Arthur Sellers Bulletin Archive
Domaine de la Gramière is the dream that became a reality for Amy Lillard and Matthew Kling. Last time it was the 2005 vintage and the most common lament we heard from our Members who ordered it was, “Why didn’t we ask for more?”
Here’s how it all started. Several years ago Amy, who originally comes from Colorado met Minnesotan Matt as he was browsing through the racks of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon at the San Francisco wine store where she worked. A few days later when a case of wine was to be delivered to Matt’s house, the opportunistic Amy volunteered. They married soon after and wine continues to play a huge role in their relationship. They knew that drinking good wine wasn’t enough – they wanted to make their own. So, they moved to Paris and in early 2005 found the vineyard of their dreams near the quaint village of St Quentin la Poterie not too far from Uzès and named it Domaine de la Gramière.
Here is how Amy describes their modus operandi in paradise – “Created in 2005 with the purchase of 4.5 hectares of vineyards in the southern Rhône Valley, La Gramière is our dream come true. Our vineyards have been farmed organically since we purchased them in 2005 (organic certification will take effect with the harvest of 2011). It is a truly “hands-on” business - we have no employees, and we do all vineyard work and vinification ourselves. Our wines are made naturally with very little manipulation (no oak, no micro-oxygenation, no additives), just grapes, a little SO2 and a lot of work. Every September our friends and family arrive from all over the world to help us pick our grapes. It's a true harvest festival with wonderful lunches in the shade of the olive trees and a big party to celebrate the end of harvest each year. We feel our wines are the true expression of not only our terroir, but also ourselves, they are honest and true, and reflect what we both love in the wines of this beautiful region. We hope you enjoy them!”
After you have tried a bottle or two, you can contact Amy at info@lagramiere.com. In the meantime, read all about Matt and Amy and their travails on Amy’s blog.
The Charming Wines from Domaine de la Gramière
As we all know by now, 2007 was a terrific vintage in southern France; some say one of the best ever. From this vintage we are offering the La Gramière, a delicious red that is a blend of Grenache and Syrah. In time I believe the 2007 will surpass the 2005.
We are also offering, for the first time, Amy and Matt’s luscious, pure Syrah “Peter’s Vineyard”, also from the 2007 vintage. My tasting notes conclude by noting that “this is wonderful stuff.”
And for those who want to try them both, we have Matt and Amy’s Sampler that contains three bottles of each.
These lovely wines come in convenient six-bottle cases. The prices include a $1 per bottle handling fee.
2007 La Gramière – 14.0% Alc./Vol. $20/$120 case of six This absolute charmer is made from 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. The vines are from thirty to fifty years of age and the yield is a most miserly 22 hl/ha! This wine sees no oak, is unfined and unfiltered. It is pure, crisp, pleasingly complex and ready to drink, although it will keep nicely for at least five years or more. It is a deep ruby red and proffers up aromas of plums, raspberries, blackberries, Provençal spices, pepper, vanilla and a trace of mocha. It is elegant, full and juicy in the mouth with terrific depth and balance followed by a most pleasant, lingering aftertaste. Don’t miss out on this delectable beauty. Order some now … you will be delighted you did!
2007 Syrah “Peter’s Vineyard” – 14.5% Alc./Vol. $24/$144 case of six Amy says of this gorgeous mouthful, “This special bottling of 90% Syrah and10% Grenache comes from our good friend Peter Till’s vineyard, without whose help much of this adventure wouldn’t have been possible! The grapes were picked by hand to express the characteristics of the terroir from which it came, the year in which the grapes were grown and our desire to make a unique and unmanipulated wine. We believe that in this way, we have created a wine that is true to its place of origin, authentic and full of character. This special bottling of Syrah was aged for 18 months in tank. From the exceptional 2007 vintage, this wine is still quite young and tightly wound. It is deep and rich with ripe red fruit and spice - the tannins will enable it to age for another 5-10 years. 3000 bottles made.” Order this very special southern Rhône now.
Amy and Matt’s Sampler – 14.0% and 14.5% Alc./Vol. $22/$132 case of six You get three bottles each of Matt and Amy’s splendid 2007 La Gramière and 2007 Syrah “Peter’s Vineyard” in one handy case. What a great way to try two very, very good wines from the southern Rhône from a fabulous vintage. Order your six pack of drinking pleasure now.
A Very Special Châteauneuf du Pape Tasting Come join us and The Honourable Company of Freemen of London of North America for a marvellous evening of Châteauneuf du Pape tasting and a great deal more on Thursday, October 27th at the Performing Arts Lodge, 110 The Esplanade, Toronto. Here are all the details and reservation instructions. We hope to see you there.
A Minervois Evening with Graham Nutter at Bodega Come join us for a fabulous wine and food pairing evening at Bodega Restaurant on Tuesday, November 1st. Our old friend Graham Nutter, owner of Château Saint-Jacques d’Albas in the Minervois area of the Languedoc-Roussillon will be visiting us then. What a perfect excuse for a grand evening of dining! Read all about the delicious details of the menu that chef Paul Biggs and I have conjured up for the evening. Graham, Paul, Hélène and I hope to see you there.
Coming soon from Arthur’s Cellar Our next featured wines will be the glorious Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Côtes du Rhône from Domaine Palon and the vaunted Gigondas from Domaine Cayron.
Please pass this bulletin on to others that you think might be interested in two absolutely delightful red wines from southern France – the 2007 La Gramière and 2007 Syrah “Peter’s Vineyard”.
Many thanks and cheers,
Jim & Hélène www.arthursellers.com jaswalker@arthursellers.com hbuisson@ofrance.ca
