2011 Julia Moro La Combe Perdue Châteauneuf-du-Pape
“La Combe Perdue” means the lost valley. It also, apparently, means the lost wine. Scanning the world’s wine databases for this gem is fruitless:…
France
2012 Henriot Champagne
Henriot’s 2012 vintage wine is a little more than half Chardonnay and a little less than half Pinot noir. The grapes are from premier…
2020 Domaine des Sanzay Rosé Saumur
This is a pressed wine, one hundred percent Cabernet Franc, organically grown on forty-year-old vines. The fruit is pressed, fermented with ambient yeasts in…
NV Noël Bazin L’unanime Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
The assemblage comprises half vintage 2017 and half solera, all Chardonnay (naturally). The body offers a minuscule bead and sherried aromas, profoundly nutty with…
NV Bardoux Père et Fils Brut Traditionnel Champagne
The Bardoux family have been growers in the hamlet of Villedommage since 1684. In 1929, the family established their own marque. Since 1973, the…
2015 La Grange Tiphaine Nouveau Nez Montlouis-sur-Loire
Damien Delecheneau’s Montlouis-sur-Loire is fully dry, made from organic, young-vine Chenin. The wine is bottled before primary fermentation is complete to create the sparkle….
2017 Faury Saint Joseph Blanc
Lionel Faury’s white Saint Joseph is 60 percent Marsanne and 40 percent Roussanne, aged in a mix of tank and barrel. It’s a clear…
2018 Faury Saint Joseph Rouge
This wine is 100 percent Syrah, as required for Saint Joseph red. The robe is nearly opaque, a deep velvety garnet. The wine is…
2018 Domaine Ligier Poulsard Arbois
Ligier’s Poulsard is hand-harvested and spends a year in large vats prior to bottling. It’s a limpid garnet color with a faint orange cast…
Gosset to Ring in the New Year
On a sweeping tour of France in 2017, I had the good chance to visit Gosset at their gracious facility in Épernay, tasting their…
1974 Terrassous Vin Doux Naturel Rivesaltes
This extraordinary vintage vin doux naturel is a 50/50 blend of Grenache blanc and gris. After vinification and mutage (the addition of grape spirit…
2018 Les Vignes Oubliées Terrasses du Larzac
The vignes oubliées in question are old, head trained Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah vines, planted in small plots at 300 to 400 meters of…