C’est formidable, this set of wines, from sparkling through white, rosé and red to sweet, we’ve got you covered with the full Gallic get-up for the perfect Bastille Day celebration.
Drink them on 14th July, love them for ever.
LES VINS
MOUSSEUX
NV Piron Crémant de Bourgogne Burgundy RRP $35
Jacquesson Cuvée No. 739 Champagne RRP $117
BLANC
2015 Roland Tissier Sancerre Loire Valley RRP $42
2014 Paul Blanck Riesling Alsace RRP $33
2014 Matrot Bourgogne Aligoté Burgundy RRP $32
2014 Paul Blanck Pinot Gris Alsace RRP $30
2015 Ostertag Pinot Blanc Barriques Alsace RRP $42
2015 Louis Michel Petit Chablis Chablis RRP $42
2013 Piron Beaujolais Blanc Beaujolais RRP $25
2015 André Bonhomme Mâcon-Villages Vieilles Vignes Mâconnais RRP $35
2014 André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Vieilles Vignes MAGNUM Mâconnais RRP $118
ROSE
2016 Pierre Amadieu Côtes-du-Rhône Rosé Rhône Valley RRP $23
2014 Piron Gamay Rosé Beaujolais RRP $25
ROUGE
2014 Piron Beaujolais-Villages Beaujolais RRP $25
2015 Piron Côte du Py Beaujolais RRP $42
2013 Piron Côte du Py MAGNUM Beaujolais RRP $91
2014 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Passetoutgrain Burgundy RRP $33
2013 Matrot Bourgogne Rouge Burgundy RRP $49
2014 Pierre Amadieu Côtes-du-Rhone Roulepierre Rhône Valley RRP $23
DOUX
2012 Pierre Amadieu Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise Rhône Valley RRP $64
MOUSSEUX
NV Piron Crémant de Bourgogne Burgundy RRP $35
100% Chardonnay sourced from the village of Corcelles, from soils that are a mix of clay and limestone. The vines face north-northwest, ensuring slow ripening and good acid retention. Made in the traditional method over 12 months, the wine is given only a very light dosage at final bottling. Thanks to terroir and the vinification method, this shows aromas of citrus, good freshness and a nice sense of roundedness. It’s fine and long in the mouth, with a delicate, creamy mousse.
Jacquesson Cuvée No. 739 Champagne RRP $117
Very fine perfume incorporating warm bread aromas, citrus pith and mixed candied citrus peel, dried apple, wet slate-mineral-like wafts. It’s got velocity in the palate, chalky, edgy, crystalline, more ‘mineral-like’ flavour and feel, set within the frisky tang of fruit and whoosh of firm bubbles. Really easy to drink, has a succulence in all the mix of things. Great. 94 points. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
BLANC
2015 Roland Tissier Sancerre Loire Valley RRP $42
100% Sauvignon Blanc from vines with an average age of 30 years growing on clay-limestone, limestone and silex soils. The wine is prettily aromatic, with notes of chamomile, wet stone and stone fruit, with a vague pink fruit suggestion, and leafiness too. More citrusy on the palate, juicy but with a quite firm, stony texture. Elevated acidity as you’d expect – nervy, with a mouthwatering finish of good length. Good to drink, with that juiciness giving it a nice, easy balance. In other words, certainly has the stamp of Sancerre but with a modern, fruit-driven slant. Ed Merrison, CellarHand
2014 Paul Blanck Riesling Alsace RRP $33
MAGNUM RRP $85
A seriously lovely Alsace riesling, with all the expected flavour – and unexpected elegance and lightness of foot running alongside the synergistic fusion of fruit and acidity. There are none of the phenolic hoof prints of many young Alsace rieslings, instead hints of spiced pear and camomile. Bargain, and will glide through the next 20 years. Drink to 2034; 12.5% alc; screwcap. 94 points. James Halliday
2014 Matrot Bourgogne Aligoté Burgundy RRP $32
What a cheeky little delight this screwcapped Aligoté is! It’s from vines with an average age of 50 years. It’s a little bit of a lot of things: creamy, lemony, flinty, briny, tangy and raw almond-y. It’s a lot of some other things: tasty, smashable and refreshing. I recommend it highly. 91 points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
2014 Paul Blanck Pinot Gris Alsace RRP $30
