Producers

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    The Bacchus label was created by David Gordon, one of New York’s first recognized sommeliers, and the person responsible for the Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list at Manhattan’s famed Tribeca Grill restaurant. The restaurant opened in 1990 by restaurateur Drew Nieporent and actor Robert DeNiro. Gordon, who is self-taught, began learning about wine in the 1980s just as Kevin Zraly was beginning to educate America on the world of wine. At the time, there were very few non-French somms working in the city and the British-born Court of Master Sommeliers was in its infancy.

    “You had to pick up a book or magazine to learn about wine,” says Gordon. There were no YouTubes or Google or extensive training programs. The list now boasts over 1800 selections including verticals of some of the most sought-after producers.

    While he tasted and learned about the best wines on the planet, which included expensive Burgundies and Rhône wines, Gordon always kept the consumer top of mind. “House” Cab and Chard were big sellers at the restaurant, so he set out to meet that demand with a genuine product that would deliver consistent quality.

    “I started the Bacchus line as a fun, cool thing to do,” says Gordon. “There really weren't any wines associated with sommeliers at the time.  Now there are many, but these were definitely among the first. I named the wine after the person I worship- Bacchus.”

    In the beginning, Gordon sourced the wines from his friends in Napa and Sonoma. Producers such as Caymus, Lewis Cellars, and Miner Family provided grapes and helped with the winemaking for the early cuvées. Gordon has kept to his original promise that wines with the Bacchus label will always be affordable and delicious. “People want ripe fruit and a clean taste that’s not too oaky or tannic,” he says. The wines are refreshing, they can be drunk as an aperitif before dinner or with a meal."

    Wines bearing the Bacchus label, much like David Gordon himself, are welcoming and unpretentious.

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    Jean-Baptiste (first vintage 2005) and Benoît Bachelet (first vintage 2000) are now the primary winemakers at the family domaine, which has been making wine since the early 17th century.  The domaine is based in the village of Gamay, a hamlet of Saint-Aubin, and they have ten hectares, producing half red and half white. Almost half of the vineyards are in Chassagne-Montrachet, another 40% of the vineyards are in Saint-Aubin, and the remaining 13% of their holdings are in Puligny-Montrachet. All of the vineyards are estate-owned, and they started conversion to biodynamic production in 2012. In 2016, all ten hectares were managed following biodynamic principles. Although it means a lot more work in the vineyards, the brothers find that the wines have more precision and you get a stronger sense of terroir. 

    Vinification is natural with indigenous yeasts and slow fermentations. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels on fine lees. This means that the wines have two winters in the cellar, which contributes to the finesse, depth and structure of the wine, necessary for its aging capacity.

    Allen Meadows considers the Bachelet wines "worth-seeking" out, in the same camp as Pierre Yves Colin Morey, Oliver Lamy, and Henri Prudhon. (Burghound #63, June 2016)

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    This exciting new project sprung from a vision to craft a gin that holds its head high alongside some of the more established and celebrated small-batch inhabitants on the premium drinks shelf. Longtime friends Justin Green and Antony Jackson wanted to create something that was true to who they are and where they are from: the idyllic countryside of County Cork.

    “Finding their unique angle” was actually the easy bit; they wanted to mirror the field-to-fork philosophy practised at Ballyvolane House.  Justin’s childhood home and former dairy farm, Ballyvolane literally translates from Gaelic as ‘the place of the leaping heifers’, a testament to the fertility and natural diversity of the land on which the estate lies. The much-lauded Ballyvolane House practices a field-to-fork philosophy when it comes to food, and naturally, they wanted to echo this by championing a grass-to-glass approach for their spirits.

    Instead of the usual grains or potatoes, they use whey alcohol as the base spirit to make a truly unique gin. Milk from Irish dairy farmers is separated into curds and whey (think Little Miss Muffet); the curds go on to make cheese, and the whey, traditionally discarded as a waste product, is fermented and distilled into a spirit of exceptionally smooth texture.

