The Champagne Society April 2020 Selection: Domaine Comte Abbatucci

Domaine Comte Abbatucci “Cuvée Empire” (Vin de France Extra Brut, 2015)
Price for The Champagne Society members: $76 (regular price $89)

“Cuvée Empire” is a blanc de noirs sparkling wine produced in the traditional method from 100% Barbarossa, a red/pink variety. Fermentation takes place in a 12,000 liter foudre and the wine is aged on its fine lees for four months. A secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle for another year. The Extra Brut dosage is 4 grams/liter. This is easily one of the most unique sparkling wines in the world.

Although the island of Corsica is France’s most southerly vineyard area, it is surprisingly not its hottest. Elevation and wind modify the realities of latitude, demonstrated by the remarkable freshness of the best of Corsica’s white wines, and the almost Burgundian grace of its best reds. With a rediscovery of indigenous grape varieties and a focus on quality production, Corsica is one of the most exciting wine regions in France right now.

Easily one of the top producers in Corsica, Jean-Charles Abbatucci creates majestic and fiercely unique wines from the granitic western coast of Corsica. He has created a pristine poly-culture ecosystem on his estate south of Ajaccio that includes groves of olive trees on ancient terraces, and large swaths of untouched forests. Jean-Charles believes in following even the most offbeat biodynamic practices to the letter. He goes so far as to drive a tractor around his vineyards, playing traditional Corsican polyphonic songs over loudspeakers to the vines and the herds of sheep foraging through them.

Located in southern Corsica, in the heart of the Taravo Valley, and at an altitude of about 300 feet, many of the estate’s vines come from cuttings of indigenous varieties sourced decades ago by his father (then President of the Chamber of Agriculture of Corsica) from peasant farmsteads in the mountainous and remote interior of the island. Including the vines that produce the fruit for the “Cuvée Empire.”

Jean-Charles is so dedicated to the idea of returning to the culture of traditional Corsican vines that he has completely eschewed the appellation system and currently bottles all of his wines under the Vin de France label. In a recent interview, he says, “At first I didn’t leave completely, I just began the Cuvée Collection of old varieties and bottled them as Vin de France. But five years ago I decided the system was just too restrictive, too limited. We are in a time where agriculture is disappearing and we need to support the traditions that make us who we are.”

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Posted on 2020.03.20 in France, The Champagne Society  |  Read more...

 

A Quick Note on Saturday Sips + A Loire Cabernet Franc Excursion

To encourage the recommended social distancing we are placing our Saturday tastings on hold. Our weekly emails will go out as usual with a bit more emphasis on regional discovery.

As always, we are happy to provide our deep insight over the phone to help you assemble anything you might need. We can easily process the payment of your purchase over the phone and delivery to your doorstep will be on us, or you can pick it up at our back door without having to leave your car. If you’d like to place an order for delivery or pick up at our back door, give us a call at 248-398-0030. You can also email elie@eliewine.com or todd@eliewine.com.

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A Loire Cabernet Franc Excursion

 

Stone rarely looms as large in French life as it does along the Loire River Valley. The generous and celebrated local supplies of malleable limestone (tuffeau) are responsible for both grand old castles and Cabernet Franc-based wines that are lively, bursting with juicy black raspberry fruit. Yet the soils are as varied as the expressions of Cabernet Franc that come from these areas with the potential to produce France’s most refreshing, elegant, and profound versions of this grape variety. The center of it all are the appellations of Saumur-Champigny, Chinon, and Bourgeil, three of the most important sub-regions for red wine production in the Loire — all producing 100% Cabernet Franc wines.

Special prices based on purchase of 6-pack (mix-and-match)

 

Domaine des Roches Neuves

Thierry Germain conjures heady and uncompromising wines from his 69 acre estate, Domaine des Roches Neuves, just south of the city of Saumur. Raised in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, at the family winery of Château Yon-Figeac, Thierry set out on his own at the tender age of 23 to make his name in the more challenging climate of northern France. Although receiving accolades nearly from the start, his winemaking style has gone through several stages of metamorphosis over the years, ultimately eschewing new oak and blowsy fruit for precision and sense of place. Thierry believes that the wines he has made over the past four vintages truly exhibit the highest expressions of Saumur.

