$210 “The Antoni Gaudí” Wine-Aid Package – 12 Bottles Spanish Wine (9 Bottles Red, 3 Bottles White, All Included and Delivered)

“Anything created by human beings is already in the great book of nature.” — Antoni Gaudí

Introducing The Antoni Gaudí, a $215 Wine-Aid package that includes 12 bottles of Spanish wine illustrating the diverse range of wines available from Catalunya on the Mediterranean Sea all the way to “Green Spain” and the Atlantic coast. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 10% discount. We will also honor the 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Antoni Gaudí was a Catalan architect who has become internationally known as one of the top exponents of modernism. His incomparable architectural language defies classification. Of particular note for us lovers of wine is Gaudí’s design for Celler Güell near Barcelona — A wine cellar totally integrated into the rocky landscape wedged between the Mediterranean Sea and the Garraf Massif mountain range, perfectly in tune with its arid location. 

This selection of Spanish wine pays homage to Antoni Gaudí’s pioneering work with organic forms. He took his inspiration from nature, in a way somewhat similar to the winemaker that must craft a wine with the fruit that a growing season provides. 

Included in The Antoni Gaudí” Wine-Aid box is three bottles of each:

1) Coto de Gomariz “Abadía” (Ribeiro 2012) Regular Price $28

One of the vanguard producers in the northwestern Spanish wine production zone of Ribeiro is the Bodega of Coto de Gomariz. Located in the Avia valley near the Atlantic coast, they enjoy a unique microclimate created by the Avia river. “Abadía” is a blend of local red grapes that consists of 50% Sousón complemented with Brancellao, Ferrol, and Mencía from the village of Gomariz where soils are granitic with schist and clay. Though fermented in stainless steel, the wine is aged for one year in 300-liter used oak barrels, mostly of French origin, to tame some of the hairy tannins that Sousón can exhibit. With a few years of age, the wine is presently drinking at its peak. A sip is juicy little forest berries with a long and winding cherry pit finish. On the nose, the berry fruit is sweeter with hints of licorice and cream. 

2) Artuke “Artuke” (Rioja 2018) Regular Price $16

One of the most exciting producers in Rioja right now, Artuke is brothers Arturo and Kike de Miguel Blanco, third generation viticulturalists. These two young men have completely refocused the family winery to cultivate small vineyard plots in and around their village of Ábalos in the high elevation foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains. “Artuke” is made with the carbonic maceration method, a wine-making technique used to enhance aromatics and produce luscious, fresh, fruity wines preferred by Basques in the northern sub-zone of Alavesa. It is a blend of mainly Tempranillo grapes with about 5% of the white grape, Viura. This mouth-watering red wine takes a relatively deep chill which makes it a versatile pairing with all types of food: tuna, pretty much anything made with zucchini, fried chicken, gooey cheese sandwiches, pizza, etc…

3) Bodegas Cesar Príncipe “13 Cantaros Nicolas” (Cigales 2016) Regular Price $16

The red wines of star producer Ignacio Príncipe are emerging as superb wines that rival or exceed Cigales’ well-known neighbors of Ribera del Duero and Toro. The soil of Cigales is unique by virtue of its large pudding stones which litter the vineyards and the region’s winemakers insist that this soil is most ideal for the Tempranillo variety. “13 Cántaros Nicolás” is 100% Tempranillo from 20-year-old vines in and around the Valladolid municipality of Fuensaldaña. The vines are organically cultivated and hand-harvested. It is fleshy with intense aromas of red fruits, plum, jam, and spices. Ripe but balanced, it’s an excellent wine to pair with everything from roast vegetables to burgers.

4) Ca N’Estruc Blanc (Catalunya 2017) Regular Price $14

Francisco Martí is co-owner of perhaps the finest wine shop in Spain, Vila Viniteca, located in the El Born district of old Barcelona. Yet he has spent much of his life in the vineyards of the Ca n’Estruc estate that lies on the slopes of Montserrat at over 500 feet in elevation. The Vineyards are ideally orientated to optimize sunshine and hold some vines that are close to 80 years old. A blend of Xarel•lo, Macabeo, Muscat, Garnatxa Blanca, and Chardonnay, “Ca N’Estruc Blanc” is organically cultivated and manually harvested. Pale yellow with a greenish hue in the glass, a sip is crisp and dry with aromas of ripe peaches and pears and a subtle note of herbs. Drink it with grilled zucchini, shrimp, or just drink it while you’re grilling.

