FRENCH WINE

JEB DUNNUCK 97 POINTS - "The 2017 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes is cut from the same mold yet has a touch more tannins as well as mid-palate density. Notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, camphor, toasted spice, and smoked game all soar from the glass, and it's full-bodied, power-packed, yet elegant and seamless on the palate. Its wealth of fruit largely conceals plenty of underlying structure, and while it's already fun to taste, give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 10-15 years or more. The old vine cuvée comes from the Combe, Patou, La Côte, Les Mazards, and Chaillot lieu-dits, from 60+-year-old vines, was 80% destemmed and spent 20 months in 15-20% new French oak."

DECANTER 96 POINTS - "Vines with an average age of 60 years from lieux-dits Combe, Patou, La Côte, Les Mazards and Chaillot provide the fruit for this Cornas. It spends 20 months in barriques, around 20% new. There are multiple layers to the aromatic palate: rosemary, thyme, herbal bitters, blackberry, blackcurrant and loganberry. A medium-bodied, concentrated but unforced wine with no excessive extraction, a subtly spiced finish and sinewy, brushed tannins. Detailed, focussed, structured and textural, this is captivating and true to its terroir."

JAMES SUCKLING 98-99 POINTS - "Plenty of sexy graphite and dark stony aromas cast across showy dark fruits seen here, all presented in a vibrant and seductive form. Plenty of spices and fragrant lift, too. The palate is astonishingly rich, layered and seamlessly complete. The tannins are dense, compressed and commanding, whereas the tension is entrancing. Flavors run from red to darker fruits. The finish is already long and majestic. Exceptional wine"

DECANTER 97 POINTS - "Low yields of just 27hl/ha this year due to coulure, instead of a more normal 37hl/ha - so there might be no 2017 Renaissance produced. A tasting of the main constituent parts from barrel suggests a potent, ripe, tannic style. The young Reynards is rich in fruit with good acidity, if high in alcohol; Sabarotte is resolutely Cornas: impenetrable, resinous, firm and saline; Petit Côte and La Côte are fleshy and rich; the older Reynards admirably complete, with a massive, ripe tannic load. Pierre compares it to the 2009, albeit more structured. You'll need to keep this for a while, but it will be rewarding when finally ready."

WINERY NOTES - Since the 2004 vintage, we have expanded our work with the Levet family to include a second bottling of Cote Rotie known as “Les Journaries”, a cuvée drawn from grapes harvested from old vines in the “La Landonne” lieu-dit. This wine is more subtle, more elegant and “quieter” if you will than the “Chavaroche”. At the same time, it is very much a Levet wine with a bouquet of violets, wild berries, a touch of animal and resinous-like tannins that speak of the inclusion of stems (a hallmark of the Levet tradition). The “Journaries” is approachable at an earlier stage than its companion “La Chavaroche” but, that being said, it is a wine that not only ages gracefully but almost requires a touch of patience. We now import approximately 1500 bottles plus magnums of this cuvée each vintage.

JEB DUNNUCK 92-94 POINTS: "One of the gems in the Northern Rhône lineup is the 2018 Côte Rôtie, which, as with all of Louis’ wines, wasn’t destemmed and was brought up in 30-40% new oak. Stunning aromatics of black raspberries, olive tapenade, ground pepper, violets, and assorted meat notes all flow to a medium to full-bodied, opulent, seamless Côte Rôtie that has a smoking good texture. Count me impressed."

VINOUS 94 POINTS - "Saturated ruby. Mineral- and spice-accented aromas of fresh dark berries, licorice and candied violet show excellent delineation, clarity and lift. At once rich and energetic in the mouth, offering juicy black raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors that steadily deepen on the back half. Turns sweeter on the persistent, penetrating finish, which features well-knit tannins and lingering floral and exotic spice notes. This is quite graceful, and while it will no doubt reward patience, it's awfully easy to drink now. Drinking window: 2024 - 2034."

VINOUS 92 POINTS - "Brilliant magenta. Expansive scents of fresh blackberry and boysenberry are complicated by suggestions of cracked pepper, olive and pungent flowers. Sappy, appealingly sweet dark berry preserve and cherry flavors show sharp delineation and spice and mineral qualities that build with air. Finishes with strong, energetic cut, well-knit tannins and lingering sweetness."

WINE SPECTATOR 92 POINTS - "Pure and refined, with alluring cherry and damson plum fruit, lined with violet and sandalwood notes and showing subtle chalky minerality through the finish. Sneakily long, with the minerality lingering nicely. Drink now through 2025."

Very dark. There is an aroma of stylish black berry fruit inside the bouquet, which has an oaked, grilled outer, black cherry, the fruit clear, some nutshells also. This is sleekly fruited, with crisp tannins, mineral, vin de terroir within the oak. There is a close link between nose and palate. It drives along on a smooth route, presents very fine juice. Graphite and close-knit juice appear on the finish. "It is square, runs straight down the line, has graphite, minerality.

JEB DUNNUCK 90-92 POINTS: "The largest production effort is the 2016 Saint Joseph Silice, which offers lots of blackberry jam, Asian spice, and peppered meat aromas and flavors. This ripe, sexy, beautifully textured 2016 is going to be another terrific value for the true wine lovers and drinkers out there. I continue to love the wines from the young Jerome Coursodon, who pulls from roughly 16 hectares of vines all in the southern part of Saint Joseph, mostly just outside the village of Mauves. The 2015s are monster, blockbuster styled efforts that I suspect won’t appeal to the traditionalists out there, but are singular wines. The 2016s are more elegant and finesse-driven, yet still pack in more sweet fruit than just about everyone else out there."

