|
It's mid-week and we just received a few new gems: |
2019 Franck Balthazar Côtes du Rhône (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône) $24.50
The new vintage is finally here! Here are the details:
The Balthazar domaine dates back to 1931, when it was founded by Franck’s grandfather Casimir. René took charge in 1950 and followed his contemporaries Auguste Clape and Noël Verset into domaine bottling on a small scale in the 1970s. All the while he continued to sell most of his wine in cask—as Casimir and so many others of his generation had done—to the local cafés.
-
Franck now bottles all of his tiny production, made by methods little changed from those of his grandfather: he plows with a horse, and bottles his wines without fining or filtration.
His Cotes du Rhone is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah; it is luxurious, elegant and expressive, with an unmistakable sense of place.
|
2018 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape) $106
A good, solid Beaumes-de-Venise is a great thing. A unique and rustic Vacqueyras? Fantastic. But a Vieux Télégraphe from the famed La Crau plateau...that’s about as good as it gets. It’s in a league of its own: noble, soulful, absolutely elegant.
-
The vintage offers beautiful blueberry, raspberry, crushed violet, graphite, and crushed rock-like minerality. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, it’s polished and seamless, yet has plenty of tannins as well as richness, and is going to evolve beautifully.
This is classy juice.
|
2018 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas Les Racines (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas) $42
Owned by the Brunier family (or Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe ), Domaine Les Pallières bottles two cuvées of Gigondas each year. Terrasse du Diable comes from the higher-altitude, cooler parcels, while Les Racines originates from the plateau around the winery itself and includes the property’s oldest vines.
-
Shiny dark red; this has a stylish bouquet, neatly poised, gives a serene offer of red fruits, slinky appeal, with a note of iron. The palate is silky from the old vines, a natural flow with precision and detail. It finishes on lovely tannins that are like a glove. This is one of the best Racines ever. A thread of mineral, blood, runs through it. The finish brings in light grain crunch, with a note of rose – a rare combination that works very well.
There’s great style in this bottling.
|
The Macle family settled in Château-Chalon in 1850 to grow wine. Initially they practiced mixed agriculture, but by the 1960’s were focused solely on wine. They cultivate 12 hectares, 8 planted to Chardonnay in the Côte de Jura and 4 planted to Savagnin in Château-Chalon.
Laurent Macle is the 7th generation winemaker of Domaine Macle. He works closely with his father, Jean, to produce some of the top wines from the Jura.
These wines are magical. Our allocation tiny.
-
Here's the scoop from left to right:
-
2012 Domaine Macle Château-Chalon (France, Jura, Château-Chalon) $150
-
"The master of Château Chalon, the appellation dedicated exclusively to the production of
Vin Jaune, is Domaine Macle." - Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
-
Château-Chalon is the oldest and most famous of the 6 Jura AOCs. This single hilltop of just 19 hectares is home to the extraordinary Vin Jaune made from the Savagnin varietal.
The grapes are harvested late and then aged in small oak barrels for a minimum of six years and three months. The slightly porous oak barrels are, by design, not completely airtight, and nearly 40% of the wine evaporates over the years. No topping up is done and a thick layer of flor yeast, which looks like a white foam, develops on the surface of the wine and helps prevent excessive oxidation.
This aging method, similar to that used for Fino sherry in Spain, but which in France is specific to the Jura, allows the wine to acquire its distinct flavors, characteristic of walnut, almond, spice and apple, before release. This remarkable dry wine, at its best is immensely complex and very aromatic, and best appreciated after at least 10 years in bottle but also has the ability, in good vintages, to age for a century or more.
-
2018 Domaine Macle Côtes du Jura Ouillé (France, Jura, Côtes du Jura) $58
A blend of 85% Chardonnay, 15% Savagnin, this wine is unique to Jura as the barrels are topped up as they do in Burgundy producing a fresh style of white wine you do not often find in the Jura.
-
2015 Domaine Macle Chardonnay Sous Voile (France, Jura, Côtes du Jura) $58
The domain's "little gem", a mere 3000 bottles being produced, this Chardonnay aged sous voile is reminiscent, to a certain extent, of vin jaune.
The wine is blessed with aromas such as walnut and spices (curry, nutmeg, saffron). Delicious if enjoyed straight away, it is even better when aged for several years.
-
These wines beg for the cuisine of Jura: Comte cheese.
-
As for a main dish, Poulet à la Comtoise, a traditional dish from the French region of Franche-Comté. It consists of chicken pieces cooked in a sauce made with white wine from Jura, crème fraîche, and delicious Comté cheese.
-
Another favorite is Croûte aux morilles, a traditional dish of toasted bread paired with morel mushrooms in a creamy sauce.
|
We've been selling these two wines by the car-load, both great examples of their respective appellations.
On the right we have a bone-dry Chenin Blanc from Vouvray in the Loire Valley.
On the right from Savoie near the Swiss border we have another dry white wine from the Jacquere grape.
These are wines to sip and share and only $20 a piece. |
-
Call or email 805.568.1961 to reserve yours and we'll have it ready ASAP for curbside pickup
or in store pick up (or even delivery if you like)
-
|
Thank you for your support.
Renegade Wines
417 Santa Barbara Street Suite A-6
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805-568-1961
www.renegadewines.com
|
