In This Newsletter:
Languedoc-Roussillon Sale
Nerd Alert Featurette: Filipa Pato & William Wouter
Stock Up & Save On:
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon Sale
Nerd Alert Featurette: Filipa Pato & William Wouter
Stock Up & Save On:
Languedoc-Roussillon
The south of France is home to the Languedoc-Roussillon: a collection of unique sub-regions with distinctive and delicious wines. Generally speaking, the climate is warm with the Mediterranean providing the most significant influence to its weather.
This is the home of some of France’s best values in wine and some of the more modern-influenced styles. Subregions have stricter controls on grape types and styles, but many winemakers bottle under the various IGP designations. (IGP tells you where the wine in from but has looser restrictions for winemakers, which allows them to use alternative grape varieties and winemaking techniques.) It’s also where winemakers from more established regions go to stretch their wings, as seen by Chapoutier and Rene Rostaing. (Those looking for high quality and typicity should explore the wines from Côtes du Roussillon Villages.)
‘Nuff said. Let the bargain hunting begin!
This is the home of some of France’s best values in wine and some of the more modern-influenced styles. Subregions have stricter controls on grape types and styles, but many winemakers bottle under the various IGP designations. (IGP tells you where the wine in from but has looser restrictions for winemakers, which allows them to use alternative grape varieties and winemaking techniques.) It’s also where winemakers from more established regions go to stretch their wings, as seen by Chapoutier and Rene Rostaing. (Those looking for high quality and typicity should explore the wines from Côtes du Roussillon Villages.)
‘Nuff said. Let the bargain hunting begin!
5% off any 4-8 in-stock bottles of Languedoc-Roussillon
10% off any 9+ or more in-stock bottles of Languedoc-Roussillon
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Saturday, August 16th at 9 am Pacific.
10% off any 9+ or more in-stock bottles of Languedoc-Roussillon
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Saturday, August 16th at 9 am Pacific.
We offer seventeen in-stock Languedoc-Roussillon options on sale now, including:
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Gerard Bertrand ‘Castellum’ Sauvignon Blanc, IGP Cite de Carcassonne (Languedoc-Roussillon) 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $24, that’s $22.80 at 5% off and $21.60 at 10% off, 18 bottles in stock now
Winemaker’s note “Castellum is a selection of the best parcels from the Domaine de l’Estagnère, situated at the foot of this between the Pyrenees to the south and the Montagne Noire to the to the north. It benefits from a Mediterranean climate tempered by altitude and oceanic influences from the Atlantic.”
La Colline aux Fossiles Chardonnay (Languedoc-Roussillon) 2023 750ml Displayed Price: $18, that’s $17.10 at 5% off and $16.20 at 10% off, 36+ bottles in stock now
Winery Note “For a while, we’ve partnered with Jean-Marc Lafage to make a Chardonnay from the coastal plain of the Roussillon, where the Mediterranean brings plenty of freshness to make a varietally pure and expressive style of wine. But that isn’t the only place where Chardonnay grows in the Roussillon. A little further inland and along the Tęt river valley, Chardonnay thrives on deep red clay soils with gravels washed down from the surrounding mountains. This is a sterner terroir, warmer and drier than the vineyards near the sea. The wine from these vineyards never quite fit into our other Chardonnay bottling so we realized that this wine needed to be bottled on its own.”
Domaine Lafage Novellum Chardonnay, IGP Cotes Catalanes (Languedoc-Roussillon) 2023 750ml Displayed Price: $16, that’s $15.20 at 5% off and $14.40 at 10% off, 36+ bottles in stock now
James Suckling 91 points “This has apricots, peaches, lemon curd and hazelnuts on the nose, followed by hints of crushed stones on a creamy, full-bodied palate. Supple and very clean. 100% chardonnay. Drink now.”
Domaine Rene Rostaing Puech Noble Blanc Languedoc 2023 750ml Displayed Price: $27, that’s $25.65 at 5% off and $24.30 at 10% off, 16 bottles in stock now
No reviews for the 2023 vintage. 2021 review provided for reference.
