Read the rest