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Monopole

A Fench term referring to a single vineyard or Climat with just one owner.

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A Fench term referring to a single vineyard or Climat with just one owner.

Most commonly used in Burgundy where vineyard holdings have been divided through hereditary title. Upon the death of the owner the land is split equally between all children. It is common for a single vineyard to have multiple owners. The Grand Cru, Chambertin, in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin had 23 owners with 40 producers last time I looked. Each owner may have as little as a few rows of vines yielding just enough fruit to make a single barrel of wine.

Famous Monopoles include La Romanée-Conti, La Tâche (both owned by Domaine de la Romanée Conti) and La Grand Rue (Francois LaMarche) in Vosne-Romanée, Clos de Tart (owned by Francois Pinot of Latour since 2017) in Morey-Saint-Denis, and, Clos des Ruchottes (Armand Rousseau) in Gevrey-Chambertin.

Outside Burgundy think  Clos de la Coulée de Serrant, Château-Grillet and Trimbach’s Clos Sainte Hune.

Some clearly denote Monopole on the label others do not.

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Giuseppe Quintarelli Rosso di Bepi 2016

Red Blend | Veneto, Valpolicella

It's no surprise that Giuseppe is considered the Maestro. Only Quintarelli would declassify a wine like this, the difference between Amarone and Rosso is a very fine line here. Exotic nose of sweet spice potpourri, dried and fresh red fruit notes . The palate is powerful and rich with crushed bitter chocolate notes, dark red fruit, and a pomegranate /orange peel note . A fine mineral and tannin line gives the wine structure and even though this is a big wine, it is always elegant. Grapes
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Nervi-Conterno Gattinara ‘Molsino’ 2016

Nebbiolo | Italy, Alto Piemonte

Tasted next to the Valferana, the 2016 Gattinara Vigna Molsino is much more nervous in feel. Iron, dried herbs, sweet dried cherry, mint, crushed rocks, white pepper and earthy notes give the Molsino a good deal of aromatic complexity to match its intense, saline-infused minerality. Today, though, the tannins and acids are almost overpowering. Readers will find an old-school, classically austere Gattinara that needs 10-15 years to be at its best. The 2016 is an absolute jewel of a wine, but it s
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Lamy’s tiny Clos du Meix parcel is just 0.7 hectares, situated at the western fringe of the village. Planted between 1985 and 1995, the sheltered location (just below Les Castets on a south-facing slope), its heavier clays, and the fact that it is fully enclosed by a wall (and therefore protected from the cold, northern winds), always gives this wine excellent texture to go with its intense minerality. Contributing to this mineral character is the bony soil in this vineyard, which has just
$295
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Medium Sweet
The  10-Year-Old Boal is an excellent example of the complex flavour profile that result from the madeirisation process, combining rich, sweet fruit with savoury, often funky, characters. The nose blossoms in the glass with notes of opulent dried fruit, toffee and brown sugar notes along with hints of char and mineral rancio character. The palate is smooth in texture with a nice zing of acidity. Flavours of candied citrus, caramel and sweet spice balance with intriguing savoury character, culmi
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