South American Malbec has been on fire for the past couple of years because of its outstanding value and flavor.
Packing a big punch of flavor for $10.99, Girl & Dragon Malbec won’t be on sale forever so grab an extra bottle or two of this robust wine for your next gathering!
Vintage: 2014
Varietal: Malbec
Source: Mendoza, Argentina
Aromas and Flavors:
A fierce red wine with bright berry flavors and a soft, lush texture.
Earth Day is Friday, April 22nd, do something good for the environment and drink wine!
Chateau Maris Winery Features:
Certified Organic by Ecocert AB and NOP
Certified Biodynamic Demeter and Biodyvin
Hemp Winery has a Negative Carbon Footprint
Winery is biodegradable and energy self sufficient
Bottles are ultra-light recycled glass
Labels are printed on recycled paper
Maris “La Touge” Syrah Liviniere, France
$16.99
La Touge is a blend of certified organic Syrah (70%) and Grenache (30%) grown on hard and soft limestone and alluvial soils. The juice form 15-20 year old vines is fermented in concrete and aged 16 months in concrete eggs. Like all Chateau Maris wines, it is bottled unfined and unfiltered and is thus suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The nose is ripe black fruits (blackcurrants, elderberries) notes alongside more spicy characteristics (pepper, herbs). The palate is very attractive with firm yet silky tannins. Aromatic, spicy with a fabulously generous weight.
Wine Advocate – 91pts“I found the Minervois la Liviniere La Touge very Rhone-like, with subtle leather, spice and garrigue mixed with plenty or raspberry and blackberry fruit. Forward, supple and fruit loaded, with medium-bodied richness, it will drink nicely on release and evolve through 2021. The blend here is Syrah and Grenache that’s aged in concrete.
Le Carignan de Maris IGP Coteaux de Peyriac, France
$14.99
As fresh and juicy as they could possibly make it, Le Carignan de Maris is made in an environment that encourages bio-diversity and sustainability. It’s handpicked, fermented with natural yeasts in large concrete tanks in our Hemp winery. Our Carignan is a lighter style red wine (bordering on chillable), packed with fresh cherry flavors. It is old vine Carignan, certified Organic by Ecocert AB, blended with 20% Certified Demeter Biodynamic Grenache. It is bottled in super light (395 g.), recycled glass bottle and labeled using only recycled paper. Please open before drinking.
Wine Advocate – 91pts “A great example of the variety, Minervois Carignan de Maris offers classic plum and purple-like fruit, spring flowers, crushed rock and hints of charcoal to go with medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful purity and surprisingly polished tannin, which isn’t easy to do with 100% Carignan. Aged 10-12 months in concrete tank, drink this beauty over the coming 4-5 years”
Maris “Old School” Rouge Minervois, France
$13.99
Karabi is a mighty horse, a Percheron from the north of France, and he helped make this wine. Old School Rouge is a blend of 85% certified organic Syrah and 15% certified biodynamic Grenache wine made in an environment that encourages bio-diversity and sus-
tainability. The wine is made using only natural yeasts from our vineyard, bottled in light recycled glass and labeled using recycled paper. Certified organic by ECOCERT France. This is all sun, earth and the toils of man and Karabi. Just old school. It’s very dark in col-
or with notes of blackberry, white pepper and Herbes de Provence.”
Chateau Maris wines are distributed by our friends at:
“Maris is the driving force behind the push toward biodynamic and sustainable farming in the Languedoc region. It has gone as far as building his new winery out of massive hemp “bricks. The estate produces a bevy of wines, all of which are reasonably priced, and in most cases, represent incredible values. Readers could do much worse than buying a mixed case of these wines, and they’re a great example of high quality wines from this special terroir.” Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate
“The Biodynamic apostles of the Languedoc” “One of the top Producers confronting climate change head-on, Château Maris has taken green winery construction to a new level, building an entire facility out of lightweight, organic hemp-straw bricks that continue to capture and sequester carbon dioxide.” Dana Nigro, Wine Spectator
“Perhaps THE most dedicated organic/biodynamic winery. Chateau Maris takes every possible step to work as naturally as possible. Winery building built of sustainable hemp, vineyards worked by horse and plow, biodynamic practices in the cellar and vineyard all are geared towards growing the healthiest fruit possible with the best expression of their local terroir in the sunny south of France. In addition, or perhaps as a result, their wines are exceptional values!” Chris Cree M.W.