Bright straw-yellow. Soft orchard fruit scents along with lemon peel and honey on the nose. Then compellingly sappy flavors of crystallized citrus and stone fruits that are rich, ripe and sweet (though the official numbers indicate only 6 g/L of residual sugar). Finishes with very good length and a pure, perfumed finish. Off-dry rather than dry, but pretty irresistible, this Pinot Gris is best paired with richer foods like fish or scallops in cream sauce. With wines like this one, even if on the richer end of the scale, it’s easy to understand why Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio can be such a crowd-pleaser. 90 points. Ian D’Agata, Vinous Media
2015 Ostertag Pinot Blanc Barriques Alsace RRP $42
Delightful biodynamic, barrel-fermented Pinot Blanc from André Ostertag. Grapes are hand-picked, gently pressed and slowly fermented and aged in Burgundy barrels. The oak is on average five years old (just 5% new) which imparts no flavour but allows a slow, gentle oxidation. Combined with ageing on the lees (without stirring), this adds complexity and a sense of fullness to the wine. The result is an uncommonly full-bodied and structured Pinot Blanc – yet dry. It exudes fresh fruity aromas of fresh apples, yellow peaches and nectarine. A hint of hazelnut comes out with air. Deep but tense with a clear mineral feel and delicate creaminess.
2015 Louis Michel Petit Chablis Chablis RRP $42
“Petit” by name but énorme in enjoyment factor. Chardonnay grown on Portlandian soils on the right bank plateaux of Chablis. The topsoil’s very stony and rich in organic matter, and sits on fine limestone earth. The vines for Louis Michel’s Petit Chablis have an average age of 15 years. It shows green apple, lemon rind and a gentle smokiness on the nose, then a palate that is relatively juicy and soft-centred, with balanced acidity tightening it up.
2013 Piron Beaujolais Blanc Beaujolais RRP $25
Quite dense and stone fruity with earthy, almost fresh mushroomy aromas, getting into some red fruit notes as well. Spicy, charry, a lot of concentration. Fruit from limestone soils from the village of Corcelles, it went through full malo but doesn’t show it. Whole-bunch pressed into tank, fermented in stainless steel with 3% in barrel. “Not too sophisticated but great for drinking,” was one of the great comments about this. Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
2015 André Bonhomme Mâcon-Villages Vieilles Vignes Mâconnais RRP $35
Seamless and energetic. There’s a combination for you. It’s frisky but svelte with lemongrass, citrus and white peach flavours gently melting into wet slate. There’s a hint of honeysuckle here, almost into lactose but not quite. Really, it’s just a joy to drink; it sits at the wonderful place where freshness shakes hands with charisma. 92+ points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
2014 André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Vieilles Vignes MAGNUM Mâconnais RRP $118
(bottled in June; the vines here are 75 to 95 years old; made entirely in barriques, 20% new, then moved into stainless steel for its second year of aging): Pale straw-yellow. Riper, yellower and more exotic on the nose than the cuvée Spéciale, with aromas of apricot, honey and fresh porcini. Rich and firm on the palate, with enticing fruit flavors of peach, apricot and quince complemented by lightly saline minerality. Not a sweet or fleshy style, and nicely dry at 1.8 grams per liter of residual sugar. Finishes firm and persistent, with a strong impression of extract and brisk citrussy grip. “This wine is our ID card,” noted Palthey, adding that his grandfather was best known for this cuvée. 91 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media
ROSE
2016 Pierre Amadieu Côtes-du-Rhône Rosé Rhône Valley RRP $23
From the Amadieu family based in Gigondas in the southern Rhône, the fruit is vinified at low temperatures in stainless steel vats to preserve fruitiness and freshness. This rosé from Grenache and Cinsault reveals flavours of raspberries and redcurrants accompanied by floral notes. Silky, well rounded and fresh.
