FRENCH WINE

The small family domaine in France that works traditionally using techniques and savoir faire passed down across multiple generations is under serious threat today. Consolidation, technology, regulation, foreign investment, globalization, and many other factors (all in the name of progress), threaten the great agricultural tradition of winegrowing in France, arguably the world’s greatest winegrowing culture. Few domaines in France embody this way of life more ably and proudly than Domaine Albert Boxler in Niedermorschwihr. Jean Boxler, many generations removed from his ancestor of the same name that moved here from Switzerland in 1673, currently rules the roost at this humble yet incredibly exciting domaine. Intense and serious about his land, his craft, and his wine, Jean is the genius behind what are certainly some of the finest white wines in Alsace (and the world).

Domaine la Barroche is a family estate that has been passed down from one generation to the next since the 14th century. Julien’s father, Christian Barrot, is passionate about viticulture and has taken meticulous care of the family’s 12.5 hectare of vines since the early 1970’s. Until Julien joined his father back in 2002, all of the wine had been sold in bulk to negociants. Now, half of the Grenache vines are more than 100 years-old and are some of the oldest found in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Julien has moved to completely organic viticulture (not certified) and his father is still following his passion and continues to work in the vineyards. Taking all of his father’s work to the next level, Julien is now vinifying each grape variety and some parcels separately, studying and learning his holdings parcel by parcel.

The 2017 Domaine La Barroche Chateauneuf-du-Pape offers a singular wine personality, a delicate alchemy of spices and well-ripened black fruits, a delight for the senses.

JEB DUNNUCK 91 POINTS - "The 2017 Marsannay is a slightly darker, sappier, spicier wine that still has plenty of richness and depth. Black raspberries, smoked herbs, earth, and violets notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium-bodied, with good acidity, beautiful balance, and a great finish. This is another beautiful wine from this team."

JAMES SUCKLING 95 POINTS - "Yum. Wonderful aromas of crushed berries, wet earth, sweet tobacco and fresh leather. Full body. Very tight, pinpointed palate with depth and length, too. The precision and balance is exceptional here."

VINOUS 95 POINTS - "The 2017 Rouget is a total knockout. Aromatically explosive, deep and just so compelling in its beauty, the 2017 has so much to offer. A rush of inky dark fruit, lavender, bittersweet chocolate, spice and licorice build as this sumptuous, exotic beauty shows off all of its allure. The 2017 is not at all subtle, but it sure is gorgeous. Rouget was stellar en primeur. It is every bit as impressive from bottle."

WINE ENTHUSIAST 92 POINTS - "While this dry wine's crisp apple, white grapefruit and pear notes are understated on the nose and palate, its opulent, creamy mouthfeel is the showcase. Full bodied and honeyed yet not heavy, it shows hints of cashew, earth and saline complexities in development. Although drinking elegantly now, it should be even better from 2026."

It is not packed with jam, but it is jam-packed with goodies. Suffice it to say: classic Bandol flavors, unfiltered. Those who like such flavors—you know if you fit the bill—will be in heaven.

JOHN GILMAN 95 POINTS - "The 2017 Clos du Bourg Demi-Sec is a stunning wine in the making. The bouquet offers up a superb constellation of apple, pineapple, quince, very complex minerality, honeycomb, orange blossoms and lanolin. On the palate the wine is pure, nascently complex and full-bodied, with superb depth at the core, bright, seamless acids, laser-like focus and outstanding grip and balance on the long, vibrant and stunning finish. This too will be approachable for a few years and then shut down for an extended period of hibernation, but unlike the Le Haut Lieu Demi-Sec, where early sampling would be perfectly understandable, to waste bottles of the 2017 Clos du Bourg Demi-Sec drinking it in its early window of accessibility would border on a crime! This is a legend in the making."

WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS - "This glistens, with glazed pear, warm persimmon, green plum and quince flavors, all carried by elegant white ginger and verbena notes. A light gilding of piecrust adds to the flattering feel, though there’s ample acidity here for balance and drive. Drink now through 2032."

VINOUS 94 POINTS - "The 2017 Chablis Les Montmains 1er Cru is bright, lifted and finely cut, with tons of energy that give the wine its sense of focus. White flowers, citrus, orchard fruit, mint and pineapple all develop in the glass, but it is the wine's taut feel that stands out most. This is another compelling wine from Laroche."

