At Wine Access, a curated online wine retailer in the US, we often find winemakers seeking inspiration, and deliciousness, in contrasting styles, benchmark bottlings, and wines that are completely out of the ordinary.
Here are five bottles that Wine Access have known winemakers to uncork when they have a minute to truly enjoy a wine for themselves.
2016 Maison L’Envoye Morgon – Cote du Py Beaujolais Burgundy
Beaujolais—specifically upper-echelon Cru Beaujolais—is having a moment. Not only is it the gold standard for Gamay worldwide, but its value is unsurpassed, especially when compared to Burgundian Pinot Noirs. Winemakers, who may be second only to sommeliers in their appreciation for wines that over-deliver on their price tags, know this all too well. Maison L’Envoye’s 2016 Morgon is a prime example. Grown on the famed Côté du Py, it offers stunning verve and a schist-mineral note to complement effervescent red fruit.
2016 Domaine de Chevalier Clos des Lune Petite Lune Bordeaux Blanc
Bordeaux Blanc is the one category that American winemakers try to brush aside, largely because very few excellent bottles make it stateside, and those that do, become coveted jewels of a winemaker’s cellar. They stockpile these wines and study them, always honing their farming approaches in Napa and Sonoma, chasing after the perfect New World replica. But this “Clos des Lune” was crafted by the same technical team as Domaine de Chevalier and is the kind of breezy but brilliantly made white that flies off the shelves.
In essence, the Clos des Lunes Petite Lune is perfect value white Bordeaux, fragrant with juicy green apple, clean white flowers, and mouthwatering ripe peach, this is a zingy, richly textured effort from two Bordeaux masters, Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier and Stéphane Derenoncourt, the sage of Saint-Émilion.
2016 Benevolent Neglect Las Madres Vineyard Syrah Carneros
‘Let the vineyard do the talking.’ It’s a common adage amongst winemakers, which naturally translates to a preference for bottles from unique, standout sites. When it comes to California Syrah, Carneros’ Las Madres Vineyard is at the top of the shortlist. Superstar winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown has called Las Madres “the To Kalon of Syrah,” and it’s easy to see why. Perched on a hill in chilly Carneros, Las Madres yields impeccably balanced, wildly spiced, inky Syrahs that challenge conventional thinking about what is possible with Rhône varieties outside of the Rhône Valley.
2015 Chateau Le Pey Medoc
When the desired goal is to “drink like a local” of France’s Bordeaux, many winemakers look to the incredible values hidden within small family wineries in the Médoc, on the outskirts of the Classified Growths. Claude Compagnet has a decades-old reputation in the Médoc for producing superbly structured and intensely aromatic Bordeaux—plus a band of devoted Bordelaise followers—and that’s the winemaking reputation winemakers hunt for day-in and day-out. “Le Pey” is a classically framed Bordeaux of understated power and elegance, showing aromas of black currant, Damson plum, leather, tobacco, cedar, clove, and allspice. Medium-bodied and firmly textured, it shows a silky tannic frame with complex savory notes. Compagnet’s devotion to the vineyard is something you can taste—without trekking to Bordeaux.
2016 Idiosyncrasy Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak Napa Valley
When winemakers drink Cabernet, they’re looking for structure. The best place to find it is in wines that come off Napa’s top sites—the literal ones that climb to dizzying heights. Julien Fayard, the heralded maker of Purlieu, On Q, Nicholson Jones, and Le Pich, went all the way to the rugged reaches of Atlas Peak to craft his Idiosyncrasy Cabernet. The result is an equally far-reaching effort that has captivated the palates of more than a few admiring winemakers. Muscular, deep, and dark, this Cabernet plays no games, demanding serious consideration from all who would swirl its aromatic bouquet of crushed blackberry, leather, and bittersweet chocolate. This inspires winemakers to get up early and climb the mountaintop in search of greater possibilities.
Wine Access a curated online wine retailer in the USA. Find out more here.
