Wines included in this set:

2022 Domaine Camin Larredya, La Part Davant, Jurançon Sec Blanc, France

50% Gros Manseng, 35% Petit Manseng, 15% Petit Courbu

Jurançon is considered one of the most beautiful French regions, with steep slopes and scenic landscape, including the towering, often snow-covered, Pyrenees in the background. It is a tiny appellation of about 1,000 hectares farmed by only 100 producers, producing only white wine. Historically known for late-harvest sweet wine or 'moelleux', dry white Jurançon (Jurançon sec) can be among the best whites you'll ever taste. Jean-Marc Grussaute from Camin Larredya is one of the leading forces and is gaining plenty of fans among the sommelier community within and outside of France. Jean-Marc and his mother work 9 hectares of vines, and their farm has been owned by the family since the early 1900s, with most of the vines being planted in the 1970s by Jean-Marc’s father. The medium-straw wine with green tones is beautifully intense on the nose, with notes of white peach and a yeasty and toasty character. On the palate, it's all about the lively texture, fleshy white fruits, and orange and citrus notes, with elegant, driven acidity and long mineral finish.

2021 Domaine Mas d'Alezon, “Cabretta”, Faugères Blanc, France

Roussanne, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris

This mother-and-daughter team makes wine in Faugères, on the Western edges of the Coteaux du Languedoc region, one of the only appellations granted total independence from the larger Languedoc appellation, almost entirely due to its unique schist soil composition and micro-climate. Winemaker Catherine Rocque is an experienced minimalist and certified organic winemaker, carefully watching as cool and slow fermentation shape her stunning wines. She chooses very little intervention, aging in old barrels and cement, so that this Cabretta is an honest and delightful representation of three indigenous grape varieties, delivering a beautifully bold white that bright medium-straw with notes of ripe apricot, nectarine, orange peel, beeswax, dried chamomile, and graphite pencil. It's dry, medium-bodied on the palate with a mouth-coating oily texture and abundant acidity, delivering a refreshing, long mineral, and ripe-fruit finish.

2021 Domaine Alain Gautheron, Chablis, France

100% Chardonnay

In 1977, Alain Gautheron, the sixth generation in a line of Chablis vignerons, assumed a primary role in his family’s domaine. After 43 years of steady stewardship, Alain recently passed the family domaine to his son Cyril. The Gautheron vineyards are planted in the village of Fleys, inhabited by only 160 people—on the region’s famed Kimmeridgien and Portlandian soils. The family believes they’re obliged to respect the land they received from their forebears, as well as preserve the land for next generations. Depending on cru and vintage, the wines age for months or years on the lees before being bottled. A sign of the painstaking quality of Gautheron Chablis. This cuvée rises far above its village classification with aromas and flavors of yellow apple, peach, apricot, lemon, and lime with notes of crushed rock, fresh flowers, and an elegant, salty minerality. On the palate, it is. It is dry, medium-bodied yet mouth-coating with flavor, seemingly endless, elegant, and concentrated, and a long lingering finish, making this a memorable bottle. It is a classic example of Chablis.

2021 Domaine Claude Riffault, “Les Boucauds” Sancerre Blanc, France

100% Sauvignon Blanc

Domaine Claude Riffault, which has been family-owned and run for five generations, is now in the hands of Claude’s son Stéphane who is working the soil in a much more organic fashion than his father. The family owns 33 different (quite small) plots on steep hillsides in four villages. Part of the vineyard is comprised of limestone soil, which produces vines with great fruit and explosive aromas. They also own a small amount of vines on flint soil, producing wines of incredible minerality and precision. The vines are all vinified by plot and soil type before some are assembled to make a small number of small bottlings. This remarkable with is likely quite different than any Sancerre blanc you’ve tasted before (unless you've enjoyed it with us on our Wine Sails). It is ripe with lush tropical fruits, viscous, and rich on the palate. We’re always swooning over this one!

2020 Domaine Huet, Le Haut-Lieu, Demi-Sec, Vouvray, Loire, France

100% Chenin Blanc

Founded in 1928 by Victor Huët, a Parisian bistro owner who settled in Vouvray after World War I, Domaine Huët has become synonymous with top-tier Chenin Blanc. Despite personal challenges, including Gaston Huët's internment in a German POW camp during World War II, the estate's commitment to quality never wavered. Today, the estate is led by Benjamin Joliveau, supported by a veteran cellar team and the passionate involvement of second-generation family members, Sarah and Hugo Hwang. With their collective expertise and commitment, Domaine Huët continues to produce some of the world's most compelling white wines, maintaining its status as a benchmark for producing outstanding Vouvray. Chenin Blanc thrives on the soft pink limestone soils known as tuffeau, which line the gentle hills flanking the Loire River. Vouvray wines from Domaine Huët span a spectrum from dry to lusciously sweet. Each vintage brings its own unique expression, shaped by the cool climate and meticulously tended vineyards. This 2020 demi-sec from their prestigious Le Haut-Lieu vineyard is impressive! One of the finest off-dry Vouvray’s we’ve tasted in recent memory. And that is saying a lot, since not many wine regions evoke as much excitement from us as Vouvray!! 

2023 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret, Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc, France

45% Grenache Blanc, 30% Clairette, 20% Bourboulenc, 5% Roussanne

The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape (translation: the pope's new castle) takes its name from the papal court's relocation to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V ordered vines to be planted. But it was his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Domaine du Vieux Lazaret's vineyards are spread over 90 hectares, split into 35 different parcels of vines throughout the region. The diversity of soils, varietals, and differing ages of the vines allows the wines greater complexity. Harvesting the grapes is done entirely by hand, with a very strict selection of the best grapes to enhance the quality of the wine. This limits how much can be produced, further contributing to the wines’ quality. The 2019 is medium yellow-gold with deeply layered notes of ripe quince, nectarine, lime zest, beeswax, jasmine, smoke, toast, and star anise. On the palate, it is dry with a rich, buttery mouth-coating texture, richness of body, well-integrated ample acidity, and a long, creamy, and finely nuanced finish.

PLEASE NOTE

• Purchasers must be 21 years of age or older and be present with an ID upon delivery.

• Price includes 5.50% Maine State sales tax and Maine’s $.15 redemption deposit per bottle.

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