The Barrel Select Cab is made entirely from Hillside Vineyard fruit (located on the Oregon side of the Columbia Valley AVA). The vineyard has stunning views of mighty Mt. Hood and the Columbia River. It is fairly steeply sloped and it is home to a number of different grape varieties—in fact, cab may not even be its best one!
The 2007 Barrel Select Cab is a plushly textured mix of berries, tobacco, mocha and eucalyptus. It makes a fine foil for braises and grilled meats, and is surprisingly chocolate friendly, too. It's drinking wonderfully now, but will certainly evolve over the next 10 years.
72 cases produced
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Beacon Wine & Spirits for $38.99/bottle
Harry’s Vineyard is located at 500 feet above sea level in Coombsville just east of the city of Napa. The soil is clay formed out of weathered volcanic rock.
The 2006 Harry’s Cab is reserved and earthy, and opens to plum and berry fruit, cedar and bittersweet chocolate notes. It is both approachable now and built to last thanks to its zesty, bay-influenced acidity.
221 cases produced
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Blue Hill Restaurant for $110/bottle
The fruit for this mountain cab is sourced from Tony’s Vineyard, which is composed primarily of volcanic rock and located 1,650 feet above sea level.
The 2006 Spring Mountain Cab is intense, yet in control, with fresh notes of plum, cherry, red currant and dust. Its taut acidity and balance suggest a very long life, though it’s lovely to drink now.
123 cases produced
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First & Vine for $55.99/bottle
Frankly Wines for $49.99/bottle
The fruit for the Rutherford Cab is sourced from the Heritage Vineyard, which borders Conn Creek in the prestigious Rutherford appellation.
The 2006 Rutherford Cab shows intriguing scents of mulberry, tangy red fruit, green olive and the area’s telltale dust. It’s creamy and plush in the mouth with integrated flavors of blackberry, coffee bean and mocha.
99 cases produced
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Embassy Wines & Spirits for $47.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!
First & Vine for $55.99/bottle
Martin Brothers Wines & Spirits for $43.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!
Penn Wine & Spirits for $46/bottle SOLD OUT!!
Blue Hill for $110/bottle
Pierre is blend of 52% syrah and 48% cabernet sauvignon from the McKinley Springs Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills, an up-and-coming appellation recently carved out of the huge Columbia Valley AVA. Named for Alexis’ father, Pierre is also a tribute to a humble vin de pays they shared on their first date.
The combination of cab and syrah has never been one that I've been fond of, though the Australians certainly do a good job with it. To me, syrah and cab are so themselves that it doesn't work to put them in the same bottle. It's like telling two Type As to defer to each other. And when I got a sample of Pierre from the Pouillons, I thought that it would probably be well made, but I didn't anticipate telling them I loved it. So much for assumptions made by former wine writers!
The 2007 Pierre seamlessly integrates a bold kirsch-like texture with notes of cherry, tobacco and dusty earth. Pair it with burgers and other grilled fare.
375 cases produced
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Beacon Wine & Spirits for $24.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!!!!!
Penn Wine & Spirits for $25/bottle
Vestry Wines for $25/bottle
West Side Steakhouse for $13/glass; $42/bottle
Their estate windmill (moulin in French) lends its name to this blend of 60% roussanne/40% viognier from the blustery Coyote Canyon Vineyard in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills appellation.
This is the wine that made it perfectly clear to me how talented the Pouillons are as winemakers. Typically, we save our adulation for trophy wines, wines that cost per bottle what this little beauty does a case. Or at the very least, we worship at the alter of the "big" grapes, most of which are reds.
When was the last time you heard of someone raving about a roussanne/viognier blend? Never. Because not only are these very important Rhône whites not chardonnay, they aren't often put together in a two-grape blend to begin with. (Creating odd couples appears to be a Domaine Pouillon pattern, however.) Viognier is a freak. It is unbelievably expressive, yet it, like gewürztraminer perhaps, is also capable of being so flabby and acidity challenged that it can result in wines that have the consistency of syrup.
Roussanne tempers the viognier's baser qualities in this wine. It lends some backbone to the lovely floral and ripe notes offered up by the viognier. It's mind boggling to me how these two opposites could even be grown in the same vineyard. The Pouillons, in a neat counter-intuitive way, seem to focus on what might work between two disparate grapes (Pierre is an example, as well) rather than what might not, which is what most winemakers would do.
The 2007 Moulin shows rich stone fruit, honey and dewy floral notes. Finishing with a citrusy flourish, it’s an apt match for fruity or tangy white meat and fish dishes.
While I'm not usually one to tell people what temperature to serve any wine (though I certainly have my opinions), in the case of the Blanc du Moulin, I feel I must. Because of the serious ripeness of the fruit (Alexis said that his analysis indicated that the potential alcohol for this wine was a whopping 14.9%), this wine shouldn't be served right out of the fridge. If you do, you'll get a lot of the alcohol and none of the nuance. That said, once you take it out of the fridge, you won't need an ice bucket to keep it cool. I've had bottles open during tastings for the better part of an hour, and the Moulin just gets better and better as it slowly warms up. So, don't treat it like a white and don't treat it like a red. It's somewhere in the middle.
352 cases produced
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Martin Brothers for $17.99/bottle Sold out!!!! But Martin Brothers has the 2008 and it's the same price.
Penn Wine & Spirits for $19/bottle Sold out!!!!
Surburban Wines & Spirits $19.99/bottle Sold out!!!!
Telepan for $54/bottle Sold out!!!!
Compared to the dewy Willamette Valley, Oregon's portion of the Columbia Valley AVA—a rarity among appellations because it crosses state lines—is practically a desert more closely resembling Eastern Washington than its pinot-centric and most well-known wine region.
THE OREGON INTRO WILL COME SHORTLY!
