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We'd like to thank all our wonderful customers for their support during 2008, both our great Tribeca neighbors and our wine-loving friends around the country. We promise to offer real value and the lowest possible prices in the year to come on America's finest selection of natural, organic and Biodynamic wines. Here are some of our best values and great new arrivals to get 2009 off to an affordable and delicious beginning...

For more than 25 years, Neal Rosenthal has been importing artisanal, small-production wines into the US. The outstanding quality and authenticity of his selections has enriched the American wine trade and has helped to make stores like Chambers Street possible. Mr. Rosenthal will be here to sign his wonderful new book and to give two mini-seminars as we taste some of his wines. This is a great opportunity to meet one of the real heroes of the wine business!

Matthieu Baudry, Pierre Breton, Jean-Paul Brun, Alain Coudert, Gregoire Hubau, Evelyne de Jessy, Claude and Catherine Marechal, Eric and Christine Nicolas, Marc Ollivier and Suzanne Pinon are all coming to 160 Chambers Street on Saturday, March 21st! No, it's not a mistake, Part One of the Louis/Dressner Selections Real Wine Assault 2009 will take place at our former location, currently empty, 160 Chambers Street! Taste dozens of fabulous natural wines unhindered by wine displays, bothersome salespeople and checkout counters! Thrill to the great Beaujolais from Domaine Terres Dorees and Clos de la Roilette, be refreshed by the marvelous Muscadets from Domaine de la Pépiere and the voluptuous Vouvrays of Francois Pinon, be enchanted by the Chenin's of Domaine Belliviere and Domaine Closel, marvel at the elegant Burgundies of Claude Marechal and the delicious Bordeaux of Moulin Pey-Labrie, and, if you like Cabernet Franc, we have the very best - The Bourgueils of Pierre and Catherine Breton and the Chinons of Bernard and Matthieu Baudry! This will be a great tasting and you will then be able to PURCHASE VAST QUANTITIES OF THESE LOVELY WINES in the quiet of our new location at 148 Chambers Street!

Offers like this do not come around very often so run, call, e-mail, send your significant other or do anything else remotely possible to get a bottle of this wine. Giacomo Conterno is arguably the top producer of traditional Barolo in Piedmont and 1982 is sometimes referred to as the last of the great old-school vintages in Piedmont. The next great vintage, 1985, saw much more modern technique used in the region and thus was the beginning of a new age in the Langhe for many producers (if not for Conterno). Conterno is known to age the Cascina Francia cuvee for six years in cask and his Monfortino cuvee for up to 10 years in cask! Obviously commercialism is not on his mind when it comes to making Barolo; the driving force behind the wine is to make the most authentic interpretation of Nebbiolo grown in the Cascina Francia vineyard. The Cascina Francia vineyard located in Serralunga d'Alba (2nd largest Barolo producing village next to La Morra) which typically makes Barolo that is long-lived, intensely structured and incredibly rich. The flavors are typically licorice, tar, camphor and mint. The name Serralunga is a bastardization of the name sera longa which literally means "a long strip of land stretching across a hilltop" which is an apt visual description of this commune.

As you may remember from previous offers, we are convinced that the Produttori del Barbaresco make great wine - and great wine at great prices, relative to many of their neighbors. It was nice to see Eric Asimov mention the Produttori in Wednesday's Times - we agree that their Nebbiolo is a fantastic bargain. Meanwhile, we've just bought this very nice and very nicely priced batch of 1985's - in our not-so-humble opinion a great vintage for Barbaresco and Barolo. We have all of the different crus, so you could easily have a fascinating horizontal tasting. The wines come from a fine cellar in Italy which has supplied us with much great old Nebbiolo; they are now being packed for shipping and will be here in April.

I've been trying to buy Giacosa 1996 for years now, and have finally found some where the prices are fair (I know, I know: they were less expensive a few years ago, but maybe you don't have enough or weren't lucky enough to get them on release).
It's probably not necessary to mention that 1996 is a great, classic vintage in Piemonte... or that Giacosa was a genius... so without further ado... There are a few other Piemontese gems noted below as well; like the Giacosa they all come from professional, temperature and humidity controlled storage.