Celler Güell

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Posted on 2020.04.21 in Spain DO, Wine-Aid Packages, Rioja DOC, Catalunya, Cigales, Ribeiro  |  Read more...

The Champagne Society June 2020 Selection: Champagne Jacquesson

Champagne Jacquesson “Cuvée 742” (Extra Brut)
Price for The Champagne Society members: $76 (regular price $89)

Long-time subscribers to The Champagne Society will no doubt be familiar with Champagne Jacquesson’s 700-series created to showcase the character of a particular vintage with the addition of a small amount of reserve wines designed to reinforce the complexity of the base wine.

Indeed, the 700-series is proving to be consistently one of the best non-vintage Champagnes available. We are pleased to share “Cuvée 742” – their latest release based on the 2014 vintage.

Although technically a Champagne house, brothers Laurent and Jean-Hervé Chiquet operate Champagne Jacquesson much like a grower operation. Besides their own organic and sustainably farmed 69 acres of vineyard (severely pruned for low yields), they work closely with their neighbors to supplement from an additional 19 acres, all in Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. What sets them apart is their goal of producing a wine that expresses the greatness of their vineyard parcels rather than merely maintain a “house style.” Purely on the refinement of its current cuvées, Jacquesson can easily be ranked among Champagne‘s top six producers.

Laurent and Jean-Hervé describe their 2014 harvest from the Premiers Crus and Grands Crus villages of Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers (59%) and Avize and Oiry (41%): “Winter was rainy and exceptionally mild, spring was hot and very dry, whilst July and August were cool and very wet. A hot, dry and sunny September saved the year. The balance of alcohol and acidity was excellent and the health of the grapes was generally good. However, after picking, rigorous sorting of some parcels affected by small sources of acid rot was necessary. As a result, the Chardonnays were superb, and the Meuniers, but above all the Pinot Noirs, held their own. The blend is completed with the addition of some reserve wines.”

The dosage is minimal at 1.5 grams per liter. The result is a Champagne with the energy and sap one expects from the 700-series that reflects all the vitality of the vintage. William Kelley of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate describes it lovingly: “Wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of walnut oil, dried white flowers, saffron, citrus oil and crisp orchard fruit, along with a delicate top note of fino sherry, it’s medium to full-bodied, sapid and incisive, with superb concentration, racy acids and a long, resonant finish. I found it irresistible.”

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Posted on 2020.04.19 in France, The Champagne Society, Champagne  |  Read more...

$175 “The Salvador Dali” Wine-Aid Package – 6 Bottles Spanish Red Wine (All Included and Delivered)

Spanish Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí believed that “a real connoisseur does not drink wine but tastes of its secrets.”

Introducing The Salvador Dali, a $175 Wine-Aid package that includes six bottles of very real Spanish red wine illustrating the lushness and balance that can be found from the Mediterranean Sea to the lower slopes of the Pyrenees. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 10% discount. We will also honor the 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Dali’s paean to wine, The Wines of Gala, was first published in 1976 as a follow-up to his cult 1973 cookbook Les Dîners de Gala. The book explores the pleasures of the fermented grape in text as well as sensuous and subversive visual works by the artist. Dali categorizes the wines “according to the sensations they create in our very depths” and this Wine-Aid selection might very well fall under what he would consider “Wines of Joy.”

Included in The Salvador Dali Wine-Aid box is two bottles of each:

1) Mas l’Altet “Avi” (Valencia, 2011) Regular Price $35

The husband-and-wife team of Alfredo Esteve and Nina Coolsaet are the heart and soul behind Bodega Mas l’Altet. The couple’s five acre vineyard is situated in the southern portion of the DO Valencia in a microclimate that benefits both from the cooling effect of high elevation and the warmth of the nearby Mediterranean Sea. “Avi” is a blend of mainly Syrah with a large portion of Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of Garnacha and Merlot. Deeply aromatic and bountiful with ripe fruit, the fitness of the vineyards are evident in each rich, concentrated glassful. As you might suspect, with only five acres, yield is miniscule. Only a few hundred cases are produced each vintage. 