    We know what you’re thinking: what are they thinking??? but trust us: this is one fabulous gin that you have to taste for yourself.

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    Domaine Baron Thénard is a magical place to visit. From the outside, the cellar looks like an old barn; the roof is near the ground and when you open the door, you immediately descend the slippery stone steps into the cellar. The cellar dates from the eighteenth century— it's dark, damp, and cold— a perfect place to age wine.  At the bottom of the steps, you are in a large room that houses the gigantic open top wooden fermenters that are still used for the red wines. Owner Jean-Baptiste Bordeaux-Montrieux does not know how old the fermenters are, perhaps 100 years old save the leaky stave that may be replaced from time to time. Sometimes in this room, you might see a barrel or fifteen(!) of Montrachet stacked up on the side. As you wind through the cellar,  you find a very old press that is centuries old (no longer in use). There is a room for aging whites - Givry Blanc from the Clos du Cellier aux Moines and again, more Montrachet. Another room is used for aging the reds, it's full of foudres and barrels. It's an incredible cellar to visit. You also see bottles stacked up and covered in mold... and once in a while, we get some of these library wines in limited release!
     
    Within all of those barrels and foudres you will mostly find Givry. The domaine has eighteen hectares total in Givry that are spread over three 1er Cru, the Clos du Cellier aux Moines, Clos Saint Pierre, and the Bois Chevaux. The domaine also has just under five hectares in the Cote d'Or:  Premier Cru Clos St. Jean in Chassagne, Iles des Vergelesses in Pernand, Grand Cru Clos du Roi in Corton, Les Grands Échezeaux in Flagey, and they are the second largest owner of Le Montrachet at one and four-fifths hectares. Even with the excellent holdings throughout Burgundy, the heart of the domaine has remained in Givry. The Clos Saint-Pierre is a monopole of the domaine and it is the highest on the hil, with eastern exposure and a red soil; it normally gives the most tannins of the three cuvées and is the most age-worthy. The Bois Chevaux is located mid-slope and is also east-facing. The Clos du Cellier aux Moines is south-facing and has more clay in the soil; it's normally the most joyful of the three when it's young, but also develops slowly and is age-worthy.

    Jean-Baptiste Bordeaux-Montrieux has been running the domaine from the 1980's and the wines have always been made in a very traditional method: fermented in wood tonneau barrels for two weeks, punched-down by foot twice a day, then aged in barrel for twelve to eighteen months (five percent new oak on the premier crus), and only very lightly filtered if necessary. The whites are fermented and aged in barrel. Fermentations start spontaneously and go at their own pace, sometimes lasting months. The amount of new oak has been dialed back on the Montrachet and averages fifty percent from the 2010 vintage. On the reds, the Clos du Cellier aux Moines is aged mostly in foudres and the Clos Saint-Pierre is aged mostly in used barrels. The Boix Chevaux is a fifty-fifty mix of foudres and barrels. 

    Bowler was the first to import these wines in the United States. Thénard previously sold wine to Remoissenet and they had signed a non-compete agreement. The contract changed and 2005 Givry was the first to be sold state-side. It's been great to introduce these wines to the market. They represent a very old-style of Burgundy that you find less and less: the wines (Givry Rouge) are delicate and light in color, smell like forest floor, have bright and beautiful acidity, and a measured amount of fruitiness to them. If you want to collect wines on a budget, these are beautiful options. And if you have a chance to pick some up on a library offer, do not hesitate! The wines come aged from the cellar and the oldest we have ever tasted was a Givry Village from 1976; it was fresh and very much alive. 

     

     

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    I was born in Sicily and there man is born an island within an island and remains so until his death, even living far from his harsh native land surrounded by an immense and jealous sea.”
    -Luigi Pirandello

    It’s difficult to imagine that Nino Barraco would have ever made wine outside of his homeland of Marsala.  He is a dreamer, but a rememberer.  He is full of ideas, but he prefers clear ideas, the ones that put down roots, or the ones already rooted in tradition.  Before being put into practice they are tested over time, with years of observation.  It’s the vineyard that usually dictates whether something new emerges.  “What can I really tell you? Our strength is agriculture,” he says.
         