2014 Piron Gamay Rosé Beaujolais RRP $25
100% Gamay from vines in Corcelles with an average age of 40 years. The subsoil is a patchwork of granite, clay and limestone which gives the wine its nuances. Very crunchy, pure and fresh. Some hints of candy, but enough dryness to keep that in check. Quite chewy and supple at the same time, with nice density and a dry finish. Patrick Walsh, CellarHand
ROUGE
2014 Piron Beaujolais-Villages Beaujolais RRP $25
Light, fresh, pure and crisp Beaujolais from vines with an average age of 50 years. The cuvée’s named after the house where Dominique Piron lives, and a bottling has been prepared for CellarHand under screwcap. The vines for surround the crus on the hills of the northern half of Beaujolais and mostly have an east-facing exposition with sandy granitic soils. These comprise small stones that store the sun’s heat and then release it gently during the night, ripening the fruit well while retaining its natural freshness.
2015 Piron Côte du Py Beaujolais RRP $42
The big boy is in the kitchen. Dark cherries, raspberries, liquorice and sniff of spiced wood. Fleshy, open weave tannin, dark raspberry, cherry, depth and derring-do, crisp strawberry acidity, touch of meaty gamey stuff too. The finish is pretty long, closing with a satisfying chomp of tannin. Vigorous. 93 points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
2015 Piron Côte du Py MAGNUM Beaujolais RRP $91
Deep ruby. Vibrant, mineral-tinged cherry and floral pastille aromas are complicated by suggestions of licorice, game and peppery spices. Sappy and energetic in style, offering black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that are given lift and spine by juicy acidity. Finishes with very good intensity and focus, leaving smoky mineral and cherry liqueur notes behind. 91 points. Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media
2014 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Passetoutgrain Burgundy RRP $33
This is what fresh, invigorating red Burgundy on a budget looks like! Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes for this traditional regional blend are sourced from vineyards around Morey. It’s a juicy wine with high-toned raspberry, blackberry and cherry notes with a touch of earthy mineral, peppery spice and fresh, natural acidity.
2013 Matrot Bourgogne Rouge Burgundy RRP $49
Organically grown Pinot Noir from vines with an average age of 40 years. Here’s what Allen Meadows of Burghound had to say about it: “The expressive nose is very pinot in character with its almost entirely red berry fruit aromas that reveal hints of spice and earth. The delicious, textured, vibrant and detailed flavors exude a slight salinity on the clean, fruity and linear finish. This is clearly intended to be enjoyed young.”
2014 Pierre Amadieu Côtes-du-Rhone Roulepierre Rhône Valley RRP $23
Bunches of Grenache and Syrah grown on chalk and clay soils are strictly sorted to produce this cuvée. Hand harvests and traditional winemaking processes give a wine with red cherry, blackberry and plum. A sweet touch of liquorice, dried herbs and spice add layers to the sumptuous palate. A mouth filling wine in a pure Rhône style.
DOUX
2012 Pierre Amadieu Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise Rhône Valley RRP $64
A very traditional style from the Rhône, albeit one you don’t get to see often. This Vin Doux Naturel is made from 100% Muscat Petits Grains, harvested from vines that are more than 80 years old and situated in some of the best terroir of the Beaumes de Venise appellation in the southern Rhône. The grapes are selected by hand as they start to turn golden but when they’ve still got plenty of freshness. They’re then pressed and, after a short maceration on the skins, the juice is vinified at low temperatures for the optimum expression of the wonderful Muscat aromas. Pale gold in colour, it’s satisfyingly full-bodied yet lively on the palate. It shows intense floral aromas of Muscat mingling with fragrant notes of lychee, mango, pear and almonds. The lingering finish is fresh and well-balanced.