Grower Champagne: BENOÎT LAHAYE

When it's time to celebrate good times; we reach for Champagne!!! I recommend that you not only seek out TRUE Champagne that represents only eighteen percent of the sparkling wine made in the world, BUT; GEEK OUT and enjoy the VERY RARE; GROWER CHAMPAGNE! Only 5% of the Champagne imported into the USA is grower Champagne.

BENOÎT LAHAYE

<ben-wa> <La-y>

Grand Cru, Blanc de Noirs, Champagne

"Blanc de Noirs" refers to a wine produced entirely from black grapes (“red” grapes)

Grapes: Pinot Noir

MIRABELLE PLUM / FLORAL / RASPBERRY / PEAR / ETHEREAL / CARAMEL  

Lahaye’s vineyards are planted almost entirely to Pinot Noir (88%), with the majority of the vines in Bouzy, a hectare in Ambonnay, and a small parcel of old vine Chardonnay in the Cotes de Blancs. Benoit feels strongly about working the land as naturally as possible; he stopped using chemicals in the vineyards in the mid-90s. He became organically certified in 2003 and biodynamically certified in 2010. Benoit Lahaye is a farmer first and winemaker second.

In this bottle there is more than wine; there is generations of experience tending to the vines, there is attentive care that only uses natural and sustainable methods. There is attention and thoughtful talent that you will be able to taste! This is wine the way it is supposed to be; seek it out!

You can find it at the NEW Restaurant Poppy at The George Hotel in Collage Station, Texas.

Cabernet Sauvignon, MOUNTAIN VIEW, Central Coast, California

“Some of the best values in the marketplace have come from Mountain View.  Smart consumers should be buying these wines.” –Robert Parker
50% Monterey grapes and 50% Northern Paso Robles grapes; excellent vineyard sources with talented and experienced wine making with American oak aging for 12 months, a little Merlot blended in (8%) was added for balanced juicy flavors; this is the most interesting and delicious wine at this price point.  

• POWERFUL 
• Berry Fruit 
• Black Cherry
• Cranberry,
• Cedar 
• Earthy Base Tones

From its inception, in 1978, Mountain View winery has forged strong relationships with growers in order to produce reasonably priced wines of superior quality. With growers located in regions that offer strong varietal character and exceptional value, including Monterey, Amador, Carneros, Lake County and the Central Coast. Mountain View Vintners are committed to the pursuit of ecologically sound practices whenever and wherever possible in the production process of premium quality varietal wines. In the Monterey and the Central Coast vineyards their growers have adopted sustainable farming methods and are happy to report environmentally sensitive results along with quality and economic benefits from the changes to "let the 'green' soil do its job naturally" have been realized. Their packaging is also “green” oriented as all glass bottles are produced with 75% recycled glass and our cases are made from 85% post-consumer recycled paper. And, the label printer, Galaxy Press, was the first printer in Northern California to achieve “green” certification and all labels are made from water based products so that they are biodegradable. Quality and substance is what we find in every bottle of wine from the Mountain View Vintners.

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Cabernet Sauvignon, JOSH CELLARS, North Coast, California

Joseph Carr's wine making team jokingly refers to this as a “vin de garage”  after work they like to sit around  wine cellar they call “the garage” and tinker with things.  Grape growers and friends come by and lend a hand,  laugh, tell stories and produce a winemaker's wine that we make just for ourselves; a handcrafted wine.  And, now they are sharing this with with you and me; named after Joseph Carr’s father, Josh, and they are expressive, but unassuming and approachable – just like Josh Carr was.

• POWERFUL
• Cherry
• Black Currant
• Spicy 
• Berry
• Oak

The grapes are from a single vineyard in the mountains of the Red Hills at the highest section between the Vaca and Mayacamas mountain ranges. The Mayacamas are famous for great Cabernet wine, due in part to ancient pyroclastic soils that contain volcanic glass. Josh Cellars North Coast Vineyards contain obsidian gravel that allows the soils to drain well, which is extremely important for growing Cabernet grapes. The high elevation sunlight combined with the rich volcanic red soils and obsidian fragments produce quality grapes that are extremely unique to the Red Hills. The vineyard itself sits on an East facing slope with varying altitude from 1200 to 2000 feet. The average daytime summer temperature is 84 degrees with an average nighttime temperature of 51 degrees. Handpicked at the peak of flavor development, crushed and cold soaked for 24 hours; punched down three times a day to maximize flavor extraction. Followed with a 10-15 day extended maceration. Barrel aging in new American oak and 1-2 year French oak for 16 months.

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Tour de France: Viognier, CINQUANTE-CINQ, Vin de Pays d'Oc, Languedoc, France, 2012

The grape vine flourishes in the Mediterranean climate of Languedoc, with more acres planted to the vine than any other winegrowing region in the world!   Thirty miles southwest of Montpellier,  in Alignan du Vent, the producer of Cinquante Cinq is the largest family-owned and operated coop in France, with a long history of farming and managing the same family-owned vineyards.  Working with the microclimates created by the coastal Mediterranean influence, on sites with optimal exposure to the sun and its prevailing North wind, Aligan du Vent is home to a variety of soils, including siliceous gravel, middle terrace areas of clay and gravel, and lower terraces of sand.  Here Cinquante Cinq is making some stunning wines!

• LUXURIOUS
• White Peaches
• Baked Apples
• Citrus Oil 
• White Flower Petals
• Minerals

Made with 100% Viognier from fifteen year-old vines, using Sustainable Farming techniques; no chemicals, no synthetic treatments this is a delicious wine.  Only eight-hundred cases were made making this a wine that will be gone before we know it.  Thanks to the families and farmers that made this wine possible, it is truly remarkable. 

Merlot, BONTERRA, ORGANICALLY GROWN GRAPES, Mendocino County, California

Bonterra passionately believes that organic grapes make better wine. Since 1993, Bonterra has been producing wine from 100% organically grown grapes using certified organic practices such as composting, cover crops and biodiversity.  These practices produce grapes that offer a quality of fruit and vibrancy of taste that express the purity and intensity of each varietal’s unique character.

• SUCCULENT
• Black Plums
• Dark Cherries
• Cranberries
• Toasty Oak
• Vanilla Spice

Aged for 12 months with French and American oak with medium to medium plus toast, with 30% new oak.  Merlot is one of Bonterra’s most distinctive expressions, Biodynamicly farmed at the McNab Ranch with a strong representation from Mendocino vineyards; Los Cerros and others. McNab has loamy, well-drained soils and an average elevation of 800 feet, which allows most of the blocks to experience temperature swings of 50 degrees. This ranch provides fruit that proves that organic farming makes better wines.

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Merlot, BENZIGER, SUSTAINABLY GROWN, Sonoma County, California

Benziger Family Winery is dedicated to wine making that reveals the true character of the vineyard, the varietal and the vintage in certified-sustainable, organically grown and Biodynamic® wines.  Their wines are defined by the individuality of the vineyard and the passion of the people who make them. Through this commitment to natural farming and environmentally and socially responsible business practices, they strive for sustainability and the preservation of their Sonoma Mountain family winery for generations to come.

• SUCCULENT
• Currant
• Black Raspberry
• Ripe Plum
• Anise
• Full-Flavor
• Velvety Texture

Handpicked fruit for this Merlot came from mountain, hillside, benchland and valley floor vineyard sites from Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley to the Carneros regions. Careful site selection ensures that only the best-suited and finest quality fruit are captured in every bottle of Benziger Sonoma County Merlot.