FRENCH WINE

This highly aromatic Côte de Brouilly oozes with flavors of kirsch, crushed rocks, potpourri, and ripe raspberries. Juicy and fresh, the wine’s tangy acidity and structured backbone lead to a long finish. Drink over the next five years.

PRACTICING ORGANIC

The wines have a seductive aromatic component, a silky texture, and a downright deliciousness that is unmistakably Foillard. After all, Alex used tried-and-true techniques to craft his wines: whole-cluster fermentation with natural yeasts, no fining or filtration, and no additives of any kind save for a minute sulfur dose at bottling. The new generation at Domaine Foillard has burst onto the scene with a bang, and the future is full of exciting possibilities for this talented Beaujolais youngster.

Here’s an old friend that has graced our floor and shelves for many years now. It’s ultra-crisp and clean with anenticing nose and palate of lemon-lime, stone and mineral. No malolactic, no lees stirring, little or no manipulationor human intervention, just Mother Nature at work! Definitely for the purist, the wine is vinified in stainless steel andaged in large, neutral foudres to preserve the freshness of the grape and the nobility of the terroir. From the cuttingedge Neal Rosenthal portfolio, try this wine with deep-fried prawns, Chinese dumplings or freshly shucked oysters.The wine’s delightful cut of refreshing acidity is perfect!

We are thrilled to offer two fantastic Beaujolais from the exciting 2019 vintage. These refreshing red wines from Jean-Marc Burgaud immediately caught our attention when we tasted them and were blown away by the purity, intensity and freshness of the fruit.

We previously featured the Burgaud's Lantignie from the prior vintage and it was quickly snapped up by our savvy customers. This time, we were able to purchase the Lantignie as well as the Morgon Cote du Py. They are both delicious, satisfying examples of high-quality Beaujolais and offer tremendous value as well!

William Kelley of the Wine Advocate also loved both wines awarding the Lantignie 92 Points and calling it "one of the region's finest values." Lantignie is considered one of the best villages due to its hillsides and granite soil which produces a wine with a bright ruby color and a fresh and fruity nose. The vines range between 40 and 100 years of age.

The Morgon Cote du Py received a score of 94 Points with Kelley calling it "another of Burgaud's real successes this year." This wine offers increased depth, complexity and a very long finish. It is a tremendous example of the quality to be found at the Cru Beaujolais level. The Cote du Py is located on a hillside near the tiny village of Morgon. The vineyards average 50 years of age and are planted in rich soil of blue stones coming from decomposed schist.

Further praise followed with Kelley stating, "The more I taste Jean-Marc Burgaud's wines, the more I find to admire. A winemaker at the peak of his powers, Burgaud has abandoned new oak in favor of seasoned wood, and extraction is more measured than in the past, with his classical semi-carbonic macerations ranging from between seven and 15 days in duration, depending on the cuvee. And there's just one bottling of each wine, making for rare consistency."

Winemaking is traditional at this domaine with Jean-Marc practicing organic and refusing to use chemical fertilizers or insecticides. He respects the land, plowing the soil and harvesting by hand. The finest grapes are selected with whole bunch maceration taking place in vats (both stainless steel and concrete vats are employed) followed by aging in used wood.

The popularity of Gamay from Beaujolais increases every year. What's not to like with beautiful, juicy fruit such as dark cherries framed by silky tannins? Beaujolais is a fantastic medium-bodied culinary partner and is often served with turkey, chicken and traditional fare served during the holidays. It is also deeply satisfying to enjoy on its own.

These wines are among the best you will find in Beaujolais and the quality to price ratio is hard to beat. We are happy to offer these eminently drinkable, refreshing Beaujolais at great prices.

WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS - "Offering up pretty aromas of blackberries, peonies and subtle forest floor, the 2019 Beaujolais- Villages Les Vignes de Lantignié is medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, with lively acids, velvety tannins and a long, mouthwatering finish. As usual, this saw a short six- or seven-day maceration with whole clusters, followed by élevage in cement tank. Once again, Burgaud has produced a characterful and viscerally drinkable Beaujolais-Villages that exemplifies all the merits— as well as the incredible value—offered by the appellation at its best."

