June Newsletter: Typicity, Clos Canarelli, Breton Sampler

The June newsletter is now available.
Click here to download the pdf.


PREARRIVAL OFFER

2010 DOMAINE
LUCIEN BOILLOT & FILS

by Dixon Brooke

Pierre Boillot is responsible for crafting these grand wines, and he does it with a gentlemanly panache that seems to be one of the hallmarks of the best red Burgundies. Pierre is always good for an old bottle whenever I visit my adoptive home in Burgundy, and he enjoys relating stories of his long-term clients who call him with tales of great old bottles from their cellars. He also receives the opposite critique: that his wines are too old school, too tautly structured, that he should soften them up a bit more and use some more new oak, maybe update his classic label. He tells them to go buy their Burgundy somewhere else. You probably will not find a more ardent defender of the great Burgundian tradition than Monsieur Boillot. For our palates, these are some of Burgundy’s best red wines today, without a doubt. His 2010s are tours de force of their respective terroirs that will drink well for many, many years.

per bottle

2010 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Angles”

 $60.00

2010 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Caillerets”

 69.00

2010 Pommard 1er Cru “Les Croix Noires”

 68.00

2010 Gevrey-Chambertin

 46.50

2010 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “La Perriere”

 68.00

2010 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Corbeaux”

 68.00

2010 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Cherbaudes”

 79.50

2010 Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru “Les Pruliers”

 79.50

Half-payment due with order;
balance due upon arrival.

GIRO D’ITALIA

by Clark Z. Terry

This carefully selected Italian trio gives you a quick tour of some key regions: Friuli, Sicily, and Piedmont. The wines are classics, highlighting traditional grape varieties and time-honored styles.

2010 RIBOLLA GIALLA • LA VIARTE

Nearly nonexistent may be the best way to describe the grape Ribolla Gialla, as it now accounts for less than one percent of the white wine produced in its native region of Friuli (Jancis Robinson, The Oxford Companion to Wine). This unfortunate fact is in direct contrast to the length of time that Ribolla has existed in Italy—it dates back to 1289. Helping to preserve this grape variety is important not just for cultural reasons but because, frankly, the final product is stunning. Fresh grapefruit and bright acidity make this wine simply irresistible.

$18.00 per bottle $194.40 per case

2009 ELORO NERO D’AVOLA
“SPACCAFORNO” • RIOFAVARA

Retail vet Michael Butler just returned from vacation in Sicily—here’s what he had to say after visiting Riofavara:

The Spaccaforno takes its name from the original name of the city of Ispica in southeastern Sicily. Prior to the great earthquake of 1693, the people who now live in Ispica lived in the eight-mile-long gorge that runs from Ispica to Modica. It was riddled with limestone caves that were used as homes, shops, churches, etc., and some were also used as tombs (a forno is a name for an ancient stone tomb with a shape similar to an oven). After the earthquake destroyed everything, the folks moved up to the plateau and founded the city of Ispica.

There you have it—history in a bottle. Hand-harvested, natural yeasts, and an unfiltered bottling make this wine as traditional as it gets.

$19.95 per bottle $215.46 per case

2010 LANGHE NEBBIOLO • GUIDO PORRO

Let this Langhe Nebbiolo introduce you to the hedonistic pleasures of the Nebbiolo variety, thus leading you down a dangerous path to cellaring Barolo and Barbaresco—wines made from the same grape. Serve it with food—ragús are a natural pairing, but anything off your summer grill will work too.

$25.00 per bottle $270.00 per case

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