Robert Kacher Selections Have Arrived!

“How boring the world would be without a Bobby Kacher.”

- Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Yesterday we got in almost 200 cases of amazing everyday wines from the portfolio of Robert Kacher selections and it is ONLY available for sale at Mid-City’s original fine wine destination.  If you aren’t interested in expressive, pure, beautiful French wines at great prices then CLICK HERE, if amazing wines at even better prices piques your curiosity then read on.

Why is this Robert Kacher guy important?

Well, our long-time customers know Robert Kacher Selections quite well. Our new ones may not know who Robert Kacher is and that he is a US wine importer whose “single-minded obsession with quality” makes him arguably one of the country’s premier importers of French wine. From Grand Cru Burgundy to everday Rhone, Bobby Kacher offers up an exceptional portfolio of both value-priced and collectible wines.

What’s great is that we bascially buy these wines direct from the importer, letting the wine kiss the loading dock at our wholesaler just long enough to make it legal before it comes to us and, as such, we are able to buy the wine at the importer price and not wholesale price, thus bypassing the wholesale mark-up and allowing us to pass along the wines at prices from 20% + of what they would normally be.  It might be hot outside, but that’s kind of cool.

These wines are all in stock and ready to go!  There are amazing “baby Chateauneuf-du-Papes,” White Rhones that’ll make your head spin, insanely refreshing Loire Whites and a whole lot in between.  Here’s the skinny on what’s in-store:

The Top Value of this Load

2006 Domaine Sainte Eugenie « Les Clos »    $9.99
I visited this fantastic property in July of 2005, right before “that thing” happened in August ’05.  Sainte Eugenie really is in out in the middle of nowhere on the edge of the heart of darkness, as the French say.  Its located in Corbières on the western edge of the Languedoc in Southern France where the ruggedness of the Pyrenees sees the Rhone influence of the Languedoc meeting up with a Bordeaux effect.  It is owned by Frenchman Herve Gantier who is from Burgundy and the wine is made by a Spaniard, José Ratero, who –as it turns out – has made wine in the Burgundy village of Meursault for twenty-five years.  Confused yet?

Anyway, I visited this property on the day before Bastille Day in ’05 which means the Frenchman was gone pecan and left the Spaniard to take me around.  Let it suffice to say Jose didn’t have much of a grasp of the English language, however we found a corkscrew that was happy to translate and he did manage to get across the point that he’s taking a Burgundian know-how to make wine in the stark, harsh conditions of Corbières.  He works hard to preserve the subtlety of fruit, uses oak only in moderation and keeps the sense of place alive in the wine.  All of this was, of course, translated via a glass of wine and after tasting the wines on sight, all I can say is “Jose, mission accomplished!”

They make a fair number of wines at Sainte Eugenie, however this might be my favorite.  It’s a blend of about 40% Merlot and almost equal parts of Carignane, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Fresh and lively, the wine is still deep and wonderfully balanced, well structured.  The Burgundian winemaker shines through on the wine’s elegant finish and very bright, clean fruit.  Also, it can actually withstand a chill and at this price the wine really shows some chops as a wine of character against wines twice the price.  Buy plenty of this one folks, you’ll be glad you did.

Other Highlights

Even though we love all of these wines, on each load there are a few that stand head and shoulders above the rest, here is a trio of gems from this go-round.

2008 Domaine de la Becassonne Cotes du Rhone Blanc, $14.99
Small estate located near Châteauneuf-du-Pape and is solely dedicated to producing white wine which pretty unique seeing as how 90% the Southern Rhone’s output is red wine.  A blend of Roussanne, Clairette Blanc and Grenache Blanc, you’ll love the intensity and vibrancy of the fruit, the aromatics of the wine and the rich mouthfeel.

2006 Mas Carlot Mourvedre/Syrah “Les Enfants Terrible” $14.99
“A rustic, hearty yet incredibly fruity blend of Mourvedre and Syrah from 60-70 year old vines.  This is truly a Mom and Pop outfit (this wine is named after their kids) and this wine is always one of our house favorites.  The Mourvèdre gives the wine lots of spice and elegance and the Syrah adds plum and berry with that unmistakable Rhone-ish meaty character.  A really unforgettable wine and (if for no other reason that not much was made) and one that truly belies its price.  This is a winner, for true.

2006 Domaine André Brunel Cotes du Rhône, $13.99
A “simple” Cotes du Rhone that really brings elegance and finesse to the bottle.  A blend of 80% Grenache along with 10% Syrah and 10% old-vine Cinsault.  As is the case with Brunel’s Chateauneuf-du-Papes (n.b. they are some of the best made), the Grenache for this wine is old vine, low yielding (meaning higher concentration of fruit) and grown on a stony soil in sustainable, organic vineyards all of which produces a powerful wine with that trademark red berry fruit and a slight touch of spice.  Really amazing bottle of wine for the price.

