Producers
-
Description:
Thank you to importer Louis/Dressner for this profile of the Girard estate:
Domaine Fernand Girard is currently run by Alain Girard. He comes from several generations of winemakers in the tiny village of Chaudoux, located a few miles northwest of the town of Sancerre and directly north of the famous town of Chavignol.
He tends 14 hectares of vines in total, sells some cuvées to négociants and bottles only a portion of the total production under his family name. The "La Garenne" cuvée originally came from a 2.5 hectare vineyard of that name, a plot on a steep east-facing slope with a very rocky limestone soil. The chalky soil brings out the characteristic flinty, mineral and green notes of Sauvignon Blanc. On La Garenne’s well-drained, warm slopes, the grapes achieve exceptional ripeness and fruit.
Over the years, as demand increased, it became clear that Alain would need to blend his sites together to produce more estate wine. Today, only one wine is produced in much larger quantities than when we started working together in the early 1990's. In a crass move of commercialism, it was agreed to keep the name "La Garenne" since it was a "recognizable brand".
Compared to those in other viticultural regions in France, most of Sancerre’s vignerons have stricter than usual standards of cellar tidiness and hygiene. It might be the influence of the local goat cheese making, which was traditionally done on a very small, artisanal scale, by people who knew the importance of a pristine environment.
The Girards have an impeccable cuverie and vinify with modern technology: a pneumatic press, stainless-steel vats, a temperature control system during fermentation, and an air-conditioned space for aging in vats and stocking bottles. They counterbalance technology by practicing old-fashioned vineyard work, where herbicides and treatments are used sparingly, and by never adding commercial yeasts to induce fermentation or add flavors.
Their Sancerre is everything one hopes for when thinking about the region: it is bright, lively, pleasantly aromatic, has zippy acidity but low astringency. It is a wonderful food wine that is as versatile as it is easy to drink.
Image:
Region: -
Description:
For more information on Domaine Santamaria, please visit Selection Massale.
Available in California.
Image:
Region: -
Description:
For more information on Domaine Tripoz, please visit Selection Massale.
Available in California.
Image:
Region: -
Description:
Chiapas is a southern Mexican state bordering Guatemala. Its mountainous highlands and dense rainforest are dotted with Mayan archaeological sites and Spanish colonial towns. It is also home to one of the largest indigenous populations in the country.
The spirit, pronounced like “posh,” is distilled from a mix of corn, wheat, and/or sugar cane, and was originally produced by Chiapas’ indigenous Tzotzil Mayans, who would traditionally drink it during religious ceremonies, a practice that continues into the current times Despite pox’s growing popularity, the Mexican government has yet to officially recognize it as a distinct category of spirit, which means that there are currently no rules that define how, where or from what materials it’s made.
Experts agree that pox hails from the highlands of Chiapas around San Cristóbal de las Casas, and the municipality of San Juan Chamula, where the Tzotzil Mayans reside. And every producer follows a slightly different recipe, with some more willing to share their method than others.
Macerated with corn black as night, releasing his spirit of wisdom to an earthly worldFirst, sugarcane is crushed, juiced and boiled to create piloncillo (like a sticky brick of raw brown sugar). Meanwhile, four different heritage varieties of corn (white, red, yellow and black) are dried, husked and ground. Next, wheat bran is placed in a large wooden fermenter, and local spring water is slowly introduced. Finally, the ground corn, piloncillo and additional fresh sugarcane juice are added to the vat, where natural, spontaneous fermentation occurs over 10-18 days. The mash is distilled twice, using wood-fired copper pot stills (proof will vary slightly from batch to batch).
A double distillation is done before the third distillation, a quick black corn maceration is applied in which the distillate is not really transformed, nor does it contribute to the process that much, but it does to its spirit, and after, it is placed through the copper alembic for its third distillation to achieve a final product of 46%. The final result is savory on the nose and palate with notes of ancho and guajillo chiles, esquites, dried coconut, and baked corn husk.
Image:
Region: -
Description:
An exciting new project by American wine broker, author, teacher and longtime German wine champion Willie Glückstern. Sourced only from steep slopes (steilagen) in the Mosel - unlike most of its competitors which come from cheaper flatland fruit - every vintage of this Riesling is seriously mineralic, racy, and dry. Bottled in a whimsical package and only shipped fresh as needed, this is a fabulous value in dry German Riesling.
