Inspiring Thirst An inside look at the wines of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant.

VALUES OF THE MONTH

selected by kermit lynch

by Dixon Brooke

We’ve got two Kermit Lynch custom selections here, an old friend and a new face. We are excited about having a white selection out of Italy, even more so since it is from an area we rarely travel—the Marche region along the Adriatic coast, due east from Tuscany. Whites that deliver this much pleasure and value are elusive.

2014 VERDICCHIO DEI CASTELLI DI JESI >

For those long familiar with our French portfolio, I’ll call this wine the Muscadet of Italy. With its inviting aromatics of yellow fruits, cut grass, and sea breeze, its dark straw yellow robe, and its pleasant roundness coupled with bright acidity, briny salinity, and invigorating finish, this checks all my boxes for well-made, traditional Melon de Bourgogne from the Sèvre et Maine. But it’s not. It is Italian to the core, from a region with a centuries-old tradition of growing the great Verdicchio grape, and makes an excellent apéritif or a tasty and fitting accompaniment to seafood and light pastas. Buon appetito.

$12.00 per bottle $129.60 per case

2014 CÔTES DU RHÔNE >

For decades, this reliable red wine has been one of our company’s calling cards. Maybe it is because Kermit has spent so much of his life in this area of France, steeped in its cultural, culinary, and vinous traditions. This bottling is kind of like an extension of his personality, and certainly of his habits at table. First of all, the drinkability factor. Here medium-bodied is not an insult—au contraire. Then the flavors: think of sun-baked, Provençal hillsides with their fruit trees and olive groves and (of course) vineyards, growing in fertile earth that hides pungent black truffles. Also, understand that we have the same requirements for value wine as for any wine we import: flawless, well-made, with character and sense of place, enjoyable to drink at table, providing pleasure (the deliciousness factor). Kermit has never hesitated to work as hard, or to express as much interest and giddy excitement, for a simple Côtes du Rhône or Beaujolais as he has for the most reputed grand crus. That is the culture he created at KLWM and one that we will never relinquish. We hope you enjoy our little Côtes du Rhône.

$12.95 per bottle $139.86 per case

WHITE BURGUNDY

by Anthony Lynch

2014 CHABLIS • francine et olivier SAVARY >

The Savary family consistently produces Chablis so classic you could look up the flavor profile on Wikipedia. Their 2014 truly tastes how Chablis should taste: an unmistakable product of soil and grape inimitable anywhere else in the world. You’ll appreciate the Savary for its typicité as well as the righteous price point.

$24.00 per bottle $259.20 per case

2013 POUILLY-FUISSÉ “LA CROIX”
DOMAINE ROBERT-DENOGENT >

The Roberts are onto something very special in the rolling hills of the Mâconnais, crafting wines with a level of purity and drive that all Chardonnays should aspire to achieve. The first step is a diligent selection of terroirs: the lieu-dit in question here, La Croix, features rocky schist soils home to eighty-five-year-old vines. In the cellar, the wine ferments slowly with natural yeasts and ages in barrel for almost two years untouched on its fine lees. Finally, it is bottled unfiltered with a minimal sulfur dose. The 2013 edition comes out rich, generous, and toothsome, with layer upon layer of orchard fruit, flowers, and a subtle creaminess. Upheld by an intense, biting, stony sensation, this masterpiece will drink beautifully for many years.

$44.00 per bottle $475.20 per case

2013 CHABLIS GRAND CRU “VAUDÉSIR”
ROLAND LAVANTUREUX >

How about a grand cru you can dive into right away? This young Chablis will offer loads of pleasure should you choose to indulge tonight. I suggest a bit of aeration or decanting to optimize the experience; then immerse yourself in its unctuous Chardonnay fruit, fleshy, mouth-filling texture, and long finish suggestive of sweet butter and sea salt. It is a rich Chablis with an alluring lavishness, which I expect will slim down to show its mineral bones as the years go by.

$75.00 per bottle $810.00 per case