KERMIT LYNCH WINE MERCHANT

Corte Gardoni

Documents show that the Piccoli family has owned vineyards in the Veneto since the year 1600. Many generations tended the vines, but after phylloxera hit, the ravaged family estate couldn’t support all five brothers, and one of them left to become a fruit grower. Two generations later Gianni Piccoli grew up surrounded by orchards, but he had wine in his blood so when an estate with extensive vineyards came up for sale in 1971 he jumped at the opportunity. For several years the grapes of Corte Gardoni were sold to local cooperatives, but Gianni felt that their wines lacked the soul and individual attention necessary to produce an honest, natural product. In 1980 he definitively broke those ties and for the first time crafted his own wine, focusing on the inherent character of the grapes and the terroir.
Over the course of his long career, Gianni became a highly respected figure in the region as well as a fierce leader in the fight against the homogenization of the local wine scene. While local cooperatives pushed for laws that would encourage producers to plant French grapes like Chardonnay and Merlot, the place of honor at Corte Gardoni has always been reserved for local varieties such as Garganega, Corvina, Rondinella, and others. The Piccolis’ vineyards occupy 23 hectares, while the rest of the property encompasses orchards, forests, olive trees, and arable land, from which the family also produces fruit, olive oil, and the first balsamic-style vinegar to be made from apples.
Gianni passed away in 2020 with nearly fifty vintages under his belt at the helm of Corte Gardoni. In the process, he became a local hero and proud ambassador of Bardolino and its terroir, setting the stage for a new generation to follow in his path creating humble, delicious wines from native grapes that speak to the region and its traditions. Corte Gardoni remains in capable hands today, as Gianni's three sons had already taken over daily operations at the winery several years before his passing. Mattia is in charge of the cellar, Stefano manages the vineyards, and Andrea helps both of his brothers and also handles the commercialization of the wines. They carry on their father's work and continue to strive forward, taking further steps toward sustainability while seeking creative solutions to new challenges such as climate change. The majority of their production goes to the versatile and irresistibly delicious Bardolino “Le Fontane,” Bardolino Chiaretto (rosé), and Custoza, while the more sophisticated Bardolino Superiore “Pràdicà,” Custoza “Mael,” and Becco Rosso demonstrate nuance and incredible longevity. At dinners with clients the Piccolis regularly uncork bottles from renowned names like Armand Rousseau and Sassicaia, then they sit back and grin as their guests discover how well the older vintages of their own wines show in comparison.

Villa Diamante

The story of Villa Diamante begins far away from the vine-covered rolling hills of Irpinia, east of Naples: late founder and winemaker Antoine Gaita grew up in Belgium, where his father had immigrated to work in the coal mines. After developing a passion for wine at a young age, Antoine felt the need to return to his roots so he settled back in the Campania town of Montefredane, along with his New Jersey-born wife Diamante, also a returning migrant. In 1996 they established Villa Diamante, and began to bottle organically grown Fiano di Avellino from the hillside surrounding their home. Unlike most vineyards in the area, their meager 3 hectares of Fiano face north, favoring a slow and steady ripening marked by hot days and cool nights. Antoine's primary goal was to allow the high-altitude limestone terroir of Montefredane to express itself by avoiding the use of chemicals in the vineyard while maintaining a non-interventionist approach in the cellar. Antoine experimented constantly, with his background in chemistry driving his methods as his perennial desire for improvement provided a quasi-academic thrill.

Antoine tragically and unexpectedly passed away after an illness in early 2015. With the help of a consulting enologist, Diamante remains committed to ensuring his legacy lives on as a true pioneer of artisanal, terroir-driven Fiano di Avellino. Respecting the methods he championed in the vines and cellar, Antoine's family continues to craft top-quality wines that remain among the most soulful and long-lived whites of southern Italy.

After whole-cluster pressing, the juice is either inoculated from a wild yeast starter culture (pied de cuve) or with cultured yeasts selected from the vineyard, depending on the vintage. Nothing is hurried in the winemaking, as the wine completes its malolactic fermentation and ages extensively sur lie to acquire stunning mouthfeel and glorious complexity. After a year-long élevage in stainless steel, during which a natural clarification takes place, the “Vigna della Congregazione” is bottled unfined and unfiltered, with only a small dose of sulfur. The wine is an exercise in finesse, showcasing Fiano’s potential for purity and longevity along with its striking, ever-evolving aromatics. Villa Diamante’s Fiano is a unique wine, from its delicate floral perfume and mineral character in youth to the pristine texture and smoky, nutty notes it develops with bottle age.

