We are pleased to announce that A.H.D. Vintners and i-lixir Beverage are merging operations. Last month our agreement was formalized, this month we are undertaking all manner of changes to streamline our work together in advance of the 4th quarter. We have hired all the i-lixir employees (excepting one driver who wished to take a reduced role). James Van Der Kolk will be taking on the role of Vice President while continuing to oversee the i-lixir portfolio and managing the sales team in West Michigan. We will maintain two price books for the foreseeable future. We now have a twenty-person sales team with plans to expand it further in 2023. We shall move the majority of product to our warehouse, in Warren this month, to pull and ship all orders from here starting September 26th. We shall maintain the Muskegon warehouse as a cross-dock facility enabling us to enhance the number of delivery days in West Michigan.

While each company came to this union at their healthiest state, the combined entity will offer complimentary product portfolios, enhanced account service in sales and delivery and a similar spirit in what we endeavor, to provide the highest quality and most profitable products and services to be found in Michigan.

Best Regards,

Anthony Delsener
President

During this critical period we are asking that you reach out to your Sales Representative with any specific procedures that you may require and we will adjust accordingly. On our end, we are asking you to assist in minimizing contact during delivery and allowing our staff to drop the order with a minimum of contact and as much distance that is reasonable.

If you are not already on EFT you can sign up at go.fintech.com as this will aid in minimizing contact at the point of delivery. Additionally, our product information is available on SevenFifty @ sevenfifty.com, which is a great tool to access our items and inventory while we are working through this period of social distancing.

Managing the spread of the virus is critical to all of us to get through this period with as little upheaval as possible. By working together we can make a significant impact on the community’s overall health and well-being.

Named the 2019 Winegrower of the year by Gambero Rosso, Francesco Cambria from Cottanera, seems to be enjoying good year rich in awards and recognition. In fact, today the Etna represents one of the most successful lands, not just for the Sicilian wine but for the Italian one too. The diligence and the resources involved by all the producers in the area in order to give value to the vineyards, the range of the local biodiversity, the microclimatic areas and last but not least the Volcano, give the wine a unique nature in its multiple variety.

Cottanera 2018 Etna Rosato (Rosé)

100% Nerello Mascalese from Contrada Diciassettesalme & Castiglione di Sicilia – 750 meters

Only 500 cases produced

90 Points, Vinous: “Bright orange-pink.  High-pitched aromas of strawberry, tangerine, iris & peony, with a mineral note in the background. Clean and classically dry, offering tangy red fruit flavors plus echoes of orange peel and savory herbs. Offers good energy and cut.”

 Cottanera 2017 Bianco “Barbazzale”  

95% Catarratto & 5% Viognier from 15-year-old vines in lava-alluvial soil.  Aged sur-lie for 3 months in stainless steel.

91 Points, James Suckling:  “This is a fresh, herbal and discreetly floral white with good depth and a very crisp finish that has some minerality. Drink now.”

90+ Points, The Wine Advocate:  “The 2017 Catarratto Barbazzale (a blend of 95% Catarratto and 5% Viognier) shows enormous precision and an authentic Etna taste profile. The wine is bright and clean with a crystalline straw-gold color, direct aromas and a mouthfeel that is fresh and snappy. If those characteristics appeal to you, as they do to me, I highly recommend this excellent value wine. The wine is fun and rewarding with loads of mineral character.

 Cottanera 2018 Bianco “Barbazzale”  

95% Catarratto & 5% Viognier from 15-year-old vines in lava-alluvial soil.

Aged sur-lie for 3 months in stainless steel.

92 Points, James Suckling:  “This shows a wealth of apricots, loquat, fresh herbs and chamomile. Medium to full body, loads of herbal and floral flavors and an oily, tangy finish.

