December wine notes—Responsible indulgence

With the holidays upon us, we have cause for celebration. Yes, indeed, our celebrations are perhaps smaller than typical years, but this allows us to take time to contemplate our choices a bit and to indulge a bit more on ourselves. We will return to gathering in larger numbers, and, I believe that we will reflect on these moments as gifts, a time for more intimate gatherings, and a time for thoughtful choices for our tables and menus. I tried to select wines this month that will bring comfort, excite your palate, but mostly bring you pleasure. We all need to relax, kick back, sip a glass of wine, and enjoy ourselves. These are strange times, but we need not limit our own pleasure. A glass of delicious wine can transport me to another place, remind me of a good friend, bring the comfort and warmth of celebration, and take my mind off it. I hope the December selections can help you enjoy your holidays.

Whatever you do to celebrate and whatever it is that gives you inspiration to do so, I wish you a very happy & healthy end to this crazy year.

Be well, indulge a little, and just raise a glass,

cheers, Maria

Value Wines

Pellehaut Rouge The Beraut family has owned and managed the Pellehaut winery in Gascogne, France for 300 years, and the make wines that are affordable with passion and dedication. The vineyard is situated on three gently rolling hills where the vines are roughly 30 years of age on average. This is a larger winery in my portfolio, but they are careful in the work, maintaining quality and keeping the process minimal, simple, and gentle.

The red is a blend of Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Pinot, Cab, and Tannat. Yes, a lot of grapes. It is what they grow and then blend into their red. It has a bright cherry hue in the glass, with notes of blackcurrant and blackberry. It has a fruity start with a peppery bright finish.

Pellehaut Blanc The Beraut’s white is also a blend of Ungi Blanc, Colombard, Savignon, Gros & Petit Manseng, and Chardonnay. It is aromatically intense with tropical fruit notes with citrus and peach. On the palate it gives initially an appearance of lightness, but it is surprisingly complex—peach, pear, grapefruit, lime, and a long lingering minerality. It is ideally suited for local seafood. There is still a little swordfish, I hear, get some and enjoy it with this wine!

Caprioles Rose This is a rose that will take you into winter. It is 100% Gamay from a relatively young winery in the Rhone region of France. It is 100% Gamay, from a small village in Rengie-Durette. The estate is steeped in wine history for more than 250 years, but Capreoles was created in July 2014. Farming and vinifying organically, attentive to the heath of the soil, the wines and you. This wonderful rose is a real treat, with compelling aromatics of fresh berry, moss, and salt water; the berries translate onto the palate, a smooth and rich texture, and the wine has a beautiful lingering flavor of citrus. This would be great wine with a whole roasted chicken with herbs de Provence.

German Gilabert Cava Cava is Spain’s most popular sparking wine. What most people don’t know is that regulation requires that all Cava is made in exactly the same method as France’s highly esteemed Champagnes. What is important to me about that is the value that Cava gives us—sparkling elegant delicious wines for a fraction of the French counterparts. They are not the same, but they are made the same way. I like bubbles frequently, and this is a favorite of mine. The grapes come from the Alt Penedes region, which is the highest elevation in the region. This Cava is bottled without dosage, so for those seeking a natural wine, this is your bubble! The wine is fresh, critusy, and minerally. The bubbles are soft and elegant, and the body of the wine is weighty on the palate, with a lovely richness. The wine is dry and has concentrated flavor. It is wonderful with full flavored apps like serrano and manchego, Spanish tortilla, anchovies, & spicy roasted shrimp.

Cantina del Taburno, Sannio Aglianico, Fidelis This Italian producer is a consortium, established in 1901, which has had an extremely important role in the agriculture in the Sannio area. The winery was constructed in 1972 in the township of Foglianise, which has become a philosophical and economic model for other wineries and consortium because of its positive impact on the economy of the area. The group extends 600 some odd hectares within the sones on the slopes of Mount Taburno. The wines are grown and produced within rigorous technical care. They all share a commitment to the approach of working with little manipulation. Good grapes cared for simply and thoughtfully. The wine has intense ripe aromatics that draw you in to the glass. It is smooth with ripe red fruit and tobacco, earth,, an black pepper.. The wine warms you. The tannins add texture, and there is nice long lingering spice on the finish. Enjoy this with a bowl of macaroni kissed with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Bodegas Olivares, Altos de la Hoya, Monastrell. The Olivares family began making wine in this harsh and beautiful landscape In the early 20th century. Their passion and love of the earth makes for their commitment to create natural and unique wines that are faithful to the place. The wine has a deep red color in the glass, it is ripe and powerful on the palate with red fruits and spice—black pepper, baking spices, red chili,, and dark rich red fruits. This one is a crowd pleaser, and is very food flexible. I like it with a burger, but it is also great with pastas, roasted vegetables, and risotto is time allows!