    He is the son of farmers—“not winemakers”—who sold just-fermented base wine to large Marsala houses. His parents’ and grandparents’ generations saw the steep decline of Marsala the place and Marsala the wine.  Once the second-wealthiest city in Italy and one of the first to be industrialized, it has since seen its vineyard plantings decrease by 45% and its wine production by almost 40%.  Of the 50,000 hectoliters of Marsala DOC produced today, only 3-4% is bottled—the rest is shipped off as bulk cooking wine for the food industry.    

    Nino blazed his own path starting with the 2004 vintage, rigorously organic from the start, producing single-vineyard, monovarietal, mostly white wines of real character, highlighting the sunny, but fresh and salty imprint of this seaside, high-limestone terroir.   In the beginning the wines had little to no maceration.  From 2008-2012,  the wines became fairly orange, as Nino interpreted a different side of his land.   Since then he has steadily dialed back the macerations, returning to the origins of his career.    The range feels as complete and resonant as ever.

    Nino has never made a Marsala DOC wine, but he is Marsalese and there is no escaping the current of history.  He is among a handful of winemakers producing and advocating for a “Pre-British” style of wine, the purposely oxidative “vino perpetuo” that had been made in the area for centuries, long before the merchant John Woodhouse began fortifying it, sweetening it, and exporting it.  Nino’s Altogrado, made from a single vintage and aged oxidatively for at least seven years, made its debut in 2009.  It’s a seemingly eternal wine, with a million affinities at the table, from oysters to dessert.  For Nino, “the future is oxidative,” and he has nearly completed a new ground-level cellar built expressly for the purpose of making and aging oxidative wines from varieties other than Grillo.  These are complex and heady wines that are also culturally substantive.   

    Nino is also part of, perhaps the ringleader of, Halarà, a joint farming and winemaking adventure with his friends Stefano Amerighi, Francesco de Franco (‘A Vita), Corrado Dottori (La Distesa), Giovanni Scarfone (Bonavita), and Francesco Ferreri (Tanca Nica).  Together they saved a 2ha vineyard of Parpato and Catarratto that Nino remembers being planted when he was four years old. 
    We humbly welcome Barraco to the Bowlersphere!

     

    To learn more:
    www.vinibarraco.it/
    @vinibarraco
    Halarà
    @halaravini

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    “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” -Gustav Mahler

    Luigi and Fiorina Baudana are the namesakes of the località Baudana, the hamlet just north of Serralunga d’Alba, and of the historical cru that lays on the western slope of the hill. The beginning of their family history is lost in time and Luigi never precisely knew whether his ancestors gave their name to the place or took their name from it.  It was thanks to Fiorina’s love and encouragement that the two decided to stop selling their family’s grapes to cooperatives and to start producing their own estate wines.

    The Baudanas and the Vairas (of G.D. Vajra fame) met in 2008, at a time Luigi and Fiorina were considering retirement.  It was a very secretive first meeting across the Tanaro river on a silent Monday night.  Many more discrete encounters followed throughout the summer while walking vineyards and barrel-tasting together. The sympathy and human bond that was established over those many hours led the Vaira family to suggest they could become the ‘guardians’ of Luigi and Fiorina’s history rather than just taking over their land.  This is why the old cellar is still operating today, to vinify and age the Baudana Barolos. The Baudana name lives on through each bottle. 

    As of the 2009 vintage, the Vaira family has been at the helm of Baudana’s mere 4.1 hectares—2.6 of which are Barolo, 1.5 of which are Langhe Bianco.  Through impeccable farming (always organic, with certification as of the 2019 vintage), keen interpretation of vintage, and a gentle, slow, traditional approach in the tiny cellar (open-top fermentations, long cappello sommerso macerations), the Vairas are able to highlight the nuances of the Baudana and Cerretta crus, which despite being adjacent to one another, can offer fascinating differences in the glass. 

