Alex Gambal 2019 and 2020 Vintage Burgundy Tasting Thursday, February 22nd 7:30pm and all the Alex Gambal Wines in the Store on SALE!!
"Away with you, water, destruction of wine!"
Catullus | (84 BC – ca. 54 BC) Latin Poet
Wine is on average 85% water but it’s safer to add alcohol to the mix when you are drinking any beverage that could have fecal matter in it.
The best discovery that we have made in the world of Burgundy since I have owned the store are the wines of Alex Gambal. We hosted a tasting with these wines every year in February/March and Alex has been here several times to host the tasting in person.
An American in Burgundy is a unique story, but Alex is a unique guy. We were sad to see it come to an end when he sold to the farm to the Boisset family a few years ago but we are glad that we were able to secure a good amount of his last few vintages to offer our “Wine Drinking People” that have got to know Alex and his wines over the years.
We have sent dozens of people to see his winery in Beaune and he never let us down, not only were our people a big fan of his wines but there is something that makes you feel at home when you meet an American in Burgundy.
We thought that when Alex sold the farm to the Boisset family that the 2018 vintage would be the last with his name on it. But when our good friends at Boisset found out that Alex built a successful brand and that there was a strong demand for his wines in the US market they decided to continue making wines under this label as Jean Charles Boisset loves a good story.
Join us as we experience the 2019 and 2020 vintage wines from Alex Gambal, the fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $225 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
If you can’t make the tasting, check out the list of all the wines we have from Alex Gambal in the store on SALE!! We have an incredible collection of magnums and 3 liter bottles and these are the last wines made before the sale to the Boisset family.
Alex Gambal 2019 and 2020 Vintage Burgundy Wine Tasting
Thursday February 22nd
7:30pm
2016 ALEX GAMBAL SAINT AUBIN 1ER CRU EN REMILLY MAGNUM
2019 Alex Gambal Puligny Montrachet Les Trois Pieces
2019 Alex Gambal Savigny Les Beaune Aux Clous 1er Cru
2019 Alex Gambal Volnay Santenots
2019 Alex Gambal Vougeot 1er Cru Les Cras
2019 Alex Gambal Gevrey Chambertin
2020 Alex Gambal Gevrey Chambertin
2020 Alex Gambal Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
2019 Alex Gambal Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Tuna and Wahoo tartar with Meyer Lemon and Cucumber Vinaigrette
Bosch Pear and Blue Cheese Ravioli with Walnut Sundried Cherry Browned Butter and fresh mint
Beef Bourgignon Deconstructed
Triple Creme and Cherry tart
The fee for this tasting is $225 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
A bit about Alex Gambal
Burgundy today is a paradox, one of the planets greatest terroirs for growing pinot noir and chardonnay and yet so many of the wines from this region remain average, overpriced examples of these two varietals. I visited this region in March of 2008 for the Grand Jours de Bourgogne, a tasting that encompasses the entire region of Burgundy, with each village hosting a tasting highlighting their appellations wines with almost all of the major properties showing their wines. The Corton tasting included a whopping 150 wines with equally as many vintners. This tasting is one event that sums up the opening statement of this offering. This is by far the largest grand cru in Burgundy and of the 150 different wines that have Grand Cru status only about 1/3 of the wines were grand- leaving the latter 2/3 of the wines shown at this event just grandly overpriced.
Much of the dilemma that plagues Burgundy and causes the mass amount of mediocrity is that many of the new generation of producers are not enthusiastic about making wine. They also have come to the realization they can sell everything they produce without working very hard. This is not to say that there is a lack of passionate producers that worked hard to be the best regardless of profit, but that for the quality of the vineyards here there seems to be an alarming amount of average wines. One of the things that add to the confusion here is that there are more small subdivided vineyard plots here probably than anywhere else in France or the world for that matter. If you look at the most famous wine region of France and compare Burgundy to it you will find a few interesting facts. Each time Burgundy produces one bottle of red wine, Bordeaux produces nine. For white wines, the ratio is one for two. Furthermore, Grand Crus in Burgundy only represent 3% of the total production! In a year, the prestigious Château d'Yquem may produce around 8.000 cases whereas the Marquis de Laguiche (the largest owner of the prized Le Montrachet vineyard) will only produce 700 cases of Le Montrachet.