Francois makes very little of this wine and has never exported it, but this year he agreed to give us a small quantity. It's a blend of Cot (Malbec) and Grolleau and has lovely high-toned red currant fruit, but is earthy and bone-dry. There is not enough of this for a general email, and we urge our Loire Valley customers to grab some before it's gone. Francois is really a putain de vigneron who is doing some of the finest work in the Loire Valey! (Sorry, but 6 bottle maximum per person)

So if you did not get any of Chandon de Briailles fantastic 2005’s, this is your last chance as we have just gotten a small allocation of two more of their wines. Seems like these wines were just here and I was phoning and emailing customers about them. These are biodynamic to the max-wines that express terroir so faithfully it is astonishing. There is such a purity to these wines that as soon as you stick your nose in the glass it is apparent greatness awaits you. We have a small shipment of the Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru “Les Lavieres”, and the Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru “Ile des Vergelesses” which is awesome wine. I had a bottle this summer and was floored by the combination of density allied with ethereal lightness. As the wine aerates it becomes phenomenally complex and picks up weight and richness on the palate. Of course the Pernand is a baby now but it is not crime to open up as there is enough baby fat supporting the structure.

Simon Bize bought his portion of CC in 1999, the vines date to 1957. His Corton Charlemagne is one of the best produced, period. It is the equal or better of any Corton Charlemagne. He produces only 100 cases of this exquisite White Burgundy and we have arranged to purchase 15 cases, a whopping 15% of the entire production! $160 per bottle or $1728 per case with 10% off ($144 per bottle).

With the resounding success of our Paul Pernot offer (people are still calling and most of the wines have been sold out for weeks!) here comes another great offer from one of our favorite and most reliable estates in the Cote de Beaune. Burgundy '05's in general have been very expensive so when there is an offer like the '05 Lafouge wines, which are still relatively unknown in the States, it is something to jump on. In Burgundy, like every other region, there is a definite hierarchy and below the consensus top producers everybody has their favorites. Out of 4,300 Domaines everybody cannot agree on everything so it is nice to have some personal favorites. Lafouge we like to believe is our secret. Well the secret is out.

Some exciting new purchases; all scheduled to arrive this Fall. Most, but not all, will discount 10% with a purchase of any 12 bottles from our inventory.

No question that the 2005 big name wines from Burgundy are both fantastic and very hard to find. And not cheap. Following is a list of some of our recent purchases (mostly offered as pre-arrivals); by no means are all of these expensive - there are some great values for the cellar.
At any rate, here are some more elusive 2005s - Fourrier, Lafarge, etc. As soon as we have more to offer we will let you know.

One of the highlights of our yearly Loire Valley trip is the tasting with Bernard and Matthieu Baudry, at the Salon in Angers or at their beautiful home in Cravant. Each year the Baudry's wines are among the very finest Loire reds, the purity and elegance of the wines reflected by the friendly and thoughtful personalities of Bernard and his son. Since beginning with only 2 hectares in 1982, the estate now has 30 hectares including the new Clos Guillot, a beautiful hillside parcel of sandy clay and limestone. The Baudry's make 5 cuvées of red Chinon from different parcels with different soils, beginning with the "Les Granges," from young vines near the Vienne, giving a wine that drinks well young. The best vallue in the portfolio is perhaps the Cuvée Domaine. The wine is from 35 year-old vines on gravel (80%) and clay/limestone soils (20%) giving a wine with lovely fruit and earthy complexity which takes a couple of years to soften and will keep nicely for another 3 -5 years. This wine is particularly successful in 2005. While the terroir is evident, as always, the fruit is lush and very pretty, and the overall impression was very similar to the wonderful Les Grézeaux. (By the way, those who bought the 1989 Les Grezeaux from me at ******, are now very, very happy...) There is a small (12 cases) shipment of this wine arriving soon, and there wil be an additional shipment later in the fall. Given the reasonble price, despite the plumetting dollar, this wine is Highly Recommended.

