Moore Brothers Blog

Domaine Ricard

winegrowers Greg Moore

Vincent Ricard in his vines We had forgotten how much young Vincent Ricard had irritated the local growers ten years earlier when he withdrew from the cooperative to bottle his own wine. Why the fuss? With Vincent’s startling, terrifically concentrated, mineral wines withheld for estate bottling in his own new winery, the local cooperative's blend became little more than simple, anemic piquette. So the jealous locals tried everything they could to shut him down. They even petitioned the I.N.A.O. to deny him the status of Appellation Controlée. Their whine? Vincent Ricard’s wines are “atypical of the region.” Right. They’re too good. Vincent Ricard now farms seventeen hectares planted mostly to Sauvignon Blanc, with parcels of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Gamay. The farming is organic, incorporating practices taken from the discipline of biodynamics, which Vincent encountered during his stages with Didier Dagueneau in Pouilly-sur-Loire, and Fran&ccedi

Domaine du Chateau Larroque

winegrowers Greg Moore

Pascal Bozzi and his father at the Domaine du Château Larroque There are five hectares of vines (along with seventy-five hectares of cereals, sunflowers, and pasturage) at this ancient working farm in Sainte Christie, in the heart of the Armagnac region. Pascal Bozzi renovated the original eighteenth-century cellar ten years ago, and with the help of his enologist friend Stéphane Beuret, grows about 2000 cases of the most elegant red wine in all of the Côtes de Gascogne. Stéphane Beuret is best known for his work at the University of Bordeaux, where he won the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux Grand Prix in 1998. Today, his meticulous cellar work at Château Larroque, which includes aging the wine for twelve months in two year-old barrels he buys from his friend Javier Ausas at Vega Sicilia), along with Pascal’s impeccable organic farming (his Aubrac beef cattle enrich the compost), results in a unique wine that puts many more expensive

Château de Villeneuve

winegrowers Greg Moore

Château de Villeneuve dates back to the 16th century. The current owners, the Chevalier family bought the estate in the 1960s, and have completely renovated both the château, and the vineyards. Since 1984 the estate has been managed by Jean-Pierre Chevallier who introduced lutte raisonnée.The vines are treated to severe winter pruning, bud removal in the spring, green harvests, and strict leaf management to encourage low yields and maximum physiological ripeness. Harvests are by hand, with total de-stemming. Fermentation is through indigenous yeasts, and ageing is in a mix of new and neutral barrels.In 1969, the estate was purchased by the Chevallier family, and since his return from teaching oenology at the University of Bordeaux in 1984, has been managed by Jean-Pierre Chevallier. Under his stewardship, both the château and the vineyards have been completely renovated, and the estate is widely regarded as one of the few producers in the Loire Valley that exce

Azienda Agricola Andreas Baron Widmann

winegrowers David Moore

Andreas Widmann produces small quantities of pristine wine from eight hectares of land perched on hillsides above the Strada del Vino in Caldaro, Alto Adige. His beautiful house and cellar are in the old part of Cortaccia, very near his family's original residence, where they have lived and farmed (not just wine grapes - Andreas also oversees several hectares of apple and cherry orchards) since 1824.

Tannins In Wine

learn Greg Moore

Take about five minutes with Greg Moore for a fully informative tutorial on tannins in wine.

Domaine Jean-Pierre Sève

winegrowers Greg Moore

Jean-Pierre Sève in Pouilly-Fuissé Jean-Pierre Sève represents the fourth generation of his family to grow Chardonnay on this seven-hectare estate in Solutré-Pouilly. His father, Roger Sève, replanted many of the old parcels in the 1970s, and was the first to sell the wine in bottle. But Jean-Pierre is the first to draw the attention of the Michelin stars. Even so, outside of restaurants in France and Belgium (and “Le Gavroche” in London), almost every bottle of every harvest is bought by the hundreds of private customers who drive to Solutré from Brussels and Paris and Lyon to collect their annual allocation of one of the finest wines in the Maconnais.

Ettore Germano

winegrowers Greg Moore

Sergio Germano in Serralunga Sergio Germano is the perfect example of a modern, scientifically trained winegrower who is grounded in the traditions of his region. Representing the fourth generation of vine growing Germanos in Serralunga d’Alba, Sergio was the first to bottle the entire production at the estate, beginning in 1993. His goal, he says, is to express in his wines the character of each vineyard, of each grape variety, and of each vintage, as well as the [i]“connection between Sergio Germano and Serralunga d’Alba.”[/i]

Weingut Keller

winegrowers Greg Moore

Klaus-Peter Keller in the Rheinhessen When Klaus-Peter and his wife Julia took over at Weingut Keller in 2001, they had an enviable advantage: his parents had laid a solid foundation for the future of the estate with their work in soil analysis and clonal selection, and were already producing the best wines in Rheinhessen. But Klaus-Peter has taken Weingut Keller to even higher heights, inspiring a renaissance of viniculture in the Hügelland, where the Benedictines of the Kloster Lorch grew some of the most prestigious wines in the Rheinland, in vineyards that were forgotten after the French Revolution. But Klaus-Peter doesn’t have time for media stardom, and is quick to point out that “great wine would not be possible here, if it weren’t for these great limestone soils. It’s only that someone had to remember the old tradition and just make good wine.”

Domaine Robert Ampeau et Fils

learn Greg Moore

[b]Robert Ampeau[/b] was a legendary figure, and an admired colleague of the most important producers in Burgundy, including [b]Aubert de Villaine, Lalou Bize-Leroy, Dominique Lafon,[/b] and [b]Hubert de Montille,[/b] whose cellars all contain Ampeau wine.[b]Ruth Reichl,[/b] the last Editor-in Chief of Gourmet magazine, recorded the impression that Ampeau made on other producers in her 1998 memoir [i][u]Tender at the Bone,[/u][/i] in which she recorded her visit to the Volnay producer Hubert de Montille, accompanied by the wine merchant, [b]Kermit Lynch.[/b] Kermit had brought along a bottle of one of Ampeau's wines (label removed) "to see what he really thinks."[i]"There is sunlight in the glass,"[/i] de Montille said finally, [i]"much sunlight. It is from a very good year ... what can it be?"[/i]When Kermit told him what it was, de Montille cried, [i]"But I have this wine in my cellar!"[/i] He turned eagerly to Kermit and asked, [i]"Did Ampeau sell it to you?"[/i]Kermit nodded smugly

In Memoriam: Gianni Piccoli

winegrowers Terry Moore

We are sad to share with you the news of the passing of Gianni Piccoli, the founder of Corte Gardoni.Agronomist, viticulturist, winemaker, and passionate defender of authenticity, Gianni Piccoli’s beautiful wines have been prominently featured at Moore Brothers for more than two decades. You probably know them yourself.More than that, he was our dear friend.And no one at Moore Brothers was closer to Gianni than my friend and colleague, Joe DiLuzio, who would receive a bi-weekly phone call at the shop from Gianni to chat about current events, gossip about his neighbors, and either celebrate or lament a recent performance by his beloved squadra di calcio, AC Milan. If one of us answered the New Jersey store phone to a poor connection and a raspy voice on the other end asking, “c’é Giuseppe?” we knew who was calling."Ironically, my first encounter with Gianni was very inauspicious — twenty years ago at a gathering of French and Italian Moore Brothers s