Wine & Spirits

Vineyard Profile This vineyard is situated within Chambolle-Musigny, just beneath the Grand Cru site of Bonnes-Mares. The name of this climat comes from the fact that there was once a lava quarry here, now filled in. There is a shallow covering of soil overlying hard rock; however, crevices in the hard Jurassic limestone allow the roots to reach deep within the sub-soil. Boulders and gravel ensure good drainage. Bernstein has less than one hectare under production of 15-year-old vines. He is, to our knowledge, the only one to bottle this climat under its lieu-dit name, hence it is in some ways his “monopole” in Chambolle-Musigny. Cultivation: Lutte raisonnée (“reasoned protection”) Viticulture: Two green harvests during the summer; sustainably farmed Size: Less than 1 ha Vine Age: 15 years Density: 10,000 vines/ha Vintage Report As early as spring, the 2014 vintage appeared to be precocious. A particularly sunny and dry month of April favored the vines (the budding and flowering were ahead of schedule). These magnificent climatic conditions gave hope for a beautiful harvest. We already knew that a green harvest would be necessary to “lighten” the vines. The head start acquired during the beginning of the cycle was slightly lost with a typical Burgundy summer: wet and chilly without much sunshine. The ripening of our parcels began with a good rhythm during the end of August. Ideal maturing conditions returned in September with a promising harvest starting on the 13th. We began with the Mazis-Chambertin where we found a very nice balance and an agreeable freshness. Our grapes, already sorted several times directly on the vines over the summer, were once again rigorously sorted by our team of harvesters. The grapes were ripe, healthy, and aromatic. We decided to keep 30% of the stocks for all the batches (50% for the Bonnes-Mares). The result is a very beautiful and classical Burgundy vintage!

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2017 PharaohMoans Syrah, Paso Robles – Huge Score From Wine Critic Jeb Dunnuck, “All Syrah brought up in 60% new barrels, the 2017 Syrah Westside offers a thrilling bouquet of black (and some blue) fruits, bay leaf, bacon fat, chocolate, and spring flowers. With a Côte-Rôtie like meatiness and gamey, floral character, medium to full body, no hard edges, and fine tannins, it’s another remarkable effort from this estate. Drink it any time over the coming decade or more.”  JEB DUNNUCK 97 POINTS

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Details Never shy in the glass, the 2015 Evenstad Reserve radiates a blissful bouquet of boysenberry, marionberry, dark chocolate, and sage. In the mouth, its graceful texture enters with power and seduces every part of your palate - exposing wave upon wave of alluring flavors of dark fruits, mushroom, and cola. Its silky-smooth, velvet-like tannins, give way to a long, weighted finish that endures with unrivaled finesse and persistence. This is truly a compelling wine that illustrates two and a half decades of winemaking mastery in one of the finest places in the world to grow and produce Pinot Noir.

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Details 91 points from James Suckling. "This is so fragrant with sour-cherry and tart-plum aromas, plus some floral notes. A shade riper than usual, but with all the freshness and the moderately dry tannins that you expect. Long, clean and dry finish. Drink now with any Italian dish containing tomatoes."

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Details 95 points from James Suckling. 94 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. From the producers of Sassacaia, this lush and vibrant Super Tuscan features 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Its chock full of black cherries, black berries, leather, baking spices, and licorice. Enjoy this velvety red now whie you're waiting for your Sassacaia to reach maturity.

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Details "Grilli" means crickets in Italian, and also - in Florence - to be a dreamer. This wine, born from the partnership with Mondavi, reflects the creative style and the dynamism of Bibi Graetz. With this wine Bibi decided to break his own rule and make this "Super Tuscan" wine with international grapes - Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, rather than with indigenous Tuscan grapes. (SPACE HERE) The wine has an intense, complex nose. It is dry, full-bodied, with refreshing acidity, fleshy tannins and a broad mouthfeel, all leading into a long finish.

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From the Importer: "The Fanny Sabre winery is located in the famous commune of Pommard. In 2005, Fanny took control of the 4.5 hectare family estate, with the support of Philippe Pacalet. Fanny and her mother were immediately happy with the results of working their vines in a natural way. The grapes are grown organically and harvested manually. Fanny only works with indigenous yeasts for the fermentations. The fermentation of the white wines is made in old oak barrels after slowly crushing the grapes with a pneumatic press; and for the red wines, she does semi-carbonic maceration in wood and concrete vats. All wines are aged for at least 12 months in old oak barrels with no racking or fining. Fanny may make one very light stirring during the ageing. Finally, the different barrels of each wine are assembled in stainless vats for 3 or 4 months before being hand bottled. In only a few years, Fanny Sabre has made her name in the Burgundy winemaking landscape as a reference for precise and fresh wines. The wines, both white and red, are a pure expression of the terroir with a definition and elegance rarely seen."      

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92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate  The 2009 Art Bus Red is another seductive, totally polished wine from La Sirena and Heidi Barrett. Ripe red berries, crushed flowers, cinnamon and sweet pipe tobacco are layered into the silky, polished finish. This pretty, mid-weight red has plenty of juicy, forward fruit, not to mention considerable sheer appeal. Fifteen percent of the proceeds from the sale of Art Bus are donated to charity. (AG)  (12/2012)

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89 points Wine Spectator  A supple, beefy red, with a spicy snap to the mature flavors of dried berry. The minerally finish features toffee notes. Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Grenache. Drink now. (Web-2011)  Wine Enthusiast  Sweet on the nose with aromas of cherry and strawberry preserves, the 2002 Gaston Hochar is softer and jammier on the palate than the 2000 vintage. Prolonged aeration reveals smoke, vanilla, and toast notes and lush, smooth tannins that linger elegantly.  (9/2011)

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Tasting Notes "Tasted at the chateau with Francois Estager. The 2009 offers attractive depth and complexity on the nose with blackberry, raspberry, a touch of balsamic and a hitherto unknown sense of minerality. The palate is medium-bodied with a Burgundy-like entry in terms of its silky texture. There is a touch of dark chocolate from some unresolved oak, although the finish is very composed and harmonious. This needs another three or four years in bottle to come round. Very fine. Tasted March 2013." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, (7/30/2013), Rating: 89.

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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2015 Altura Máxima Malbec is all black olives, decayed violets and malted cereals, a wild and unusual wine with high ripeness but a medium-bodied palate with fine-grained tannins. It is produced with grapes from their seven-year-old vineyard at 3,100 meters in altitude, the highest vineyard in the world producing commercial wine. The grapes were harvested fully ripe at the end of April, which is the equivalent to the end of October in the northern hemisphere. Here, latitude compensates for the altitude, and the grapes manage to ripen fully with strong exposure to sunlight. It matured in fourth use French barriques for 24 months. 6,900 bottles were filled in December 2017.

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