Our second large shipment of direct-import Burgundies has arrived, and although the dollar has reached new lows against the Euro, these wines are still terrific values from this great vintage in Burgundy. Producers include Vincent Rapet, Gilles Lafouge, Martin Bart, Domaine Billard and Domaine Nudant. A few wines will need some cellaring but most will drink beautifully now and for the next 3 to 5 years. Read on for the full list... (Wines arrive October 5th) (Photo of Auxey-Duresses courtesy of Alice Feiring)

Our first shipment of direct import Red Burgundies is finally arriving at the store, after weeks of shipping strikes and customs delays. We tasted these wines last February with importer Jeanne-Marie de Champs and were extremely impressed with the high quality at these estates. They all exhibit the lush but well-balanced fruit of this great Burgundy vintage and despite the falling dollar we are still able to offer these delicious wines at reasonable prices!

A few of our 2005 red Burgundy purchases arrived a little too late and were caught in "la Crise"! We're offering the top-flight wines of Simon Bize et Fils and Hughes and Jean-Marc Pavelot at fantastically low prices - take advantage of our need to reduce our inventory, and put some of these lovely 2005's in your cellar... The Savigny "Aux Grand Liards" and "Les Bourgeots" of Bize are superbly elegant wines that will drink at their best with five to ten years of cellaring. True wines of terroir in a "fruit-driven" vintage, these are sensational values for real Burgundy lovers. The Pavelot wines may be a bit fatter but these too are built to last in an elegant, restrained style. These are classic Burgundies from a great vintage - yes, they will need some time but at these prices we think they will reward a little patience...! (The wines are in stock at our store and warehouse and can be delivered within a few days)

A customer of our bought a case of this to cellar but sheepishly called two weeks later for another case. The reason? He had finished the first case already! Domaine des Croix is a new Burgundy producer created from the old Domaine Duchet, centered in Beaune. They have a number of Beaune 1er Crus and a little Corton Charlemagne. They grow their vines on the "lutte raisonee" program of very limited use of pesticides, sulphur, fertilizer, etc. The Beaune 1er Cru Pertuisots is located between the premier crus Aigrots, Vignes Franches, Clos Landry & Les Sizies, just a stones throw from Clos des Mouches. The Domaine des Croix Pertuisots consists of two plots of vines, one is 35 years old, the other is 50. This wine is very open right now with lots of those little red fruits (les petits fruits rouges) very supple, very ripe tannins, good acidity and all of these elements are in perfect balance. Very elegant, very light on its feet, but still powerful and flavory. This is a magnificent and affordable Red Burgundy to buy and cellar. (Or drink!) Don't forget: 10% off any 12 bottles of wine from our inventory...

Scattered across Europe one finds a few truly magical vineyards and the talented winemakers there who create artisanal wines with no connection to the commerciality and mediocrity of international-style winemaking. One such place is the Clos Roche Blanche, perched on a beautiful hillside above the Cher River in Touraine and the winemakers are Catherine Roussel, who took over the estate from her grandfather in 1975, and Didier Barrouillet, who arrived in 1981.

Germany has been blessed with many excellent vintages in a row starting from 2001. But with a superfluous amount of great vintages some get lost in the shuffle. That is the case with 2006 and with 2007 nipping at its heels we need to move through some of our excess 2006’s. 2006 was marked by an incredible amount of material plus very high acidities. These wines will last a long time, are delicious and very big. I love them and bought at least 5 cases for my cellar and I am not done purchasing. The character of the Auslesen is remarkable as the botrytis is clean and pure and the fruit in these wines has to be tasted to be believed. This sale will only go one for one week. It starts as soon as this e-mail goes into your e-mail box and ends next Tuesday at closing of business. These prices are going to be extremely competitive so I would act fast as they will not be here for long.

