September 30, 2009

Obscurity has its Privilege: Full Bodied Value from the Southwest

2006 Plageoles Duras
France's Wild, Wild (South)West
Obscurity has its Privileges: VALUE!

"A mind-challenging exercise in aroma and flavor archaeology, rather than ... simple hedonistic appeal."
-Andrew Jefford, The New France

If we were to pick one French region that has yet to be really discovered in this age of wine geekery, blogs, and the near-immediate flow of information, it would be France's Southwest.

We're talking about the region just north of Spain and inland from the Atlantic coast; here resides a forgotten tapestry of vineyards, a wild west of indigenous grapes that are, for all intents and purposes, battling extinction. Gaillac is the western most region here and it represents the obscurest of the obscure, with grapes such as Duras, Prunelart, Mauzac, Ondenc and Len de l'El.

| Read More

Posted by Joe Salamone at 9:52 AM | TrackBack

Torbreck & Télégraphe at Tribeca Grill

Two benchmark producers of Rhône varietals.
Two of the world's best winemakers.

Join our friends at Tribeca Grill

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 | 6:30 PM Reception | 7 pm Dinner

Daniel Brunier of Vieux Télégraphe and David Powell from
Torbreck will present their current releases as well as library selections direct from their cellars. This event is not to be missed!

For reservations: (212) 941-3900

| Read More

Posted by Bob Schagrin at 9:45 AM | TrackBack

September 23, 2009

The Piece on Keller to end all Pieces on Keller

So I started out with every intention of writing the piece on Keller to end all pieces on Keller.

Truth be told, I had spent quite a few days writing. I’d even bothered Klaus-Peter Keller with a bunch of questions (and, of all the nerve, while he was harvesting his Pinot Noir). It was going ok I’d say – not A+ but solid B. Then Joe reminded me that John Gilman had written a piece on Weingut Keller last year in his newsletter View from the Cellar. I had totally forgotten.

I think I was on page five by the time I realized this was the piece on Keller to end all pieces on Keller and I was wasting my damn time.

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 3:51 PM | TrackBack

2008 Keller: The Greatest Dry Rieslings in Germany?

2008 Keller Riesling Kirchspiel GG
This is a serious question: Is anyone making a better dry Riesling in Germany?

"If I had to choose one wine to show how great dry German Riesling can be I would choose a Keller Riesling. Those wines are the German Montrachets."
- Jancis Robinson, MW

Keller's "Grand Cru" Rieslings are larger-than-life wines of incredible density and power; they are thoroughbreds.

Yet what no one does better than Keller is to shape this considerable intensity into a form that is elegant, finessed - beautiful. Yes, a Keller GG is incredibly concentrated, lavish with detailed fruit, yet the minerality, the clarity, the form is what makes these wines unforgettable.

Trimbach's Clos St. Hune is the oft-used comparison, though I rather prefer to think of a comet, brazen, yet with that beautifully elegant lingering tail...

In July we offered Keller's quiet cult Riesling, the Von der Fels. Today we step up to the impossible-to-find "Grand Crus," with a focus on what we consider the greatest value in Keller's formidable arsenal of Grosses Gewächs vineyards: The Westhofener Kirchspiel at only $58.78.

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 10:18 AM | TrackBack

September 22, 2009

The Grace of Volnay: Lafarge 2002-2005-2006

Domaine Michel Lafarge
The Grace of Volnay
Clos des Chenes - Chateau des Ducs - Caillerets

"For an example of the finest red Burgundy that is fragrant and feminine, yet intense and long-lasting, you need look no further than the wines of Domaine Michel Lafarge."
- Clive Coates

Volnay is one of our favorite villages in Burgundy.

There is little pomp and circumstance in Volnay; it is a small, serious town and in nearly every house there seems to be a winemaker, and nearly every winemaker is in their vineyards, a lot.

The village can be overlooked because it is not huddled among the more celebrated haunts of the Côte de Nuits (Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée), and is without its own Grand Cru site(s) with which to concoct a "Grander" village name (Volnay-Clos-des-Chênes-Caillerets anyone?). Yet for these very same reasons, Volnay is rife with great wines that are great values.

