Paris Wine Company

We partnered with Paris Wine Company to introduce you to a handful of spectacular French wines. These selections were brought in to CT exclusively for Ancona's Wines & Liquors. You won’t find them anywhere else!

In April of 2017, Codey visited their office in Paris to see what PWC had to offer. After many emails, skype sessions, and sample tasting, our first order of wines has arrived and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share what we’ve found.

Chateau Yvonne Saumur Champigny 2014
Loire, France | Cabernet Franc | Paris Wine Company

It's no stretch to say Chateau Yvonne is producing some of the most exciting wines in the Loire Valley. Since 2007, Matthieu Vallée has been building an estate to create some of the finest Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc in the world. With the help of Francoise Foucault, he's come very close. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 1997 and biodynamically since 2012.

This wine, Chateau Yvonne’s flagship Cab Franc, is impeccably pure and precise, but not without texture. There is both a crystalline minerality and autumnal sous-bois. Crispy, but soulful.

FUN FACT:
• Wine making seems to be the family biz. Matthieu Vallée, the mastermind behind Chateau Yvonne, is Gerard Vallée’s brother. Gerard is responsible for Athletes du Vin Pineau D’Aunis; a killer, thirst quenching vin du soif from the smallest plots of AOC Touraine.

WHY WE LOVE THIS WINE:
• This is no doubt a benchmark for the grape variety. Basically, baby Clos Rougeard (a cult classic and holy grail of Cab Franc).

Chateau Yvonne Saumur Blanc 2015
Loire, France | Chenin Blanc | Paris Wine Company

No surprise here, the Yvonne Blanc is drop dead gorgeous. Imagine crispy and crystallized tree fruit infused with flecks of flint, chalk, and Burgundian mineral.

Liquid magic from the hand of Mattieau Vallée. Organic and Biodynamic. Extremely rare and precious.

FUN FACT:
• Wine making seems to be the family biz. Matthieu Vallée, the mastermind behind Chateau Yvonne, is Gerard Vallée’s brother. Gerard is responsible for Athletes du Vin Pineau D’Aunis; a killer, thirst quenching vin du soif from the smallest plots of AOC Touraine.

WHY WE LOVE THIS WINE:
• At least in its youth, this is a wine that's right there with Foucault renditions of Saumur Blanc. You should definitely pick up a few extra bottles to stash away and watch the magic happen. We seriously doubt it will even begin to fade in a decade or two.

Petit Canet Pays D'oc 2016
Languedoc, France | Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Syrah | Paris Wine Company

This wine actually made us smile when we smelled it for the first time. If you ever have the chance to taste a fresh black currant, that's exactly what this will remind you of. Lush black fruits (blackberries, currants) savory with herbs and garrigue, and the Carignan kicks in its signature spice on the finish.

FUN FACT:
• In Languedoc vineyards are often called “patchwork” because so many different grape varieties are grown together.

WHY WE LOVE THIS WINE:
• This wine has it all! It is delicious, fun, and affordable.

Athletes Du Vin Pineau D'aunis Rouge 2016
Bordeaux, France | Pineau D’Aunis | Paris Wine Company

Athletes du Vin is the product of a small enclave of producers in the Loire Valley (Vini Be Good network, notably Gerard Vallée) striving to produce impeccably farmed wines at accessible prices.

This particular vino is ultra crushable. Like fresh peppercorns ground on to white raspberries. Dry, crisp, and minerally.

FUN FACT:
• Pineau D'Aunis is a rare and elusive varietal grown only by a handful of producers in tiny quantities. It produces a complex, subtle, light and rather low-alcohol reds with a distinct peppery pop on the nose.

WHY WE LOVE THIS WINE:
• This is a unique, thirst quenching vin du soif from the smallest plots of AOC Touraine. It will definitely be a fixture on our tables throughout the holidays.

Chateau Cassini AC Bordeaux 2015
Bordeaux, France | Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc | Paris Wine Company

Arnault Cassini might best be described as a genius and a mad man. This guy is bad to the bone and his wines speak for themselves.

Cassini calls himself a natural winemaker not only because of his almost nonexistent sulfur levels but also because he prides himself on vinifying his wine ‘without artifice’: no oak, no filtering, nothing added. The results are impeccable.

Stone, cassis, fresh herbs, and wild berries: all unobscured by the flavors of a new oak barrel.

FUN FACT:
• Some people say that Arnault is trying to make Loire Valley wines in Saint Emilion. Which is fair, because his closest contemporaries are new wave Loire winemakers. His wines share a similar freshness, minerality, and verve.

WHY WE LOVE THIS WINE:
• Cassini uses zero oak. He lets the terroir of St. Emilion speak for itself. There is nothing else quite like this wine.