Antoine from Mosaic Pours French Wine and Makes Crêpes!

Mary Taylor “Olivier Gessler” Gascogne Blanc 2021 $14.99

Mary Taylor spent over two decades working in the wine industry before starting this label that operates like a negoçiant and focuses on small-production, organic, affordable, real wine from real people in France, Portugal, Spain, and Italy.

The Gessler family settled in the heart of Bas-Armagnac in 1928.  They are now a 4th generation producer, in organic conversion. This lively white is a blend of Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Gros Manseng, & Sauvignon Blanc, fermented & aged in stainless steel. Colombard is the offspring of Chenin Blanc and Gouais Blanc. This makes the grape the sibling of the Armagnac Meslier Saint-François and the nearly extinct Cognac grape Balzac Blanc. Ugni Blanc is also known as Trebbiano, and Gros Manseng is a dry varietal found in Jurançon wines. Everyone knows Sauvignon Blanc…

This wine is light, zesty, floral, and fruity. Lots of lemon-peel, tropical fruit, mouth-watering acidity. There’s the barest touch of residual sugar that makes the whole experience even more lip-smacking. 

Domaine Aigle a Deux Tete Chardonnay En Griffez 2016, Jura $31.99

Henri Le Roy grew up in Paris but from a young age had a strong affinity for the culture, food, and wine of Jura, the small, eastern French wine region between Burgundy and Switzerland. Henri visited Jura often and in 2005 he established Domaine de L’Aigle à Deux Têtes (two-headed eagle), in the picturesque village of Vincelles. The domaine is 5ha, almost all on blue marl soils, in “Côtes du Jura”, the region’s second most important appellation after Arbois. 

Henri is passionate about the styles of wines produced in the Jura and believes that there should be a separate appellation for “ouillé” wines (whites that are topped up in barrel to avoid oxidation) from those that are aged oxidatively or under film-forming yeasts. He’s a firm believer that natural and organic farming practices yield grapes that give a true expression of the soils on which they are grown, and that un-manipulated, terroir driven wines show the true characteristics of the vineyards.

Griffez is the name of the first plot of the estate, which was planted in 2004. It’s 100% chardonnay fermented and aged in wooden tuns and barrels. It is aging beautifully. The nose is accented by citrus-minerality, lime zest, and green apple. The palate is yeasty with a sprinkling of herbs, nuts, citrus and apples again. It’s lean, fresh, and lively with pleasant hints of aging creeping in from the edges.  

Domaine Jean Guiton Bourgogne Cote-d’or Rouge 2019 $33.99

This Burgundy domaine consists of 12 hectares of vineyards dotted around the following villages (comprising Village and 1er Cru appellations): Bligny-Les-Beaune, Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, Savigny-les-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses, and Ladoix. Total production is only around 5,400 cases from 12 appellations. They produce mostly red wines (95%), exclusively from Pinot Noir, with a bit of Aligoté, as well as Chardonnay for Haute-Côtes-de-Beaune white. 

Jean Guiton established Domaine Jean Guiton in 1973. For years he tended vines for several producers before he had the opportunity to buy some vineyards of his own in Ladoix and Aloxe-Corton, and start making wine on his parents property in Bligny-Les-Beaune. 

In 1987, a second opportunity allowed Jean to purchase more vineyards, this time in Savigny, Beaune, and Pernand-Vergelesses and soon thereafter in Volnay and Pommard. Today Jean’s son Guillaume is at the helm of the domaine. He joined the family business in 1998 (after completing studies at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune) and took over entirely in 2009. Jean embraces a lean style of winemaking (no pigéage, or punching down). The property is farmed without the use of systemic herbicides or pesticides, though it is not certified organic. 

This is a structured, red berries, plums and earth Pinot Noir that will continue to evolve and open up over the next few years. 

Chateau Nozieres Ambroise de l’Her Cahors 2018 $18.99

Cahors is a (mostly) red-wine producing region in south west France that focuses almost exclusively on Malbec (aka: Côt or Auxerrois); neither Cabernet (Franc or Sauvignon) is allowed. Malbec must make up at least 70% of wines labeled Cahors, with the remainder being Merlot and/or Tannat. The climate here is influenced by the Mediterranean as well as the Atlantic; although winters are colder than in Bordeaux, the wines tend to be more concentrated. There’s no real style “rule” here though many producers make a lighter version of Cahors that can be a bit rustic, while fewer make big, velvety, concentrated wines more like those of Argentina. This Malbec falls into the latter category, and is definitely made for blustery weather and stick-to-your-ribs cuisine. 

Château Nozières is a family run 50 hectare vineyard located in the village of Vire sur Lot in the heart of the Cahors appellation. The two grapes planted here are Malbec and Merlot. They farm using methods that respect the environment, such as alternating parcels, planting of grasses, encouraging biodiversity, and minimal use of chemicals and are in Ecocert organic conversion.

This is a big wine. It’s 90% Malbec, 10% Merlot from vines more than 30 years old planted on clay and limestone. It ages 12 months in oak, and the domaine’s pairing suggestions are grilled meat, duck legs, lamb ribs. 

We’re not usually points followers, but sometimes it can be fun, so here’s a review from Wine Enthusiast (90): Named after an ancestor of the present owners, this wine has powerful, dark tannins. Licorice and dark-chocolate flavors give a dry edge, while tannins form a firm background to the black-plum-skin flavors. Drink from 2023. (Hey, that’s now!) And Decanter (91) says: Vivid nose of red cherry and blueberry with soft oak touches. Lifted acidity and menthol character with juicy fruit. 

Even though we mostly fall into the lighter-bodied camp, we’re not lacking in appreciation for bold, powerful reds. So throw another log on the fire, steel yourself against the wind, and come taste some wine!