The newest chapter in the Chardigny family’s 200-year history has begun. In 2014, brothers Pierre-Maxime and Victor-Emmanuel took the reigns of the family vineyards in Beaujolais and St. Veran. First on the agenda was the conversion from sustainable farming to organic. Renovation of the old cellars is en route.

Growing up the son of famous “Gang of Four” Morgon producer Jean-Paul Thévenet, Charly Thévenet was exposed quite early on to traditional, more natural viticulture—a philosophy that his father and friends helped to resurrect in Beaujolais in the early eighties. Though only in his twenties, Charly has already started a dynamic career. A few years ago, with extensive experience working for his father and in Marcel Lapierre’s winery already under his belt, he purchased a parcel of eighty-year-old vines in Régnié, west-southwest of his hometown of Villié-Morgon. Régnié is a terroir enjoying something of its own renaissance in the hands of talented growers like Charly and his dad’s pal, Guy Breton. In fact, Regnié has joined the short list of Grand Crus in the Beaujolais. Situated on a plateau of seabed stone in the foothills of the Côte du Py, it gives a fresh wine with solid acidity.

As the next generation of the natural wine movement, Charly seems to have inherited his father’s savoir faire. He uses biodynamic farming techniques in the vineyard, never adding synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides to the vines. He harvests late, with an aggressive sorting of the grapes, adds minimal doses of sulfur dioxide, ages the wine in four-year-old Burgundian barriques, and bottles his wines unfiltered. Add a dose of that Thévenet talent, and you have a recipe for excellent wine! The 2007 vintage marked his first release and his first collaboration with KLWM.

We are unanimously impressed with this rising star.

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "The 2018 Côte de Brouilly is still a little closed after its recent bottling, but it's a promising wine in the making, unwinding in the glass with scents of cherries,plums, licorice and rich soil tones, complemented by floral top notes that blossom as the wine sits in the glass. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and satiny, with a textural, enveloping profile, a deep and voluminous core, ripe but succulent acids and powdery structuring tannins."

VINOUS 93 POINTS - "Shimmering purple. Assertive dark berry, cherry, spicecake and floral pastille scents are complemented by suggestions of succulent herbs and licorice. Sappy and deeply concentrated on the palate, offering mineral-laced bitter cherry and blackberry preserve flavors that stretch out and turn sweeter with aeration. Youthfully gripping tannins add framework to the finish, which lingers with outstanding, mineral-driven tenacity."

Loaded with current and dark berry, subtle anise flavors too. Made from 70+-year-old vines. Cru Beaujolais leather, purple fruit, and licorice. Deep color and structure, explosive fresh fruit, and firm tannins; yet it does present a bit fresher and more youthful on the palate.

WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS - "Bouland's 2018 Chiroubles bursts with aromas of ripe blackberries, red plums, violets and cracked black pepper. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, with a succulent core of fruit, fine concentration and a long, lip-smacking finish. An especially gourmand rendition of this cuvée, it hails from a steep hillside site and is matured in tank."

WINE ADVOCATE 93+ POINTS - "The 2018 Morgon Bellevue Sable comes from younger vines, planted on Viala rootstock in sandy soils—as the "sable" newly added to its label makes clear. Revealing aromas of blackberries, smoked meats, cracked pepper and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and muscular, with powdery structuring tannin, juicy acids and a blockier, more reserved profile than the Chiroubles and Brouilly that preceded it. This will demand a couple of years' patience before it shows all its cards."

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "The entire contents of the five-year-old foudre that contains Bouland's 2018 Morgon Pré Jourdan were reserved by his US importer, so overseas consumers may have a hard time finding this superb wine, which hails from lieu-dit near the village in the direction of Fleurie. Aromas of blackberries and spices mingle with notes of rose petals, violets and potpourri in a bouquet that has taken on a discrete patina from its comparatively new foudre. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, layered and succulent, with fine and powdery tannins, ripe acids and a perfumed finish."

