House Wines for the Holidays
by Tom Wolf
© Michael Bargo
© Michael Bargo
House Wines for the Holidays
by Tom Wolf
If you’ve glanced at this month’s special cellar collection, you’ve seen bottles made by some of France and Italy’s most revered vignerons. These trailblazers, and the iconic sites they farm, deeply inspire us at KLWM every day.
And yet, as much as we celebrate these prestigious cuvées, we love wines from France and Italy’s humbler sites just as much—a fact that you could confirm if you walked into any of our homes and holiday parties to find tables filled with Bordeaux Blanc, Alsatian Crémant, and Cahors. As seriously as we take our mission to track down the greatest grand cru Charmes-Chambertin or Barolo, we are just as committed in our quest to find the best regional wines for your (and our!) table. After all, these are the bottles we are excited to open every day, especially around the holidays.
From our beloved savory, chewy Côtes du Rhône to Colleleva’s brisk and refreshing Verdicchio to Kuentz-Bas’s exuberant Alsatian sparkler, the bottles below deliver outstanding expressions of their regions’ terroirs all with an easy “house wine” price tag.
Wines In The Collection
Selected by Kermit Lynch France | Southern Rhône
Dark-fruited, with fresh acidity and stony tannins, it’s about as versatile as reds come from the south of France.
Tintero Italy | Piedmont
December Club Gourmand ~ This dreamy wine reaffirms that we should turn more often to Piedmont not only for our reds but also for our whites!
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
Alouettes harkens to a different era: it’s pleasantly tannic and chalky, with sleek notes of licorice, cranberry, and prickly black pepper.
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
Sauvignon and a splash of Chardonnay: the epitome of minerally Loire refreshment
Tintero Italy | Piedmont
There’s no mistaking this red for anything other than Nebbiolo—perfectly ripe fruit and the telltale scents of tar and roses.
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
December Adventures Club ~ A crisp, linear white with subtle aromas of flowers and herbs, this is an all-purpose bargain sipper made for aperitivo, salads, and seafood.
Kuentz-Bas France | Alsace
Dry, with tart green apple, pear, and a classic hint of petrol on the nose. The firm, zesty palate has enough substance for endless delicious pairings.
Château Ducasse France | Bordeaux
This refreshing, food-friendly white walks the line between racy and voluptuous. Excellent with sushi, or anything else from the sea.
Château de Trinquevedel France | Southern Rhône
Rich fruitiness on the palate recalls ripe strawberries, and then notes of spice and licorice kick in for a full-bodied, full-flavored finish that marries beautifully with ratatouille or smoked pork chops.
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Hailing from the rugged and windswept hills of Corbières, which teem with garrigue and olive groves, La Demoiselle delivers a glorious taste of the South.
Château La Grave France | Southwest
La Grave is one of the rare Cahors to consist exclusively of the native Malbec. Without any Merlot to soften it, this Cahors is decidedly old-fashioned.
France | Southern Rhône
Dark-fruited, with fresh acidity and stony tannins, our house blend Côtes du Rhône is about as versatile as reds come from the south of France.
Italy | Piedmont
December Club Gourmand ~ This dreamy wine reaffirms that we should turn more often to Piedmont not only for our reds but also for our whites!
France | Loire
Alouettes harkens to a different era: it’s pleasantly tannic and chalky, with sleek notes of licorice, cranberry, and prickly black pepper.
France | Loire
Sauvignon and a splash of Chardonnay: the epitome of minerally Loire refreshment
Italy | Piedmont
There’s no mistaking this red for anything other than Nebbiolo—perfectly ripe fruit and the telltale scents of tar and roses.
Italy | Le Marche
December Adventures Club ~ A crisp, linear white with subtle aromas of flowers and herbs, this is an all-purpose bargain sipper made for aperitivo, salads, and seafood.
France | Alsace
Dry, with tart green apple, pear, and a classic hint of petrol on the nose. The firm, zesty palate has enough substance for endless delicious pairings.
France | Bordeaux
Sémillon makes up about 70 percent of this blend and provides weight and texture, along with gentler floral and stone-fruit aromatics. It is wonderfully complemented by Sauvignon Blanc, and together the two varieties produce a refreshing, food-friendly white that walks the line between racy and voluptuous.
France | Southern Rhône
Rich fruitiness on the palate recalls ripe strawberries, and then notes of spice and licorice kick in for a full-bodied, full-flavored finish that marries beautifully with ratatouille or smoked pork chops.
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Hailing from the rugged and windswept hills of Corbières, which teem with garrigue and olive groves, La Demoiselle delivers a glorious taste of the South.
France | Southwest
La Grave is one of the rare Cahors to consist exclusively of the native Malbec. Without any Merlot to soften it, this Cahors is decidedly old-fashioned.
More Collections
Opening Our Cellar Doors
Like a portal to another dimension, December is the time of year when our cellar doors open. And this year, the stars have aligned for them to open not just for a few days, but the entire month. Yes, all month long we’ll release aged wines from across our portfolio, including Domaine Tempier, Les Pallières, Vieux Télégraphe, Mas Champart, Quintarelli, and Robert Chevillon, to name just a few…
Holiday Gift Shop
As is tradition here at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, we’ve made it easy to celebrate together—whether in person or in spirit!
Annual Dessert Wine Sale
Gingerbread cookies, yule logs, pumpkin pies…Sauternes, Banyuls, Muscat…Whether you prefer your treats baked or fermented, no holiday meal is complete without the final flourish of dessert. Now through the end of December, 20% off per bottle!
Champagne & Sparkling Sale
Now through the end of the year, take 20% off all Champagne & Sparkling Wine. Whether your bubbly of choice is a luxurious and elegant Champagne, a rich yet mineral Vouvray Brut, a versatile Italian Prosecco, or an aromatic Alsatian Crémant, our annual Champagne & Sparkling Sale offers all of these and many more toast-worthy bottles for every occasion.
Elegant, Terroir-Transparent Champagnes
It had been many years since we introduced you to a new selection of ours from the Champagne region—not for lack of trying! In 2023, we finally found what we had been looking for in the small Champagne village of Écueil, on the Montagne de Reims, in the cellars of Nicolas Maillart…
New Arrivals
Here is a collection of recent arrivals. Every week, we’ll be adding a dozen or more new arrivals, so check back often for your favorite classics or new discoveries!
Samplers for the Holidays
If you find yourself especially busy this time of year, without an abundance of time to carefully study every bottle before you buy, our latest collection of curated sampler packs offers a quick and easy way to discover new wines in categories that you already know and enjoy...
The Carpe Vinum Collection
An ever-changing offering of wines that are just about to sell out; one last opportunity to seize a range of selections before they disappear from our shelves forever.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
When the esteemed French wine artist Michel Tolmer created beautiful artwork for our 50th anniversary, we knew right away that we had to feature it on a few select items of merch. After spending maybe a little too much time researching the options, we landed on a classy, leather-strap cap, a comfortable t-shirt made from 100% cotton, and a tote made with incredibly sturdy, fair-trade, and organic cotton by a certified B corp that invests in the livelihoods of women and farmers of India, featuring three wine sleeves and two other compartments for all of your other needs!
Recent Wine Club Selections
Our five wine clubs feature our best values from France and Italy as well as complex and cellar-worthy wines.
Risk And Transcendent Reward: Quintarelli
All four of these wines age in large barrels for seven years, a relative eternity during which profound depth, structure, and a mesmerizing range of flavors form. When they are finally bottled, the results are dry reds that retain freshness and poise, while delivering epic complexity and power...