Perrini Organic Vine & Wines
Domaine Louis Michel
Montmain Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2014
The 14 Chablis are really good. This Louis Michel is no different. An excellent example of little intervention of good fruit. This producer uses no oak; which I really appreciate. After you start to appreciate good Burgundy, CA Chardonnays aren't that interesting. Not that I don't ever drink or enjoy some CA Chardonnay producers, I just prefer the cooler climate Chardonnays that don't use new oak. This 14 was clean through and through. Bright citrus, peach, touch of green apple, soft minerality, touch of saline, creamy texture and beautiful round acidity and ripe, elegant finish. Photos of, Louis Michel vineyard, vineyard heat sources to protect the vine buds during their sometimes difficult Spring weather/frosts, Guillaume Michel (Owner/Winemaker) and their Domaine. Producer notes and history...It was largely believed that Michel family had only been cultivating Chablis since 1850. More on that in a bit. The winery is situated right in the heart of the village with 25 hectares spread over the very first slopes that were discovered by Cistercian monks in the 11th century. 40 years ago, the family decided to stop making the wine in wooden barrels, preferring to create clean, pure and precise Chablis without adding artificial woody tastes. I've said it more than once and I'll say it again, if you have good white grapes, strong wood use only covers up good fruit flavor or hides mistakes either in the vineyard or cellar, baring a stylistic choice. Through this philosophy, combined with the limited yields inspired by organic wine-growing techniques, the Domaine has developed a worldwide reputation for fine wine-making in stainless steel tanks. Today, the Domaine is managed by Jean-Loup Michel and his nephew, Guillaume Michel, who is continuing the family tradition. The importance of their work in the vineyards cannot be overstated. Guillaume Michel is a firm believer in the philosophy that if you do a good job in the vineyard, 90 per cent of the work is done when the grapes arrive at the winery. This statement could not be more true in my opinion. It his grandfather who started the philosophy, Guillaume has only continued it and evolved it with modern changes equipment etc.. It’s a matter of preserving the authenticity of each terroir...working with very pure and clean wines. They understand and like to work differences in terroir. Making it very important to have the same vinification for all the different terroirs. It is important to have an aromatically neutral vinification. Up until recently it was believed that the winemaking history of the family began in 1850, but thanks to Guillaume’s mother and her genealogical pursuits the date has been moved back to at least 1640. Around that time a winemaker from nearby Tonnerre settled in Chablis, marking the beginning of the families venture in Chablis. Domaine Louis Michel covers a total of 25 hectares. A very large part (15 hectares) is the domaine’s premier crus. In addition to that there is two hectares of Petit Chablis vines, six hectares of village Chablis and two hectares of grand crus. Vaudesír is the families biggest grand crus. Vaudesír is interesting because it is actually a valley. One side facing south, very hot, producing concentrated and powerful wines. In Grenouilles, Domaine Louis Michel has half a hectare at the top of the slope. This nine hectare grand cru is just over 7 hectares and is owned by the cooperative La Chablisienne. Vaudesír and Grenouilles are quite similar in terms of soil. Vaudesír has a bit more of clay. Les Clos, their third grand cru, is very rocky. Les Clos is the typical Kimmeridgian soil of Chablis. If you're like me and enjoy your white wine with good clean fruit rather than with oak or too much oak but haven't tried Louis Michel wines, pick up a bottle. I think you'll fall in love with the style and the value as many are under $30.