The Columbia River's impact on Eastern Washington winemaking is no more dramatic than in the Columbia Gorge. This relatively young appellation is situated on the left of the river; Oregon is to the right.
THE WASHINGTON INTRO WILL COME SHORTLY!
At long last, this and Château de Béru's lovely Clos Béru were the first of my wines from the other side of the pond to be put on offer. And the arrival date was, I think, portentous in the best possible way. June 6, 2010, while not having the same resonance as June 6, 1944, will always mark the day of a French invasion of sorts. (For those left scratching their heads at the date reference, think "Saving Private Ryan.") The ship came into port, unloaded its precious cargo, and I finally exercised the "importer" aspect of my many licenses and permits.
Despite having a very long history with vines, the 2007 Chablis is only the third vintage bearing the family name in many generations. It does, however, show that Athénaïs de Béru has hit her stride as the family winemaker.
Deeply lemony and fresh, the ’07 is the epitome of unoaked Chablis. Pair it with shellfish, ceviches, delicately sauced fish and chicken dishes, as well as cheese.
The 2007 was fermented and aged for nine months on its lees (the important detritus that is the result of the fermentation process) in stainless steel tanks. It's not even packed in wood cases! Bâtonnage (essentially, a gentle stirring in order to mix the juice with the lees) took place at the conclusion of the primary (alcoholic) and malolactic (the process of converting the harsher malic acid into softer lactic acid) fermentations. (Just about all reds go through malo, as it's often called for short, and many, many whites do as well.)
There are two very distinct schools of production in Chablis. One embraces stainless steel tanks, the other embraces oak. Often there is overlap. While time indeed marches on, for me the historically truest style of Chablis is unoaked. Citrus, minerals and chalk are the hallmarks of chardonnay from this place of marginal weather and very complex geology. The more wood, the more the wines tend toward chardonnay's tropical side. Nothing wrong with that; it's a matter of preference, and for my money, I want my Chablis to bite me with its vigorous acidity. Oak tempers that freshness.
15 cases imported for New York
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Penn Wine & Spirits for $29/bottle
Dovetail for $68/bottle Sold out!!!
Print. for $54/bottle Sold out!!!
Located just outside the town of Santenay (and within sight of the Chapelle home), the Saint-Jean vineyard is devoted mostly to pinot noir, but there are a few prized parcels of chardonnay. And the same might be said of the Santenay appellation as a whole, where chardonnay is outnumbered by big multiples by pinot, something that is a bit unusual in the Côte de Beaune, the "half" of the Côte d'Or generally thought of as much more white oriented than red.
Perhaps because Santenay, a commune, by the way, that has improved its standing considerably in the last 10 or so years, is really red country, the chardonnay that comes from here is generally on the full-bodied side.
The 2007 Saint-Jean is floral and perfumed with lusciously ripe citrus and spice notes. Because of its generous mouth-feel, it is a lovely match for rich fish and chicken dishes, particularly if citrus and butter are involved in the preparation.
Alcohol 13%
120 bottles imported into New York (2,900 bottles produced)
16-year average vine age; organically grown and vinified
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Pour for $45/bottle
Print for $68/bottle
Dovetail for $77/bottle
Kennedy's for $17/glass; $60/bottle
Chapelle’s Premier Cru Morgeot pinot vines are situated right next to his chardonnay, an unusual juxtaposition in Burgundy, because chardonnay and pinot noir have different needs. As Chapelle told me when I visited with him in July 2009, he considers his portion of Morgeot to be particularly suited to pinot, going so far as to call his white Morgeot "a chardonnay made in pinot noir soil."
Historically, there were always much more pinot noir vines planted in Morgeot than chardonnay. But long before pinot became the rage again thanks to "Sideways," the appellation moved decidedly toward whites. And in fact, it's doubtful that many Burgundy fans younger than the Greatest Gneration would associate Morgeot with anything but chardonnay. Nothing wrong with that bit of historical ignorance because in truth, until the last 10 years or so, I've always been underwhelmed by red Morgeot. It struck me as thin and reedy. Chapelle, while not agreeing, did point out that many vingerons have redoubled their efforts in the vineyard. The payoff is obvious.
The 2007 Morgeot shows ample black fruit and earth notes, and the promise of continued development over the next half-dozen years. Pair it with grilled and roasted meat, and red wine- and mushroom-based sauces.
Alcohol 13%
60 bottles imported into New York (4,250 bottles produced)
45-year average vine age; organically grown and vinified
10 months in barrel (25% new)
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Penn Wine for $45.99/bottle
The Vris vineyard is situated a stone’s throw from the prestigious Aloxe-Corton commune and within site of Le Corton, one of Burgundy’s most hallowed place names.
Les Vris is a great illustration of what makes Burgundy so inexplicably charming and complex. As we stood in the vineyard during my visit with Jean-François and his family in July 2009, I could have tossed a stone—or baseball—to pinot noir vines in the more famous Aloxe-Corton appellation. Literally. Some of those vineyards are accorded premier cru status, as is a vineyard situated in Ladoix right next to Les Vris.
And just past where my ball would landed is Corton, a place on every pinot-phile's shortlist. And it is rated grand cru. The difference between these vineyards? Not so much the soil, though there are variations. It comes down to sometimes slight differences in exposure and elevation. That's Burgundy.
The 2007 Ladoix is intensely floral with ample berry, rhubarb and orange peel notes, as well as balancing acidity. It pairs well with red meats, and is not too tannic to overwhelm roasted, grilled or braised salmon.
Alcohol 13%
180 bottles imported into New York (3,100 bottles produced)
45-year average vine age; organically grown and vinified
10 months of barrel aging
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Pour for $39/bottle
Dovetail for $68/bottle
Kennedy's for $16/glass; $55/bottle