Kogod Wine Merchant (2025)

27/12/2024

Ribera Revitalized: Dominio del Aguila "Picaro"

Ribera del Duero is hot. The cooling effects of the Atlantic don’t hold the same influence here as they do in Rioja, home of Spain’s classically age-worthy red wines. The drastic temperatures throughout the year yield hearty, concentrated wines. Routinely, they're framed with the markings of new French oak, and it takes years to reach proper maturity. Names like the lauded Vega Sicilia and Pingus define the perception of wines from Ribera.

In contrast, Jorge Monzon and Isabel Rodero have been making elegant and refreshing wines at Dominio del Aguila since 2013. The real cellar gem from Jorge is the Picaro, a high-toned, red fruit-driven wine of subtle spice, speaking to the concentration of old vines while providing a refreshing experience. This rogue amongst the big and bold holds its own with a welcome new spirit of Ribera. And it’s not hard to envision glasses of lightly chilled, crisp, concentrated, ruby-colored Picaro providing relief from the blistering summer’s heat in Ribera.

While other estates possess more storied reputations than Dominio del Aguila, the small, considerate project should by no means be excluded from conversations regarding the region's best and brightest. Jorge excels in showcasing the understated brilliance and dynamic presence of wine from Ribera del Duero. He's done the utmost to harness the power of the region’s diurnal shifts, capitalize on the sunshine and shade, and create wines of character and place.

27/12/2024

Diamond of Le Mesnil: Champagne Pierre Péters

While Les Chétillons marks Rodolphe Péters' benchmark single-vineyard, single-vintage wine, the rare bird that is L'Etonnant Monsieur Victor is a very different expression but with similar pedigree. Victor is an equal-parts blend of the best vats of the perpetual reserve started in 1988 and the best parcels of the single-vineyard Chétillons. It is aged for 6 years under cork. The TB.16 version just arrived this week.

And, no offer on Pierre Péters is complete without mention of Rodolphe's flagship cuvée, with insider information on large formats...

Cuvée de Réserve, below in bottle and magnum, is a reference point for the Côtes de Blancs. It’s 100% Chardonnay sourced from 63 parcels (all in Grand Cru villages) supplemented by the perpetual reserve. The reserve contains wine from benchmark vintages like 1988, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996. About 65% of this Chardonnay completes malolactic fermentation, though it can rise to 80% in cooler years. In ripe years, such as 2003 and 2009, the partial blocking of malo maintains tension and structure. Magnums are secretly comprised of vintage L'Esprit.

19/12/2024

Comando G's Garnacha from the ancient hillsides above Madrid is the most exciting Spanish red I've ever encountered and perhaps the most memorable vineyard visit of my life. The reflection in bottle of Garnacha (Grenache) sits in elite company with the likes of Chateau Rayas of Chateauneuf du Pape.

These wines are similar in their silken texture and focus on freshness to top Cru Beaujolais, yet with the very different complexity and drama of the benchmark 100% Grenache estate, Chateau Rayas. The Comando G wines are true to their Garnacha roots, with ripe strawberry, plum, and a wild incense spice, yet streamlined to reveal a brisk spine and chiseled rock minerality.

Daniel Landi and Fernando Garcia became friends in college and, after graduation, worked for wineries around Madrid. Rumors spread about plots of old, wild vines growing high in the hills of Sierra de Gredos. The duo leased the vineyards, implemented organic and biodynamic farming, and began producing these micro-cuvées under their label.

The range of terroirs show distinction in bottle, but the common thread is the very fine tannins and translucent personality. There's no Spanish estate today that reaches the same level of precision and freshness as Comando G.

18/12/2024

Alt Rock Champagne: Vouette & Sorbée

Bertrand Gautherot's Vouette & Sorbée epitomes Aube Champagne's avant-garde. Since planting his vines in 1986 and bottling his first champagne in 2001, he has stood as the shepherd for this southern zone's revival. Certified biodynamic in 1998, his 5-hectare estate covers three vineyards of the same soils commonly found in Chablis to the south: Kimmeridgian and Portlandian.

In the small village of Buxières-sur-Arce from this most southern zone of Champagne, a little more warmth and sunshine makes these non-dosage wines anything but austere. They are incredibly charming and enveloping upon release and hard to resist opening. However, some of my most memorable experiences with champagnes have come at the hands of aged Vouette & Sorbée. There is nothing to compare them to in the Aube, Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, or the Côte de Blancs.

