Pierre-Vincent Girardin is the 13th generation of his family to make wine in Burgundy. When his father, Vincent Girardin, sold his domaine in 2011, he kept 4.5 hectares of his best sites to one day pass on to his son. In 2017, Pierre-Vincent made his very first vintage. Looking back over 30 plus years, it is … Read More
It was December of 1998 when the client came knocking on Bisci’s doors. He wanted wine, naturally, but not just any. He wanted young wine, vino di annata. But at that time, Bisci didn’t release their Verdicchio until two years after the harvest. Giuseppe Bisci sent him off empty-handed, but he was perturbed. The high-elevation, … Read More
A NOTE ON ACID Acidity is one of the most important components in wine, white or red, providing structure and balance; it is one of the foundations of flavor. In the picturesque village of Zeltingen, the Selbach family produces a wide array of excellent Rieslings, a grape variety long associated with electric, high-acid wines. Recently, … Read More
Didier Vergnon and his dynamic son Clément are the 4th and 5th generations to lead this small, 5-hectare estate in the Grand cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Founded in 1950, it was in the 1980s that JL Vergnon first began estate-bottling and was an early pioneer of lower dosed wines, riper fruit, and no … Read More
PIERRE GIMONNET Didier Gimonnet’s father was an original member of the Spécial Club and joined in 1971. Located in Cuis, the holdings at Gimonnet are almost all located in the Côte des Blancs, focusing on Cramant and Chouilly Grand Crus. Blending the different Premier and Grand Cru wines from their vineyards have always been a part … Read More
The major holidays that make a meal the centerpiece and reason for celebration are our favorites. While this years’ holidays are likely going to look different at all of our houses next week, there will always be wine. Thanksgiving, with its warm, roasted flavors, heavy with plenty of cream and richness of all kinds, … Read More
THE PROJECT In 2014, acclaimed vintner Paul Hobbs was introduced to Antonio López, a Galician-American with family roots in the tiny village of Alvaredos (population: 13 families) in the Ribeira Sacra. His family had owned vineyards there since the late 1800s, and his grandfather had painstakingly planted a new one in 1968—a cherished childhood memory … Read More
The decision is not taken lightly, as the Pelizzatti-Perego siblings wrestle with the knowledge that their wines must live up to their forebears’ standards: Did the season find a balance between sunshine and rain? Did disease or hail take a part of the crop? Were the diurnal temperature swings appropriate in the critical months of … Read More
1677(ish) to 2020 – An Abbreviated History of Champagne Doyard History runs deep with the Doyard family with records of viticulture going all the way back to at least 1677. Yannick Doyard, the driving force that has led this Domaine to greatness, loves history and is convinced his ongoing research on this family will take … Read More
Ferruccio Biondi Santi is widely credited for having “invented” Brunello, but very few people are aware that his first vineyard dedicated exclusively to “Sangioveto e Brunello,” planted in 1877, was not at his renown Il Greppo estate on the slopes south of Montalcino. The actual location, in fact, was in Scarnacuoia (pronounced scar-nah-KWOY-ah), just … Read More