Between The Wines June 2022
hidden Treasures Trends & observations
Hidden Treasures
What's New
Jonata
There are a few billionaires that seem to be in the news a lot lately: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates to name some. Then there are the billionaires that keep a lower profile; we have a couple here in Michigan none of us have likely ever heard of. Then there is that group somewhere in the middle: they don’t seek attention, don’t make political statements, but by virtue of where they work, or what they own, they garner attention. Stanley Kroenke falls into that category. Though not his primary source of income, Mr. Kroenke happens to own some sports franchises: The L.A. Rams. The Denver Nuggets. The Colorado Avalanche. The Colorado Rapids. And oh, a little European football team: the Arsenal F.C. Mr. Kroenke also happens to own a few wineries: Napa’s famed Screaming Eagle, Burgundy’s fabled Bonneau du Martray, and, in Santa Barbara’s Santa Ynez Valley…Jonata.
We are shocked that the wines of Jonata are not more wellknown/not severely allocated. Not just because it’s a sibling of Screaming Eagle (though that should get some attention), but because the wines are stunning. Santa Ynez, and more specifically, Ballard Canyon is one of California’s most magical vineyard areas. Like much of Santa Barbara County, Santa Ynez is simply a benign place to grow wine grapes; uniquely, almost any wine grape. This beautiful property is 584 acres, yet only 84 acres are planted to grapes. The roster of varietals is amazing: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Petit Sirah, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Viognier…all of them of world-class level.
Continued..
Quotation of the Month:
“I just wanted my wines to be part of the pleasures of life, not just a trophy.sean thackrey
Winemaker Matt Dees is a pied piper of sorts in that area, with a large number of the area’s winemakers having learned from him and continue to consult with him; the guy is a rock star. And so are the wines. Shockingly, we can get small amounts of most everything they produce, however the wines are not cheap (though they ARE values), so we currently offer just their Todos (a kitchen sink blend) and ‘Sangre de Jonata’ Syrah. For those of you that consider yourselves on the cutting edge of the top estates in the U. S., this one needs to be on your playlist.
Between The Wines june 2022
Trends & Observations Say Yes to Michigan
We are very proud of our book. In addition to representing many of the world’s largest and most successful wine brands, we also represent some of the coolest, rarest, small production wines made. Even lots of ‘natural’ wines. We sell the whole parfait, plus the cherry on top! We bring this up because we want to point out – and thank you for—the success of our Michigan wines lately. The quality of--and the sales of--our Michigan winery partners continues to soar.
As mentioned, we represent the world’s most successful wine suppliers and brands: E & J Gallo, Trinchero, Constellation, Wine Group, Jackson Family, Ste Michelle Wine Estates, Moet-Hennessey, Terlato, Treasury, Kobrand, Dreyfus-Ashby, Gerard Bertrand, Caymus, Duckhorn, Santa Margherita, et cetera, et cetera. Big, very successful companies. Yet…
If we combined all of our Michigan wineries into one supplier, Team Michigan would be our 5th largest brand. Think about that. Look at that list: Michigan wine sales are larger than all but a few, all but the big boys. That’s impressive. Adding up our few larger Michigan wineries and the large handful of small/medium producers we proudly represent, adds up to big business. Not just for us, but for you, our customers. Moral of the story: Give Michigan wines more real estate in your stores and on your wine lists!
Between The Wines
What's New
Bordeaux was the be all & end all in the wine trade for many, many decades. The fame & esteem of their wines peaked during the Robert Parker years, which resulted in a meteoric rise in prices for the top wines–right around the same time that American wines (and other new world wine regions) started their quality surge. Hence, Bordeaux---while still being highly esteemed—lost their dominance in the wine trade. Again, still lots of interest, but good Bordeaux was out of reach for most; Classified Growths became mere wine porn for regular wine drinkers. Recently, we’ve noticed a surge of interest in Bordeaux wines and, happily, there are now many more reasonably priced, good quality bottlings available.
One example is a brand called Ronan by Clinet. For the uninformed, Chateau Clinet is a renowned, historic property in Pomerol. To say Pomerol is the high rent district is an understatement: the hamlet’s most famous property Chateau Petrus current release is around $6000 a bottle! The current owners of Clinet (which sells for a paltry $200 a bottle) put their 23 year-old son Ronan in charge of the winemaking shortly after they acquired the declining property. Ronan quickly set about restoring the property to its former glory, and within five years, he achieved the Holy Grail of the wine business: 100 points from Robert Parker for their 2009.
June 2022
But this young man was not one to rest on his laurels. His next move was to start a negociant firm and a new brand called, appropriately, Ronan. Most generic Bordeaux is just that—generic—frequently weedy and green, but not this puppy. Ronan is an amazingly good 100% Merlot using fruit sourced from the right bank zones of Lussac, Castillon and Bordeaux Superieur. Produced in a new, state of the art winery on the property, it is modern & polished, without forsaking it’s Bordeaux DNA. The wine is delicious. Do yourself—and your customers—a favor and give this wine a try!
Quotation of the Month: “I just wanted my wines to be part of the pleasures of life, not just a trophy. - Sean Thackrey