Alex Gambal, one of the newcomers to this area has made one of the biggest impacts on the quality and the marketability of this region. Alex has brought the American work ethic and his enthusiastic approach to marketing his wines and during the Grand Jours de Bourgogne he did what very few vintners do for the influx of Burgundy fans, he opened up his cuverie to his patrons so they could taste his newest releases in a relaxed and comfortable environment. Most other producers only show their wines at the big tastings hosted by each appellation.
Born in Washington D.C., Alex Gambal discovered Burgundy in 1993, along with a passion for its wine. He had caught the wine bug so bad that he decided to move the entire family to Burgundy to work with one of the leading U.S. importers of Burgundy Becky Wasserman. It was not long before he was enrolled in the famous wine school in Beaune studying about winemaking and viticulture. Only a few short years later he left Wasserman and created a négociant-éleveur business in 1997.
During the first year, Alex began by purchasing 1996 vintage finished wines and by 1998 had already established relationships with local growers. Alex began to vinify the wine, beginning with grapes and must. In 2005, Maison Alex Gambal vinified 95% of the wines that will be bottled and they now own vineyards in the Bourgogne appellation that account for about 50% of the production of their two entry level wines; the Bourgogne Rouge and the Bourgogne Blanc. In 2011 Alex make international wine news as he became the first American ever to buy Grand Cru vineyards as he managed to buy a small parcel of Batard Montrachet along with a few parcels located in Puligny and Chassagne Montrachet. He is constantly enlarging his holdings to make as many domaine wines as possible.
The philosophy of Alex Gambal is a respect for the character of each appellation and vintage. In addition, he believes that good winemaking, although imperative, should be secondary to the quality of the grapes which result from relationships and a sharing of ideas with the growers. Achieving this goal requires constant attention to the individual vineyards including pruning techniques, green harvesting, vine maturity, etc. (certain vineyard sites are even picked by his own small team of vendangeurs).
The rest of the wines from Alex Gambal’s Burgundy label in the store:
2020 Alex Gambal Gevrey Chambertin
Price: $85.00 Your Price: $74.80 Quantity in Stock: 29
2020 Alex Gambal Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
Price: $150.00 Your Price: $132.00 Quantity in Stock: 11
2019 Alex Gambal Puligny Montrachet Les Trois Pieces
Price: $97.50 Your Price: $85.80 Quantity in Stock: 58
2019 Alex Gambal Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Price: $250.00 Your Price: $220.00 Quantity in Stock: 35
2019 Alex Gambal Savigny Les Beaune Aux Clous 1er Cru
Price: $55.00 Your Price: $48.40 Quantity in Stock: 171
2019 Alex Gambal Volnay Santenots
Price: $79.00 Your Price: $69.52 Quantity in Stock: 58
2019 Alex Gambal Vougeot 1er Cru Les Cras
Price: $140.00 Your Price: $123.20 Quantity in Stock: 11
2019 Alex Gambal Gevrey Chambertin
Price: $85.00 Your Price: $74.80 Quantity in Stock: 23
2018 Alex Gambal Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru
Price: $230.00 Your Price: $202.40 Quantity in Stock: 5
2018 Alex Gambal Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Aux Echanges
