Veuve Fourny & Fils Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature 1er Cru NV
"Bright, precise and beautifully focused, the NV Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature hits all the right spots. Lemon peel, white pepper, mint, slate and crushed rocks abound in a Champagne that pulses with energy. Readers who like taut, crystalline Champagnes will find much to admire here. Even with no dosage, the Blanc de Blancs has striking creaminess and overall depth. This is an absolutely impeccable Champagne from Veuve Fourny & Fils."
93 Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre 2017
“A model for Sauvignon Blanc born from the Loire’s Kimmeridgian limestone. Reverdy’s trademark is a generous flavor of blossoming flowers channeled over the palate, culminating in a finely etched mineral finish. Ethereal and full of charm, this Sancerre comes into precise focus on the crisp, mouthwatering finale. A whisper of fresh-squeezed lemon lingers on the lips and tongue, zestfully inviting the next sip. Don’t miss yet another classic from this Loire Valley reference."
Anthony Lynch, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Domaine Ostertag Pinot Blanc Les Jardins 2017
"The merest touch of russet-pear-peel aroma appears on the nose before hints of lemon join in. The palate continues in this earthy pear and light lemon fashion. It makes for a light, expressive, dry and very versatile wine."
90 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
Albert Boxler Riesling Sommerberg 2015
“Boxler's 2015 Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg opens with the discreet charm and aristocratic distinction of a great wine. Very pure, clear, fine and elegant on the nose, with fine stony and herbal flavors but also ripe stone fruit and floral aromas, the 2015 tells the story of its origin in the glass in an excitingly subtle yet deep way. The palate is great! It is intense and juicy, nicely concentrated and ripe, with a touch of sweetness but gorgeous finesse, vitality and piquancy. The finish is pure and salty and develops a fascinating juiciness that explodes in the finish. This is not a wine for mouthfeel drinkers, but it is surely one of the finest, most delicate and balanced Rieslings you can find from this vintage. The combination of concentration, complexity, structure, minerality and sweetness (due to the low acidity, higher alcohol and extract) could hardly be better.”
95 Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
Domaine A. & P. de Villaine Bouzeron 2017
“. . .Often ignored in favor of fleshier, earlier-ripening Chardonnay, small-berried, thick-skinned Aligoté–with its balanced ratio of alcohol to acidity–may actually be an even more precise conduit for Burgundian terroir.
When asked how he makes wine with so little sulfur, Pierre, whose passion for biodynamics recalls the enthusiasm of a zany, erudite biology professor, theorizes that like humans, young wine thinks it is immortal. Wine holds an eternity’s worth of souvenirs, he says. When we drink wine we are not eating a fruit salad of grapes! We are tasting the memory of fruit, water, soil, and savoir-faire. If this is true, pay close attention to the 2017 vintage–a bright white with a bitter-almond bite and tonic energy–it may be able to tell us everything we need to know about the great Bouzeron AOC."
Jane Berg, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Francine et Olivier Savary Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2015
"In Maligny, a village well-poised between Paris and Dijon, just north of Chablis, Olivier Savary and his wife, Francine, have been vignerons since 1984. Though many of Olivier’s family members were vignerons, an unfortunate series of challenging harvests discouraged his parents from joining the family business. Chardonnay runs strongly through his veins, however, and Olivier pursued wine school in Dijon regardless of the fact that he would have no vines of his own. Olivier and Francine arranged to farm some vineyard land en métayage (share cropping) in the Chablis and Petit Chablis appellations. With his father at his side to farm the complex network of vineyards, Olivier initially sold off the majority of his production in bulk to a négociant. Emboldened by their years of combined experience and family history of winemaking, Francine and Olivier finally found their wings and began bottling under their own label. In 1990, Olivier's longtime friend and Chablis legend Jean-Marie Raveneau introduced Olivier to Kermit. Today, Francine and Olivier are joined by their sons, Maxime and Mathieu, whose ambition and young energy ensures a bright future for the domaine."
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Domaine Robert-Denogent Pouilly-Fuissé La Croix Vieilles Vignes 2016
"Moderate reduction masks everything except a whiff of exotic fruit. More interesting are the supple and sophisticated if, somewhat surprisingly, less concentrated than usual flavors that exhibit plenty of energy on the stony, minty and lemony finish that is presently mildly austere. This should drink well a bit earlier than normal if that's your preference."
90-92 Allen Meadows, Burghound
Domaine A. & P. de Villaine Mercurey Les Montots 2016
"It expresses a very beautiful maturity despite a year not so bright. The note and palate are correlated to the nature of the soil in Mercurey Les Montots: Clay-limestone with iron presence. This gives to the wine a racy, chiselled nose with chalky notes of cooked red fruits. On the palate, the wine is astonishingly supple and silky on first approach whilst the tannins are more presents on the finish lengthening the tasting and leave a powerful impression. A great wine with ageing potential."
Producer Notes, Domaine de Villaine
Catherine & Pierre Breton Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal 2015
“Clos Sénéchal is one of the top two red Bourgueil wines produced by the Bretons. It is from a parcel on the hillside above the plateau of Galichets, where clay and limestone soil sits atop the famed tuffeau of the Loire, the chalky white limestone quarried to build many of the famed châteaux of the region. Sénéchal is macerated in open wood vats and fermented and aged in wooden foudres. It is bottled without fining or filtration after 18 months of aging.”
Importer Notes, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Charles Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie 2015
"The domaine's oldest vines have produced a rich, concentrated wine packed with all the smoky, red-fruit flavors of ripe Cabernet Franc. . ." 93 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
Lionel Faury Collines Rhodaniennes L’Art Zele 2017
"Faury owns two parcels in the Côte-Rôtie lieu-dit known as “l’Arselié,” located high on the hill where the land begins to undulate before connecting with the plateau farther above. These parcels lie in the northern Côte Brune, on the north side of Ampuis, above Le Plomb and Grandes Places. One of them produces fruit for his Côte-Rôtie, which is blended with his holdings from Le Plomb and Fourvier on the lower, steeper slopes. The other portion, just outside of the official appellation, is used to create this bottling that differs from Côte-Rôtie in name only. We release it younger, and it drinks sooner, but it has all the telltale aromatics, flavor, and structure of the legendary roasted slope: black, ultra-smooth, loads of graphite. Traditionally made, whole-cluster Syrah from a proven master of the grape, aged in older demi-muids, this is one of the only Syrahs that gives you a taste of the great northern Rhône Syrah appellations without the price tag."
Dixon Brooke, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Lionel Faury Côte-Rôtie 2016
"(40% whole clusters) Vibrant, mineral-tinged aromas of blue fruit preserves, candied flowers and five-spice powder, along with suggestion of candied licorice. Palate-staining, concentrated black raspberry, boysenberry and peppery spice flavors show very good clarity and energetic cut. The floral note comes back strong on the subtly tannic finish, which hangs on with serious tenacity and lingering spiciness."
92-94 Josh Raynolds, Vinous
Patrick Bottex Bugey-Cerdon La Cueille NV
". . .Kermit Lynch is one of the most meticulous importers in terms of shipping wines properly, but it would be nice to see a vintage, release, or bottling date on these bottles. This cuvee may qualify as the “wine bargain of the year.” A Champagne-like sparkling rose from the largely forgotten area of Bugey (which only received appellation status in 2009), this low alcohol (8%) offering is made from 90% Gamay and 10% Poulsard (an indigenous grape of the region)."
90 Robert M. Parker Jr, Wine Advocate
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