Quality Kosher Bordeaux

September 22-28, 2014
2011 Château Moulin Riche Saint-Julien
Price: $59/bottle – SOLD OUT

It’s far too often that price does not reflect quality when it comes to kosher wine. At Elie Wine Company we’re not going to bring in inferior wines for the sole purpose of filling a market segment. Our wines, kosher or otherwise, are always selected for their excellence. We are deliberately building an inventory of high quality kosher wines not only for the Jewish community but wine lovers in general, and one of the wines we are presently enjoying is Château Moulin Riche from the Bordeaux region.

Château Moulin Riche is from a Saint-Julien estate that has been part of the Cuvelier family’s vineyards since 1920. For many years this was effectively the second wine of its classed-growth property, Château Léoville Poyferré. It has been officially independent since 2009, yet the wine is still made with the same great care as its older brother. The blend is 71% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot for a wine that is rich and velvety, suitable for earlier drinking but can be enjoyed for five to 10 years after the vintage.

We’re also pleased to announce a permanent program we’ve begun. Any time you purchase any kosher wine from Elie Wine Co. 10% of proceeds will be donated to Yad Ezra. Yad Ezra opened its doors in 1990 with the purpose of providing supplemental kosher food, necessities and enhancements of holidays and lifecycle events to those in need in the Jewish community of Southeastern Michigan.

If rosé wine is a little more your speed, or if you just want a few bottles in the fridge for when the moment calls, we’re extending last week’s Selection of the Week for a while longer.

L’Shana Tovah

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Posted on 2014.09.21 in Bordeaux, France  |  Read more...

Saturday Sips: Domaine William Fèvre – Soul of Chablis

The secret to Chablis’ authenticity is geology. The vineyards of Chablis lie on the outcrop of a great submerged basin of limestone. It is Burgundy’s most northern region and the cool climate, along with the Kimmeridgian soil of limestone, clay, and a multitude of tiny, fossilized oyster shells, produce uniquely mineral wines. Chardonnay grapes respond to this terroir with flavors that can’t be reproduced anywhere else in the world, even wines from Côte de Beaune have a different taste and structure than Chablis.

Over the years William Fèvre had acquired a total of 126 acres of vineyards, all located in historic terroirs, and over half of them classified as Grands Crus and Premiers Crus, building one of Chablis’ greatest wine domaines (albeit a domaine that was often admonished for harvesting late and lavish new oak). In 1998, William Fèvre retired and sold all of his holdings to the Champagne House Henriot.

Since then the wines are made by the talented Didier Séguier who, as part of the Henriot team, had brought Maison Bouchard back to prominence. Under Séguier, all Fèvre vineyards have been converted to 100% organic cultivation and he has lately started introducing biodynamic practices. The whole crop of their domaine wines, straight Chablis included, is harvested and sorted by hand to ensure utmost quality. The domaine has also moved almost completely away from aging in new oak. For Domaine William Fèvre “Style is an empty shell”. The soul of Chablis is derived from its terroir and their wines are now the model for the purity of Chablis.

According to Séguier, 2012 is the most balanced vintage in the fifteen years since he been at the domaine. The wines are pure and fruity now but will provide enjoyment for years to come.

Domaine William Fèvre is the only producer to own six out of the seven officially delineated Grand Cru climates in Chablis. To get a sense of the different soil types and climates we suggest purchasing a mixed 12-Pack of all William Fèvre wines which includes three each of the Premiers Crus and two each of the Grands Crus.

Vaillons 1er ($59/bottle) RP 91-92 – SOLD OUT
Sitting on compact Portlandian limestone, it represents all the different types of Chablis terroir under one appellation.

Vaulorent 1er ($75/bottle) RP 93-94 – SOLD OUT
Rich and resonant. From 60-year-old vines bordering Preuses that Didier Séguier believes elevates quality toward Grand Cru level.

Les Preuses GC ($120/bottle) RP 93-94
Showiest of all Preuses, from two blocks at the lower and upper parts of the slope that lend both minerality and concentration.

Bougros GC ($120/bottle) RP 92-93
Holdings of almost 50% of the Grand Cru. Multifaceted, elegant, and long.

Les Clos GC ($130/bottle) RP 94-95+ SOLD OUT
Principally situated on the upper parts of the slope with more limestone soil. Textured and mineral-dredged.

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Posted on 2014.09.18 in France, Saturday Sips Wines, Burgundy  |  Read more...

Catalan. Kosher. Rosé.