Select Wines

Villa Creek Cherry House White Blend, Paso Robes As with so many of the wines that I select, this wine begins in the vineyard, with great vines, carefully cultivated by a passionate grower. That is precisely what they have at Villa creek. The vineyard is on the West side of Paso Robles and at elevations of 1500-1800 feet, they have ideal growing conditions with calcareous soils and south facing slopes. This white blend is Clairette and Grenache blanc, just two of their Rhone varietals grown on the vineyards. The wine is rich, full bodied, and full flavored. It has almond and apricot notes, with a melon finish, and a touch of honey. I love this wine. I would like it with a pan seared roasted swordfish steak, which is just what I am having for dinner!

Agostina Pieri, Rosso di Montalcino This Sangiovese from Montalcino will knock your socks off. The wine maker seeks a balance between old and new world style. They ferment in stainless and age in neutral barrels, which gives the wine a balance of youth approachable fruit and freshness, but also texture and tannins, that allow for age-ability. The nose is compelling with aromas of plum, anise, black current, and a touch of smoke and bacon fat. On the palate, I get intensity of flavor with a gentle touch, or a more elegant feel. The wine wants food, so indulge her with something of intense flavor like roasted meats, tomato rich sauces, pizza…or truth be told, I just discovered that this wine pairs well with dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Who knew?

Villa Creek Cherry House Red As I mentioned above, this producer is doing wonderful things with Rhone varietals, and tis Grenache/Carignan/Mouvedre blend is no exception. The wine just sings. You get a sense that they treat very gently, so it does not struggle into being. Instead, the whole cluster fermentation in concrete, followed by a gentle pressing produces a soft, fresh, playful and tasty wine. There are cherry notes on the front palate that are very appealing, followed by a little tea leaf and mushroom, and then a nice touch of spice on the finish. I would like to make a quiche Lorraine for this wine with a big salad and some crusty bread.

Paul Janin Moulin-a-Vents This is a biodynamic Gamay that is so elegant and fresh. It grows in very worn granite soils, so perhaps it has an old soul. The vines are 40-70 years old, pruned traditionally in the Gobelet style, and the soil is worked by plough quarterly. All harvesting and field work is done by hand, the wine goes through a slow and gentle fermentation on fine lees with micro-oxygenation, which is why the wine can taste youthful and fresh, but feel as if it is mature and experienced. There is ripe plum on the nose, with a subtle hint of rose petals. It is medium bodied with a very compelling fleshy mouth feel that is followed by chalking tannins and ripe acidity. I like the ripeness of this wine, but it is a bit more full bodied than other gamays, so be prepared for that. It would not be bad as a sipper, but it would be delicious with a pile of sautéed mushrooms and leeks with buttered toast. Voila!

Collector Wines

Enjoying Brugunday’s most recent Charmed Vintage 2017!

Chateau Puligny-Montrachet, Saint Aubin 1er Cru, En Remilly. This is a remarkable bottle of Chardonnay. For starters, 2017 was a solid growing season, despite a fearful early frost that the wine makers rallied against with hay fires and all other means of warming their vineyards. The communal effort to fight against the elements are truly heart warming, and worked! They were able to keep the frost at bay, and the result was a wonderful and abundant 2017 for both reds and whites.

This Chardonnay is expressive immediately in the glass with a mineral driven bouquet. It is a focused win, by which I mean that there is nothing loose or flabby about it. It is lean, balanced, vibrant. It has a richness of fruit on the mid palate that is succulent and then gives way to a subtle minerality and a touch of citrus on the finish. The wine will continue to develop if you have time to give it. This wine is worth cooking for, so roast a duck breast, pan sear some halibut, roast some Brussels, sauté a few mushrooms, but do it all & swoon.