Finally we are able to offer the 2006 JJ Prum wines, and I am extremely excited. The one wine I was able to taste was out of this world. It was the 2006 Graacher Himmelreich Auslese, and it easily was the best young Graacher Auslese I have had. Incredibly dense and stuffed with fruit but with an ethereal quality that has to be tasted to be believed. How can something so big and rich be so elegant? 2006 was undeniably an Auslese-and-up vintage, and at Prum they do not de-classify that much wine to meet demand for things like QBA, Kabinett or Spatlese so the quantity of Spatlese at Prum this year is incredibly low. I mean really low - and the prices will reflect how small the production of these wines will be. In some cases prices for Spat and Kab will be comparable to the Auslesen, or even slightly above the Auslesen - pure supply and demand pricing. When I visited Prum in August they had just decided to make small amounts of Spatlese to satisfy their long-standing customers, but in general there was much more Auslese because this is an amazing Auslese + vintage in the Middle Mosel.

Recent tastings, with Marc Ollivier at Domain de la Pepiere and Pierre Luneau-Papin, show a vintage of crisp, balanced wines with bright acidity, lovely subtle fruit and great finishing minerality. Older wines once again demonstated the great ageability of these outstanding wines, with the 1996 Clos des Briords (from Pepiere) and the 1995 Luneau-Papin being particularly outstanding! (Photo: Marc Ollivier pouring the 2007 Clos des Briords for CSW manager, Nick Bumstead)

The chatter has started and 2007 is turning out to be a spectacular vintage for Germany. I barrel tasted at a few estates in February (Knebel, Heger, Schnaittman & Van Volxem) and I was very excited as to what I tasted, even if the wines were in an infantile form. They are clear as a summer day with an azure blue sky with scinitillating acidities, lots of extract and fruit and they have stupendous length. This is the first of many offers on the 2007's. The wines will be a touch more expensive than the 2006's but that is the trend these days as the dollar is not worth much versus the Euro these days.

One of my most profound and enjoyable wine visits was our recent trip to the cave of Jean and Pierre Gonon in Mauves, Saint Joseph. Although we have been importing the Gonons wines since 2004, and communicating frequently, we had not had the chance to visit their cellar and taste with them. Jean Gonon greeted us warmly and generously opened vintages going back to 1990 illustrating the great quality and aging potential of both reds and whites from this great domaine.

Once again we are taking your requests for Rieslings from some of the most outstanding producers in the world. We know these laundry list emails can be a little intimidating, but you can trust that we have pared the options down to the wines that most caught our attention... if there's something not listed here (or in our previous 08 German email) that's on your radar, we would be more than happy to do what we can to get the wine in your hands. Just call or email us with your requests! This is a Kabinett and Spatlese vintage, and while you may be weary because we've become accustomed to some very ripe wines of late, remember that relative to what German wine-law requires these beauties are still coming in at over-qualified levels of ripeness. There is plenty of potential here for aging and huge potential for a transparent view of terroir. We are as happy as ever to be enjoying yet another bright moment for German Riesling. As per the previous offer, take advantage of the special pricing (items are non-discountable). The orders are pre-arrival. Please give us your quantity request - all orders are subject to confirmation.

It's that time of year again: officially summer and officially time to drink Riesling and pluck up your share of this year's collector items. It's fair to repeat here the mantra of the vintage: 2008 is the right kind of vintage at the right time. Very little Auslese was made, and the Kabinetts and Spatleses are on the restrained side, especially considering what our palates are acclimated to after the last couple of vintages. But we needed a drink-me vintage, and there will be a great place for these wines - it IS an acid-freak-rock-head vintage, and consequently I am happier with the balance of the wines that have some sort of perceptible RS - as unhip as that may make me. I think these wines will surprise us yet. First up (yes, more to come), some gems from Prum, Donnhoff, Willi Schaefer and AJ Adam! Take advantage of the special pricing (items are non-discountable). The orders are pre-arrival, and the wines will show up in the fall. Please give us your quantity request - all orders are subject to confirmation.

There are still lots of great wines and amazing bargains in stock - don't stop shopping now! All inventory is live on the website.