Cottanera 2018 Etna Bianco 

100% Carricante from 15-20 year old vines planted in ava-alluvial and lava-clayey soil at 720-750 meters.  Fermented and aged on lees for 6 months in stainless steel

92 Points, James Suckling: “Newly trimmed grass springs out from the glass here, joining lemons, limes and Granny Smith apples. Medium to full body, pure acid crunch and a bright finish. Delightful transparency.”

Cottanera 2017 Etna Rosso “Barbazzale”                                 

90% Nerello Mascalese and 10 % Nerello Capuccio – 15 year old vines in lava-alluvial & lava-clay.  Stainless steel fermented with frequent pump-overs and 5 months aging.  No oak.

92 Points, James Suckling:  “Aromas of dried berries, walnuts, dried herbs and spices. Fullbodied, integrated and very fine with ultra-fine tannins. Rich, tight and balanced. A blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio.”

Cottanera 2016 Etna Rosso “Contrada Diciasettesalme”          

100% Nerello Mascalese from 12-year-old vines planted in lava-alluvial soil.  Malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels and aged for 8 months in large oak barrel

92 Points, James Suckling:  “A pure Nerello Mascalese with firm and silky tannins, dark chocolate and spice. Medium to full body, firm & silky tannins and a juicy delicious finish.

Cottanera 2017 Etna Rosso “Contrada Diciasettesalme”          

100% Nerello Mascalese from 12-year-old vines planted in lava-alluvial soil.  Malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels and aged for 8 months in large oak barrel

92 Points, James Suckling:  “this soon opens to reveal wild strawberries, citrus and red peppers. Medium body, firm tannins and a tangy, mineral finish.”

Cottanera 2012 Etna Rosso Riserva “Contrada Zottorinoto”

100% Nerello Mascalese from 60-year-old vines planted in lava-alluvial soil at 750-800 meters.  100% barrel fermented & aged in French oak for 24-months + extended aging in bottle.  Only 166 cases produced.

95 Points, The Wine Advocate:  “A limited edition, single-vineyard, top-shelf wine. The 2012 puts Cottanera’s winemaking moxie to the test. The results show depth, volume and power, with bold aromatic trimmings of blackberry, crème de cassis, balsam herb & dried mint. But the real personality of the bouquet is driven by those distinctive mineral notes of ash and brimstone.  The wine is alive and succulent. This is an excellent, cellar-worthy red wine from Etna.”

 Cottanera 2013 Etna Rosso Riserva “Contrada Zottorinoto”

100% Nerello Mascalese from 60-year-old vines planted in lava-alluvial soil at 750-800 meters.  100% barrel fermented & aged in French oak for 24-months + extended aging in bottle.  Only 166 cases produced.

94 Points, The Wine Advocate:  “The 2013 Etna Rosso Riserva Zottorinoto is a stunning wine that possesses deep inner depth and a profound nature. The wine reveals itself slowly with a first wave of dried fruit and cassis that later yields to darkened spice and campfire ash. The wine’s mineral backbone is prominent and sophisticated, as it should be given the mighty volcanic territory that shaped it. In the mouth, the wine shows a silky and fine texture that should take on more volume and mass as the wine continues its aging evolution.”

In the Napa Valley, we have a wet season and a dry season, and all of our rain comes in a 6-month period between November and May. Some years we get a lot of rain, some years we don’t. This year we got a lot. Now that the rainy season has ended and the weather has warmed up, everyone is hard at work in the vineyards. The shoots are growing like crazy, we are mowing down the waist-high cover crops, and we have three tractors going non-stop. The crop looks excellent, lots of clusters on happy vines. We leased two more small Cabernet Vineyards, one on Mt. Veeder and one in Oak Knoll, so we will have more blending sources for our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which is quickly becoming our flagship wine. The Mt. Veeder vineyard is already CCOF certified organic, we will start farming the other new vineyard organically, and we finally convinced our last non-organic fruit-buying source to convert to organic, so we are very excited that for 2019 we will reach our goal of 100% organically farmed fruit!