We’re using the word “style” to talk about Thierry’s winemaking but the adjustment has really been about moving away from wines created in the cellar and toward wines created in the vineyard. The domaine has been certified biodynamic since 2002. Harvesting is done completely by hand in over 30 parcels, all of which are vinified separately with indigenous yeast. Yields are small and almost all of his wines are matured in larger casks, although he particularly likes the three-year-old barrels that he buys each year from the Burgundy producer Méo-Camuzet in Vosne-Romanée. Which is no surprise as one of Thierry’s goals is having his Saumur-Champigny rival the silky elegance of high level Burgundy.

~$22 “Thierry Germain” (Saumur-Champigny 2016)
A great value apocalypse wine. Juicy.

~$25 “Soliterre” (Saumur-Champigny 2016)
A touch more gravitas than its little brother, cuvée “Thierry Germain.”

~$37 “Terres Chaudes” (Saumur-Champigny 2015)
From 35 to 45 year old vines in the lieu-dit of “Les Dares” in the commune of Chaintres as well as the hillside of Poyeux.

~$49 “Franc de Pied” (Saumur-Champigny 2015)
From a three acre plot of sand and limestone in the commune of Saumur.

~$53 “Marginale” (Saumur-Champigny 2015)
Only made in top vintages. The 2015 “Marginale” is from a seven acre, south-facing plot of 45 year old vines in the lieu-dit of “Les Dares” in the commune of Chaintres.

~$53 “Clos de l’Echelier” (Saumur-Champigny 2015)
From a seven acre, walled vineyard of 40 year old vines in the commune of Dampierre sur Loire.

~$62 “Mémoires”  (Saumur-Champigny 2015)
From a 1.7 acre vineyard in the commune of Dampierre sur Loire with vines planted in 1904.

 

Château du Hureau

In the small town of Dampierre-sur-Loire overlooking the Loire River, Château du Hureau is able to harness climate, soil, and vine to reveal some of the most striking wines of the appellation.

Fifth generation vigneron Philippe Vatan and his daughter Agathe use organic and biodynamic farming techniques and low yields to coax richness and terroir out of their 20 plots covering just under 50 acres. The varying layers of topsoil (it’s either fertile clay or a sandy type of soil) and diverse sun exposure affect every plot’s personality, expression, and importance in their various cuvées. The wines are vinified in a cave carved out of the tuffeau cliffs centuries ago. The wines see long fermentations with indigenous yeasts. The élevage lasts from 10 to 20 months deep in the tuffeau cellars in a combination of demi-muids and foudres.

All of these factors contribute to the elaboration of Cabernet Franc wines that are aromatically complex with the hallmark Saumur-Champigny scents of black raspberry and earth. Wines that are dark and intense yet supple and sappy, with the electrifying, palpable acidity you expect from northern France.

~$31 “Fours à Chaux” (Saumur-Champigny 2014)
From two plots “Les Fiefgarniers” and “Pavignolles” in the vineyards of “Fours à Chaux,” mixed sand and clay above a chalky limestone bowl that gets prolonged sunlight during the ripening season. The age of the vines varies between 20 and 50 years.

~$37 “Les Fevettes” (Saumur-Champigny 2014)
From the deep clay lieux-dits of “Les Fevettes” and “La Croix Blanche” – Château du Hureau’s oldest Cabernet Franc vineyards planted in 1943.

~$44 “Lisagathe” (Saumur-Champigny 2014)
The cuvée “Lisagathe” is named after Philippe’s two daughters, Lisa and Agathe. This is Château du Hureau’s top wine from a plot named “La Corde” that was planted in 1953 and located on the hillside just above the Château.

 

Clos Rougeard

Clos Rougeard are among the world’s most coveted wines. The Clos Rougeard Cabernet Franc vineyards are located in the heart of Saumur’s tuffeau plateau, a deep bed of limestone overlain with different topsoils. The vineyards are located in Chacé, between Tours and Angers, and cover 25 acres in the Saumur and the Saumur-Champigny appellations.