— 8 years ago
Carol Shelton Wines
Wild Thing Cox Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel 2014
From the organic Cox vineyard in Mendocino, North of Ukiah. 65 years old vines. Amazingly elegant Zin, juicy but not jammy. Ripe cherries, subtle spices and fresh acidity without the residual sugar that makes so many Zins unattractive. Delicious and terrific value. — 8 years ago
Yalumba
Old Bush Vine Barossa Grenache 2014
Tar and tobacco on the nose. Not overwhelming though. Fruit shows up later, such as red berries. Flavors are more earthy and organic than fruity. Medium tannin and body. Tasty. — 8 years ago
Centonze
Terre Siciliane Frappato 2013
Smooth as a baby's bottom. Organic. $18.50 at Vine Box on Greenpoint. — 9 years ago
Bodegas Torremoron
Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2013
stop it! Organic old-vine Tempranillo for this price?! And a Ribero del Duero wine for under 20? Somebody musta mispriced this one -snatch it up if you see it ! — 10 years ago
Domaine De La Grand'Cour (Jean-Louis Dutraive)
Les Clos Cuvée Vielles Vignes Fleurie Gamay 2013
Varietals: Gamay
Organic: Certified
Vineyard: A true clos (walled vineyard) and eight hectare monopole of Dutraive's. Vine age ranges from 30-70 years old. A true clos (walled vineyard) and eight hectare monopole of Dutraive's. Made from the oldest vines in the vineyard, planted in the 1940s.
Orientation: South, southeast-facing
Soil: Pink granite shingles
Viticulture: No herbicides or pesticides, organically farmed, certified since 2009 vintage.
Vinification: Traditional vinification without sulfur and with natural yeast at very low temperatures. Carbonic maceration and little or no filtering.
Aging: 100% in 1-5 year old french oak barrels
Rating: 92 JG
The old vine bottling from Monsieur Dutraive hails from a parcel of sixty-five to seventyfive year-old vines and is raised entirely in Burgundy barrels, ranging from one to five years of age, so there is a little wood influence to this cuvée. The 2013 is outstanding, offering up a deep and nascently complex bouquet of cherries, raspberries, coffee, gamebird, lovely soil tones, spice elements redolent of clove and mace, a bit of mustard seed and a nice touch of cedary new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and youthfully structured, with a sappy core, fine soil signature and a bit of tannin to resolve on the long, youthful finish. This is emphatically not a classic style of Fleurie, but it is an extremely well-made wine whose inspiration seems to be as much Vosne-Romanée as it is Fleurie. The focus and balance here are impeccable and I see no reason this wine will not age superbly well, and for those who are looking for a gateway Fleurie to make the transition from the Côte d’Or to Cru Beaujolais, this is a perfect wine! 2017-2030+. - John Gilman — 11 years ago
Benoit Marguet
Sapience Brut 2006
What a spectacular bottle. All mid-slope, old vine fruit from a roll call of Champagnes best organic growers, masterfully blended by Benoit Marguet. — 12 years ago
Wine Guerrilla
Forchini Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel 2009
Less than $25, 16% Vol! Very we'll balance Organic Zinfandel! Instant favorite! — 12 years ago
Weingut Winter
Dittelsheimer Leckerberg trocken Riesling 2010
Organic, old vine Riesling. The name translates into something like "yummy mountain". It's like perfect dried peaches and apples. With wine in there. Crazy. — 12 years ago
Château Larcis Ducasse
Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2003
I’m opening my last bottle of the 03 Larcis Ducasse after recently reading a couple of professional write ups about the wines fruit fading and to drink up. I did not find that to be the case w/ my last bottle. I found the wine to be around it’s peak form with another 5 years plus ahead. On the nose; menthol, eucalyptus, ripe; dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, plum, poached & candied strawberries, notes of blue fruits, black raspberries, cherry cola, touch herbaceous; sage & bay leaf, limestone & rich, moist, black, turned earth, crushed dry rocks, graphite, dry soil/clay with dry & fresh dark florals. The body is medium full. Tannins are 75-80% resolved. The length, structure, tension & balance are right where I’d expect them to be and are quite enjoyable. The palate is very similar to the nose. Menthol, eucalyptus, ripe; dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, plum, poached & candied strawberries, notes of blue fruits, black raspberries, cherry cola, touch herbaceous; sage & bay leaf, limestone & rich, moist, black, turned earth, crushed dry rocks, dry & very grippy, edgy minerals, Montecristo cigar, graphite, dry soil/clay with dry & fresh dark