Today's offer is a labor of love, a small offering of one of Volnay's finest - Domaine Michel Lafarge - from top vintages, at incredibly sharp prices. See below for the full list with reviews.

| Read More

Posted by Ian McFadden at 9:57 AM | TrackBack

September 16, 2009

MADCrush - Thursday, September 17

Wine List & Prices


wine name / taste / glass / bottle

white
2008 muscadet de sevre-et-maine domaine pepiere 3 / 9 / 45
2008 cheverny salvard 3 / 9 / 45
2007 vouvray 'tradition' pinon 6 / 12 / 60
2007 st-veran luquet 6 / 12 / 60
2006 cotes de jura macle 6 / 12 / 60
2006 riesling sommerberg 'l31d' boxler 9 / 21 / 105

red
2007 touraine rouge 'la guerrerie' tue boeuf 3 / 9 / 45
2006 bourgueil 'cuvee prestige' guion 3 / 9 / 45
2008 beaujolais vissoux 6 / 12 / 60
2005 bordeaux superieur l'insolent de laville 6 / 12 / 60
2006 savigny-les-beaune 1er cru 'les gravains' ecard 6 / 12 / 60
2006 cotes-du-rhone-villages-seguret jean david 6 / 12 / 60
2006 duras plageoles 9 / 18 / 90
2006 chateauneuf du pape 'cuvee classique' monpertuis 12 / 21 / 105

sparkling
MV champagne 'grand cuvee' krug 12 / 21 / 54*
NV cremant de jura 'oh!' ganevat 6 / 9 / 45

*Price listed is for Krug half-bottle (375ml)

Small Plates Menu
by Chef Damian Sansonetti of Bar Boulud

$6 each

Crispy Berkshire Pork Rinds
Smoked Paprika, Sea Salt

Housemade Paté

Gougères with housemade Pastrami

Potato, Market Fennel and Niςoise Olive Salad
Fleur de Sel, Olive Oil

Praline Crunch-Hazelnut Feulletine

Bittersweet Chocolate Cake

Posted by Tom Stephenson at 1:31 PM | TrackBack

A Short History of Food, Grapes and Wine in the Valle d'Aosta

A trip to Italy’s Valle d’Aosta region can be disorienting. You’re surrounded by snow capped mountains, conversation often begins in Italian and then, quickly moves to French. The tap water puts pricey bottled water to shame.

| Read More

Posted by Joe Salamone at 10:45 AM | TrackBack

Magic Mountain: Affordable N. Italian Masterpieces From Anselmet

Magic Mountain: Wine on a Wire
Anselmet's Affordable Valle d'Aosta Masterpieces
2008 Petit Rouge - 2007 Torrette

Directions: Combine 1 part Cru Beaujolais with 1 part Pinot Noir. Add dash of Cornas (Cote-Rotie will also do) and pinch of minerals. Mix well and serve w/ a rush of brisk Alpine morning air.

Now you're getting a sense of these wines!

If flat fertile valleys produce the lauded and aggressive alpha male "big dogs" of the wine world, mountain wines have a unique character. Like the vertical, thin-air landscapes from which they come, mountain wines are more flower than fruit, more mineral than earth. Where the flatlanders have girth and size, mountain wines are nimble, tense. They are - god bless 'em - muscle, tendon, vital organs and little else.

For the curious, for the value seeker, for the palate in search of a wine with that rare combination of personality and deliciousness without the "big dog" tariff - mountain wines are very interesting indeed.

| Read More

Posted by Joe Salamone at 9:49 AM | TrackBack

September 14, 2009

Cellar-Worthy Steal: 07 Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Kab

07 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Kabinett #3
Scharzhofberger Super Saar Special @ $39.99

"This particular Kabinett had just been bottled prior to my visit, and it would not surprise me if I have slightly underrated it."
- John Gilman, View from the Cellar

Wouldn't surprise me either. Frankly, I'd say Gilman has most certainly underrated this wine, which is only natural.