September 15-21, 2014
2013 Capçanes Peraj Petita Rosat Montsant
Price: $25/bottle – SOLD OUT

The vineyards of Montsant extend along the mountainsides of Serra de Montsant among olive groves, forests and rocky outcrops and almost completely surround the more famous Priorat. Many of the top wines from Montsant can rival those of their more renowned neighbor. But DO Montsant has the distinction of being the only region in Catalunya (and one of only a handful in Spain) where Kosher wine is produced.

Hidden away in the Priorato hills inland from Tarragona, the best known and most highly regarded producer of kosher wines in Montsant is Celler de Capçanes. The small village of Capçanes has a long wine growing history. But it wasn’t until the mid 1990s that this village cooperative, urged on by the Jewish community in Barcelona, began production of their line of kosher wines.

Capçanes Peraj Petita Rosat is not just kosher, it’s also a quality rosé. From the terraced vineyards of clay and granite soils grow the old Garnatxa vines (25-50 years old) that make up 60% of the blend. The rest is close to equal parts Tempranillo, Syrah, and Merlot planted at 1700 feet of elevation for a more balanced ripeness. The wine is then aged for 4 months in stainless steel tanks before bottling.

The result is a wine near bursting with brambly fruit and a juicy fresh acidity. You don’t have to be Jewish to say farewell to summer with this poundable rosé.

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Posted on 2014.09.14 in Spain DO, Montsant  |  Read more...

Old Vines for the Cellar or the Table – Madiran

September 7-14, 2014
2010 Domaine Berthoumieu Vitis MCM Madiran
Price: $42/bottle SOLD OUT

The lush and gently rolling valley slopes on the left bank of the River Adour in the South West of France make up the small, single zone appellation of Madiran. It’s there, on the southern border of the Armagnac region, that the Tannat grape variety has found its truest expression.

Historically, Madiran’s wines have been considered classic, rustic wines with coarse tannins only fit for drinking alongside the fatty local cuisine like duck, goose, or cassoulet. Naturally, these red wines were rarely exported or even known outside the region.

But the 1980s saw the beginning of a revolution in Madiran. Led by Alain Brumont, red wines started being produced with an increased proportion of Tannat grapes, longer maceration times, lowered yield in the vineyards, and the use of new oak barrels to age the wine. These changes led to wines with a rounder finish along with more complexity and depth. Today, Madiran’s best producers are creating wines of balance and originality, as well as potent aromatics and mouth-filling richness. Wines brimming with bold dark fruits when young but capable of developing in the cellar for decades, similar in structure to great Bordeaux wines at significantly lower prices.

After attending oenology school in Bordeaux in the mid-80s, Didier Barré took ownership of Domaine Berthoumieu from his father. As a young winemaker, Didier was very much influenced by what Alian Brumont was achieving at the time and after taking charge of the winery operations he immediately lowered the yields in the vineyards and began oak aging.

2010 Domaine Berthoumieu Vitis MCM is produced exclusively from over 100-year-old Tannat vines growing out of stony clay soils. The wine is aged for a total of 18 months (12 in new oak) before bottling. In the glass it’s dark red, nearly black in color. The aromatics are intense enough to fill our entire shop with notes of cedar and blackberry. On the palate it’s silky and round with exceptional length. This wine will pair well with roasts, stews, grilled meats, dark chocolate and, as we discovered after our bud Johnny Evans of The Howling Diablos stopped by with a midday snack, sliders from Hunter House.

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Posted on 2014.09.07 in France, South West  |  Read more...

Sleek Mineral White Burgundy

September 1-7, 2014
2011 Domaine Jean Pascal Puligny-Montrachet “Les Enseigneres”
$50.15/bottle – 15% off regular price of $59 SOLD OUT

Joseph Pascal Morvan arrived in the village of Puligny-Montrachet in 1920 to make wine. In 1950, after a stint at Domaine Leflaive, Josephs’s son Jean began work beside his father, as well as purchasing a few plots of his own. Five years later, during a dip in demand for their wines that threatened the Domaine, the pair began a nursery business that cultivated vine plants.

Today, it’s the fourth generation of the Pascal family tending the family’s 16 hectares of vineyards in the communes of Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Volnay and Auxey-Duresses, as well as an annual production of about 500,000 vine grafts. The work from this small domaine typifies traditional winemaking, with minimal and thoughtful use of oak.

The 2011 “Les Enseigneres” is a village wine from an exceptional lieu-dit only separated from the Grand Crus of Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet by a narrow road. The wine expresses an intense minerality with a lengthy finish behind notes of citrus blossoms.

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Posted on 2014.08.31 in France, Burgundy  |  Read more...

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