florals. The acidity is lovely and the long finish is well balanced with an even tug of war between fruit & earth with the dry earth dominate on the long set. Photos of; of their great southern exposed sunny hillside vineyard, the old craved stone entrance and Nicolas Thienpont & Stephane Derenoncourt. Producer notes & history...Chateau Larcis Ducasse began during the days of the ancient Romans, who valued the best hillside vineyards in the area. The early part of the modern era for Larcis Ducasse begins in 1893, when Henri Raba bought the Saint Emilion vineyard. After Henri Raba passed away in 1925, his wife and son Andre Raba continued managing Larcis Ducasse. His niece, Helene Gratiot Alphandery, inherited the property in 1941. She managed Chateau Larcis Ducasse until 1990. Then her son, Jacques-Olivier Gratiot took control of the property after she passed away and he remains in charge today. Chateau Larcis Ducasse remains the property of the Gratiot Alphandery family today. Prior to 2003, it had been years since the wines of Chateau Larcis Ducasse were prized by Bordeaux wine lovers. The wine had fallen out of favor, due to a lack of attention and effort. That changed in 2002 when they hired Saint Emilion consultants, Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt to turn things around and manage the estate. One of the first improvements at the property suggested by them was to create a new drainage system. The next step was to change harvesting practices. Prior to 2002, the grapes were often picked too early and over a very short duration of 2 to 3 days. Now, the harvest takes place when the fruit is ripe and picking can take as long as 2 to 3 weeks. Starting with the 2005 vintage, all work in the vineyards moved to 100% organic farming methods. The 10.85 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Larcis Ducasse is planted to 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc. This shows a slight change in the vineyard, as more Cabernet Franc has been added to the plantings since 2003. The vineyard is located just around the bend in the road from Chateau Pavie. In fact, their vines but up against each other. They are surrounded by more good producers. To the south, is Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere and La Gaffeliere, and as you move north, Chateau Troplong Mondot and Chateau Pavie. The terroir of Chateau Larcis Ducasse is a mixture of soils. The vines on the top of plateau and the slopes have a south facing exposure. At the higher elevations on the plateau, the terroir is limestone, clay and chalk soils. As you travel further down the slopes towards the terraces, the terroir is a blend of chalky limestone, marl, sand, silt and clay soil. At the base of the slopes, you find sand and clay soils. On average the vines are 35 years of age. While the older plantings were done at a vine density of 6,600 vines per hectare, as the vineyard continues to be slowly replanted, the vine density is increasing with each subsequent replanting. The new plantings are being done at 7,500 vines per hectare. They are also using budwood obtained through selection massale. The yields are kept low at Larcis Ducasse. In 2009, the effective yields were only 25 hectoliters per hectare.To produce the wine of Chateau Larcis Ducasse, the grapes are whole berry fermented. The fruit is transported by gravity flow into traditional, cement tanks for fermentation. Cuvaison takes between 25-28 days. There are no pump overs. Pigeages are conducted during fermentation. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. The wine of Chateau Larcis Ducasse is then aged in 67% new, French oak barrels, which are mixed in size, between standard barrels and 500 liter French, oak casks. The wine is then aged for an average of 18 to 20 months in barrel before bottling. The production averages close to 4,000 cases depending on what the vintage gives. — 7 years ago
Hall Wines
Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Hall, located in Napa Valley, employs organic small-vine viticulture. Pale straw with green edges and fragrant aromas of tropical and citrus fruit zest with hints of floral spice. The palate, developed by lees stirring, shows creamy fresh fruit flavors of peach, mango, lemon, and crisp apple, with earthy mineral tones. The wine has lively acidity on a medium length finish ending clean. Good value! Very Nice! — 8 years ago
Bogle Family Vineyards
Essential Old Vine California Zinfandel Blend 2014
at organic wine store — 8 years ago
Petterino
Gattinara Nebbiolo 2005
Region: Piedmont
Appellation: Gattinara
Wine type: Red
Varietals: Nebbiolo
Organic: Practicing
Vineyard: Sourced from the vineyards of Permolone, Castelle and Guardie in Gattinara.
