Domaine Michel Magnien ~ The Gateway to Burgundy

  My first encounter with Frederic – Freddy – Magnien (5th generation winemaker for both the Domaine as well as Negoce side of the family business) was over breakfast back in 2007. It was the morning preceding one of his annual wine-maker tours – this one held in Los Angelas – and he, my wife, [...]

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Domaine Nicolas Rossignol ~ “Absolutely not to be missed” ~ Burghound

  At the ripe old age of 33, standing on stage before hundreds of this country’s most passionate fans of Burgundian wines, Nicolas Rossignol was honored for his work in Volnay when Bruce Sanderson of the Wine Spectator dubbed this unassuming vigneron “Burgundy’s latest vanguard”. The crowd attending that year’s New York Wine Experience – [...]

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Domaine Albert Morot – Doing for Beaune as Ghislaine does for Chambolle

  While visiting with David Croix (winemaker for both Domaine des Croix as well as the famous Maison Camille Giroud) while in Burgundy for the Grand Jours de Bourgogne, I found it enlightening to discover how greatly he reveres the wines of Geoffroy Choppin de Janvry – current vigneron of the Domaine Albert Morot. Needless [...]

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Domaine Jerome Chezeaux – Where lutte raisonnee results in Super-Star status

  Another fine producer who was conspicuously absent at this year’s Grand Jours De Bourgogne; could it be that importers State-side are hoarding the fruits of their favorite producer’s labor away for their own pleasure? The absence of this perennial over-achiever certainly suggests such a possibility.   The original estate that would eventually become known [...]

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Domaine Virgile Lignier-Michelot – Among the “Must-Haves” for 2010 ~ and beyond

  Having heard much recently of the rise in popularity of this estate with multiple international wine critics as well as professional sommeliers, I made a point to elbow my way through the crowd surrounding Virgile’s booth at this year’s Grand Jours De Bourgogne. Tasting his wines revealed not only some of the highlights of [...]

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Domaine Rossignol-Trapet – A Gevrey-Chambertin Superstar

  I first encountered these 100% biodynamically farmed (certified as of 2005), increasingly transparent and terroir driven wines in 2002, while traveling Burgundy to sample the newly bottled vintage. Tasting Nicolas Rossignol-Trapet’s wines again this year at the GJDB reveals a Domaine truly on their game.   Rossignol-Trapet is a Domaine that was formed by [...]

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The Wines of Indian Summer | Libations for a Weary Nation

        I recall fondly first meeting the intellectual Randall Grahm on a rather warm summer night in the late 1980s as he hosted a group of wine drinkers’ monthly event in Fort Worth Texas. This group, an average age of the membership at that time being, oh, perhaps, 60 or so, known [...]

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TODAY’S REBELS OFFERING A DIFFERENT APPROACH

Back in 1994, I joined a small, dedicated French-wine import company that would later change its name from International Gourmet Corp – as we moved away from including olive oils and vinegars in our offers – to European Wine Group. Our focus was bringing to America what we discovered in the artisanal, family-owned and operated [...]

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THE IMPORTER’S WACKY, THE WINE’S WONDERFUL

  Yet another bottle that exemplifies one of my proverbial answers to that almost weekly question posed by friends and family, “Hey Christopher, what ‘cha drinkin’ these days?” I once shared the tale of a full afternoon tasting event that involved several wines from this importer, an afternoon degustation that I can still taste on my palate and [...]

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Ceago – Fantastic Value, Biodynamic Pioneer

They call this place a “vinegarden”.  And if you find yourself near Clear Lake, Lake County, California about two hours outside both San Fran and Sacramento, take my advice, spend the day with Jim Fetzer, President of Ceago, and his winemaker, Javier Tapia.  For not only are the wines delicious – especially the Sauvignon Blanc [...]

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