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A truly dynamic bottle of bubbles. Incredibility fine for a bottle under $20.

The iconic Ameztoi Rubentis rosé is a field blend of the local, indigenous hondarrabi zuri and hondarrabi beltza varieties, grown on traditional trellises high on the slopes rising above Getaria, an ancient Basque fishing village on Spain’s rugged northern coast. In the 2000s, when almost all of the other local wineries gave up on the indigenous red hondarrabi beltza vines, the Ameztoi family retained their old vines, in turn, lending their rosé such exceptional vibrancy and complexity.

Rubentis, the region’s first pink wine, was inspired by the historic claret style wines which were once produced in the area long before the current global craze made rosé famous. The backbone of the blend comes from an old hondarrabi beltza vineyard planted in 1840, preserved by the Ameztoi family for generations. Ameztoi Rubentis is an authentic original, a wine that is often imitated but never replicated.

Vinification – After handpicking, hondarrabi zuri and hondarrabi beltza grapes are combined for destemming; the white and red grapes are worked together, not separately. After direct pressing, fermentation with indigenous yeast occurs in stainless steel at 15°C for 20 days. Towards the end of alcoholic fermentation, the tanks are closed to preserve the naturally occurring carbonation, which is the preferred style of Getaria. The tanks are then kept chilled to near freezing before bottling, which preserves the wine’s delicate, effervescent character and signature mousse. These attributes are unattainable through shortcuts such as force-carbonation, which Ameztoi has never employed.

-Importer notes

This is great example of perfect balance, an inspiration of our Master Blender.
Is a sure shot recommendation for any occasion, for those seekers of excellence and beauty, a taste of tradition well executed, great to have straight, with a single ice, or high end mixology.
It is produced from molasses by continuous distillation, and matured for 15 years in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, under supervision and hand care of our seasoned Master Blender.
Nose: combines the softness of dry fruits, toffee, caramel, and vanilla, with the strength of oak.
Palate: Round blend of sweet honey, oak, cocoa, spice, orange peal.
Finish: Medium to long finish.

A classic white rum with distinctive vanilla and almond notes developed in white oak barrels and shaped through a secret blend of charcoal for a distinctive smoothness.

This family domaine of 9ha located in Chavignol can trace its history back to 1380. The land records for that year mention a Jean Boulay as owner of vineyards in Chavignol. At the time, the Clos de Beaujeu in Chavignol was already known for the quality of its white wine which is remarkable since Sancerre was known as a red wine area until after phylloxera invaded it. In the 14th century the Clos de Beaujeu supplied the Cathedral of Bourges with white wine. 

Of the 9ha owned by Gerard Boulay, 8 of the hectares are on the slopes of Chavignol on Kimmeridgian or “terre blanche” soils (similar to the soils in Chablis), which he works manually and has farmed organically since 1990. The youngest vines at the domaine were planted by Mr. Boulay in 1972 and the average vine age is approximately 45 years old. The wines ferment naturally in tank and with the exception of the Chavignol tradition which is also aged in tank, the parcellaire wines are aged in in a mix of Foudres and used 300L barrels. Gerard adds no yeast and little to no SO2 during vinfication. He describes his role as one of “surveillance” to make sure nothing goes wrong. In general he works by instinct, “au feeling” because he wants to “let the wine live” and tries not to interfere with the natural process. “C’est la nature qui fait le vin” (Nature makes the wine). Boulay and Mother Nature team up to produce the following wines:

Sancerre Chavignol - Blend of young vine parcels on kimmeridgian slopes in the village of Chavignol. 

-Importer notes

TASTING NOTES
Warm baking spice and tangy red fruit with punchy orange zest and herbal warmth of rosemary & sage

BASE WINE
AVA Certified Santa Barbara Blended Wine

FORTIFIED WITH
Grape spirit infused with 13 select botanicals including clove, nutmeg, Seville orange, rosemary, sage, and coriander

Arriving the week of 9/12/2022

"Amongst the recent vintages, I was blown away by a stellar showing of the 2015 Climens that had the audacity to outflank the 2016 and 2019."

97 Points Neal Martin Vinous Media

Except for Chateau D'Yquem there really is no better estate in Sauternes and Barsac than Chateau Climens. Famed wine critic Neal Martin was lucky enough to do a large vertical tasting at the Chateau very recently and gave a very nice report for Vinous

Just our luck! I bought all I could of the 2015 in half bottles wile visiting Bordeaux a few months ago and it just landed on our most recent French container. We are thrilled to offer this special wine at a very special price, sadly in limited quantity. Phil Bernstein