2015 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Chalumaux”Comtesse de Chérisey
France | Burgundy
$120
Producers
If you’re feeling résistant to any policy makers these days, stock up on the sandy blond Au Petit Bonheur from Les Pallières. The INAO, the certifying body for France’s winemaking regions, believes that Gigondas’s eponymous rosé, despite being made naturally from organic grapes, may not identify as such if it does not look pink enough. Vexed by this rule, Kermit and the Bruniers decided to part ways with the Gigondas AOP and make their rosé as Mother Nature intended, in a vin gris style. Equal parts Clairette, Grenache, and Cinsault, this bottling is salty, discreet, and full of brambly fruit and soft citrus notes. Vive le freedom of le Vin de France.
—Jane Berg
Wine Type: | Rosé |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 1/3 Grenache, 1/3 Clairette, 1/3 Cinsault |
Appellation: | Vin de France |
Country: | France |
Region: | Southern Rhône |
Producer: | Les Pallières |
Soil: | Clay, limestone |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 14.1% |
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Maxime-François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Rhône
The southern Rhône valley is Grenache country. It’s also known for its stones. With a viticulture history dating back well before the Popes arrived in the 12th century and one of France’s oldest appellations d'origine contrôlée, Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, the southern Rhône is unquestionably one of France’s best known and premier winegrowing regions. The wines have the pedigree and age-worthiness of Burgundy and Bordeaux, but with a rustic, Mediterranean character. Like most wines from southern France, the reds, whites, and rosés are blends. Filling out the Grenache for the reds and rosés, you’ll often find Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. The common white grape varieties are Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Viognier, Roussane, and Marsanne among others. From the alluvial riverbed stones found in Lirac, Tavel, and Châteauneuf to the limestone cliffs of the Dentelles de Montmirail that influence Beaumes-de-Venise (where you’ll find excellent Muscat), Vacqueyras, and Gigondas, great terroir abounds.
Kermit’s entrance in the region came in the mid 1970s on his first trip with Richard Olney, an American ex-pat and friend of Alice Waters. On that trip, Richard introduced Kermit to the Brunier family of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Soon after, Kermit began importing the Brunier’s wines—their Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” bottling remains a staple of our portfolio today. In the late 1990s Kermit teamed up with the Brunier family to purchase the famed Gigondas estate, Domaine Les Pallières. More than 40 years later, we now import wines from fifteen southern Rhône domaines spanning the entire area of the region.
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Ventoux
Domaine Gramenon France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Maxime François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Southern Rhône
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône | Vacqueyras
Maxime-François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Rhône
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa