New Energy in the Less Familiar Territory of Touraine in The Heart of The Loire Valley; A Place Where Talented Artisanal Vignerons are Introducing Changes and Reinvention. Two Packs: Red Touraine 11-Bottle Pack ($369) & White Touraine 12-Bottle Pack ($369)

Touraine may not grab the vinous headlines of, say, Sancerre or Vouvray, but in ways it is the aesthetic paradigm for the region: Made of castles and gardens and vineyards lining the capricious and majestic Loire from Anjou in the…

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Posted on 2024.07.25 in Coteaux-du-Loir, Cheverny, Coteaux-du-Loir, Cour-Cheverny, Touraine Azay-le-Rideau, Touraine, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

A Veritable Revolution in Sancerre: Stéphane Riffault is Creating Wines of Texture, That are Singular, and True to Themselves. (Seven-Bottle Pack $299: Two Red and Five White)

A communion with the soil is the most important relationship a winemaker will ever forge, and nowhere is this demonstrated more reliably than in Sancerre, where three distinct soil types produce a split-personality of wine characteristics. This may be something…

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Posted on 2024.07.20 in Sancerre, Rosé de Loire, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

The French Climate Divide: 2023 Rosés Show The Difference Between Warm-Climate (Mediterranean) and Cool-Climate (Oceanic) Fruit. Ten Types, Spanning the Two, by Seventeen Producers. A Dozen Rosés $349 – A Holiday Sampler.

Two things that France and the United States share: A red, white and blue flag and a passion for rosé. So, while we’re celebrating both on the Fourth of July, we’ll take the opportunity to offer a springboard to this…

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Posted on 2024.07.05 in Santenay, Chinon, Sancerre, Côte-de-Provence, Côtes-du-Rhône, Rosé de Loire, Anjou, cassis, Bandol, Menetou-Salon, France, Beaujolais, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire, Southern Rhone  |  Read more...

 

Rosés Deserve To Live A Little: 2021 Rosés in Full Bloom, Show Character And Dimensions With Two Years of Maturity … 13-Bottle Pack $299 (Limited)

Any remaining stigma attached to rosé remains within the dark soul of the stigmatized; those of us on the right side of wine appreciation understand that rosé is enjoying the fruits—quite literally—of its historical labor. This is especially true in…

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Posted on 2024.03.22 in Rosé de Loire, Anjou, cassis, Bandol, Luberon, Ventoux, Terrasses du Larzac, Gigondas, Côte-de-Provence, France, Bordeaux, Wine-Aid Packages, Languedoc-Roussillon, Loire, Provence, Southern Rhone  |  Read more...

 

Lure Of The Loire II: A Wide Range Of Red Varieties, Soils And Microclimates Allow For A Diversity Of Wines And Styles By Upstart Generation

The media engine behind French wine seems driven primarily by two wheels—Burgundy and Bordeaux—while the Loire is often relegated to third-wheel status. And it’s not from want of praise: The vivid, crisp, hauntingly aromatic and almost supernaturally focused wines of…

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Posted on 2024.02.02 in Chinon, Saumur-Champigny, Touraine, Anjou, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

The Paradox of Chenin: Three Neo-vignerons Use The Variety To Explore Anjou Noir’s Microclimates And Soil Complexity With Unique Collection Of Grand Crus And Single-plots

Chenin shares some traits with Marilyn Monroe; it’s blonde, beautiful, rather dreamy and frisky… and, of course, it’s easily exploited. Chenin certainly has a tawdry side (the generic jugs—no pun—from Gallo, circa the 1970s), but when allowed to shine—as Monroe…

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Posted on 2024.01.26 in Savennières, Coteaux-du-Layon, Quarts-de-Chaume, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

The Paradox of Chenin: Ten of Lower Loire’s Top Young Producers Showcase The Multifaceted Faces of The Grape in Three Distinct Regions (10-Bottle Sampler $399)

Join Us for Saturday Sips: The Paradox of Chenin Come as you are; come any time that’s convenient for you during our business hours to sample selection from this week’s selections. Our staff will be on hand to discuss nuances of…

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Posted on 2023.07.13 in Touraine, Anjou, Vouvray, Montlouis-sur-Loire, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

Five Beaujolais Producers Channel Morgon in All Its Glorious Complexity, All Insanely Easy to Drink (8-Bottle Sampler $295)

Join Us for Saturday Sips: The Originality of Morgon Come as you are; come any time that’s convenient for you during our business hours to sample selection from this week’s selections. Our staff will be on hand to discuss nuances of…

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Posted on 2023.06.23 in Morgon, Touraine, France, Beaujolais, Wine-Aid Packages  |  Read more...

 

Lure of The Loire: A Range of Red Grapes, Soils and Microclimates Allow for A Diversity of Wines and Styles by an Upstart Generation 12-Bottle Sampler $369

The media engine behind French wine seems driven primarily by two wheels—Burgundy and Bordeaux—while the Loire is often relegated to third-wheel status. And it’s not from want of praise: The vivid, crisp, hauntingly aromatic and almost supernaturally focused wines of…

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Posted on 2023.05.02 in Anjou, Saumur-Champigny, Touraine, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

Gamay and Sauvignon Blanc’s Strong Presence in Touraine, the Heart of Loire Valley, And Rightfully So. Four Producers Represented in 9-Bottle Pack ($259), 5 Red And 4 White

John Updike refers to the French as ‘that strange race, neither northern nor southern, both sensual and ascetic, the epitome in turn of chivalry and the bourgeoisie.’ Updike, a prolific writer of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and art/literary reviews, never got…

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Posted on 2023.02.15 in Touraine, France, Wine-Aid Packages  |  Read more...

 

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