Values of the Month
by Madison H. Brown
2022 Alsace Blanc
France | Alsace
Most Kermit Lynch devotees will recognize the domaine and the wine in question but not the “new” look. Our man Dixon Brooke discovered this historic label on an ancient, dusty bottle tucked behind a glass case in Kuentz-Bas’s tasting room. The artwork depicts the three châteaux cresting the hillside behind the village of Husseren-les-Châteaux, and much of the fruit for this bottling comes from the steep vineyards painted in the castles’ shadow. This ethereal cornucopian blend of Pinot Auxerrois, Sylvaner, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Muscat is comforting and exhilarating all at once, evoking a medley of orchard fruits and candied citrus. It will add a sunny splash of color to even the most austere winter day.
2022 Beaujolais
France | Beaujolais
Approachable and unpretentious, this wine was my springboard to our Beaujolais portfolio when I first started working for Kermit in 2016. Back then, the painless price point made it a no-brainer weeknight wine for me and my roommates. On my way home from work, I’d pop into the Berkeley shop to grab a bottle (and usually a baguette from Acme) to slurp alongside whatever was on the menu that night: takeout Chinese, homemade pizzas loaded with toppings, Brie and salami…Washed down with a cool glass of Dupeuble’s fresh and juicy Gamay, even the simplest of suppers was guaranteed to hit the spot.
Even after experiencing renowned crus from the region’s most-storied domaines, I continue to come back to this wine vintage after vintage. For the purity of fruit and bliss-inducing drinkability of each bottle, the Dupeubles’ wines are in a league of their own. Extraordinary value awaits those bargain-hunting pleasure seekers.