Found this fresh beaut of old vine, low yield (25hl per hectare) grolleau from schistic soils during the Renaissance. It’s made in Anjou using whole cluster fermentation, with three weeks... read more →
Fabio makes this attention-getting lowish acid wine from old-vine malvar culled from the slopes around Madrid. The color is rosé, the spirit is orange. Low in acid which makes this... read more →
Having worked at both Prieuré Roch and Domaine de Chassorney gives a fair idea of the lineage Nicolas Testard comes from. He’s got 11 hectares in Saint-Étienne-la-Varenne, about a 17-minute... read more →
Sourced from Volnay vines, this was particularly stunning in a line-up. Less so when I had it for dinner. But it is just young. The next day, the Oregon-like fruit... read more →
Love me those dark rosés. And when this one was opened amidst all the others with loftier pedigree than the banks of Niagara on the Canadian side, I chose it... read more →
I’ve been an unabashed fan of Nicolas since I first visited his tiny domaine in 2015. Ever since I pounce on his new vintages with eagerness. This gave pure pleasure.... read more →
From the hot-as-hell vintage of 2017 comes a 13.5 ABV grignolino charmer. Usually this tannic grape gets disrespected with the soif treatment—a quick, fizzy ferment. But when you taste this... read more →
Out of a sensible cooperative in the southern Rhône comes a classic: full-bodied with good tannin and balance. The fruit is dark bing cherry balanced by spice, licorice, and a... read more →
While researching Naked Wine, I wandered into the Ardeche and spent the night carousing with the band of winemakers up there. Among them, Andre Calek, Sylvain Bock, Gerald Oustric and... read more →
Simple, straightforward yet layered enough to give plenty of pleasure. Touches of fennel on the powerful, rose and violet inflected fruit with a bit of iron punch.