Arthur Sellers Bulletin Archive
One of our favourite Rosés, ‘La Soif’ is back and along with it new vintages of ‘100% Chardonnay’ and Duché d’Uzès Rouge from Les Vignes du Lys located near the enchanting town of Uzès in southern France. These wines are real crowd pleasers – ready to drink and excellent values. Load up your cellar with them!
Les Vignes du Lys
The irrepressible Olivier Privat along with Eileen and Ray Monahan acquired the old vineyards and winery they renamed Les Vignes du Lys in 2008. For years the winery had sold the majority of its wines in bulk to the SAQ in Quebec. But like their good friends, the nearby Chabriers who also make excellent wines, they knew that with a little care and attention, not to mention oodles of Euros, they could produce excellent wines from the mature Grenache, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Petit Grain and Pinot Gris planted on their properties.
Here’s what the very critical French wine press has been saying about Les Lys:
“We have been charmed by the wines. You must come to Blauzac for a tasting but be forewarned; you will stay for more than 30 minutes! ” - Terre de Vins, January 2012
“The renaissance of a vineyard….” - Bettane and Desseauve (Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve)
“A remarkable addition to these pages” - Guide Hachette 2012
The Wines of Les Vignes du Lys
We are delighted to offer the 2013 ‘La Soif’, a perennial favourite Rosé, the beautifully made, crisp 2012 100% Chardonnay and the luscious 2012 Duché d’Uzès Rouge as well as a sampler of all three. These wines come in handy six-bottle cases. We will be taking your orders for the fine wines of Les Vignes du Lys to the LCBO on Friday, April 25th.
2013 Rosé “La Soif” - 13.0% Alc./Vol. $17/$102 six-bottle case Strange name, “La Soif” (the thirst) for a marvellous wine whose primary purpose will be to slake your thirst during the dog days of summer. Made from Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault from vineyards converted to totally organic farming in 2009. It is a most refreshing, satisfying rosé that is showing gobs of red fruit with light citrus nuances and a nice crisp finish. While a fashionably pale salmon colour, this is not weak stuff made from young vines. The Syrah is between twenty-five and thirty-five years old and the Grenache thirty-five (average yield is only 35 hl./ha.). And, 2013 was a very, very good vintage for these varietals in southern France. This IGP Cévennes comes with a convenient screw cap to preserve its freshness (and make it wonderfully easy to get at!). I love this wine! It will go brilliantly with Asian cuisine, ham and salmon or by itself on a hot summer’s day. Order your thirst-quenching six-pack (or two, or three) of Rosé heaven now!
2012 100% Chardonnay - 13.5% Alc./Vol. $20/$120 six-bottle case This refreshing beauty is appropriately crafted from 100% Chardonnay plucked from 20 year old vines farmed completely organically since 2009. This is pure drinking pleasure – no oak and minimal filtration. This IGP Cévennes is a vibrant light golden colour and offers up delicious aromas of white blossoms, peaches, pineapples, citrus fruit and just a trace of anise. In the mouth it is fresh, medium bodied, beautifully balanced and crisp. It sports a screw-top – just as it should. This lovely white will go wonderfully with shellfish (particularly fresh oysters), roast chicken and soft cheese. It is also dandy companion for whenever you feel like a wee slurp. Order your sunshine in a bottle now.
2012 Duché d’Uzès Rouge – 14.0% Alc./Vol. $22/$132 six-bottle case Any time someone carefully fashions a mixture of Grenache and Syrah in southern France you can bet I want to try it. The Duché d’Uzès Rouge from Les Vignes du Lys does not disappoint. Made from equal parts of these two succulent varietals, it is a deep purple with flashes of ruby red. Finished off with a bit of oak, it offers up lovely aromas of ripe plums, black cherries, blackberries, garrigue and a note of black pepper. In the mouth it is full, round, vibrant, fresh and surprisingly long. This AOC Duché d’Uzès comes with a decent cork and while drinking wonderfully now, it will keep nicely for another five years. This is a big chunk of wine for the money! It will go delightfully with just about anything off the barby, roast leg of lamb (a match made in heaven) or a plate of charcuterie. Order your ready-to-slurp red now.
The Les Lys Sampler – 12.5 - 14.0% Alc./Vol. $20/$120 six-bottle case Why not try all three of the Les Vignes du Lys beauties? You get two bottles each of the 2013 ‘La Soif’ Rosé, the 2012 100% Chardonnay and 2012 Duché d’Uzès Rouge in this mixed case. Order your six-pack of ready-to-quaff pleasure now.
The LCBO is the only entity authorized to sell beverage alcohol in Ontario. Arthur Sellers & Company and Arthur’s Cellar Wine Club do not sell or markup beverage alcohol, but rather, arrange for customers to purchase it from the LCBO. Our prices indicated above and on our website include the LCBO sale price plus a fee to cover the cost of sourcing, handling and marketing the wine. The LCBO’s sale prices are available on request.
Kate Joins the Team!
We are delighted to announce that our eldest daughter Kate (shown here with a bottle of Penfolds Grange from her birth year!) has officially joined the Arthur Sellers & Company team. She is an avid wine enthusiast with a very fine palate and is renowned for her frequent thirsty assaults on Arthur’s Cellar. Kate will be assisting us with the day-to-day operation of our wine club and will introduce our fine wines to her market demographic (recognizing that this old tippler needs a little help marketing to the younger aficionados of the fruit of the vine). Please join us in welcoming Kate to our wonderful world of wine.
Should you know anyone who would like to try some terrific wines from the Duché d’Uzès, we would be delighted, nay veritably thrilled if you would pass this note on to them.
Many thanks and cheers!
Jim, Hélène and Kate
www.arthursellers.com jaswalker@arthursellers.com www.ofrance.ca hbuisson@ofrance.ca kwalker@arthursellers.com