In other news, we opened our tasting room at our new winery, and are now welcoming visitors every day of the week. Come on by – we’d love to show you around our new place.

We made all of our wine in the new winery last year except our Rosé, with all indigenous fermentations, and everything went great. We’re so happy to finally have the whole process, from farming through to winemaking, under our complete control.

Below is a link to a one-page article on Steve from the current issue of SOMM Journal. It has a little history on some of the early sustainable agricultural efforts that we’ve been involved with over the years.

The Proverbial Radical

{ THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2019

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www.sevenfifty.com/ahdvintners 

BY STEPHEN TANZER | APRIL 3, 2019

This past December seemed an ideal time for me to taste a vertical collection of the Domaine des Lambrays’ historic Grand Cru Clos des Lambrays. New winemaker Boris Champy, who took over in early 2017, had just completed his first vinification on his own following the retirement of long-time estate director and winemaker Thierry Brouin last spring. Yet the veteran Brouin, who has devoted most of his adult life to painstakingly restoring this previously underperforming old property to excellence over the past nearly 40 years, was still close enough to his subject to attend the tasting as well. This turned out to be fortuitous, in light of a subsequent and unexpected change in personnel (see below).

Headquarters of the Domaine des Lambrays

The Ancient History of the Clos des Lambrays

The Clos des Lambrays is one of Burgundy’s oldest and most famous Grand Crus, first cited (as Cloux des Lambreys) in the deeds of the Abbaye de Citeaux in 1365. It’s also the largest clos in Burgundy that’s almost entirely under single ownership. The property was broken up among more than 70 owners during the French Revolution but was mostly reassembled during the middle of the 19th century by négociant owner Louis Joly, then fully reunited by Albert-Sebastien Rodier in 1868. The Clos des Lambrays essentially became a monopole.

The property was ranked as a “première cuvée” in the 19th century, but when Burgundy’s appellations were created in the 1930s, the vineyard had fallen on hard times and it was not granted Grand Cru status. (Both Clos de la Roche and Clos Saint-Denis in Morey-Saint-Denis obtained Grand Cru status in 1936, with Clos de Tart following in 1939.) And when Renée Cosson purchased the Domaine des Lambrays in 1938 from Albert Rodier, the grandson of Albert-Sebastien, the new owner did not seek Grand Cru status since that would have resulted in higher taxes. Subsequently, Cosson—and her son Henri during the 1970s—for the most part neglected the estate during their 40+ years of ownership. Although some outstanding wines were made during Cosson’s ownership, such as the ’37 and the ’45, the vineyard was in disarray by the end of their tenure as many dying vines had not been replanted. Some vintages in the 1970s were not even bottled. By then, the locals commonly referred to the property as Clos Délabré (dilapidated).

A stone marker commemorating a very old vineyard

The Rehabilitation and Modern History of Domaine des Lambrays

The property’s fortunes took a major positive turn when Roland Chambure and the brothers Fabien and Louis Saier purchased it in 1979, shortly after the death of Renée Cosson. (A tiny portion in the lower part of the Clos des Lambrays—less than one-twentieth of a hectare—has been owned since 1965 by the Taupenot-Merme family and is essentially the back yard of their house in Morey-Saint-Denis. Romain Taupenot produces less than a barrel of wine annually from these vines.) The new owners quickly hired enologist Thierry Brouin the following year to direct the estate and make the wines.

Domaine des Lambrays changed hands again in late 1996 when German contractor and long-time Burgundy lover Günter Freund and his wife Ruth acquired the estate for the current equivalent of 15 million Euros. They subsequently made further investments in vineyard replanting and renovation of the estate, undertook stricter selection of grapes on the sorting table, purchased a gentler and more efficient pneumatic press, and created an orangerie on the property.

