Domaine AF Gros is a farm located in Pommard, Burgundy which was founded by Anne-Françoise Gros. The creation of the Domaine goes back to 1988. François Parent, from Pommard, is Anne-Françoise's husband. He has been the winemaker of the Domaine's wines since its creation. The Domaine’s know-how and reputation are recognized world-wide and its wines are a perfect expression of Pinot Noir, a unique combination of elegance and depth. Today, two of their three children work on the estate, Caroline and Mathias. The brother and the sister share—one wine-making, and the other doing the management, development, and marketing of the estate's wines.

“Grape grower – winemaker (does not purchase grapes) in AVIZE, Côte des Blancs.

Our 12 hectares vineyard is mainly spread out in Grand Cru villages planted with Chardonnay, a white grape picked and pressed with great care by us.

Our winegrower’s approach is natural. Our vineyard soils have always been maintained through ploughing and every year we add compost made from local ingredients to vineyard. The organic life of the soil assures the health and productivity of the vineyard.

Our Champagne wine are neither fined nor filtered. They are bottles at the domain and are hand riddled.”

AMEZTOI

Since 1820 making and producing Txakoli.

Old barrels, wood smell, bottle and laugh noises. This was the old Ameztoi and used to welcome many people. In fact, the Ameztoi family is widely known with the nickname "Criquet", symbol of joy, happiness and pride.

Over time they have grown and improved their product to achieve their own expression, an authentic txakoli to the delight of the most demanding palates. Always maintaining the indigenous varieties Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza as the basis of their products.

Ameztoi are five generations with the family tradition in the elaboration of Txakoli.

Ancient Peaks Winery represents the shared vision of three longtime local winegrowing and ranching families—the Filipponis, Rossis and Wittstroms. Two generations are actively involved in the winery’s daily operations, all dedicated to producing extraordinary wines from Margarita Vineyard. 

Ancient Peaks Winery
One Stone Cellars

The terroir -

The vineyards of the estate are all located on the AOC Fleurie, precisely at a place called Les Labourons.

The essential characteristics of my vineyard are:

An altitude of about 400 m and a WSW exhibition:

This situation gives slow ripening, allowing a good preservation of acidity and favoring aromatic complexity.

Steeply sloping hillsides:

This exceeds in some plots the 30%.

They are favorable to the vine, ensuring good drainage,

a lot of sunshine and a less fertile soil than in the plain.

Soil composition:

It is here a pure expression of pink granite,

the soil is composed mainly of sand and pebbles

from the source rock. Like the soil, the wine retains a mineral, fresh and delicate side. Poor and filtering soil,

The Gamay is not very vigorous here and gives naturally

yields of about 35 hl/ha.

High-density planting:

between 8000 and 10000 feet / hectare

The three founders of Anthill Farms crossed paths while working at Williams-Selyem in 2003 after a few years as cellar rats in California, Oregon, and Virginia. They started Anthill Farms in 2004, making eight-and-a-half barrels of wine the first year.

August Wine Group

August Wine Group is a wine company specializing in the import, distribution, education and sales of high-quality wines of distinct character from Italy and the Mediterranean. August Wine Group supports small, environmentally responsible growers, and exceptional winemaking from world-class producers in both well-established and up-and-coming wine regions.

Giocato
La Quercia
Verso




 

"Becky Wasserman & Co was founded in 1979 by Becky Wasserman-Hone, an American expatriate who has lived in Burgundy since 1968. Our company exports wines from small domaines and shippers in Burgundy and other regions who honour their appellations. We do not endorse any single method of vinification or an “ideal” type of wine.

The company has a team of seven, four who sell, three who administer. We lunch together in the office, we all are enthusiastic eaters, we often taste wines which may enter into our portfolio. We follow a simple rule: “If we won't drink it, we won't sell it”.

Wine is more than a commodity to us. We have gone through many highs and lows and none of us would be working here if we didn't believe that wine eases and embellishes peoples' lives. We hope that our Website fulfills its ambition to be informative, educational, provocative, and amusing. Sante!"

Arnaud Lambert - Brézé
Benjamin Leroux
Bret Brothers / La Soufrandière
Camille Giroud
Château les Miaudoux
Comte Lafon
David Moreau
Domaine Gruhier
Domaine Guiberteau
Domaine Pataille
Domaine Sérol
François Mikulski
Jacques-Frederic Mugnier
Jean-Noël Gagnard
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon
Lignier-Michelot
Michel Lafarge
Parigot & Richard
Pierre Gerbais
Rêveur

Birichino (pronounced Beer-a-KEEN-o) means naughty in Italian.

Bittercube Bitters are developed and created in Milwaukee, WI, by hand with naturally sourced ingredients. No extracts or oils have ever been used in Bittercube Bitters. The process is different for each style of Bittercube bitters, with batches going through various phases on their way to completion, taking anywhere from two to five weeks depending on variety. Bittercube has grown from humble beginnings, starting with creating one gallon jars of bitters and growing to now producing batches in large maceration barrels – but the process has stayed the same.

Maison BRUNO PAILLARD sprang from its founder’s desire to create a champagne different from any other; extremely pure.

A great champagne for BRUNO PAILLARD is – above all – an “assemblage”, blending: of diverse crus, grape varieties and vintages. It is about the constant desire to capture the quintessential finesse and elegance which champagne can bring when it is served with love and care.

The BRUNO PAILLARD style is a marriage of elegance and complexity which is manifested as a light and smooth effervescence, a remarkable purity, a true freshness and a silky texture.

The Savès family has lived in the heart Bouzy since 1894, as indicated in some registers that still exist today.

The small, independent winemaker is immensely proud of its terroir, predominately situated in historical Grand Cru territory, which is a vital component of every great wine.

On vineyards with perfect due south exposure and soil with a high chalk content, the Saves family carefully tends its excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes all year round, regardless of the weather. For it is these grapes which are used to produce and blend the nest range of champagnes.

With preservation of the environment utmost in their minds, the Savès’ have adopted an approach which is respectful of nature. No herbicides or insecticides are used and the soil is worked mainly with organic and natural treatments.

“I created Cava Spiliadis in 2007 with the goal of bringing the best wines from Greece to North America. Today, we represent some of Greece’s finest and most internationally celebrated winemakers and our wines are available throughout North America and Great Britain. From small family run domaines with limited production to larger estates breaking new ground, discovering unique blends and working with ancient varieties, Cava Spiliadis brings you only the very best from Greece.”  -George Spiliadis

Biblia Chora
Buketo
Canava Chrissou
Domaine Katsaros (katz-ah-ROS)
Ktima Gerovassiliou (yeh-roh-vass-e-LEE-ou)


 

"

Our winemaking philosophy at Center of Effort is to honor the natural character of the fruit while bringing an added dimension of artistry to the wine.

