The Boisset Insider - May 2020
In This Issue:
► JCB Live: Wine Styles – the fun continues in June!
► Rosé Season is HERE!
► Bouchard Ainé & Fils Heritage de Conseiller Tier : Burgundy Style & Quality from a Vin de France
In The News:
► Wine Spectator Features Oakville Wine Merchant and Oakville Grocery
► Forbes Calls Jean-Charles the “Wine Wizard”
► Boisset Bottles Receive High Marks
JCB Live: Wine Styles – the fun continues in June!
As we turn the cameras on ourselves, we invite you into the world of Boisset through our JCB Live: Wine Styles series available on the JCB Live YouTube channel. Throughout the month of May we explored wines from across Boisset’s Franco-American portfolio and learned some exciting food and wine pairings with Chef, Rafael Molina, explored the gardens with Director of Gardens, Joe Papendick and provided tips on creating an epic Bloody Mary.
We look forward to June where we will celebrate National Cognac Day on June 4 paired with crêpes, learn how to create the most eye-catching and savory cheese and charcuterie board with Cheesemonger James Ayers from Atelier on June 9 and watch as Jean-Charles Boisset and Donnell Shuster pair off with Chef Rafael Molina and Patrick Egan for a grilling showdown of who can create the best burger on June 18. And this is just the beginning… we look forward having you join us on JCB Live: Wine Styles!
New episodes air every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00pm PST. View the full schedule for June here.
Rosé Season is HERE!
The sun is out, even though most of us are staying inside or in our backyards. Wherever you might be spending time these days rosé is the perfect pairing for any spring or summer moment. There are so many ways to enjoy rosé that it’s impossible to cover them all. From pairing with pizza, barbecue, fried chicken, tacos and bright fresh salads to creating cocktails or “frosé” to simply savoring a refreshing ,chilled glass on its own, it’s easy to see why this wine is so easy to love and loved by so many.
The preferred rosé of Boisset is our LVE Côtes de Provence Rosé (recently called a top rosé by Bloomberg) from the vineyards at the base of Mont Saint Victoire in Provence, the famous mountain painted in over 100 scenes by the impressionist artist, Cézanne. The nose evokes smells of Provence, with wild strawberries and ripe apricots that announce a rich and intense palate with a mineral finish. The glass cork enclosure allows you to save the environment and reuse your stylish LVE empties for water, juice or any other refreshing libation.
LVE has plenty of support from frosé and cocktail recipes to point-of-sale materials for both on- and off-premise. Reach out to your local Boisset representative for more information.
Bouchard Ainé & Fils Heritage de Conseiller Tier : Burgundy Style & Quality from a Vin de France
Burgundy wines are renowned around the world as some of the best wines ever made. Unfortunately, thanks to this unwavering reputation for quality and its limited vineyard space, most bottles from Burgundy have the price tag you would expect to accompany this reputation.
Fortunately, Bouchard Ainé & Fils, one of the oldest family winemakers if Beaune and Burgundy dating back to 1730, has an affordable tier dedicated to the noble varieties of Burgundy, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but made from grapes in the south of France.
The tier is called “Heritage de Conseiller” or “Counselor to the King” and has all the characteristics of a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir made in Burgundy but without the price tag. There are three wines to choose from that retail for $10 to $12; a VDF Chardonnay, a VDF Pinot Noir and a VDF Rosé of Pinot Noir. If you are interested in tasting these wines for yourself, please contact your local Boisset representative.
In The News
Wine Spectator Features Oakville Wine Merchant and Oakville Grocery
The June 15 issue of Wine Spectator features Boisset’s Oakville properties in an article titled “Napa: A Concentration of Excellence” that spotlights the best places in Napa Valley to taste wine, eat and stay. The grand dame of wine publications called Oakville Wine Merchant “beautiful” and “one of the most informative tasting rooms around” and described its setting with the large Baccarat chandelier and the hundreds of wine artifacts and photographs in the 1881 Napa museum upstairs. The magazine noted that guests can sample wines by the taste, half-glass and full glass from Valley luminaries such as Bond, Shafer, Dalle Valle, Dominus and Spottswoode. In the same article, Wine Spectator also called Oakville Grocery “the venerable provisions oasis that remains popular for good reason” and recommended visitors “take time to browse one of the best retail wine programs in the area.”
Forbes Calls Jean-Charles the “Wine Wizard”
Jean-Charles Boisset was featured in another Forbes article, this one from American journalist Tom Mullen who lives in Bordeaux and interviewed Jean-Charles at the Naples Winter Wine Auction earlier this year. The piece dubs the Boisset Collection proprietor "the Wine Wizard of Burgundy and California" and focuses on the Biodynamic agriculture principles and ideas that shape the Boisset properties. As Mullen writes in the article, "Boisset is an engaging optimist—eager to share his grand view of life and its possibilities. Beneath panache and business acumen is also a man who learned well from his parents and grandparents the value of long-term, quality stewardship of land."
Boisset Bottles Receive High Marks
Top critic Jeb Dunnuck has released new scores for several of Boisset’s wholesale wines, with him calling the 2010 Domaines Maire Vin Jaune “rock star stuff” and awarding it 94 points. He gave the 2018 Buena Vista Winery The Sheriff a cool 91 points, noting it’s “wonderfully fruit-forward” and “undeniably delicious.” The Colorado-based reviewer who left his aerospace engineering career in 2013 to write for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate for four years also marked the 2018 Buena Vista Chateau Buena Vista Chardonnay at 90 points and noted “it’s balanced and has good acidity, followed by a clean, crisp finish.” Dunnuck also gave 90 points to the 2018 DeLoach Vineyards Russian River Valley Zinfandel. Virginie Boone from Wine Enthusiast also gave that same wine the same score, noting it is a “rich, rounded and ultimately rewarding red wine.” Wine Spectator went further, giving the 2018 DeLoach Russian River Zinfandel 91 points and “top value” status in its June 15-June 30 issue with critic Tim Fish calling it “plump and zesty.” Wine Enthusiast doled out 91 points to the 2018 Buena Vista North Coast Pinot Noir, calling it “quite complex and intricate in flavor.” The publication also gave the 2018 Raymond Vineyards Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay 90 points, noting that it is “made in a robust, richly layered style.” Contact your Boisset sales manager for more information on adding these highly rated bottles to your lineup or increasing your allocation of them.