Vine Path Blog 12/21: Happy Holidays!

We did it! One more year in the can. Cheers to the end of 2021 and hello 2022! We are so grateful to all of our supporters in the club, which is why we always try to give something away to you every December as a way to say thanks for sticking with us through the years. This month’s collection is a hodgepodge of wines from around the world with no particular theme other than they are perfect for the season, completely delicious, and of extraordinary value. To borrow a tired and goofy expression from low-budget car dealership ads, ‘the deals are so good we’re practically giving these away!!’

I hope that everyone has an opportunity to see the ones you love, enjoy some delicious wines, and do all the fun things that the Holiday Season is good for. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to y’all! See you in 2022!

Domaine Passy le Clou Petit Chablis

Domaine Passy le Clou Petit Chablis

Passy le Clou is an old family winery that was recently acquired by Beaujolais winemaker Marine Descombe when its original owner had no one to pass it down to. Because of her immense respect for the Domaine and its history, Marine kept its original name and continues to follow the hard-lined environmental practices that its previous owner implemented for so many years. The Petit Chablis comes from a two-hectare plot planted on Portlandian soils, which give the wine more a punchy, fruity quality than the Chablis planted on the ubiquitous Kimmeridgian soils of the region. The vines also are younger, and the wine has an alluring citrusy freshness with an aromatic finish.

Giacomo Mori

Giacomo Mori Chianti

Giacomo Mori has been our Chianti producer for several years now and we just can’t seem to let him go. The wines are effortlessly elegant and refreshing without sacrificing on Tuscany’s core characteristics of structured tannins and farmland aromatics. The Mori’s have been the stewards of this estate since the 18th century and have employed organic practices for the entire history of the estate, a rarity in the region. For this ‘normale’, Giacomo blends 95% Sangiovese with 5% Canaiolo (a typical blending grape for the region) and ages the wine traditionally in large Slovenian oak casks before bottling.

The Famous La Roilette Depicted on a Wine Barrel

Clos de la Roilette Fleurie ‘La Griffe du Marquis’

Clos de la Roilette is one of the most iconic and acclaimed wineries in all of Beaujolais. I know we just sent everyone a suite of Beaujolais last month but when we got an offer on this wine we simply couldn’t refuse. We’re thrilled to get to have bottles of La Griffe du Marquis, the winery’s top bottling, exclusively for our club this December. This is also the only time we’ve ever been able to acquire this wine for the store. Less than 5 cases of this cuvee arrive in MA each year. Needless to say, we’re extremely excited about this one. The Clos was purchased in 1967 by the Coudert family who rehabilitated the vines and brought the winery into prominence. This cuvee is from a single plot in the estate that was planted over 90 years ago. It’s also the only wine the Coudert’s age in oak. This is as serious, soulful, and brooding as any Beaujolais ever could be without losing out on the inherent fun of the Gamay grape.

R. Dumont Champagne Brut Non-Vintage

R. Dumont Champagne Brut Non-Vintage

Lastly comes the Champagne, because what would the holidays be without it!? R. Dumont is an extremely important Champagne producer for us, as we’ve been selling his wines for years and they’ve consistently been our best sellers in the store. The Dumont’s family’s estate is located in the village of Champignol-lez-Mondeville in the Aube district of the appellation. This is the southernmost part of Champagne and is actually situated on the same Kimmeridgian band that Chablis is situated on, as opposed to the chalk bedrock typical of the rest of Champagne. The Dumont’s entire 22-hectare estate is farmed bio-dynamically, and all of the wines are vinified with minimal intervention, a rather hard thing to find in Champagne. For the Non-Vintage blend, the Dumont’s blend 90% Pinot Noir with 10% Chardonnay and vinify them in stainless steel before en tirage and disgorgement. If you’re curious, this wine has 7 grams of sugar per liter, making it as dry, if not dryer, then most red wines.

Panoramic of a Vineyard in Champagne