Jeb Dunnuck 89 points “A blend of Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, and Viognier, the 2021 Languedoc Puech Noble Blanc is a juicy, citrus, pear, and honeysuckle-scented white that’s medium-bodied, nicely balanced, and has a clean, dry finish. It’s going to be versatile on the dinner table and keep for a year or two.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Gerard Bertrand Cremant de Limoux Brut Rose, Languedoc-Roussillon 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $21.90, that’s $20.81 at 5% off and $19.71 at 10% off, 33 bottles in stock now
Winery note “Beautiful, salmon-pink colour with glimmering reflections. A complex bouquet with longlasting aromas of red fruit – strawberry and raspberry – backed with hints of toasted bread. Delicate bubbles and an extraordinary vivacity on the palate, with a rich, indulgent texture. The Pinot Noir grapes are not macerated, in order to preserve their colour. The must is transferred to the vats for an alcoholic fermentation, using the same process used for still wine. After the malolactic fermentation in the vats, the wine is blended and then transferred to the barrels to mature for 8 months.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
M. Chapoutier Domaine de Bila-Haut R.I. Rectificando Invenies, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde 2015 750ml Displayed Price: $99, that’s $94.05 at 5% off and $89.10 at 10% off, 10 bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck-Wine Advocate 98 points “As always, the 100% Syrah 2015 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde Rectificando Invenies (Ri) shows more minerality than the VIT release and offers blockbuster styled aromas and flavors of blackcurrants, crushed rocks, toasted bread and chocolate. Made in a voluptuous, pedal-to-the-metal style, with huge fruit and texture, it has building tannin and an uber sexy, incredibly layered and decadent palate. Drink it anytime over the coming decade. This cuvee was completely destemmed and aged 18 months in demi-muids.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Domaine du Clos des Fees Cotes du Roussillon Villages 2015 750ml Displayed Price: $54.50, that’s $51.78 at 5% off and $49.05 at 10% off, 8 bottles in stock now
Joe Czerwinski-Wine Advocate 96 points “Eighteen months in new French oak barrels has given the 2015 Côtes du Roussillon Villages le Clos des Fées a certain tightness and discipline lacking in the Vieilles Vignes bottling. There’s still massive fruit and buried complexity, full body and rich tannins, but there’s also firmness of structure that shows the serious, age-worthy side of Bizeul’s winemaking. Vanilla and baking spices accent deep, dark cherries and plums, ending in a long, velvety finish.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Domaine Alain Chabanon Montpeyroux L’Esprit de Font Caude, Languedoc-Roussillon 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% off and $35.10 at 10% off, 6 bottles in stock now
VinopolNote: Mourvèdre/Syrah/Grenache from Montpeyroux.
No reviews for the current vintage. Recent review provided for reference.
“Representing equal parts Syrah and Mourvedre Chabanon’s flagship 2009 Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux L’Esprit de Font Caude will as usual be matured for 24 months in twice-used barriques acquired from top Bordeaux chateaux, then for another year in tank, and not be released until it has had at least two years in bottle. At present, it behaves like purple plum preserves tinged with smoky-sweet machine oil, chocolate, leather, and candied herbal lozenges. Toasted nut and fruit pit bitterness nicely offsets the wine’s primary sweetness, although such impressions must be taken in the context of how distant this wine is from reaching bottle, let alone the consumer. There is a satisfying salinity to its prolonged finish. I suspect it will still drink well 6-8 years from now.” -David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Domaine Lafage ‘Tessellae’ Old Vines Rouge, Côtes du Roussillon 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $18, that’s $17.10 at 5% off and $16.20 at 10% off, 14 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 93 points “Grilled spices, stones and hints of graphite and wild herbs to the red and black berry fruit. Excellent intensity and freshness to the center-palate with svelte but supportive tannins. Really poised. Grenache, syrah and mourvedre. Drink now or hold.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Domaine Rene Rostaing ‘Le Vassal’, Languedoc AOP (formerly Coteaux du Languedoc) 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $29, that’s $27.55 at 5% off and $26.10 at 10% off, 12 bottles in stock now
Importer Note “70% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre & 15% Grenache. Cool vineyard site on limestone cobbles near the town of Nîmes. Traditional vinification, including wild yeast fermentation. Stem inclusion and length of maceration depend on the vintage.”
Have you heard the one about the Portuguese chemical engineer/winemaker and the Belgian restaurateur/sommelier? Jokes aside, these are some of the most authentic expressions of non-fortified Portuguese wine (we mean Port, of course).
Focusing on indigenous varietals and biodynamic farming, Filipa Pato & William Wouter craft wines for food. These are in the top echelons of Portuguese quality. With Pato’s recent nod by the Revista de Vinhos as Winemaker of the Year (the first woman to earn the title in thirty years), this winery should be on your must-try list now.
