MCF Rare Wine
Les Aphillantes Gigondas Promesse - My Kinda Cellaring Wine...
People often ask me what kind of 'collection' I have, and the truth is that, officially speaking, I don't have much of a collection at all, just a loosely defined pile of boxes labeled 'MATT' in the stock room, along with some random dusty bottles sitting on shelves or lining the floor around my desk.
Yes, I have things like Barolo and Champagne and Burgundy, and if I have the ability to pocket a bottle here and there of some of the real top wines from these regions, I will, but, things like that are always still maybe for sale, should the situation arise.
Being a fan of the 'moderately-priced, medium-term ager', as I often call them, most of the stuff is less than $50/btl and is also something that most people won't think to age in the first place - things like Barbera, inexpensive Burgundy from less-esteemed appellations, quirky American wines and, of course, things made from all the obscure grapes from Southern Italy that I'm always droning on about.
(Just to name a few)
I'll grab two or three bottles of such a wine and hide them away, where they'll wait a few years for some Friday evening when I'm looking for something to bring home for the weekend.
Certainly it's a matter of budget, but it's more than that.
As special as it is to have a true 'Holy Moment' with a fully-mature bottle of a legendary wine, by building a meal around it and savoring every whiff and sip, there's something so fun and, ultimately, so satisfying about enjoying a wine that's offering all kinds of genuine, engaging and mature character, and being able to do so without worrying about whether it was the right time to open it or the right meal or the right company.
(And that's to say nothing about wines that have increased in value so much since you first bought them that you're wondering whether you should pull the cork or use the bottle to fund a college tuition...)
With that in mind, here's another one that fits nicely into that category - the Gigondas Promesse 2015 from Domaine les Aphillantes.
This lovely wine offers pretty much everything you could ask for in a sub-$40 red from the Southern Rhône. It's deep, textured and mineral and, as one would expect from a Gigondas from 2015, loaded with dark, spicy fruit.
With a good four years of bottle age at this stage, it's already in a great place, and it's only just beginning to show the wilder, smokier elements that I'm quite sure will fully unlock themselves in the coming few years.
Les Aphillantes is also a certified organic and biodynamic and, of course, I've also got a nice price on it today.
Despite the fact that it's a '15, a year defined by ripeness and power (which it certainly has), there's still a freshness to it that keeps it lively and, underneath it all, it has a frame that's sturdy enough to hold things in place for another 3-5 years (at least) of extra development.
For those of you who don't have the space, patience or desire to bury it in your cellar, though, will have nothing to complain about.
In fact, those of you do have the ability to bury it in your cellar will probably find it pretty hard to do, given how easy this already goes down.
This is exactly the kind of thing I eye for my own 'cellaring', though.
Provided there's any left, of course, I will definitely be shoving a few of these into an overstuffed 'Matt Box' where it will wait to be cracked some years down the road.
Complexity, character, value and no fuss of any kind...
My kinda 'cellar purchase'...
You may order by emailing info@mcf-rarewine.com or calling 212.255.8870.
Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street NYC 10011
212.255.8870