Orientation: Mainly southwest.
Soil: The soil is rich in minerals due to the presence of sediment and glacial runoff from Monte Rossa (Granites, porphyries, quartzes and numerous ferrous minerals).
Viticulture: Vine density of about 4000 vines per hectare cultivated according to the “Guyot” method.
Vinification: 15 day fermentation and maceration.
Aging: 3 years in oak barrels of 25hl; afterwards Stainless steel tanks and minimum 6 months in bottles
Production: 1,333 cases per year. — 9 years ago
Perrini
Negroamaro
Delicious, affordable, and organic — 10 years ago
Domaine du Gravillas
Lo Vièlh Vin de Pays des Côtes de Brian Carignane 2009
Perrini
Salento Primitivo
bought in Rome Vatican prati area organic store slow food — 11 years ago
Emiliana Organic Vineyards
Gran Reserva Novas Valle del Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
A medium of the vine aroma, this Chilean slips across the tongue with no profile only have a delayed strike of diverse flavors resulting in a pleasant and delectable experience. — 12 years ago
Michel Torino
Cuma Organic Malbec 2012
Organic vine — 12 years ago
Mas de Gourgonnier
Les Baux-de-Provence Grenache Blend
An organic wonder! Found this at a free tasting and was immediately please with its drinkability. There is a subtle earthy spice, which likely reflects the natural treatment and longevity of the soil from where the grapes are grown. Apparently the 'youngest' vine on the vineyard is 40 years old. The finish is wet and just pleasantly short enough. Love this for everyday. And the different bottle is a nice departure which makes it fun to take to dinner parties. — 12 years ago
Château Brane-Cantenac
Grand Cru Classé en 1855 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2005
I have a six-pack of this 05. I thought after 10 years in bottle, it would be interesting to check in on its evolution. While tasty, I’ll wait another 8-10 to open another. Even after 2-3 hours in the decanter, it’s still a very young adolescent. On the nose, slightly sour blackberries & dark cherries, dark currants, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, anise, whiff of spice, steeped tea, dry stones, dry crushed rocks with dry top soil, caramel, vanilla with fresh & dry red florals. The body is thick & full. Tannins are starting to round out. It’s velvety on the palate. The fruits are; bright, fresh & ripe and really show the greatness of the 05 vintage. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, baked strawberries, cherries, raspberries on the long set, dark spice, clay & loamy dry top soil with crushed rocks, dry stones, cigar with ash, graphite, dry stems, slight herbaceous character, mint, used leather, clove, caramel, vanilla, fresh & dry red florals with violets. The round acidity is about perfect. The structure and length are still strong. The balance is in harmony. As for the long finish, it’s lush, ruby, rich and well polished. Photos of; Chateau Brane Cantenac, large wood vats, Henri Lurton and Estate vines. Producer notes and history...Chateau Brane Cantenac began in the early 17th century. At the time, the estate was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten. Even that far back, wine was produced from the property. In fact, the wine was so highly regarded it was one of the more expensive wines in Bordeaux. It sold for almost as much money as Brane Mouton. This is interesting because of who went on to buy the vineyard in the 1800’s. The Baron of Brane, also known as “Napoleon of the Vineyards”, purchased the Chateau in 1833. At the time of the sale, the estate was called Chateau Gorce-Guy. To get the funds needed to purchase the Margaux vineyard, the Baron sold what is now called Mouton Rothschild, which was at the time of the sale, known as Chateau Brane-Mouton. Not such a good move with hundreds of years in hindsight! In 1838, the Baron renamed property taking his name and the name of the sector where the vineyards were located and called it Chateau Brane Cantenac. The Chateau later passed to the Roy family, who were well-known in the Margaux appellation in those days, as they owned Chateau d’issan. Moving ahead to 1920, the Societe des Grands Crus de France, a group of merchants and growers that owned several chateaux located in the Medoc including; Chateau Margaux, Chateau Giscours, and Chateau Lagrange in St. Julien, purchased Chateau Brane Cantenac. Five years later, M. Recapet and his son-in-law, François Lurton, took over Brane Cantenac along with Chateau Margaux. Lucien Lurton (the son of François Lurton) inherited Brane Cantenac in 1956. Today, the estate is still in the hands of the Lurton family. Brane Cantenac is owned and run by Henri Lurton. After being given the responsibility of managing Brane Cantenac, it was under