2) Domaines Lupier “El Terroir” (Navarra 2014) Regular Price $34

Domaines Lupier have been garnering international accolades from their first vintage in 2008. They produce 100% Garnacha wine from 27 separate plots, with vines ranging from 68 to over 100 years old (the oldest vineyard planted in 1903), at elevations up to 2,500 feet. This is the northern region of Navarra, more specifically, the cool and mountainous sub-zone of Baja Montaña, where wines can show harmony of ripeness and freshness with all the precision of an oceanic climate. “El Terroir” is aromatically complex with layers of floral, cherry, and spice. A sip is superbly balanced and practically begs another in short measure. It puts to mind Château Rayas – another 100% old-vines, Grenache-based wine from the legendary producer in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

3) Artuke “Pies Negros” (Rioja, 2017) Regular Price $24

One of the most exciting producers in Rioja right now, Artuke is brothers Arturo and Kike de Miguel Blanco, third generation viticulturalists. With less than 55 total acres of vineyards distributed over 32 different plots these two young men have completely refocused the family winery to cultivate small vineyard plots in and around their village of Ábalos in the high elevation foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains. “Pies Negros” is a blend of mostly Tempranillo with a small amount of Graciano from vines as old as 95 years. The wine is especially pretty on the nose with a heady floral scent wrapped around candied fruit and cinnamon. A medium-bodied sip is generous and swells through the midpalate to finish with a touch of earth.

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Posted on 2020.04.18 in Spain DO, Wine-Aid Packages, Rioja DOC, Navarra, Valencia  |  Read more...

$240 “The Baudelaire” Wine-Aid Package – 9 Bottles Red Bordeaux, 3 Bottles White Bordeaux (All Included and Delivered)

You have to be always drunk. That’s all there is to it—it’s the only way. So as not to feel the horrible burden of time that breaks your back and bends you to the earth, you have to be continually drunk.

But on what? Wine, poetry or virtue, as you wish. But be drunk.

And if sometimes, on the steps of a palace or the green grass of a ditch, in the mournful solitude of your room, you wake again, drunkenness already diminishing or gone, ask the wind, the wave, the star, the bird, the clock, everything that is flying, everything that is groaning, everything that is rolling, everything that is singing, everything that is speaking…ask what time it is and wind, wave, star, bird, clock will answer you: ‘It is time to be drunk! So as not to be the martyred slaves of time, be drunk, be continually drunk! On wine, on poetry or on virtue as you wish.’  – Charles Baudelaire

Introducing The Baudelaire, a $240 Wine-Aid package that includes a mix of nine bottles of red Bordeaux and three bottles of white Bordeaux. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 10% discount. We will also honor the 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Charles Baudelaire was a French poet and essayist, and one of the major innovators in French Literature. We thought Baudelaire would be a nice contrast to our 6-pack Wine-Aid “The Brillat-Savarin” as Baudelaire once criticized Brillat-Savarin’s famous food book The Physiology of Taste because he felt there simply was not enough attention paid to the wine.

So we doubled the amount of bottles in this Wine-Aid package in Baudelaire’s honor. 

Included in The Baudelaire Wine-Aid box is three bottles of each:

1) Château Peyrabon (Haut-Médoc 2015) Regular Price $25

Château Peyrabon is a Cru Bourgeois property owned by Patrick Bernard, who is related to Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier. It is somewhat of an unusual estate due to having vineyards in both Pauillac and Haut Médoc. Since its purchase in 1998, Peyrabon has both increased in size and improved in quality. A blend of around half Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder split between Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the wine is laden with scents of blackberry, raspberry, and cold wet stone. A medium-bodied palate with tensile tannin and a fine freshness makes this a versatile red for pretty much any meal. 

