Saturday, May 21st, 2016

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Featurette: Mugnier Clos de la Marèchale; Saint Cosme: New Prices; Delas Freres – Current and Winery-Cellared Releases; Big Pink: Large Format Rose Wines; Burgundy Previews: Domaine Vincent Girardin, Roulot, and Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret; Diamond Creek 2013 Super Pricing; Karthauserhof: Riesling for Finesse-Seekers; Staff Pick: Paolo Bea Sagrantino; Late Breaking News from Piedmont: Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 2011 & New Releases from Roberto Voerzio

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Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier
Clos de la Marèchale

The mere name Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier evokes pleasure for the senses: silk and velvet, seductive Côte de Nuits perfume, brilliant, rich reds. Clive Coates describes Mugnier’s wines as showing “great purity, intensity and finesse,” with no more than one-fifth new oak barrels. The 150-year-old family estate sits in Chambolle-Musigny, and most of its holdings lie in that village, including a hectare of Le Musigny, which Mugnier makes famously.… Read the rest

Saturday, May 14th, 2016

Kunstler Re-Arrival; Hirsch; Napanook; Latta Wines – New Malbec from Former K Vintners Winemaker; Time to Say Good Buy: Three Must-Grab Spanish Wines; Henri Gouges 2014 Releases; Perfect Champagne?; Close-Outs

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Re-Arriving in June!
A Star of the Rheingau

Gunter Kunstler is regarded as one of the three stars of the new generation of Rheingauers (alongside Leitz and Weil).  The vineyards in the village of Hochheim that lace the northernmost bank of the river Main are native lands for Gunter Kunstler.  He is slowly shifting to certified organic, although the relatively high humidity proves a struggle: to produce fully dry Rieslings there is a constant battle against botrytis.  The wines offer exoticism and nuance with aromatics often attributed to Gruner Veltliner instead of Riesling: doughy-savory, salty and dry.  … Read the rest