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Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Pont Neuf Wines

We cannot be more excited to get more Pont Neuf to St. Louis!

These wines are very small production, very high quality and we are one of the very few places you will find them outside of the winery!!




Pont Neuf Wines

2019 Pont Neuf Russian River Chardonnay "Le Pont Neuf"...$74.99
Only 70 cases produced - yes, only 3 barrels made!
(we got in 10 cases, yes, 14% of the total production for the world)
Grand Cru Quality
Made from Le Montrachet cuttings!!
The 2019 Le Pont Neuf continues to encapsule every facet and nuance of Chardonnay. Made from plant material sourced from Le Montrachet, this structured Chardonnay is a captivating statement of the 2019 Russian River vintage. The vineyard, only 5 miles from the Pacific Ocean, is comprised of an unusually powdery white Goldridge soil. The pale, friable soil provides excellent drainage and just enough nutrients for the densely planted vines to ripen a small amount of intensely aromatic and flavorful Chardonnay. The vines sit above above Occidental on the remote Sonoma Coast. This secluded, two-acre site surrounded by pines was planted in 2002. Hawks fly overhead and you sense the ocean nearby. The terrior has an undeniable presence. A favorable blend of influences of the cold Pacific fog and warm afternoon sun produces a wine of precision and fine balance. A handsome wine, always rich and assertive, Le Pont Neuf evolves slowly in the bottle with new aromas and flavors emerging as the young wine develops. The tasting experience is one of energy and movement where a subtle hint of one aroma is replaced by one after another as it evolves in the glass. Seductive aromas of honeycomb, crystallized lemon peel, and Freesia are accompanied by a pliant and luxurious mouthfeel. A fine thread of minerality runs through this wine, giving structure and making it fit to age for at least a decade. Le Pont Neuf is a wine that leads to inspired cooking. In Burgundy, we would opt for a creamy lemon and thyme-scented blanquette de veau, roast pork or fine recipes of meatier, flavorful fish. Drink now - 2035. 70 cases produced - winery

2018 Pont Neuf Russian River Pinot Noir L'Origine...$99.99
Only 50  cases produced - yes, only 2 barrels
(we were only allocated 4 cases)
Grand Cru Quality - Bonne Mares from California!
Luxurious and powerful, L’Origine has impressive bearing, texture and presence in the glass. The wine is bottled un-fined and unfiltered, using natural fermentations. 100% French Oak from the Tronçais Forest is employed, air-dried 4 years to achieve the ultimate in finesse. Sourced from a single French clone of Pinot Noir, the wine mirrors our experience in Chambolle-Musigny where Douglas vinified his first vintage. We named it L’Origine, The Origin: the point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived. Tasting notes are consistently impressive: The flavors tell the story of an Autumn forager collecting wild mulberry, blueberry, and blackberry. There is something sauvage about the fruit quality, where the sweet dimension of fruit is heightened by black tea, porcini mushroom, and sage. The spice component is compelling, and exotic, with star anise, cardamon and truffle. For all its bold flavors, the framework is definitively grand cru. The 2018 L’Origine leans toward Chambolle Bonnes Mares in its combination of power and elegance. The superlative texture and brace of fine tannins is evidence that this wine will age for 20 years or more. Winemaker: Douglas Danielak Vineyard: Martinelli Family, Frey Road Appellation: Russian River 100% French cooperage, 4-year air dried, aged in barrel 9 -12 months Winemaking: Traditional Burgundian, Un-fined and unfiltered

2018 Pont Neuf Russian River Pinot Noir La Vouge...$64.99
Only 100  cases produced
Premier Cru Quality
2018 Pont Neuf La Vouge Pinot Noir Russian River is made with traditional Burgundian techniques using French oak from a mix of cooperages, including François Frères. The wine remains in oak barrels almost 1 year, and is usually bottled just before the next vintage. The La Vouge is comprised of Dijon Clone 115, which according to UC Davis derives many of its unique characteristics from specific sites and soils. Goldridge soils produced complex combinations of vivid fruit and forest floor in our 2018 La Vouge. The 2018 vintage for Russian River Pinot was excellent quality due to favorable conditions at bloom and an even, warm summer. The resulting wines are rich and generous, complex and delicious. 
Winemaker: Douglas Danielak 
Appellation: Russian River. Atop Stoetz Ridge, far western Sonoma County, the ridge divides Russian River from Sonoma Coast. 
Clonal Materal: Vosne-Romanee 
Winemaking: Traditional Burgundian Élevage. Raised in four-year aged 100% French Oak barrels, the wine is barrel fermented, bottled un-fined and unfiltered.