Join us on Saturday, March 24th for one of New York's greatest wine events of the year, featuring 19 of the most talented winemakers in France. All these growers work in the most "natural" way possible, avoiding chemical treatments in the vineyards or the use of "selected" yeasts or additives of any kind in the cellar. Hand harvesting, low yields, old vines and minimal intervention in the winemaking process produce wines that brilliantly express their terroir and the hard work of these dedicated producers. The tasting will begin at 1:00pm and continue until 7:00pm. Those wishing to taste with all the growers and in less crowded conditions are urged to arrive early! (Jean-Paul Brun and Marc Ollivier leave for the airport at 4:00) There will be a short break (3:45 to 4:00) to regroup.
The Winemakers:
Marc Ollivier and Genevieve Cormerais from the Domaine de la Pepiere
Marc's Muscadet Sevre et Maine is our biggest selling wine almost every year, and is one of the world's greatest values. His Clos des Briords 2005 is an awesome Muscadet that will age beautifully for 10 to 20 years.
Evelyn de Jessy and Isaure de Pontbriand from Domaine du Closel
The Savennieres from Closel are among the very finest Chenin Blancs in the world with subtle, complex fruit and beautiful minerality. Their Clos du Papillon wins awards and praise from critics around the globe.
Francois Pinon, Vouvray
We first visited the Pinon estate back in 1980. Francois took over in 1988 and has become one of the finest growers in Vouvray. Only 15 cases remain of his gorgeous 2005 Vouvray Tradition. His Vouvray Petillant Brut is a dry and complex sparkling wine and his late-harvest Vouvrays are always balanced and lovely.

It finally feels like Fall in New York – hurrah! A chill in the air and our thoughts turn back to fine red wine in earnest. Luckily our friend and esteemed colleague David Weitzenhoffer, expert Sommelier (ex Felidia) and die-hard Piedmont aficionado (keep an eye out for his upcoming book on Barolo, which should be a much-welcome addition to a subject that is sorely neglected in English) has turned his attention to importing a few fine wines. We’ve been very happy selling David’s Friuli Pinot Grigio and Schiopettino from Duline; now we have the pleasure of discovering the Barolos of Giovanni Brezza.

From its first vintage in 1979, Dunn has been renowned for making massive wines that are deeply colored, very rich and very concentrated, pure and very tannic, with long aging potential. The exceptional quality of Dunn’s wine has made Howell Mountain famous, and a sought-after spot for the vineyards of the new Napa zillionaire trophy wineries. Meanwhile Randy Dunn has stuck with his goal of making great wine that will age as long as the best old-style Bordeaux: not for him the soft, anonymous, point-seeking methods that now dominate in Napa. We have a rare vertical offering of the Dunn Howell Mountain, purchased from a distinguished New York collector, and removed from temperature and humidity-controlled storage. The bottles were obtained on release, and are in pristine condition. Don’t ignore the lesser vintages, as these allow a look at wines from Dunn that are more approachable in their youth.

The Property of a Gentleman, Just Removed from Professional Storage... A great sampling from a winelover's collection, offered at very competitive prices, plus our usual 10% discount on a case of 12, one type or mixed.

Best Fish and Best Wine for Fish! Alex Villani of Blue Moon Fish and Marc Ollivier of Domaine de la Pépiere are back in town this Saturday! Alex returns to the Greenmarket Saturday morning, then join Marc and nine other fabulous French winemakers from 4:00 until 7:30 at our former location, 160 Chambers Street, for one of New York's greatest wine events of the year. This year we're not publicizing the event outside of our store or website - less crowd, more tasting... The Growers: Matthieu Baudry, Chinon; Pierre Breton, Bourgueil; Jean-Paul Brun, Domaine Terres Dorees, Beaujolais; Alain Coudert, Fleurie; Gregoire Hubau, Ch. Moulin Pey-Labrie, Bordeaux; Evelyne de Jessy, Domaine du Closel, Savennieres; Claude and Catherine Marechal, Burgundy; Eric and Christine Nicolas, Jasnieres; Marc Ollivier, Domaine de la Pépière, Muscadet; and Suzanne Pinon, Domaine Francois Pinon, Vouvray.