the direction of Henri Lurton that large portions of the vineyard were replanted. Vine densities were increased, the drainage systems were improved and the plantings were also, slowly changed. The vineyard of Brane Cantenac is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. Carmenere was used for the first time in the 2011 vintage. The only other Chateau I know that still uses Carmenere is Clerc Milon. The 75 hectare Left Bank vineyard of Brane Cantenac is essentially unchanged since it earned Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification. At least that is the case with the 45 hectares used to produce the Grand Vin of Brane Cantenac. Those 45 hectares are planted surrounding the Chateau. Those vines are located just in front of the Cantenac plateau and are the best terroir that Brane Cantenac owns. They have other parcels, which are further inland and much of those grapes are placed into their second wine, Le Baron de Brane. Those additional hectares can be divided into 3 main sections. Behind the Chateau, they have 15 hectares of vines on gravel and sand, 10 hectares across the road with sand, gravel and iron and a 13 hectare parcel with gravel called Notton, which is used for their second wine. The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 6,666 vines per hectare on the plateau and up to 8,000 vines per hectare for the vines located behind chateau, in their sandier soils. The higher levels of vine density are always found in the newer plantings. The terroir of Brane Cantenac consists of deep gravel, sand and clay soil. Experiments in the vineyards are currently looking at becoming more organic in their vineyard management. Today, more than 25% of Brane Cantenac is farmed using organic farming techniques. It is expected that over time, the amount of hectares farmed with organic methods will be increased. Brane Cantenac has gone through 2 relatively recent modernization’s in 1999, when they added began adding the first of their smaller vats to allow for parcel by parcel vinification and then again in 2015 when they completed a much more complete renovation of their cellars and vat rooms. While Brane Cantenac is a traditional producer, they are no stranger to technology as they were one of the first estates to embrace optical grape sorting machines. In very wet vintages, they can also use reverse osmosis. To produce the wine of Chateau Brane Cantenac, the wine is vinified in a combination of temperature controlled, traditional, 22 oak vats, 18 concrete tanks and 20 stainless steel vats that vary in size from 40 hectoliters all the way up to 200 hectoliters, which allows for parcel by parcel vinification. 40% of the fermentation takes place in the oak vats. The oldest vines are vinified in vats that are selected to allow for separate parcel by parcel vinification. The younger vines are vinified more often together in the same vats. However, the Carmenere is entirely micro-vinified, meaning that those grapes were completely vinified in barrel, using micro-vinification techniques. This can also happen because the amount of grapes produced is so small. Some vats can be co-inoculated, meaning they go through alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation simultaneously. At Chateau Brane Cantenac, malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak tanks and barrels. The wine of Brane Cantenac is aged in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. The initial 2 months of aging is done with the wine on its lees, which adds more depth to the wine. There second wine is Le Baron de Brane. Le Baron de Brane is not new. In fact, previously, the second wine went under the name of Chateau Notton, which took its name from one of the main parcels where the grapes were planted. During the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s, having a second wine was important as the estate declassified 3 vintages, due to extremely poor, weather conditions in 1956, 1960 and 1963. Production of Chateau Brane Cantenac is about 11,000 cases per year. — 7 years ago
Roque Colas
Alhama de Aragón Granacha Blend 2012
A good example of how old vine, organic Garnacha becomes an outstanding wine. — 8 years ago
Clos du Gravillas
Lo Vièlh Vin de 100 Ans Côtes de Brian Carignan 2012
World class producers of old vine Carignan. Will definitely change the way you think about this grape. Although I prefer the 2009 vintage, with a little more aging this baby is sure to wow! #organic — 10 years ago
Julien Sunier
Régnié Gamay 2013
Appellation: Regnie
Wine type: Red
Varietals: Gamay
Organic: Practicing
Vineyard: Situated at the base of the Cote du Py hillside on edge of the Morgon appellation, this parcel of 1.1 hectares is known as En Oeillat and has an average vine age of 60 years.