Try looking at a tiny seed and judging the character of the oak tree that will emerge, 10, 20, 30+ years down the road. Not an easy science.

Evaluating an Egon Müller of any Prädikat in its youth is very difficult; assessing one that's just made the rude and brutal passage from barrel to bottle is damn close to impossible. Nearly always the journey will have put the wine in a cranky, awkward frame of being.

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 10:44 AM | TrackBack

2006 Angerville Volnay Magnums

1er Cru Clos des Ducs - 1er Cru Champans

The 2006s are gaining in weight and presence without losing that ethereal, glorious purity. These are stunning wines AND stunning values.

Today, a quick follow-up *only* for those of you who supported Angerville in the past: Magnums of Angerville’s 2006 1er Cru Clos des Ducs and 1er Cru Champans.

| Read More

Posted by Ian McFadden at 10:08 AM | TrackBack

September 11, 2009

Historical Haag: 1st Ever Juffer-Sonnenuhr GG

Grand Cru DRY Riesling from Fritz Haag
2008 Fritz Haag Juffer-Sonnenuhr GG
The First Ever Haag Grosses Gewachs!

When an estate with the prestige of Fritz Haag puts their reputation on the line by crafting a "Grand Cru" dry Riesling from their greatest vineyard site, you pay close attention.

If the Fritz Haag estate is famous, worldwide, for their angelically sweet Kabinetts, Spätlesen and Auslesen, it's time to reconsider the possibilities at this estate.

Yes, Fritz Haag has a dry side.

And it's a very impressive (and important) side of the estate. While I had the wine twice in Germany this spring (and was very impressed), it is now, with 6+ months of bottle age, a wine of superb focus and balance. I took a bottle up to Vermont for this past Labor Day Weekend and to be perfectly blunt: It's a stunning dry Riesling, with incredibly vivid and present flavors matched to a flawless, delicate frame. Just awesome aromatics, acidity and minerality.

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 12:58 PM | TrackBack

September 10, 2009

Invite: MADCrush Wine Bar Returns!

MADCrush
Special Encore Presentation
THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 17TH
6:00 - 10:30 pm

@ the Museum of Arts and Design
Crush pairs wines to dishes from NYCs top chefs!

Next Thursday evening, we're excited to revive our MADCrush "pop-up" wine bar for a special encore presentation. The full details (along with some surprises) to come, but we have confirmed that Daniel Boulud's rising star chef, Damian Sansonetti, Executive Chef of Bar Boulud, will be in house!

Please join us as we continue to showcase our award-winning selections, as well as some of our favorite 'off the beaten path' favorites by the taste, glass, and bottle in recyclable govino glasses.

Our selections are chosen specifically to accompany menus of small plates from a roster of New York’s best chefs. Past chefs have included Mark Ladner of Del Posto, Scott Conant of Scarpetta, George Mendes of Aldea, and Cesare Casella of Salumeria Rossi. | Read More

Posted by Bob Schagrin at 1:49 PM | TrackBack

Piedmont Vapor: Roagna Barbaresco '78, '82, '85, '88

Piedmont Vapor:
Roagna Barbaresco Crichet Paje Riserva
A Mini-Vertical of Well-Cellared Barbaresco
1978 - 1982 - 1985 - 1988

Not much has changed at Roagna. Not, at least, for the last 120 years.

The last four generations of the proud men of the Roagna family (Vincenzo, Giovanni, Alfredo, and Luca), have safeguarded their traditional and classic style since the late 1800s, holding firm in their conviction that the combination of nature’s power and careful winemaking produces unique wines with few equals.

If you’ve ever tasted an older Roagna bottling you know that their methods result in deep, complex and structured Barolo and Barberesco.

| Read More

Posted by Tom Stephenson at 11:19 AM | TrackBack

08 Willi Schaefer 375ml: Crush Exclusive

2008 Willi Schaefer Domprobst Kabinett
HALF-BOTTLES!
10 Cases Bottled Exclusively for Us... for You!

The idea was spontaneous.

