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La Clef du Recit Menetou Salon
While the estate has been around for decades, Le Clef du Recit is newly helmed by Anthony Girard, whose family are well-known as Loire Valley vintners. His brother runs the family biz and young Anthony had a chance to buy some sweet, sweet soil. What is sweet soil in Sancerre? Think Terres Blanches, meaning white earth, or a lot of fractured limestone. The fancy wine people call it Kimmeridgian marl, which maybe you’ve heard about. If not, no worries. It’s near the town of Récy, so the “key” (clef) to the “story” (Récit) is that the land and exposure are ideal for unlocking the character of nervy, mineral laden Sauvignon Blanc, happy to be in such a special place.
Type, Body & Flavor
La Croix des Orbinieres Sauvignon Blanc
This sweet little vineyard is located in the Loire Valley, halfway between the famous mansions, Chateau Chambord and Chateau Chenonceaux. Most of the vines are a quarter-century old, on clay and silt soils, locally called “sables de Sologne”; Sologne used to be Louis XIII’s hunting grounds, but Sauvignon Blanc is more planted in the region than hunting blinds today.
Type, Body & Flavor
La Culottee Rose
This 100% Caladoc wine is barrel-fermented, though it is still recognizably rosé in style. Needless to say, barrel-fermented rosé is anomalous anywhere, much less in southern France. The barrels are over-sized, and the wine has no added sulfur or added yeast. Dry, clean and rather full for a rosé, you can nonetheless drink it chilly on a sunny day, just like you would the rest of the rosés you’re slamming this summer.
Type, Body & Flavor
La Petite Gargotte
The Comte Tolosan region encompasses famed wine regions: Jurancon, Cahors and Armagnac. Typically, the white wines are based upon neutral grapes like Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Folle Blanche, or more aromatic grapes like Petit Manseng or Gros Manseng. While few of these grapes have distinctive personalities, if you put them into a harmonious blend, they can be pretty charming.
Type, Body & Flavor
Ladron del Palacio
The powers behind Bodegas Lo Nuevo are crucial to the modern success of Spanish wine, especially wines from the Levante, the Africa-facing south. Here the Almansa region grows Garnacha, among other traditional Spanish red grapes, but unlike the oxidized, alcoholic wines of yore, the new wines are bright and sunny with all the original fruits from the grape preserved. Bodegas Lo Nuevo would be the first to insist that their success is conditioned upon old vines grown at high altitudes. Here the Garnacha is at nearly 3500 feet, where the otherwise relentlessly warm temperatures see nighttime cooling into the 40s.
Type, Body & Flavor
Larme en Rose
If you stick around the wine business long enough, you’ll have seen it all. Where once wine coolers were cooler than Liebfraumilch, now hard seltzer is hot (served cold). White Zin was once de rigeur, though it was never French; it was from the good ol’ US of A. But then that became too sweet and the category died. Or seemed to. Because then rosé rose up like a zombie eager for fresh meat, though the current iteration of the pink stuff is more often French than not. Provence is the epicenter of it and the French have figured out how we like it: dry, pale pink, light and refreshing.
Type, Body & Flavor
Le Cabas Sauvignon Blanc
Gascony ain't just the Three Muskateers, though they have a place in our hearts as well. More than anything, Gascony is foie gras, delicious plums and apricots, rich dinners with Armagnac to follow. But the white grapes grown here are not just for great brandy, they have always been consumed as wine too and the last decade or so has seen an embrace of clean, cold winemaking to preserve the aromas of otherwise neutral grapes like Ugni Blanc or Folle Blanche. It's also seen new plantings of Sauvignon Blanc, a grape that requires no heroic measures to reveal its aromatic riches. Whats fun here is that these same winemaking methods generate something bright and vibrant but without much resemblance to other such Sauvignon Blancs (I'm looking at you, New Zealand), many of which have begun to seem like self-caricature. This one is comfortably itself, needing only an ice bucket and a big glass.
Type, Body & Flavor
Le Paria
From the Cabardés region inside Langeudoc, and a little town called Ventenac, in the rolling foothills of the Pyrenees. For France, this is warm climate viticulture though it is not so different from the southern Rhone Valley climatically speaking. In general, the Languedoc doesn't cool off in the same manner as the Rhone but Grenache is happily at home in such a sunny place. And the family is invested not only in their historical sites and vines on the side of Montagne Noire but also in sustainable viticulture. The vineyard is free of chemical inputs and the wine has no added sulfites; it’s aged only in traditional concrete tanks.
Type, Body & Flavor
Le Petit Bassin
So, is it okay if I predict that Sauvignon Blanc becomes the world’s most widely planted grape in the next decade? In southern France, with the collection of hills, valleys, and plains rolling down to the Mediterranean, it thrives. Sure, the plains are not where you grow Sauvignon Blanc, but there are plenty of other spots where you do. There these wines are vibrant, expressive and tangy – and it’s rare that those three descriptors go together.
Type, Body & Flavor
Le Refuge Sauvignon Blanc
A Bordeaux group making wines since 1949, Producta Vignobles blends this crisp, tangy white from throughout the Bordeaux region, but especially from under-appreciated places like Bergerac. From Sauvignon Blanc with a trace of Semillon, this is the kind of steely, refreshing white wine that comprises a small but significant portion of what has made Bordeaux the centerpiece of French wine production. Drink this well-chilled and with rapidity.
