New Arrivals

About the Winery

Jeanne Marie

The Jeanne Marie label was created by David Gordon, one of New York’s first recognized sommeliers, and the person responsible for the Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list at Manhattan’s famed Tribeca Grill restaurant. The restaurant opened in 1990 by restaurateur Drew Nieporent and actor Robert DeNiro. Gordon, who is self-taught, began learning about wine in the 1980s just as Kevin Zraly was beginning to educate America on the world of wine. At the time, there were very few non-French somms working in the city and the British-born Court of Master Sommeliers was in its infancy.

“You had to pick up a book or magazine to learn about wine,” says Gordon. There were no YouTubes or Google or extensive training programs. The list now boasts over 1800 selections including verticals of some of the most sought-after producers.

While he tasted and learned about the best wines on the planet, which included expensive Burgundies and Rhône wines, Gordon always kept the consumer top of mind. “House” Cab and Chard were big sellers at the restaurant, so he set out to meet that demand with a genuine product that would deliver consistent quality.

“I started the Jeanne Marie line as a fun, cool thing to do,” says Gordon. “There really weren't any wines associated with sommeliers at the time.  Now there are many, but these were definitely among the first. I named the wine after the person I worship, my wife of 30+ years- Jeanne Marie."

In the beginning, Gordon sourced the wines from his friends in Napa and Sonoma. Producers such as Caymus, Lewis Cellars, and Miner Family provided grapes and helped with the winemaking for the early cuvées. The first Chardonnay vintage was 1992, released in 1994. Today, all the wines are sourced from top producers who have provided high-quality fruit at a fair price year after year. Gordon has kept to his original promise that wines with the Jeanne Marie label will always be affordable and delicious. “People want ripe fruit and a clean taste that’s not too oaky or tannic,” he says. The wines are refreshing, they can be drunk as an aperitif before dinner or with a meal."

Wines bearing the Jeanne Marie label, much like David Gordon himself, are welcoming and unpretentious.

About the Winery

Claude Riffault

Stéphane Riffault, son of Claude Riffault, has become one of the most sought-after producers in the region. At barely 30 years old, his Sancerre wines have already become the envy of some of the region's most established vintners. 

Stéphane's Sancerre wines come from 33 different parcels in 8 different lieu-dits spread across 4 villages on limestone soils. Having studied and worked in Burgundy, and then trained with some of best – Olivier Leflaive (Burgundy), Château Angélus (Bordeaux), and his very own father, Claude Riffault – it’s easy to see the Burgundian influence and the master of minerality in Stéphane’s wines. 

When his father retired, Stéphane took over the winery and embarked upon a journey of viticultural transformation. Today, all 13.5 hectares are certified organic (ECOCERT, 2016) and biodynamic (BIODYVIN, 2021). The entire harvest is carried out by hand and an extensive sorting takes place before the grapes are crushed –– a testament to his craftsmanship and an unwavering commitment to sustainability. 

About the Winery

Matthias Hager

The Hager Matthias winery is located in the small village of Mollands in the Kamptal area of Lower Austria. Matthias took over the 12-hectare land and the family business at an early age. He aims to produce the best quality wine possible and to focus on being in balance with nature. The lands are cultivated according to biodynamic principles and are certified Demeter. Matthias has a vast knowledge about plants and insects, and about keeping the flora and fauna in harmony with the vines. Matthias Hager is one of the most experimental winemakers in the Kamptal region, Austria. He understood early how to work with different soil types from loess to clay. He established different product lines to highlight these differences: the blue one representing fresh, lively wines including Grüner Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc; and the brown line gravitating towards more earthy, flavourful produce and the red line stands for no sulphites!

About the Winery

Denis et Didier Berthollier

The Bertholliers are of strong wine-making tradition; growers, owners and winemakers for several generations. Brothers Denis and Didier cultivate 10 hectares of vines on the southern slopes of the Savoyard in Chignin, located ten kilometers from Chambery. Their great-grandfather, Louis Tissot, founded the farm in 1850.

Their grandfather Marius maintained a mix of farming and livestock, in addition to vines. His daughter Monique then took over and married Denis and Didier’s father, Alexis Berthollier, himself the son of winemaker. They abandoned polyculture to devote their activity fully to the vines. Alexis father, Victor Berthollier, who was winemaker at Aprement, was probably the first winemaker to bottle Savoyard wine for the mass-market in 1970! Denis and Didier harvest, vinify and do the bottling themselves at the domain. They have eliminated the use of insecticides and fungicides in all their vines and ceased the use of weed-killer since 2008, enabling grass to grow in the rocky slope vineyards. They use only naturally occurring, indigenous yeasts and very minimal SO2. Their wines have a pureness and finesse among the best of the Savoy region.

About the Winery

Domaine Viret

In a magical place steeped in history, Saint-Maurice, in the Rhone Valley. Advocates of the principles of organic and biodynamic agriculture, the Viret family has chosen to employ a particular form of natural viticulture throughout their estate. Known as “cosmoculture®”, this is based on cosmotelluric exchanges. Everything is organised in such a way that both vines and wines are able draw on their own natural defences.

Work in the vineyards focuses on reorganising the magnetic field and on the application of homeopathic and naturals preparations made from rocks and plants that are often found in the vineyards. Alain, Philippe's father, built the winery on an ancient Roman site around an underground spring which they believe energises the vineyards and the winery.