WINEAUX CLUB: COLLECTOR, Q2 2024
The Wineaux Club’s Collector selections for Q2, 2024 have arrived!
Hello Wineaux Club Collectors!
It’s time to uncork and unwind with six delightful selections thoughtfully curated just for you by Wineaux’s Master Sommelier Nick Hetzel and Advanced Sommelier Norman Acosta. This quarter’s collection will take you around the world and back again, tasting your way through world-renowned wine regions in Australia, France and Italy. Each bottle brings a unique profile that you won’t soon forget, we know you’re going to love them as much as we do ;)
Cheers!
The Wineaux Club
Below you will find our selection’s histories and regions, expert flavor notes, as well as some mouth-watering pairing recommendations.
Wineaux Club’s Q2 Selections, Collector
Vincent Joudart, Special Club, 2011
In 1971, the Club Trésors was founded in Champagne by 12 winegrowers who shared similar values looking to preserve and progress the notion of terroir-driven wines in the region. Since its inception, they have set the standard for grower produced Champagnes, making them some of the most sought-after wines from the region.
One of the current 29 members of the Club Trésors, Vincent Joudart’s vines and cellar are nestled in the western reaches of the prestigious Côte des Blancs region of Champagne. His neighbors include iconic producers such as Delamotte and Salon.
Vincent Joudart, Special Club, 2011 — The Wineaux Club, Q2 2024
One of his 8 different cuvées is his Special Club bottling. Special Club wines require a litany of requirements by the Trésors; including panel tasting approval, a minimum of 3 years of aging, and can only be produced in exceptional vintages.
Unlike his neighbors that tend to produce wines made entirely of Chardonnay, Vincent’s Special Club bottling tends to lean a little more classic, blending 60% red grapes along with Chardonnay. This gives the wine amazing balance of silky texture, beautiful citrus and orchard fruit, and that classic toasty biscuit quality found in great Champagne. Enjoy now through 2027.
This Cuvée is a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 40% Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir and has a minimal dosage of 5.5g/L.
Caroline Morey, Chassagne-Montrachet, Chambrees, 2021
Nowhere in the world of wine does family lineage mean more than in Burgundy. Due to regulations about land that were handed out by none other than Napoleon himself, one will often see family names continue generation after generation. Caroline Morey is no exception.
Her father was the famed Jean-Marc Morey of Chassagne-Montrachet, and being an intrigued young Burgundian, she took her to father’s cellar directly after high-school; learning the craft and techniques that served her father well. It was years later that she married into another iconic family, the Colin’s. In 2001, she and her new husband Pierre-Yves (the son of Marc Colin) started their own cellar, employing the craft that they had learned from their fathers.
Caroline Morey, Chassagne-Montrachet, Chambrees, 2021 — The Wineaux Club, Q2 2024
Fast-forward 20 years, and Caroline has made a name for herself making some of the most chiseled, textured and nuanced wines from the village of Chassagne. The 2021 vintage brought many challenges to growers; limiting the quantities they produce and elevating the quality to one of the most sought-after white wine vintages in years.
The 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet Chambrees comes from three vineyards that Caroline farms. It displays her signature notes of restraint with power. A tightly wound nose of red apple, citrus peel, crushed stones, white flowers and matchstick are balanced out by a round texture with lime and Granny Smith apple on the palate. Drink now through 2028 and pair with roast chicken, lemon, rosemary and crispy fingerling potatoes.
Guigal, La Doriane, Condrieu, 2022
The history of Viognier dates to the 18th century with it originating in the Northern Rhone Valley of France. It grew in popularity for the next 100 years, being consumed in top restaurants and bistros of Paris. However, due its difficulty to grow and a decrease in popularity, it was almost extinct in the 1960’s, with only eight acres still under vine. Thanks to a group of producers in the famed village of Condrieu, it has seen a renaissance amongst growers around the world.
While planted worldwide, the paradigm of Viognier remains amongst the granite soils in the village of Condrieu. It is here that you will find the icon of the Northern Rhone Valley, E. Guigal.
Guigal, La Doriane, Condrieu, 2022 — The Wineaux Club, Q2 2024
Guigal is globally recognized as one of the benchmark producers of the Rhone Valley, producing everything from Côtes-du-Rhone to highly collectable single vineyard Côte Rôtie bottlings. There is one wine, however, that stands tall amongst their cuvées, the Condrieu La Doriane.
