November 25, 2016
FEATURED: Yann Vadin is the new face of grower champagne.

Yann Vadin is relatively unknown. While his family has owned their estate since 1785, they have only recently started exporting their wines outside of France. A chance encounter at the champagne fair Des Pieds et Des Vins earlier this year in France introduced us to Yann and the wines of Champagne Vadin-Plateau. The wines are simply stunning natural expressions with fierce minerality and brilliant freshness. It is only a matter of time before Champagne Vadin-Plateau is revered as one of the top grower champagnes.

November 15, 2016
Preserving the Past: A Worthy Mission

Morgan Twain-Peterson is preserving and bottling California’s viticultural past. His mission with Bedrock Wine Co. is to produce California wines from historic, old vines. Most are field blends that represent the whole vineyard, its age and history, instead of a particular variety. Not only does he want to preserve the old vines, he also believes they produce wines of superior quality (which it is hard to argue when you taste!).

In an article with Town & Country in November 2015, Morgan is quoted saying: “Two important things give them an edge,” he says. “One is that they’re more established plants and produce yields of greater fruit concentration. There is also a Darwinian element. If a vineyard has lasted through two world wars, Prohibition, and any number of other things, it must be special, or it would have likely been ripped out.”

Twain-Peterson is working with other winemakers (Mike Officer of Carlisle Winery, Tegan Passalacqua of Turley Wine Cellars, David Gates of Ridge Vineyards to name a few) to save California’s old vines. Together, they have formed a group called the Historic Vineyard Society that aims to identify, register and save heritage old vines. These vines and vineyards are producing wines that are completely original and completely California. The wines are not trying to emulate any other wines from any other region. As Antonio Galloni put it in his Vinous January 2015 review, “They [wines] are quite faithful to a sense of place.”

Bedrock’s fall release is now in stock at Cream. The wines are simply stunning.

November 10, 2016
Looking at You, Campania

We are simply thrilled by what Ian D’Agata wrote for Vinous about the wines of Campania! We have believed in the region and our producers for quite sometime. Getting others to believe in the terroir has been a slight challenge. So it is nice to read Ian’s wonderful words on the region, the producers and the exciting future of this terroir.

Excerpt from the article “The Wines of Campania: Getting Better and Better” “Campania’s white wines vie with those of Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia for top spot on Italy’s list of quality whites. And today’s reds from the region are increasingly removed from the old southern Italian stereotype of unclean, overripe and high alcohol wines.

One of the most positive developments in Italy’s wine scene over the last 30 years has been the total transformation of Campania. It is safe to say that Campania’s wines have never been this good, and the improvements have been due both to a plethora of new and exciting estates run by a passionate and energetic new generation and, increasingly, to moneyed locals who are looking to invest in the region’s wine economy. The presence of a number of outstanding, world-class local grape varieties that grow practically nowhere else and a better understanding of many of the region’s unique—often volcanic—terroirs have also played important roles in the transformation of Campanian wine.”

We direct import two producers from Campania that were mentioned in the article: Ciro Picariello and La Sibilla. Ian states in the article that Ciro Picariello “makes some of Campania’s most sought-after wines.” Then he writes about La Sibilla that “the Di Meo family has turned their small estate into one of the country’s best Falanghina and Piedirosso wine producers.” This is awesome praise for two producers that we discovered several years ago and were amazed by the quality, the balance, and the soul of the wines. We hope you get the chance to discover their magic as well.

Current Stock
Ciro Picariello 2013 Fiano di Avellino DOCG
Ciro Picariello 2013 Irpinia Fiano DOP
Ciro Picariello 2013 Greco di Tufo DOCG
Ciro Picariello 2012 Campania Rosso IGP
La Sibilla 2014 Falanghina, Campi Flegrei DOC
La Sibilla 2013 Piedirosso, Campi Flegrei DOC