There I was, in Graach, at the estate and Christoph was telling me they would be bottling the 2008s on Friday. "Do you ever bottle 375mls of the Kabinett?" I asked. "No, we never have," he responded.

"Would you bottle some for me?"

And there you go. That's how we got to today's offer, which is a "thank you" to *only* those of you who have supported our Willi Schaefer.

120 bottles - 10 cases - is not much wine but at the same time, they were only a few days away from bottling and ordering up the proper half-bottles is not quite as easy as ordering in Chinese food, you know? Frankly, Willi Schaefer and his son Christoph are incredibly nice people, smiling benign beings who seem incapable of an angry, petty or non-generous thought. I didn't want to add too much additional stress or seem greedy, so 10 cases it was.

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 10:37 AM | TrackBack

September 9, 2009

Macle's 02 Chateau Chalon

Macle's Extraordinary 02 Chateau Chalon
"One of those wines that seems to riffle through a repertoire of the natural worlds as you sniff and sip."
Andrew Jefford, The New France

A wine that we strongly endorse ...
...and that requires a serious warning!

This week, we're on the geek wine freight train, plowing from one eccentric superstar to the next. Yesterday, the impossible-to-find Beaujolais of Yvon Metras, the long-absent member of Kermit Lynch's "Gang of Four."

Today's stop is at the stony door of the grand wiseman of Chateau Chalon, Jean Macle for his best, and most challenging offering.

| Read More

Posted by Joe Salamone at 11:25 AM | TrackBack

85 Krug Collection Magnum: Lowest Price in the World

1985 Krug Collection Magnum
A Rare, Epic Krug Treasure
Lowest Price in the World

An astounding Champagne, the 1985 Krug Collection out of magnum is simply epic.

The 85 Collection magnum is also the rarest Krug new-release that we have ever encountered. Only three other stores in the world currently have the wine; NONE have meaningful quantities.

When Krug's CEO Maggie Hernandez and her entourage visited the store for an impromptu tasting of current releases, we couldn't help but bring a surprise of our own. Krug Rosé and the always formidable Grande Cuvee were present and accounted for, 1998 Krug made one of its first appearances (to considerable praise) along with the 1998 Krug Clos du Mesnil and the newly released 1982 Krug Collection.

| Read More

Posted by Bob Schagrin at 10:38 AM | TrackBack

September 8, 2009

Beaujolais: The 5th Member of the "Gang of Four" Returns - Yvon Metras

The Return of Top Beaujolais from Y. Metras!
2007 Fleurie VV and Moulin-a-Vent

After a brief stint alongside the "Gang of Four" (Lapierre, Thevenet, Foillard, Breton) with importer Kermit Lynch, Metras completely disappeared from the US market.

Beaujolais fans in the USA are a generally lucky bunch: nearly all of the region’s best producers are represented by a few thoughtful importers.  But there are always a few names and cuvées missing. 

As  Beaujolais fanatics, it haunts us that there has been darkness for years where one of the brightest stars should be burning. The wines of Yvon Metras are at the pinnacle of Beaujolais - regarded by  many as the region’s top producer. Metras' wines are nearly impossible to find and have not been imported to the U.S. for nearly 10 years. 

| Read More

Posted by Joe Salamone at 7:51 PM | TrackBack

Scholium Project Naucratis

Last year we offered Abe’s most enjoyable (and most inexpensive) wine – the Naucratis – at a special “Scholium Club” price. | Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 7:28 PM | TrackBack

The Microscope Group

Following the guidance of Jules Chauvet, a biochemist and Beaujolais negociant who is credited as being the godfather of the natural wine movement, the “microscope group” sought to produce wines that displayed purity and honesty - the truth of the vineyard. In pursuit of this, they relied on native yeasts, minimal to no sulphur, working naturally in the vineyards, cool fermentations, restricting yields and picking late to ensure ripe fruit.