An ancient vine in Clos des Lambrays

More recently, in the spring of 2014, the town of Morey-Saint-Denis was rocked by the news that Bernard Arnault’s Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) luxury group had purchased Domaine des Lambrays at a staggering price of 105 million Euros. In addition to the prime Clos des Lambrays holding (8.66 hectares), LVMH’s purchase also included about a hectare of Morey-Saint-Denis village vines grown on thin soil above the Clos, and just over 0.3 hectare of Morey Premier Cru, plus small pieces of Puligny-Montrachet Clos du Caillerets and Les Folatières, which had been bought by the Saier brothers in 1993.

With the subsequent purchase of the neighboring Clos de Tart in 2017 by François Pinault’s Artémis group (which also owns Château Latour, Château Grillet and Eiseley Vineyard in Napa Valley, as well as Domaine d’Eugénie in nearby Vosne-Romanée), two of France’s richest men can now be said to be waging a civilized proxy war on the slopes of Morey-Saint-Denis.

Multimedia: A Conversation with Boris Champy and Thierry Brouin

Or perhaps not so urbane: as I was finishing up this article, I was shocked to hear that Boris Champy had abruptly left Domaine des Lambrays at the end of February after barely two years there and that Jacques Devauges, who had been hired away from Domaine de l’Arlot at the beginning of 2015 to direct Clos de Tart and make its wines, was moving next door to Domaine des Lambrays. Never a dull moment in Burgundy! Devauges, who was not yet ready to discuss the reasons for the move, mentioned to me that he had worked with Brouin as a trainee at Clos des Lambrays during the vinification of the 1997 vintage. And Brouin, despite being officially retired, will once again be available for consulting advice—a good thing, as Brouin knows where the vines are buried at Domaine des Lambrays.

Clos des Lambrays vines high on the hillside

Brouin in the Vineyards and in the Winery

One of Brouin’s first projects after being hired by the Saier brothers in 1980, other than distilling some remaining barrels of 1973 and 1974 Clos des Lambrays into the local brandy, was to replant about 2.5 hectares of diseased vines in 1981 and 1982—more than a quarter of the estate’s vines in Clos des Lambrays—in Les Bouchots. This parcel, situated in the high northwestern section of the clos situated just to the south of the Domaine Ponsot home and cellar, had been totally ignored by the previous owners. Brouin also replaced about another quarter hectare of missing vines in the other parts of the clos because the Cossons hadn’t bothered to do any replanting during their tenure. Brouin’s early work at the estate enabled Clos des Lambrays to be granted Grand Cru status in 1981.

Today the vines in Clos des Lambrays range from 35 to more than 100 years of age, and Brouin told me that one of his biggest challenges has always been the need to handle the various plots and ages of vines differently. “Normally, we get four to six cuvées from the clos and for sure they are all different, depending on the microclimate, the age of the vines, and the harvest date,” he told me, adding that if a particular cuvée did not have “all of the qualities that a Grand Cru requires,” it could be declassified into the estate’s premier cru Les Loups, the foundation of which is the premier cru parcels La Riotte and Le Village.

A steep section of Clos des Lambrays

From the time he arrived at Domaine des Lambrays, Brouin has been an early harvester. During my tastings with him through the years he always contrasted his approach to that of Sylvain Pitiot at neighboring Clos de Tart, who was notorious for picking late. Brouin’s approach explains why the alcohol level of the finished Clos des Lambrays has only hit 14% once (in 2000). He also believes that his harvesting strategy preserves minerality and terroir character. At our tasting in December, Brouin told me that he regretted not waiting longer to harvest in only about 4 or 5 vintages out of the 38 he vinified here, including 1995, 2004, 2007 and 2008.

Brouin is certain that during the Cosson years, Clos des Lambrays was destemmed. But during the harvest of 1985 he kept some stems for the first time, and beginning with 1990 he made the wine entirely with whole clusters. Brouin also told me that he always practiced a fairly soft extraction. After three or four days of cold maceration, the fermentation started with the native yeasts. Brouin carried out four or five pigeages per day for about six days, using a pneumatic compressor to perform this action gently, and the total duration of the cuvaison has consistently been 12 to 14 days. Brouin was always able to hold the temperature of the fermentation to no higher than 34 degrees C. using what he described as “a really efficient system” of streaming water along the sides of the stainless steel vats. He has consistently used “no more than 50% new oak” to age the Clos des Lambrays, with François Frères his preferred cooper.

