Wines of the Week: 
2020 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Rosé Normally $27.99–$23.79 15% Off This Week ONLY! 2018 Anthill Farms Comptche Ridge Vineyard Mendocino Pinot Noir Normally $59.99–$50.99 15% Off This Week ONLY! * * * About the Wines of the Week: 2020 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Rosé Normally $27.99–$23.79 15% Off This Week ONLY!  
About the Winery Bernard Baudry is unquestionably one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers. Not only does he have the talent to make delicious and consistent wines, vintage to vintage, but he is also fortunate enough to have vineyard land that showcases many of the varied soil types of the appellation. After completing his studies at the viticultural school in Beaune, Bernard returned to the Loire Valley to consult in Tours. By 1975, he had purchased his first two hectares of land in Cravant-les-Coteaux, a village from which almost half of the production of A.O.C. Chinon is sourced. Over the years, the domaine has grown to twenty-five hectares. Bernard’s son, Matthieu, joined the family domaine in 2000 after studying winemaking in the Mâconnais and Bordeaux, with internships both in Tasmania and California! The Baudrys work vineyards composed of gravel, sand, limestone, silica, and clay. The variations of terroir and vinification methods make each of their cuvées unique and distinct. Bernard and Matthieu focus the lion’s share of their production on Chinon Rouge, five fine cuvées of Cabernet Franc, all aged in old and new barrels in their incredible cellars chiseled out of tuffeau behind the winery. They make a surprising Chinon Blanc, a rarity to find let alone to import, as well as a stunning Chinon Rosé. The Baudrys are staunch traditionalists, and you would have a hard time finding a Chinon more classic than theirs.  About the Wine 100% Cabernet Franc. Very small production. The fruit for the rosé comes from several estate parcels on two different terroirs: the higher plateau with flinty clay soils and valley/river level with sandy gravel soils. The vines are on the younger side, averaging 20 years old, and are farmed organically. The grapes are harvested by hand, destemmed and gently pressed. Fermentation is long and slow, with native yeasts in unlined cement tank, taking anywhere from two weeks to two months to finish dry (always 2 grams residual sugar or less). The wine remains in tank, goes through malolactic fermentation, receives minimal sulfur and is bottled in the spring following the harvest. * * * 2018 Anthill Farms Comptche Ridge Vineyard Mendocino Pinot Noir Normally $59.99–$50.99 15% Off This Week ONLY!
 
About the Winery Anthill Farms is an exciting project that focuses on producing exceptional Pinot Noir from a broad range of North Coast vineyards. The properties are managed with intensive and meticulous farming practices, with minimal ecological impact. As for winemaking, there are two unchanging goals: to make wines that express the growing site and the characteristics of the vintage above all else, and to make wines that, simply put, taste good. These goals require gentle handling from crushing to bottling, judicious use of oak, and, perhaps most importantly, leaving the wine alone as much as possible. Outside of the mailing list, a small amount of wine is released every year to restaurants and wine shops. “We didn’t know whether the name was really great or really dumb,” admits Anthill Farms Winery partner Webster Marquez. “It came about because we’re all winemakers and people would see us all scrambling around trying to grab the same hose at once; they said it was like watching a bunch of ants.” This trio of ants—Webster Marquez, Anthony Filiberti and David Low—met while working at Sonoma’s Williams Selyem. Says Marquez, “We realized that we have the same approach: using Pinot Noir—the most ‘transparent’ grape in the world—to communicate the way vineyards from cooler areas create distinctive wines.” The partners themselves farm many of the small plots where they buy their grapes, and the results of this labor of love are remarkably seductive wines that combine concentration and finesse. Now that the company has grown from producing 200 cases in 2004, to making eight single-vineyard Pinots and two appellation wines every year; depending on the vintage, also producing two or three Syrahs and a Chardonnay. The trio’s work is becoming ever more demanding; notes Marquez, “It’s a good thing we’re young and don’t need much sleep.". 