It's impossible to overemphasize how radical an idea this was in Beaujolais at the time. The norms of the region included manufactured yeasts with particular aroma signatures (bananas anyone?), pesticides, over-cropping, and chaptalization (adding sugar). These trends occurred as the region’s growers began to modernize and move away from the polyculture, instead relying on grape-growing exclusively for cash. Chauvet, who began making sulphur-free, spontaneously fermented wines in 1951, was in part trying to make wines in the non-interventionalist, old fashioned way with the aid of science. The goal was to produce the most natural, purely expressive wines possible and use science to help solve the problems and reduce the risk.

As such, Metras, Lapierre and the others in the group purchased the same device to observe their wines: the microscope. (Sulphur acts as an antiseptic amongst other things, so curtailing its use carries with it an increased risk that things can go awry in the cellar. They would meet to discuss winemaking and, of course, pull a few corks. "La group a microscope" was how the members referred to themselves.

Kermit Lynch, in his Adventures on the Wine Route, begins the chapter on Beaujolais (where Chauvet is a central figure) with the following: Beaujolais “serves to remind us of the first time that man tasted fermented grape juice and decided that it was an accident worth pursuing.” The work of Metras and the other members can be seen as a combination of two things that Lynch’s quote implies: one, to follow scientifically informed natural methods to express the absolute purity of the Gamay grape; two, to render a wine that is so lively and delicious that each sip fills you with uncomplicated joy.

Posted by Joe Salamone at 12:01 PM | TrackBack

September 3, 2009

$15 Rheingau Back Up the (Holiday Weekend) Truck!

2005 Johannisof Riesling Klaus Spatlese
$15 for a Lot of Rheingau Style
Back Up the (Holiday Weekend) Truck!

The Rheingau offers a Riesling with an almost meditative power. Where a Mosel wine dances on its tip-toes, a Rheingau Riesling flows across the palate with rich fruit and more style than Coco Chanel.

The style of Coco Chanel for only $15???

Well yeah, sort of. Johannishof is a respected Rheingau elder, an estate founded in the late 1600s that has produced wines of big style and grace for, oh, say a few centuries - the Klaus Spätlese is a solid value at its normal $25+ tariff.

| Read More

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 11:25 AM | TrackBack

September 2, 2009

2006 Sassicaia: "In a word: Awesome"

2006 Sassicaia
The Greatest Sassicaia since the "Perfect" 1985?

"The 2006 Sassicaia may very well go down as one of the all-time great recent vintages for this Tuscan thoroughbred... The wine is simply glorious, that's all there is to it.
This is one for the ages. In a word: Awesome."
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate

Just about everyone who has tasted the 2006 Sassicaia has walked away with big words and serious praise for the wine.

Antonio Galloni of the Wine Advocate laid down the law in his recent review, writing, "The 2006 Sassicaia may very well go down as one of the all-time great recent vintages for this Tuscan thoroughbred...  Everything is in the right place in this magical Sassicaia. This is one for the ages. In a word: Awesome."

| Read More

Posted by Bob Schagrin at 8:28 PM | TrackBack

September 1, 2009

Red Burgundy 50% Off Steal: Jadot Santenay (What're you drinking this weekend?)

Jadot Red Burgundy Steal
2004 Jadot Santenay "Clos de Malte"
Juicy, honest red Burgundy at 50% off!

Mouth-watering, old-school red Burgundy to serve up with just about anything this holiday weekend.

How about a juicy little Pinot Noir number for this upcoming holiday weekend, all dialed up, in-stock and ready to go for as low as $15? (That'd be 50% off the lowest price in the nation.)

This is not a rich, velvety, mouth-coating Pinot Noir jazzed up to 15 or 16 degrees alcohol with all the subtletyof a steam roller. No, instead, today we return to one of our favorite places in the world (Burgundy's Côte d'Or) with a charming Pinot Noir that's rustic and punchy with a great show of energy on the palate and a spectrum of flavors that includes berry fruits, dried herbs, soil tones and minerals.

| Read More

Posted by Ian McFadden at 12:06 PM | TrackBack