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May 3

Megan’s Team Tackles the Tough Mudder

Megan (pictured right) with some of her teammates

Last weekend, Megan (a dynamic member of our salesforce team) travelled with her team to the Poconos to tackle the Tough Mudder,  a “hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie…Tough Mudder has raised more than $3 million for the Wounded Warrior Project,” an organization whose mission is: “To honor and empower wounded warriors.”

As if raising money to help wounded veterans wasn’t enough, the course offers the following challenge:

“To get through mud, fire, ice-water, and 10,000 volts of electricity you’ll need teammates to pick you up when your spirits dip.  To get over 12 foot walls and through underground mud tunnels, you’ll need teammates to give you a boost and a push…”

Congrats Megan and team!!!  What an amazing feat. What follows is her recap below:

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May 2

Yves Cuilleron of Vins de Vienne

Yves Cuilleron of Vins de Vienne

“Yves Cuilleron asked me a few questions over dinner earlier this year,” said Tom, “as he’d been searching for the right partner in the US for many years, and was curious about our success and our history.  And while I assured him that we are much too small and too humble to be accredited with any reputed fame, I did tell him that when we taste a wine that we like and when we meet a vigneron that we admire, we act with direct intention.  So, here we are, unprecedented, we have waited 18 years to procure our first offering of Northern Rhône wines…”

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Apr 30

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Frascole in Rufina

Old Vine Sangiovese Parcel, Planted 1967-1970

While the ladies were touring Burgundy, Greg and Ryan were traversing the countryside of Italy.  Their first stop?  Frascole, a traditional producer in the village of Dicomano with some of the highest plots in all of Rufina (or “mountain Chianti”), topping out at 1700 feet and abutting the Tuscan Appennines, with incredibly steep vineyards. “As we were driving towards the farmhouse,” said Ryan, “we turned and went up high hill switchbacks” until they got to the rustic farmhouse and estate, that has been passed down through the family for generations.

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Apr 26

Sauvignon Blanc from Curico Valley

Map Source

Home to Bordeaux varietals since the mid-1800′s, when missionaries carried vines to the region, Curicó Valley now supports over 30 different varietals.  As Chile’s largest producing zone of Sauvignon Blanc, Curicó currently has 3775ha of Sauvignon Blanc under vine.  Here, the zone’s  geographical isolation, with the Andes to the east and the Coastal Range to the west, has protected the vines of Curicó (and of Chile in general) from the louse phylloxera, which means that all plantings stem from original rootstock.

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Apr 25

In The Vineyard with Julie Belland

Julie Belland at the gates of Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Premier Cru Clos Pitois

Bordering Santenay in Chassagne-Montrachet, sits Clos Pitois, the 3ha monopole of Domaine Roger Belland.  Created in 1421, this climat is planted to half Pinot Noir and half Chardonnay, and was purchased by Julie Belland’s grandfather on his wedding day in the 1950′s, when he then replanted Clos Pitois for the fifth time since its original planting by the monks of Abbaye de Morgeot, the remains of which sit just down the road.

Julie, a young and vivacious vintner with a funky flair, produced her first solo vintage at her father’s Domaine in 2009, and had just showcased her wines at the Salon des Jeunes Talents at Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne.  We were so happy to have had much time at Julie’s side, as she’s such a joyful presence, and she makes incredible wines.  After meeting Julie at the Domaine, we drove to Clos Pitois, where she explained how she works the vineyards.   Read more

Apr 23

Joan Angel Lliberia of Edetaria

Joan Angel Lliberia of Edetaria Edetana

Last week, Joan Angel Lliberia of Edetaria in Catalunya came to town, to spread the love of his new rosé.  ”This is the kid of Jorge [our Spanish Portfolio Director] and me,” said Joan Angel and laughed.  And upon taking a closer look, I could see the resemblance…

“Last April, when I visited New York, I saw salespeople selling rosé for spring and summer, from Rioja, Txakolina [from Basque Country] and Provence,” he added.  ”On my last day, I asked Jorge what he thought about a Garnacha rosé…The most important thing to me was to make a gastronomic rosé, to eat with in the summer and spring.

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Apr 19

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Early Spring in Burgundy

A picnic downslope from Volnay

On our trip to Burgundy, I took over 500 photos, many of which will not make it into our blog posts about our vignerons.  And so…I thought we might celebrate the visual delights of spring in the City with some eye candy from Burgundy…

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Apr 18

Jean Aubron

At Jean Aubron, a domaine that resides outside of Nantes, near the Atlantic Coast, Jean-Pascal Aubron–a fourth generation vigneron–strives to make bone-dry Muscadet wines.  And though the Muscadet-Sevre et Maine appellation allows for all Muscadet Sur Lie wines to contain 3 grams of residual sugar, and for all others to contain 5 grams, Jean-Pascal first and foremost pushes his fermentations to the end, to yield wines with zero residual sugar that are dry and crisp with high acidity, and suitable for aging.

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Apr 16

Jean-Michel Gaunoux in Meursault

The day we arrived in Burgundy, we met with Jean-Michel Gaunoux.  Located in the white wine commune of Meursault, his cellar was constructed by his maternal grandparents, but it wasn’t until 1990, that Jean-Michel halted his work with his father, Francois of Domaine Francois Gaunoux (and the son of the famed Henri Gaunoux), to establish his own Domaine.  Upon our arrival, a certain group dynamic was established when we realized our need to rely on Danielle, our most well-spoken French speaker.

A warm and unassuming man, Jean-Michel led us with a soft smile down to the cellar, where we perused the dusty bottles lying in wait.  Here, amidst barrels and spectacular patterns of mold on the vaulted brick walls, he holds each vintage until it’s ready to be released, including his 1998 Pommard, which apparently is still too tight for the market.  After a brief tour, we ascended the spiral staircase to visit the tasting room, so that we could taste through the bottles.

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Apr 12

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Rioja Reserva–Traditional & Modern Style Wines

Santiago Ijalba & Roberto of Bodegas Santalba

On Monday, Eric Asimov of the New York Times, published an article titled, “For Reservas, No Cellar Required“, where he discusses the benefits of buying Rioja reservas, because the wines are often well-aged before they’re sold, which leaves the consumer out of the aging/cellaring equation.  Here, Asimov emphasizes the point that though Rioja reserva wines must be aged for a minimum of three years, with at least one year in cask, before  they’re released to the market, many producers go the extra mile and age the wines even longer.

Out of the 20 wines sampled by the tasting panel, our Ermita San Felices Rioja Alta Reserva 2005 made the top ten.  Produced by Santiago Ijalba, of the father/son team at Bodegas Santalba, Ermita is a traditional style wine that’s only made in years that are deemed “excellent” vintages by the Rioja Control Board.

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