There is nothing expedient in our approach. We embrace the detailed, labor-intensive methods that are required to produce the finest wines. We make our wines in small handcrafted lots, always with a gentle touch, and frequently relying on experienced intuition to guide our decisions. For aging, we use only premium French oak barrels that are coopered to our precise specifications.

We also emphasize native fermentations, often favoring the vineyard’s natural yeasts over commercial yeasts. While native fermentations are more challenging, we believe them necessary to achieve the textural depth that is a hallmark of our wines.

Center of Effort
Effort
Fossil Point

The Clos Cibonne which draws its name from Jean-Baptiste de Cibon, captain of Louis XVI's Royal navy and first owner of the vineyard.After his death in 1797, the property was sold to the Roux family's ancestors. In the 1930s, André Roux gave its spurs to the vineyard surrounding the Tibouren grape variety. Since then, both children and grandchildren have carried on the tradition.

The authentic Tibouren from the Pradet will go around the world

Today's site has kept all its authenticity and history related to Tibouren grape variety.

Cocchi produces, since 1891, wine-based aperitifs and hundred percent Piedmontese sparkling wines following the best traditions of Asti area.

The winery has inherited from the founder Giulio Cocchi an unlimited liveliness and a deep quality research leading its products to be known and appreciated in the five continents.

All Cocchi products are wine-based and the recipes are those of the past, concealed upon the insights and intuitions of the same Giulio Cocchi.

What defines Cocchi style is then its elegance and authenticity:

The quality of the wine and of the other ingredients, the century-old technical expertise and a passion and creativity that have never failed over the years.

Since 2012 Giulio Cocchi is inscribed in the National Register of the Historic Companies in Italy for its first 130 years of uninterrupted activity.

OUR ROOTS

Three friends founded Azienda Agricola COS, in 1980: Giambattista Cilia, Cirino Strano and Giusto Occhipinti. The acronym of their last names is where the name for the winery – COS – comes from.

In 1980, they were the youngest wine producers in Italy. They received an old family winery from Giambattista Cilia’s father Giuseppe Cilia and the nearby vineyard of bush trained vines, a total of 3.60.40 hectares in the famed town of Bastonaca. On October 5, 1980 they harvested their first vintage and made 1,470 bottles. COS began its adventure that would one day lead to the transformation of Cerasuolo di Vittoria. The winery follows the principles of biodynamic faming in order to help the vines find and maintain a balance with nature in order to be able to express their true character and that of their terroir. For vinification, they decided to use terracotta vases that left no traces or aromas on the wine but were completely neutral vessels. In 2000, Pithos was born, a Cerasuolo di Vittoria that ferments and ages in amphora. They finished working on a building in Fontane, which in 2003 became the headquarters of the winery. In 2005, they made the first wine that bore the Denominazione d’Origine Controllata e Garantita (D.O.C.G.) designation, the only one in Sicily. The harvest of 2007 saw the winery in a new location and was the beginning of use of only amphora. The winery got rid of the barrels that they had and use only 150 amphoras’, one of the largest of its kind. Today COS is associated not only with the success of Cerasuolo di Vittoria but also with rigor and quality. It’s thanks to these three friends that the region of Cerasuolo di Vittoria was reborn and the area around Vittoria is thriving with its extraordinary wines.

I Custodi are the keepers, the guardians of Mt. Etna’s vineyards: to guard means to preserve the land, to maintain the traditions and to respect the people. From these values and from the love for a beautiful land, where the vine was brought by man more than two millennia ago, spring the wines of I Custodi, the result of the generosity and the minerality of the warm volcanic soil, the cold of the Muntagna and the sun of Sicily.

Healthy vines of all ages, growing densely on ancient dry stone terraces, supported by their stake in chestnut wood, are cultivated in harmony with the environment that surrounds them — only by manual labor and with the help of Ciccio the mule — by I Vigneri, skilfull Etnean winegrowers. Winegrowing as it has always been on Mt. Etna for centuries, without synthetic chemicals, in respect of the people, the landscape and the nature.

Founded by André Tamers in 1996, De Maison Selections is an importing company that specializes in unique, high-quality, boutique wines, ciders and spirits from Spain and France.

Today's focus for De Maison Selections continues their tradition of seeking out unique producers from Spain and France. The current majority of the De Maison portfolio is geared toward Spain. Spain continues to be a great wine frontier, constantly offering wonderful surprises.

Acha
Ameztoi
Amizade
Avinyó
Bordatto
Ca’n Verdura
César Florido
Château Canadel
Château du Cayrou
Chéreau Carré
Clos Cibonne
Costers del Priorat
D Ventura
Do Ferreiro
Domaine Breyton
Domaine Lupin
Domaine Vallot
Doniene Gorrondona
El Maestro Sierra
Isastegi
José Antonio Garcia
La Cigarrera
La Zorra
Ladeiras do Xil
Luberri
Marcel Couturier
Mesquida Mora
Ostatu
Remelluri
Thierry Tissot
Trabanco
Viña Mein
Xarmant

Fine Italian wines from small growers were virtually unknown in 1980 when Marco de Grazia first offered a handful of estates from Tuscany and Piedmont. Driven by fascination and passion with a vision of great possibilities, he progressed through the northern regions, then the central zones and finally into Italy’s rich and promising south. Marco is a believer in “education” as in the Latin e-duco, to bring out; thus he works to elicit and finally exhibit the potential qualities of the wines in the Marc de Grazia Selections portfolio.

What was initially a “hobby” company soon grew into a solid business. The international press chimed in with praises and the export operations expanded from the United States into Europe, then Asia and South America. Marco’s brother Sebastian joined the company moving to Florence in 1992 where he enjoys the support of a highly motivated staff.

In 2004 a U.S. based company was established, deGrazia Imports. Little used until 2008 when Anne Zakin became director. Today, with just five dedicated members, the company supports marketing and sales and manages compliance for Marc de Grazia Selections.

Benito Ferrara
Bortolotti
Centonze
Fiorini
Francesco Boschis
Gianni Brunelli
Il Palazzino
Le Calcinaie
Malabaila
Marco Salustri
Marengo
Mazzi
Moccagatta
Putzenhof
Vigne Sannite

Dievole. A thousand years of history, A future ready to begin

Dievole is set in tranquil surroundings, nestled in the beautiful Tuscan hills, long known as a little piece of heaven on Earth.

Here the dialogue between Mankind and Nature has never been interrupted, and its very name explains why: In fact, the root of the word Dievole comes from “Dio vuole” or “God willing”.

The name Dievole officially appeared for the first time in a contract in which Rodolfino and Vinizio paid two capons, three loaves of bread, and 6 silver Lucca denari for a promise of the divine vineyard. It was on the 10th of May 1090. During those years Leif Erikson was discovering North America, the Chinese were inventing gunpowder, Bologna opened the world’s first university, the Normans were invading Rome, and Pope Urban II was conquering Jerusalem.