The high quality of the estate’s wines is largely due to its rigorous viticultural standards practiced for decades by brothers Nady and Charly Foucault, including employing organic methods long before the idea became fashionable. The wine is vinified with as little intervention as possible.

At the end of December 2015, Jean-Louis “Charly” Foucault died and the estate was purchased by the French billionaire Bouygues brothers, current owners of Château Montrose in Bordeaux. Our stock consists only of wines produced before this acquisition.

Clos Rougeard (Saumur-Champigny)
$261 (2005)
$225 (2006)
$207 (2007)
$180 (2008)
$180 (2010)
$180 (2013)
Sourced from 50 to 70-year-old vines in the villages of Chacé, Varrains, and Dampierre.

Clos Rougeard “Poyeux” (Saumur-Champigny)
$297 (2006)
$270 (2007)
$252 (2008)
$252 (2010)
Fifty year old vines in a south-facing parcel of eroded sandstone over tuffeau, adjacent to the deep cellar in Clos Rougeard’s home village of Chacé.

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Posted on 2020.03.19 in France, Saturday Sips Wines, Loire  |  Read more...

 

The Champagne Society April 2020 Selection: Champagne Larmandier-Bernier

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier “Longitude” Extra Brut (Premier Cru)

“To create a wine that deeply expresses its terroir is Pierre Larmandier‘s aim… But to this fastidous grower, terroir in itself is not enough. ‘Terroir is to wine what the score is to music,’ he suggests. ‘What’s the point if the grape variety, the vine plant (the instrument) and the winegrower (the performer) are not up to standard?’ Some growers are known for their focus on the vines, others for their attention in the winery, but few find a balance in every detail like Pierre Larmandier.” – Tyson Stelzer, The Definitive Guide to Champagne

Pierre Larmandier holds close to 37 acres of vines, 33 years old on average, all in Premier and Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs. Biodynamically certified since 2004, he describes himself as an “organo-realist,” as one must be cultivating vines in this most northern of production zones. Naturally moderate yields and site-specific indigenous yeast fermentation allows Pierre to extract the character of each vineyard parcel. A light but measured hand in the cellar preserves that character in the bottle.

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier cuvée “Longitude” is made exclusively from Chardonnay grown on the Côte des Blancs from the Premier Cru Vertus, and the Grand Crus Oger, Avize, and Cramant, which form a line close to the 4th meridian. The base consists of 2012 vintage juice (60%) blended with reserve wines made through all vintages from 2004 to 2011. The wines are left on their natural lees for nearly a year and undergo gentle bâtonnages. After blending and bottling, maturation occurs over a period of more than two years. A further six months of resting takes place after disgorgement. The dosage is a low four grams per liter (Extra Brut).

In the glass, the tremendous chalk minerality of these villages are manifested from start to finish. With a richness belying its minimal dosage, notes of lemon, apple and pear are backed by toast, grassy meadows and epic length. This Champagne pairs especially well with late brunch and spring birdsong.

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

 

Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret — Over Two Decades of Great Red Burgundy in the Shop

Vosne-Romanée is full of Mugnerets, famous ones known through generations for producing great wines. The current winemaker at Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret, Vincent Mongeard, is obviously not a Mugneret. But his grandmother was. And in 1945, when Vincent’s father, Jean Mongeard, decided to bottle his wines instead of selling off barrels to other estates, he combined the last names of his parents, who had worked the land before him, as the name of his winery.

Today, Vincent Mongeard works about 74 acres spread over 35 appellations. While the estate is based in Vosne-Romanée, he produces wines from some of the most hallowed parcels in all of Burgundy, including Richebourg, Grands-Échezeaux, Échezeaux , Clos de Vougeot, and Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots.

All parcels are worked sustainably (la lutte raisonée) with a focus on soil health. Fruit is harvested exclusively by hand and manually sorted in the winery. Fermentation begins naturally with indigenous yeasts.