90-92 WA, 89-92 BH

Distributor’s Notes: Vineyard Road

In 2002 Etienne de Montille, of the Domaine de Montille in Volnay, was appointed as manager of the Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet and began a transformation at this estate. Organic farming began in 2002, and since 2005 they have been working using biodynamic farming practices as well. The Chateau was purchased by the Montille family in the spring of 2012, raising its standards and reputation significantly. The percentage of new wood is limited to 10%-20% for Village wines, slightly more for the Premier and Grands Crus. The Chateau's underground cellars were renovated as well and are in use again. They favor wines of purity, elegance and harmony over power and concentration.

Surface area: 1.70 hectare
Production : 760 cases (12x750ml)
% new barrels : 15%
alcohol : 13%vol
ph :3.12

The appellation: There are vines geographically situated that adjoin the greatest appellations. Our Saint-Aubin Premier Cru "En Remilly" is one of them. Located just behind Le Montrachet – mid-slope at the exit of the valley with a due east exposition and a thin and rocky soil – its positioning is truly privileged. We believe that "Remilly" comes from a former Romain proprietor named Romilius.

A significant part of this approximately 70-year-old, 1.7 hectares vineyard produces our massale selections.

The wine, one of our favorites from the Domaine, results from an equilibrium between the powerful and generous character thanks to its south-facing exposition and its mineral restraint attributable to its meager and rocky soils.

The wines, the style: Our wines are known for their great aromatic purity. We always favor balance and elegance over power and extraction. The wines are classic expressions of Burgundy, of their appellations in general and of their specific terroirs in particular. The farming methods we use contribute to this individual style, and our winemaking methods aim to avoid excessive outside influences in order to bring out the equilibrium that can be found naturally in Burgundian terroir.

All our fruit is hand-harvested. Thanks to pneumatic presses, we can calibrate our presses to fit the quality of the grapes and the profile of the vintage. After a light settling, the musts are placed mostly in 600-liter barrels as well as in 228-liter barrels, where the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place.

We use approximately five to twenty percent new casks primarily made from Allier wood that sees a long yet light toasting. The first racking occurs after about one year of wood aging, after which begins the second, four- to six-month phase in stainless steel, which preserves the wine's freshness and tension. We finish the aging with a light fining followed by a similarly light and respectful filtration before bottling.

Tending the Vines: We began organic farming in all of the parcels of the Domaine du Château de Puligny-Montrachet in 2002. Since 2005, biodynamic viticulture has accompanied this practice in our efforts to fully respect these living soils.

The vintage: The 2017 vintage at Domaine de Montille started off with a very tricky spring.

The vineyards on the slopes withstood the frost, unlike in 2016, where the frost damaged, the vineyard untypically, unevenly and mainly in the white vineyards. The 2017 spring concentrated the cold in low lying parcels meaning that the majority of vignerons lost buds in their Bourgogne or even Aligoté parcels. The loss is usually considered acceptable compared to losing fruit in village or primer cru appellations.

In white, it is a great vintage, crystallized, beautiful aromatic complexity, mixed with hawthorn, white flowers and citrus fruit. Early harvest, started on the 29th of September, so we were able to quite the freshness and tension of the vintage. The texture is fluid, the mouths are big, deep and saline. It is closer to 2014 and 2007, than the last vintages will be in my opinion, ready earlier (3 to 7 years) even if these wines will flourish over time.

Sylvain Pataille Marsanny Rouge. Another 2017, and the reds have gotten reviews even more glowing than the whites. This one is truly elegant, and is actually drinking nicely now but given time this will mature beautifully. There is a freshness that I admire now, but I am eager to see how this develops over time.

Distributor’s Notes

LOCATION: Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay. Size, varieties, etc: 14 hectares planted to pinot noir, chardonnay, chardonnay rose, pinot blanc, pinot beurot, pinot gris.
VITICULTURE: organic (not certified). WINEMAKING: though the proportion will vary according to the vintage, Sylvain is firmly in the whole cluster camp. He has also been striving to eliminate the use of sulphur during vinification and aging: for most cuvées in 2013, it was only added in at a low dose during bottling.
Noteworthy: Sylvain started in wine as a consulting enologist and his client roster includes some of the famous domaines in the Côte d’Or. He is considered by his peers to be one of the best and brightest young winemakers in Burgundy.

Maria ChiancolaDecember 3, 2020