DECANTER 92 POINTS: "Textured and bullish, with layers of black fruits, raspberries and blueberries bound in grippy tannins. Very good now and with the legs to improve."

Jean-Louis is a devout practitioner of organic viticulture and the property has been certified by ECOCERT since 2009. Harvest is done by hand and grapes are immediately placed in tank at low temperatures to begin carbonic maceration (without sulfur)
The wines of Jean-Louis Dutraive are some of the most unique aromatically and texturally in all of Beaujolais. One whiff, and the wines display an almost exotic floral and spicy aroma overlayed over lush minerally Gamay fruit, sort of like a top Morey St. Denis 1er or Grand Cru nose combined with earthy, Volnay-like fruit. There is also a textural lushness and exuberance backed up by ample structure and acid. These are substantial Beaujolais, and ones that could certainly stand up to food. They also have the requisite material to develop and evolve over the medium term, i.e. 10-12 years of aging, easily!

The estate of Domaine de la Grand Cour dates back to 1969 when it was purchased by Jean Dutraive, making it one of the oldest in the village of Fleurie. Jean-Louis is a devout practitioner of organic viticulture with the property having been certified by ECOCERT in 2009. Dutraive, however, was practicing organic viniculture many years before that. The wines undergo traditional vinification without sulfur and with native yeast at very low temperatures, with carbonic maceration and little or no filtering. Jean-Louis' motto in the cellar is "minimal intervention and maximum surveillance. Aromas of dark cherry, violets and exotic spices on the nose. Rustic and complex on the palate, Dutraive compares the Grand'Cour to a baby Beaune Rouge in its muscle and breadth.

Jean-Louis Dutraive represents the fifth generation of Domaine de la Grand’Cour, joining his father at the estate in 1977. The family’s total holdings comprise 10.6 hectares, farmed all organically. Fruit for the 2017 ‘Les Deduits’ comes from old vine plots, vinified in concrete and aged in oak for six months. Dark fruited and fresh, full bright, thirst-quenching acidity and silky tannins; serve slightly chilled with pizza, pasta, or tacos.

Viticulture: No herbacides or pesticides, organically farmed.

Vinification: Traditional vinification without sulfur and with natural yeast at very low temperatures. Carbonic maceration and little or no filtering.

ean-Louis Dutraive joined his father at the family estate in 1977 and now represents the fifth generation of Domaine de la Grand’Cour. Their estate is comprised of 10.6 hectares of organically farmed vines. Fruit for ‘Le Clos’ comes from organically farmed 80-year-old vines and is vinified with native yeasts via carbonic maceration then aged in French oak. Silky and smooth, the wine shows flavors of cherry, cloves, and a hint of black pepper.

VINOUS 92 POINTS - "Vivid magenta. Expressive red/blue fruit aromas are complemented by suggestions of candied flowers, smoky minerals and baking spices. Juicy and expansive on the palate, offering intense black raspberry and boysenberry flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Finishes long and smooth, showing excellent clarity, well-knit tannins and resonating floral and mineral character."

WINE ADVOCATE 90 POINTS - "From vines in Quincié and named after Breton's daughter, the 2018 Beaujolais-Villages Cuvée Marylou reveals a lovely bouquet of cherries, citrus zest and strawberries. On the palate, it's medium."

The 2019 Beaujolais have become an almost can't miss and this wine is no different. Light Fruity wine, a great value for any occasion. The perfect wine for your backyard barbecque, entertaining guest or just a glass to relax with.

VINOUS 91 POINTS - "Shimmering ruby color. Displays lively, mineral-tinged red berry and cherry aromas that pick up a suave floral topnote with air. Pure, minerally and focused, offering energetic raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that show an appealing blend of delicacy and power. Turns sweeter on the finish, which lingers with strong tenacity and silky, harmonious tannins."