In addition to this great offer we will have the irrepressible Jeanne-Marie de Champs coming in this Saturday to taste a range of wonderful 2005 Red Burgundies. This should not be missed. From Bart to Pernot to Rapet there will be a wonderful selection to get a solid snapshot of the vintage. Domaine Bart is one of the many producers in Burgundy that is overlooked. It is quite unfortunate as they makes beautiful wines from Marsannay to Bonnes Mares with an emphasis on value and terroir reflection. Martin Bart's grandfather was a Clair of Clair Dau, one of the most revered families in all of Burgundy. In fact, Domaine Bart got their Bonnes Mares and Chambertin Clos de Beze when the Dau domaine was broken up un the early 1980's. We have been selling these wines for six years and our customers do not underrate these very well made traditional Burgundies. Today's e-mail focuses on two Marsannays from Domaine Bart. The Marsannay "Les Grands Vignes" and the Marsannay "Les Echezots". There are no 1er Crus or Grand Crus in Marsannay but there are recognized lieux-dits that are considered superior sites. Les Echezots is considered a top site and is located towards the top of the slope and produces very structured sturdy wines with dazzling minerality and black fruits. There is also a wonderful earthy sweetness on the nose with hints of spice, violets and blackberries. The palate shows lovely elegant richness along with deep black fruits and wonderful finesse. A complex spice resonates on the finish. There is a lovely concentration here and this wine really shows all the hallmarks of the 2005 vintage. Complexity, richness, elegance, super balance, ripe sweet tannins and great freshness make this a wonderful drink today but much room for improvement.

None other than the brilliant 1989 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses. The 1989 vintage in Touraine and particularly in Chinon is classic with high acidity and excellent structures for long aging. Chinon growers consider 1989 to be the best vintage after the legendary 1947. If you have a taste of the 1989 Olga Raffault Les Picasses you will see why it is considered one of the great wines made in Chinon over the last 20 years.

Champagne Tarlant has a long history as a grower-producer - for 12 generations the Tarlant family has been cultivating wine grapes, and making Champagne for 5 of those starting in 1911. Their 13 hectares are concentrated around Oeuilly and Boursault and Celles le Conde, and are cultivated according to organic methods, with the purpose of sustaining the health and biodiversity and of the vineyards on the micro-level. All grapes are hand-harvested. We love Tarlant because they pull-off smart austerity with enough charm, character and nuanced flavor to make for compelling and food-oriented Champagne. The NV Rose shows off red fruits of currant and raspberry, which are interestingly contrasted by a spicy note bordering on peppery. Not overtly creamy, this rose takes the mineral-driven quality to a distinct degree of elegance. It will go well with poultry or duck; Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken comes to mind... last week Tartlant rose and a dish of sautéed zucchini flowers with a little sharp pecorino was a big hit… We have bought the last of this assemblage (a base of 2003 fruit, disgorged May 2006); for a brief moment it’s actually LESS expensive than the NV Brut (also a fabulous wine, called Brut Zero because there’s no dosage). This pricing swap never happens with Champagne, so please take advantage to try this entirely memorable Rose. RSG

When the 100 point scale to rate wine quality was adopted by Robert Parker and subsequent writers and publications, it seemed to have a stimulating and beneficial effect on the American wine scene. Consumers who lacked knowledge and experience, or were suspicious of the wine trade, could march confidently into a shop and say "I'll take a case of Chateau Poo-Poo, it got 91 points from So and So." Wine became a more popular and acceptable drink in American homes and restaurants and the snobbish image of the wine-broker was replaced by the more populist writings of Parker, Tanzer and the Wine Spectator. The comforting, if arbitrary, point score took the American consumer to unknown parts of the world; Gruner Veltliner became the new Pinot Grigio and unheard-of growers in obscure regions soon had American importers. That's all good, I suppose.... Today, however, American wine lovers are better educated and no longer need so much hand-holding in the wine shop. A wealth of information is available in seconds on the web including technical data as well as tasting notes and opinions from chat rooms and blogs around the world. The idea that any individual can, or should, assign an arbitrary numerical score to a wine has become ridiculous and unnecessary. (Not to mention that many wines are tasted after a racking or during the malolactic fermentation or just after bottling...) So tell us about the winemakers and how they work in the vineyard and the cellar, tell us whether you like the wine and why but let's stop insulting the winemakers, and the consumer, with a commercially-driven 100 point scale. We'll sell just as much wine and writers will sell just as many reports and magazines with more realistic assessments.

