The Fournier Family cider story started in 1943. Located in South Normandy in the middle of Dukes of Alençon province, the landscape is offering a mix between green valley and strong hills. Apples and pear trees are growing up on the hills. It is in this typical and original environment that Fournier Cider is cultivating their orchard. The fruit variety selected is giving character, authenticity and quality. The Cidre Fournier Spirit is having under control quality in their growth over: love of the land, the orchards, qualitative fruits and product well made.

perfect with savory dishes like meat and buckwheat pancake. It can be mixed with fruit liquor for cocktail.

Intense violet, hints of lavender, black cherry, fresh leather and spicy flavors (white pepper and clove), rich and concentrated with a lingering spicy finish. Will age gracefully for several decades.

Review:

Morlet doesn’t make much of it, but their Syrah is beautiful and well worth seeking out. The 2018 Syrah Bouquet Garni comes from the cool climate, higher elevation Bennett Valley in Sonoma and offers a big, exotic nose of blackberry and blackcurrant fruits as well sandalwood, dried flowers, new leather, and white pepper. The fruit is ripe and opulent, yet it still holds onto loads of classic cooler-climate Syrah gaminess and peppery notes. Full-bodied on the palate, it’s balanced and has a lively, clean texture, beautiful depth of fruit, and a great finish. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming decade.

-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points

Morlet Family Vineyards En Famille Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.

For generations our family has been growing the Pinot Noir grape in France. Each harvest, we love to celebrate this time-honored commitment while our children stomp a small vat of Pinot Noir from California’s Sonoma Coast. As for any family celebration or casual gathering, this handcrafted wine is to be appreciated ‘En Famille.’ Intense raspberry, wild strawberry, forest floor and earthy notes (graphite), very rich and complex with a leathery lingering finish. Will age gracefully for over a decade.

Propietary Name En Famille

Name Meaning With the family (with kids’ help) 5 generations with Pinot Noir

Varietal composition Pinot Noir (100%)

Type of wine Vineyard designated

Appellation Fort Ross-Seaview

Vineyard singularity On the 2nd ridge off Pacific Ocean 1,100 feet of elevation Goldridge sedimentary soil

Typical harvest date October Picking Manual, small lugs, refer truck Sorting Cluster by cluster, berry per berry

Fermentation Through native yeast Punch downs Puncheons only Upbringing 14 months French oak from artisan coopers

Bottling Unfiltered

Cellaring time 10+ years

Serving Slightly below room temperature No decanting

Review:

Made from the very best section, the heart, of the excellent ‘Coteaux Nobles’ vineyard located on the Sonoma Coast, this unique wine is also named after the typical seductive character of the Pinot Noir grape. Handcrafted by using classical Burgundian winemaking techniques, it is the ‘Charming Character’ or ‘Joli Cœur.’

Intense red and black cherry and raspberry coulis flavors with earthy notes (graphite), rich and concentrated with a lingering finish. Will age gracefully for decades.

 Review:

Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, the 2021 Pinot Noir Joli Coeur comes barreling out of the glass with expressive scents of wild blueberries, Morello cherries, and boysenberries plus suggestions of Sichuan pepper, underbrush, and candied violets. The medium to full-bodied palate has wonderful tension and energy, with beautifully ripe, fine-grained tannins and loads of mineral sparks in the black fruit layers, finishing on a lingering perfumed note.

-Wine Independent 98 Points

Morlet Family Vineyards La Proportion Doree is made from made from Sémillon (65%), Sauvignon Blanc (33%) and Muscadelle (2%). 

A harmonious blend of the three classic white Bordeaux varietals grown in the Golden State’s Sonoma County, this unique cuvée was handcrafted using classical winemaking techniques inspired from Pessac-Léognan. As in architectural arts, it is ‘The Golden Ratio’ or ‘La Proportion Dorée.’ Bright yellow. Intense bouquet of candied lemon, muscat, and honeysuckle flavors intermixed with sweet notes of ripened apricot and fresh quince. Full-bodied, seamless, refined and complex.

Review:

Luc Morlet has 100 Muscadelle vines, planted in 1953, which he co-ferments with the Sauvignon Blanc to produce this Semillon-based wine. Composed of 69% Semillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, and 1% Muscadelle, the 2020 Proportion Doree is a tad closed - it was only bottled in March this year. It soon reveals notes of ripe peaches, gooseberries, and white currants, with hints of white pepper, coriander seed, and oyster shell. Full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully viscous and racy with intense citrus and apple flavors, finishing long and chalky. 800 cases were made.

-Wine Independent 98 Points 

Morlet Family Vineyards Mon Chevalier Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Cabernet Sauvignon (86%) Cabernet Franc (8%) Merlot (3%) Malbec (2%) Petit Verdot (1%) .

Located on the hillsides of Knights Valley, near Calistoga, this vineyard benefits from its proximity to Mount St. Helena, whose warm and windy climate is ideal for the long ripening of the Bordeaux red varietals. Handcrafted by using classical winemaking techniques, this special wine is dedicated to our son, Paul Morlet.

Dark red with a hue of purple. Intense and complex bouquet of red, black and blue berries intermixed with notes of blueberries, minerals (graphite, wet river rocks) licorice, fresh blond tobacco and a hint of lavender. Full bodied, the palate is reminiscent of the nose, with a richly tannic yet round frame and a great intensity. The hillside tannins and the classical aromatic complexity create a harmonious ensemble, leading to a very long and elegant finish. Built to age for decades, this collectible wine opens up after a few years of cellaring and is particularly representative of this special vineyard from the hillside of Knights Valley. Mon Chevalier features the interaction of the loamy, well drained and rocky volcanic soil, the typical sunny mountain climate and the low-interventionistic Morlet winemaking approach.

Property Name: Mon Chevalier

Name Meaning My Knight Named after our son, Paul Morlet

Type of wine Vineyard designated

Appellation Knights Valley

Vineyard singularity Morlet Family Estate Hillside 1100-1200 feet elevation Rhyolitic, loam & volcanic ash

Typical harvest date End of October

Picking Manual, small lugs, refer truck

Sorting Cluster by cluster, berry per berry

Fermentation Through native yeast Tank and Puncheons

Upbringing 16 months French oak from artisan coopers

Bottling Unfiltered

Cellaring time Decades

Serving Room temperature

Decanting recommended

Review: 

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier comes from the Knights Valley, just north of Napa Valley in the larger Sonoma County, and it always seems to me to have one foot in Napa and one foot in Sonoma. Boasting a similar ruby/purple color (as do all of the releases here), it’s slightly more reserved and stately (knightly, if you will), with building aromas and flavors of blackcurrants, toasted bread, dried violets, baking spices, and loamy earth. These carry to a pure, full-bodied, multi-dimensional Cabernet that’s flawlessly balanced, has ripe yet certainly present tannins, a notable sense of minerality, and a great, great finish. It’s just another incredible wine from Luc Morlet that can be drunk today with ample pleasure or cellared for 20-30 years if, for some reason, you feel the need to delay gratification.

-Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points