Fruit flavors in the Clos des Lambrays include black cherry and raspberry, as well as other dark fruits such as plum and even blueberry. But this is essentially a soil-driven style, with the underbrush evident in the wine mingling with herbs, olive, pepper, and dark spices.

A Varied Terroir

Owing partly to its sheer size, the Clos des Lambrays is a rather heterogeneous site, with a 60-meter difference in elevation between the bottom and top. It’s an essentially rocky, clay-rich terroir, but with mostly heavier clay and loam at the bottom, in the lieu-dit Meix-Rentier. The midslope, Les Larrets, features chalky, gravelly soil, and Brouin describes this parcel as “classic” Grand Cru, “with finesse, elegance and complexity and a perfect balance of tannins and acidity.” The top section of the clos, Les Bouchots, is an undulating band of rocky limestone- and iron oxide-rich brownish-red soil that’s open to the cooling influence of the Combe de Morey, which brings added elegance to the wine. Brouin considers the Clos des Lambrays to be the center of Morey-Saint-Denis, and he maintains that it boasts greater soil diversity than Clos de Tart, with part of the vineyard higher than any other Grand Cru parcel in Morey-Saint-Denis.

Brouin typically begins to assemble the blend during the first December. At this stage, inferior lots can be declassified into the estate’s premier cru, usually due to underripeness and lack of body. Owing to the whole-cluster vinification, the malolactic fermentations are usually early here. Lesser barrels—for example, those with high levels of volatile acidity—may also be declassified right up to the end of aging, and the bottling typically takes place during the second March.

The Nature of the Wine

Brouin has always described Clos des Lambrays as an elegant, cooler blue-fruit-and-mineral expression, compared with the bigger, more new-oaky, dark-fruit-driven nature of Clos de Tart, but I often find as much red fruits (from the iron element in the soil?) as blue, particularly as the wines age. It’s clearly a Grand Cru of suppleness and finesse rather than sheer power. Although its hillside is essentially an extension of Gevrey’s, the Clos des Lambrays does not have the same power, muscularity and density of nearby Gevrey Grand Crus. Nor does it begin with color as deep as that of the Clos de Tart, in part due to its vinification with whole clusters. Still, it’s a concentrated, intense wine that’s kept vibrant and precise by a core of minerality.

A vertical collection of Clos des Lambrays

In cool vintages, Clos des Lambrays can come across as a bit spiky in the early going due to the combination of early harvesting and whole-cluster vinification, which can give the young wines distinct notes of pepper, spices, flowers, menthol and even eucalyptus. But it’s enticingly fragrant from the outset and its essentially elegant tannins and underlying minerality support an orchestral expansion in bottle. The vintages of the 21st century have shown more consistent density than previous years without any loss of this Grand Cru’s oxymoronic combination of musky wildness and refinement. It will be fascinating to see what the talented Jacques Devauges brings to this singular site in the coming years.

Tanzer, Stephen. “Domaine des Lambrays’ Clos des Lambrays 1966-2012” Vinous.com. 3 Apr. 2019. https://www.vinous.com/articles/vertical-tasting-of-clos-des-lambrays-apr-2019 Accessed 5 Apr. 2019.

Senior editor James Molesworth is Wine Spectator’s lead taster for California Cabernet Sauvignon. He recently returned to Napa Valley for more visits with top wineries. 

Here is his article on the wonderful Favia wines new to the AHD Portfolio.

