Page 23 - Staff Tastings

Established in 1976, Domaine Paul Chapelle is a relatively young domaine by Burgundy standards.  Prior to starting his own domaine, Paul Chapelle had made a name for himself as a consulting oenologist at some of the best estates in the Côte de Beaune.

Retiring after the 1995 vintage, he handed over the reigns to his son-in-law, who was responsible for the vineyard management and winemaking from 1996 - 2009.  The reigns have since been passed to Chapelle's daughter, Christine Beck Chapelle, who has re-immersed herself in the domaine and today oversees all aspects. 

We recently just acquired his 2011 AC Puligny Montrachet, and I thought it was worth looking into.  In fact, anytime we get a Puligny in stock that is under-$50 a bottle, it always intrigues my curiosity.  And with summer in full swing, I’m always looking for new white wines to try. 

So as you can see, I had plenty of reasons to test out this so

When it comes to smaller Champagne houses, Coutier is by far one of my favorites.  The wines always deliver amazing quality at more-than-reasonable prices.  This estate is located in Ambonnay, a village with a reputation for bold Champagnes.  This fine Champagne produced from 100% Chardonnay grapes from this Grand Cru village is definitely a rarity as this village is known almost exclusively for its Pinot Noir based wines.

An important distinction to make here is that Coutier is a grower Champagne. Grower Champagnes are significantly different - before they work their magic in the cellar, grower families are involved in every aspect of viticulture, from the caring of the soil to pruning of the vines and harvesting.  Think of grower Champagne this way.  You need a tomato.  You head to the grocery store and buy an industrial hothouse tomato grown thousands of miles away, or do you visit your local farmer’s market and buy an organic heirloom

Evening Land is a name derived from Greek mythology.  As the story goes, the rays of the western sun were connected to golden fruit in a beautiful garden.  Just out of the reach of mortals, the fruit brought immortality.  The Evening Land Vineyard though is poised on the western most edge of California in the Santa Rita Hills.  The coastal fog contributes to the cool climate and long growing season and assists the grapes in achieving perfect balance between ripeness and acidity.  These vineyards are planted with only California heritage clones, which are farmed organically and winemaker Sashi Moorman is guided by the same philosophy he followed as a sous chef in New York City and the nation’s capitol – “always use superlative ingredients.”  His winemaking style gives a nod to the Burgundian tradition, one that includes stewardship of the land and expression of the vineyard and vintage.

This past Sunday evening was a great

Quality is the very first thing I recognized when opening a bottle of the 2007 D'Alfonso-Curran Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict (94 Points, Wine Spectator / $45.95).  Coming from the duo team of winemakers with more than 50 years of experience, this wasn’t surprising.

There is bright red and the classic black fruit up front on this one.  As it opens, there definitely is some sweetness - vanilla and caramel - along with floral and oak elements.  The finish is crisp with some mineral and spice feel.  I kept thinking that this will be the perfect bottle of California Pinot for the fall season.

Bruno D’Alfonso (formerly of Chalone) and Kris Curran (formerly of Sea Smoke fame) are passionate winemakers and should be considered artisanal Pinot Noir producers.  They know Pinot Noir and the 2007 D'Alfonso-Curran Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict proves it.  The D’Alfonso-Curran label is the premium effort in their family

Alto Adige is one of the northernmost regions in Italy, with vineyards located at the base of the scenic Dolomites and Italian Alps.  This allows for a long ripening season with large diurnal temperature variation providing perfect conditions for wines with wonderful aromatics, great acidity and excellent minerality. 

So when Antonio Galloni posted his report on the wines of Alto Adige in May, I looked through it searching for a handful of their whites to add to our inventory with the summer weather approaching.  To my surprise what piqued my interest most was a red wine that scored 94 points for under $30 that he called “without question one of the most compelling expressions of this indigenous grape” ~ Nusserhof’s 2007 Lagrein Riserva.