Made in minuscule amounts, La Doriane is the pinnacle of Viognier. With tiny yields, meticulous farming and using only the best French oak barrels, one will not find a more profound, contemplative example of this grape variety. The 2022 is perfumed with white flowers, apricot, white peach and vanilla bean. The palate is powerful, yet refined, displaying stone fruit, citrus and a round, rich texture complimented by an ethereal freshness. Enjoy this wine now through 2034 with scrambled eggs and freshly shaved truffles.
La Jota, Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain, 2019
The story of La Jota and Howell Mountain begins in the mid-1800’s, when it was founded as Rancho La Jota by George Yount. However, it wasn’t until 1870 that people began to discover this mountainous, forested land when Edwin Angwin opened a “health retreat” on the land that is now the city of Angwin.
La Jota Vineyard Company began its winemaking legacy in 1898 when Frederick Hess built the stone winery out of compressed volcanic ash that was harvested from the land. This is where the modern-day story of La Jota begins.
La Jota, Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain, 2019 — The Wineaux Club, Q2 2024
More than 125 years later, La Jota is flourishing more than ever. The land has been converted to organic farming, vines are upwards of 50 years old, and the wines are made by the iconic mountain winemaker, Chris Carpenter.
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon displays a pure essence of blackberry, cassis, tobacco, violets and chapparal with firm and well-integrated tannins. Decant this wine and enjoy with grilled lamb chops, black olives and rosemary. Enjoy now through 2050.
87.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.5% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot
Penfolds, St. Henri, Shiraz, South Australia, 2018
For more than a century, Penfolds has carried the torch for the South Australian wine industry. While constantly innovating, they also are keenly adept at recognizing tradition. No other wine they produce exemplifies this tradition than St. Henri Shiraz.
Penfolds, St. Henri, Shiraz, South Australia, 2018 — The Wineaux Club, Q2 2024
The lore behind the name likely comes from the son of the original winemaker, Léon Mazure, circa 1888. After World War I, the wine disappeared from their cellars until its revival in 1953, when then winemaker Max Shubert wanted a classically styled wine to compliment his new wine, Grange. Keeping history and tradition in mind, St. Henri is set apart in that is aged entirely in neutral oak, allowing the wine to express place more than winemaking.
Though their marketing teams have tried to change the composition of the wine over time, the winemakers have remained steadfast in keeping its traditional style, thus, making this wine singularly expressive.
Some have considered the 2018 St. Henri the best vintage since 1986; combining profound intensity and concentration with a refined, energetic and silky texture. The complexity is immense with notes of blackberry, plum, tobacco, new leather, chocolate, scorched earth and fresh herbs. The tannins are fine grained and suggest a wine that will age for decades. Enjoy 2018 through 2058 and pair with braised short ribs, herb-roasted potatoes and red wine reduction.
Col d’Orcia, Poggio al Vento, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, 2015
As you make the two-hour drive south from Florence you will meander through hillsides, vineyards and olive groves, and arrive in the ancient village of Montalcino, home to the most important terroir for Sangiovese. It is here that you will find 13th century castles, centuries-old cellars and rows and rows of vines that will go into the noble Brunello di Montalcino wines.
Col d’Orcia, Poggio al Vento, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, 2015 — The Wineaux Club, Q2 2024
Brunello (local dialect for Sangiovese) di Montalcino wines are singular from other regions in Tuscany for their power, complexity, ageability and strict regulations. The wines must be 100% Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) and aged for a minimum of four years (five for Riserva). The soils are laden with clay, limestone and marl, adding to the complexity, minerality and tannin development.
Col d’Orcia is one of the oldest estates in Montalcino and the largest certified organic vineyard. Located in the southern reaches of the village, Col d’Orcia does not experience some of the adverse climactic conditions as other areas, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly and fully. Amongst their sprawling vineyards lies the single site known as Poggio al Vento. This single vineyard is so special that they bottle it separately and designate it as a Riserva, giving another year of aging before release.
The 2015 Poggio al Vento is one of those wines you could just keep smelling. A mixture of sweet and savory explode from the glass showing notes of cherry, strawberry, cedar, savory herbs, olive, cigar leaf, saddle leather, Mediterranean scrub and dusty earth. It is supple and intense, with firm, integrated tannins and a silky finish. Enjoy now through 2035 and pair with the classic Tuscan dish of Bistecca Fiorentina, grilled porterhouse with fresh rosemary and garlic.
