Elegance and Versatility: Explorer Club (August 2022)

Featured Explorer Club Wines:

2020 Chateau Marjosse | Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc | Bordeaux, France

91 points Decanter: "A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle, and Semillon. Typically aromatic nose, herbal and grassy, with tropical and citrus elements. Succulent, soft, and mouthwatering with weight and density."

Chateau Marjosse is the home estate for Pierre Lurton. Pierre Lurton is best known as the Managing Director of two First Growth Bordeaux estates. Chateau Cheval Blanc in St. Emilion and Chateau dYquem in Sauternes.

But Pierre Lurton is also well-known for producing some of the best red and white Bordeaux wine from the Entre Deux Mers appellation at his Chateau Marjosse estate.

The affable, charming, Pierre Lurton took over the responsibility of managing Chateau Marjosse in 1990. When Pierre Lurton began at Chateau Marjosse, the estate started out with only 12 hectares. Soon, his father gave Pierre 34 additional hectares and Chateau Marjosse was on the way.

Pierre Lurton has continued to increase his vineyard holdings and has made considerable renovations in the wine-making facilities. Under the care of Pierre Lurton, Chateau Marjosse updated their vinification facilities and built a new vat house.

Most of that work was completed by the 2000 vintage. However, the winery was once again updated in 2013. The design of the buildings is unique to the Entre Deux Mers appellation, with its Italian-looking frontage.

2020 Domaine de Colette | Fleurie | Beaujolais, Burgundy, France

Instagram: @domainedecolette

91 points Wine Enthusiast: "Granite bedrock imparts its minerality to the structure of this wine. A solid core of tannins brings density to the juicy berry fruits. Drink from 2023."

Domaine de Colette is located in the small village of Lantignié, regarded as the top village in the cru of Regnié, and less than 1 kilometer from the border of Morgon. It is owned and run by the humble Jacky Gauthier (with his wife Evelyne), whose family has been making wine for several generations. It was his father René who officially created Domaine de Colette in 1953. Gauthier began studying enology in the late 1970’s at the tender age of 17, planning to work with his parents’ on their then 8 hectares of vineyards. Meanwhile, in 1980 he got an offer from an uncle to help him work his vineyard, which he gladly accepted, and in 1984 was able to buy that vineyard and make wine from both family vineyards. His father passed away a decade later and he created one domaine encompassing all the family vineyards.

Gauthier has enlarged his property by nearly a third since we began working with him 15 years ago, having purchased additional vineyards in Fleurie and Moulin- à-Vent, thus bringing his total holdings to 14 hectares of vines. He now makes wines in Beaujolais-Villages as well as 4 crus (his home cru of Regnié, plus Morgon, Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent). His son Alexandre appears to be waiting in the wings as the next generation, as he is currently studying viticulture and enology.

The soils at Colette are worked organically in an effort to promote healthy and vigorous root systems. Only vegetable-based fertilizers are used. They shallow-plow between the vines during plant dormancy to force the roots down into the subsoil (and thus hopefully take on more of the terroir characteristics of each cru). They limit vine treatments during the year and intervene only when completely necessary. A green harvest is performed to give more concentrated grapes. Harvest is by hand, and only healthy grape clusters are emptied into the tank.

Jacky works prudently, limiting yields in his vineyards with his old vines, spraying only when the health of the plants is at risk, using a pied de cuve to begin fermentation, and aging the wine in neutral, cement tanks.

The result, with each and every wine, is a delicious mouthful of ripe Gamay, whose granite soils provide minerality and whose excellent exposure allows the burst of the Beaujolais fruit we know and love.

Fleurie is a northerly cru located next to Moulin-à-Vent. Soils are granitic and alluvial, and Colette’s vines have an average age of 50 years. Their grapes are harvested manually, and undergo carbonic maceration before being pressed. The wine is then aged in cement vats for 6 months before bottling.

Like many wines from this delightful cru, Colette’s version delivers floral (of course fleur means flower in French) notes of violet, iris and rose, along with fruity aromas/flavors of red fruit, blackcurrant and peach. Delicious with pigeon, country pate, leg of lamb or fresh goats cheese. (Importer)

Explorer Club Up to $34.95/month

Two bottles each month for up to $34.95. Explore the world of wine while developing your palate by enjoying a monthly delivery of wines that represent value and authenticity, hand-selected by the experts at Mission Wines!