2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”La Marca di San Michele
Italy | Le Marche
$27
Producers
A “satellite appellation” to the noble Pomerol AOC, Lalande de Pomerol produces reds that, at their best, mimic Pomerol’s robust, earthy flavors at a fraction of the price. While there is more variation in terroir within the two appellations than between them, Lalande tends to have more gravel and sand compared to Pomerol’s heavier clay soils. Château Belles-Graves is named after the abundant gravel in its vineyards, which is notorious for holding the sun’s heat into the night. This helps the grapes (Merlot with a bit of Cabernet Franc) ripen early, giving generous wines dominated by ripe black fruit with very supple, approachable tannins. This does not preclude them from aging: this Lalande can easily be held for ten or twenty years, developing a deep complexity and aromas of black truffle and leather. Fine Bordeaux need not cost a fortune, nor does it need decades of bottle age to be delicious.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Lalande-de-Pomerol |
Country: | France |
Region: | Bordeaux |
Producer: | Château Belles-Graves |
Winemaker: | Xavier Piton |
Vineyard: | 40 years avg, 16.9 |
Soil: | Clay, Gravel |
Aging: | Wine is raised in French oak barrels, 25% of which is new, for twelve to fifteen months |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
Château Belles-Graves France | Bordeaux | Lalande-de-Pomerol
Château Belles-Graves France | Bordeaux | Lalande-de-Pomerol
Château Ducasse France | Bordeaux | Bordeaux
Château Aney France | Bordeaux | Haut Médoc
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux | Pomerol
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
Often considered the wine capital of the world, Bordeaux and its wines have captured the minds, hearts, and wallets of wine drinkers for centuries. For many, the wines provide an inalienable benchmark against which all other wines are measured.
Bordeaux is divided into three winegrowing regions with the city that gives the region its name in the near geographical center. The “right bank,” or the area located east of the Dordogne River, produces wines that are predominantly Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The “left bank” is located to the west of the Garonne River and produces wines dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
The third region, Entre-Deux-Mers, lies between both rivers and produces white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. Though technically in the left bank, it is worth noting the appellation of Sauternes, which produces arguably the world’s most famous sweet wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle as well.
Though many top Bordeaux wines are sold en primeur (in advance of their bottling) and often through a middleman known as a negoçiant, Kermit has always preferred to purchase directly from the winemaker. For more than three decades he has sought out small producers, who make classic Bordeaux wines and are willing to play outside the negoçiant system. This ethic has led to longstanding relationships, excellent prices, and perhaps most important—wines of great value and longevity.
Château de Bellevue France | Bordeaux | Lussac Saint Émilion
Château Roûmieu-Lacoste France | Bordeaux | Sauternes
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux | Vin de France
Château Roûmieu-Lacoste France | Bordeaux | Sauternes
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux | IGP Atlantique
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux | Pomerol
Château Haut-Lariveau France | Bordeaux | Fronsac
Château Ducasse France | Bordeaux | Bordeaux
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
Château Moulin France | Bordeaux | Fronsac
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux | Pomerol
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux | Pomerol
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch
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