J. Arthaud Morgon Cote du Py 2017

Dominique Piron Morgon Cote du Py is made from 100 percent Gamay.

The Morgon Cru is based in the heart of Northern Beaujolais. Côte du Py is the heart of Morgon, a little hill of very old blue stone rocks - the oldest soils of Beaujolais (around 430 millions years old), with a typical blue color.
Côte du Py has been known for centuries for being the best terroir of the village, producing long lived wines with strong structure and flavors.

VINTAGE 2016
The first half of the year was complicated : cool spring, ice storm. But a perfect second half : warm and dry. Late harvests without any rain produced beautiful grapes. A fruity, elegant and greedy vintage.

Wines of the Côte du Py are very dark, profound and dense. Classic aromas of red berries, cherry, kirsh. Fruity, structured and mineral in the mouth with graphite flavors and spicy notes of black and white pepper. Wine can age up to 10 years.

Hand picked grapes are sorted manually and destemmed for 50 to 70%. Fermentation starts in concrete tanks and lasts for 18-25 days with remontages and pigeages. Then after pressurage starts the aging, for 2/3 in concrete tanks, and 1/3 in recent French oak barrels with batonages on fine lies only. After 10 month we do the blending, keeping only the best cuvees and best barrels, and do the bottling.

Pairs well with red meat like beef, duck and game (Hare, Dear, Wild Pork,…), cheses.

Review:

"A vivid minerally undertone marks the pure raspberry and ripe cherry flavors, accented by licorice and floral details that give way to white pepper and wild herb elements on the long, lightly tannic finish. Drink now through 2024. - Gillian Sciaretta"

- Wine Spectator (November 30th 2019), 92 pts

Importer Sale!

Grand Veneur Cotes Du Rhone Les Champauvins is made of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre

Intense, brilliant garnet-red colour. It reveals lovely fruit, loads of body and a heady bouquet of ground peppers, raspberries cherry liqueur, currants, and spice box. Full-bodied and dense, it tastes more like a "baby Châteauneuf" than a Côtes du Rhône.
A complete wine, rich and elegant, thanks to the harmony of all the elements which make it up.

Drink between 1 and 6 years.

Soil type DOMAINE GRAND VENEUR “Les Champauvins” stretches on 34 ha classified in Côtes du Rhône. The plots are located in the northern border of Châteauneuf du Pape, exactly from 3 meters outside the appellation. A small lane of rocks going through the rocky plateaux has been decided to be the AOC limit in 1936. Here, soils are made of red clay and rocks (pebbled stones of quartz). The quantity of rocks can be amazing as they can completely cover the soil (see picture). In summer and during the day, the rocks temperature will increase to 55°C. This accumulated heat will be get back to the vines during nights . Day after day, this unique phenomenon allow the grapes to reach a perfect maturity and produce a unique wine. Winemaking & Ageing Traditional, in stainless steel vats. Harvest crushed and destemmed. Fermentation in temperature controlled vats at 28°C. Eighteen-day vating period with “pigeage”. Grenache is aged in concrete vats, Syrah and mourvèdre in 4 years old barrelsntense, brilliant garnet-red colour. It reveals lovely fruit, loads of body and a heady bouquet of ground peppers, raspberries cherry liqueur, currants, and spice box. Full-bodied and dense, it tastes more like a “baby Châteauneuf” than a Côtes du Rhône. A complete wine, rich and elegant, thanks to the harmony of all the elements which make it up.

Review:

"Alluringly spicy dark-berry aromas with a stony and almost chalky edge. The palate has very fine and compact tannin that carries such long and focused, ripe red plums and berries. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling ("Côtes-du-Rhône that taste like Châteauneuf-du-Pape", October 11th 2019), 93 pts

"Deeper colored, the 2017 Côtes Du Rhône Les Champauvins competes with many Châteauneuf Du Papes, offering beautiful black cherries, blackberries, crushed flowers, and ground pepper aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, silky, elegant, and fabulous texture, it's another winner to seek out and enjoy over the coming 4-5 years."
#92 in the TOP100 Red Wines of 2019- Jeb Dunnuck (August 16th 2019), 91 pts

Xavier Vignon Cotes du Rhone Rouge is made from 75% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah.

Attractive notes of red fruits (raspberries and cherries), peppery herbs, and garrigue all flow to a medium-bodied, elegant.

Pairs with grilled lamb ribs, braised beef, spicy pork chops.