About the Wine Practicing Biodynamics, this wine comes from the Comptche Ridge Vineyard within the Mendocino County AVA. Situated on fine sandy-clay Franciscan soils, the wine is carefully harvested. After harvest, about 50% of the grapes are fermented whole-cluster, this gives more tannin to the final wine. With daily punchdowns for three weeks, the wine is then aged for 15 months in 25% new French oak. When poured, one can see the layers of juice that run deep which shows a mix of red and black fruit with brushes of tilled soil and a bit of game meat. The wine is seamless and deep with flavors that impact the palate sweetly. 
Critical Acclaim “Another stellar wine in this range, the 2018 Pinot Noir Comptche Ridge is fabulous. In this vintage, the Comptche Ridge is a bit richer and deeper than it has been, while avoiding some of the austerity this wine can show. Beguiling in its aromatics and finely sculpted, the 2018 is marvelously complex. There is plenty of tannin, and the acids are bright (as they are for all these wines), but the 2018 is deep and so multi-faceted. It will appeal most to readers who enjoy taut, structured reds.”– 94-96 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media * * * Also Tasting Today: 2020 Gerard Boulay Sancerre Chavignol Sauvignon Blanc $38.99  
About the Winery This family domaine of nine hectares located in Chavignol can trace its history back to 1380, when land records for that year mention a Jean Boulay as owner of vineyards in Chavignol. At the time, the Clos de Beaujeu in Chavignol was already known for the quality of its white wine, which is remarkable since Sancerre was known as a red wine area until after phylloxera. Winemaker, Gérard Boulay, worked its floors entirely by hand. He ensures that the biological balance is right in his vineyards, with no usage of pesticides, herbicides or other chemical agents. Proliferation of grasses and herbs are allowed to prevent erosion and to create a healthy microclimate. Healthy vines and soils are more resistant to pests and diseases, such as gray rot. Hand picking grapes is obvious for Boulay, in order to produce the best quality. The man himself is as focused and intense as the wines he crafts. He is also incredibly humble. His respect for Chavignol and its proud history is evident by his refusal to betray the terroir with lazy viticulture or industrial winemaking. Under Boulay’s charge, the quality of the land and its resultant produce need nothing in the way of corrections. With a family history of wine growing in Chavignol that dates back to the 1300’s, there is little wonder that the Boulay clan have managed to assemble one of the finest collections of vineyards in the area. 
About the Wine The Gérard Boulay Chavignol Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc is considered a benchmark from the famed estate of Gérard Boulay in Chavignol. Boulay takes a non-interventionist approach, favoring native yeasts, no filtration, minimal sulfur use, and organic farming practices. “C’est la Nature qui fait le vin” he says, which translates to, it is nature that makes the wine. The grape simply plays conduit to the mineral freshness of the limestone-rich soils and the sun trapping, south facing exposition. This terroir creates (in the right hands) wines with that rare combination of hedonistic texture and racy, crunchy minerality. Importantly, Chavignol tempers the grape's tendencies and produces great smoky, stone fruit noted wines of fabulous clarity, texture and energy. Cocktail Recipe of the Week: 
Grapefruit Mojito Ingredients: 10 fresh mint leaves
1 lime wedge
1 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
2 1/2 ounces Zaya Gran Reserva 12 Year Old Rum
club soda to finish
mint sprig, for garnish
edible flowers, for garnish (optional) Directions: STEP 1: Using a cocktail shaker, add the fresh mint leaves and lime wedge. Using a muddler, muddle the mixture well, breaking the mint eaves up into smaller pieces.
STEP 2: Add the grapefruit juice, lime juice and sugar. Continue to muddle until well mixed.
STEP 3: Add the rum and a handful of ice. Shake vigorously for about 20 seconds.
STEP 4: Pour into the desired serving glass with lots of ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and some edible flowers if you want to be fancy. Garnish and serve, Cheers and Enjoy! * * * Snack of the Week: 
Lark Fine Foods Olive Scourtin French-Style Sweet & Savory Olive Biscuit Les Scourtin: a natural fiber-filter used in France to make olive oil. Rustic and refined, these are award-winning French-style sweet and savory biscuits. * * * | 