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.

JAMES SUCKLING 94 POINTS: "Attractive peppery and spicy nose with an air of complexity and real interest. Plenty of stony aromas, violets and blackberries. The palate has a fluid, supple build with plush ripe dark plum and blackberry fruit flavors amid muscular but resolved tannins. Drink now."

WINE SPECTATOR 92 POINTS: "Lively raspberry and blackberry coulis flavors pump through, lined with a mouthwatering anise note. The finish is streaked with singed apple wood details, leaving an energetic feel. Very solid. Drink now through 2027. 2,940 cases made."

WINE SPECTATOR 94 POINTS - "On the darker side of the ledger, with currant and blackberry fruit laced with mesquite, bay leaf, iron and tobacco notes. A light smoldering charcoal hint through the finish melds with the fruit and other components. Best from 2020 through 2038. 83 cases made, 6 cases imported."

Francois Villard La Brocarde comes from vines planted on the Cote Blonde with up to 13% Viognier in the blend. The wine takes its name from the La Brocarde lieu-dit. The berries are whole cluster fermented and up to 30% of the grapes are destemmed. The wine is aged in between 80% new, French oak barrels to 100% new, oak, depending the character of the vintage. The wine spends close to 18 months in barrel before bottling. The production is quite small as only 100 cases are produced in an average year.

WINE SPECTATOR 92 POINTS - "A bright, fresh, mineral-driven style, with mouthwatering white pepper and rose petal notes gilding a core of damson plum and blood orange flavors. The long, sleek finish is mouthwatering. Drink now through 2030."

Fleurs de Mai comes from very old Syrah vines planted by George Vernay on the upper plateau. Prior to being planted to vines, the vineyard was a peach orchard, and Fleurs de Mai references a variety of peach. This medium ruby-colored effort gives up plenty of exotic, peppery, almost tropical notes as well as blackberry and black raspberry fruits, medium body, fine tannins, and a sexy, incredibly gulpable style.

eROBERT PARKER 95-97 POINTS: "Offering more spice, cured meats, chocolate, cassis and vanilla bean, the 2011 Cote Rotie La Turque is more sexy and open-knit than the 2010, with full-bodied richness, sweet tannin and a hard-to-resist profile. It should start to shine at a relatively early age for this cuvee, but still have two decades or more of longevity."

ROBERT PARKER 97-99 POINTS:-"The inky black-colored 2013 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is certainly one of the gems in the vintage, and it has more texture, depth and richness than just about every other wine out there. Charred fruits, black, black fruits, espresso, crushed rock and wood smoke all emerge from this full-bodied, concentrated Côte Rôtie that certainly shows a masculine style, yet still possesses incredible purity and elegance."

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "Jaboulet's 2017 Hermitage La Maison Bleue is flat-out sexy stuff, full-bodied, plush and generous without being overripe or unstructured. Licorice, cassis and Asian five-spice powder burst from the glass in a complex whirl of scents and flavors. Sourced from the eastern end of the appellation, it offers immediate gratification and admirable quality at a fraction of the price of the La Chapelle."

JEB DUNNUCK 94 POINTS - "There are 2,000 cases of the 2017 Hermitage La Maison Bleue, which is all from the more limestone and loamy soils on the eastern side of the appellation. Aged in 15% new barrels and demi-muids, it has a youthful, fruit-forward, even sexy profile as well as terrific notes of black raspberries, melted licorice, truffles, violets, and bloody meat. It’s young and unevolved, with beautiful depth of fruit, and it’s undeniably better than many vintages of La Chapelle from the 1990s and 2000s."

JEB DUNNUCK 94-96 POINTS - "The 2,000-case 2018 Hermitage Maison Bleue comes from the eastern side of the appellation and is a much more fleshy, opulent wine compared to the more mineral-laced La Chapelle. Jammy blackberry and cassis fruit, notes of ground herbs, graphite, and violets, full-bodied richness, beautiful concentration, and a great finish all make for a compelling Hermitage. It’s going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age."



WINE ADVOCATE 93-95 POINTS - "The 2018 Hermitage La Maison Bleue offers up aromas of mocha, raspberries and a hint of black olive. It's full-bodied, velvety and plush, with a finish that's marked by hints of maple syrup and a slightly open-knit quality. It should drink well for at least a decade after release."

WINE ADVOCATE 100 POINTS - " The greatest wines Chave has produced since 2003 are the two cuvees of 2009 Hermitage. The 2009 Hermitage exhibits a black/purple color along with a sumptuous nose of roasted meats, ground pepper, black currants, blackberry jam, and subtle smoke and licorice. The extraordinary bouquet is followed by a wine of extravagant intensity as well as tremendous focus and precision. While not as powerful as the blockbuster 2003, the amazing 2009 may turn out to be a modern day version of their magnificent 1990 (which is drinking incredibly well at present). Anyone who loves Hermitage and has a cold cellar should be lining up to get a few bottles of this beauty."

WINE SPECTATOR 98 POINTS - "Captivating from the start, with gorgeous ganache and Lapsang souchong aromas that give way to an immense core of crushed plum, braised fig and steeped blackberry notes, all woven with pastis, loam and charcoal. Shows terrific density and drive through the long, well-structured finish. This has the fruit of the vintage in spades, but with an extra dimension of grip and length." *Collectibles*