Eight centuries and countless generations later, another contract mentions Dievole. This time it was a wedding gift. Count Giulio Terrosi-Vagnoli gave the Estate, costing 361,632 lira, to his future wife Ildegonda Camaiori, who was to be the last noblewoman of Dievole. She is responsible for an invaluable document that has survived to this day: Dievole’s Ledger of Balances containing all the names of the peasant families at the time, and the name of the holding entrusted to them. These are names that hint at the passion of Chianti’s people for their own land. Many descendants of those families are still here. Since the 1980’s, their age-old wisdom has returned to care for Dievole’s vineyards: 16 vineyards, just like the 16 holdings into which the property was divided.

Since its creation, the Dolin company has drawn its inspiration from the Alps, sourcing its ingredients from the bounty provided by the surrounding mountains to create original recipes that remain a secret today.

Faithful to tradition, the distillery has preserved its age-old production methods and a love of the terroir. Today these contribute to making its products the instinctive choice for those who appreciate authentic flavors and a genuine historical provenance.

Encouraging quality and innovation, Elena Walch stood at the head of the Alto Adige quality revolution and has gained local and international esteem for her efforts. An architect by trade, Elena Walch married into one of the oldest and most significant wine families of the region and brought new, modern concepts to the traditional establishment. Now, the responsibility for the family business is being put into the hands of the daughters, Julia and Karoline Walch, already the fifth generation.

The philosophy of the estate is dedicated to its terroir – the idea that wines must be the individual expression of their soil, climate and cultivation in the vineyard – and that this must be maintained according to principles of sustainability and passed on to the next generation. The firm belief that the quality of wine is created in the vineyard requires uncompromising work, taking into account the individuality of each vineyard. With 60 hectares in cultivation, including the two top vineyards VIGNA Castel Ringberg in Caldaro und VIGNA Kastelaz in Tramin, Elena Walch belongs to the most important protagonists of Alto Adige winemaking.

The wines show character, elegance and great personality, reflecting the most professional winemaking. The superb climatic conditions and the excellent location of the vineyards produce fresh and fruity white wines as well as concentrated and velvety red wines

Elizabeth Spencer Winery is built on the importance of strong relationships–starting with the proprietor’s own dynamic personal and professional bond and extending outward tour important network of growers, their talented team of employees, and, ultimately to their customers. Elizabeth Spencer Winery is the realization of a dream by husband and wife team of Spencer Graham and Elizabeth Pressler.

Elizabeth Spencer's debut wine was 1998 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and they've have made that wine every year since. Working with prestigious vineyard growers, they have farmed and produced a multitude of wines from every AVA in Napa Valley. Spencer’s undying curiosity for all things viticultural led him outward and beyond the Napa Valley and into the excellent neighboring regions.

COASTAL SUSTAINABLE AUTHENTIC

Named for the rugged headland with sweeping views of the Central California coastline, Fossil Point pays tribute to the bond between sea and vine. The vineyard sources are all in close proximity to the cold Pacific Ocean, and are shaped by the seasonal flow of its surface currents, sea breezes and fog. The soils are composed of coarse sand and calcareous shales uplifted from the ancient seafloor and weathered into place over millenia. Fossil Point farms with close attention to the delicate coastal environment always aiming for the highest sustainable quality from the land. The winemaking is hands-on, small scale, and attentive to the individual needs of each lot of grapes.

Fossil Point wines are crafted for high quality, approachability, and affordability for any occasion. Their ethos reflects the natural ease of Central California's landscape, and the hospitality of the coastal lifestyle.

The G.B. Burlotto estate has been renowned since the 1890s when it was formally a supplier to the House of Savoy

Burlotto may be Verduno's greatest champion, and the Estate's Barolo Monvigliero, from Verduno's top cru, has become one of Italy's most sought-after wines.

Aside from its renowned Baroli, G.B. Burlotto deserves enourmous credit for preserving the once-endangered Pelaverga grape.

“Wines that do not need to talk out loud or flex their muscles.

We ask them to touch the hearts of all.”

May 1968. Outbreak of student's protest. Aldo Vaira is 15 years old and joins the group of young protesters who flooded the streets of Turin. Perhaps the story would have taken another turn, if Aldo was not discovered by his father and immediately send to Barolo to spend the summer in the grandparents' farm, far away from trouble.

Those months spent between the vines and fields ignite the dream: a life spent in the beauty and freedom of nature.

Wine Spectator Video Contest 2016: A Nebbiolo's Story

G.D. Vajra
Luigi Baudana

The German Wine Collection was founded with great pride, excitement, and responsibility to keep the most premium German wine estates together under one portfolio into the next generation.

Headquartered in sunny southern California, they strive to be the best possible partners to their wineries and distributors alike.

Their sole mission is to import top quality German wines with the idea that the people and place behind the wine matters.

Becker
Gryphon Crest
Nägelsförst
Rebholz
von Buhl
Willems Willems

 

THE TRADITION OF A VOLCANIC TERROIR

Making wine on the slopes of Mount Etna is an intensely personal, profound and ongoing act of love. Love for the places of our youth. Love for a land which offers nourishment and asks for nothing in return, a land which embraces and holds on tight to and feeds anything that clings to it. A harsh land formed of restless lava, a land of oozing magma which expands and then rapidly cools and, as it tires, finds peace of a sort, eventually resembling a stony behemoth – a moonscape, conserving within in the memory of that fire.

We are such stuff as this land is made of. We, and this wine. And the wine resembles us, as though it were we who gave it life – we the fathers, it the son – when the truth is we are the product of our wine. A wine giddy with sun and with light and with the song of the wind in the valley. A wine that carries the breath of the volcano: a blend of smoke and ashes and ripe, fragrant fruit – a fruit which yields to the bite like a gentle caress. And the juice of that thick, delicate flesh is intense and full-bodied, its aromas a potent and subtle delight. This is a patient wine: it reveals itself gradually, and reserves the full strength of its character for those who understand that the rhythms of the earth are sacred.

Believe in the vines,

have faith in tradition,

imagine the possibilities,

love what you do.

Goodfellow Family Cellars is a winemaker owned and operated winery in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley. Founded in 2002, and producing approximately 4000 cases annually, we focus on old vines planted in unique and beautiful sites, conscientious farming, and techniques of tradition in the cellar.

Our Roots, Our Values, and Our Vision Moving Forward

Our beginnings trace back to Mike Temple’s Berkeley garage in 1975, where he and a group of self-professed “food and wine geeks” with a tasting club stored their wine and met regularly to drink it. Within months Mike and his friends went “deep” and began purchasing wine at auction in England. Such activity required an import license, and after several years and many bottles of Grand Cru Burgundy the group became official by incorporating in 1977. Players in the then-emerging Berkeley farm-to-table restaurant scene wanted “in,” as there were precious few quality-minded wine importers operating in California at this time. A company was born.