Many have dubbed the 100% Chardonnay Blanc d'Argile "baby Selosse," and I can see why with its ripe and complex waxy yellow fruits with slight oxidative notes that are countered by intense salinity. At the opposite end of the cellar, you'd find the 100% Pinot Noir Fidele, which carries red berry fruits with supreme underlying mineral tension. And, Extrait (100% Pinot Noir). All wines are produced in very small quantities with low sulfur additions at bottling.

17/12/2024

Flair Meets Precision: Champagne Frederic Savart

Frederic Savart's style of champagne from the Montagne de Reims won over a fervent fan base seemingly overnight. Savart is avid about keeping terroir expression the primary objective, but, unlike many who walk that high road, he brings a flair and delicious factor that's immediately compelling.
While Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide receive most of these small-production gems, we're happy to have this new allocation.

Located in the Premier Cru village of Ecueil, Savart's four hectares have distinct sandy topsoil above clay and chalky bedrock—the main reason why finesse is the first thing you'll recognize. Also, in the cellar, larger format aging in wood brings an oxidative influence that's all about soft contours of texture and not the flavor of wood. Waxing poetic is easy, but the ex*****on is very difficult.

Savart's champagnes are among the rare breed that makes their brilliance known upon the first sip. They are low in dosage and brimming with energy, and each cuvée has a unique and luscious fruit profile.

14/12/2024

Jura Through the Lens of the Marquis: Domaine du Pélican

The history and worldwide reputation of Burgundy and the Jura couldn't be more different. While Burgundy's vineyards have been carefully delineated over centuries, and pricing has placed them atop the most collectible fine wines in the world, the Jura has remained quietly tucked in a sleepy corner of France an hour's drive east. Jura certainly has its enthusiasts, but the wines have been sold in France for the most part. One evening at a Parisian restaurant, a blind tasting of a single wine set in motion a series of events that may ultimately be a turning point for the Jura.

Guillaume D'Angerville, of Domaine Marquis d'Angerville in Volnay, is at the helm of one of Burgundy's elite and storied estates, with roots dating back to 1507. It was at this Parisian restaurant Guillaume asked the sommelier to pour him a glass of wine blind - a regular request of his. The one rule Guillaume had this evening was that the wine must not be from Burgundy. The sommelier pours, Guillaume takes a sip, pronounces it terrific, but that the sommelier had broken the one rule, no Burgundy! The sommelier grins and reveals the wine, Stéphane Tissot's Bruyères Chardonnay from the Jura, and the rest is history.

The white wines of Pélican are made in the fresh ouilée style, where barrels are topped up each month with wine to prevent oxidation. (Jura's Vin Jaune style and other whites can be produced where barrels are left untopped, leaving very distinctive oxidative, nutty notes as the wines age.)

13/12/2024

Sub-$60 Pinot Noir Thriller: 2022 Didier Fornerol Côte de Nuits-Villages

At La Paulée tastings, one particular domaine always dominates the overachiever category, and pulling off a sub-$60 attention grabber in a room filled with the most expensive and adored wines of Burgundy is no easy feat.

The magical tale that Didier Fornerol captures in bottle cannot be told without Burgundy legend Jean-Pierre de Smet. From 1982 to 1998, Fornerol worked alongside de Smet at Domaine de l'Arlot, then he left to take over his own family's domaine

De Smet and l'Arlot's famed whole cluster regimen and translucent, traditional style of Pinot Noir are on full display in Didier's Côte de Nuits-Villages. His six hectares of vines in Corgoloin (Between Ladoix and Nuits-Saint-Georges) are in the same relative zone that put l'Arlot on the map.

Finding wines that overdeliver for their price point in Burgundy always marks a special day. Considering the pedigree and style closely tied to l'Arlot's golden era, this small-production Pinot Noir deserves immediate attention!

12/12/2024

2022 Volnay Crescendo: Domaine Marquis D'Angerville

If there's one village in the Côte de Beaune that I would choose red Burgundy nine days out of ten, it's Volnay. Domaine Marquis D'Angerville is at the top of the ladder, along with Lafarge and De Montille. Always stocked at home, D'Angerville is ideal when having friends for dinner––the versatility at the dining table and the WOW factor of all the cuvées make it among the easiest decisions for choosing young or aged red Burgundy.