This plot lies over 7 ha, all in once. A vineyard with all the characteristics of a great terroir of Chablis: sunny exposure, Kimmeridgian limestone soil and 70 year-old vines. Ripeness can be achieved without losing the typical salty character of the terroir..

Food pairing The wine you would dream to have with the best seafish or a farmhouse chicken.

This small family Domaine of 1.5 hectares is situated in the heart of the Saint-Joseph appellation, in Ardèche, the Northern section of the Rhône wine region in Southern France.Although her family had for many years supplied grapes to a large local négociant, Martine Rouchier and her husband, Christian, determined in 2010 to begin making their own wine. They immediately began converting their vineyards to organic viticulture, a process that they completed beginning with the 2013 vintage. By 2015, Martine and Christian were practicing not only completely organic and biodynamic farming and fermentation. but also fully “natural” winemaking, in that their Saint-Joseph is made entirely without added sulfur. Domaine Rouchier produces two cuvées parcellaires of 100% Syrah: Luc is a .5-hectare lieu-dit of vines planted in 1972 on the hills above St-Jean de Muzols. The vineyard lies on a west-facing slope at an elevation of approximately 250m in soil comprised of clay and schist. Chave is a 1-hectare lieu-dit planted with vines dating to 1958. With Western exposition, Chave lies on soil dominated by granitic gneiss. Both cuvées employ two weeks of whole-cluster fermentation in concrete over indigenous yeasts, punctuated with pigeage (punching down) and remontage (pumping over). The young wine is then aged over for 16-18 months in neutral (5-9 years) oak barrels of 228L . The finished wine is then bottled unfiltered and entirely without SO2.

WINE ADVOCATE 90 POINTS: "Aromas of orange rind, green apples and white flowers introduce the 2017 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, a medium to full-bodied wine that's quite powerful and concentrated, with a fleshy core of fruit but lively balancing acids."

Located in the Leully area above Nuits, lieu-dit le Champ des Allouettes, south-facing hillside, mostly limestone soil.
100% de-stemmed, 18-21 days indigenous yeast fermentation in stainless steel tanks with mostly pump-overs (punch-downs at end of fermentation). Aged for 16 months in barrel (33% new oak)

The LAMY family have been vignerons in Saint Aubin in the Bourgogne region since 1640 and the PILLOT family has its origins in 1595 in the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet.

WINE ENTHUSIAST 93 POINTS - "Subtle notes of tart but aromatic apple reach the nose. The palate of this wine is dry and concentrated, displaying juicy notes of tart apple and ripe pear edged with gentle lemon. The mellow and subtle balance leads to a dry, vivid finish."

Brothers Bertrand and Denis Chevillon are the fifth generation managers of this property in Nuits- Saint-Georges, which means they work the vines and make the wines. Their father Robert, for whom the domaine is named, is still active as well. Both brothers bring passion, experience, a tireless work ethic, and intensity to their work at the domaine. Tasting through their palate of Nuits- Saint-Georges is a venerable tour of the appellation. Their Passetoutgrain, a blend of Pinot and Gamay, is a worthy introduction and their rare (two barrels made) Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc made from the “Pinot Gouges” is an exotic treasure that ages just as long as the domaine’s fabled reds. And their Bourgogne Aligoté, Bourgogne Chardonnay and Bourgogne Rouge are grown and vinified with the same care as their premier crus. It shows.

WINE ADVOCATE 92+ POINTS - "A generous bouquet of marzipan and ripe pears that's subtly framed by new wood introduces the 2017 Pouilly-Fuissé En Bertillonne, a medium to full-bodied, deep and muscular wine that's textural and blocky in profile, with ripe underlying acids and a heady finish. Its structure and concentration are impressive, but it will merit a little bottle age."

VINOUS 94-95 POINTS: "Bright ruby-red. A complex, highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red/blue fruit, Moroccan spice and potpourri aromas that are enlivened by a vibrant mineral quality that builds as the wine stretches out. Sweet, seamless and expansive in the mouth, offering densely packed raspberry, boysenberry, floral pastille and spicecake flavors that show outstanding clarity and back-end thrust. The mineral and floral notes drive an extremely long, sappy finish, shaped by smooth, polished tannins."

The Chardonnay barrels are kept topped up, but even so the wines tend to offer a hint of the same nutty character on top of the more classic outline of the Chardonnay grape. Stéphane Tissot is a leading grower in the wine appellation of Arbois , where he farms his vineyards biodynamicallY.