“Chateau Maris’ 9,000 square foot wine cellar in southern France maintains a stable temperature year-round without the use of air conditioning or heating; it’s sustainable, organic, all-natural, odorless, and acts as a carbon sink–able to absorb carbon dioxide. The cellar isn’t made of brick, or stone, or some magical new ingredient, but rather it’s a simple combination of hemp, lime and wood.” Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes
One of the jobs we have is to sift through 1000’s of wines available to us and bring in wines that have a ‘wow’ factor.
We nailed it with the Clos de la Procure from Dupéré Barrera – it is one of the best wines in our store under $40!
Out of the 200+ wines we tried at a wine show, this was our favorite and we are delighted to share it with you.
The dark fruits and spice of Clos de la Procure pairs well with seared duck, steak frites, or even just a kick-ass burger – the clean long finish means you can simply enjoy it by itself.
Clos de la Procure 2011 was a one time shot for us so even though we stocked up, once it’s gone, it is gone. Grab a bottle and if you like it, squirrel a couple away for your next dinner party and wow your guests!
All grapes are harvested by hand and 100% de-stemmed
Grapes are crushed by foot
Fermentation is natural and no additives are used
No pumps are used to transfer the wine
Wine is vinified in small, open cuves, sizes 300-L to 1500-L
Punch downs are done daily for the first 15 days of fermentation
The wine is aged in French oak barrels from Château d’Yquem, Beauséjour Bécot, and Domaine de la Romanée Conti
Dupéré Barrera –
Unlike so many of our producers who were born into the trade, Emmanuelle Dupéré and Laurent Barrera did not start their careers in wine. Emmanuelle was, and still is, a professional singer, and Laurent a geological engineer on the island of Réunion, near Madagascar. In 1998, Laurent decided to change direction and enrolled in viticultural school in the Var. Emmanuelle already had a degree in Wine Commerce, but went back to school to learn the production side of the business. Their studies brought them together with great winemakers from various regions of France, and as they learned from these experienced producers, they gained a deep respect for the unadulterated expression of the fruit so prevalent in naturally-made wines.
There is nothing average about this husband-and-wife team of enologists: they consider every detail with both brainy enthusiasm and heart. These eco-conscious artisans could never be accused of not walking their talk, either. They adhere to organic methods in the vineyards and are now also incorporating biodynamic practices, adding even stricter discipline to their intense workload. Their winemaking process allows the natural character of the wine to speak for itself, with minute doses of sulfur, no fining or filtration, and bottling during optimal weather conditions when the atmospheric pressure is just right. With one cuvée of Côtes de Provence, they take it to the next level: everything is done by hand with absolutely no machinery – earning the name Nowat (no watt=no electricity). Consider their “Cuvée Très Longue Macération” for some très long aging, too. The Dupéré Barrera team captures the essence of their region beautifully: rich, sun-kissed fruit, savory herbes de Provence, and long, lingering finishes. Travel to sunny Provence with the pop of a cork.
We are delighted to share with you the flavor and affordability of VRAC wine!
Drink like a (French) local!
Lively and easy drinking, VRAC wine punches well above its weight in giving you a comfortable wine to complement your meal or snag as a host gift.
C’est magnifique!
VRAC follows a centuries old European tradition where villagers buy their wine in bulk ‘en VRAC’ from the local winery. It comes directly from the winemaker’s barrels, insuring that they are drinking their favorite wine at the most affordable price. Now you can enjoy the VRAC experience for yourself!
VRAC Macon Chardonnay
Appellation Mâcon Protégée
2014 | 12.5% ABV
$13.99 | 750ml
The wines of the Mâconnais region of France are nobody’s idea of a new discovery. They have always been a reliable source for fresh, crisp, inexpensive whites, and they have remained so.
The wines that used to define the Mâconnais are just a part of a much wider range of styles today, though a large part. This ungainly region in southern Burgundy, where chardonnay is the white grape just as in the Côte d’Or, now produces far more interesting wines than those simple bistro guzzlers.
For almost 20 years, a growing number of Mâconnais producers have been approaching their viticulture and winemaking with a seriousness of purpose once reserved for more-exalted regions. At the same time, celebrated Burgundy producers like Dominique Lafon of Comtes Lafon, the renowned Meursault estate, and Anne-Claude Leflaive of Domaine Leflaive, another top white Burgundy producer, sensed the untapped potential of the region and invested in it. And they are now making excellent Mâconnais wines.
VRAC Vin de France Red Wine
2014 | 14% ABV
$9.99 | 750ml
Fruity, light and fresh, an easy wine made in a traditional French countryside style.
As a matter of fact, the term “en vrac” means bring your own bottle. In many French villages locals will bring bottles or jugs to a nearby winery and fill them up with an easy drinking wine to use as their house wine.
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South American Malbec has been on fire for the past couple of years because of its outstanding value and flavor.
