Although the Latour-Labille family has been making wine since 1792, Vincent Latour began turning heads in Burgundy after the release of his 2006 vintage when he was nominated as winemaker of the year by the well-respected local magazine, Bourgogne Aujourd’hui. He has also been recognized several times as the best new/young winemaker in the Côte de Beaune and in the Côte de Nuits as the result of an annual blind tasting hosted by local vignerons.

Vincent is hand-crafting exceptional Meursault from eight hectares of vines. His father used to sell off their grapes, but when Vincent took over from his father in 1998, he decided to bottle all of their production, roughly 4,000 cases. Vincent has continually been making improvements over the years, including using whole cluster fermentation, integrating more and more demi-muids and foudres into the cellar, and a longer élévage. Using a mix of old and new demi-muids, barrels, and foudres gives Vincent better control of the oak influence allowing the purity of each site to shine. Work in the vineyard follows lutte raisonée methods, eschewing herbicides and pesticides, but allowing treatments for mildew as necessary. Native yeasts start fermentation. After pressing, must goes into 600L barrels or foudres for fermentation and aging. The style is classic, emphasizing the brilliant fruit and mineral laden terroir.

Fun and fancy free - Le Babbler is meant to inspire one to babble on and on about anything that brings joy. The wine comes from Château Lauduc, owned by the Grandeau family for four generations. The vineyards and winery are just ten kilometers from downtown Bordeaux in the Entre-Deux-Mers region. The winery is certified sustainable by HVE and after successful trials in 2018, they began the organic certification process in 2019. Only organic products are used for vineyard management. The vines average 35 years-old and are grown in limestone clay, siliceous, and gravel soils that give the wine a lot of freshness and balance. Once harvested at their best maturity, the vinification is handled in the modern cellar with thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks used to extract soft tannins and deep color, respecting the fruits’ true expression. In the bottle, you’ll find poetry, art, and inspired conversation.

For more information on ​Le Sot de L'Ange, please visit Selection Massale.

Available in California.

Weingut Jürgen Leiner is a great example of the new generation of wine estates pushing the boundaries of ecologically minded, terroir-driven winemaking in the Rheinland after decades of technocratic efforts in pursuit of high yields and ripeness. Located in the Kalmit nature preserve in the southern Pfalz, at the edge of the Pfalzerwald (Pfalz forest) about thirty minutes’ drive north of the Alsatian border, the Leiner estate consists of 18ha of Riesling and Burgundian varieties. They are Demeter-certified biodynamic; members of Slow Food; and most excitingly, recent inductees into Respekt, the exclusive and influential consortium of biodynamic winemakers in Germany, Austria and Northern Italy. 

Sven Leiner explains:  "We know from years of personal experience and observation that the biologically dynamic farming method addresses all the right issues and fosters a harmonious interrelationship of the various parts of the ecosystem. Soil, as we understand it, is a living organism that we aim to revitalise by applying our own compost, organic teas and natural preparations. Our vines respond with healthy and balanced growth. Plant diversity has come to play a crucial role in the fertility of our vineyard, as it not only provides essential nutrients to our vines, but exerts a stabilising effect on the soil life. In fact, it takes a species-rich soil ecosystem, including bacteria as well as beneficial fungal mycelia, earthworms and a variety of insects, to ensure that an efficient nutrient cycle is in place. We ‘intervene’ simply to keep this natural process going. A wide array of plant life also cuts down significantly on the use of natural fertilisers. As passionate advocates of an ecologically sensitive approach to vineyard management, we have grown our vines using biodynamic practices since 2005. Our firm belief in biodynamic viticulture earned us Demeter Biodynamic certification in 2011 without a transition period."

The soils at Leiner are a complicated geology, generally loess and loam mixed with limestone, but there is a distinct terroir of colored sandstone (bundsandstein) on the Pinot site and another special soil in the Riesling vineyards with an awesome German name: landschneckenkalk, or literally “land snail chalk.” Sven ferments his wines with natural yeasts, and experiments with longer lees and skin contact. The Rieslings imported by Bowler are vinified in steel, and the Spätburgunder "Handwerk" is aged 9 months in large fuder. The wines are “natural” in soul, but also perfectly clean and pure. Every label has a different insect from the vineyards on the label, a celebration of the life found among the vines. The Rieslings possess a riveting dynamic energy and lip-smacking fruit. The Spätburgunders, which clearly reflect the ambient warmth of the southern Pfalz, are among the freshest, most enticingly ripe and delightful Pinot Noirs in our collection.