La Marca di San Michele

The La Marca di San Michele estate in Cupramontana is run by the sibling team of Alessandro Bonci, Beatrice Bonci, and Daniela Quaresima. They are light years ahead of most of their neighbors in growing their six hectares of Verdicchio vines entirely organically, vinifying with minimal SO2, aging some cuvées in large botte, and bottling unfiltered. Cupramontana is the historical birthplace of Verdicchio production in Le Marche–the region’s first vineyards were registered in the land office here in 1471. Camaldolite monks began viticulture here many centuries earlier in 1186, in the area of San Michele, a rural frazione bordering Cupramontana. La Marca refers to a “border district.” All of these rural territories were united to form the region of “Le Marche,” the only Italian region that takes the plural.

This estate represents a real diamond in the rough in this immense and beautiful region of largely untapped potential. In the family’s capable hands, the Verdicchio grape shows its potential to make one of the most exciting white wines of Italy. La Marca produces two main white wines, a DOC Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore called “Capovolto” that is tank-aged and a DOCG Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi Riserva called “Passolento” that is botte-aged with full malolactic fermentation. Their vineyards are planted on a 12 million year old former limestone seabed, on slopes climbing the foothills of the Apennine mountains facing east towards the Adriatic sea. The dynamic young leadership of La Marca is producing wines from this bountiful land of green rolling hills that will inspire your senses and transport you to this breathtaking land.

Domaine Gachot-Monot

The wines of Gachot-Monot represent some of the best values in the KLWM portfolio – not because they are the least expensive, but because they offer an outstanding price-to-quality ratio.  Damien Gachot may work the vineyards of the lesser known Côtes de Nuits Villages appellation, but he works his vines as if they were premier cru fruit from Nuits-Saint-Georges. This fifth-generation vigneron and his Danish wife, Lise, farm twelve hectares in the village of Corgoloin, in between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune. They first came to Kermit’s attention via a trusted source—the master of La Tâche himself, Aubert de Villaine—and it certainly doesn’t hurt that Damien also received an endorsement from his friend, Bertrand Chevillon, either. Ever-smiling and tireless in his work, Damien was first saluted by the Hospices de Beaune as a young talent to be watched. We have been proud to import his wine since the 2000 vintage. 
In the most competitive market for Pinot Noir in the world, it is not an easy feat making a wine taste better than the pedigree of its soil would allow. Damien’s genius is found in his ability to balance traditional philosophies in the vineyards and respect of terroir with more contemporary methodologies in the cellar. His style gracefully manages to achieve suppleness and approachability without sacrificing authenticity, typicity, or age-ability. Dixon Brooke writes,
Thanks to his efforts and dedication, we get a Côtes de Nuits Villages that tastes more like Nuits-St-Georges than village Burgundy.  It is always deeply colored, highly aromatic, full and complex.  Last year we had the 1978 vintage at a dinner with clients in Beaune, and it really turned some heads, not only among the clients but also with the local sommeliers!  There were many fancier labels on the table from top names. 
Kermit has built his own reputation over the years by finding values where no one else was looking. Dive in and experience great Burgundy without breaking the bank!

Guido Porro

Reviews and notes on Guido Porro regularly refer to him as “under the radar”: the wines he makes are worthy of a stellar reputation, but he is too easygoing and unassuming to worry about whether the general wine-drinking public recognizes his name. He rarely bothers to send samples to wine writers. Guido is the fourth generation at an estate that has always been passed from father to son, and although fifth-generation Fabio hasn’t reached middle school, he is already showing a keen curiosity in the family business. The Porros continue to work just as their predecessors did—the only major change over the last few decades has been the decision to bottle at the estate instead of selling the wine in demijohns or barrels—and they like to keep things simple and down to earth. The door is always open, and Guido’s wife Giovanna never looks quite as happy as when she’s serving enormous platters of classic local dishes to a full table of guests.
The limestone-heavy soils of Serralunga d’Alba are known for providing the most long-lived and full-bodied Barolos. Porro’s vineyards are located here in the Lazzarito cru, a gorgeous amphitheatre that faces south-southwest and offers the grapes full sun exposure and protection from the wind. The sub-zones of Lazzairasco and Santa Caterina are both monopoli and share the same soil; however, different exposition and altitude bring distinct traits to each wine. Lazzairasco, a very hot site home to Guido’s oldest Nebbiolo, gives a more powerful, masculine wine, while the cooler, breezier Santa Caterina brings out the delicacy and elegance of Nebbiolo. Even Porro’s Barbera, a grape that is usually planted in lesser vineyards, enjoys a privileged place in Santa Caterina. Guido sticks to traditional methods in the vineyards and cellar, and he never gets in the way of the grapes’ natural expression.