In 1987 President Alan Pricco joined Grape, providing the additional capital and energy to expand the company’s distribution into Oregon and Washington. By the late 1980’s Mike and Alan had salespeople and trucks covering the coast from Los Angeles all the way to Seattle, establishing early leadership when it came to integrated multi-state wine importation and distribution. Netherlands-based Frank Poot, a long time industry leader in Europe, joined Grape in 2015 after the untimely passing of Founder Mike Temple. Mike and Frank, always close friends, collaborated on many fronts over the years and Frank’s formal integration into the company now provides Grape with a stronger than ever foundation in Europe. Frank’s extensive relationships and logistics acumen are second to nobody in this business.

More so than any of his Bay Area peers our late Founder Mike Temple placed tremendous emphasis on delivering value, and forty years later it goes without saying that most everyone in this industry thinks of “Grape” and “value” synonymously. Whether dealing in humble Touraine Sauvignon or Cru Barolo, Mike took heartfelt pride in providing unbeatable value to you, Grape’s clients.

Bodegas LAN
Domaine de Thulon
Domaine Moutard
Henri Bourgeois
Joseph Cattin
Lamblin et Fils
Montelliana
Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre
O+T
Vignamato
Weingut Felsner

John Grochau was first introduced to wine and the winemaking landscape in his early 20’s, while racing bicycles for a French team in the Loire Valley. For several years, he raced through some of France’s most revered winemaking regions including Champagne, Burgundy and the across the Loire Valley. When he returned to his hometown of Portland, Oregon, he went to work in the restaurant business and quickly discovered an even greater appreciation for wine.

After more than decade selling wine in some of Portland’s finest restaurants, including a 14-year stint at Higgins, Grochau plunged into winemaking. He spent a year in Sonoma before returning to Oregon to work at Erath Winery, and then worked alongside winemaker Doug Tunnel at Brick House Vineyards for four years. His first vintage as owner and winemaker at Grochau Cellars was 2002.

With Grochau’s restaurant experience, there was a natural progression as a winemaker to craft food-friendly wines that enhance a meal. Grochau strives to make wines that are balanced, textured and expressive of place. Inspired by the diversity of the Willamette Valley’s soils and microclimates, Grochau sources fruit from fifteen organic and sustainably-farmed vineyards.

Grapes are hand-harvested and wines undergo a slow, natural fermentation. Working with grape varieties with a legacy in the Willamette Valley – namely Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc – Grochau also seeks to showcase the potential of emerging varieties like Melon de Bourgogne and Gamay.

Bonal
Byrrh
Cappelletti
Cardamaro
Cocchi
Comoz
Dolin
Elisir Novasalus
Henriques & Henriques
L.N. Mattei
Ostinato
Pasubio
Tramontaine Rancio

Domaine Huet produces some of the world’s longest-lived, yet most affordable, great white wines.

Holding three of Vouvray’s finest vineyards, the domaine crafts an array of extraordinary Vouvrays ranging from bone-dry Sec to the unctuous Cuvée Constance.

The estate was an early pioneer of biodynamic viticulture, and credits it with helping them adapt to the dramatic weather conditions of recent vintages.

Since its founding in 1928, Vouvray’s Domaine Huet has been the standard-bearer for great, age-worthy Chenin Blanc. And to this day, year after year, the estate produces some of the world’s most compelling white wines—and in a remarkable range that spans sparkling, dry, semi-dry, and breathtaking dessert styles.

For some years now, I have partnered with Jérémie Mourat, a wine grower in the southern Loire. Our complicity gave birth to 4 cuvées of Muscadet : called “Les Bêtes Curieuses”.

We are sharing our passion for the great white wines of Loire and our vision which we hope is modern and respectful of our lands.

www.lesbetescurieuses.fr

JP Bourgeois is a highly specialized wine importer of French and Spanish wines, focusing solely on handcrafted, sustainably farmed or certified organic wines. They take advantage of over 20 years of experience in developing and supporting family owned wine businesses into North America through a network of specialized wholesalers.

Bellula
Bodegas Latué
Château des Annibals
Château Grand Français
Château Lamothe Castéra
Château Pas l'Ane
Château Roc Meynard
Domaine Beausejour
Domaine de Ballade
Domaine de la Berthete
Domaine de Chateaumar
Domaine Gerbeaux
Domaine Gueneau
Domaine Marion Pral
Elicio
Gonc
Philippe Fontaine

Originally from Burgundy, Julien Sunier worked in vineyards and cellars throughout the world for 10 years. In 2003, he chose Beaujolais and its fabulous terroirs as home.

In 2005, purchased an old farm, “La Ferme des Noisetiers”, in the charming village of Avenas. The farm is made up of 14 acres at the edge of the forest and at 750 meters in altitude, overlooks the crus of Beaujolais.

In 2008, Julien founded his own winery, making a long-time dream a reality. The first year the domaine cultivated just 4.5 acres of vines and has since grown to cover 10 acres between the three appellations of Morgon, Fleurie and Régnié, all in organic cultivation.

“We are driven by agriculture, plain and simple, more precisely “agro-ecology”. We respect nature, the earth and the men who walk upon it.

We work each day to protect and develop the bio-diversity and the fertility of the soils, in order to produce unique wines reflecting the character of their terroirs.

In expressing the originality and uniqueness of place, thanks to a viticulture which is artisanal and sincere, we seek elegance and purity of fruit of the fabulous Gamay varietal, planted on granitic soil.”

“Each year we pay tribute to the distinct vintage which make up our wines as we label our bottles with fresh artwork. As the labels change, we are reminded that no two years, seasons, or bottlings will ever be the same. This year is particularly special as we reunite with our friends of Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, CA in celebration of their 50th anniversary. The artists supported by Creative Growth always captivate and motivate us. Reuniting with them as the artists for this year’s label series seemed truly aligned as these wines are the first to be bottled in our new winery in Sonoma. Creative Growth is a non-profit organization which offers a professional studio environment to support the artistic development, gallery exhibition, and representation of individuals with developmental disabilities. For 50 years, Creative Growth has served as a sanctuary for free expression and personal growth that is recognized around the world for its vision and human kindness.”

In the heart of Alsace, near Colmar, is our estate, created in 1854.

In the heart of our courtyard, our lime tree welcomes you in the shade of its vast branches.

At the heart of our history, our family tells its story, inhabited by passion and the desire to transmit. First from father to son, then from father to daughter. Today we are two sisters, Céline and Isabelle, walking in our father's footsteps.

In the heart of our vineyards, the forces of Life flourish. Cultivated organically and biodynamically and certified since 2004, our vineyard consists of 90 plots located on the plains and on the slopes of the Grands Crus Hengst (marl-limestone) and Brand (granite).

At the heart of our cellar, watch over our century-old thunderbolts. The wines ferment naturally, at their own pace.