Review:

The 2017 Côtes du Rhône Xavier is another elegant and beautifully drinkable wine from Xavier. Attractive notes of red fruits (raspberries and cherries), peppery herbs, and garrigue all flow to a medium-bodied, elegant, oh so drinkable Côtes du Rhône that’s going to put a smile on your face over the coming 3-4 years. -Jeb Dunnuck 89-91 Points

When we consider the potential of a piece of land to grow world-class wine, we immerse ourselves in the physical characteristics of soil type, depth, texture and drainage, slope aspect, sun exposure, et cetera—myriad complex details. On site potential alone, Jentoft likely sits at the top of our entire vineyard portfolio. 

The site’s coastal marine soils are remarkably shallow with underlying sandstone bedrock poking through the topsoil. Lean, “boney” soils generally yield low-vigor vines and powerful wines, and that’s what we have here. The potential is incredible, and now that these vines are mature, we’re seeing the promise realized.

Our new vintage of Jentoft Vineyard Ryan Pinot Noir is highly evocative of this steep hillside site high in the coastal mountains surrounded by the forest. To me, it represents the essence of coastal Russian River Pinot Noir: intensity, vibrancy, deeply pitched fruits with pulsating acidity and an incredible length of flavor. We’ve bottled Ryan Pinot Noir from several sites since 2002 , and this is the pinnacle of achievement for this wine so far.

The wine opens with a sense of tiny dark intense wild berries, tart and explosive, pine needle freshness and hints of cedar amplifying the aromas. The palate is sappy, dark and elevated with Rainier cherry, cassis and huckleberry fruits. There’s laser-like intensity to the wine’s driving flavors as they expand along the dry, firm palate, exotic floral, gravelly nuances extending the lingering finish. No need to decant. Drink between 2020 and 2027. 

Review:

A total knock-out, the 2017 Pinot Noir Ryan Jentoft Vineyard is a wine of real depth and intensity. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, mocha, cloves, lavender and licorice give the Jentoft a real sense of brooding power. There is plenty of Russian River exuberance to match the potent tannins. Far from an easygoing supple Russian River Pinot, the 2017 needs time to soften. It is every bit as impressive today as it was last year.

-- Antonio Galloni Vinous 97 Points

Closeout!

Alain Jaume Cotes Du Rhone Rouge Haut de Brun is made from 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault

The colour is purple-tinged garnet.The aromatic range of the nose goes from fresh berries (wild raspberry, blackcurrant, blackberry) to spices.The palate is big and full-flavoured, with silky-smooth tannins and aromas of the fruit already mentioned. The finish introduces touches of liquorice and pepper. A Côtes du Rhône with great complexity for an every day drinking.

A classic Rhône to drink between 1 and 4 years. Best poured at 17°C.

Traditional wine making and ageing is performed in vats only. Bottling after 10-12 months.

Ideal throughout the meal, but particularly with poultry and other white meats, as well as mild cheeses.

Review:

"The 2017 Côtes du Rhône Haut de Brun is in the same ballpark as the 2016, with a similar level of concentration, yet it has more dark fruits as well as good minerality. This medium-bodied, concentrated, fresh 2017 will keep for 7-8 years.

There are few better run estates in the world than that of the Jaume Family’s Domaine Grand Veneur. Located in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and run today by brothers Christophe and Sebastien Jaume, the estate produces a quasi-modern style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (their Les Origins and Vieilles Vignes) as well as a growing number of negociant based wines from throughout the Southern Rhône. The 2017s whites are terrific across the board, and this vintage has produced charming, pure wines that are already drinking beautifully. The 2016 reds are some of the finest I’ve tasted from this estate."

- Jeb Dunnuck (August 2018, LE MILLÉSIME… The 2016s from the Southern Rhône - Part 1), 88-90 pts

Charles Thomas Cotes du Rhone Blanc 70% Grenache Blanc, 15% Roussanne, 10% Marsanne, 5% Viognier

H Bright yellow in color. The nose has a nice aromatic expression with white peach, apricot, candied lemon and lime notes. The palate is tasty and has a great generosity, a nice sweep on the attack and a crispy and acidulous finish.

Traditional vinification. The grapes are pressed upon their arrival in the winery. Low temperature fermentation in thermo-regulated stainless steel. Each grape variety is vinified separately and then assembled before ageing.  

Excellent wine for an aperitif. It pairs perfectly with grilled fish, platters of seafood and shellfish. It also goes well with simple dishes: pizzas, salads, tabbouleh or steamed vegetables. Cheeses: Goat cheese, Blue cheese and hard cheese such Comté.