Lagrein is best known as a food-friendly red wine that pairs wonderfully with hearty stews, braises, and aged mountain cheeses.  For most it is a winter wine, or at least enjoyed during the

Post Memorial Day represents the kick-off of the BEST time of year: grilling season! It's time to dig out the charcoal from the far corners of your garage because your grill is screaming for attention. Not only can I start wearing white jeans, but I can also start planning my summertime menu comprised of fresh herbs, veggies and whatever my back yard has to offer. I am one happy girl! 

In anticipation of doing a lot of entertaining this summer, I've (naturally) stocked my cellar to the brim with grill-friendly values including 2011 D'esclans Whispering Angel Rose and 2007 Waterstone, but what about a mid-level priced wine for that special occasion or holiday? I've set out to find two exceptional and affordable bottles that will definitely impress your guests. Here's what I found!

At only $54.99 a bottle, you'd be hard pressed to find a more focused, classic Chassagne Montrachet. Medium-bodied on the palate with hints of

For practical reasons, we gravitate to the lighter side of things during the summer whether it's shoes or wine. I'll leave the shoe talk for Esquire and Vogue, but I want to reintroduce the fantastic 2009 Antica Chardonnay (94 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate) to you.

This Napa, California gem gives much hope to those who think they may not/do not like California Chardonnay (or anything white for that matter). I am a full on red kind of guy, but whites this good are to be appreciated and enjoyed as well, and there is a lot of both to go around. It's light in the sense that it's perfect for summer. This very well may be the bottle of white that can turn you! 

Earthy characteristics are in here for sure. There is mineral overtone that you don't often find in a California Chardonnay. It could even be considered more like a White Burgundy due to this aspect.  There is no butter

One of my favorite so called wine seasons definitely has to be Rosé season! There's nothing like a crisp, refreshing Rosé when the summer season is in full swing. There are plenty of great ones out there, but these are my two favorites that we have in stock.

My favorite Rosé house has to be D'Esclans, which is owned by Sasha Lichine, a very well-known figure in the wine world. He bought the chateau in 2006 with a clearly stated ambition - "to make the Best Rosé Wines in the World." To go about achieving that goal, he brought in Patrick Léon as the consulting oenologist. Patrick has an extensive resume working for some of the best chateaux in Bordeaux and is probably best known for his work at Chateau Mouton Rothschild. D'Esclans has four different Rosés in their line-up, ranging from $17.99/btl all the way up to $99.95/btl. It's fun to taste all the cuvees side-by-side as you can really detect the different nuances in each. The best

Summer is here and that means refreshing and delicious whites. One of the newer finds we've enjoyed recently is Domaine Sigalas' 2011 Santorini which is produced from one of the island's indigenous varietals, Assyrtiko.

Domaine Sigalas was founded in 1991 on Santorini, part of the island complex of Cyclades located in the South Aegean Sea about 120 miles southeast of Greece's mainland. The island is essentially the remnant of a volcanic caldera, and the soil a mixture of ash, pumice and sand. It is the lack of clay and extremely high sand content of this soil that allows Santorini to remain one of the rare viticultural regions in the world not affected by the phylloxera pest. Therefore, the vines retain their original rootstock and are classified as old vines being over 50 years of age.

As there usually isn't any rain during their summer, the principal source of moisture is dew from nocturnal fog. As the sun sets, the high daytime temperatures fall and the humidity

Summer is in full swing, and I love to have nice, crisp white wines around for this season. These types of whites are extremely versatile and are very refreshing for the summer heat. And the best part is that you don't even need food! These summertime sippers are great on their own, or you can pair them with anything from the bounty of the sea to grilled delights. 

I have two white wines in mind right now that are perfect for this season's festivities:

2010 Domaine du Haut Bourg Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu Sur Lie - $12.99/bottle, and 2010 Domaine des Vieux Pruniers Sancerre - $17.99/bottle. 

Both of these wines have an amazing balance of fruit and acidity. Granny Smith apples, lemon zest, honeydew, melon and minerals are just a few of the lovely aromas and flavors that you'll find in these wines. Bordering on tart, either of these whites will leave your mouth