BOWLER E-Zine Issue 3 | July 2021: Moselland: Behind the Bunny
Image:
Region: -
Description:
Jason and Molly Drew started Drew in 2000 with a clear pursuit in mind: to craft cool climate wines that express site distinction and traditional varietal character. Their moment came when they stumbled upon an old 26 acre apple orchard within the Mendocino Ridge Appellation. While others saw a daunting project in this old forgotten orchard, Jason and Molly saw ancient oceanic soils, south facing slopes that sit just above the fogline and a true coastal climate, with the ocean a mere 3 miles away. They took the leap and the Drew estate winery at Faîte De Mer Farm was born.
The eight acre estate vineyard was planted to a collection of California heritage field selections and several Dijon clones of Pinot Noir. Additionally, two acres of Chardonnay were added along with a small truffle orchard to accompany the remaining 14 acre apple orchard. Faîte De Mer Farm is certified organic, continuing a 30-plus year tradition of organic farming on this site.
While Faîte De Mer Farm remains their passionate focus, they also hold several Anderson Valley & Mendocino Ridge sites in high esteem. Single vineyard sources are chosen for their climate, clonal selection and complexity of soil type as well as a commitment to meticulous and sustainable farming practices. Winemaking practices remain focused on traditional methods that include whole cluster and native yeast fermentations, hand punch-downs and in most instances, no fining or filtering.
Image:
Region: -
Description:
Domaine Dumien-Serrette is the type of throw-back, traditional winery that you hope to stumble upon when you are searching for wines from the Northern Rhone (but rarely ever find). We met Gilbert Serrette in 2008. You can imagine our surprise when we walked into the cellar and saw an old basket-press. Our mood, and hopes, immediately rose. It was the same press that had been used by Nicolas’ grandfather and they were still using it to make their wines.
The wines are made by the Dumien-Serrette family in a tiny cellar that is under the town’s church. They make approximately 1000 cases total per year, not enough to live off of without the supplement of a full-time job. The wines are a throw-back to a style that is found less and less today. Nicolas Serrette, who took over from his father Gilbert in the early 2000’s is making investments in the winery and adding land slowly in hopes to afford working at the winery full-time before he retires.
Nicolas learned how to make wine the old-fashioned way, from his father, Gilbert Serrette and Gilbert learned from his father-in-law, Henri Dumien. The Dumien name can be found mentioned in Cornas as far back as 1515. The Dumien family bought three and a half hectares in 1925, thirteen years before it became an appellation. Most of this land, three hectares, is found in the Patou vineyard, which has primarily granitic soils; the remainder is located in Les Savaux. The vines in Patou date back to the 1920’s, with some exceeding 100 years old. After years of selling in bulk to negociants such as Delas, Chapoutier and Jaboulet, Domaine Dumien-Serrette began to bottle their own wine in 1983.
They own mostly old vines and farming is organic, but not certified. No herbicides or pesticides are used and there is not much of a threat of mildew in the north. The vines are trained into arched two-vine canopies to protect against wind and hail. The Patou vineyard is very steep and Gilbert, in his retirement, but still helping out Nicolas, insists on tending the vines using a special cart he invented which pulls him slowly up the rows while he works.
In the cellar, they generally de-stem half of the fruit. It’s fermented spontaneously in cement tanks. The basket press was finally retired a few years ago in exchange for a very nice gentle vertical press, but thankfully the profile of the wine has not changed. They do not punch down, opting to submerge the cap with a grate for a gentle extraction. After malo, which generally happens before Christmas, the wine is aged for two years in two to seven year old barrels. It’s then bottled without filtration or fining.
In recent years, Nicolas has bought a bit more land, the reason they needed a new press. Serrette now makes Saint Peray, and an IGP Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah that is just south of Cornas near the Rhone River. In 2023, he added one hectare in Cornas, but the vines don’t have fruit yet. And in 2022, they planted .25 hectare of Syrah in Saint Joseph, first vintage is anticipated in 2025.
The Dumien-Serrette wines are exceptional and in a class of their own. The entire Serrette family came to New York to celebrate Bowler’s 20th anniversary and Gilbert was so impressed to see their wines from their tiny village of Cornas in New York and sold throughout the United States. When he started with his father-in-law in the 1980’s, he never could have imagined this outcome. We are honored to be a part of their story.
Image:
Region: -
Description:
Familia Durigutti wines are made by brothers Hector and Pablo Durigutti. Hector first became known for his work with Altos Las Hormigas. He was one of the founding partners and the winery’s first winemaker. For the past few years he has been bringing us wines made under his own label. The vineyards have been under organic practices for many years and will soon be certified as such. Only native yeasts are used and filtration is kept to a minimum.