2) Château Le Temple (Médoc 2015) Regular Price $21

Third generation winemaker Denis Bergey’s 37 acre Château Le Temple estate is full of that Garonne gravel. The average age of his vines are around 35 to 40 years old. Older vines along with a focus on sustainable viticulture and the highest quality of fruit are the keys to producing this fresh and delightful wine. Ripe red cherry and cranberry fruit are the driving aromatics with just a hint of cedar and tobacco. On the palate it is harmonious with a medium-body, fine tannin, and a crisp acidity. Just right to pair with a burger. 

3) Château La Hase (Bordeaux 2015) Regular Price $15

Christine & Jean-Yves Millaire use organic and biodynamic methods to farm their vineyards on the right bank of the Dordogne river near Fronsac. Millaire had previously worked for Patrick Moulinet at Château Haut-Brisson in St-Émilion. The parcel named “La Hase” (a female hare) is done so in honor of Millare’s grandfather, who taught him the art of hunting. This Merlot-based wine is fresh, fruity, and poundable. It’s a fantastic wine to pair with a makeshift dinner of cold cuts and cheese. 

4) Clarendelle Blanc (Bordeaux 2018) Regular Price $23

Clarendelle hails from the properties of Domaine Clarence Dillon, owners of the renowned estates Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion. Although made more for everyday drinking, the production of Clarendelle is attended to with the same care as the domaine’s more famous bottles. The 2018 is composed of one-third each of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle. The nose features attractive floral aromas as well as tropical nuances of peach and pineapple. The rich, spicy Sémillon and Muscadelle add minerality and body. 

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Posted on 2020.04.14 in France, Bordeaux, Wine-Aid Packages  |  Read more...

$150 “The Brillat-Savarin” Wine-Aid Package – 6 Bottles of Red Bordeaux (All Included and Delivered)

“A meal without wine is like a day without sun.” — Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Introducing The Brillat-Savarin, a $150 Wine-Aid package that includes a mix of six bottles of red Bordeaux from three different producers. All wines are from the “Left Bank” of the Gironde Estuary and take advantage of Bordeaux’s famous Garonne gravel. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 10% discount. We will also honor the 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package.

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was the French philosopher of the kitchen who effectively founded the whole genre of the gastronomic essay. His book, The Physiology of Taste, is the most famous book about food ever written and has been continuously in print since 1825. These wine selections are as classic and civilized as Brillat-Savarin’s prose. 

Included in The Brillat-Savarin Wine-Aid box is two bottles of each:

1) Château Anthonic (Moulis-en-Médoc 2015) Regular Price $33

Château Anthonic is one of the oldest estates of Moulis-en-Médoc, the Left-Bank appellation adjoining Margaux. Today the Château’s organically cultivated vineyards span over 74 acres and are mostly planted on the clay-limestone soils of the Moulis plateau. These soils are complemented by parcels of sandy-clay and Garonne gravel which add complexity to this unique terroir. A blend of 70% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the wine is matured for 12 months in oak barrels, of which 25 to 33% is new. Blackberry and woodland scents highlight this intense and elegant wine. 

2) Château Peyrabon (Haut-Médoc 2015) Regular Price $25

Château Peyrabon is a Cru Bourgeois property owned by Patrick Bernard, who is related to Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier. It is somewhat of an unusual estate due to having vineyards in both Pauillac and Haut Médoc. Since its purchase in 1998, Peyrabon has both increased in size and improved in quality. A blend of around half Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder split between Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the wine is laden with scents of blackberry, raspberry, and cold wet stone. A medium-bodied palate with tensile tannin and a fine freshness makes this a versatile red for pretty much any meal. 

3) Château Le Temple (Médoc 2015) Regular Price $21

Third generation winemaker Denis Bergey’s 37 acre Château Le Temple estate is full of that Garonne gravel. The average age of his vines are around 35 to 40 years old. Older vines along with a focus on sustainable viticulture and the highest quality of fruit are the keys to producing this fresh and delightful wine. Ripe red cherry and cranberry fruit are the driving aromatics with just a hint of cedar and tobacco. On the palate it is harmonious with a medium-body, fine tannin, and a crisp acidity. Just right to pair with a burger or a cheese plate. 

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Posted on 2020.04.09 in Bordeaux, Wine-Aid Packages  |  Read more...

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