Domaine Bizot

Jean-Yves Bizot is a rare find in Burgundy these days, and we are proud to represent him exclusively in the United States. His strict and uncompromising standards in the vineyards and his enviable old–vine parcels in Vosne-Romanée combine to give us a stellar lineup of miniscule production red Burgundies built for the long haul. Bizot is a professor of viticulture and oenology in Beaune who lives in Vosne across the street from Henri Jayer’s old residence. The two vignerons had neighboring parcels in Vosne and used to discuss vinfication from time to time while working their vines. Bizot decided to adapt some of Jayer’s techniques in his own cellar (in particular cooler temperatures for pre-fermentation), although there are many important differences as Bizot uses exclusively whole clusters, works his vineyards organically, and eschews the use of SO2 during vinification and élevage. Bizot's top-notch Burgundies somehow still fly mostly under the radar, but the distinct and rigorous philosophy that he has forged for his domaine ensure that it will be a model for future generations in Burgundy.  
Bizot’s wines need time to open up and reveal their character. Even the village A.O.C. Vosne- Romanée will use about five years of aging to great advantage. All of his Vosne-Romanées require the patience of a premier cru.
Bizot recently made some exciting purchases in the far north of the Côtes-de-Nuits, terroirs that he believes are under-appreciated by the current generation but were very well known and highly regarded centuries ago–both vineyards are just south of Dijon: Bourgogne “Le Chapitre” and Marsannay “Clos du Roy”, and both are old-vine parcels.  His range is completed by his magnificent Bourgogne Blanc that comes from an old parcel of sélection massale Chardonnay right next to Clos de Vougeot. Bizot’s wines, bottled by hand, barrel by barrel, without filtration, are serious Burgundies for the patient connoisseur, emphasizing purity, subtlety and elegance.

Henri Perrusset

A few decades ago, in a small, local vigneron hangout in the Beaujolais, Kermit and Henri Perrusset met rather serendipitously. There weren’t enough tables in the restaurant and the hostess seated Kermit with Henri, who was just finishing up his meal. Their conversation blossomed, and Henri invited Kermit to visit and taste his first vintage.  We have been buying these delicious, distinctive Chardonnays ever since.  For decades, the Mâconnais has been dominated by the banal bottlings of cooperative cellars; not the sort of quality that leads novices to explore the wines of the region. But at the same time, Henri Perrusset has been working his vineyards by hand, reducing his yields to improve grape quality, all while offering us very reasonable prices. 
Henri Perrusset’s vineyards and home are located in the small town of Farges-les-Mâcon, on the northernmost spur of the limestone subsoil that characterizes the appellation of Mâcon. Farges is not far away from the village named (believe it or not) Chardonnay. The limestone in Farges is more marly than the compact limestone farther south in Pouilly-Fuissé. It is hard and intensely white, but breaks apart into small pieces and it is loaded with quartz and marine fossils as well. This type of soil is easier to work despite all the stones, provides great drainage for the vines, and gives the wines their grainy minerality. Our Mâcon-Farges bottling comes uniquely from a parcel of old vines, while the Mâcon-Villages is a custom blend of all his other holdings around Farges. These are Chardonnays with the ripeness and intensity level of a Pouilly-Fuissé or even a Saint-Aubin, with the particular goût de terroir of Henri’s corner of Mâcon.

Pascal Janvier

Pascal Janvier never planned on becoming a vigneron. Though his parents had vineyard land of their own, they did not make their own wine. Instead, he went to school to learn butchery. However, Pascal made a sudden about-face at the age of thirty and decided to study winegrowing in Amboise. His serious and soft-spoken demeanor reflects a man prone to quiet contemplation and great deliberation. His decision was anything but a whim. Starting slowly, he has mastered his craft with a focus and passion that is contributing towards the revival of the small appellation of Jasnières, in the department of the Sarthe in the Val du Loir. The Loir is a tributary of the Loire River, and its viticultural area is the most northerly (and coldest) of the greater Loire region. The once proud appellations of Jasnières and the Coteaux du Loir (the preferred wines of King Henri IV) are now all but extinct, with still less than one hundred and two hundred hectares still respectively under vine. Pascal, with the help of his wife Dominique, is doing his part to remind everyone what Jasnières is capable of.
The Janviers rent sixty-six different parcels (a total of nine hectares) of land and farm it entirely themselves. Jasnières produces some of the best dry Chenin Blanc (Pineau de la Loire) in the world, and its wines are said to reach their peak ten years after the vintage. The soils of their parcels are comprised of clay, limestone, sand and silex (flint), and are planted primarily to Chenin Blanc. KLWM imports one bottling of their red, made from the lighter-bodied and elegant indigenous red grape, Pineau d’Aunis. Their “Cuvée du Silex” parcel has distinct flint in the soil, lending notes of gunpowder to this beautiful, crisp Chenin. There is no doubt that Pascal and Dominique have chosen the path less traveled, though at the first sip of their wine, one understands why they keep working so hard. Their stunning aromatics and complexity prove them to be one of the greatest values in the KLWM Loire Valley Portfolio, along with the celebrated wines of Château d’Epiré. If over-alcoholic wines are getting to you, Pascal Janvier’s wines are a great refuge.

Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux

One glimpse of Serge Férigoule’s barbell moustache might be enough for one to be completely enamored with the wines of Le Sang des Cailloux, although they also speak remarkably well for themselves. This domaine’s name means “the blood of the stones,” and Serge Férigoule is most certainly the heart that links the two together.  In 1974, Serge left winemaking school with a longing to return to the vineyards. He went to work for Monsieur Ricard’s family in 1979 to oversee the vineyards. Without anyone in his family to succeed him, Ricard decided to gamble by partnering with Serge in 1982. In 1990, after Monsieur Ricard’s retirement, Serge launched Le Sang des Cailloux. Vacqueyras had just been awarded an A.O.C. that same year, a timely twist of fate that helped Serge’s wines to become as celebrated as they deserve.
All of Serge’s seventeen hectares rest on the great Plateau des Garrigues, where red clay, limestone, and the famous galets roulés, or rounded stones, impart a terrific intensity and depth to the wines. Given the aridity of the soil, the vines here are naturally prone to lower yields—this gives the wines their concentration and power. That Serge has been farming organically for years but has never sought certification says something about his philosophy. He is not looking to impress; only to make the best wines he possibly can. Serge is also sentimental—each year, the Cuvée Traditionnelle of Le Sang des Cailloux is named for one of his daughters, Floureto, Doucinello and Azalaïs. The “Vieilles Vignes” is also called “Lopy,” named for his hometown. His wines have everything we love about the Rhône – wild and chewy with great notes of leather, spicy garrigue, and smoky, black fruit.

Domaine d’Aupilhac

Three generations of Fadats have farmed the large, eighteen-hectare lieu-dit known as Aupilhac, in the village of Montpeyroux, across the river Hérault from Daumas Gassac and Grange des Pères. While the Fadats have farmed this land since the nineteenth century, and the vineyards date even farther back to the time of the Romans, it was not until 1989 that the current member of the Fadat family, Sylvain, finally registered the domaine as a vigneron indépendant.  Aupilhac is a special parcel for many reasons. Nestled below the ruins of the village’s château, these terraced vineyards of limestone scree and marl enjoy perfect southwest sun exposure, giving dense, chewy wines loaded with Mediterranean soul. Sylvain is not one to shy away from hard work. In an ancient volcanic amphitheatre littered with marine fossils and big chunks of limestone, he has done what few vignerons dare to do nowadays: he spent years clearing the land of boulders and shrubbery before finally planting a vineyard. The white and red produced in the stunning Cocalières site benefit from high elevation—the parcel lies well above the village at 350 meters above sea level—and cooler, northern exposure, yielding wines of incredible purity, finesse, and electrifying minerality. This was not only an enormous financial investment, but also back-breaking labor. The same work was done many centuries ago by the founders of France’s great terroirs such as Savennières and Cornas, planting the best and most promising parcels irrespective of time and money.
Sylvain has also elected to have his fruit certified as organic in Europe, a mandatory three-year conversion process. For him, this is a choice both of conscience and pragmatism. He works the soil vigorously by plowing regularly. This forces the roots to dig deeper and deeper in the soil in search of cooler, humid subsoil, which protects the vines from drought and sun. Ultimately, his rationale centers on helping achieve a natural balance. In his words, “We believe that work in the vineyards has far more influence on a wine's quality than what we do in the cellar.”  What happens in the cellars is equally compelling. Domaine d’Aupilhac’s wines find a terrific balance of ripe fruit and silky tannins, power and grace. When aged, these wines achieve a complexity rarely found in wines sold for many times the price, while their wildness and intensity makes them equally appealing young.