At the heart of our wines, there is this fierce desire to transcribe the colors of a vintage. To preserve the brilliance of the material. To infuse the soul of our terroirs into our cuvées, with a living, deep and complex personality.

At the heart of it all is our beating heart.

The Köfererhof dates back to 976 and is one of the oldest wineries in South Tyrol. Today, large white plants with unmistakable elegance and minerality, as typical as they are unique for the Eisacktal wine-growing region, are produced here. With a total of 6 hectares of vineyards, we are a small but fine winery that specializes in producing excellent white wines. The height of our terraced vineyards at 650 to 700 m above sea level and the natural and climatic conditions that surround us challenge us every day: with a harsh mountain climate, extreme temperature differences between day and night, long winters and correspondingly later ripening. But the result is worth all the effort. Because these are excellent conditions for our seven white grape varieties to grow their strong characters in peace.

Lieu Dit is a partnership of longtime friends Eric Railsback and Justin Willett. The two met in Santa Barbara while Eric was finishing college and Justin was just beginning his career in winemaking. The two were among a small group of young winemakers and restaurateurs in Santa Barbara unified by a common interest in wine and all its mysteries.

After countless bottles shared together and many trips to France, Railsback and Willett decided to found Lieu Dit in 2011 and focus it solely in the varieties indigenous to the Loire Valley, now grown in Santa Barbara County. The varied micro-climates and marine based soils of Santa Barbara County are ideally suited to this set of grapes. Lieu Dit centers on Sauvignon Blanc and more limited bottlings of Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Rosé and produces around 2500 cases annually. Each vintage, the quest for purity, elegance, and balance in every wine is paramount.

"LIOCO was conceived in the alley behind Spago Beverly Hills by wine director Kevin O’Connor and wine salesman Matt Licklider. The year was 2001 and the two colleagues, critical of the heavy-handed wines of the day, wondered if it were possible to make some local wines that favored nuance over sheer power. In 2005, relying on nothing more than their palates and their rolodexes, the two embarked on a winemaking odyssey. Europe was the inspiration, as were the more restrained California wines of the 1980’s.

Today the winery is owned and operated by the Licklider family. Husband/wife duo Matt and Sara Licklider and their small team produce the wines at a state-of-the-art winemaking cooperative in Santa Rosa. All of the fruit is purchased from family-owned vineyards spanning 200-miles and three counties (Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and Mendocino).

The focus is on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Carignan from sites with older vines, interesting soil, and heritage clones. Sometimes the hunt for Pinot Noir uncovers other treasures like a coastal Syrah vineyard or a rare, mid-century planting of Valdiguie. Room is made for such discoveries.

Welcome to our story,

Matt & Sara

Littorai Wines is a small, family owned and operated winery producing world class vineyard designated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the true north coast of California: the coastal mountains of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Littorai Wines was founded in 1993 by Heidi and Ted Lemon. In July 2008, they completed construction of their winery located between Sebastopol and Freestone in western Sonoma County.

Luigi Baudana is one of the smallest active wineries in Serralunga d’Alba and the entire Barolo region. With only 2,6 hectares (6.4 acres) farmed in some of the prime crus of the village, this can rightly be considered a true garagiste producer.

For over 30 years, Luigi and his wife Fiorina carried on the family’s heritage in Serralunga d’Alba. They cared their vineyards with the same tenderness of their own love.

In January 2009, Luigi and Fiorina entrusted the Vajra family with a unique mission: being the guardian of their family name, story and vineyards. Perpetuating Luigi’s legacy, learning from his wealth of experience and seeking for authenticity is all what matters here.

The history of Mayacamas is long, but most importantly, is still being written.  The team strives each day to connect the past, present, and future through their work – a commitment to the most important traditions, methods, and tools of previous generations is central to their path forward as winemakers.

In 1889 John Henry Fisher purchased this rugged mountain land and built the winery Mayacamas still uses today from stones gathered around the property.  He began a winemaking tradition that has been carried forward by generations of families – Taylor, Travers, and the Mayacamas team to name a few – all sharing a distinct love for this remote place.

This historic winery space, as well as two others constructed in later decades, were gently restored in 2013 and provide a considered environment that allows for an enhanced level of quality and consistency in the wines.  Mayacamas believes strongly that their careful investment is already starting to yield the finest wines the property has produced to date.

"I believe the world of wine is so fed up with uniform wines, produced with the goal of achieving a maximum of points in a tasting and not with the motivation of creating from the raw materials that are at disposal, namely soil, climate and varietal, a product that is singular, because of the fact that it can only grow in this one place.” - Roland Velich

Roland Velich started the Moric (pronounced Moritz) project in the early 2000s, with a single-minded intention to elevate the status of the Austrian grape Blaufränkisch (known as Kékfrankos in Hungary or Lemberger in Germany). Velich's family was already known for fine white wines from the Mittelburgenland, which lies near the Hungarian border and is influenced by the unique micro-climates of the Pannonian plain and Lake Neusiedl. Impressed by the great red wines of the world, from Burgundy, Rhone and Piedmont (to name a few influences), Velich was convinced of the potential of Blaufränkisch, and wanted to produce an age-worthy, "serious" expression - not an emulation of the red wines he admired, but a uniquely Austrian offering. His approach was to find old, high density vineyards, and combine rigorous selection in the vineyard with low yields, natural fermentation, and patient, low-intervention winemaking. It seems the wines were received well by a handful of other producers and some wine drinkers on release, but given that the "top" (expensive) reds in Austria at the time were generally over-extracted and aged in new oak (emulation of trends elsewhere), Velich's wines were not immediately acclaimed. With time however, there was a gradual realization of how special these wines really were. With each vintage, Velich refined his style and deepened his connection to the old vineyards in Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg, and eventually, wine drinkers were able to try aged bottles of Moric. So we see beginning in the latter half of the 2000s, an increasing amount of rave reviews for the Moric wines, and rightly so!

“In the beginning, there were three of us: Michael Terrien, Peter Molnar, and Arpad Molnar. From the outset we have owned and farmed our own vineyards, coopered our own barrels, and vinified our own wines. In 2002 we made our first 98 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. Encouraged by our heritage wine project Poseidon Vineyard, we are individuals that have always been compelled to discover something new.

Over the last decade and a half, many have joined us. We are inspired by the people we work with – in the forest, in the vineyard, at the winery. We are inspired, too, if you enjoy what we create. Doubly so if you join us for the journey.”

“Volcanoes are gloomy places, and when I arrived, Mt. Etna was even gloomier because it was an abandoned volcano. Wineries lay collapsed all over its slopes; stonewalled terraces disappeared everywhere up the mountain in the bushes. There was the misery of blackened streets and ashen churches in large old towns. These were the feelings I had in the winter of 2000 when I first came to Etna. It seemed crazy to restore vineyards so high up the mountain – above, it was erupting – but I liked that they were planted so high.