2005 Montpezat Merlot “L’Enclos” $13.99
Small, 7 acre property of Merlot are produced from the gravelly hillsides behind the village of Pèzenas.  If you’ve never been to Pèzenas, its like the Morgan City of the Mediterranean, however unlike Morgan City this warm microclimate is capable of ripening Merlot to perfection, there’s no Marine Shale processing plant and their steamed mussels are really, really good..

The Reds

2005 Mas de Guiot Grenache/Syrah, $12.99
Baby Chateauneuf du Pape anybody?  Another one of those “Costs $13 but drinks like a $30” wines we’ve gotten pretty good at finding.

2005 Mas de Guiot Syrah de Numa, $21.99
Made from 50 year old syrah vines. This is another wine that could easily pass for a “fancy” appellation – think Cote Rotie. Smooth, suave and powerful.

2006 Domaine des Amouriers VDP Vaclause, $12.99
2006 Domaine des Amouriers Vacqueyras, $31.99
Very traditional estate in the Rhone Valley, they are based in Vacqueyras and make a supple, old world style of wine. Their wines (the Cotes du Rhone is Declassified Vacqueyras) are mostly old vine Grenache (60%), with equal amounts of Syrah, Mouvedre (more old vines) and Cinsault.

2007 Domaine des Nugues Beaujolais-Villages, $15.99
A Beaujolais of extraordinary quality, made from hillside fruit is is a taste of the pure fruit flavors of unadulterated Beaujolais, they evolve beautifully with bottle age. This is serious Gamay!

2004 Domaine Gournier L’Hommage, $12.99
2005 Domaine Gournier L’Hommage, $15.99
There’ll be an email about this one later.  Just trust me.

2006 Domaine Santa Duc Cotes du Rhone V.V. $15.99
A smoking hot Cotes du Rhone red made by one of the top producers in Gigondas (if not THE top).  A full-bodied black cherry fruit bomb that shows all the fruit and earth and white pepper you want from the Rhone. Big and meaty with a silky smooth texture, you just don’t see this much wine labeled under a simple Cotes du Rhone, for $15 no less! This wine makes me happy.

2006 Domaine Andre Brunel Cotes du Rhone SOMMELONGUE, $15.99
Made just outside of Châteauneuf-du-Pape near the village of Orange. This wine is a blend of 90% Grenache, with 5% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre. Made in the EXACT same way he does his Chateauf-du-Pape.  Made by a master of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, this is the sleeper wine of the load.

2005 Chateau Valcombe Costieres de Nimes Prestige, $13.99
A blend of the finest old-vine Syrah on the ancient Valcombe property blended with up to 30% Grenache.  A true treasures of Nîmes, an area laden with hidden wine treasures.

2006, Mas Carlot Grenache/Syrah, $11.99
Made by the lovely Nathalie Blanc-Marès (trust me on this one, she’s stunning) at a seventeenth century property in a plot of land whose soil is a virtual replica of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the wine is a blend of Grenache and Syrah made entirely without oak.   Just WONDERFUL purity and flavors of bacon fat, pepper, spicy black cherry, plum this is just a delicious wine and one that is well worth its price tag.

The Whites

2007 Domaine de la Quilla Muscadet sur Lie de Sevre & Maine, $11.99
Loire white that has become a crowd favorite at C&B. Light, fresh, seafood wine.

2007 Mas Carlot Marsanne/Roussane, $13.99

2007 Mas de Bressades Viognier/Roussanne, $19.99
Beautifully textured 50/50 blend of Viognier & Roussane. The Viognier gives it a nice floral / peachy component and the Roussane adds weight and depth. A great white as the weather heats up.

2007 Domaine Tariqet Sauvignon Blanc, $12.99
80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon from the Atlantic Coast. Think white Bordeaux without the oak.

2007 Manciat-Poncet Macon Charnay, $17.99
The trend of Macconais whites being produced like (and tasting like) more expensive wines from the Cote de Beaune is evident in this unoaked Chardonnay.

2007 Philippe Portier Quincy Blanc, $17.99
Pure Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. Touch fresher and livelier than Sancerre at a 1/2 less than a good Sancerre.

2008 Domaine Gournier Viognier, $11.99
We’ve had more requests for this wine all summer than we can count. Well, here it is, a densely fruited, pure expression of Viognier for you. With only 3 cases we know it won’t last long.

The Pinks

2008 Domaine Gournier Rose, $9.99
2008 Mas de Guiot Rose, $8.99
Air Conditioning is often in short supply in the south of France. Good thing Rose is abundant.   This pair of Rhone-based Rose’s will bolster your faith in dry pink wine.

Popularity: 20% [?]