Wine Spectator Favia Wines

Wines of Germany USA

Mar 13, 2019, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, March 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Wines of Germany is marking March 13th as the official birthday of Riesling, giving wine lovers an annual occasion to celebrate this popular varietal. The date was selected in honor of the first documented evidence of the grape, from the cellar log of Count Katzenelnbogen near the Rheingau region on March 13, 1435.

Wines of Germany is encouraging Riesling fans around the world to celebrate the versatility and unique characteristics of the variety with a Riesling toast, and by sharing photos, tasting notes, and favorite Riesling memories with the hashtag #RieslingBirthday on social media. The Riesling Birthday designation aims to broaden awareness of German Riesling as a must-try for its food-pairing affinity, expression of terroir, aging potential, electric acidity, and balance of bright fruit flavors.

Germany has a deep history of winemaking, dating back before 50 BC, and Riesling has long been considered Germany’s most celebrated grape. Winegrowers in the Rheingau and the Mosel have the longest tradition of growing Riesling, with historical records from the early 15th century. Evidence of the spread to today’s Rheinhessen and the Pfalz regions date back to the end of the 15th and the first half of the 16th century. As climate and viticulture evolved, the 19th century was seen as a golden age of German wine. In 1995, Riesling started again to be seen as the king of German wines, and is associated with a change in the quality-oriented thinking and patterns of consumption in the country.

Today, with about 23,800 hectares, Germany is home of the world’s largest vineyard area dedicated to Riesling and grows 45% of the world’s Riesling grapes. The variety is predestined for northerly regions and is planted in all 13 official German wine-growing regions. Depending on type of soil and microclimate, it yields grapes that produce wines with extremely diverse nuances, ranging from bone dry to lusciously sweet. A “typical” German Riesling is reminiscent of peach or apple on the nose, and has pronounced acidity. It is fantastic for food pairing and sparkling wine production.

“There has never been a better time to celebrate German Riesling,” says Steffen Schindler, Head of Marketing of the Deutsches Weininstut (DWI). “This is a historic day to celebrate the birth of the world’s most versatile grape.”

Festivities for Riesling Birthday will take place on a global scale this year, from North America to the Netherlands to China and Japan. With a mix of influencer events, dinners, master classes, and digital campaigns, all 14 Wines of Germany information offices will be participating.

To learn more about Wines of Germany, visit www.germanwineusa.com.

“The 2016 is the first vintage that uses our fruit from the RZA Block. It is in the heart of Vine Vale, the cooler, sandy Eastern pocket of the Barossa; the vines are thought to have been planted towards the end of the 1800’s. All dry grown, own-rooted Grenache.” – Richard Betts MS and Winemaker

Sucette (2016) is 100% Grenache from 2 dry-grown, own-rooted, sandy vineyards: our own Rza Block (estimated to have been planted between 1860-1880) and an 80-85-year old vineyard a kilometer away. Both vineyards are located in the heart of the Vine Vale, the coolest region of the Barossa Valley, situated at the foot of the Eden Valley in South Australia.

After the past two years of lower yields, 2016 was back to normal. A warm, dry Spring provided healthy fruit set. Summer was generally mild with intermittent rainfall, never a problem for the old vine material we use. Even ripening throughout, and ending with harvest over 3 days from April 2 to April 14. The 2016 was the first vintage we used fruit from the Rza Block, with the remaining fruit being sourced from a single vineyard approximately 80-85 years old. Thanks to healthy fruit set, even ripening and the addition of older fruit from the Rza Block, we bumped the whole cluster to 35% this year. After a 7 day ferment, we basket pressed over a slow 12 hour press cycle, and the wine spent a year in old French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The Rza Block fruit gives a very clear backbone of darker fruit here; all red fruits (rather than black), but Winter red fruits like cranberry and pomegranate in addition to the Summer strawberries and cherries. The structure of the very old vines is also on display, holding together a fantastic nugget of ripe fruit on the palate. White pepper, mint, sweet meats and earth.

Press for 2016 Sucette:
Wine Advocate 93 (9/2018)