2009 Brumont Gros Manseng - Sauvignon 

  The Gros Manseng Sauvignon 2009 is a white wine, made by Alain Brumont. Gros Manseng is a Basque grape variety that is now making a name for itself in Gascony in southwest France. 2009 was a superb vintage in this part of the world - effectively a no-brainer where the good growers had to do very little to produce a top quality product - the wines virtually made themselves. This wine has a delightfully clean, crisp style overlaid with an appealing accacia floral bouquet. The wine tastes very fresh on the palate with hints of gooseberry and greengage fruit with a touch of lime. It is excellent as an aperitif or with poultry or fish. Brumont is a perfectionist, who will lead you on a  tour of his estate as he indicates the finer points of red soil and galet stones. He even grades his organic manure into different vintages.

Our Price: 15.77

2008 Château de la Chaize Brouilly

  The granitic ochre sand of the Brouilly hills allows perfect drainage. At La Chaize, 50% of the vineyard is older than 50 years, some plants even reaching 75-years old. "Fresh and long with persistent berry flavors. A perfect example of the lighter style of Cru Beaujolais. Chateau de la Chaize is among the oldest, most historic estates in Burgundy's Beaujolais region. Boasting over 250 acres of vineyards, it is also one of the largest. The property is currently owned and managed by the Marquise de Roussy de Sales family, who transformed Chateau de la Chaize into one of the most innovative and forward-thinking producers in the region. Among its many initiatives is the adoption of eco-friendly winemaking practices. Chateau de la Chaize is located in the Brouilly appellation, the largest of the Beaujolais Crus and where the predominant grape planted is Gamay. " ~ Winery notes Bottom of Form. This ruby-colored wine is rich in fruit aromas. It is made exclusively out of Gamay, a black grape with a white juice. The vine harvest is handmade according to a very strict selection of the ground provenances. The grapes are carried into open vats not exceeding 1.5 tons of grapes, in order to avoid crushing, and then poured into stainless-steel vats. The semi - carbonic vinification lasts for 8 days until the wine reaches 12.5° degrees of alcohol, all without neither pumping, nor bursting or picking off. Pressing is made with a single pneumatic press. Vivid red. Lively aromas of strawberry, raspberry, blood orange and fresh flowers. Clean and gently sweet on the palate, with a mineral bite to its red berry and cherry flavors. More elegant than the 2007 version, showing good finishing clarity and spicy persistence.

Our Price: 15.77

2009 Paul Mas Carignane VV

  Deep violet color. Dense aromas of berry cobbler a la mode, pencil lead, and melted toffee. On the nose, spices and blackberry give way to aromas of cherry jam and cocoa over toasted oak notes. Soft and satiny with a dry-yet-fruity medium body. Delicate olive, peppery spice, and talc notes emerge on the crisp, chewy tannin finish. "Located on the hillsides of the Herault overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the Savignac vineyard is the ideal growing location for Carignan grapes. These mature vines, some over 50-years old, have reached a perfect natural balance. Even though produced in the Coteaux du Languedoc, this single varietal wine can only be designated IGP Pays de L'Herault.

   On the nose, spices and blackberry give way to aromas of cherry jam and cocoa over toasted oak notes. A full-bodied, rich and mellow wine, with delicious velvety tannins and complex flavors.
Jean-Claude Mas has blazed the trail for premium winemaking in the Languedoc region of the South of France. Since taking the helm of the centuries-old Domaines Paul Mas in 2000, his driving mission has been to use only premium quality grapes to craft superior wines with a modern, New World flair. Above all else, this innovative, fourth-generation vintner strives to make wines with authenticity and refinement, the end result of which is a family of magnificently charming wines that burst with personality and express their unique terroir.

   The Paul Mas varietal range of single vineyard wines is made with the highest quality grapes cultivated on vineyards in the Domaines de Nicole and Chateau du Conas estates. " ~ Winery notes.  Carignane is a workhorse grape of France and Spain, its ancestral home, where it goes by Cariñena. It is getting renewed interest for its intense color, acid and tannins that it can add to a blend. It has been successful as a Rosé and is occasionally bottled on its own but it remains primarily a blending wine. Use of cold-soaking, extended maceration, and daily pumping over ensures good extraction of colour and tannin. Fifty per cent of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and six months' ageing in American oak, twenty per cent of which is new. Final assemblage took place in May, and the wine was bottled without fining or filtration. The resulting wine is deeply coloured, with a full body, and detectable notes of blackberry and spice, combined with cocoa and toasty oak.

Our Price: 13.77

2007 Altitude 500 Ventoux

  Produced by the Vignerons du Mont Ventoux at Bedoin, a growers' cooperative, it has beautifully focused Grenache (75%) and Syrah (25%) fruit exhibiting all of the benefits of a 500 meter elevation. The color is deep, dark crimson with good saturation, and you can probably smell the fragrance from across the room--blueberries, violets, Provencal herbs and spices. High class stuff. A very strong fruit presence--perfect ripeness countered by racy acidity and structure from the peels. Medium bodied and silky smooth. Fantastic. This wine meets all of my criteria for a good Southern Rhone red--vigorous ripe fruit balanced by spicy, peppery acidity and traits typical of traditional wines from this appellation. The color is a deep ruby, and the nose is typically 2007--ripe, rich and ready. The sweet red raspberry/blueberry fruit gives a quick up front impression that is quickly countered by scents of peppercorn and Provencal herbs, particularly lavender and rosemary. That's what garrigue is all about. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied with ripe fruit flavors and a pleasing peppery, spicy bite. This ranks high on my list of Southern Rhones from the highly touted 2007 vintage.

Our Price: 14.97

2008 Lamarque Syrah Les Grande Cabanes 

  The low hills of the Costières de Nimes have a specific soil called grès - a stony gravel with large pebbles that were carried down from the Alps by the Rhone River. This unusual soil, combined with maritime influences, allow for this region to produce an elegant and distinctive style of wine.

  Grapes are harvested at optimum maturity from low yield vineyards. Grapes are destemmed, with a three-day cold maceration prior to fermentation, which takes place at controlled temperatures for 8 to10 days. The fermented juice rests 6 months in tank with soft fining and filtration before bottling. Bright ruby color with intense and fruit-forward nose, with notes of licorice, red berries and black currant. Fresh, vibrant, and concentrated with soft tannins and a smooth, round finish.

Our Price: 14.77 

2008 Domaine de l'Espigouette Vacqueyras

  Vacqueyras is the 5th southern Rhone village that was awarded its own appellation in 1951. Although Vacqueyras is only three kilometers (2 miles) from Gigondas, the terroir is quite different. Vacqueyras wines are not as rustic and earthy as Gigondas wines, tending to be fruitier, softer, and finer. Most drink well young. Berry Bros & Rudd review: This wine is careless of the supposed frailty of the vintage; it starts and finishes on notes of rich black fruit, but does not lack for complexity, with the earthy foundations of the garrigue and notes of black pepper, figs, licorice and spice all adding to a very satisfying ensemble. The blend is 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre. Delicious. Drink 2011-2016. This domaine fashions a superb traditional Cotes du Rhone, that Robert Parker says "for readers looking for fabulous values from the southern Rhone Valley, here is a domaine to take seriously. The wines of Domaine de l'Espigouette are rustic, peppery, flavorful, robust, mouthfilling, textbook Cotes du Rhone."

Our Price: 26.27