White

 

Goisot 2012 St. Bris Corps de Garde—Burgundy is a region I love and hate.  I love the wines, the expressions of the simple Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes.  I hate the ever increasing prices.  In search of better bargains, look to the outskirts of the region. This wine is from St. Bris, which is located near Chablis.  Interestingly enough, wines from St. Bris are only allowed to use the Sauvignon Blanc grape, in stark contrast to the rest of Burgundy.  The Goisot family is practising biodynamic, and I have found all of their wines to offer great value.  This wine comes from two small plots of the ancient Fié Gris grape, an ancestor to the modern Sauvignon.  After hand harvesting, the grapes are pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel at cooler temperatures.  Aging occurs in tank. Look for the signature aromas of Sauvignon in yellow fruits, citrus, and mineral.  On the palate, look for a richness of extraction and a medium body, with citrus, herbs, and minerality.  If you like Sancerre or Pouilly Fume, this is similar yet different at the same time. $37.98

 

Borgo del Tiglio 2012 Collio Bianco—This well known producer lies in North Eastern Italy, and makes some of the best white wines in the country.  Nicola Manferrari founded Borgo del Tiglio in 1981 when he took control of his family’s vineyards. Low yields, strict vineyard selection and meticulous cellar work result in some of the most powerful, intensely ripe and textural wines in Friuli. Monferrari describes his style as ‘beautiful and kindly’. All wines are fermented and aged in 250L barrels. This is a blend of Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling.  Unique and interesting already!  Find lemon, pear, and apple on the nose, with these being joined by marzipan, colostrum, mineral, and acid on the palate, with wild herbs singing in the background (if you close your eyes and imagine Italy).  This wine is crisp and clean, yet rich and luscious on the palate at the same time.  Like many of the best wines, this speaks of both a place and the very talented hand of the winemaker. $46.98

Domaine Parigot 2012 Meursault "Vireuils Dessous”—Domaine Parigot is located in Meloisey, just above Pommard. Alexandre Parigot and his father Regis run the 18-ha estate, established in 1960.  The Parigots grow vines in 6 different communes – Meloisey, Beaune, Chassagne Montrachet, Pommard, Savigny-les-Beaune, and Meursault. Alexandre spends most of his time in the vineyards where he learns to understand the need and potential of each of his plots of vines. Harvest is done by hand when a rigorous selection takes place both in the vineyard as well as in the cuverie. This wine comes from a single vineyard, Les Vireuils Dessous, which lies uphill from the true creme de la creme of the village.  Wines from these uphill vineyards produce a more mineralistic, racier style of wine, but are well known on their own and often bottled as single vineyards rather than a village blend by those who are lucky enough to own a piece of this sacred ground. I've found Parigot makes a more reductive style, which is to say upon opening a matchstick and mineral character will be found.  With some air, this will lessen as the true aromatics of the wine come into play.  Find the signatures of Meursault- nuts, butter, lemon cream, opulent peach, all with an underlying steely minerality.  Acidity is a bit more present on the palate than from wines downhill; this is a bit of a cooler climate of course.  All of this comes wrapped in a rich and lenghty finish. $58.98
 

 

 

Red

 

Il Colle 2013 Rosso di Montalcino—While many know the joys of Brunello, that most exquisite Tuscan example of the Sangiovese grape in action, many are also familiar with how pricey Brunellos often get. In many cases Brunello’s younger brother, the Rosso di Montalcino, can be a terrific and amazingly affordable stand-in. Typically the second wine from each estate is released slightly earlier, and is sometimes made from younger vines, but other than that the same expertise brought to the high-end wine is also applied lovingly to these approachable and delicious younger wines. We recently discovered this fantastically delicate example from a very small family producer. It shows notes of raspberries, plums, currants and cherries with hints of iris, lavender, violet, licorice, myrtle and rhubarb. An incredibly complex wine with all the definition of a Brunello, but for half the cost! $38.98

 

Moric 2013 Blaufränkisch Burgenland—The business card of the Moric estate, the Blaufrankisch Burgenland, encapsulates the Moric style of finesse and varietal typicity. The idea behind this wine is to express not just the variety but also the origin of 8-50 year old vines grown on limestone, primary rock and loam in the villages of Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg. Harvested at a yield of 25 hectoliters per hectare and fermented on the skins for about 20 days partly in open vats and steel tank. Elevage happens in 600-4500 liter casks for about a year. Only indigenous yeasts are used primary and secondary fermentation, no filtration and no fining techniques are employed. The wine is therefore vegan. Only tiny amounts of sulfites are added. The Blaufrankisch Burgenland shows a beautiful translucent coleur, with a fine tannin structure and exceptional balance. The wine will improve with bottle age for at least five years but will show beautifully for many years beyond. Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of crushed mixed herbs, raspberry and cassis with a hint of incense. In the mouth, bright and juicy cherry, cassis and raspberry fruit has a deep pine duff character and a deep earthy minerality. Cedar and wet chalkboard linger through the finish with raspberries and raspberry leaf. Gorgeous acidity and very fine grained powdery tannins. $51.98

 

Occhipinti 2013 Il Frappato—Arianna Occhipinti is one of the leaders of the natural wine making movement. Vineyards are cultivated organically, fermentation occurs only with indigenous yeasts, long periods of skin contact are used, and only minimal doses of sulfur are added along the way. What this makes for in the end is a fun, individualistic, interesting, and most of all delicious bottle of wine! Made from Sicilys Frappato di Vittoria, the grapes are hand harvested, fermented with indigenous yeast, and given 50 days of skin contact before seeing 14 months of aging in large Slovenian Oak barrels and a farther 2 months of aging in bottle before release. On the nose find small red fruits like raspberry and cherry in addition to earth and dust. On the palate the wine is silky and very fresh, with vibrant cherry, herbs, and earth. A delicate and powerful wine. "My Frappato is born from a dream that I think I've always had. I want it to convey all that I think, the land I'm working, the air I'm breathing: Vittoria with all its history, perhaps myself as well." - Arianna Occhipinti. $67.98