holly jolly holiday wines vol 2 luxe

since its founding in 1928, vouvray’s domaine huet has been the standard-bearer for great, age-worthy chenin blanc. and to this day, year after year, the estate produces some of the world’s most compelling white wines—and in a remarkable range that spans sparkling, dry, semi-dry, and breathtaking dessert styles. the estate was an early pioneer of biodynamic viticulture, and credits it with helping them adapt to the dramatic weather conditions of recent vintages. le haut lieu is the domaine’s first vineyard and produces the estate’s most approachable wine. this 100% chenin is elegant with beautiful apple and lychee fruit purity, baking spice, and salty acidity set against a creamier note.

the falkenstein winery, located in the scenic vinschgau aka val venosta, is one of italy’s greatest producers of riesling. the estate’s name dates to the 12th century when it was a hunting house for the castle located just below them on the hill. the hunting was done traditionally with falconry, hence the image of the falcon on the estate’s labels. much of the valley floor of the val venosta is dedicated to apple orchards and that was for many years the pratzner family’s main business, until the 1980s when franz and his wife bernadette started making wine.  the family business is now split between a guesthouse run by their daughter michaela (with bernadette preparing all the meals) and the winery, run by their daughter magdalena, though franz is still very much involved. they farm organically and biodynamically, and given the rugged mountain terrain, everything is hand harvested. this 100% riesling is fermented and aged in neutral acacia casks and then ‘harmonizes’ for at least six months in bottle before release. the resulting wine is incredibly fresh and dry with a strong flinty minerality and hints of petrol.

yves’ wines are known as the ‘rolls royce’ of corsican wine, a reputation earned after nearly 30 years of making consistently elegant and sophisticated wines. raised in a small village in the heart of patrimonio, yves worked alongside his father in the vines and cellar at the earliest age he could. the leccias have been making wine from some of the finest terroirs of patrimonio for countless generations, and there was never the least doubt in yves’ mind that he would continue the tradition. leccia is corsican for oak, and the name is ironic if you look at yves’ wines, given that he’s never had his wine touch a single oak barrel and has never allowed wood to enter his cellar. this beautiful mineral driven red is made from grenache—called elegante in corsica— offering fragrant notes of lavender spiced with balmy mediterranean brush. a splash of the indigenous niellucciu completes the blend, adding some muscle to this savory, floral red.

jean-marc created this domaine in 1989, the same year he married his wife, christine. they own about 19 hectares of vine: 13 hectares in the tiny village of morgon, complemented by another five hectares of beaujolais villages and another in réigné. he doesn’t use chemicals in the vineyard, and he plants the vines in high density to enhance fruit concentration, and harvests later than many other growers. his winemaking practices typically include a semi-carbonic maceration with regular pumping over in order to keep the fruit moist, and aging in concrete vats, but these cote de puy cuvées see partial barrel aging. the cote du puy hillside near morgon has rich soils of blue stones coming from the disintegration of schist, and this soil composition comes thru in the wine! rich but lively, the javennières is a well-structured wine redolent of black and plum fruit with hints of chocolate, grilled, meats, pepper and violets.