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Pre-Arrival
Alphonse Mellot Cuvee Edmond Sancerre Blanc 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$74.28
Now mature, this wine balances crisp citrus with warm apricot flavors. It is smooth and intense, with a texture that...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$98.33
Having tasted the white Generation XIX a year ago before it headed for the bottling line, its pedigree continues to...
Pre-Arrival
Alphonse Mellot La Moussiere Sancerre Blanc 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$304.24
From dense white-chalk soil, this wine lies at the heart of this producer's range. It is a generous, full-bodied wine...
Pre-Arrival
Alphonse Mellot La Moussiere Sancerre Blanc 2021
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$39.19
The 2021 Sancerre La Moussiere was tasted as a finished wine still in tank and offers attractive purity and balance....
Pre-Arrival
Alphonse Mellot Pouilly Fume 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$320.26
Mellot's 2018 Pouilly-Fumé opens with an intense and aromatic, clear and elegant bouquet of ripe pears and...
Pre-Arrival
Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Clos Guillot 2020
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$36.20
91-93 Hailing from the limestone-clay slopes on the outskirts of Chinon town, home to other famous vineyards like...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$103.13
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$96.29
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$96.29
Pre-Arrival
Charles Joguet Chinon Clos De La Dioterie 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$51.95
The 2018 Chinon Clos de la Dioterie is richly fruited, reflecting the warmth of the vintage, and soft and...
Pre-Arrival
Charles Joguet Chinon Clos Du Chene Vert 2010
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$96.29
Along with the other top cuvées in the Charles Joguet range, this is a fine an expression of Loire Cabernet Franc....
Pre-Arrival
Charles Joguet Chinon Clos Du Chene Vert 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$51.55
The 2018 Chinon Clos du Chene Vert, Monopole is one of the top wines from Joguet, offering pure black fruit and even...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$59.19
At the foot of the gravelly terrace, partly formed by the erosion of the limestone slope, this very special...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$43.13
The 2019 Les Varennes du Grand Clos is starting to mellow with an extra year in bottle since I last tasted. It...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$71.47
The fruit for the 2020 Les Varennes du Grand Clos comes from a site where the top of the slope is mainly clay and...
Cabernet Franc Gamay Sauvignon Blanc France Loire Valley Pre-Arrival
Cabernet Franc is not simply an important grape varietal for the fact that it is one of the most widely grown strains of vine in the world, but also because it is a vital grape in the production of many of the finest wines the world has ever seen. For centuries in its native France, it has been a varietal synonymous with elegance and high quality, and has become a key fruit in the production of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blended wines which have gone down in history thanks to their magnificent flavors, aromas and levels of aged complexity. However, Cabernet Franc is also a wine grape varietal for use in single variety, unblended wines, and has plenty to offer on its own. Most commonly, it is renowned for its wide bouquet, which often includes fascinating notes of tobacco, violets or bell pepper over a beautifully pale and decadent liquid.
The French wines of Beaujolais are widely regarded as some of the finest table wines in the world. This is due in part to the qualities of the Gamay grape, from which they are made. Gamay produces beautifully, juicy, rounded and gulpable red wines, usually drank young and full of their natural fruit character. However, it would be a mistake to say that Gamay is limited to easy-drinking, soft wines - it’s a highly flexible and versatile grape, capable of producing aged wines of serious complexity and structure, full of expression and fascinating characteristics.
The majority of Gamay wines from France are labeled under Beaujolais Villages or Beaujolais, and these are the standard table wines we’re used to seeing in French restaurants, at bistros, and at our local wine store. Usually great value for money, these are the light, slightly acidic examples of what the grape can do. Far more interesting are those Gamay wines from the 10 cru villages, just north of Beaujolais, where generations of expertise and a unique soil type made up of granitic schist result in far more unique, complicated wines. The best examples of Gamay feature intense aromatics, all black fruit and forest fare, and are worth cellaring for a few years.
The green skinned grapes of the Sauvignon Blanc varietal had their origins in Southern France, where they are still widely grown and used for many of the excellent young and aged white wines the region is famous for. Today, however, they are grown in almost every wine producing country in the world, and are widely revered for their fresh and grassy flavors, full of tropical notes and refreshing, zesty character. Sauvignon Blanc grapes thrive best in moderate climates, and ripen relatively early in the year. This has made them a favorite for many wineries in the New World, where they can still produce healthy and high yields in the earlier part of the summer before the temperatures become too hot. Too much heat has a massively adverse effect on Sauvignon Blanc, as the grapes become dull in their flavor, and the wine produced from them loses all its unique character and high points. As such, Sauvignon Blanc farmers have had a lot of trouble from global warming and climate change, as they are being forced to harvest their crops increasingly earlier in the year when it is cool enough to do so.
Year in, year out, France enjoys its prestigious reputation as the producer of the finest wines in the world. With a wine making history which spans several thousand years and owes its expertise to the Romans, it comes as little surprise that this most highly esteemed of the Old World wine countries continues to impress and enchant both novices and experts to this day. Despite the rise in quality of wines from neighboring European countries, not to mention the New World, the French wine industry continues to boom, with up to eight billion bottles being produced in recent years. However, France prides itself on always putting quality before quantity, and the wide range in fine produce is a testament to the dedication and knowledge of the wineries across the country. Indeed, from rich and complex reds to light and aromatic white wines, French wines are as varied and interesting as they are enjoyable to drink, making this country a firm favorite for wine lovers across the globe.
Within France, the one region most closely associated with fine white and rosé wines is surely the Loire Valley. With over eight controlled appellations, and a relatively large expanse of land covering this wide valley, the Loire Valley is an ideal location for wineries wishing to produce large quantities of excellent quality vines for their wine production. Indeed, this region has been associated with excellent white wines for over a thousand years, with it once being the favorite wine region for the crowned heads of England, France and beyond. Today, it produces a wide range of white wines, and several rosé and red varieties also. It is also widely celebrated for being home to some of France's most lively and fruity sparkling crémant wines, which more than match those produced in nearby Champagne.