In Stock Now:
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Filipa Pato & William Wouter Nossa Calcario Bical, Bairrada 2023 750ml $39 special, 23 bottles in stock now
Luis Gutiérrez-Wine Advocate 95 points “The super austere and mineral white 2023 Nossa Calcário Bical was produced with grapes from the village of Óis do Barro, a classical zone for whites in Bairrada, where they are located. It fermented in 500- and 600-liter barrels and a 2,000-liter oak vat with indigenous years and was put through full malolactic too, then kept for 10 months with the fine lees, which were not stirred. This is not about the fruit but about the soil. It has the profile of an austere white from Bairrada that I love so much, with a medium-bodied palate, purity and precision, balanced, with pungent flavors. 2023 saw a good crop, and it combined quantity and quality. This wine has 12.3% alcohol and notable freshness, denoted by a pH of 3.2. 10,266 bottles and 400 magnums were produced. It was bottled in June 2024.”
Filipa Pato & William Wouters ‘Dinamica – DNMC’ Bical – Arinto, Bairrada 2023 750ml $18 special, 20 bottles in stock now
Importer Note “White wine. 80% Bical, 20% Arinto • chalky clay soil • whole-cluster pressed, 10% of the juice ferments and raises in 500L French-oak pipas, the rest in tank • Practicing Biodynamic (Demeter).”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Filipa Pato & William Wouter Nossa Calcario Baga, Beiras 2022 750ml $41.90 special, 24 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “A pure baga made from really old vines, with a complex bouquet of cherries, violets, smoke and a touch of mixed herbs. This has incredible balance, combining concentration with fresh acidity and a subtle saline touch. Shows firm tannins and a chewy, concentrated finish. This is made from three 100- to 140-year-old vineyards planted on clay and limestone soil. The grapes are partially destemmed and fermented in open wood lagares. Aged for 12 to 18 months in 500- and 1,500-liter used oak barrels From biodynamically grown grapes. Demeter and Ecocert certified. Great now, but will improve over the next few years. Drink or hold.”
Focusing on indigenous varietals and biodynamic farming, Filipa Pato & William Wouter craft wines for food. These are in the top echelons of Portuguese quality. With Pato’s recent nod by the Revista de Vinhos as Winemaker of the Year (the first woman to earn the title in thirty years), this winery should be on your must-try list now.
In Stock Now:
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Filipa Pato & William Wouter Nossa Calcario Bical, Bairrada 2023 750ml $39 special, 23 bottles in stock now
Luis Gutiérrez-Wine Advocate 95 points “The super austere and mineral white 2023 Nossa Calcário Bical was produced with grapes from the village of Óis do Barro, a classical zone for whites in Bairrada, where they are located. It fermented in 500- and 600-liter barrels and a 2,000-liter oak vat with indigenous years and was put through full malolactic too, then kept for 10 months with the fine lees, which were not stirred. This is not about the fruit but about the soil. It has the profile of an austere white from Bairrada that I love so much, with a medium-bodied palate, purity and precision, balanced, with pungent flavors. 2023 saw a good crop, and it combined quantity and quality. This wine has 12.3% alcohol and notable freshness, denoted by a pH of 3.2. 10,266 bottles and 400 magnums were produced. It was bottled in June 2024.”
Filipa Pato & William Wouters ‘Dinamica – DNMC’ Bical – Arinto, Bairrada 2023 750ml $18 special, 20 bottles in stock now
Importer Note “White wine. 80% Bical, 20% Arinto • chalky clay soil • whole-cluster pressed, 10% of the juice ferments and raises in 500L French-oak pipas, the rest in tank • Practicing Biodynamic (Demeter).”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Filipa Pato & William Wouter Nossa Calcario Baga, Beiras 2022 750ml $41.90 special, 24 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “A pure baga made from really old vines, with a complex bouquet of cherries, violets, smoke and a touch of mixed herbs. This has incredible balance, combining concentration with fresh acidity and a subtle saline touch. Shows firm tannins and a chewy, concentrated finish. This is made from three 100- to 140-year-old vineyards planted on clay and limestone soil. The grapes are partially destemmed and fermented in open wood lagares. Aged for 12 to 18 months in 500- and 1,500-liter used oak barrels From biodynamically grown grapes. Demeter and Ecocert certified. Great now, but will improve over the next few years. Drink or hold.”
Shop our 159 Spanish selections!
Don’t miss our additional sale going on now:
Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot
5% off any 4-8 in-stock bottles of Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot
10% off any 9+ or more in-stock bottles of Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot sale ends Friday, August 15th at 9 am Pacific.