We have a stunning set of wines for you this month. And they’re from all over. California, France and Spain. If you have all red, no California, but you’ll get a treat from Italy instead. The wines aren’t subtle this month, but they sure are tasty.
There is one major changes this month, which I ought to let you in on. The first is that I have gone back to including wine notes with each of the shipments. I found beautiful 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and I have been feeling like not having the notes in your shipment takes away some of the value. But don’t let the notes keep you from going to the website: there are pictures and links to more information and maps for each of the selections, a plethora of good stuff that you don’t want to miss. There is also an opportunity to comment on the wines and share your thoughts (though no one has done this yet. Your invitation code to register and leave comments on the site is “member01″.
Also, we have a very special tasting at Cellar46 on August 1st. I will be leading a tasting of the exceptional Burgundies from Lucien Le Moine. For more information, click here. reservations are required, but it’s well worth it: the wines are stunning!
To see the selections for this month click here
If you have all red, click here
I hope you enjoy the wines.
Thank you,
Jake
Walter Hansel was a lifelong wine enthusiast who had the vision to plant his estate’s original 250 vines in 1978. Today, Stephen, Walter’s son, has taken up where his father left off, pursuing his vision of producing world-class Burgundian-styled Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, all from the 
At 
All of Steve’s fruit is hand-harvested, and it is re-examined again at the winery. Hansel makes an average of 9 total passes through each vineyard. Each pass is time consuming and expensive but Stephen feels the vine rewards him with more concentrated flavors.
This is a phenomenal wine. The masterpiece of the very special 
altitude air, and the ridiculously infertile soil make the vineyard naturally low yielding: only 13,000 bottles are produced from the 2.9 ha vineyard. 10% Grenache from another vineyard in La Morera is used to soften the powerful, and austere Cabernet Sauvignon. (
wine is aged in a half French oak, with the balance being made up of Central European and American barrels, for 14 months.
Collioure is the AOC for dry wines that come from the same tiny corner of Mediterranean Roussillon as Banyuls. In fact, Dr. André Parcé, Mayor of Banyuls, research chemist, and groundbreaking winemaker/owner of 
Jean-Michel Parcé, Dr. Parcé’s son, has been responsible for the winemaking since 1977, and took over the entire estate upon his father’s passing in 1997. The estate consists of about 20 hectares of vines, planted on terraces of schist rising above the Mediterranean. Baked by dry sun in the summer, but mitigated by tramontane and mistral winds and the Mediterranean, the vines range in age from 30 to over 70 years old, and are farmed organically. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration.
This wine represents a true field blend: the 2.5 hectare vineyard, which is 900 meters from the sea, is planted to 60% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre and 10% Grenache, which is harvest and handled together. Upon harvesting, the grapes are destemmed, and then trodden by foot. They macerate on the skins for 15 days in temperature controlled tanks, and are removed to 3 year old barrels, where the wine ages for 12 months, after the fermentation is complete. 950 cases were made.
flavors, but it is the texture that sets it apart: powerful and rich, but with a freshness and lightness that are rare even in lighter wines, and powerful, but incredibly smooth tannins that are the result of the food trodding (the souls of our feet have the perfect amount of cushion to extract the most from the skins without crushing the tiny, brittle pips). Try this with duck, roast lamb, any game bird. Drink now – 2018