This profile and tasting notes were edited from the Elixir Wine Group website, along with the pictures used. For more information please visit: Elixir
Image:
Region: -
Description:
Fabien Duveau is a young winemaker and represents the eighth generation of his family estate, that he became responsible for in 2008, after taking it over from his father. The winery is in Chacé, about three miles southeast of Saumur, on the left bank of the Loire. Chacé is one of the most renowned areas of the region for Saumur-Champigny because of the deep layer of tuffeau and the layers of clay and sandstone over it. Duveau’s cellar and vineyards neighbor the local star, Clos Rougeard.
The vineyards are composed of 20 hectares split among approximately 40 parcels, planted with Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc that Fabien converted to organic and biodynamic viticulture (certified by Demeter in 2023) when he came back to the family estate. Duveau and his team practice regenerative agriculture. They put hives in their vineyards, planted shrubs, have sheep for eco-pasturing, plant beans, and allow plants to grow near the vines, like wild strawberries. (fabienduveau-vigneron.fr) Having so many distinct parcels allows Fabien to vinify and age them by different terroirs and configuration of the soils and each wine is labeled by parcel.
Fabien ages his wines in a stunning cellar from the 14th century, where the constant chill and humidity create the perfect environment to store wines. He uses concrete tanks for the vinification working with spontaneous fermentations while the ageing is done in neutral oak to keep the purity of the fruit and the terroir. (Bruno Lafon Selections, brunolafonselection.com)
Duveau makes three wines from “Les Poyeux”: “Poyeux” Blanc and in red an “Haut Poyeux” and a “Bas Poyeux”. It’s a parcel quoted since 1802 as one of the most beautiful from the Saumur area. Composed of mainly shallow calcareous tuffeau stone, with a deeper soft chalk soil, it allows a moderate but fairly regular water supply, ideal for producing quality wine.
In red, Fabien also makes wine from “Le Bourg”, “Les Menais”, and “Les Gaignés”. In white, he makes wine from a site called “La Hunaudière” and “Bois du Chêne” in Brézé. Each wine is impressive in its own right, but “Le Bourg”, “Bois du Chêne” and the three “Poyeux” wines share the spotlight for the top of the line. Duveau has a special talent and takes his stewardship of the land seriously. He has quietly been improving year by year upon the land that he inherited and when you taste the wines, his vision comes through clearly with each sip. – Michele Peters, Bowler Wine
*Not sold by Bowler in NY
Image:
Region: -
Description:
Although you would undoubtedly get a humble, soft spoken reply if you tried to tell him so, Steve Edmunds is one of the greatest winemakers in California and, frankly, the world. This is all the proof you need that the United States can produce incredible wines. Whether we’re talking about his classic Syrahs and Rhône blends or his more recent ventures into Gamay and atypical white blends, this is the real deal. And now, with almost three decades of practice, his wines are as remarkable as ever. He’ll never make a blockbuster fruit-bomb, and critics don’t always give him due attention, but Steve is still out there making the uncompromising wines he always has. The winery started in 1985 when Steve and his wife, Cornelia St. John, bought a few tons of grapes from some old vineyards and produced their first vintage.
The wines were Rhône inspired: Syrah, Mourvèdre, and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape style blend. Over the years Steve has worked with many other varietals but Rhône blends and Syrahs have always been the heart of Edmunds St. John. Little has changed in Steve’s winemaking since that first vintage, he starts with quality fruit from great sites and, preferably, older vines. In the cellar he keeps a light touch, using hand punch-downs and going easy on the oak. For the Rhône reds, Steve ferments them in one to six year old barrels and puncheons; for the whites and Gamay it’s all stainless steel.
The resulting wines, while delicious young, are incredibly age-worthy; they almost seem like they could last forever, growing only more complex and surprising. Even his Gamays and Whites can age for ten years or more with compelling results. They are fascinating to taste year after year; the evolution of just a few years reveal a whole new dimension to a wine you thought you had already figured out. It is remarkable to still be surprised by a winemaker after almost thirty years, but Steve never fails to challenge what we believe we already know. Surprises are an underappreciated quality in wine, and we’re fortunate to have someone out there who hasn’t forgotten that. On some bottles Steve claims to bottle by “Blind Luck and Intuition,” and it’s possible that it’s true. It has, however, been a very long streak of luck and a lot of very good intuition.
Image:
Region:
