Saint Pierre Saint Julien is made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot.
Chateau Saint-Pierre Saint-Julien 4th Grand Cru Classé boasts a rich and brilliant purple color, a complex aromatic expression marked by beautiful ripe fruits combined with soft spices, chocolate and licorice nuances. Well-balanced and a good texture, the palate is round and subtle, supported by velvety tannins that enhance the elegant and pure character of this Saint Julien.
Review:
"Very pretty and typical for the appellation with aromas of blackcurrants, violets and sandalwood that follow through to a full body with layers of polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Lasts a long time on the palate. Classic structure. Drink after 2027."
- James Suckling (January 2022), 96 pts
Hiyaoroshi is a general term referring to sake that has been pasteurized once in the winter and then allowed to mature over the summer before distribution in autumn. The Japan Sake Brewers Association designates September 9th as the official start for Hiyaoroshi sales. (Essentially aged Namazume)
September 9th is known as Kiku-no-Sekku (“Chrysanthemum Festival”), where hundreds of chrysanthemums are displayed around various venues and chrysanthemum sake is served. The chrysanthemum (kiku) was brought to Japan from China during the Nara period. In 1183, it was adopted as the Imperial Seal of Japan, and during the Meiji period no one but the Emperor could use it. Nowadays it still represents the authority of the emperor and you can see it everywhere in Japan.
Aromas are forward, fresh, and fruity in the nose with notes of sweet melon, cherries, and hints of vanilla. Flavors on the palate evoke feelings of the season with pumpkin pie, roasted nuts, and stewed plums. This sake is medium-bodied and accented by medium acidity, showing classic Jozen minerality and a lingering dry finish. Additional 7 months of aging adds depth and roundness.
{Pairs with roasted poultry, baked ham, butternut squash ravioli, BBQ, and dishes with sweet spice.
Aged Gouda, triple cream, fresh chevre .
Hiyaoroshi is a general term referring to sake that has been pasteurized once in the winter and then allowed to mature over the summer before distribution in autumn. The Japan Sake Brewers Association designates September 9th as the official start for Hiyaoroshi sales. (Essentially aged Namazume)
September 9th is known as Kiku-no-Sekku (“Chrysanthemum Festival”), where hundreds of chrysanthemums are displayed around various venues and chrysanthemum sake is served. The chrysanthemum (kiku) was brought to Japan from China during the Nara period. In 1183, it was adopted as the Imperial Seal of Japan, and during the Meiji period no one but the Emperor could use it. Nowadays it still represents the authority of the emperor and you can see it everywhere in Japan.
Aromas are forward, fresh, and fruity in the nose with notes of sweet melon, cherries, and hints of vanilla. Flavors on the palate evoke feelings of the season with pumpkin pie, roasted nuts, and stewed plums. This sake is medium-bodied and accented by medium acidity, showing classic Jozen minerality and a lingering dry finish. Additional 7 months of aging adds depth and roundness.
{Pairs with roasted poultry, baked ham, butternut squash ravioli, BBQ, and dishes with sweet spice.
Aged Gouda, triple cream, fresh chevre .
Inviting aromas of mint, marshmallow and Asian pear pull you into this drink. Surprisingly dry, this Nigori (cloudy) style sake has a rich, chewy texture. The intriguing mid palate features mint, white chocolate, and tart cherries. The finish belies our expectations with an elegant, softness of minerals that settles in a dry finish.
Pair with roast duck, dry-rub ribs, full flavored country pate, and fruit and nut desserts of light sweetness.
Mildly ripe Coulommiers or Brie, Italian Raschera.
An inky purple hue, the wine offers fragrant aromas of ripe, brambly berries and plums, edged in notes of walnut husk and cedar. The palate explodes with intense flavors of redcurrant and cherry, fanning out in a broad, silky wave that mingles vibrant fruit flavors with accents of espresso, chocolate and graphite, and lingers on the long finish.
Review:
A new project from the Indelicato family (Black Stallion Winery) and consultant Thomas Rivers Brown, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a ripe, full-bodied effort, loaded with scents of cherries, baking spices and dark chocolate accented by subtle herbal shadings. It's supple and expansive on the palate, culminating in a long, mouthwatering finish that combines a touch of warmth and a dusting of silky tannins. It should drink well for more than a decade.
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 95 Points
Saumaize-Michelin Pouilly-Fuisse Premier Cru Vers Cras is made from 100 percent Chardonnay
2006 marked the purchase of part of the original sharecropping of the vines, including “Les Crays”, half of which had previously been returned to the owner.
This vintage is made up of two small plots, one 50 years old, the other 30 years old, covering 24 ares. Density: 9,000 vines per hectare
Located on the southern slope of the Vergisson rock which climbs very quickly: 320M at the bottom and 390M in altitude at the top, its situation is very sunny with a lot of wind. A blue marl soil covered by the scree of the Vergisson rock, we find some iron oxide.
Hand-picked, crushed, pneumatically pressed, full fermentation in Burgundy French oak barrels (15% new). Aged for one year on fine lees. Bottled according to the lunar calendar by us, without filtration.
Nose with aromas of ripe fruit, with mineral notes. Generous palate with beautiful body. Finish with tension and salivation. Discreet in the first year, its minerality is very fine but with a lot of depth.
It is best enjoyed at 12°C with all meats in white sauce, Burgundy snails, fine fish and even certain strong cheeses.
Guillemot-Michel Vire-Clesse Charleston is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This cuvée is produced from hundred-year old vines that the great-grandfather planted after he returned from World War I. The family wanted to honor his memory and vinify these vines the same way he did, in old demi-muids.
Charleston is a deep and complex wine that gently express itself in the glass, offering juicy white fruit flavors and a lengthy finish.
Charleston is vinified and aged for one year in demi-muids of over 10 years old. During the following harvest, the wine is racked and placed in vats for another 6 months of aging before bottling.
Fish in white sauce, poultry in creamy sauce, hard cheeses.
Review:
"The 2019 Viré-Clessé Charleston is brilliant, opening in the glass with notes of buttered citrus fruit, pear, beeswax and vanilla pod. Full-bodied, layered and textural, with huge concentration, lively acids and a seamless, multidimensional profile, it's long and penetrating. It's one of the very best wines I've ever tasted from the domaine. Readers will remember that the Guillemot family's oldest parcel of vines dates back to 1918, and the idea behind this cuvée is to work the vines and make the wine in the same way as their grandfather—who planted them—did. It spends a year in old demi-muids followed by six months in tank on the lees. - William Kelley"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (August 2021), 94+ pts
Argot Starstruck Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot (15-25 years old)
An explosive nose of Cabernet—singular only to the Napa Valley—introduces the 2019 Starstruck with classically elegant red and black Cabernet fruits, enhanced by notes of smoked sage and rosemary. Red-fruits carry the mid-palate, dancing on a pillow of wonderfully sweet tannin and pie spice complexity. As the wine transitions from the mid, acid emerges lifting Starstruck's massive palate into a warming finish that continues to reveal dark fruits and intriguing spice accents. A gorgeous Cabernet that remains approachable, while its structure and earthy complexities keep bombast at bay.