The Up From The Cellar includes a few older gems from France as well as a bevy of new releases from the South of France, Chile, California, and Corsica.

The bulk of the report includes a look at the portfolio of Claude Gros (Château de la Negly, Clos des Truffiers, and others), a leading consultant based in the South of France. This report includes just a subset of the releases I was able to taste and we’ll get the remaining wines published at a later date. The report also includes some of my favorite estates in the Roussillon, Château de l’Ou and Thunevin-Calvet. The Roussillon continues to deliver wines of incredible character and I truly wish I had more time to devote to this region.

Drank beside a 2009 Chateau Latour… two magical wines.

Looking at new releases from Califonia, I was introduced to the wines of Nid Tissé by wine broker Kimberly Jones. These are made by Marie-Laure Ammons, and while the quantities are tiny, the wines are utterly brilliant and highly recommended.

I was also able to taste the new estate releases from Melville, in the Sta. Rita Hills, and these continue to be incredible wines as well as some of the best values out there. We’ll have a full report on the wines of the Central Coast coming out later this summer.

An incredible old vine Grenache from the Roussillon

As always, happy hunting,

Jeb

By Jeb Dunnuck
Founder & Wine Critic
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