On Saturday, July 21st, from 4 to 7pm, come taste a unique and delicious collection of Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine from many of the greatest producers. We'll taste vintages from 1989 to 2006 from Guy Bossard, Jo Landron, Pierre Luneau-Papin, Marc Ollivier and Claude Branger. These refreshing and complex wines represent some of the world's greatest wine values. Perfect on a hot summer day, they offer superb food-friendly quality all year round! Read on for a complete list.... (Pictured are Jo Landron, with mustache, and Guy Bossard)

Charly Thevenet, son of Jean-Paul Thevenet in Morgon, recently obtained three acres of his own in Regnié and we have been lucky enough to obtain a small quantity of his first production. From a parcel of 70 year-old vines in conversion to Biodynamic agriculture, the wine is made in the Lapierre style, with little or no sulfur dioxide. The vines are an old version of Gamay, not modern clones, which perhaps contributes to the extraordinarily pure and concentrated fruit in this wine. Very ripe cherry aromas lead to a remarkably lush palate of deep cherry and plum fruit with hints of earth and mint. The silky texture has bright acidity and leads to a long, clean finish. Only about 150 cases were made, and although it is not inexpensive (imported by Kermit Lynch and his NY distributor), we think that every Beaujolais lover should try this lovely new wine!

The amount of high quality wine coming out of Germany right now is at an all time high especially considering that Germany only produces 1% of all the wine in the world. I still have not tasted every great producer . . .yet. So every now and then a producer will pop up on my radar and now that producer is A.J. Adam from the small village of Dhron in the Mosel. What is amazing about this estate is that Adam is a part-timer and he also works at the famous Lower Mosel Estate, Heymann-Lowenstein. One of his biggest influences is Roman Niewodniczanski at Van Volxem. The family resemblance is there as these are mostly done in the drier style and like Van Volxem the quantites are so small they are bordering on microscopic. He has 1 hectare he farms and his average annual production in just a little north of 500 cases. Romanee-Conti and Screaming Eagle territory production numbers here. But not RC and Screagle prices mind you.

When David was at the Salon in the Loire last winter he tasted with a producer named Stephane Guion who has been organic since 1965. It's a 6.8 hectare estate in Bourgueil that is harvested by hand, with no herbicides or pesticides used. The Cuvee Prestige (1,200 cases made) comes from vines from 40 to 80 years old, giving yields of 35 to 40 hectolitres per hectare. The fruit and mineral aromas and flavors, typical of the clay/limestone terroir, are explained by the wild yeasts as well as by the deep root systems in the limestone hillside. The fermentation lasts three weeks and is done in wooden vats, after which aging is in barrique, none of which are new.

Bruno Clavelier might not be the first person you think of when someone utters the magical name Vosne Romanee. Robert Arnoux, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Grivot, Engel, Meo-Camuzet, Hudelot-Noellat are just some that come to a typical Burgundy lover’s mind. What about Bruno Clavelier? Well they should start thinking of him as he is making some of the most traditional, succulent Burgundies around. They are incredibly transparent wines that accurately represent their respective terroirs to a tee. Bruno specializes in Vosne Romanee but also has holdings in Chambolle, Nuits St. Georges and Gevrey. Apparently, from most people I have talked to Bruno in 2005 hit a grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth with the world series on the line. In other words a can’t miss. Bruno has been working in biodynamie for the past couple of vintages and has the utmost respect of his peers including Aubert de Villaine (DRC) and the Seysses (Dujac). Arguably his Chambolle 1er Cru “Combe d’Orveau” is considered his best wine despite the facts he makes much more Vosne Romanee. Bruno took over his families domaine in 1987 and quietly started to propel this estate up the quality hierarchy. The parcels Bruno has are nothing short of sensational and every year this estate gets better and better.