Always the model of Volnay sophistication, d'Angerville's style is suave with ripe red and blue fruits and polished tannins coming from the pump over-only protocol during ferment of the 100% de-stemmed fruit. This house style meshes brilliantly with the chalky, heavily limestone-dominant Volnay terroir that exhibits grace and mineral tension.

The vintages stretching back decades here are ones I jump at on a wine list as they transform with time while still holding onto primary fruit. Today's more recent wines are approachable earlier, with refined tannins and site signatures that keep these in the conversation of the best red domaines of the Côte de Beaune.

The 2022 red Burgundy vintage is all about ripe and fleshy fruit built upon excellent mineral precision. Across Burgundy, the reds from Bourgogne Rouge to the Grand Crus have no weak links––It's a vintage that you can't miss. D'Angerville opted for early picking, beginning Aug 23rd, to harness mouth-watering acids and preserve freshness in this warm vintage. D'Angerville is one of the rare domaines that appeals to both fruit-forward and classic-leaning palates.

10/12/2024

Non-Vintage Champagne Champ: Jacquesson 747 (2019-Base)

When the discussion arises on the best non-vintage champagnes, Jacquesson is a leader of the pack. William Kelley of The Wine Advocate provided a detailed rundown explaining how 2019 marked a new era for this champagne house and why the 700-cuvée series stands apart from other examples:

"Frustrated that blending for a consistent house style meant making the great vintages worse just as it meant improving the weaker years, the Chiquets decided instead to employ reserve wines to bring complexity to each successive base vintage. Each 700-series edition is now transparently based upon a single vintage, supplemented by the addition of complementary reserve wines."

Today, I'm happy to offer the Jacquesson Cuvée 747 coming from the excellent high ripeness and high acid base vintage of 2019.

The quality has only continued to rise over the past decade as their farming practices reach new heights. This is a non-vintage for the most serious and classic-leaning champagne enthusiasts!

07/12/2024

Nahe GG Highpoint: 2021 Schäfer-Frohlich Riesling

No producer in Germany has had a meteoric rise to stardom quite like Nahe's Tim Fröhlich. French restaurant guide Gault-Millau named him Newcomer of the Year in 2005 and Winemaker of the Year in 2010—the youngest recipient to ever receive this honor. Somehow, the range at Schäfer-Fröhlich has continually improved, even from the estate's magical vintages over the past decade.

Stromberg, Frühlingsplätzchen, and Felseneck are the sites of the star GG's at Schäfer-Fröhlich. Each is uncompromising in its rigor and incisive mineral thread. Felseneck's blue slate terroir has always been my favorite of the group. It has a cool streak of minerality that feels familiar yet reveals new notes with every passing year in the bottle. Stromberg is the steepest site, with volcanic soils. It's the most airy and featherweight of the trio. Frühlingsplätzchen is a rare site with a specific type of volcanic soil called Permian rhyolite, giving flinty notes and a linear personality with power meeting finesse.

The 2021 vintage is thrilling throughout Germany for Riesling, and this lineup is finally starting to show some of the secondary notes that give the whole picture of these undisputed grand terroirs of the Nahe. These wines rely on grace instead of showy tendencies of ripeness or caramel flavors (notes that Tim Fröhlich dislikes). White-stone fruit in a velvet glove and relentless grip may give the impression that these are austere, but they're prerequisites for the intense and driving finish.

06/12/2024

Loire's Holiest Ground: 2021 Joly Savennières Coulée de Serrant

Coulée de Serrant is the holiest vineyard of the Loire Valley. The enclosed Savennières site is home to Chenin Blanc vines that have been farmed since the 12th century and have been under Nicolas Joly's care for half a century. I've been waiting for the 2021 vintage for a few years now, as the cooler season is exactly what this site needs to express mineral tension to counter the inherent richness of this Chenin's steep slope.

The Clos de la Coulée Serrant is more than Savennières; it's an appellation unto itself à la Chateau Grillet in Condrieu. Joly is famous for his dogmatic approach to biodynamic viticulture and for picking quite late. These dry wines have a distinct honeyed marzipan note. I find myself being extremely partial to cooler and more classic vintages where intense fruit does not drown out the underlying salinity–enter 2021!