At the top of the steep Passopisciaro property looms a hump of black gravel. It’s where the lava spill from a big eruption in 1947 had stopped, caking up just before it could submerge whole terraces below it, vines, walls, and buildings: on Etna you can lose it all.

Here, it’s always very cold at night, even in August. During the day in the vineyards the lava powder penetrates in the skin and you get intoxicated, tired. The first wine I made was pale and meager, and I was discouraged. I planted other grapes; whatever is planted there the wine always tastes of citrus and camphor, without that generous body that you like earth to lend right away to a wine.

There’s no mold, no moss; the ground sparkles black like the night; the wine slowly becomes very elegant and strange. During the day a soft light penetrates everything and then there are starry nights; Etna has enormous poetry. Making wine, you have access to it. There isn’t Mother Nature here. You are conducting your viticulture on stuff that comes out of the terrible below.”

– Andrea Franchetti

From the land to the table. The vinified grapes are born and grow in the vineyards for the most part owned by the company. Mountain vineyards where Nature marks the rhythm of the seasons and imprints its soul on the wines. Each row is an expression of deep respect for the environment and man's continuous contact with the land.

“For over 15 years, we’ve been traveling Italy’s backroads to create a portfolio of terroir-driven wines that get us excited, from groovy daily-drinkers to fine and natural wines. We only work with growers, and import only wines that that continue to be soulful and delicious for us.

Italy is a peninsula of nooks and crannies (77% hills and mountains), with an incredible range of biodiversity in its grape varieties and soils. We want to explore them, and suss out the best, from classic growing areas (such as Chianti and Barolo), to less well-known areas (such as Alta Tuscia in Lazio and Alto Piemonte).

Our portfolio leans toward savoury and vinous wines with alcohol levels in check; we’re suckers for the tension limestone soils bring to wines, and the spice of volcanic soils. You’ll notice quite a few mountain and island wines in our portfolio, from the Alps and Apennines to Alto Piemonte. We don’t fly the naturalista flag, though we have quite a few ‘natural wine’ producers; we’re cool with a little brett or VA, but we don’t want sloppy wines, and we’d like to talk about possibly more than just sulphur levels (though we have them too!).

We’re in the midst of another Italian wine revolution, more poetic and serious than the ‘quality’ revolution of the 1980’s, one where producers are more confident and sensitive to echo Italy’s many soils and varieties. Throw in Italy’s regional culinary traditions, and these are good times, tempi belli, to be an Italian wine (and food) lover. We’re excited about getting these wines to your table – and ours.”

Belisario
Cardedu
Cave des Onze
Colle Trotta
Colombera & Garella
Donnas
Emidio Pepe
Ferdinando Principiano
Franchino
FUSO21
Giuseppe Calabrese
I Custodi
Le Masse di Lamole
Mirco Mariotti
Mortellito
Valli Unite
Venditti Benevanto
Vigneti Massa

¿Por qué no? Selections is a Spanish wine import company focused on artisanal producers with unique terroirs.

30+ indigenous Spanish grape varieties

Family owned

Small productions

Dry farmed

Hand harvested

Low intervention

A courageous ‘wine growing archaeology’ project, that speaks of passion. 
Proprietà Sperino is the realisation of a dream: to restore the important tradition of Lessona wines by recovering the historic cellars to produce a wine with the greatest respect for local tradition. In the ‘seventies, Paolo De Marchi moved to Tuscany where he founded the wine producing estate Isole & Olena, which played a leading role in the rebirth of Chianti Classico. But his desire was to return to his family origins one day, and indeed in 1999 with his son Luca he did, and once again took the reins of the historic family estate, at the Castle of Lessona in via Sperino.

“It all started in the middle of the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, since the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Our founder, Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed closely in their footsteps.

Don Rafael fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro, the mythical capital of the Rioja Alta region. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing wine that would eventually become world famous. Around 1877 he began the design and construction of the complex that is today known as the López de Heredia bodega (winery), the oldest in Haro and one of the first three bodegas in the Rioja region.

For over a century our emotions have been rooted in our love and passion for this land and its harvest. We cherish our heritage, and this combination of love and the rigorous quality standards we apply, have become our trademarks and remain our maxim for today and the future.

Bodegas López de Heredia stands out as one of the few family-run bodegas regulated by the Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja – DOC (Appellation region).”

Remelluri (reh-meh-yoo-ree) is one of the most timeless and iconic landscapes of the wine world, as well as one of the most enchanting vineyards in Spain. While firmly anchored in its historical past, Remelluri illuminates the path forward for not only the future of Rioja but also world-class, terroir-based fine wines produced in Spain. It is about rediscovering the essence of Rioja, and the story’s evolution is genuinely cinematic in scope. At Remelluri, the future lies in the past.

The Rare Wine Co. was founded in 1989 by Mannie Berk. And within 15 years, they were recognized as one of America’s premier wine merchants, in the dual roles of national importer and retailer.

The Rare Wine Co. represents nearly three dozen of Europe’s most revered producers, including such iconic names as, Pingus, Bartolo Mascarello, Alvaro Palacios, and Domaine Huet. Their goal is not to concentrate on a single country or region but to have a portfolio that represents “the best of the best,” with a strong emphasis on classic winemaking.

Over the past quarter century, they have been fierce advocates for wines and regions that they believed were neglected in the world spotlight. Thanks in part to the Rare Wine Co.'s work, wines ranging from Chablis and Cote Rotie to old Champagne and traditional Rioja enjoy far more prestige today than they did when the Rare Wine Co. was founded.

They have helped restore to prominence wines threatened with virtual extinction. Today, both Madeira and traditionally made Barolo are thriving in part because of The Rare Wine Co.’s passionate advocacy. 

Alvaro Palacios
Antidoto
Bernabeleva
Bodegas Olivares
D’Oliveira
Descendientes de J. Palacios
Domaine Huët
Domaine de Pallus
Dominio de Pingus
Elio Perrone
Giuseppe Mascarello
Jean-Phillipe Fichet
Királyudvar
Montepeloso
PSI
Rare Wine Co. Historic Series Madeira
Réné Rostaing
Tomasso Bussola
 

“Who is Sacred Thirst? A small collective of wine professionals united by our passion and dedication to wine. Who we are as individuals is of no great importance, for although our inherent individuality and differences contributes to our strength, we revel in operating as a unified entity. Working together, our combined experience and variance of opinions ultimately yield a stronger vision of our shared goals: To champion winegrowers and individuals dedicated to producing authentic wines that exemplify precision and soul.

To that end, we seek out those individuals that, like us artfully extol balance, and who strive to do the best with the materials they were given. We refrain from fanaticism, be they wines made or sold for hubris by those who only look at the bottom line, or by producers that categorically prioritize ideals such as “natural” “organic” or “biodynamic” over true quality and authenticity.

