It's been seven years since Galloni reviewed this classic Pinot Noir from New Wave OG producer, Copain, and we couldn't believe it when we recently got the chance to taste a bottle and see if Galloni was right that the ideal drinking time was, well, now. Spoiler alert: he was right!
Venica & Venicawork specifically in Collio, a tract of land at the heart of these crossroads – so much so that the very vineyards have served as battlefields in the fight for territorial control among Austro-Hungarians, Yugoslavians, and Italian partisans. The soils of Collio are incredibly rich in minerals, and when you combine this with the Adriatic breeze and mountain freshness, you get some seriously delicious white wines.
Trediberri, founded only in 2007, is one of the newest producers in the entire Barolo DOC. Yet the wines taste so utterly classical and traditional that you would never guess. The wines feel like they've been around for generations.
Some, if not most, of you, are likely familiar with the grape formerly known as “Napa Gamay”, or as it is known today, Valdiguie. If you are one of those who is not, we would like to present you with one of our favorite affordable grapes. For the rest of you, a reminder that it exists, and has a place on your dinner table, especially as summer kicks in.
Von Winning is a superstar in the Riesling firmament, known for its Grand and 1er Cru single-vineyard bottlings which taste almost as much of the varied soils -- including basalt, sandstone, loess and, notable and rare, chalky limestone -- as they taste of the delectable Riesling fruit.
Today we have just that, made from one of Muscadet’s most iconic and beloved vignerons, Jo Landron. Once a pioneer of organic (and later, biodynamic) viticulture for the region, Landron is now a respected mentor to newer generations of Muscadet winemakers. A recent tasting of his wines confirmed that he’s also still making killer wine.
Few rosés cause the kind of excitement brought on by Thibaud Boudignon's Rosé de Loire. Boudignon works almost exclusively with Chenin Blanc, and his wines from Savennières and Anjou are among the best in the world. The one exception to his Chenin Blanc supremacy is this perfect pink wine, made from mostly Cabernet Franc and a splash of Grolleau.
At Flatiron, we love producers who own their land, farm it, and produce wines from the grapes they grow. This is the fundamental unit in the world of wine. But this is not the only model. We love boutique Californian wineries that carefully source their grapes from top sites. We love negotiant champagne producers like Krug! We are never going to pass over a winery simply because it is not indigenously rooted to its land and vines.
The most famous producer of Kiedrich Riesling is undoubtedly Robert Weil. It’s not one of the Rheingau’s ancient estates – many go back a thousand years or more – as Robert Weil was a German living in Paris, forced to leave when the Prussians invaded France in 1870. He moved to Kiedrich and started his winery. War is cruel, but this one was good for Kiedrich Riesling.
Today, we will head south from Chambolle, passing through Vosne Romanee to arrive at the village of Nuits-St.-Georges. In this village, we first encounter the very Vosne-like vineyards that directly abut some of Vosne’s finest sites. Those vineyards are premier crus with names like Boudots and Damodes.
Gut Oggau is amongst the most celebrated names in the world of natural wine. Their distinctly labeled bottles are well known to wine aficionados of all stripes, from natural wine geeks to the sommelier set. Their journey into the natural side of wine is not unfamiliar but it is worth repeating.
Today, we have a selection of three of Terlano’s white wines to showcase how special these wines can be. Made from grapes that you will find recognizable – as they are grown in several other regions of Central Europe – they nonetheless stand out for providing mountainous saline twist that you will get from nowhere else on Earth:
