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 Brana, Ilori, Irouleguy Blanc, France 

70% Gros Manseng, 30% Petit Courbu

The featured wine pairing in this fabulous Poulet à la Forestière recipe from Chef Sansonetti of Chaval.

A small family estate up in the hillsides of the Pyrenees in the French Basque Country. With much of its vineyards at 70% incline, it requires an immense amount of hand labor. In 1984, Étienne Brana was one of the first to plant vines on a meaningful scale in over a century in this area. An unexpected result of their vast efforts in improving the biodiversity of this land was that species of birds, insects, and over 100 plant species that hadn’t been seen in years returned to coexist with the vines. The Ilori (daffodil) is made in an oxidative fashion. It is medium yellow in color with delicate aromas of bruised apple, dried Meyer lemon, peaches soaked in sherry, bergamot, chamomile, tarragon, and an abundant stony minerality. It’s dry and textured with medium body medium+ acidity and finishes with crushed stone, dried fruits, sherry, and bergamot lingering.

2023 Champalou, Vouvray Sec, Loire Valley, France

100% Chenin Blanc

Catherine and Didier Champalou established their estate in the heart of Vouvray over 20 years ago, starting with a modest half-hectare plot that has since expanded to 20 hectares, all farmed organically. Their deep respect for the land and dedication to quality winemaking have made them one of the most admired names in the Loire Valley. Today, joined by their daughter Céline, they continue to craft wines that are both modern and rooted in tradition, showcasing the purity and versatility of Chenin Blanc in Vouvray’s limestone-rich soils. This dry (sec) style shows a delicate interplay of stony minerality and floral, almost honeyed fruit. From its apple-laden, honeyed, and floral nose to its fresh limestone finish and punctuated acidity.

2021 Nicolas Girard, Quincy, France

100% Sauvignon Blanc

Perhaps you have not noticed, but Sancerre prices have climbed in recent years. Finding a decent artesian Sancerre under $35 is somewhat of a rarity. So, we travel further along the Loire past Sancerre, where the river curves southwest to the small region of Quincy, a region also specializing in racy Sauvignon Blancs, but at an excellent value. Nicolas Girard is one of the rising stars of the “Upper Loire,” taking over his family farm in 2007. His 2021 Quincy is singing now with a few years of extended bottle age.! It is pale straw, bright, and terroir-focused with notes of fresh-squeezed lemon, grapefruit pith, and ripe pineapple and guava, with herbaceous and bountiful minerality. It’s dry, fresh, and tangy with medium body, medium+ acidity, and exposing layers of complexity and as it opens in the glass.

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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