As a group, our ethos is grounded in the notion that finding peace or contentment is often temporary, and that the journey towards fulfillment is often far more valuable than attaining the goal itself. And so, we are reverent of both hunger and thirst. It is our sincere hope that on this journey of life, and through wine, we at Sacred Thirst can in some small manner contribute to a new level of spirituality and communion amongst us all. Feelings and passion must never fail us.

To Hunger and Thirst! - Sacred Thirst Selections”

Anne-Sophie Dubois
Domaine de Chevillard
Domaine Collier
Domaine Girard
Domaine La Grangette
Domaine de la Prose
Guy de Forez
Les Clos Perdus
M. Bonnamy
Pardas
Zorzal

Sandhi is a small production California winery focusing on select vineyards from the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. Sandhi was founded in 2010 by Rajat Parr, the wine director for Michael Mina Restaurants, and winemaker, Sashi Moorman.

Sandhi represents a union essential to the production of wine: the collaboration between man, earth, and vine. The willing participation of all three elements is necessary to make great wine, and the winegrower must make this collaboration rich and nourishing for all involved. An understanding of these joint efforts informs Sandhi’s exploration of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines throughout the Santa Barbara County terroir.

The individual vineyards from which these grapes originate–some legendary, some new–have been exhaustively vetted for character, personality, and balance. Employing the wisdom and talents of people who know the vineyards, Sandhi is dedicated to making wines of finesse, minerality, acidity, structure and balance. Wine achieves power and beauty through the seamless integration of these qualities, and this is the inspiration for Sandhi. Wines exhibiting extreme ripeness, alcohol, oak, and other discordant exaggerations cannot truly express a specific vineyards terroir.

St. Innocent began as an idea conceived in a moment of passion and inspiration in 1983. Mark Vlossak spent the next five years studying, taking classes, and apprenticing with Oregon wine pioneer, Fred Arterberry. In 1988, St. Innocent Winery was founded. The goal is to produce wines that respect the quality and tradition of the Old World in one of the newest and most exciting wine growing regions on the planet: Oregon's Willamette Valley.  

Mark Vlossak is founder, president, and winemaker of St. Innocent Winery in Salem, Oregon. Mark's exposure to wine began at the age of seven when he began tasting wines daily with his father, a wine importer.  During his university training, he developed a love for Champagne. After reading an article in 1983 on American sparkling wine in Bon Appetit magazine, he was inspired to become a winemaker. Andre Tshelishev was quoted: "the greatest sparkling wine in America will be made in Oregon, not California, because it is the right place to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the grapes of Champagne." During his training, he apprenticed with Fred Arterberry, Jr., the first Oregonian to make sparkling wine. Fred also produced the first vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs in Oregon, something Mark would soon become famous for producing.

Mark has always made the wines, oversees the vineyards, and represents St. Innocent in the national marketplace. St. Innocent has grown from 600 cases in the first year to the current production of 10,000 cases, yet each wine is still handcrafted.

A family-owned and operated Wine Importer, focusing on small production vignerons, who farm ethically and who produce authentic wines. Their producers are about as far from a luxury wine estate as you can get. There are no fancy on-site tasting bars, lounges, patios or restaurants. There is a cellar, perhaps a barn for equipment, the vineyards, and honestly crafted wines.

Each vigneron Terres Blanches represents has a deep connection not just to their vineyards, but to the diverse flora and fauna that help give life to the vines. These vineyards are active, living ecosystems, and our producers toil daily to ensure that this harmony is not interrupted. The best wines come from healthy grapes, grown using Organic or Biodynamic principles, fermented using natural yeasts and crafted in the cellar with minimal inputs.

Founded in 2002, Thomas Calder Selections represents a collection of hand-picked, family-owned estates in France, Spain and Switzerland. Owned and managed by Thomas Calder, an American living in Paris since 1996, we have amassed an impressive portfolio of top quality domaines.

Before pursuing a career in the wine business, Thomas Calder was a PhD student in English Literature at the University of Virginia. His interest in wine developed while in college when he and a friend vowed to assemble the "perfect liquor cabinet". When they ran out of spirits to taste, Thomas' friend encouraged him to lead a wine tasting group.

He taught wine tasting classes while in graduate school, then took a job as a wine buyer at a gourmet shop and decided to work with wine and words. A few years after becoming the owner of the shop, he decided to increase his wine knowledge by apprenticing at a winery in the Loire Valley.

When he returned to the US nine months later, he worked as the wine buyer for a number of stores in Washington, DC, as a sommelier, taught wine tasting classes, and helped Fran Kysela start Kysela Père et Fils in 1994.

He returned to France on a regular basis, travelling with importers, taking a continuing education class in oenology and tasting at the University of Bordeaux, and working for a few months at Maison Chapoutier in 1990. He has picked grapes in the Maconnais and Champagne and vinified in the Jura.

Tenuta delle Terre Nere is the fruit of over 30 years of passion and work in the world of fine wine.

And an extraordinary location, as well - this "island within an island" that is the Etna - that my brother and I chose. And that, I sometimes believe, actually chose us. A place where nature is prodigal but also severe. And here I try with all my heart to express as purely as possible the refined and multifaceted microcosm of this ancient volcanic land. With respect, care and hard farm work, always in organic balance.

The estate's philosophy is simple. Given an extreme climate, in order to obtain the best and most consistent ripening, our attention must focus on vineyard management. The finest workmanship in all aspects of viticulture is the first thing that sets us apart. And what enables us, bringing home exceptionally fine grapes, not to be invasive in our cellar work. A work best described as aimed above all at expressing the character of our varieties in their specific terroir.

A great team, a delicate hand and a heightened sensibility, as well. And our ideals, that drive us to give the best of ourselves in quest, not of perfection, but of the ideal bond between what nature gives us and that which our sensitivity, experience and imagination suggests.

All this sets us apart.

Located in a remote corner of southeastern Tuscany, Tenuta di Trinoro specializes in rich, age-worthy red wines made of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. The 200-hectare estate sits in viticultural isolation in the Orcia Valley near Sarteano, where Tuscany meets Umbria and Lazio.

Owner and winemaker Andrea Franchetti acquired the property in the 1980s and in the beginning of the 1990s started planting his first vines. The most important lesson he gleaned from a stint in Bordeaux was the crucial role played by terroir. He saw, in the rough woodland that would become Trinoro,clay-limestone and gravel soils reminiscent of those in Saint-Émilion. Only select parcels were suitable for vine-growing, amid a sea of blue clay, and those he cleared by hand and planted in the style of the Bordelais: high-density, meter-by-meter plantings, with cuttings brought over from some of the region’s great estates.

Tight planting, high thinning, very low yields, extreme ripeness, and concentration of flavor characterize his winemaking style. The wines are highly perfumed and opulent, at once approachable and meant to be left to develop in the bottle over time.

