THE MERCHANT'S MARK
91+ / 100
The moment we first tasted this savory wine, a wave of red ripe fruit, rose petals and cherry tart aromas filled the room. This wine has a silky entry followed by a lavish mid-palate. ...
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THE MERCHANT'S MARK
91+ / 100
The moment we first tasted this savory wine, a wave of red ripe fruit, rose petals and cherry tart aromas filled the room. This wine has a silky entry followed by a lavish mid-palate. A finish of thyme, dried herbs along with stewed cherry tarts and apple galette meld into one with a strawberry rhubarb finish. This hearty Gamay based red can be enjoyed all year round with a wide variety of food such as roasted chicken and fish - and yes, even Thanksgiving.
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Beaujolais is the unsung hero of Burgundy. Burgundy is known for its world-class Pinot Noirs. It is also home to the finest Beaujolais reds, which use the Gamay varietal, not Pinot Noir.Read More »
Beaujolais is the unsung hero of Burgundy. Burgundy is known for its world-class Pinot Noirs. It is also home to the finest Beaujolais reds, which use the Gamay varietal, not Pinot Noir.
The beauty of a well made Gamay is that it is a hearty, earthy red that can be enjoyed all year round. Chateau de Lavernette's Beaujolais-Villages is not the juicy fruit-bomb you get with Beaujolias Nouveau in November.
Think of Gamay as a more rustic version of Pinot Noir. The silky fruit, forest floor aromas and minerality allow it to pair with a wide array of dishes and spices: grilled fish, roasted meats, an earthy mushroom ravioli, even bacon quiche.
The moment we tasted Lavernette's 2015 Beaujolais-Villages, a wave of savory red ripe fruit, rose petals and cherry tart aromas filled the room. This wine has a silky entry followed by a textured mid-palate. A finish of thyme, dried herbs along with stewed cherry tarts and apple galette meld into one with a dry, strawberry rhubarb finish.
Well crafted Beaujolais - like Lavernette's - can be enjoyed now or aged for a few years. It is true that Beaujolais is quite comfortable when surrounded by a perfectly roasted turkey, stuffing, and roasted brussel sprouts. But the real question is, why limit such a versatile red to just one holiday?
If we've done our job right, you will snatch up a handful of these beauties for consumption now and even save a few for Thanksgiving....which is not that far away!
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Burgundy
Wine has been made in Burgundy for over 2,000 years. The monks were responsible for first identifying specific plots of lands as superior to others; this hierarchy later became the basis for the region’s classification system. Today, that system identifies four tiers of wine: regional (ie, Bourgogne), village (ie, Chablis), Premier Cru (ie, Chablis 1er Cru "Vaillon") and Grand Cru (ie, Chablis Grand Cru "Les Clos"). This classification in and of itself does not guarantee that a wine will be better than another, it simply means that it has the potential of being superior given its location. For a wine to take the prestigious designation of a region or parcel on its label, all of the grapes in the bottle must come from just that specific area or plot.
Burgundy and its classification can seem a bit daunting to some. But, if you can master understanding Burgundy, the rest of the wine world will seem easy. Basically, all red Burgundies are Pinot Noir and all white Burgundies are Chardonnay with two exceptions: Beaujolais reds use the Gamay grape and Aligote is the only other white grape permitted. Burgundy, unlike Bordeaux, is a non-blending region, which means only the aforementioned grapes are permissible. For this reason, Burgundy tends to attract "purists" who appreciate the single grape and what nature gives the winemaker in any given season.
Some of the finest Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs come from Burgundy. There are five key districts in Burgundy: Chablis, Cote d'Or (which is subdivided into Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune), Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnais and Beaujolais. In Cote de Nuits, villages such as Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanee, and Gevrey-Chambertin are home to some of the finest Pinot Noir made anywhere. Cote de Beaune is home to some of the finest and well-known Chardonnay villages where seven of the eight Grand Crus are produced. Villages such as Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault are the mighty three of the Cote de Beaune and produce some of the most complex and elegant Chardonnays on the planet.
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