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.

NO SULFITES ADDED

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."

WINE SPECTATOR 95 POINTS - "This has a lovely mouthfeel, with velvety waves of crushed plum and boysenberry reduction wrapped in sweet toast, bay leaf and alder notes. The long finish has a black tea note curling around and a late mineral twinge for contrast. Drink now through 2035."
DECANTER 95 POINTS
JEB DUNNUCK 94 POINTS

VINOUS 93 POINTS - "Opaque magenta. Mineral- and spice-accented dark berry and cherry aromas are complemented by a smoky nuance that builds with air. Concentrated blackberry and bitter cherry flavors show very good depth and take a sweeter turn on the back half. Finishes emphatically spicy and quite long, with supple, well-knit tannins lending shape to clinging cherry and floral pastille notes."

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 92 POINTS -"The 2016 Crozes Hermitage Les Trois Chênes comes from alluvial and pebbly soils and was mostly destemmed and brought up in demi-muids and tanks. Similarly colored, with lots of blackberry, spice, peppery herbs, and hints of incense, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a rounded, layered texture, sweet tannins, and a great finish. It's very much in the charming, forward style of the vintage and ideal for drinking over the coming 5-7 years."

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.

Deeply textured, leathery, with intoxicating aromas of violets, it’s hard not to be drawn in by the complexity of this fine and seductive old-vine beast.

The steep slopes of the northern Rhône present a challenging terrain where farming is only feasible through terracing. On these terraced slopes, the Faurys’ vines take full advantage of the southern and southeastern sun exposure, benefitting from optimum ripening. A combination of the predominately granitic soil, partial de-stemming (in about 70% of the grapes), soft crushing of the grapes with a pneumatic press, and temperature controlled fermentation offer a liveliness and freshness that one does not often find in wines from the northern Rhône. There’s a real attention to detail here, and nothing is done in haste.

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.

Though the domaines wines are all classified as Cote du Rhone besides the Vinsorbes, this longstanding organic Domaine is one of the Rhone Valley's gems. Their old-vine holdings spread throughout small overlooked parcels with vines ranging upwards of 100 years old shows a mastery of the terroir and absolute confidence in their wines. These are honestly some of the top wines in the Rhone with unrivaled purity of fruit and expression of terroir. We recently tried the Sierra du Sud, a rare example of Syrah from the Southern Rhone and one of the few we have seen along with Chateau Rayas Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah. Though the vines here are on the younger side, between 20-40 years old, there is a seriousness here with brooding and dense yet high-toned aroma of plum, cassis, spice box, and underlying minerality. The balance is incredible for a Southern Rhone Syrah and rivals some of the top Northern Rhone wines with some upfront appeal and structure for aging that isn't expected from a wine at this level. This Cuvee was not produced in 2018 due to hail destroying 50% of the crop, but is back in the excellent 2019 vintage, getting 4 out of 5 stars from famed Rhone writer John Livingstone-Learmonth. If Rhone is one of your go-to's, we highly recommend checking this out!

DECANTER 92 POINTS - "Inky-dark 100% Syrah from this renowned low-intervention producer in the Drôme. With a lovely airy purity and fresh, herby nose, it is surprisingly open given its youth, but with good underlying tannic structure. Dark fruit and a creamy, savoury Syrah palate, impressive grip and persistence. Organic; small quantities of sulphites added."

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."

WINE ADVOCATE 99 POINTS - "I had the opportunity to retaste the wonderful 2015 Hermitage and have taken this opportunity to up my rating of it a couple of points, more in line with how I thought it would turn out from barrel than when I first tasted it from bottle last year. Yes, it's closed up pretty tight, but the potential is clearly enormous, with pungent, peppery aromas accenting espresso, black olive and blackberries. Full-bodied, dense and supremely concentrated, with a tremendously long finish, this is a vintage to put away and forget for at least 5-6 years, maybe a decade."