Potazzine is the Italian word for very colorful and vivacious birds which inhabit the Tuscan countryside. In Montalcino, grandparents and parents alike often use Potazzine as a term of endearment for children. In fact, it was their maternal grandmother who affectionately gave this nickname to Viola and Sofia, the daughters of Gigliola Giannetti.

The link with the two Potazzine not only features in the name of the winery, but also in its entire evolution. It was created in 1993, when Viola was born, and expanded by a further two hectares in 1996, when Sofia came along. This brought the total area registered for the production of Brunello and boasted by the estate today, to five hectares

It all started from their passion for wines with heart and soul. The dream was to make them available, so everyone could experience the authentic expressions of terroir that wines have to offer.

Think Global wines have a sense of soul and authenticity. They regard wine as artisanal crafting and an expression of nature. When nature is respected, it reveals aspects and truths of those earthly places filled with traditions and history. In essence, wine evokes memories, emotions, and enjoyment.

Buil & Giné
Casal de Armán
Mestres
Priorat Natur
R. López de Heredia
 

Turnbull’s wines have emerged as some of the most authentic and impressive expressions of vineyard-driven winemaking in Napa Valley. At the same time, Turnbull has quietly earning a reputation among collectors as one of Oakville’s defining wineries and one of Napa Valley’s hidden gems. “The greatest wines tell the story of a special piece of land and a moment in time,” says Peter Heitz winemaker for Turnbull properties.

“They also reflect the relationship between a vineyard and the people who are its stewards. We have been farming our vineyards for decades. They are the essence of Turnbull. So, when we make our wines, we do so with integrity and respect—there are no shortcuts, no compromises—just a belief that if we let the vineyards speak, they will tell a fascinating story.

Four generations of winemakers in Dolegna del Collio.

Territory, sustainability, research

Venica’s vineyards occupy an area of 40 hectares and are located on different hills in the Collio region, each one of which, facing a different direction, has its own particular microclimate. This gives our wines an incredible complexity.

The soils of the Collio region, known as “Ponka“, are composed of marl and sandstone dating back to the Eocene period.

These stratifications that are also partly rocky are easily broken down by the weather pattern, that creates coarse elements that initially result in a granular soil and later in a very fine one.

Over several seasons, this becomes an ideal substrate for viticulture, that provides minerals and flavour to our wines.

"In September 1997 Roy Cloud was asked by the Michel-Schlumberger winery in Dry Creek Valley to become the buyer for a new line of French imports. He accepted, despite the fact that his French was worthless at the time.

Fortunately, his brother spoke the language well, so he came along on the early travels as a clandestine translator. They trooped across France and doors were opened, giving them an abiding appreciation for the pride the better farmers took in their work. Nearly every one of those early growers who signed on via handshake—because then, as now, the moral contract rather than a legal document guided our relationships—remain in the portfolio.

In early 2003 Roy purchased the assets of the Michel-Schlumberger import business and formed Vintage ’59. The name was changed to an iconic vintage in France (by chance, Roy’s birth year). The heart and soul of the company, however, has stayed firmly focused on artisanal domains making excellent regional wine—classic vin de terroir.

As importers, we look for wines with depth of fruit, length and elegance, rather than for obtrusive oak, over-extraction, or excessive alcohol. That said, we don’t tell growers how to make wine because that’s their expertise, not ours. And we don’t work with fatheads, regardless of how good their wine might be, because it’s not worth it. The company focuses on the rich relationships that spring from the community of growers, instead of just the commercial imperative. So we look for people who share sensibilities, and that makes them as important as the wine they produce. The rule is simple: you work with people who make you proud and whose wine you drink at home."

Alain Normand
Charles Bove
Château Coupe Roses
Château Haut Monplaisir
Claude Branger
Domaine de la Chevalerie
Domaine des Hâtes
Domaine de Montahuc
Domaine de Pavillon
Domaine Richou
Henry Natter
J-M Sélèque
Lilbert-Fils
Pavillon de Chavannes
Quinta do Tedo
Saje

It is undoubtedly the sound and fury of Italian sommeliers: Massa’s Timorasso. Modigliani curves (this wine is full bodied) focused by the angled faces; some fruit, a warm minerality, and all carried by an acidity that recalls a heavyweight with agile footwork. It’s hard not to get worked up about Walter Massa’s wines: He had a vision for a variety nobody wanted, worked in obscurity for years, rescued the grape, and doesn’t talk about himself but about the territory of Colli Tortonesi. When you get lost going there, start asking people 100 kilometers out; they all know and love him, from the gas station guy to the producer next door.

Walter farms 30 hectares in eight distinct vineyard areas. Total production at Massa is about 13,000 cases, of which 5,000 is Timorasso. He produces amazing reds as well from the local grapes (Croatina, Barbera, Freisa, Nebbiolo). Most bottles of Barbera fail to answer the question of whether the grape, with a touch of wood, can truly age (instead of merely keep). Massa’s Barbera Monleale is the start of an answer; we’ve tasted examples going back 15 years, and we periodically bring in some library wines for you to taste. His Barbera in steel is Sentieri, with light-saber Barbera fruit. His entry-level Fuso Barbera helped us launch (and gave the name to) our FUSO21 project; it’s a daily drinker that goes with everything and is priced right.

Reichsrat von Buhl owns some of the best vineyards in the Mittelhaardt region, and we see this as an obligation to produce the best wines in every location. In our opinion, this is only possible when done in harmony with nature. For this reason, we have been working organically since 2006, combining the experience of over 170 years of viticulture with contemporary knowledge of ecology and sustainability.

With a total vineyard area of approximately 56 hectares, 45 percent is made up of vineyards classified, by the VDP (a German organisation which promotes the country's top wines and estates), as VDP. First location® and VDP. Great location®. Of these sites, the best parcels are owned by Reichsrat von Buhl.

Our eight Grossen Gewächs® sites in Deidesheim, Forst and Ruppertsberg are exclusively planted with our most important grape variety, Riesling. We are particularly proud of the original vineyard plots Ungeheuer and Freundstück, which are in the sole possession of Reichsrat von Buhl

Etz
Felix
Högl
Moric
Rosi Schuster
Straka
Zahel
Zantho
 

Anyone who has ever seen the traditional production of a glass is struck by how fascinating this ancient craft is. There is a charm to the apparent contradiction of the primal fire and the demanding work of the glowing furnace with the precise mechanics and the instinct that is necessary to create these works of art. Despite the simplest of tools, the master glassmakers achieve an astonishing precision that cannot be achieved in this form

even with the most modern technology thus giving the human component an outstanding value.

As in music, where the handmade violins of the experienced masters from Cremona are considered by many to be unmatched despite today’s possibilities in the production of modern violins, Zalto glasses are fascinating instruments for drinking pleasure.

Catalog

Château Le Bergey
Frank Cornelissen