Orientation: Southern oriented
Soil: Sanded and pink granite, clay sub-soil
Viticulture: Organic farming, harvesting done entirely by hand.
Vinification: Indigenous yeast fermentations in concrete vats at low temperatures, to preserve fresh fruit flavors and a delicate tannic structure. After fermentations are complete, fruit is slowly pressed, over a 24 hour period, using an ancient vertical press Julien acquired in the Côte D’Or.
Aging: 20% aged in cement and 80% in neutral French barrels.
Production: 250 cases
Publication:
The 2013 Régnié from Julien Sunier is a lovely example of the vintage and a very strong indication that, though this domaine has only been around since 2008, Monsieur Sunier is now one of the top estates in the region. As readers may recall, Julien Sunier worked with Christophe Roumier at the start of his career, prior to setting out for several different regions and wearingvarious winemaking hats, prior to settling in Beaujolais and opening his own domaine in ’08. His Beaujolais bottlings are not classics, but rather more of a hybrid of Beaujolais and Côte d’Or styles, as he ferments his whole clusters in cement vats with indigenous yeasts, prior to aging them for nine or ten months in old Burgundy barrels (that he still gets from Domaine Roumier). His 2013 Régnié offers up a bright, red fruity and complex nose of cherries, baked red berries, cardamom, lovely soil tones, turmeric and just a bit of oak spice in the upper register. On the palate the wine is medium-full, wide open and drinking beautifully, with a good core of fruit, solid acidity and grip and a long, complex and succulent finish. Lovely juice in a quite unique and compelling style. 2014-2020+. - John Gilman — 11 years ago
Domaine de la Louvetrie (Landron & Fils)
Sur Lie Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Melon de Bourgogne 2010
made from organic, 15-30 year-old vine, Melon de Bourgogne grown on a variety of soils. The fruit is fermented in temperature-controlled tanks and then left on the lees for a minimum of 6 months, all of which delivers a lot of flavor - a top value - crispy, elegant, mineral, citrus profile ! A good wine 😉 — 11 years ago
Theo Minges
Froschkönig Spätlese Riesling 2010
phenomenal. "Minges farms with organic practices, and is in the process of transitioning to bio-dynamics; though he’s most interested in the energy in the life-cycle of bio-dynamic practices, he intends to achieve certification in the near future. Minges considers himself more as a cellar master than a winemaker, raising the wines from their birth on the vine as ‘children,’ the grapes need nurturing in the vineyard, then as ‘teenagers’, turbulent in fermentation, they need to be left alone, finally maturing for as long as possible, undisturbed on their lees, eventually coming into their own character. These philosophies guide his decisions: meticulous work in the vineyard, spontaneous fermentation in stückfass, an extra long time on gross lees, extremely minimal sulphur use and only at bottling." — 12 years ago
Andre Rodrigues
Christophe Aguilar é o produtor. Vamos ver se corrige. Não é Bordeaux e sim Languedoc. — 7 years ago