I recently returned from two weeks in the Rhône Valley, and I am still playing catch up. There were so many things to digest along the way – new vintage assessments, strengthening our producer relationships, and finding new partner producers.
Read MoreXavier Vignon is one of our favorite winemakers in the Rhône. He’s a well-known winemaking consultant who works with other producers around France; but when he sets his skills on his own wine projects, the results are dazzling. He often eschews the norms of the Rhône—for example, he often draws on his experience working in Champagne to employ similar blending techniques to Rhône blends. His are some of the best most intriguing wines on our shelves. Of course, his typical appellation wines are fantastic as well. His Côtes du Rhône, Beaumes-des-Venise, and Lirac wines are always best sellers and offer incredible QPR when they are in-stock.
Read MoreVigneron Rudi des Pins is at the helm of Château de Montfaucon, an estate in Southern Rhône that represents one of the longest-running partners we’ve had in our Direct Import program. Long ago, when directly importing wines was just a twinkle in co-owner Clyde Beffa’s eye, he met Rudi and tasted his wonderful wines; the rest is history. The wines of Montfaucon are fan favorites year after year.
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