2019 Pont Neuf Russian River Pinot Noir La Source...$74.99
Only 75  cases produced
Grand Cru Quality
Luxurious and powerful, La Source has impressive weight, texture and presence in the glass. The wine is un-fined and unfiltered, using natural ferments. The clonal material is from Vosne-Romanée. 100% French Oak from the Tronçais Forest was employed, air-dried 4 years, for the ultimate in balance and finesse. The La Source was bottled after 14 months in barrel. Grown on a rolling ridge dividing Russian River and the Sonoma Coast, just 5 miles from the Pacific, the wine enjoys the best of both climates; that gentle, seductive fruit classic to Russian River and the world-class structure and texture of wines from the near ocean vineyards. 

Winemaker: Douglas Danielak 
Appellation: Russian River. Atop Stoetz Ridge, far western Sonoma County, the ridge divides Russian River from Sonoma Coast. 
Clonal Materal: Vosne-Romanee 
Winemaking: Traditional Burgundian Élevage, 100% French Oak, barrel fermented, un-fined and unfiltered



Extra info about the owners
Douglas Danielak

For the past twenty years, winemaker Douglas Danielak has made wine for some of the Napa Valley's most respected wineries. Influenced by all things French, Douglas started his winemaking career completing the Professional Winemaking Program at the Lycée Agricole et Viticole de Beaune in Burgundy. At that time he worked with Wine Exporter Rebecca Wasserman at Le Serbet where he gained in-depth knowledge of Burgundian wines and barrels while escorting top winemakers to Francois Fréres and Taransaud cooperages. While studying in France, Douglas worked his first harvest at Chateau de Chambolle-Musigny with his friend and classmate Frederic Mugnier as well as studying and making life-long friends with the sons and daughters of many prized domaines of the Cote d'Or.

Upon returning to California Douglas was able to continue his pursuit of perfection in Pinot and Chardonnay. As few vintners at the time were interested in Pinot and Chardonnay, Douglas formed part of a tasting group of early believers in 1989 including Helen Turley, Mark Aubert, David Ramey and Ted Lemon.

In addition to his studies in Burgundy and tasting with his peers in California, Douglas completed his degree in Viticulture and Enology at U.C. Davis and began a successful wine consulting business in Napa Valley. As one of the first Rhone Rangers, Douglas founded the Jade Mountain label with Jim Paras and was recognized as one of the top innovators of Rhone wine in America. Since then he has expanded his repertoire, crafting fine Bordeaux based wines, Rhones, and naturally Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for his list of clients. With a background and philosophy common to small vintners on either side of the Atlantic, all the wines are made to speak clearly of their origin. With a new set of compelling wines, Douglas and Mary bring the same complexity, charm, and sensibility that was forged by their experience in Burgundy to the wines of Pont Neuf.

Mary Danielak
While Mary worked with French wine exporter Rebecca Wasserman, the opportunity to combine her love of food & wine, language and photography was the chance of a lifetime. Meeting and working with both French and American wine producers proved to be key in what lay ahead for her career.

Upon returning to the United States the couple moved to Napa Valley and she became wine buyer for Oakville Grocery Company as the business began an expansion to five retail stores and the Oakville Café. Over the 18 years in Oakville she honed her marketing skills and developed the reputation as one of the most respected palates in the industry. The relationships formed with Californian winemakers visiting Burgundy had informed and shaped her talents as a buyer and they continued to flourish. When she was not at the store, she was pitching in at harvest and assisting Douglas with his winemaking projects. With a firm grounding on two continents Mary developed a concise understanding of wine from both the New and Old Worlds. Douglas and Mary now enjoy utilizing their talents in guiding their own label, Pont Neuf.

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