Most wines are matured in a range of new and used oak barrels with meticulous attention to sourcing fine-grain oak from Nièvre and the Tronçais forest in Allier. The oak is cured at the domaine for 18-24 months and a local cooper assembles the barrels.

We are pleased to offer several vintages and appellations of the wines from Mongeard-Mugneret. These are all wines that have been kept under temperature control in our shop since their purchase on release.

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All prices based on purchase of 6-pack (mix-and-match)

“Les Dames Huguettes” (Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits)
~$40 (2017)
~$33 (2014)

100% Pinot Noir from six acres of calcareous and deep soils on Argovian marls. The average age of vines is 35 years and maturation takes place in one year old barrels.

 

~$53 Fixin (2014)

100% Pinot Noir from three acres of stony soils on argillo-calcareous subsoils. The average age of vines is 40 years and maturation takes place in 5-10% new oak barrels.

 

~$62 “Vieille Vigne” (Fixin 2017)

100% Pinot Noir from 1.4 acres of stony soils on argillo-calcareous subsoils. The average age of vines is 65 years and maturation takes place in 5-10% new oak barrels.

 

“Les Narbantons” (Savigny-Lès-Beaune Premier Cru)
~$67 (2017)
~$62 (2014)
~$89 (2009)
~$89 (1996)

100% Pinot Noir from 3.4 acres of limestone soil with sandy marls. The average age of vines is 53 years and maturation takes place in 30-40% new oak barrels.

 

~$80 Vosne-Romanée (2017)

100% Pinot Noir from five acres of limestone resting on stony and marly subsoils. The average age of vines is 45 years and maturation takes place in 30-40% new oak barrels.

 

~$89 “Les Orveaux” (Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru 2014)

100% Pinot Noir from 2.7 acres consisting of a shallow layer of fertile alluvial soil on limestone. The average age of vines is 25 to 52 years and maturation takes place in 30-40% new oak barrels.

 

~$62 “Les Plateaux” (Nuits-St-Georges 2014)

100% Pinot Noir from 1.75 acres of argillo-calcareous soil from the middle Jurassic. The average age of vines is 45 years and maturation takes place in 30-40% new oak barrels.

 

“Les Boudots” (Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru)
$108 (2017)
$144 (2003)
$144 (1996)

100% Pinot Noir from one acre of fine-textured clay loams on Bajocian limestone. The average age of vines is 30 years and maturation takes place in 30-40% new oak barrels.

 

$99 Gevrey-Chambertin (1996)

100% Pinot Noir from one acre of pebbly-alluvail deposits on argillo-calcareous soils. The average age of vines is 40 years and maturation takes place in 30-40% new oak barrels.

 

$108 “Les Cras” (Vougeot Premier Cru 2017)

100% Pinot Noir from 0.8 acres of hard limestone with clay. The average age of vines is 35 years and maturation takes place in 30-40% new oak barrels.

 

Clos de Vougeot (Grand Cru)
$243 (2017)
$288 (2009)
$288 (2003)
$351 (1996)

100% Pinot Noir from 1.5 acres of hard limestone with low clay levels. The average age of vines is 45 to 50 years and maturation takes place in 80-100% new oak barrels.

 

$198 Échezeaux (Grand Cru 2017)

100% Pinot Noir from 4.5 acres of hard limestone with clay. The average age of vines is 25 to 60 years and maturation takes place in 60-80% new oak barrels.

 

$279 “La Grande Complication” (Échezeaux Grand Cru 2017)

100% Pinot Noir from selected vines in a 0.8 acre parcel of hard limestone with a heavy clay content that was planted in 1945. Maturation takes place in 60-80% new oak barrels.

 

Grands-Échezeaux (Grand Cru)
$171 (2014)
$315 (2003)

100% Pinot Noir from 3.5 acres of rich clay on Bajocian limestone. The average age of vines is 40 to 68 years and maturation takes place in 100% new oak barrels.

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Posted on 2020.03.11 in France, Saturday Sips Wines, Burgundy  |  Read more...

 

The Bold, Italian Red Wines of Scacciadiavoli

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Posted on 2020.03.05 in Saturday Sips Wines, Italy, Umbria  |  Read more...

 

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