Price: $150.00 Your Price: $132.00 Quantity in Stock: 11
2018 Alex Gambal Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Price: $230.00 Your Price: $202.40 Quantity in Stock: 15
2018 Alex Gambal Chambolle Musigny
Price: $135.00 Your Price: $118.80 Quantity in Stock: 5
2018 Alex Gambal Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru
Price: $795.00 Your Price: $699.60 Quantity in Stock: 1
2018 ALEX GAMBAL SAINT AUBIN 1ER CRU EN REMILLY MAGNUM
Price: $125.00 Your Price: $110.00 Quantity in Stock: 17
2018 Alex Gambal Beaune Montagne Saint Desire Blanc
Price: $45.00 Your Price: $39.60 Quantity in Stock: 7
2017 Alex Gambal Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos des Argillieres
Price: $130.00 Your Price: $114.40 Quantity in Stock: 3
2017 ALEX GAMBAL BOURGOGNE ROUGE CUVEE LES DEUX PAPIS MAGNUM
Price: $75.00 Your Price: $66.00 Quantity in Stock: 6
2017 ALEX GAMBAL BEAUNE MONTAGNE SAINT DESIRE BLANC MAGNUM
Price: $95.00 Your Price: $83.60 Quantity in Stock: 8
2017 ALEX GAMBAL SAINT ROMAIN BLANC MAGNUM
Price: $85.00 Your Price: $74.80 Quantity in Stock: 19
2017 Alex Gambal Pommard
Price: $102.00 Your Price: $89.76 Quantity in Stock: 7
2017 Alex Gambal Volnay
Price: $99.00 Your Price: $87.12 Quantity in Stock: 2
2017 Alex Gambal Chambolle Musigny
Price: $135.00 Your Price: $118.80 Quantity in Stock: 7
2016 ALEX GAMBAL MEURSAULT LES NARVAUX MAGNUM
Price: $165.00 Your Price: $145.20 Quantity in Stock: 2
2016 ALEX GAMBAL MEURSAULT LES NARVAUX 3 LITER
Price: $325.00 Your Price: $286.00 Quantity in Stock: 2
2016 Alex Gambal Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru
Price: $215.00 Your Price: $189.20 Quantity in Stock: 6
2016 ALEX GAMBAL PULIGNY MONTRACHET 1ER CRU LA GARENNE 3 Liter
Price: $495.00 Your Price: $435.60 Quantity in Stock: 2
2016 ALEX GAMBAL PULIGNY MONTRACHET 1ER CRU LA GARENNE MAGNUM
Price: $250.00 Your Price: $220.00 Quantity in Stock: 12
2016 ALEX GAMBAL SAINT AUBIN 1ER CRU EN REMILLY MAGNUM
Price: $125.00 Your Price: $110.00 Quantity in Stock: 36
2016 ALEX GAMBAL SAINT ROMAIN BLANC MAGNUM
Price: $85.00 Your Price: $74.80 Quantity in Stock: 29
2016 ALEX GAMBAL AUXEY DURESSES ROUGE MAGNUM
Price: $99.00 Your Price: $87.12 Quantity in Stock: 7
2016 ALEX GAMBAL BEAUNE MONTAGNE SAINT DESIRE BLANC MAGNUM
Price: $95.00 Your Price: $83.60 Quantity in Stock: 29
2013 ALEX GAMBAL CHARMES CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU (MAGNUM)
Price: $595.00 Your Price: $523.60 Quantity in Stock: 7
Gambal and Work
GAMBAL-WORK is the creation of four men who believe that great wine is made by following a seamless line from the vineyard to the bottle. This is easy in theory but requires discipline and vigor to see and hear a myriad of small details throughout the entire process. It is a journey that begins with the soil and vines, consummating nearly two years later with bottling.
Alex Gambal and Peter Work arrived at this, their second professions, via circuitous routes. Alex, an American, discovered Burgundy in 1993 and since has developed an estate of thirty acres from Chassagne-Montrachet to Gevrey-Chambertin. Peter, a Dane, found Santa Barbara in 2001 and since has carefully cultivated an estate of nineteen acres in the Sta. Rita Hills.
Both Alex and Peter are passionate about Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the two historic varieties of Burgundy and the Santa Rita Hills. They also share a dedication to bio-dynamical cultivation.
