Guillemot-Michel Vire-Clesse Quintaine 2014
| Country: | France |
| Regions: | Burgundy Maconnais |
| Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
| Winery: | Guillemot-Michel |
| Organic: | Yes |
Guillemot-Michel Vire-Clesse is made from 100 percent Chardonnay
Aged on the lees for a few months. No Oak.
Ripe passion fruit and pineapple on the nose, and fresh minerality. Very rich on the palate, well balanced. Honey, tropical fruit flavors and a great finish. The wine is excellent.
Review:
"Notes of Acacia honey, musky peach, beeswax, fresh apricot and dried white flowers introduce the 2016 Viré-Clessé, a silky, medium to full-bodied wine with exceptional concentration, textural elegance and length on the finish. Despite its ripeness and subtly botrytis-inflected character, it's underpinned by tangy acids and remains beautifully balanced and integrated. This is well worth seeking out. – William Kelley"
- The Wine Advocate (August 31st 2018), 93 pts
"Medium yellow. Yellow fruits, orange blossom, smoke and flint on the nose and palate. Thick and saline on entry, then seriously deep in the mid-palate, with suggestions of exotic fruits perfectly countered by strong saline minerality. I love the balance of sweet and salty elements and vibrant acidity. The slowly rising finish is very long and smooth. This wine, made from vineyards that have been Demeter-certified for more than two decades, boasts a thickness that few 2016s from the northern Mâconnais can match. I'd love to follow this unctuous yet energetic Viré-Clessé as it loses some of its baby fat but it's approachable already owing to its texture and balance. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2017), 92 pts
This one-hundred-percent Merlot has really nice, bright red fruit, rose petals, and a richness on the nose. Flavors of plum, mountain strawberry and mocha come together with a balanced mouth feel and a long finish. Though it was a cooler vintage, I feel we have still captured the powerfully elegant style for which we are known.
Review:
"The 2014 Columbia Valley Merlot (100% Merlot) is a ripe, black fruit, plum, leafy herbs and mineral-scented effort that has medium to full-bodied richness, moderate mid-palate depth and tons of upfront charm. It's going to drink nicely through 2024."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 90 pts
"The aromas bring notes of dried herb, vanilla bean, wood spice and black cherry. The flavors are rich and luscious, supported by plump ripe tannins. The finish lingers."
- Wine Enthusiast (June 2017), 91 pts
Avennia Valery Red Blend is made from 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc
Valery is named for the patron saint of wine in the St. Emilion region that inspired it.
We started with old vine Merlot from a stony block in the heart of the Yakima Valley and added complex, aromatic Cabernet Franc from the Horse Heaven Hills. The result is a balanced, complex wine with the elegance and ethereal perfume that this blend of two of Washington’s best varietals are known for.
The nose on this wine is very perfumed, almost exotic with notes of fresh violets, red plum, winter mint, fresh herbs and crushed limestone qualities. The palate is poised and balanced, with red fruits and mocha powder encapsulated in limestone. The finish lingers delicately, with the Cabernet Franc asserting a light tobacco and herb note, giving depth. A compelling wine that will continue to unwind for 7-10 years in the cellar.
Review:
Tasted out of barrel and a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Valery offers lots of leafy herbs, tobacco leaf, black cherries and a touch of dark chocolate in an elegant, focused, fresh style. The estate's Right Bank-styled release, it too should drink nicely in its youth, yet also evolve for 10-15 years. - Wine Advocate 91-93 Points
Sale On Last Of Vintage
Ripe passion fruit and pineapple on the nose, and fresh minerality. Very rich on the palate, well balanced. Honey, tropical fruit flavors and a great finish. The wine is excellent.
The Domaine Guillemot-Michel Estate
Pierrette and Marc Guillemot took over the Domaine from Pierrette's parents in 1985. Pierrette and Marc are both oenolgists from the school of Beaune and post-graduates from Montpellier. They have applied their studies and have married both scientific and homeopathic principles in their winemaking. The Domaine is located in the commune of Quintaine, adjacent to the village of Clesse, South of Burgundy. Quintaine is recognized as producing some of the finest wines of the Mâconnais, having a special microclimate caused by the close proximity of the Saone river. The winery became biodynamic in 1991. They produce around 3,000 cases yearly and export 85% of the production (UK, USA, Belgium, Swizerland, Germany, Japan, etc)
"A tiny biodynamic estate making highly individual wines; the grapes are picked ripe, resulting in high alcohol levels and viscous textures; residual sugar not uncommon here."
- Anthony Dias Blue's pocket guide to wine 2006
The Domaine Guillemot-Michel Vineyard
This 7-hectare (17.3 acres) vineyard on a clay and limestone based soil has been cultivated through biodynamic and organic methods since 1991 (the Biodynamic method regards the earth as a living organism and strives to renew the soil in order to produce food that is full of vitality and deeply nourishing. Biodynamics notes the interrelationship of all kingdoms - mineral, plant, animal and human - and their intricate correspondence to the rhythms and activities of the larger cosmos). That means they work in harmony with the cycle of the vines and the soil. They don't use any chemicals and prefer mineral and vegetal treatments. They work the soil using manual and mechanical methods but they treat the vines only manually.
The wine is 100% Chardonnay and goes through 100% Malolactic fermentation with no use of oak. The vines average 45 years of age with a typical yield of only 2.5 tons per acre. Marc and Pierrette are constantly experimenting, searching for new ideas, willing to take on board both traditional and modern methods.
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Bright and light golden-yellow in color. Exotic and sweet vanilla bean aromatics backed by pear and kiwi with a slight orange peel. The palate resonates with texture and depth as stone minerality and cream brioche to match. Flavors of roasted plantains, gravenstein apple, and lemon zest frame the wine for a long yet soft finish.
Planted in the early 90’s, this is the coolest vineyard site in the Russian River Valley, located at Lee Martinelli Sr.’s home ranch in Forestville, CA. After riding around with Lee in his pick-up truck when we visited his Woolsey Road, Zio Tony, and River Road Vineyards, he decided to take me to this gem. He kept this particular vineyard in his back pocket until we hit it off. We did, and I think you’ll enjoy the ride as well.
Review:
Elusively crisp and inviting on the nose, this is a thickly intriguing wine, floral in orange blossom and fresh apple. Structured and lengthy, it retains a tangy acidity and structured finish, the grapes sourced from a dry-farmed vineyard. - Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
Lyrarakis Za Za Zu Sparkling is made from Vilana, Vidiano and Muscat of Spina
A gentle sweet kiss of peach and juicy stone fruit that excites the senses and tickles the tongue with bubbly delight followed by aromas of a spring breeze bringing scents of apple and cherry blossom with hints of baby’s breath, lily and a garden of white flowers. There is a delicate sweetness to this wine that lends itself to enjoying with friends or peaceful contemplation.
Region: Alagni area, central Crete
Soil: Clay loam
pruning technique: Cordon trained, spur pruned
Altitude: 520m above sea level
Irrigation: Not irrigated
Yield: 8.5 tn/ha
Winemaking: Hand harvested in the last week of August. Grapes are vinificated separately.
Blending was performed using internal tasting results, choosing the ones with the best characteristics of texture and freshness. Secondary fermentation adds subtle creamy complexity and gives the wine its attractive fine gas bead and mousse.
Alcohol: 10% ABV
Acidity: 5.7 g/L
pH: 3.15
RS: 4.29 g/100ML
Food pairing: Fruit paste desserts, vegetable risotto and a large variety of antipasti.