Type, Body & Flavor
La Clef du Recit Menetou Salon
While the estate has been around for decades, Le Clef du Recit is newly helmed by Anthony Girard, whose family are well-known as Loire Valley vintners. His brother runs the family biz and young Anthony had a chance to buy some sweet, sweet soil. What is sweet soil in Sancerre? Think Terres Blanches, meaning white earth, or a lot of fractured limestone. The fancy wine people call it Kimmeridgian marl, which maybe you’ve heard about. If not, no worries. It’s near the town of Récy, so the “key” (clef) to the “story” (Récit) is that the land and exposure are ideal for unlocking the character of nervy, mineral laden Sauvignon Blanc, happy to be in such a special place.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
La Croix des Orbinieres Sauvignon Blanc
This sweet little vineyard is located in the Loire Valley, halfway between the famous mansions, Chateau Chambord and Chateau Chenonceaux. Most of the vines are a quarter-century old, on clay and silt soils, locally called “sables de Sologne”; Sologne used to be Louis XIII’s hunting grounds, but Sauvignon Blanc is more planted in the region than hunting blinds today.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
La Culottee Rose
This 100% Caladoc wine is barrel-fermented, though it is still recognizably rosé in style. Needless to say, barrel-fermented rosé is anomalous anywhere, much less in southern France. The barrels are over-sized, and the wine has no added sulfur or added yeast. Dry, clean and rather full for a rosé, you can nonetheless drink it chilly on a sunny day, just like you would the rest of the rosés you’re slamming this summer.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
La Petite Gargotte
The Comte Tolosan region encompasses famed wine regions: Jurancon, Cahors and Armagnac. Typically, the white wines are based upon neutral grapes like Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Folle Blanche, or more aromatic grapes like Petit Manseng or Gros Manseng. While few of these grapes have distinctive personalities, if you put them into a harmonious blend, they can be pretty charming.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Ladron del Palacio
The powers behind Bodegas Lo Nuevo are crucial to the modern success of Spanish wine, especially wines from the Levante, the Africa-facing south. Here the Almansa region grows Garnacha, among other traditional Spanish red grapes, but unlike the oxidized, alcoholic wines of yore, the new wines are bright and sunny with all the original fruits from the grape preserved. Bodegas Lo Nuevo would be the first to insist that their success is conditioned upon old vines grown at high altitudes. Here the Garnacha is at nearly 3500 feet, where the otherwise relentlessly warm temperatures see nighttime cooling into the 40s.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Larme en Rose
If you stick around the wine business long enough, you’ll have seen it all. Where once wine coolers were cooler than Liebfraumilch, now hard seltzer is hot (served cold). White Zin was once de rigeur, though it was never French; it was from the good ol’ US of A. But then that became too sweet and the category died. Or seemed to. Because then rosé rose up like a zombie eager for fresh meat, though the current iteration of the pink stuff is more often French than not. Provence is the epicenter of it and the French have figured out how we like it: dry, pale pink, light and refreshing.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Le Cabas Sauvignon Blanc
Gascony ain't just the Three Muskateers, though they have a place in our hearts as well. More than anything, Gascony is foie gras, delicious plums and apricots, rich dinners with Armagnac to follow. But the white grapes grown here are not just for great brandy, they have always been consumed as wine too and the last decade or so has seen an embrace of clean, cold winemaking to preserve the aromas of otherwise neutral grapes like Ugni Blanc or Folle Blanche. It's also seen new plantings of Sauvignon Blanc, a grape that requires no heroic measures to reveal its aromatic riches. Whats fun here is that these same winemaking methods generate something bright and vibrant but without much resemblance to other such Sauvignon Blancs (I'm looking at you, New Zealand), many of which have begun to seem like self-caricature. This one is comfortably itself, needing only an ice bucket and a big glass.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Le Paria
From the Cabardés region inside Langeudoc, and a little town called Ventenac, in the rolling foothills of the Pyrenees. For France, this is warm climate viticulture though it is not so different from the southern Rhone Valley climatically speaking. In general, the Languedoc doesn't cool off in the same manner as the Rhone but Grenache is happily at home in such a sunny place. And the family is invested not only in their historical sites and vines on the side of Montagne Noire but also in sustainable viticulture. The vineyard is free of chemical inputs and the wine has no added sulfites; it’s aged only in traditional concrete tanks.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Le Petit Bassin
So, is it okay if I predict that Sauvignon Blanc becomes the world’s most widely planted grape in the next decade? In southern France, with the collection of hills, valleys, and plains rolling down to the Mediterranean, it thrives. Sure, the plains are not where you grow Sauvignon Blanc, but there are plenty of other spots where you do. There these wines are vibrant, expressive and tangy – and it’s rare that those three descriptors go together.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Le Refuge Sauvignon Blanc
A Bordeaux group making wines since 1949, Producta Vignobles blends this crisp, tangy white from throughout the Bordeaux region, but especially from under-appreciated places like Bergerac. From Sauvignon Blanc with a trace of Semillon, this is the kind of steely, refreshing white wine that comprises a small but significant portion of what has made Bordeaux the centerpiece of French wine production. Drink this well-chilled and with rapidity.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions