August 2013

The Frescobaldis are a prominent Florentine noble family that have been involved in the history of Tuscany since the Middle Ages. The family’s start in wine production is documented at the beginning of the year 1300, their wines being served at the tables of the Papal Court and the English Court of Henry VIII. From the beginning, the family has demanded that their wines be of quality and that they reflect the uniqueness of their terroirs. The estate of Castelgiocondo is one of the first four to begin producing Brunello di Montalcino in 1800, and its historic importance is represented on the label of Castelgiocondo by the figure of Guidoriccio da Fogliano, commander of the troops of Siena who in 1323 led the attack on the Montemassi castle; an historic moment that coincided with the initiation of the Frescobaldi family’s centuries-old adventure in the world of wine.… Read the rest

August 2013

“Today, Muga is making some of the finest wines in Rioja and is an exemplary Rioja winery. Muga wines are both classical and new wave in style. It sources grapes from its own vineyards and from more than 50 neighboring growers. Muga’s wines are fruit rich, beautifully balanced, nuanced, and a pleasure to drink. Noteworthy are the Prado Enea Gran Reserva, Torre Muga and Aro, wines that typify Muga’s commitment to producing new wave but authentic Rioja wines.”
– The International Wine Review

The history of Muga is one of tradition, family, and, last but certainly not least, oak. Isaac Muga Martinez and his wife Auro moved to the Rioja Alta region in 1932. They hoped to open their own bodega, large enough to rival the established wineries already in the area.… Read the rest

In 1962, Roger Courrèges started Domaine de Taccelli when he came from Algeria to the Taravu Valley in the southwestern Corsican appelation of Ajacci. Following his father’s death in 1974, Alain Courrèges took over the estate and his son Gérard, who has four years of wine studies behind him, has been vinifying the Vaccelli wines since 2000. When Alain took over from Roger, he restructured the winery to focus on native Corsican varieties, replanting the vineyards with primarily Sciaccerellu and Vermentinu. The vines, twenty percent of which are over 50 years old, are planted on southeast-facing hillsides of decomposed granite, the primary soil type in the AOC Ajaccio area. Alain and Gerard embrace the Corsican landscape and make their wine to showcase the granite soil.… Read the rest

July 2013

“A wine made with love and passion produces an emotion…The industrialization of wine is the end of its identities, its nuances, its characteristics which are part of the magic of a bottle.” This raison d’etre makes Domaine Tissot one of the most progressive estates in Arbois. Andre and Mireille Tissot established the domaine in 1962 and their son Stephane took over in 1990 after working at wineries in Australia and South Africa. Stephane is responsible for transforming the winery to total organic production in 1999 and to bio-dynamic winemaking in 2004. While producing a wide range of traditional Jura wines, Tissot makes wines that find a balance between terroir and their unique house style. Their Cremant du Juras is no exception.… Read the rest

July 2013

We can’t introduce these wines any better than Antonio Galloni of Wine Advocate; “This is a breathtaking set of wines from proprietor Dominique Moreau. I can’t say enough good things about these artisan Champagnes. If Moreau keeps making wines like these she will soon be one of the superstars of Champagne. Readers should do whatever they can to taste these fabulous wines.”Dominique opened the vineyard in 2005, naming the house after her grandmother, Marie Courtin, who she described as a “woman of the earth”. That same spirit in mind, Dominique has set out to produce single-vineyard, single varietal, single vintage Champagnes from biodynamically-grown grapes, using indigenous yeasts and no dosage. Dominique also embraces a spirituality in her production and pays devoted care to the evolution of the grape in the vineyard as well as in the wine.… Read the rest