While biodynamic viticulture was considered fringe in the early 80s, today, Joly is as synonymous with biodynamics as any name worldwide.

The Chenin Blanc from vines up to 80 years old in the Coulée de Serrant are picked very ripe, fermented bone dry with native yeasts, and see a maximum of 5% new French oak for aging.

05/12/2024

Barbaresco Game-Changer: Cascina Roccalini Langhe Nebbiolo

We've been waiting a long time for the release of Roccalini's 2020 Barbaresco. It's a wine that I keep stocked at home year round because there's simply nothing like it in Piedmont.

Finding satin-textured, über-young Nebbiolo that calls to mind Foillard's Morgon Cuvée Corcelette more so than a customarily tannic Barbaresco is something I never considered possible. Hunting down this rare trait wasn't on my Nebbiolo radar, but when an iconic Burgundy producer tipped me off to this Barbaresco name, I made sure to taste immediately. Paolo Veglio's Cascina Roccalini is the best young example from Barbaresco I've ever tasted.

Roccalini flipped preconceived notions of the region and its capabilities upside down. There's a plush immediacy to the fruit profile that's easy to drink, yet with a complexity, translucent color, and a mid-palate grip that's true to Piedmont's Nebbiolo. Both the Barbaresco and Langhe Nebbiolo are wines that appeal to Piedmont purists, and the 2020 and 2021 vintages mark rare back-to-back home run growing seasons that have it all.

The surprisingly fresh and seamless Nebbiolo from Roccalini is undoubtedly derived from Paolo Veglio's natural approach. Living above the cellar and vines, Paolo knew early on that organic farming was necessary for producing the best possible wine and a healthy family lifestyle.

28/11/2024

Bitouzet's Burgundy Classicism: Volnay, Meursault & Puligny

Bitouzet-Prieur is Burgundy's Côte de Beaune classic name you need to know. Think of a southern compatriot to the Côte de Nuits star, Pierre Guillemot. The wines have unbeatable value, and haven't played into trends, still producing what their long lineage of family would recognize since 1804. Don't mistake "classic" for austere––these are silky and seamless, just without the oaky or overly sweet-fruited flavors that many have moved towards through Burgundy's continual rise in popularity.

The three cuvées from Bitouzet-Prieur below are my favorites in a deep lineup of reds and whites. Firstly, finding a Volnay under $70 with the pedigree to stand up to Lafarge, D'Angerville, De Montille, and Lafon is no small ask. It impresses with the same elegance the village is synonymous with. The famous high active limestone content brings the skeletal frame that allows for effortless aging and brings tension to the palate. Volnay's Premier Cru Caillerets is a noticeable step up in every sense, as this vineyard still can rival Taillepieds, the two Ducs, and Chênes as the village's best.

The Chardonnays don't miss a beat, punctuating the brilliance of the domaine with deft hands on both varieties. Meursault 1er Cru Charmes and Puligny's Levrons have both the crispy and baked apple and pear traits on the front end while quickly tightening up with a salty minerality as they grip the palate and stay for the long finish. Both are great examples of the secrets to be found in the quality-price-ratio arena from the two most famous white wine villages on Earth.
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27/11/2024

California Supreme: Arnot-Roberts Wines of Place

If Wines of Place has been our calling card for nearly ten years, Arnot-Roberts would be the California winery that best encapsulates this ethos with a diversity of sites and varieties. Each cuvée has a brilliance that stands tall on its own.

In 2011, when I was living in Napa and got to know Duncan Arnot and Nathan Roberts, their winery Arnot-Roberts was relatively new. Even though they started with one barrel in their basement ten years prior, the buzz was only building. Today, through their site-driven wines, they are atop the New California movement that has caught the attention of Europe, Asia, and beyond. Since day one, the low-intervention winemaking and sense of place in each terrific bottle have been the core of our selections.

Their Sonoma Syrahs are so good that the late, great Marcel Juge called them "Cornas" when we blind-tasted him in his Rhône cellar. They regularly receive critical praise as the best bottling of the variety in California in any given year. The Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons are more mineral and site expressive than most of Bordeaux "made" today. Chardonnay sourced from vineyards spanning Santa Barbara to Sonoma showcase unparalleled salinity and a magical, suave texture. And, their lesser-known bottlings of Trousseau and Sauvignon Blanc are singular expressions that always have a place on my dinner table.