    Luigi Baudana is a true garagiste production, one of the most limited in the entire Barolo region, and expresses the austere, intense, and charming character of Serralunga d’Alba.

     

    https://www.baudana.com/en/homepage

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    Thank you to importer Louis/Dressner for this producer profile: 

    (Click here for more on  Louis/Dressner's website and here for Baudry's own website)

    Bernard Baudry founded his eponymous estate in the early 1980's with a couple inherited hectares. After graduating from the Lycée de Beaune, he quickly rose to prominence in the appellation for precise, textured Chinon. Today, Bernard is technically retired (vignerons never really retire) and his son Matthieu, who has been making wine with his father since 2000, has taken over as head vigneron. Over the years, the father and son team's fascination with Chinon's diverse terroirs have led them to expand the estate to its current 32 hectares.

    The first release and most youthful wine is "Les Granges". This is from young vines (25 years old) planted on alluvial soil and gravel near the Vienne riverbed. When it floods in some springs, Baudry may be found pruning the vines from a boat. This is a wine that is supple and fruity with smoky cherry fruit and is meant to drink young. It is a perfect wine for simple foods and cheeses.

    The "Cuvée Domaine" is a blend of parcels of older vines (30-35 years old) planted in alluvial gravel bed and hillside clay. It has more structure and can use a short aging period in bottle before drinking. The wine has deep, dark ruby color and is beautifully extracted.

    "Les Grézeaux" is from vines of 40 years on average, planted on gravely soil with a bedrock of limestone and clay. For many years it was aged in but today it is only fermented and aged in large concrete vats.

    "Clos Guillot" is a four hectare plot of vines Bernard replanted in 1995 on a site abandoned since World War 2. It ferments in concrete and is aged in barrel.

    Finally, "Croix Boisée" comes from the Baudry's "Grand Cru" vineyards, two hectares exposed full south on clay and limestone. Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc is planted here and two separate wines are producee under the "Croix Boisée" label. These are are a much more structured affair, hence their fermentation and aging in barrel.

    A small amount of Chinon Blanc and rosé is also produced; both have a cult following and sell out instantly.

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    Beau! Beaujolais comes from a forty year-old high-density vineyard. Fermentation is traditional, with 100% whole-clusters. The whole bunches are kept with the juice for six to eight days and then feremented and aged in a mix of stainless steel and cement vats until bottling in the spring. A bright and juicy gamay.

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    Bebame was started by Don Heistuman, a reputable wine-wholesaler in Oregon, in an effort to make a California wine that satisfied his cravings for Beaujolais, Chinon and other old-world wines of that nature. With this vision in mind, Don partnered up with winemaker Steve Edmunds (of our own Edmunds St. John) and the go-to Sierra Foothills vineyard manager Ron Mansfield. The first vintage of Bebame was the 2008.

    The wine is mostly Cabernet Franc with some Gamay, though the percentages vary slightly with each vintage. The fruit comes from two vineyards: Barsotti Ranch and Camino Alto. Barsotti Ranch, with its red granite soils, is a natural source for granite-loving Gamay; the vines here are 15 years old. Some of the Cabernet Franc in the blend also comes from Barsotti, from a younger plot of 6-7 year old vines;  the rest comes from Camino Alto, a site dominated by volcanic loam; here, the vines are over 25 years old. Both sites are located in El Dorado county, about 2 miles north-east of Placerville, at higher elevations— 3200 and 2800 feet, respectively—which ensures moderate temperatures during the day, as well as cool nights. 
     

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    Bellande showcases the magic of Oregon Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris without breaking the bank. The grapes are from thoughtfully-farmed vineyards and the wine is made with minimal intervention to achieve a pure, unadulterated expression of fruit. Enjoy!

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