2018 Gambal Work Pinot Noir Francesca Santa Rita Hills
Price: $64.50 Your Price: $56.76 Quantity in Stock: 60
2018 Gambal Work Pinot Noir Bentrock Vineyard Santa Rita Hills
Price: $64.50 Your Price: $56.76 Quantity in Stock: 44
2017 Gambal Work Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills
Price: $49.50 Your Price: $43.56 Quantity in Stock: 34
2018 HOSPICES DE BEAUNE BEAUNE 1ER CRU CUVEE GUIGONE DE SALINS CUVEE GUP MALINER AND ZUCKERMAN
Price: $195.00 Sale Price: $150.00 Quantity in Stock: 80
This is the special bottling that our three amigos purchased in 2019 at the Auction and this wine will be shown at the tasting. A great vintage and selected by three of South Florida’s top wine collectors. They selected Alex as the vintner to bring this wine up through elevage in his cellar in Beaune so it also has Alex’s name on the bottle.
The Hospices de Beaune aka Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse in Beaune. Founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor and indigent. The original hospital building, the Hôtel-Dieu is one of the finest examples of fifteenth-century Burgundian architecture, is now a museum. Medical services for patients ended in 1971 these are now provided in modern hospital buildings.
The Hôtel-Dieu was founded on 4 August 1443, at that time Burgundy was ruled by Duke Philip the Good. The Hundred Years' War had recently ended by the signing of the Treaty of Arras in 1435. Massacres, however, continued with marauding bands (écorcheurs) still roaming the countryside, pillaging and destroying, provoking misery and famine. Most of the people of Beaune were destitute, and the area had recently suffered an outbreak of plague. Nicolas Rolin, the Duke's Chancellor, and his wife Guigone de Salins, responded by building a hospital and refuge for the poor. He was given permission from Pope Eugene IV in 1441, the hospice was built and consecrated on December 31st 1452.
The building's design was most likely overseen by the Flemish architect Jacques Wiscrère. There is a documentary record of a large range of Flemish and French masons, painters and glass cutters employed for its construction. The facade today is regarded as a superior example of Northern Renaissance civic architecture and a treasure trove of panel painting, given its numerous portraits of Rolin, his wife and members of his extended family.
The Hospices de Beaune consists of a pair of two-storied buildings arranged around a stone courtyard. The building wings are well-preserved today; they contain half-timber galleries and ornate rooftops with dormer windows. The hospital is arranged so that the wings served the office, kitchen and apothecary functions. The nuns and patients were housed nearer the chapel, towards the center of the complex.
The Hospices de Beaune received the first patient on 1 January 1452. Elderly, disabled and sick people, with orphans, women about to give birth and the destitute have all been uninterruptedly welcomed for treatment and refuge from the Middle Ages until today. This Catholic institution focused on healing both the body and spirit of its patients.
The charity auction been arranged annually since 1859, taking place on the third Sunday in November amid a three-day festival devoted to the food and wines of Burgundy called Les Trois Glorieuses. The charity is preceded by a black tie dinner at the Clos de Vougeot on day one and followed by the lunch La Paulée de Meursault on day three. The Domaine des Hospices de Beaune is a non-profit organization which owns around 61 hectares (150 acres) of donated vineyard land, much of this classified Grand and Premier cru. With bidding by professional and private buyers, the barrels, from 31 cuvées of red wine and 13 of white wine, attain prices usually well in excess of the current commercial values, although the results give some indication of the trend in expected bulk wine prices for the vintage from the rest of the region.
Over the centuries, the hospital radiated outwards, grouping with similar establishments in the surrounding villages of Pommard, Nolay, Meursault. Many donations - farms, property, woods, works of art and of course vineyards - were made to it, by grateful families and generous benefactors. The institution is one of the best and oldest examples of historical, philanthropic, and wine-producing heritage, and has become linked with the economic and cultural life of Burgundy.
Check out Alex’s New Book! Climbing the Vines in Burgundy.