26/11/2024

The Santa Cruz Mountains are the ideal destination for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that approximate Burgundy with their cool growing seasons and marginal climate. The western side of the mountains has a front-row seat to the Pacific's coastal winds and morning fog. Cole Thomas of our favorite discovery, Madson Wines, is one of those rare American winemakers who walks the walk, producing wines without bending to trends or scores.

The spice-driven and elegant Pinot Noirs are terroir-driven to their core, and the Chardonnays are built upon salinity and crispy fresh orchard fruits, never delving into the overripe or oaky realm that's held back California Chardonnay for far too long.

Cole has built his career here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. After earning a degree in environmental studies at U.C. Santa Cruz, he worked in vegetable farming and landscaping before landing a job at Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, where he met viticulturist Ken Swegles. They launched Madson together in 2018 and solely farm using organic and regenerative practices.

22/11/2024

Alsatian Sensation: André Ostertag Dry Riesling

Domaine Ostertag has long gone against the grain of Alsatian expectations, crafting dry, disciplined wines that still summon the region's perpetual sunshine. Fronholz and Grand Cru Muenchberg Rieslings especially imbue the transparency and purity of a mountain lake. These wines are a moment of clarity for Alsace, and all lovers of ethereal yet layered Riesling.

Alsace is in the cool northeast pocket of France, and its protection from the Vosges Mountains means it receives the least rainfall of any region. This abundant sunshine has long given Alsatian wines a rounded and golden orchard fruit quality, often with a dollop of residual sugar. However, several elements separate Andre Ostertag from the norm––topping the list is his interest in producing only dry expressions of Riesling.

Ostertag studied viticulture in Burgundy and returned home in 1998 to employ organic and biodynamic principles in the vineyard. He wanted to keep energy and verve in his dry wines and chose to age them in stainless steel––think Chablis texture meets dry Mosel Riesling filigree.

Today, Alsace is famous for having the highest percentage of organic and biodynamic producers in France. While the quality at harvest couldn't be higher, I still find few producers that execute with the same sense of harmony that Ostertag is adored for.

22/11/2024

Sardinia Powerhouse: Giovanni Montisci

The island of Sardinia only feels partially native to Italy. For one, its most planted red grape is Cannonau or, as most people know it, Grenache. For this grape, our mind normally goes to Southeast France or North Spain or even California, not Sardinia. But Grenache has been in Sardinia for a long time. Some sources believe it made its way to Sardinia when Spanish colonizers moved in during the 14th century. Others think it originated here. The mixing pot of influences is so interesting––then add in Giovanni Montisci and his craftsmanship.

Barrosu is Montisci's flagship Cannonau, what's local slang for someone who is brash or arrogant, and it's true to name. The rich, complex red berry fruit and tannins and herbaceous Italian spices almost immediately induced hunger for red meat. The impressive integration of tannin and robust fruit calls to mind the class and stature of, yes, Chateau Rayas.

Formerly a mechanic, Montisci made a career pivot after his wife inherited two hectares of old-vine Cannonau and Moscato. The vineyards had been abandoned, so Montisci took it upon himself to revive them using organic farming practices––he did that for 15 years, learning the craft of winemaking and selling off his fruit, before bottling the wine under his own name in 2004. He's considered an ambassador for the region, though we'd go further to say he has what it takes to become a benchmark.

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily, large enough to have varying climates amid its coastal and inland regions. Montisci is based in the center of it all, in Mamoiada, where’s it’s most mountainous. The climate is arid and hot, resulting in powerful fruit and tannin comparable to Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Priorat, but the high elevation (some over 2,000 feet) and cold nights make for both slow, steady ripening and plenty of acidity.

14/11/2024

Holiday Curated Packs: The Best of Sparkling, White & Red

Today, I'm happy to offer our curated holiday mixed packs. I've handpicked wines that will pair perfectly with Thanksgiving and beyond. From lighter to richer, from Burgundy to the eclectic, today's packs feature the names I'm most excited about as we finish 2024! Link in bio to shop the collection.

Kogod Wine Merchant

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